"Pfft."
Jiang Che chuckled, looking at Lin Yu's miserable state on his phone. It was truly a delight to the heart and mind.
"These two actually have some skills. Although their backgrounds and intelligence aren't exactly top-notch, they sure know how to mess with people!"
He decided to recruit these two as his underlings, small-time villains specifically tasked with pranking the chosen one of fortune!
"You did well. Keep messing with him, but I remind you, you still need to do some legitimate business."
Liu Tie's family was decent.
But Wang Zheng... his family had a bit of involvement in gray industries, like underground gambling dens and black-market boxing.
Luckily, they hadn't touched drugs. There was still a chance for them to go legit. Once you dabble in drugs... forget about going clean; you might as well just clean your neck and wait for the execution!
He was the big villain, sure, but he wasn't an idiot. He had heard that a few years ago, a grandmaster-level expert who had reached the peak of the Gānjìng stage was killed by a large-caliber anti-material sniper rifle for dealing drugs.
"Jiang Shao, our family is also trying to go legit. You can rest assured... our businesses are transitioning towards real estate," Wang Zheng said, his expression turning serious.
He had figured it out. Jiang Shao was planning to take him under his wing, not as a disposable pawn.
This realization almost moved him to tears of gratitude.
"Mmm... you guys handle it yourselves."
With that, Jiang Che ended the call.
But just as he hung up, his phone received a few messages.
"Ye Mengyao?"
Jiang Che was curious. What could Ye Mengyao be sending him?
Opening the chat history, Jiang Che's mouth twitched.
It was... a selfie of Ye Mengyao!!
The girl was wearing a thin, spaghetti-strap nightgown.
[Hehe, you're not allowed to show these photos to anyone else!]
Jiang Che: "......"
Damn!
Going dark makes you ten times stronger, huh? Ye Mengyao going dark... she's not just ten times stronger; she's a whole new level!
Honestly, who would have thought... the girl in the photo was actually the daughter of the Ye family?
[Jiang Che: Meh...]
On the other end of the phone, Ye Mengyao sat cross-legged on her bed, clutching her phone, her stubborn, beautiful eyes brimming with tears.
Who knew how much mental preparation she had gone through to send these photos to Jiang Che.
And all she got was a "meh"?
Unacceptable!
She was not okay with this!
[Ye Mengyao: Hmph, you liar!]
After sending that message, the girl huffed and tossed her phone onto the bed. But fearing she might miss a message from Jiang Che, she switched her phone to vibrate mode.
"You jerk, what exactly do you want from me~"
The girl pounded her pillow in frustration. The road to winning her man's heart was long and arduous!
At least she could feel that Jiang Che's feelings for her were different from before.
Although still dismissive, he was at least starting to look at her seriously!
...
As night fell.
In a building of Chrysanthemum Community.
"Qin Qiaoqiao!!!"
Wang Lili's shrill voice burst into Qin Qiaoqiao's bedroom.
Qin Qiaoqiao, who was doing her homework, trembled at the sound of her mother's voice. In her memory, her mother had never smiled at her, her voice always sharp and piercing.
"Mom... what's wrong?"
Wang Lili's face was almost contorted with anger.
She picked up a pair of men's shorts with a clothes hanger.
"Whose is this? How did men's clothing end up in our house? Your dad lives in the school staff dormitory! There are no men's clothes here!"
Wang Lili's words made Qin Qiaoqiao's face change. She stared blankly at the shorts in her mother's hand.
They belonged to Jiang Che!
It's over!
Completely over!
Qin Qiaoqiao's mind went blank. She had triple-checked, so why was there still a pair of Jiang Che's shorts left here?
"Mom, I don't know whose they are... I really don't!"
Qin Qiaoqiao firmly denied it.
Wang Lili sneered and pointed to the surveillance camera nearby.
"A few days ago, when I was on a business trip, the power in the house kept going out. Did you bring that man into the house?"
It seemed Wang Lili's intuition was spot-on.
"No... I really didn't."
But Wang Lili, being the domineering woman she was, wasn't about to listen to Qin Qiaoqiao. She walked up to the girl and rolled up her sleeves.
Qin Qiaoqiao's skin was too delicate; a light pinch left a red mark.
Fortunately, it had been over a week, and most of the previous marks had faded.
Wang Lili wasn't convinced and tried to tear open Qin Qiaoqiao's blouse for a closer look.
But the girl resisted fiercely.
"Wang Lili!!!" Qin Qiaoqiao was furious, calling out her mother's name.
Wang Lili froze, then erupted in anger, slapping her across the face.
Five distinct finger marks appeared on Qin Qiaoqiao's face.
"What did you call me??"
Qin Qiaoqiao covered her swollen cheek, tears streaming down her face.
Her eyes glared fiercely at her mother, wanting to say something... but she still didn't dare to speak.
"Mom, can you stop pushing me? You're going to drive me to death! I've been studying hard all my life, trying to be the good child you want, but you've never considered my feelings!"
Clearly, Qin Qiaoqiao's plea had no effect.
Wang Lili's rigid parenting was deeply ingrained. This kind of parent was not uncommon in Dragon Country; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many students committing suicide due to unbearable pressure every year.
"I'm doing this for your own good!"
Wang Lili shouted back.
Qin Qiaoqiao wiped her tears, not bothering to explain anymore.
"I really don't know whose shorts these are. You can beat me to death, but I still won't know."
Wang Lili was furious and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
"Heh..." Qin Qiaoqiao let out a bitter laugh.
Jiang Che... I can never be like you, rising up to fight back!
This was her mother. Although she mentally cursed her, calling her an old witch, she couldn't bring herself to truly confront Wang Lili.

reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?

ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"

Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"

end. Thus one must continue to cultivate, and become a saint or great emperor, in order to prolong one's life. Chen Xia, however, completely reversed this. Since his transmigration, he has gained immortality, and also a system that awards him with attribute points for every year he lives. Thus between the myriad worlds, the legend of an unparalleled senior appeared. "A gentleman takes revenge; it is never too late even after ten thousand years." "When you were at your peak I yielded, now in your old age I shall trample on you." - Chen Xia