On the way back to the Lu family mansion from the Western Hills, the atmosphere inside Lu Mingye's red Ferrari was cheerful.
His new female companion was chattering away.
From the latest fashion trends to gossip within their social circle.
Lu Mingye listened with a smile, interjecting a word or two now and then, which always elicited a string of laughter from the girl.
He was thoroughly enjoying this feeling.
The scent of perfume in the car and the girl's adoring gaze made him forget the displeasure from the racetrack.
Li Xiujian's arrogance.
Mo Zhenbang's aloofness.
And his father's icy stare from the balcony.
He had temporarily pushed them all to the back of his mind.
The car stopped in front of a luxury apartment building downtown.
"I'll walk you up first."
Lu Mingye unbuckled his seatbelt.
"No need, Brother Mingye."
The girl shook her head instead.
"My mom wants me home early."
She leaned over and planted a light kiss on Lu Mingye's cheek.
"Thank you for today. I'm so touched that you gave up the race to be with me."
With that, she pushed the car door open and, like a happy butterfly, fluttered into the apartment lobby.
Lu Mingye touched his cheek.
The smile on his face slowly faded.
Touched?
He just didn't want to be the awkward third place in the showdown between Li Xiujian and Mo Zhenbang.
He just needed a decent excuse to leave early.
He was weak, not actually stupid.
Lu Mingye started the car, the engine roaring.
He didn't go home.
He drove aimlessly along Jingzhou's Fourth Ring Road.
The night deepened.
In the end, Lu Mingye still drove the car back to the Lu family mansion.
After parking, he walked into the living room.
All the lights in the living room were on.
But it was empty.
Only a suffocating silence remained.
He knew his father was waiting for him.
Lu Mingye took a deep breath, trying to make his footsteps sound steady.
He walked up to the second floor.
The study door was slightly ajar.
A dim, yellowish light spilled from within.
He could smell the scent of a cigar.
His father's favorite Cuban cigar.
He knew that the angrier his father was, the calmer his demeanor became.
Lu Mingye stood outside the door for a long time.
He straightened his collar and pushed the door open.
"Dad."
Lu Chengsi sat behind a massive rosewood desk.
He didn't look at Lu Mingye, merely trimming a fresh cigar.
His movements were slow, full of ritual.
In the study, there was only the soft snip of the scissors.
Lu Mingye stood before the desk, head bowed.
He didn't dare sit down.
He felt his father's silence pressing down on his back like a mountain.
"You're back."
Finally, after a long while, Lu Chengsi spoke.
His voice was calm, betraying neither anger nor joy.
"Yes," Lu Mingye replied.
"Did you have fun?"
Lu Chengsi asked.
"...It was alright."
"For a woman, you gave up a competition."
Lu Chengsi looked up, his gaze settling on Lu Mingye's face.
"Do you think that's very gallant?"
Lu Mingye's heart sank like a stone.
"Dad, I..."
"Did I send you to the equestrian club so you could chase women?"
Lu Chengsi cut him off.
"All three families—the Lu, Mo, and Li families—have submitted proposals for that piece of land in the east of the city."
"Today's horse race was a pretense; the real purpose was to sound each other out."
"The Li family wants to dominate alone. The Mo family wants to sit back and reap the rewards."
"And you?"
"What did you see?"
Every word from Lu Chengsi felt like a heavy hammer striking Lu Mingye's heart.
"I... I saw that Li Xiujian was very arrogant. He wanted to secure that land with just one race."
Lu Mingye answered with difficulty.
"And then?"
"Then Mo Zhenbang didn't let him succeed. He didn't agree to the wager."
"So, you think today, Li Xiujian lost and Mo Zhenbang won?"
A trace of mockery touched the corner of Lu Chengsi's mouth.
"Isn't that the case?"
Lu Mingye retorted instinctively.
Lu Chengsi looked at his eldest son.
At his handsome yet shallow face.
At those eyes that only knew how to please women.
A wave of immense disappointment welled up in his heart.
He set the trimmed cigar aside.
He didn't even have the energy to get angry anymore.
"Get out."
Lu Chengsi waved his hand, his tone full of weariness.
"I'm tired."
Lu Mingye was stunned.
He had prepared countless explanations.
He had anticipated his father's furious wrath.
But he hadn't expected this.
This feeling of being utterly dismissed was worse than any scolding.
"Dad, I was wrong."
He was eager to prove himself.
"I shouldn't have done it for a woman... I just thought Li Xiujian was too overbearing, I didn't want to let him..."
"Out."
