Chapter 31: Simp War---The chat room was buzzing with the kind of desperate excitement that only exists when people realize they are about to witness something ridiculous and expensive, and the phrase that kept repeating itself in every message like a prayer or a curse was the same one, the fans calling him the “Buddha” with a mixture of awe and disbelief. The title of “Buddha” did not come from any holy origin or divine blessing, but from the top contributor on the leaderboard, the person who had thrown so much money into the system that his name had become a symbol of untouchable wealth, a myth people used to explain the existence of a reality they could not comprehend.Everyone knew who the fans meant, the man who wore a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, his appearance as simple as a rural traveler yet his presence as imposing as a king walking through a village, and yet for Li Shuru, seeking him out felt no different from begging. Not because she was proud, but because she had al

Chapter 33: Quiet Threats“Hello, your package has now arrived at East Sea University Station Number 18, and due to excessive inventory pressure, please come to sign for it as soon as possible,” the text message announced with a cheerful lack of concern for the chaos it was about to cause, and it arrived right in the middle of Leo Xu’s Principles of Marxism lecture, which was the kind of timing that made him suspect the universe was either mocking him or testing his patience for sport.Leo looked at his phone once, twice, and then slid it back into his pocket with the kind of casualness that only comes from someone who has learned, through repeated experience, that most problems will either resolve themselves or explode, and in either case it is usually better not to panic prematurely.After class, he handed his textbooks to Bai Zheli to carry back to the dormitory, because Leo was not the type of person who enjoyed carrying more than necessary, and becaus

Chapter 35: Humanitarianism and DebtAt the entrance of the construction site, Leo Xu finally exhaled as if he had been carrying a heavy stone in his chest, the kind of weight that makes every breath feel like a gamble, and his relief was so visible it looked like a living thing, trembling in his throat. He had walked out of that place with the kind of raw survival instinct that only appears when a person realizes they have just narrowly escaped a disaster, and his whole body seemed to loosen, as if he had been holding himself together with invisible threads and someone had finally cut them.“Amber Lin, I really owe you this time,” Leo said, his voice carrying a sincerity that was rare enough to be almost uncomfortable, “because if you had not shown up, the consequences would have been beyond imagination.”Amber Lin kept walking forward without changing her expression, as if the entire world had no right to demand anything from her, and yet her presence be

Chapter 37 — Final GoodbyeA gentle breeze drifted across the rooftop, carrying with it the faint scent of late spring and the kind of silence that only appears when people are about to break something important, like a heart or a promise. Ai Qian’s hair lifted in the wind, strands floating like dark ribbons that refused to obey gravity, and she stood there gripping Leo Xu’s arm with both hands, her fingers digging in as if she could anchor herself to reality through sheer force.Her lips trembled, but no words came out, because the emotion inside her was not something she could translate into language. It was a kind of pain that made breathing feel heavy, as if the air itself had become a burden. She swallowed hard, then tried again, and still nothing.So she did the only thing she could think to do. She tightened her grip, as if holding on could keep him from slipping away from her life. Her voice came out shaky and thin, barely audible over the wind. “L

Chapter 39 — Mountaineering MadnessThe air on that crisp autumn afternoon carried the kind of clean, sharp chill that made people feel morally superior simply for existing outside, and as soon as class ended, Luo Peng dragged Leo Xu by the hand with the frantic urgency of someone who had just discovered a limited time offer on his own dignity.“Come on, hurry, follow me,” Luo Peng hissed, eyes wide with the kind of excitement that normally only appears when someone discovers they have been granted a second chance to embarrass themselves in public.Leo Xu blinked at him, genuinely confused, and asked, “What is going on?”“Good news,” Luo Peng said, like he was announcing a miracle, as if the universe had finally decided to stop being cruel for five seconds.He refused to elaborate, insisting that the mystery would reveal itself if Leo simply followed him.The two of them left the teaching building, crossed Camphor Tree Avenue, pa