Xu Yunzhou clicked the mouse without hesitation.
In an instant, a subtle blue electric arc swept across Lin Ruoxuan's delicate body on the screen. With a soft cry of "Ah!", she fell limply onto the soft bed, her body twitching uncontrollably a few times.
Her eye rims instantly turned red, and teardrops hung on her long eyelashes, about to fall but not falling, a truly pitiable sight.
Xu Yunzhou looked at her exquisite figure curled up from pain, and that youthful charm inadvertently revealed. His Adam's apple bobbed discreetly, but his voice remained indifferent:
"Remember, maintain reverence towards the System. Otherwise, next time, it won't be this mild intensity."
Lin Ruoxuan rubbed her numb arm, complaining with a crying tone, her voice soft and sweet:
"Got it... Why are you so fierce! You're completely different from the gentle systems described in novels! Bad System! Bossy! Unreasonable!"
Xu Yunzhou kind of wanted to laugh; the emotional feedback and dialogue design of this NPC were quite vivid.
He casually clicked the reward button emitting green light next to it.
A large hand lingering with gentle white light appeared out of thin air, softly caressing the top of her head, slowly combing through her hair. A warm current surged in along with it, dispelling the numbness and discomfort brought by the punishment.
Lin Ruoxuan's sobbing gradually quieted down. Like a cat being stroked along its fur, she subconsciously rubbed against that warm palm.
Then she realized what was happening, her pretty face blushing slightly as she curled her lips, pouting coquettishly with a slight nasal tone:
"Hmph... giving a sweet date after a whip... bad System... Then what exactly can you help me with? You can't just shock me all the time, right?"
Using the commands provided by the dialogue box, Xu Yunzhou projected her attribute panel over to her:
"Look carefully. Your ultimate goal is for your comprehensive charm value to reach 90. Therefore, knowledge, physique, demeanor, and even your future career, none can be lacking. I will supervise and guide the entire process. So now, please start studying."
Lin Ruoxuan looked at that detailed panel, her beautiful eyes widening:
"??? No way! Is your System specifically here to torture me? Right now is the summer vacation after graduating from high school! It's a sacred and inviolable entertainment time meant for catching up on sleep, binge-watching shows, traveling, eating, drinking, and playing! What am I studying for?!"
She threw herself back onto the bed, rolling back and forth hugging a pillow, letting out wails:
"Waaah—I don't want to! I just downloaded the first season of The Big Bang Theory! Sheldon is still waiting for me! And Chinese Paladin 3, I just fought my way to the Demon Locking Tower! My Long Kui is still waiting for me to save her!"
(TL: Chinese Paladin 3 is a highly popular Chinese RPG game released in 2003.)
Without a second word, Xu Yunzhou clicked the mouse on the lightning bolt mark again.
"Wu—!"
The subtle sound of electric current rang out again. Lin Ruoxuan's delicate body trembled, twitching slightly uncontrollably, and those straight, fair, long legs also kicked a few times out of control.
"Stop, stop, stop! I'll study! I'll study, okay..."
She begged for mercy with a crying tone, her voice softening by several degrees.
Waiting until that annoying electric shock effect had completely passed, she rubbed her numb arms and thighs feeling deeply wronged, teardrops still hanging from the corners of her eyes.
She dawdled over to sit in front of the desk, resignedly turned on the computer, and started searching for freshman pre-study courses in Business Administration.
"Tyrant... electroshock maniac..."
As she typed on the keyboard, she muttered brokenly in a voice only she could hear.
On the screen, the girl's serious side profile, outlined by the soft halo of the desk lamp, with her perky nose bridge and long, thick eyelashes, actually possessed a kind of breathtaking beauty.
"Sure enough, girls are the prettiest when they are studying."
After a while, Xu Yunzhou felt something was wrong, so he zoomed in on the interface, and quickly discovered Lin Ruoxuan's petty tricks, this girl had actually secretly opened Baidu to search, and the search history prominently displayed:
"What to do if possessed by a ghost?"
"Contact info for Maoshan Taoist priests in Huzhou"
"What is the most effective way to exorcise evil spirits? Is black dog blood really useful?"
"Will the masters at Huzhou Jade Buddha Temple perform religious rituals if asked? Is it expensive?"
"Methods for collecting and preserving virgin boy urine"
(TL: Virgin boy urine is another traditional element in Chinese folklore believed to have exorcism properties.)
"What scriptures to chant to expel possessing spirit entities?"
Xu Yunzhou couldn't help but laugh; the wicked taste and sense of humor of this game's planners were truly amazing.
So he deliberately coughed, his voice carrying a bit of teasing:
"Cough cough, detected that the host is actuating illegal operations, preparing to execute level-three electric shock punishment..."
"Wah! No, no, no! I was wrong, Daddy System! I'll study right away! Immediately! Right now!"
Lin Ruoxuan shuddered in fright, frantically switching back to the study interface, sitting up straight and proper, wearing a look of "I am very serious."
Xu Yunzhou leaned back in his chair, looking at her cowardly-cute yet hardworking appearance, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turning up.
Strangely enough, in just this little bit of time, that piercing, bone-gnawing pain brought by Su Qianran's betrayal had actually been diluted quite a bit, temporarily thrown to the back of his mind.
However, watching for a long time was indeed a bit monotonous, so he continuously clicked the [Fast Forward] function.
The scene flashed, arriving at six o'clock the next morning, the sky outside the window just barely getting bright.
