Jiang Huihui first sent Xu Mu a sweating and speechless emoji.
Followed by a message, "The martial arts contest to choose a husband is the day after tomorrow."
Seeing this, Xu Mu shook his head gently. It was already evening now, meaning there was only one full day of preparation time left—tomorrow.
Xu Mu sent a message back to Jiang Huihui, "Received. Don't worry."
Then, he tossed his phone onto the sofa.
He stretched vigorously, stood up from the sofa, and walked towards the kitchen.
Ye Tong was standing nearby at the time, watching Ye Yu chop vegetables in the kitchen.
"Are the noodles you're making any good? Maybe we should just let your sister do it," Xu Mu said with a smile, looking at Ye Yu.
"Brother-in-law, don't underestimate me. Mine will definitely be more delicious than Sister's," Ye Yu said calmly. Then she looked at Ye Tong, "Sis, you go out too. I can manage by myself."
"Alright."
Ye Tong had originally wanted to offer some guidance, since Ye Yu couldn't cook.
But seeing her current confidence, perhaps she had been secretly learning on her own.
Xu Mu and Ye Tong sat back down on the sofa to chat.
Not long after, Ye Yu walked over carrying a bowl of tomato and egg noodles.
"Brother-in-law, for you!"
Ye Yu placed the bowl and chopsticks in front of Xu Mu and then sat down beside him, watching him with her large, dewy eyes.
Xu Mu looked down at the noodles. At least from appearance, they looked decent.
He took a sip of the broth first and immediately made a pained expression.
So sour!
"Brother-in-law, how is it?"
Ye Yu looked at Xu Mu, her face excited as she said, "The essence of the noodles I make is all in the broth."
"It's good. A bit sour, but it stimulates the appetite," Xu Mu said, not wanting to dampen Ye Yu's enthusiasm, so he offered a bit of encouragement.
[Favorability +15]
Ye Yu immediately beamed with joy. "If it's good, eat more. From now on, I'll make it for you every day."
As she said this, she realized her words sounded almost like a confession to Xu Mu, and her face instantly flushed red.
At that moment, a favorability prompt also appeared above Ye Tong's head.
"Okay."
Xu Mu nodded. Apart from being a bit sour, it wasn't exactly inedible.
He then began eating in big mouthfuls, finishing all the noodles in no time.
"I'll go wash the bowl."
Ye Tong smiled at Xu Mu, took the bowl and chopsticks, and headed to the kitchen.
"Honey, after washing up, remember to come to the room for a meeting," Xu Mu said before heading to the second floor first.
Ye Tong's face immediately turned slightly red. She stole a glance at Ye Yu.
This bad man. Ye Yu isn't a child anymore, always saying such things in front of her.
Ye Yu followed Ye Tong into the kitchen, planning to pull her aside and ask her to stay in her room tonight.
But then she noticed Ye Tong taking a small sip of the leftover broth from Xu Mu's bowl.
She immediately made the same pained expression.
Seeing this, Ye Yu couldn't help but ask, "Sis, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing."
Ye Tong took the bowl to the sink, but Ye Yu immediately snatched it away.
She looked at the leftover broth and took a small sip herself.
Her expression was almost identical to Ye Tong's, but she also stuck out her tongue.
"So sour! I forgot, tomatoes are sour too. I shouldn't have added so much vinegar."
Saying this, Ye Yu hung her head low. "Brother-in-law, really... it clearly didn't taste good, yet he ate it all so cleanly."
"Because you made it," Ye Tong said with a smile.
[Favorability +20]
Ye Yu's cheeks flushed bright red. She immediately put the bowl down and ran upstairs.
After washing the dishes, Ye Tong returned to the bedroom. Xu Mu was already under the covers.
She freshened up briefly and came to Xu Mu's side.
"Husband, you moved Xiao Yu deeply again today. That bowl of noodles was hard to swallow, wasn't it?"
Ye Tong held Xu Mu's hand and whispered.
"It was alright. I'm not too picky. She'll get better with time. Haven't you heard the saying?"
Xu Mu whispered in Ye Tong's ear, "Good things take time."
Ye Tong's face flushed with shyness. She was about to be 'taken time with' again.
...
Early the next morning.
Xu Mu woke up early as usual.
Tomorrow was the day of the martial arts contest to choose a husband, so he definitely couldn't idle around today.
Ye Yu also got up very early. She had already made plans with a close friend from her class to go get their driver's licenses together.
Xu Mu didn't say much. Ye Yu possessed a Level Nine Destiny, so she might encounter opportunities. It was indeed good for her to go out and about.
Ye Tong also went to work, leaving Xu Mu alone at home now.
Just then, Xu Mu's phone rang. He took it out and saw it was a message from "Hundred Ghosts Night Parade."
The sender was the official customer service: "Hello, Mr. Lin. We have investigated your chat records with Mr. Black Robe. After you agreed to meet yesterday, Mr. Black Robe lost contact."
Xu Mu immediately replied: "You're not suspecting me, are you? He's an assassin, after all. There are always risks. I paid the full amount."
The customer service message continued: "We do not suspect you. We merely wish to inform you that Mr. Black Robe is likely deceased. The mission is terminated."
Xu Mu sent back: "Then according to the contract, you should refund the money, right?"
"Correct. We are a legitimate platform. We will refund you ten percent. Please proceed with facial recognition now."
As soon as the customer service message came through, a prompt popped up on the phone.
It asked for permission to grant the app camera access.
Seeing this, Xu Mu was taken aback. Where was he supposed to find Lin Yang now?
He had no choice but to click "Deny."
After about thirty seconds, the app prompted for facial authentication again.
Xu Mu shook his head slightly, watching the countdown end. Then another message popped up.
"Account has been banned."
"I should have known better than to ask for a refund. Maybe I could have used it a bit longer," Xu Mu thought with some frustration.
...
With nothing else to do, Xu Mu drove to find Chen Xuan. He hadn't told him about tomorrow's martial arts contest yet.
Parking the car in front of Chen Xuan's house, Xu Mu used his perception to scan the area.
He found it surprising that this Zhou Xia was so bold. Even though she'd been exposed, she still dared to come back.
She was currently sleeping in the bedroom.
Xu Mu pushed open Chen Xuan's door and found Chen Xuan with a woven bag on his back, about to go out.
"Brother Mu, you're here," Chen Xuan said with a smile. "I was just about to go to the back mountain to train."
"The date for Jiang Huihui's martial arts contest to choose a husband has been set. It's tomorrow," Xu Mu revealed the news.
"I didn't expect it to be so soon. But I will definitely do my best," Chen Xuan said. Suddenly, he turned around. "Brother Mu, someone is releasing qi behind the house."
"I sensed it too."
Through his perception, Xu Mu detected a man with narrow, slit-like eyes who had jumped over the wall into the backyard of Zhou Xia's house.
The man now opened the back door of the house, entered the living room, and sat down on the sofa.
Xu Mu pondered. Most likely, this person was also from the Yin-Yang Sect, probably here to deliver a mission.
He was very curious now about the relationship between the Yin-Yang Sect Leader and Ye Chen.
If they were friends, then Xu Mu would be out of luck.
But if they were enemies, Xu Mu could appropriately lend a hand to the Yin-Yang Sect.
"Old Chen, I want to stay and monitor. If you want to go to the back mountain to train, go ahead," Xu Mu said.
Sitting here, he could not only see what was happening but also hear their voices.

agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)

his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…

e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.

to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”