Ning Yu was all too familiar with the golden pocket watch.
Because right now, she had an identical one in her jacket pocket.
The young vendor seemed to notice Ning Yu's lingering, assuming she was interested in the items on his stall. He greeted her with a clear, warm voice that sounded delightful.
"Feel free to pick it up and take a look. Everything here is quite cheap."
Ning Yu didn't look at him but crouched down and picked up the golden pocket watch, feeling the cold touch of metal on her fingers.
She flipped open the watch, expecting to see a family photo, but instead, a melodious, ethereal tune filled the air.
It turned out to be a music box pocket watch.
Ning Yu listened quietly, her slightly anxious heart suddenly calming down. It seemed she had overthought things.
Perhaps this pocket watch, like the one with the family photo she carried, was just a classic design?
"How much is this pocket watch?"
Ning Yu quite liked the melody and thought it might make a nice little gift for Shen Yiyue. That way, the two of them would each have a matching pocket watch.
It could even be considered a couple's item.
"Are you interested in this pocket watch, miss?"
The young vendor inquired, suddenly doing something—he took off something from around his neck.
He extended his hand, presenting another identical pocket watch to Ning Yu, then opened the one he had just taken off.
Inside was the family photo!
Ning Yu's pupils constricted as she looked up at the young vendor.
Under the shadow of his cap was a head of slightly long black hair, pressed down. His skin was fair, his features handsome, almost sickly beautiful.
He would undoubtedly turn heads wherever he went.
Ning Yu was momentarily stunned, not because of his looks, but because of his lake-blue eyes. Those tranquil, indifferent eyes were all too familiar to her.
"Ning..."
Ning Yu was about to call out a name when the vendor suddenly interrupted.
"If you're truly interested, why don't we talk privately?"
The boy smiled, his eyes narrowing into a warm, inviting expression.
Ning Yu understood his intention and silently nodded.
He then began tidying up the miscellaneous items on his stall, casually rolling them up and stuffing them into a backpack before saying to Ning Yu, "Let's go."
Side by side, the two walked in silence.
Ning Yu held the pocket watch she had just received from the boy in her right hand, while her left hand retrieved the one with the family photo from her jacket pocket.
She opened both watches at the same time, and they were indeed identical.
They arrived at an apartment in the residential area, where the boy took out a key and invited Ning Yu inside.
In the living room, Ning Yu noticed several burly men in sunglasses standing at the edges, their movements disciplined and synchronized as they bowed in respect upon seeing the two enter.
Ning Yu briefly assessed them, checking for any threat, before returning her gaze to the boy, who was now standing with his back to her.
The boy suddenly removed his baseball cap, then tore off the boy's wig that had been covering his hair, revealing a cascade of beautiful silver hair that cascaded down his back.
It was the same unique and lovely color as Ning Yu's hair.
She turned around, peeling off the disguise mask on her face, revealing a face that Ning Yu was all too familiar with—it was Ning Xuan.
Their appearances were very similar. The biggest difference between the sisters was that Ning Yu had amber eyes, while Ning Xuan had lake-blue eyes.
Other than that, from their snow-white, slender collarbones, to their straight, petite noses, and even the slightly rosy baby fat in their cheeks, the two were almost identical.
If Ning Xuan wore colored contact lenses to hide her eye color, she could almost directly play the role of Ning Yu, and vice versa.
"My dear elder sister, we finally meet again."
Ning Xuan tilted her head slightly, giving Ning Yu a sweet smile, her voice soft and girlish.
She stepped forward and suddenly hugged Ning Yu tightly, as if she had been longing for this moment.
Ning Yu, unsure how to react, became even more stiff, fragments of childhood memories flashing through her mind. Their relationship seemed to have been good, but without any specific details, Ning Yu felt as though she might slip up at any moment.
"Long time no see."
With the distance so close, Ning Yu spoke directly into her ear.
After the embrace, Ning Xuan let go and reached out to touch Ning Yu's hair, which had fallen past her shoulders.
Compared to Ning Yu's, her own hair was shorter, barely reaching her shoulders.
"Sister, you're still the same, always keeping your hair long..."
She said, glancing at Ning Yu with her eyes.
Ning Yu inwardly complained: I actually cut it once, but it grew back.
"Sister, I've been looking for you so hard. Where have you been hiding? You didn't even contact home..."
Ning Xuan pouted, looking both angry and wronged.
Ning Yu knew she had been searching for her, as she had heard about it at Tianshen Elementary School.
"I know!"
Ning Xuan suddenly raised her hand like a good student eager to answer a question in class.
Ning Yu looked at her, feeling an odd sensation. Ning Xuan was so much like her that it felt as though she were seeing herself do that childish gesture.
Ning Yu, however, would never act so immaturely.
"Sister is now living happily with another cute girl, so she doesn't need me, her little sister, anymore..."
As she spoke, Ning Xuan lowered her head, looking like "I'm so sad."
But Ning Yu's brows furrowed as she sensed another layer of meaning in Ning Xuan's words.
Her gaze gradually turned cold, and the room's temperature seemed to drop.
The bodyguards, seemingly unintentionally, glanced at Ning Yu, their vigilance rising.
"So, what do you want from me?"
Ning Yu seemed to have lost patience and wasn't interested in playing games anymore.
"Sister, you're in danger."
Ning Xuan felt the change in Ning Yu's aura but showed no fear or caution. Instead, she put a finger to her lips, looking cute as she pretended to think, and casually said,
"Someone wants your life, and someone else wants to capture you alive."
"And me? I'm here to take you away."
Ning Yu raised an eyebrow at this.
"So, do you want my life, or do you want to capture me?"
"Pfft, sister, you've misunderstood!"
Ning Xuan quickly waved her hands, then said seriously,
"I want to take sister to a safe place, to a place where no one can find you."

rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!

] [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!"

shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]

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.”