In the footage, Lin Ruoxuan was sleeping soundly, lying unguarded in a spread-eagle shape.
The thin summer quilt only covered up to her waist, outlining her youthful, undulating curves. One shoulder strap of her nightgown had slipped down, revealing a small patch of snow-white skin and delicate collarbones.
Xu Yunzhou coughed, issuing a command through the microphone:
"Get up, time for morning jog."
Lin Ruoxuan moaned unconsciously, rolling over like a lazy cat, burying her cheeks in the soft pillow and rubbing them, muttering vaguely:
"Mhm... sleep for ten more minutes... I'm begging you, Daddy System... just ten minutes... five minutes is fine too..."
Xu Yunzhou narrowed his eyes, his voice carrying dangerous enticement:
"Do you need a cup of 'Blue Lightning Coffee' carrying negative ion electric current to refresh yourself? It's free. Guaranteed amazing effects, instantly awake, glowing with health for the whole day."
"Stop! I'm up! Immediately! Right now!"
Lin Ruoxuan woke up instantly, sitting up from the bed almost like a catapult launch. She rubbed her sleep-heavy eyes, pouted her little mouth, shuffled in her fluffy slippers, and floated toward the bathroom as if sleepwalking.
Then, out of habit, her fingers nimbly began to unbutton the buttons on the chest of her nightgown.
Xu Yunzhou subconsciously coughed:
"Cough... I'm watching."
Lin Ruoxuan's movements paused. Through the mirror, she glanced at the "camera," a flush that was hard to detect flying onto her cheeks. Yet she forced herself to act calm, even carrying a bit of a reckless, giving-up provocation:
"Look if you want to, I can't hide anyway. Besides, you're just a System, a string of code, not a real man... right?"
Xu Yunzhou almost laughed out loud; actually being called a string of code by an actual "string of code," this sense of immersion was simply incredible. This game planner must be rewarded with an extra chicken leg.
(TL: "Adding a chicken leg" is Chinese internet slang meaning to give a reward or praise for a job well done.)
Lin Ruoxuan suddenly turned around and puffed out her chest slightly, this action making her youthful curves even more obvious.
Carrying a bit of slight smugness and cautious probing, her voice was soft and sweet:
"By the way, Lord System... what score would you give this fairy's figure?"
Xu Yunzhou looked at the attribute panel, evaluating with an extremely objective, almost academic-discussion-like calm tone:
"The System's comprehensive assessment is 78 points. There is significant room for improvement. It is recommended to subsequently strengthen targeted training for core muscle groups and glutes/legs, to optimize body line proportions and muscle firmness. Or, consider more direct medical means for localized filling; theoretically, a visual leap from C to E can be achieved..."
"Stop! Shut up!"
The corners of Lin Ruoxuan's eyes twitched, her cheeks crimson, interrupting him with both shame and anger,
"Is every System's thinking as 'straight man' as yours, or is it just you? You can't say a single nice-sounding word! You're destined to be single forever... Ahhh! Daddy System, I was wrong! Don't shock me! I'll go morning jogging right now! Immediately! Right now!"
She frantically threw on a sports bra and tight elastic shorts, her youthful vitality and graceful curves fully outlined.
The scenary outside was that of an early midsummer morning, the sunlight still soft, with a gentle breeze brushing against the face.
Lin Ruoxuan trotted to a nearby park shaded by green trees.
The "camera" in front of Xu Yunzhou's eyes steadily followed her footsteps from a first-person perspective, taking in the park's morning scenery at a glance:
Old people practicing Tai Chi, the sparkling pond, elegant black swans, lotus flowers dotted with dew... The smoothness and realism of the footage made him click his tongue in wonder again.
"How much money did this game production team burn? Live-action shooting plus this kind of seamless tracking technology, how many TBs of footage did they have to pre-collect and render to achieve this?"
In the center of the footage, Lin Ruoxuan had already finished running two thousand meters.
She was panting slightly, sweat soaking the sports bra on her chest, adding a few points of post-exercise charm and vitality.
Xu Yunzhou hooked the corners of his mouth in satisfaction, and his mouse lightly clicked that [Reward] icon emitting a pink halo.
That gentle hand of light appeared again, first softly brushing aside a few strands of hair on her forehead that were dampened by sweat, then following the lines of her slightly hot cheeks, gently caressing like a lover's stroke, bringing a wave of cool, comfortable solace.
Panting, Lin Ruoxuan felt that strange and comfortable touch, her cheeks flushing even more crimson, yet she humped stubbornly:
"Just... just this? Can't we have some practical rewards? For example... making my V-lines instantly clear as if carved? Or letting me instantly master a foreign language?"
Xu Yunzhou ignored her little greediness, his gaze attracted by a shop on the street outside the park.
A thought flashed through his mind like lightning, since this game realistically simulated 2008, then the data should be the same. Hmm, I've figured out the gameplay-loop of this game!
He tabbed out of the game screen at almost top speed, opened the browser, and typed into the search bar:
"2008 Double Color Ball Issue No. 200808014 winning numbers"
The page loaded.
The historical winning data was clearly listed before his eyes.
Xu Yunzhou took a deep breath, firmly carving that string of familiar numbers into his brain.
Then, he tabbed back into the game, opened the dialogue box, and sent that string of numbers, word for word, to Lin Ruoxuan on the screen.
"Lin Ruoxuan, do you see that welfare lottery shop at the intersection? Go in and buy a ticket with the numbers I told you."