Lu Chengsi's tone hardened.
He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
Lu Mingye opened his mouth, but in the end, said nothing.
He bowed slightly and retreated from the study.
Then, gently, closed the door.
The moment the door shut, all the strength seemed to drain from his body.
He leaned against the wall, gasping for breath.
The study door was like an insurmountable barrier.
Shutting him out of his father's world.
In the shadows of the corridor, a door quietly opened a crack.
The Lu family's second son, Lu Mingshi, had been standing behind it.
He had heard the entire conversation.
Watching his elder brother's devastated appearance, he felt no sympathy, only satisfaction.
And a deeper resentment.
His elder brother was so useless.
Worthless in their father's eyes.
Yet he was still the Lu family's eldest son.
The rightful heir.
Father might be disappointed in him, might scold him, but he had never thought of giving up on him.
And what about himself?
No matter what he did, in their father's eyes, he was just "the second son."
Lu Mingshi clenched his fists.
Why?
His gaze turned sinister.
In stark contrast to the oppressive atmosphere in the Lu residence, the Li family villa was brightly lit, filled with boisterous laughter.
The huge living room was packed with people.
All core members of the Li family and some business associates.
Meanwhile, in Li Hongji's study.
Li Hongji, flushed and beaming, raised his glass, laughing heartily.
"Hahaha! Good! Well done!"
Li Hongji slapped Li Xiujian on the shoulder with such force that the glasses on the table rattled.
"That's my son, Li Hongji!"
"The racetrack is a battlefield. Winning is everything!"
Li Xiujian raised his glass and drained it in one go.
His face still carried the excitement and fierceness from the racetrack.
But inwardly, he wasn't as pleased as he appeared.
"Dad, that Mo Zhenbang is such a pretentious act."
He said with a frown.
"He clearly lost, yet he acted like he didn't care at all. What did he mean by that phrase? 'Too childish'? He treats my victory as a child's game?"
"That's jealousy!"
Li Hongji sneered.
"Those so-called noble families, relying on their ancestors' prestige, are best at putting on airs of aloofness."
"They don't dare to bare their blades like we do."
"So, they can only play their empty games behind the scenes."
"Look at that Lu Chengsi, isn't he the same? He's raised his son into a complete waste."
"And that little secretary from the municipal government today, Secretary Qian."
Li Hongji picked up his glass, a flash of disdain in his eyes.
"He comes running to me, talking about proper procedures and clear funding. Who does he think he is? Daring to lecture me?"
"I think it's those old foxes, Lu Chengsi and Mo Jingsheng, pulling the strings behind the scenes."
"They're scared."
"They know they can't outplay us in the business arena. That's why they're trying to use higher authorities to pressure us."
Listening to his father, Li Xiujian felt the knot of frustration in his heart loosen somewhat.
"What about the land in the east of the city?"
"We seize it!"
Li Hongji thumped his glass down heavily on the table.
"Tomorrow, you take some men and go 'persuade' all those small companies to withdraw their bids."
"Let's see who dares to touch that land without our Li family's approval!"
"But, Dad, what if the higher-ups really start an investigation..." Li Xiujian still had some reservations.
"Investigation?"
Li Hongji acted as if he had heard the biggest joke.
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
Explosive Plot Song Gua crossed over into another world, bringing along a whole crew of his doppelgangers—all of them mischief-makers. This was a world where everyone could choose a class. Song Gua became a "Bondweaver," capable of borrowing power, while his doppelgangers took on a wide variety of classes, covering just about everything. The number of doppelgangers grew day by day, each one a talented individual with a charming way of speaking. Under Song Gua's brilliant leadership, they would "greet" each other daily and engage in friendly "sparring," pulling off one major scheme after another on Earth. Sometimes they were bandits—stealing bosses, plundering mines, snatching resources. Sometimes they were saviors—descending like divine warriors to face world bosses threatening to massacre cities. Sometimes they even went undercover, infiltrating various major factions to stir up trouble from within, keeping their enemies constantly on edge. To prevent their doppelganger abilities from being exposed, Song Gua made them wear masks with mahjong tile patterns and don Taoist robes in various colors. "Remember, in front of outsiders, call me 'The Dice.'" "Got it! Boss!" "Not 'Boss'—it's 'The Dice.' Think about the vibe, pay attention to the vibe." "Yes! Boss!" "For crying out loud..." From then on, whenever they appeared, they would have their own theme song playing: ~Hey~ paying respects at the mountain stronghold at night~ whose arm is draped over whose shoulder~ gather your courage and follow along...
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
