On the wall-sized display, a popular celebrity interview show was playing live. This episode’s guest was a versatile female artist skilled in film, television, and music. When the host asked her, “What kind of man do you like?” she shyly replied, “Someone like the Great Master Qin.”
Wei Jing, who was watching the show, burst into loud sobs. “Boo-hoo-hoo-hoo!”
The Great Master Qin, who was “monitoring” him: “…What kind of tantrum is he throwing now?”
The old butler, once again stumped by a question, secretly wiped away a bead of sweat and carefully answered, “Perhaps jealousy?”
Jealousy?
No, Wei Jing wasn’t just jealous at this point, he was resentful!
He hated himself for ever writing this ridiculous story in the first place.
He had originally thought he had two escape routes:
First, bring back a bunch of exotic souvenirs from another world, return home in triumph, and shout to the heavens: “Hahaha, you damned fate, I’ve made it back! Just wait, it’s time for you to witness what a true… master can do!”
Second, if this world was too terrifying and he unfortunately kicked the bucket, well, no big deal. He’d already been to this world. Once he got back, he could clean himself up and write a memoir or something.
In short, he was just “traveling.” Once the trip was over, he’d go home.
But then—
The garbage system told him: No, you’re wrong. You only have one life. If you’re done for, you’re completely finished.
The feeling of a thunderbolt striking him dead on the spot couldn’t have been any worse.
How dangerous was this world?
As the original author, he could say with full responsibility: extremely dangerous, absolutely terrifying! And most importantly, completely illogical! Walking down the street, you could get killed with a single punch from a three-year-old!
Because that three-year-old might be a top-tier human warrior who had already awakened their powers, or a juvenile of some ferocious species disguised in human form, fishing for prey.
Wei Jing was utterly dejected, even more so than when three of his novels flopped in a row. His mind was filled with thoughts of life being pointless, the future bleak, and existence worse than death. Just then, the little dragon somehow dug up the TV remote, plopped down on it, and accidentally turned on the massive satellite TV screen.
Wei Jing, whose brain capacity wasn’t all that impressive, immediately had his attention captured by the wall-sized screen. He sat side by side with the little dragon on the bed, watching the variety show.
But within two minutes, he was dealt a blow.
One moment, he was thinking how beautiful the female celebrity in this world was, so much so that even he, a gay man, couldn’t help but steal a few glances. The next moment, he heard her say she liked the Great Master Qin.
He felt so miserable. What an unfair world!
“Hey, would it kill you to say you like Tu Shihua? Would it? Would it?!”
【It would be very difficult.】 The system’s gentle female voice dealt him a fatal blow.
Wei Jing stopped wailing and seriously reflected for two seconds. Right, Tu Shihua was such a troublemaker. No normal person would like him. Even his own author, him, felt that “well, aside from his looks, this little brat really has no redeeming qualities.” So—
Yeah, that really was difficult.
“Wait, hold on. Usually, when I call you, you ignore me. I wasn’t even talking to you just now, why did you answer?”
The system remained silent.
Wei Jing didn’t give up. “I’m talking to you now! Say something! Why do you always freeze up? Why are you always half a beat slow? Why aren’t you saying anything now?”
The system stayed quiet.
“Sister?”
“Hey?”
【I’m here, Host.】 The gentle female voice finally responded.
Wei Jing’s eyes widened in surprise. He thought back carefully. The two times before when the system had shown him a bit more warmth… had also been after he’d said “hey”?
He quickly tried again. “Hey, can you tell me how to earn points quickly? I want to get home as soon as possible.”
【The online cub-raising system’s points all come from tasks related to the cub. Completing each beginner task earns 1 point. Completing each intermediate task earns 10 points. Completing each advanced task earns 100 points. For random tasks, rewards vary based on task completion.】
Wei Jing’s eyes lit up when he heard that advanced tasks were worth 100 points. That meant he only needed to complete nine tasks to save up enough for the 【Return Ticket】!
“Hey, please give me an advanced task. Thank you! Love you! (づ￣ ³￣)づ”
【After completing all beginner tasks, the host will automatically unlock intermediate tasks. After completing all intermediate tasks, advanced tasks will be automatically unlocked.】
The path ahead was bright, but the road was winding.
“Hey, how many beginner tasks are there in total? And how many intermediate tasks?”
【There are 100 beginner tasks in total and 100 intermediate tasks in total. Host, please do your best.】
Upon hearing this, Wei Jing slumped again. Hugging his knees in despair, he whimpered softly. There was no hope. With a hundred beginner tasks, it would take him forever to finish! And even if he completed them all, he’d only get 100 points, what good would that do?
Was he going to be trapped here forever?
Seeing how upset he was, the little dragon turned around and used its tail to wipe his tears. “Ah.”
Wei Jing was startled by the sudden poke of a large tail and quickly leaned back. Looking up, he saw the little dragon staring at him blankly with its big, round, innocent eyes. It opened its mouth as if to make a sound, then seemed to remember something and quickly covered its mouth with its forelimbs, gazing at him pitifully.
“Even though you don’t have fur and you’re not exactly good-looking, at the lowest point of my life, you’re the only one by my side…”
Wei Jing murmured softly as he looked at his “son” on the cheap. He reached out his hands toward the little dragon.
The little dragon trotted over happily on its short legs.
With a thud, Wei Jing was mercilessly pinned down by his cheap son. Writhing in pain, he yelped, “Ugh, Qin Xiaobao, get off my chest! You’re going to flatten it!”
【System Reminder: Cub’s affection increased by 1. Host rewarded with 1 point.】
Huh?
Huh!
Wei Jing struggled to prop himself up and stared at the little dragon, who he had just moved aside, with an incredulous expression. So there was such a thing as affection points?
“Hey, how do I check affection? How much affection does Qin Xiaobao have for me right now?”
【To check affection, simply gently stroke the cub’s head. The specific value will then appear.】
Wei Jing reached out and stroked it. Sure enough, a virtual dialogue box appeared before him.
Cub Details
Name: Qin Xiaobao
Gender: Unknown
Date of Birth: February 3, 2053
Affection: 1
Point Skill: Small Fireball
Affection was only 1 point?
If the initial affection was 0, then having only 1 point now wasn’t really surprising.
What mattered was what he had just done to earn that single point.
Wei Jing sat cross-legged and reviewed his memory. After a few seconds, a flash of insight hit him, was it the hugging gesture earlier?
He turned around, gave the little dragon a bright, radiant smile, and opened his arms. “Xiaobao, come here. Let Daddy give you a hug.”
The little dragon scurried over excitedly and leaped into his arms.
Thud.
Ouch, that hurt! It felt like his bones might shatter. Grimacing in pain, Wei Jing patted the little dragon’s head and checked the affection, still 1 point. He was taken aback. Had he guessed wrong? Or did the same action only increase affection once?
“Hey, how do I raise affection?”
【Please treat the cub with sincerity, nurture it with love, and educate it with patience. The source of affection comes from exchanging heart for heart.】
Wei Jing: “…”
“Dinglingling—”
The ringing of an old-fashioned telephone echoed from the rooftop. Immediately after, a spirited voice called out, “Mr. Tu, your delivery has arrived. Please come out and sign for it.”