“If you’re feeling down, just work harder. That way, you can become my only host.” Luo Xizhi had no choice but to change the subject. She felt her behavior wasn’t like that of a system, but more like a strange human encouraging Hua Lian to pursue her. In short, whenever she encountered this transmigrator before her, she seemed to become strange.
After saying this, Luo Xizhi felt extremely awkward herself. But Hua Lian didn’t seem to pay any attention to that at all, instead asking an even more bizarre question, “So, are other people besides me also persecuting Luo Xizhi?” The sympathy in Hua Lian’s eyes grew stronger, stabbing at Luo Xizhi’s heart and making it ache. For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.
“So, Luo Xizhi’s system is also you. Then, you’ve joined forces with so many people to harm Luo Xizhi don’t you feel any heartache?” Hua Lian’s questions came one after another, so self-righteous that they actually made Luo Xizhi feel a subtle sense of guilt. She always thought Hua Lian’s personality was very strange: clearly timid and submissive toward others, yet lively and fierce in front of the system.
Although the current Hua Lian was somewhat more pleasing to the eye, Luo Xizhi always felt that Hua Lian was attempting something impossible. Just as she wanted to say something more, footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Hua Lian immediately sensed something was wrong. She picked up Luo Xizhi’s backpack, wanting to leave, but found the back door was locked from the outside. If she were caught red-handed now, Hua Lian’s reputation as a pervert would truly be confirmed.
“System, save me!”
Hua Lian immediately looked back at the leisurely big cat. From her perspective, Luo Xizhi was licking her paws, appearing far too calm.
“Host, do your best. This is a required course for your growth.” Luo Xizhi suppressed a laugh, suddenly finding it somewhat interesting to watch the transmigrator grow especially since Hua Lian’s thought process was strange. She seemed to be constantly worrying about “Luo Xizhi,” not the so-called female lead.
Hua Lian was left speechless and could only look around. Finally, her gaze fell on the window. They were on the third floor, with grass below. Hua Lian couldn’t help but swallow hard, as if considering attempting something on the brink of recklessness.
In that instant, she looked at Luo Xizhi and asked, “Little Black, in novels, people shouldn’t die that quickly, right?”
Only when these words were spoken did Luo Xizhi realize Hua Lian’s peculiar point. Even now, she still believed this was a world inside a book and was completely indifferent to things like death.
Luo Xizhi coldly shattered Hua Lian’s last illusion, responding very seriously, “No, only the female lead won’t die.”
After saying this, Luo Xizhi thought Hua Lian would directly face the reality of being discovered. But as soon as the words left her mouth, Hua Lian climbed up and jumped down without hesitation.
Luo Xizhi’s heart raced with fear. Before her mind could react, her body seemed to act on instinct. She directly embraced Hua Lian, bearing the full force of the fall. The pain made Luo Xizhi’s head buzz, but just as she had said, the female lead was resilient no matter what happened, she wouldn’t die. However, she could still feel pain.
“Little Black, are you okay?”
“If you keep petting me, something’s going to happen.” Luo Xizhi, lying on the ground, spoke coldly, feeling that Hua Lian might be the nemesis sent by the heavens to torment her out of sheer boredom. Yet, she couldn’t explain why her instinctive reaction in that moment wasn’t to watch Hua Lian die but to protect her instead.
Hua Lian immediately froze, carefully pulling away. Even though Luo Xizhi had shielded her, Hua Lian still looked somewhat disheveled. Her overly clear eyes seemed out of place with her appearance, appearing both innocent and frustratingly helpless at the same time.
“Did something just fall over there?”
But their commotion hadn’t gone unnoticed, and voices could be heard from a distance. Hua Lian instinctively moved to shield Luo Xizhi, but Luo Xizhi irritably swatted her with a paw. “They can’t see me. Just hide yourself.”
Only then did Hua Lian remember that the black cat plushie before her was a system, not a possessed toy. She quickly retreated, and the patrolling security guards found nothing unusual, soon leaving. Luo Xizhi tried to get up but realized her bones hadn’t healed yet. She lay there helplessly, hoping Hua Lian would return yet dreading her seeing the situation.
Ten minutes passed, then half an hour.
Just as Luo Xizhi was about to remotely check Hua Lian’s phone, Hua Lian finally returned. Her expression was slightly awkward, as if she had been lost for a long time before finding her way back.
“Little Black, can you still not get up?”
“My energy was completely drained saving you,” Luo Xizhi weakly explained, emphasizing her pitiful state.
“Then I’ll use the hour I earned to help repair you,” Hua Lian immediately thought of her first completed task, hoping it could restore the system’s body.
“That’s nowhere near enough. You’ll have to do a lot more for Luo Xizhi.” For a moment, Luo Xizhi felt like the serpent tempting Eve, luring Hua Lian into an endless abyss.
Hua Lian, however, responded with unwavering determination, likely due to what had just happened. “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely do my best!” Her tone was so resolute that it pleased Luo Xizhi, the pretend system, yet annoyed Luo Xizhi, the female lead. This conflicting feeling was something Luo Xizhi couldn’t quite explain. Hua Lian continued, “Then I’ll go carry out the tasks. System, get better soon!”
With that, Hua Lian turned on her map navigation and left without looking back.
“?”
Luo Xizhi remained in place, sensing something was off but unable to pinpoint it. Uncomfortable lying on the grass, she used an item to teleport herself back to her own bed in the Hua residence, waiting for Hua Lian’s return.
