“Then do your best, Host. I hope you can find your way back.”
Hearing this, Luo Xizhi turned and left without hesitation. But before she could take a single step, she felt her skirt being tugged. Luo Xizhi frowned in displeasure. Even though she knew that in Hua Lian’s eyes, it might just be a tail or fur, such a presumptuous act still annoyed her.
As if sensing Luo Xizhi’s mood, Hua Lian only tugged once and let go when Luo Xizhi looked back, then continued asking, “Just getting the Chinese textbook, right? I shouldn’t need to scribble all over it, should I?”
But this time, it was Luo Xizhi’s turn to be confused. She didn’t understand why anyone would want to scribble all over a book.
“The task is only to take the book. What else do you want to do to it?”
“Look, in those novels, they always do something to the other person’s book to provoke a reaction,” Hua Lian explained, as if doing nothing at all would be abnormal.
Luo Xizhi felt a headache coming on. She realized she must have been a Handler for too long, as she now felt a strong generation gap with this transmigrator. Or perhaps the person in front of her was just pretending to be naive while secretly being cunning?
“Then if I told you to do something to the book, what would you do?” Luo Xizhi probed further, wanting to see what mischief Hua Lian could come up with for a book.
But as she spoke, Hua Lian seemed to drift off, her eyes looking lifeless, as if lost in some memory. After a moment, she shook her head decisively. “No, I wouldn’t do anything.”
The conversation had circled back to the beginning, and Luo Xizhi felt like she had spoken for nothing. Silence fell again, with only Luo Xizhi leading the way. Hua Lian watched eagerly, as if wanting to reach out but keeping her distance after Luo Xizhi’s earlier rejection.
The building’s layout was mostly the same. To prevent Hua Lian from making such a basic mistake again, Luo Xizhi explained how to remember the way.
“This is where the female lead lives.”
Of course, she didn’t forget to remind Hua Lian of her own residence, so she could come over in the next few days like a thief. Honestly, she had never felt so exhausted before it was like taking care of a child.
Hua Lian took note seriously. If she had pen and paper, she might have even marked Luo Xizhi’s door. This floor was eerily empty, as if no one lived there except Luo Xizhi.
“Why does Luo Xizhi live so far away?”
“No matter what happens here, no one will hear it.” Luo Xizhi spoke with a voice that carried warmth, yet her words were chilling enough to make one’s blood run cold. Hua Lian’s footsteps halted, her head lowering further and further. Even though her current body wasn’t hunched, Hua Lian seemed to lack confidence, appearing utterly dejected.
“Luo Xizhi really has it rough. Can’t I protect her?”
“No, your mission is to make her fall.”
“But it feels awful. Even without all that suffering, wouldn’t Luo Xizhi succeed based on her personality alone? Why must there be shadows cast over her life? Just because she’s the female lead, does she have to endure all the hardship?” Hua Lian rambled on, expressing her dissatisfaction with such a mission.
This time, it was Luo Xizhi’s turn to freeze. If possible, she too wanted to know why.
“Little Black, you also think it’s unnecessary, right? Shouldn’t we just.”
Seeing Luo Xizhi waver under her words, Hua Lian pressed her advantage, only to feel Luo Xizhi closing in. Though it was just a black cat plushie before her, it somehow seemed much taller. As they drew this close, Hua Lian could even catch a faint scent not the smell of sun-dried fabric, but more like a natural fragrance from its body. Those cat eyes were fixed sharply on her, making Hua Lian realize there was only one possible answer.
Just then, someone seemed to pass by nearby. In a daze, Hua Lian understood why the black cat plushie had pulled her aside, but a new confusion arose.
“Little Black, isn’t the system supposed to be invisible? Why did you pull me into hiding too?”
“I can turn invisible, but you, as the host, cannot. The original owner was often seen lurking near the female lead and became the subject of gossip. You wouldn’t want to raise her suspicion, would you?” Luo Xizhi offered this reminder, though in truth, it was her first time pretending to be a system, and she had forgotten that once she donned this system persona, no one but Hua Lian could see her. Despite a twinge of guilt, Luo Xizhi maintained a serious tone and smoothly brushed it off.
Hua Lian suddenly understood, but perhaps because of Luo Xizhi’s earlier warning, she walked the rest of the way with exaggerated caution, sneaking about like a thief. Luo Xizhi couldn’t be bothered to explain further and instead pointed out the fixed locations of several surveillance cameras information that would surely come in handy if Hua Lian ever decided to ambush her in the future.
“Little Black, I can’t help but feel you’re not trying to make Luo Xizhi fall from grace, but rather to corrupt me.” Hearing these little tricks, Hua Lian sensed something odd about this black cat plushie.
But Luo Xizhi showed no trace of guilt upon hearing this. She looked at Hua Lian and asked, “What’s the difference?”
Hua Lian was stumped by the retort. Something felt off, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. After all, no matter what, this was just a system wearing a cat’s skin she shouldn’t overthink its actions with human logic.
