“No, that’s not how it is.” Her voice grew even less confident. Even though it was just a misunderstanding, it seemed to awaken many unpleasant memories for Hua Lian.
Luo Xizhi saw Hua Lian’s body trembling, saw the color rapidly draining from her face. The fear was so palpable, let alone corruption it was extremely difficult for the person before her to even overcome this fear.
And the Hua Lian before her was also the most emotionally delicate, even fragile, existence Luo Xizhi had ever encountered. She took a few seconds to calm her emotions, then continued, “Or is it because the young lady thinks me getting beaten is something shameful?”
The development of the situation was completely different from what Luo Xizhi had intended. In her mind, the opportunity to apply medicine to Hua Lian would guide her toward corruption. But now, as the conversation progressed, Luo Xizhi felt that the simulated wounds she had created were about to heal, yet nothing had happened she had even frightened the other party.
“Yes, it’s because of this.”
But upon hearing Luo Xizhi mention the key point, Hua Lian struggled to return to a normal state. Her eyes lit up slightly as she continued to uphold the persona she had completely failed to maintain earlier.
“You’re too weak; you embarrass me. So you must train your body.”
Luo Xizhi stood frozen in place. She didn’t understand the earlier words; they weren’t unfamiliar, but when combined with what followed, she found the statement utterly bizarre.
“Train?”
“Yes, you’re so weak. I’m so busy; how do I have time to stand up for you every day? If someone hits you, hit them back.” Hua Lian continued to explain. The thought of Luo Xizhi learning self-defense or something similar and dominating everyone suddenly gave her a bit of hope for living.
“But how can I learn on my own?” Faced with this transmigrator’s modified option, Luo Xizhi was even more unsure how to respond. Recalling Hua Lian’s quick agreement now, she realized that the task issued by the system this time was also full of loopholes. It mentioned threats but lacked specifics, and now Hua Lian had taken advantage of it, even wanting to improve her own situation.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve already asked someone to find a teacher for you.” Seeing that Luo Xizhi didn’t refuse, Hua Lian relaxed a bit and informed her about the task she had entrusted to her Beast Tamer brother. In the afternoon, she had originally planned to obediently attend school, but her brother called, so they went to the flower and bird market to check out coaches, and Hua Lian casually went to pet the snow leopard her brother raised. But in any case, none of these things could be disclosed to Luo Xizhi.
“The young lady is finding me a teacher because you think you can’t protect me?”
Despite this, Luo Xizhi suddenly grew aggrieved again. Hua Lian could no longer understand the female lead’s emotions and tried to avoid any eye contact as she continued, “I already said I’m so busy; how would I have time to watch over you? If you get hit, hit back. If the other person’s parents come to cause trouble for you, then come find me.” Hua Lian responded with such firmness. In the novel, the female lead was bullied because she lacked background and support. If she had the background of a wealthy girl, how could it have turned into such a dark story?
In short, with Hua Batian’s words, Hua Lian felt that no matter who she hit, Hua Batian would cover for her, and Luo Xizhi could just grow wildly during this time.
“But I want you to protect me, Miss.”
“No one can protect you forever. Alright, I’ll notify you when the teacher arrives, and I’ll return the notebook to you.” With that, Hua Lian took out the notebook hidden in the inner layer of her clothes. The notebook was wrapped in multiple layers, and when placed on the table, its thickness became even more apparent.
However, Luo Xizhi couldn’t smile. She felt she had encountered the most cunning transmigrator. But she absolutely could not yield. Realizing this, Luo Xizhi pressed her advantage and switched to an emotional appeal. “Miss, you’re so kind to me. How can I ever repay you?” Before Hua Lian could even retract her hand, Luo Xizhi had already grabbed it. Her eyes were moist, and anyone seeing this expression would feel their heart flutter.
But Hua Lian was no ordinary person. Startled, she tried to pull her hand back, only to find Luo Xizhi’s grip astonishingly strong there was no breaking free. Not only that, Luo Xizhi’s gaze was sincere, staring at her hand as if she wanted to devour it.
Hua Lian felt her scalp tingle and an overall sense of unease. Yet Luo Xizhi was still waiting for her response, as though if she didn’t give an answer, Luo Xizhi would indeed eat her hand.
Hua Lian was supposed to be the young miss, the one described in the novel as arrogant, domineering, and utterly infatuated with Luo Xizhi. But in front of Hua Lian, there was only the passive her and Luo Xizhi, who seemed on the verge of turning dark at any moment.
Finally, after struggling a few more times, Hua Lian gave up and made a serious joke. “You’re quite strong. It seems you’re naturally suited for physical labor.”
Despite this reminder, the hand showed no sign of loosening; in fact, it drew even closer. Now Luo Xizhi’s lips were right before her eyes. Hua Lian was filled with resistance to this ambiguous situation, but Luo Xizhi seemed obsessed with her hand, looking as if she were about to bite it.
