Father Ji furrowed his brows.
Originally, they had owned a house, but after the divorce, Ji Cheng’s mother took it. Later, Ji Cheng rented a place, and after starting university, she moved into the dormitory to save money.
"How about this—when your mother arrives, let her pay for your rent. You can rest properly there."
Father Ji thought his arrangement was reasonable and looked up at Ji Cheng.
To his surprise, there wasn’t the slightest flicker of emotion in Ji Cheng’s eyes, as if she hadn’t even heard him.
What kind of look was that?
Father Ji’s frown deepened instantly.
"Let her stay at my place. It’s close to the university," Ming Xiaowei suddenly spoke up.
Hearing this suggestion, Father Ji grew somewhat embarrassed. "Wouldn’t that be too much trouble?"
"It’s fine."
Finally, Ji Cheng spoke. "Dad, Grandma’s surgery is tomorrow. The fees are already paid. You just need to come."
Father Ji was taken aback but quickly nodded. "Of course, of course. I’ll definitely be there."
As he spoke, he pulled out two thousand yuan from his pocket and placed it on the bedside table.
"This is what your aunt and I scraped together. You and your friend can use it for food or whatever you need. Sorry for troubling you these few days, young lady." Father Ji turned to Ming Xiaowei.
Ji Cheng was about to toss the money back, but Ming Xiaowei stopped her hand.
Father Ji didn’t know how to interact with his daughter. After relaying the doctor’s instructions, he left.
He still had to visit his mother.
Ji Cheng stared at the money on the bedside table, feeling uneasy.
"If he gave it to you, just take it. This can buy you plenty of good food." Ming Xiaowei tucked the money into Ji Cheng’s small bag on the sofa.
"Alright." Ji Cheng chuckled.
"Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? I’ll ask Auntie Zhang to make some congee or something." Ming Xiaowei pulled out her phone.
"I am a little hungry," Ji Cheng admitted, lowering her gaze.
For some reason, being cared for like this by Xiaowei made her feel oddly shy.
But they were friends, weren’t they?
"I’ll tell her to start cooking now. Auntie Zhang can make anything. If I have to go to class, just let her know what you need. She’s taken care of patients before."
Ming Xiaowei suddenly realized how convenient it was to have a housekeeper.
(^▽^)
"Okay." Ji Cheng agreed quickly.
Ming Xiaowei took out her phone, hurried to the bathroom, and closed the door before pulling out her wand. She had almost forgotten—her leg still hurt.
If she didn’t treat it soon, she wouldn’t be able to attend class tomorrow.
Once the pain subsided, Ming Xiaowei messaged Auntie Zhang to prepare congee and buy some fruit.
After receiving a reply, she slipped her phone back into her pocket and left the bathroom.
Then she remembered what Father Ji had said—Ji Cheng’s mother would be arriving in a few days.
There was also a banquet on her father’s side, but it seemed the female lead wouldn’t be attending. Well, maybe it was fate?
"Ah Si, what’s the situation with the female lead?"
"Pretty bad. Someone’s condition worsened after surgery, and they’re demanding Zhao Qinghan’s mother pay a million in compensation."
The Zhao family was wealthy, but with three or four people demanding money at once, Zhao Qinghan’s mother couldn’t possibly comply.
Scholars might be principled, but that didn’t mean they disregarded money entirely.
"That’s quite the demand." Ming Xiaowei almost laughed.
No helping it—in situations like this, Zhao Qinghan’s mother would prefer to settle privately. If it went to court, Zhao Qinghan’s acting career would be over. And since she didn’t know her daughter’s bank password, she’d have to pay out of her own pocket.
But as a second wife, how much did the Zhao family really value her?
Wang Ning was beyond frustrated.
Qinghan was already enough trouble, and now Ji Cheng had her own issues. Couldn’t these two daughters give her a break?
"Xiao Ning, I don’t think we should be the ones paying for this."
Zhao Baishu watched as Wang Ning vented her frustration and walked over to pat her shoulder.
He had never been thrilled about their daughter joining the entertainment industry, and now it had landed her in trouble. To him, those people were outright extorting them. How much could a calligrapher and painter like him earn in a day?
"Are you suggesting we make our daughter pay? Qinghan is still just a child!" Wang Ning pressed her lips together, her face full of displeasure.
"She’s twenty-two. She makes plenty from variety shows—four or five million shouldn’t be a problem. If not, just ask her for the password."
"No! Qinghan would be furious." Wang Ning instinctively refused.
She owed her daughter a proper childhood. If she couldn’t protect her now, what kind of mother was she?
"Did Grandpa refuse to help?" Wang Ning had already guessed who was behind this.
If Qinghan was in trouble, the second branch of the family was probably celebrating.
Grandpa Zhao had three sons. The third son had passed away early, leaving behind a child who was sent abroad for studies and showed no intention of returning. The second branch had a son and a daughter, both doted on by the old man.
The daughter from the second branch was also in the entertainment industry, having started as a child star. She had always despised Zhao Qinghan. This time, she and Grandpa Zhao were likely piling on, refusing to help.
"He won’t budge. I have enough savings for four or five million, but if I spend it, I won’t even have money for cigarettes. You know how Dad is—he’d never sell the family’s calligraphy or paintings."
Wang Ning’s dissatisfaction grew.
"Grandpa has stacks of calligraphy in his study—people would pay a fortune for them. Why won’t he? Isn’t Qinghan his own granddaughter?"
Her temper flared as she sat down on an ornate wooden chair, her expression dark.
When she married into the Zhao family, she thought she was entering a life of luxury. But all these years, she had to live under others’ scrutiny. For money’s sake, she endured it—but now that her daughter was in trouble, how could she stand by?
"Dad didn’t say he wouldn’t help. He just thinks the amount is outrageous—that they’re being greedy." Zhao Baishu sighed.
Wang Ning covered her ears. "I don’t care! If Grandpa won’t save Qinghan, then all her filial piety was for nothing. If you won’t pay, I’ll borrow the money myself!" She stood, shaking off Zhao Baishu’s hand.
"Enough! Even if you spoil her, there’s a limit. She’s not a child who can’t understand reason. If you won’t ask her for the money, I will." Zhao Baishu’s expression turned cold.
Four or five million was nothing to Qinghan.
This site is about to undergo a major upgrade, adding more books and timely chapter updates.
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
] [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?"
