Creeak~
Just as the atmosphere in the conference room gradually became awkward, the secretary Wan Ke, wearing a pair of glasses with gold-rimmed frames and high heels, walked in carrying a file folder.
"Everyone, please take a seat. The Chief is here."
Upon hearing this, the four people stifled their mocking laughter, and Hoshino Kannon let out a cold snort before sitting down.
"Ah~"
Not long after, Fang Yuanyuan walked into the conference room wearing a pink, tight-fitting leather battle suit, with her hair tied into two pigtails. She was holding a bottle of "Otaku's Delight" and yawning with tired eyes.
"Chief."
Hoshino Kannon and the others stood up, including the twelve members of The Twelve Owls.
"Sit down, sit down."
Fang Yuanyuan made her way to the chief's seat, stretched lazily, waved her hand, and sat down.
The others then sat down as well.
"Is everyone here?" Fang Yuanyuan asked.
"Yes, Lin Yu will be here soon," Wan Ke replied.
"Good, let's announce it and get it over with quickly." Fang Yuanyuan rested her chin on her hand, looking exhausted.
Wan Ke nodded, opened the file folder, and began, "Today, I've gathered you all here to introduce Lin Yu, who will be replacing Gong Fei as a member of The Twelve Owls."
After saying this, Wan Ke looked towards another door in the conference room, "Mr. Lin, please come in."
Swish!
The conference room door opened.
Wearing a black leather jacket and flipping his bangs, Lin Yu entered the conference room.
"Hello everyone, I'm Lin Yu, and from now on, I will be..."
Lin Yu greeted the group but trailed off when he saw something that caught his attention.
Gu Chenan, sitting next to Hoshino Kannon, had his arms crossed and was looking at Lin Yu with a confident smile.
Lin Yu: "?"
Gu... Gu Chenan?
What is he doing here?
What's going on?
"What's wrong, Lin Yu? Go on," Fang Yuanyuan glared at Lin Yu.
Don't waste time, okay? I've already made plans for a passionate five-round session today!
"Ahem."
Lin Yu pulled his gaze away and cleared his throat before continuing, "From now on, I will be your colleague. Please guide me."
"Oh, great."
Fang Yuanyuan immediately started clapping, but her tone and expression screamed "perfunctory."
The others also started clapping and said, "Welcome, welcome."
"Mr. Lin, you can take a seat here." Wan Ke pointed to the seat that previously belonged to Gong Fei.
"Thank you." Lin Yu nodded, his gaze shifting between Gu Chenan and Hoshino Kannon.
What is going on?
Why is Kannon getting so close to Gu Chenan?
When did they start dating?
Damn it, Kannon and I haven't even done anything yet. Could it be that Gu Chenan has beaten me to it?
As if sensing Lin Yu's gaze, Hoshino Kannon leaned towards Gu Chenan, snuggling up to him like a little cat, seemingly to let Lin Yu know about their relationship.
Seeing this, Lin Yu's eyes widened.
Damn you!
Gu Chenan, you bastard!
How the hell did you manage to get Kannon?
It should have been me that Kannon was cuddling up to!
Argh!!
Lin Yu screamed internally, but he couldn't express it in front of so many people, so he could only grit his teeth and take his seat.
At this point, Wan Ke picked up the file folder.
"Although the Chief has decided to let Lin Yu join The Twelve Owls, we still need to go through the proper procedures."
"Everyone, who wants to challenge Lin Yu?"
Wan Ke looked towards the other Owls.
They exchanged glances, but no one seemed keen to step up.
No one wanted to take on such a thankless task. Since the Chief had already decided to let Lin Yu take Gong Fei's position, if they challenged and defeated Lin Yu, it would be seen as disrespecting the Chief's decision.
But if Lin Yu defeated them, their strength would be questioned.
"I will!"
At this moment, Hoshino Kannon suddenly stood up, "I'll challenge Lin Yu."
Everyone was taken aback.
"Tsk~ This Hoshino Kannon is something else, to actually challenge her own boyfriend whom she recommended, just to get him a position."
"Tch, unbelievable."
"That Gu Chenan is no man, letting a woman fight his battles for him."
Several people scoffed.
"Kannon, have you forgotten the organization's rules? As Lin Yu's recommender, you cannot be his challenger," Fang Yuanyuan said with a yawn.
Hearing this, Hoshino Kannon shook her head disappointedly and sat back down.
Fang Yuanyuan turned to the other four Owls, "Well, which one of you four will challenge Lin Yu?"
The four of them looked at each other, and the woman known as Hua Liran sighed.
"I suppose I'll do it."
Hua Liran, who appeared to be in her early thirties, wore a form-fitting cheongsam dress and a fur coat draped over her shoulders, exuding an air of elegance and refinement, like a wealthy matriarch from a television drama.
When Lin Yu saw Hua Liran, his eyebrows raised, and his heart skipped a beat.
I didn't expect that the one challenging me would be this beautiful woman.
Why does she want to challenge me? Could it be...
Lin Yu's gaze swept over Hua Liran, and a thought occurred to him.
Could it be that she... likes me?
Hmm, it seems likely. After all, I, Lin Yu, am quite the handsome young man with a reputation around here. It's not impossible for a wealthy older woman to take a liking to me.
"Alright, then it's Hua," Fang Yuanyuan said, her gaze shifting to Gu Chenan. "Hua, after your challenge with Lin Yu, test Gu Chenan's skills as well."
Upon hearing these words, the entire room fell silent for a few seconds before erupting into a commotion.
"What... what does this mean?" Lin Yu looked at Fang Yuanyuan in disbelief. "Chief, didn't you say I was already confirmed? Why do you need to test Gu Chenan's skills as well?"
The others were also surprised by Fang Yuanyuan's words.
"Chief, are you considering letting Gu Chenan take Gong Fei's position?"
"Gu Chenan is just a rich kid. What skills does he have worth testing?"
"Shh!"
Fang Yuanyuan raised her hand to silence them. "I know, I know, but didn't Kannon say that Gu Chenan is more suitable for The Twelve Owls than Lin Yu? Why not test it out? It's not like anyone will get pregnant."
"Besides, I find Gu Chenan more appealing."
More appealing??
Hearing this, Lin Yu glared at Gu Chenan with a murderous look.
How could he be more appealing than me?
Aside from being slightly more handsome, having a better physique, being richer, and having a better background than me, what else does he have that makes him more appealing?!
Hua Liran was also taken aback but soon looked at Gu Chenan with an amused smile.
"What I said earlier wasn't a joke. You should consider it carefully. Maybe I'll go easy on you when we fight~"
"Heh heh."
Gu Chenan chuckled lightly, ignoring Hua Liran's words. He stood up and faced Fang Yuanyuan, "Thank you, Chief."
"Tsk!"
Fang Yuanyuan frowned, "What did you call me?"
Gu Chenan immediately realized his mistake and corrected himself with a smile, "Thank you, Sister Fang."
"That's better!"
Witnessing this exchange, everyone was stunned.
What is going on?
Is Gu Chenan the Chief's brother? Why is he calling the Chief 'Sister Fang'?
No, wait, why is the Chief letting Gu Chenan call her that?
What the hell?
...
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] [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!"

he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...

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!

ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"