Fang Chu rushed outside the hot pot restaurant and saw Li Yun and the others waiting there.
"We need to leave now. Those people are chasing us," Fang Chu immediately urged the group.
"What about Brother Mu?" Zhao Yingying asked anxiously.
She had seen clearly earlier that Xu Mu had confronted someone to let them escape.
Lu Xueyao didn’t say a word. She glanced around and spotted a shovel by the roadside. Grabbing it, she charged back into the hot pot restaurant.
But the moment she entered, Xu Mu pushed her back out.
"What are you doing with that?" Xu Mu asked with a faint smile.
"Brother Xu Mu, are you okay?"
Lu Xueyao sighed in relief when she saw Xu Mu unharmed.
"You’re underestimating me. Let’s go before they catch up."
Though Xu Mu said this, the pursuers wouldn’t be catching up anytime soon—they were all lying on the ground.
Fang Chu’s face was bruised, and while he resented Xu Mu, he hated himself even more.
If only his body had fully recovered—those people would’ve been nothing to him.
What right did Xu Mu have to steal his woman?
"Fang Chu, are you okay? Should we go to the hospital?"
Li Yun approached him with concern.
After all, his injuries were because of them.
"Brother Fang Chu, I’m sorry for causing you trouble," Zhao Yingying added.
"No need, it’s just a minor injury. I’ll grab some medicine later."
Fang Chu had been seething with anger, but their concern made him feel slightly better.
......
Xu Mu had offered to take Fang Chu home, but he refused, saying he had his own car and left first.
So Xu Mu drove the remaining three.
Lately, Xu Mu had been driving the Cadillac Escalade to work, while Ye Tong temporarily used the Porsche 911.
"Brother Xu Mu, did you help Fang Chu earlier?"
Lu Xueyao, sitting in the passenger seat, suddenly spoke up.
In the back, Li Yun and Zhao Yingying perked up their ears.
"What do you mean?" Xu Mu asked, confused.
"When we were coming downstairs earlier, Fang Chu was clearly pinned down and couldn’t move. You had plenty of time to escape, yet he came out first."
Lu Xueyao pouted slightly. "You didn’t have to help him. Look how he just ran off without caring about you."
Xu Mu looked at Lu Xueyao, recalling how she’d rushed into the restaurant with a shovel.
He felt a flicker of warmth—she really had changed.
Meanwhile, Li Yun and Zhao Yingying’s heads practically radiated rising affection.
Xu Mu was truly a good person. Despite Fang Chu’s hostility, he’d selflessly helped him.
Fang Chu, on the other hand, was despicable—running away first and leaving Xu Mu behind.
Worse, his first words after escaping were telling them to leave, completely disregarding Xu Mu’s safety.
Li Yun shook her head lightly. She’d felt grateful to Fang Chu earlier, but now she saw his true colors.
Xu Mu was baffled. Self-delusion was truly dangerous.
He hadn’t helped Fang Chu at all.
After dropping off Li Yun and Zhao Yingying, Xu Mu drove Lu Xueyao home.
"Be more careful in the future. Don’t let yourself be fooled so easily," Xu Mu said, glancing at her.
"I understand. Next time, I’ll call you first," Lu Xueyao replied, lowering her head. "Brother Xu Mu, you’re so kind."
"Go on inside."
Xu Mu patted the back of her head with a smile.
"Brother Xu Mu, you’re married… but I don’t care!"
Mwah.
Lu Xueyao pecked his cheek, then blushed furiously, flung the car door open, and dashed away.
Xu Mu watched the surge of affection above her head, touched his cheek, and shook his head lightly.
......
Back home, Ye Tong had already returned.
Entering the yard, Xu Mu noticed an electric scooter parked nearby. Sensing its presence, he realized Ye Yu was also home.
In the living room, Ye Yu greeted him first. "Brother-in-law, you’re back!"
"Yeah."
Xu Mu nodded.
Ye Yu’s relaxed demeanor was a far cry from when they’d first met.
A quick check showed her affection was just twenty-something points away from turning positive.
As a Level 9 Destiny holder, she’d be a huge asset for gaining Justice Points.
Ye Tong peeked out from the kitchen. "You’re back? Have you eaten?"
"I have, but I’ll eat some more if you’re cooking," Xu Mu replied, sitting on the sofa.
[Affection +10]
"It’ll be ready soon."
Ye Tong’s cheeks flushed as she ducked back into the kitchen.
Meanwhile, Ye Yu crossed her arms like a little adult and gave Xu Mu a sidelong glance. "Brother-in-law, have you talked to Lu Xueyao yet?"
"No, I haven’t seen her lately."
Xu Mu smiled and shook his head. He couldn’t possibly tell Ye Yu the truth—especially since Lu Xueyao was now a steady source of Justice Points.
"Seems like I’ll have to arrange a meeting between you two soon."
Ye Yu tapped her chin thoughtfully.
Soon after, Ye Tong brought out the dishes with a smile. "Dinner’s ready."
Ye Yu followed, helping carry the food from the kitchen.
Over dinner, they chatted about recent events.
Ye Tong had started working at the company, assisting Wang Weiliang in experiments.
Since it was their own company, and Wang Weiliang had once been part of the Ye family, she had plenty of freedom and ease.
Xu Mu mentioned the company’s weight-loss pills, which were set to launch that very night.
Ye Yu stayed mostly silent, worried for her sister.
It was obvious now—Ye Tong’s eyes were full of Xu Mu.
She knew her sister’s nature: non-confrontational, never fighting for anything.
So, securing her sister’s happiness fell to her.
Ye Yu didn’t understand why, but ever since Xu Mu started treating her well, her mindset had shifted.
Before, she’d been desperate to take Ye Tong and escape Xu Mu’s grasp.
Now, she no longer wanted to leave. If it came to it, she’d sacrifice herself too.
Could she and Ye Tong really lose to Lu Xueyao?
That night, Xu Mu and Ye Tong continued their "grand mission." With over a thousand Justice Points, he wanted to gather a few more to reach two thousand for tomorrow’s lottery.
As a virtuoso pianist, Xu Mu excelled at duets.
After the first round, he was just shy of two thousand.
So, he began the second, effortlessly hitting his target.
......
Early the next morning, Xu Mu woke up to find Ye Tong still asleep beside him, tear stains lingering at the corners of her eyes.
Ye Tong had actually woken up earlier but didn’t dare open her eyes.
She was afraid…
She even considered calling Meng Wanyue for help—after all, she lived nearby.
As usual, Xu Mu started his lottery.
He’d save the high-tier draws for later. Right now, boosting his cultivation was the priority.
The ten-draw began, the wheel spinning rapidly.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for obtaining the Heaven-tier cultivation manual: Spirit Vein Armament.]
Xu Mu was stunned. What just happened?
A normal draw, and you start off with a heaven-tier cultivation technique right from the beginning? Then wasn't the previous 10,000 points just a total waste?
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.”
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