Comforting herself with this thought, Hua Lian’s gaze drifted back to Luo Xizhi’s hand. Though it was merely the form of a black cat plushie shaped by desire, Hua Lian felt its texture was surprisingly real. With that in mind, she leaned closer, attempting to take the plushie’s paw to feel that soothing sensation.
But inside the plushie was Luo Xizhi. Noticing Hua Lian’s furtive movements, she anticipated each attempt and deftly avoided every touch. And so, the two finally arrived at Hua Lian’s current residence, with Hua Lian failing to even brush the cat’s paw once.
The surroundings looked almost identical, but after matching the fingerprints, the door soon opened. Hua Lian sighed in relief and stepped inside naturally, turning on the lights. The original owner’s interior style was extremely trendy, with jewelry and clothes scattered everywhere. Hua Lian didn’t care for this aesthetic, but as it was the only place where she could avoid others, she still felt somewhat at ease.
After entering, Hua Lian took a few steps before noticing the black cat plushie showed no intention of following her in.
“Little Black, aren’t you coming in?”
“No, I need to go back and rest.”
Hearing Luo Xizhi’s reply, Hua Lian suddenly understood and felt a pang of guilt. “Sorry, if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have had to work overtime.”
Luo Xizhi offered no explanation, merely reminding Hua Lian once more of her mission in this world before leaving. Hua Lian responded absentmindedly, showing no motivation to carry out the task at all. She closed the door, leaned back on the sofa, and finally felt a bit more comfortable.
Unwilling to change into her pajamas or take a bath, Hua Lian took out her phone, wanting to look something up, only to remember it had run out of battery. Helplessly, she plugged it in to charge and then went to shower and change into her pajamas, repeating the dull routine of her life.
Meanwhile, Luo Xizhi didn’t return indoors to rest. There were many transmigrators like Hua Lian, and she had to deal with several at once. After making sure she avoided the surveillance cameras, she quickly left the villa area and began approaching the other transmigrators.
Morning arrived unnoticed, and Hua Lian’s legs ached. The original host had been pampered and spoiled, so her physical condition wasn’t great just walking too much the day before had left her sore all over.
A little after seven in the morning, someone knocked on the door. Hua Lian rolled over, unwilling to get up and socialize with anyone.
Unfortunately, it seemed that since the original host was also a habitual late riser, the person outside had a key to the room and soon entered.
“Miss, time to get up. Didn’t you agree to go see the pets together today?”
The voice was unfamiliar. Hua Lian groggily opened her eyes and saw a face she didn’t recognize. The person was dressed in a maid’s uniform, with delicate and innocent features. Yet, seeing all this now, Hua Lian widened her eyes as if she’d seen a ghost.
“Miss, what’s wrong? Did you really hit your head the other day?” The newly appeared maid naturally reached out, her attitude intimate. Hua Lian’s mind finally snapped back to reality, recalling the original host’s most loyal lackey.
“Yang Yiyi, why are you dressed like this?” Hua Lian asked tentatively, wanting to know if this was the same lackey she knew.
Seeing Hua Lian finally acting normal, the girl called Yang Yiyi immediately beamed. “I just wanted to surprise you,” she said, moving even closer. Though she called it a surprise, every strand of her hair was meticulously styled, and a faint scent of perfume wafted from her, exuding temptation.
Alarm bells rang loudly in Hua Lian’s mind, putting her on high alert. This person was different from the other hangers-on she was the one most familiar with the original host. If Hua Lian didn’t act properly, Yang Yiyi would surely realize she wasn’t the original.
“Miss, would you like to eat first or have me first.”
The temptation continued as Yang Yiyi untied the sash of her maid uniform, ready to reveal more. Hua Lian’s scalp tingled, and an inexplicable urge to vomit surged within her. Before she could react, she had already pushed Yang Yiyi aside and rushed to the bathroom.
It wasn’t just today over the past week, whenever Hua Lian felt anxious about socializing, this would happen. But vomiting had only occurred twice before: once yesterday when facing the original host’s father, and now because of the original host’s close friend.
“Xiao Lian, are you okay… Why did you suddenly throw up?”
“Your scent makes me sick.”
“You scared me. I thought you were pregnant with my child.”
Yang Yiyi breathed a sigh of relief and immediately started joking again. Hua Lian couldn’t bring herself to laugh, only feeling weak all over and dizzy. When Yang Yiyi moved closer, Hua Lian used the excuse that she smelled bad to make her keep her distance.
“Is it because I just changed fabric softener and you’re not used to the scent? How about this you go have breakfast first, and I’ll take a shower here and wear your clothes. That should solve it.” Yang Yiyi spoke naturally, but Hua Lian resisted even more. She didn’t like others invading her personal space, especially since the longer the other person stayed around, the greater the risk of exposure.
Feeling extremely agitated inside, Hua Lian noticed Yang Yiyi showed no sign of understanding and continued persuading her, “Come on, we’ve been friends for so long are you really going to reject me like this?”
Hua Lian was tangled in confusion, and having just vomited, she hadn’t yet caught her breath. Everything felt chaotic. She couldn’t even understand why she, someone neither skilled nor fond of socializing, had to play the role of the original host a character adored by everyone.