Zhang Que glanced at Xu Mu and slipped his hand into his pocket.
Seeing this, Xu Mu quickly took a few steps back, shielding Feng Yue behind him.
Feng Yue’s face filled with emotion at the sight—such an unconscious gesture spoke volumes more than any deliberate display.
[Affection Points +20]
"Why are you running? Do you have a prejudice against ancient martial artists? We don’t just kill people for no reason."
As he spoke, Zhang Que pulled out a pack of Red Double Happiness cigarettes from his pocket, plucking one with his lips.
Xu Mu shook his head slightly. It wasn’t ancient martial artists he had a problem with—it was the man standing in front of him.
"You don’t want to answer? Then let me ask differently. You’re hiding here—are you planning to target us?"
"No. Not only will I not target you, I’ll protect this place. I don’t take my 6,000-a-month salary for nothing."
Zhang Que flicked open a lighter and lit his cigarette.
"That’s a relief."
Xu Mu nodded to himself before leading Feng Yue back to his car.
"Boss, do you two know each other?"
Feng Yue couldn’t hold back the question as soon as she settled into the passenger seat.
"I’ve heard of him, but he doesn’t know me."
Xu Mu glanced through the window at Zhang Que, still smoking by the entrance. "He’s a killer. Brutal. Best to keep your distance."
He kept his explanation simple, though the truth was more complicated—Zhang Que wasn’t just a killer.
Even the sinister organization he’d once belonged to disdained earning money through murder.
Their methods were more like a sect’s—raiding ruins or ambushing sect members to steal treasures for their own advancement.
"What? Should I report him to the cleaners?" Feng Yue asked, puzzled.
"Absolutely not! He’s too strong. The cleaners might not even catch him, and you could end up in danger."
Xu Mu shook his head. "Just go about your business. Pretend he doesn’t exist."
Feng Yue agreed, then smiled. "I thought he knew you."
"Why do you say that?" Xu Mu frowned.
"He seemed cold, like he hates small talk. But when he spoke to you, he kept smiling."
Feng Yue had been observing Zhang Que closely.
"Maybe he was just in a good mood today."
Xu Mu glanced at her. "The Chai family might come after you. Stay at the company these next few days—don’t wander around."
If Zhang Que had promised protection, Feng Yue should be safe, at least for now.
Feng Yue nodded. She didn’t have any plans anyway.
The latest batch of Beauty Pills had sold out completely, and she was already thinking the price was too low.
Her goal was to position them as a luxury product—only then would they reach their true value.
After all, Beauty Pills weren’t a one-time fix. Customers would keep coming back for more.
Her target market? Wealthy socialites, celebrities—women who could afford the best.
Xu Mu was about to say more when Li Yun called.
She was at a Wuling Hongguang dealership, ready to buy a car, and wanted his advice.
Since she was at a dealership in Yang City, Xu Mu decided to swing by—partly to help, partly to earn some Justice Points.
Without Ye Tong around at night, he had to put in extra effort.
---
Wuling Hongguang Showroom.
Xu Mu parked by the curb and headed inside.
Before he’d taken more than a few steps, Li Yun spotted him and hurried over with a smile.
For some reason, Xu Mu was certain—if Li Yun worked here, she’d be the top salesperson.
"Xiao Mu, thanks for coming."
Li Yun had planned to ask for advice over the phone, but she hadn’t expected him to show up in person.
[Affection Points +20]
"No problem. I was nearby anyway."
Xu Mu studied her. "Why stick with this brand?"
"I drove one before. Got attached to it."
Li Yun grinned. "Once I pay off my debts, I’ll upgrade to something nicer."
Xu Mu nodded.
They stepped further into the showroom, where a young saleswoman in uniform approached.
The moment she saw Li Yun, her eyes widened in disbelief—then flicked down to her own chest.
The difference was staggering. What on earth had this woman been eating?
"Hello! What kind of car are you interested in?" the saleswoman asked with a practiced smile.
Li Yun turned to Xu Mu, overwhelmed by the options.
"Auntie, what’s the main purpose? Just commuting?" Xu Mu asked.
"Right. Just back and forth to work. Nowhere else to go," Li Yun confirmed.
"In that case, why not an electric car? Our company has free charging stations. You’d save on gas."
Xu Mu thought it over.
"Xiao Mu, you’re so thoughtful."
Li Yun beamed. Fuel costs were a major expense for daily commutes.
Even with the company’s subsidy, an EV made more sense.
"Miss, what’s your budget? I can recommend something," the saleswoman chimed in.
"I'll take that Bingo, the white one in stock."
Li Yun pointed to the car nearby. The price displayed was within her budget.
"Go for the Bingo Plus!"
Xu Mu glanced at Li Yun. "Auntie, the Plus has longer range and isn’t much more expensive."
"This gentleman is right. Normally, the range drops in cold weather, so having extra mileage gives peace of mind," the saleswoman chimed in with a smile.
"No, it’s too expensive."
Li Yun shook her head at Xu Mu. Her original budget was only around fifty or sixty thousand.
The Plus model, after all the fees, would cost nearly eighty.
"Bro, aren’t you embarrassed?"
Just then, a young man with dyed red hair, roughly twenty-five years old, approached.
He wore ripped jeans and a denim jacket, striding over with a burly man in tow.
The burly man had a buzz cut and matching red hair.
The red-haired guy had noticed Li Yun the moment she walked into the dealership.
His hand brushed against the Wuling Xingguang, admiration flashing in his eyes.
The car’s condition was impeccable—the engine clearly broken in and at its peak, direct-injection and all.
It was definitely a gas-guzzler, but with luxury cars, high horsepower and torque came at a cost.
Who cared about fuel efficiency when you could enjoy that sweet engine roar?
But what really caught his eye were the laser headlights. On night drives, what mattered most?
Safety, of course.
"Scrimping over a car that costs just a few grand? Are you even a man?"
The redhead smirked as he stepped in front of Li Yun. "Sis, which car caught your eye? I’ll buy it for you!"
For a ride like this, a few thousand was nothing.
Li Yun ignored him, leaning closer to Xu Mu instead.
"Xiao Mu, I still think it’s too pricey."
"We’re getting it!"
Xu Mu shot the redhead a sidelong glance and whispered to Li Yun, "I’ll let you in on a secret—you’ve got tens of thousands in bonuses coming this month."
"Tch. Pathetic. Letting a woman like you drive a Wuling? That’s an insult!"
The redhead wasn’t giving up. "Sis, someone like you deserves at least a Mercedes or BMW."
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