One hour…
Three hours…
It wasn’t until Luo Xizhi had fully self-repaired and was having dinner that she finally saw Hua Lian again. Hua Lian had changed into casual clothes but was covered in conspicuously white fur. The mother and daughter gray wolves had gray fur, so it couldn’t be theirs. This meant that after leaving the system version of herself, Hua Lian had gone off to provoke animals again.
“…”
Luo Xizhi lowered her head further, trying to conceal her murderous aura. She was currently frustrated with Hua Lian for being so hopelessly disappointing, yet she couldn’t resort to any other means to change things. After all, today’s events had shown that Hua Lian had little attachment to life and an extremely low will to survive. And she had once heard from the Heavenly Dao that transmigrators committed various sins, but among them, the most helpless yet still deserving of the eighteenth layer of hell was the sin of suicide.
‘Could it be that this person died that way and ended up here?’
Luo Xizhi’s eyelashes trembled, masking the emotions threatening to spill out.
“Xiao Luo, are you feeling unwell?”
Today, Hua Batian was also present. Noticing Luo Xizhi’s unusual behavior, he inquired with concern about her condition.
“Just a little discomfort.”
“Then you must rest well. I heard you were bullied at school today. Hua Lian, how could you let your friend be bullied?” Hua Batian was smiling, but there was no warmth in his eyes. He openly favored Luo Xizhi in front of Hua Lian and her brother, appearing to show affection for the daughter of an old friend, though in truth, it was driven by his own unspeakable motives.
Suddenly called out, Hua Lian shuddered as if struck by electricity. Her previously relaxed posture stiffened instantly. She responded with a few perfunctory “mm-hmm” sounds and then fell silent. Hua Zhengtai had been disciplined by Hua Lian yesterday, so he was behaving more obediently today. With Hua Batian present, everyone felt somewhat uneasy. It wasn’t until Hua Batian, as the head of the family, left that the oppressive atmosphere finally lifted.
“Sister Luo, who bullied you? Let my sister set the wolves on them!” As soon as Hua Batian was gone, Hua Zhengtai’s mischievous childlike demeanor immediately resurfaced. He adored the big gray wolves immensely, but to this day, he had never been allowed to touch them. Once, while chasing after them, he took a nasty fall, leaving him with lingering resentment.
“Thank you… but the school will shoot on sight if they see pets.” Luo Xizhi nodded slightly, neither humble nor arrogant, explaining that the rules of Paradise Middle School strictly prohibited bringing pets. Previously, due to students competing over pets and failing to control their behavior, over a dozen people were injured or killed, leading directly to the establishment of this school regulation.
Whether it was Luo Xizhi’s imagination or not, upon hearing this rule, Hua Lian’s expression visibly fell with disappointment.
“However, I believe the young mistress will protect me.” Luo Xizhi added, expecting Hua Lian to seize the opportunity to boost her favorability. Instead, Hua Lian shook her head without hesitation. Realizing her instinctive reaction, Hua Lian awkwardly said, “We donate so much money to the school every year. How can they not even keep someone safe?”
After speaking, Hua Lian lowered her head again, as if savoring her dinner, but Luo Xizhi knew this was Hua Lian’s way of avoiding social interaction a mere smokescreen. The white fur on Hua Lian’s black casual outfit was particularly glaring, and Luo Xizhi didn’t want to look at it either. She finished her meal quickly and left the table.
As soon as Luo Xizhi was gone, Hua Zhengtai immediately spoke up. “Sister, didn’t you say that once you caught Luo Xizhi, you’d lend her to me for a few days? Why hasn’t there been any progress?”
Hua Zhengtai had delicate features and large eyes, looking like he would grow into a handsome young man in the future. Yet, his words made Hua Lian feel as though he were some kind of repulsive frog-man, utterly disgusting. Despite his decent appearance, she couldn’t fathom how he could utter such things.
The wave of nausea made Hua Lian lose control, and before she realized it, she had vomited all over Hua Zhengtai.
“Sis!”
Hua Zhengtai was nearly driven mad, frantically running away. But Hua Lian continued to retch uncontrollably. She found human nature utterly disgusting and felt that the original host was no good either.
Ten minutes later, with a pale face, Hua Lian contacted the family doctor. She wanted to know whether this was an issue the original host already had or if it was her own condition. If it was her own, what exactly had she forgotten?
Half an hour later, Hua Lian met the family doctor for the first time. Dressed in a white coat, the doctor was gentle and amiable, completely unlike the tall, long-legged, bespectacled beauty Hua Lian had imagined.
Worried that the doctor might be incompetent, Hua Lian privately asked the butler for the doctor’s information. After reviewing a pile of data that seemed endless, Hua Lian confirmed that this was indeed a highly skilled doctor, but also just a minor character in the book.
“Xiao Lian, are you feeling unwell too?”
“Too? Oh, right, you went to see Luo Xizhi today.” Hua Lian finally remembered what she had done at noon. She was afraid of making and receiving phone calls, so she had created a group chat to tag the relevant people whenever she needed something done. It made her seem like a proper young lady while avoiding any real communication.
“It seems you’re really unwell if you’ve forgotten something that happened just a few hours ago… Ah, you two used to be quite close. Why are you calling her by her full name now?” The doctor’s voice was soft and gentle, completely non-threatening, like a small animal. Hua Lian was completely charmed until the doctor’s next action instantly shattered her cute impression.