Li Yun bit her lip, lost in thought for a long moment before standing up and saying, "I... I need to think about it."
"Li Yun, opportunities like this don’t come twice. Our corporation is massive—do you really think I’d save a spot just for you?" Wu Shengqi shook his head lightly. "The only reason I’m here is out of respect for Zheng Yan. If you’re not interested, I’ll leave right now."
"Mr. Wu, wait!"
Zheng Yan immediately stopped Wu Shengqi, then grabbed Li Yun’s arm. "At our age, why overthink things? Nothing else matters—money is what’s real."
Li Yun pushed Zheng Yan’s hand away. "I’m sorry, I can’t cross that line."
Ever since she was young, Li Yun had excelled in her studies. But back then, society held a prevailing belief—that education was useless for women.
In those days of widespread poverty, why would families spend hard-earned money raising a daughter, only for her to marry into another household? Who would be that selfless?
So, when Li Yun was accepted into university, her family made her drop out and marry early.
Her parents poured their resources into her good-for-nothing younger brother instead.
The man she married back then was entirely her parents’ decision—she felt nothing for him.
But in that era, love wasn’t the priority; survival was.
Her husband was honest and hardworking, a reliable partner for life.
The family lived quietly until the day he died in a construction accident.
Her parents immediately arranged for her to remarry.
As a young woman, she hadn’t dared to resist. But this time, she refused.
Her reasoning was simple: she’d remarry, but only to a man who made her heart flutter.
Yet a man like that wasn’t easy to find.
On top of that, she didn’t want her daughter, Zhao Yingying, to endure what she had.
She worked tirelessly to send Yingying to the best middle school in their county town.
Then they moved to Jiang City so Yingying could attend Jiang City No.1 High School.
In the end, Zhao Yingying didn’t disappoint, securing admission to Jiang City University.
As the days passed, Li Yun found contentment in her independence.
Now, as she stood to leave the private room, she thought—how could she, not even forty yet, be interested in a balding man in his fifties?
"I know a lot of people. Believe me, one word from me, and you’ll never find work again."
Wu Shengqi slammed the table, his threat icy.
He’d even brought protection—a whole box of it. Now that she was within reach, he couldn’t let her walk away.
"Then I’ll keep delivering takeout."
A fire burned in Li Yun’s eyes. Thank goodness she hadn’t agreed—a man like this would only bring her a lifetime of misery.
"Li Yun! After all the effort I put into introducing you, this is how you repay me?"
Zheng Yan also stood, shouting at Li Yun’s retreating figure.
"I came here for a job."
Just as Li Yun’s hand touched the door handle, Wu Shengqi lunged forward and grabbed her arm.
"You have a daughter in college, don’t you? One word from me, and she’ll never get her diploma. Believe that?"
Wu Shengqi’s gaze dropped to Li Yun’s chest. "You’re already a divorced woman—what’s the harm in letting me have some fun?"
"Let go of me, or I’ll call the police!"
"Go ahead! I’ll spend a few hundred grand to make your daughter disappear! Try me!"
Wu Shengqi’s glare was venomous. He knew exactly where a strong woman’s weakness lay—her child.
Li Yun’s eyes reddened. This man had wealth and connections.
She didn’t care about herself, but she couldn’t risk her daughter’s safety.
"That’s right. Be a good girl and stay with me. You’ll have a job, and money."
Seeing Li Yun’s resistance waver, Wu Shengqi allowed himself a smirk.
Just then, the door burst open.
Bam!
Xu Mu’s fist connected with Wu Shengqi’s nose, sending blood gushing instantly.
Thud!
His body collapsed onto the table, sending plates crashing to the floor.
Xu Mu seized Li Yun’s hand and pulled her to his side.
Before arriving, he’d already sensed the situation unfolding inside.
Li Yun, abruptly yanked toward Xu Mu, stood frozen, her mind blank.
She looked down at his grip on her hand and hastily pulled away.
"You little bastard! Do you have any idea who I am? You dare hit me?"
Clutching his nose, Wu Shengqi glared at Xu Mu.
"You don’t recognize me?"
Xu Mu was surprised.
He remembered leaving the banquet hall with Meng Wanyue without seeing anyone else around.
That meant this man wasn’t even important enough to be inside.
"What are you, some nobody? Why should I know you?" Wu Shengqi roared.
"If you don’t know me, you’re too low-level to matter."
Xu Mu stepped forward, grabbing Wu Shengqi’s collar. "Touch her again, and I’ll make sure you regret it for the rest of your life."
Then he turned to Li Yun. "Auntie, let’s go."
Li Yun nodded instinctively, following closely behind Xu Mu.
Watching his tall figure from behind, her heart pounded wildly.
[Affection +30]
For a fleeting moment, she’d thought—could this be her destined savior?
But no. They could never be. Xu Mu was far too young.
...
"Damn it!"
Wu Shengqi clutched his nose, seething. "Who the hell was that kid? I won’t let this slide!"
"Mr. Wu, calm down."
Zheng Yan hurried to his side, grabbing tissues to wipe the blood from his face.
Wu Shengqi took a deep breath. "Let’s go. I need to unwind."
"Okay."
Zheng Yan nodded.
Wu Shengqi cursed under his breath. He’d thought a single mother in debt would be easy to manipulate.
With a little grooming, he’d planned to enjoy a two-on-one game.
Now that chance was gone.
...
Outside the hotel, Xu Mu and Li Yun stood in the chilly night air.
The cold wind cleared Li Yun’s mind. "Xu Mu, how did you know I was here?"
"Funny story—I overheard him on the phone outside the company."
Xu Mu summarized what had happened.
"What? So he and Zheng Yan were in on this together?"
Li Yun shuddered. No wonder Zheng Yan, after years of silence, had suddenly reached out.
"I heard you were here on the call. When I walked in, I heard the commotion in the room."
Truthfully, Xu Mu hadn’t heard anything—he’d located Li Yun through his heightened senses.
"You shouldn’t have hit him. He’s wealthy, a high-ranking executive at a big company."
Li Yun sighed deeply.
"I don’t care who he is. He bullied you—he deserved it." Xu Mu’s voice was cold.
Li Yun trembled, black text floating above her head.
[Affection +20]
For some reason, she suddenly found this man unbearably admirable.
"Get in. I’m heading back to Jiang City—I’ll take you home."
Xu Mu opened the car door and smiled at her.
"Alright."
Li Yun nodded. Without Xu Mu, she’d have had to find a cheap hotel tonight and take the bus back tomorrow.
As Meng Wanyue turned the car toward Jiang City, they passed the branch office of Xu Corporation just before reaching the highway.
Li Yun pointed out the window. "That’s the big company he works for."
"What? He’s from here?"
Xu Mu frowned—did that mean his job was gone?
Anyone capable of such actions was clearly no good person. It seemed this branch office had quite a few parasites.
"Auntie, let me introduce you to a job," Xu Mu said calmly.
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!