For a moment, Hua Lian was terrified. Luo Xizhi looked utterly famished. But in that moment, Hua Lian found strength from somewhere and finally managed to pull her hand free. She was panting heavily from exhaustion, while Luo Xizhi remained calm and composed, even with a hint of mockery. However, that emotion vanished too quickly, and by the time Hua Lian tried to observe it, only the original Luo Xizhi remained.
“Miss, would you like to help me with.”
But this time, before Luo Xizhi could finish her sentence, Hua Lian could no longer bear the ambiguity. She turned, opened the door, and ran. It wasn’t disgust she felt, but an indescribable discomfort.
‘Could this be an allergy to romance?’
Hua Lian couldn’t put the feeling into words, but she was certain she didn’t like Luo Xizhi’s earlier performance it felt far too fake. Still, the task was finally perfectly accomplished. Glancing at the eerie, dimly lit corridor beside her, Hua Lian hurried away.
Meanwhile, inside the room, Luo Xizhi, who rarely smiled, couldn’t help but curl the corners of her lips. Before her was a system-like program interface, with a cute rabbit head staring intently at Luo Xizhi.
[System, how many points would you give my acting just now?]
The system before her was the core program obtained after Luo Xizhi dismantled the system she had captured from a transmigrator. Each transmigrator’s system differed, tailored to their individual strengths and weaknesses. The reason Luo Xizhi still suspected Hua Lian was putting on an act was also due to Hua Lian’s system.
Hua Lian’s system was called the “Heartthrob System,” with the ultimate goal of finding one hundred romantic partners in this world. However, Hua Lian’s disguise was so flawless that it often left Luo Xizhi doubting her own judgment.
[System is currently analyzing statistics.]
[Your score is 60 points.]
[Acting: 30 points, Appearance: 30 points, out of a total of 100 points.]
The system delivered its evaluation, which was even worse than Luo Xizhi had imagined.
“Should I just dismantle you?”
As if understanding the threat, the small black sphere trembled and promptly changed the data to 100 points. However, perhaps out of guilt, it omitted the detailed breakdown, leaving only the final result. Luo Xizhi already knew the truth, so even the perfect score did little to lift her spirits.
“No wonder she ran away immediately my performance must have been terrifying.” Seeing Luo Xizhi begin to reflect on herself, the system seized the opportunity to vanish, praying that this legendary “System Slayer” of the Transmigration Bureau would leave it alone.
Monday finally came to an end. Hua Lian waited until midnight, eagerly anticipating the system’s appearance so she could boast about completing her tasks. However, even as she drifted off to sleep, the system never showed up.
The night deepened, and it wasn’t until one in the morning that Luo Xizhi remembered she was, for the time being, still a system. She spent some time reading about acting techniques, only to realize the subject was far more complex than she could handle. Recalling that Hua Lian was undoubtedly asleep by now, Luo Xizhi sat back down, but her mind wandered back to the white fur she had seen on Hua Lian earlier that day.
Luo Xizhi paused her reading and began sifting through the system cores she had obtained, only to find that none could trace the other party’s activity logs. Most of the system cores before her were related to romance systems that required breaking up with a hundred people, cuckolding a hundred individuals, and other similarly scummy objectives. These systems weren’t official; they were entities hoping to attach themselves to transmigrators, defy fate, and become legitimate systems.
As for the requirements for official transmigrators, they not only had to be paragons of virtue unable to even harm an ant but also had to maintain their personas every single second. When Luo Xizhi eliminated her hundredth transmigrator, the Transmigration Bureau had once invited her to become a host, an offer she ultimately declined.
“…”
Thinking of transmigrators, Luo Xizhi sat down for the third time after a few moments of contemplation, but this time she found it impossible to focus on her book. In the end, she decided to go check on Hua Lian. If Hua Lian was asleep, she would return after all, she wasn’t particularly concerned, just too restless to sleep.
Yet, after taking a few steps, Luo Xizhi dismissed this line of thought again, remembering the mother-daughter pair of gray wolves that rested with Hua Lian at night. This time, she set down her book and turned her gaze to the schoolbag nearby, deciding to inspect her belongings. Inside, everything was neatly arranged, and even the Chinese textbook had been swapped back for her own. She could sense Hua Lian’s meticulousness, yet it felt almost instinctual. Regardless, Luo Xizhi found the day thoroughly intriguing.
Luo Xizhi’s lips curved slightly as she casually flipped through her Chinese textbook. However, when she reached a certain page, her expression turned cold once again. On that page, someone had drawn the head of some unknown animal. Luo Xizhi felt as if the thread of her rationality was about to snap. Although she could tell it wasn’t Hua Lian’s doing, it was clear that the book’s condition had something to do with her.
“Hah.” Luo Xizhi took a deep breath, her mood growing agitated once more. But she really didn’t feel like staying at the Hua residence any longer, so she decided to head out and go cause trouble for the other transmigrators.