“Came to eat at a new restaurant today, and had to deal with a few things along the way. It’s so boring here. QwQ Missed you again today.”
The attached photo sent to Qi Ningze was carefully curated, deliberately capturing the most flattering angle. Mo Yuzhu’s narrow, elongated eyes held a hint of a smile, and his facial contours were sharp and well-defined.
The silver stud on his right ear gleamed under the lights, adding a touch of alluring charm.
“I think I saw you too, but I’m working right now and can’t come over to find you yet.”
Unsatisfied, Qi Ningze tapped his slender, fair fingers lightly against the screen to send a cute sticker of an apologizing kitten.
“Ah, are you nearby?” Mo Yuzhu sprang to his feet, scanning his surroundings in eager excitement, yet failing to spot the figure he was longing for.
Hiding in a corner with a stack of plates clutched in his arms, Qi Ningze pressed a hand tightly over his mouth while peeking out to look at Mo Yuzhu like a mischievous cat playing hide-and-seek.
To his surprise, that brief glimpse was enough for the sharp-eyed Mo Yuzhu to catch sight of him.
Mo Yuzhu sprinted straight toward Qi Ningze in long strides, his face overflowing with undisguised excitement.
Upon reaching Qi Ningze, Mo Yuzhu clung to him like a giant dog, his tone dripping with intimacy. “So you were here all along! I missed you so much.”
The thick, warm embrace acted like a shackle, locking Qi Ningze securely in his arms with no room for escape.
A warm feeling welled up in Qi Ningze’s chest. He patted the other’s back soothingly, coaxing him as if dealing with a child: “Alright, alright. I didn’t expect to run into you while working today either.”
After clinging to each other affectionately for a moment, Qi Ningze finally remembered that it was still working hours.
His face flushed red as he exerted a little force to push away Mo Yuzhu, who was still glued to him. “I still have to work! What about you? Didn’t you say you had some business to take care of?”
Mo Yuzhu let out a reluctant hum, then wound his arms back around Qi Ningze like an octopus.
His voice dropped low, revealing his inner discontent: “Those trivial matters can wait. Continuing to stay with you right now is much more important.”
The System shrieked inside Qi Ningze’s head, urging him anxiously: [New plot point, Host! Hurry up and ask.]
Prompted by the System, Qi Ningze pressed on: “What business is it? Can you tell me about it?”
Without giving it much thought, Mo Yuzhu spilled everything: “It’s about the commoner selection tournament. This time it’s my family’s turn to manage it, so my family members asked me to coordinate with the person in charge today.”
[New clue unlocked! Congratulations, Host, the mission progress for helping the protagonist shou enter the aristocratic academy has increased to 5 percent.]
A sudden thought struck Mo Yuzhu. Locking his dark, ink-black eyes straight onto Qi Ningze, a spoiled, pouting tone naturally seeped into his voice.
Mo Yuzhu: “Are you planning to participate in this selection tournament? Just sign up for it, and I’ll make sure you smoothly get into my school.”
“No, no, no,” Qi Ningze flatly refused. He was just a minor cannon fodder; entering an aristocratic academy sounded entirely like a protagonist’s privilege.
Though a trace of disappointment flickered across Mo Yuzhu’s face, he chose to respect Qi Ningze’s decision. “Alright then. If you don’t want to, we’ll leave it at that.”
Reaching out to take Mo Yuzhu’s hand in return, Qi Ningze’s eyes filled with probing curiosity. “Then do you know the specific details? If possible, would it be convenient for you to reveal a little bit of it to me?”
Mo Yuzhu’s first instinct was to tell Qi Ningze everything, but a quick mental shift caused his words to take a different turn: “I can, but the competition still has to uphold the principles of fairness and justice.”
“I can get the information, but the process is a bit difficult. Ningze…” Taking advantage of their close proximity, Mo Yuzhu seized the chance to sneakily stroke his hand a few more times.
Narrowing his eyes slightly with a perfectly calibrated expression of hesitation that eventually morphed into steadfast determination, Mo Yuzhu said: “Rest assured, I’ll definitely find a way to help you.”
With his innocent nature, Qi Ningze lowered his head in embarrassment, a rosy blush blooming across his face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t expect to cause you so much trouble. Thank you, I’ll work hard on my own.”
I’m so bad, he thought. Using such a difficult problem to burden someone else.
Sighing softly, Qi Ningze slowly stood up, not daring to look at Mo Yuzhu any longer as he secretly cheered himself on inside.
“No, no, no, no! Let me think of another way!” Panicking instantly, Mo Yuzhu reached out to grab Qi Ningze, realizing he had completely miscommunicated his intentions.
With an unyielding shake of his head, small fires of determination seemed to flicker in Qi Ningze’s eyes. “It’s fine, don’t worry about me. I’ll work hard!” With that, Qi Ningze stood up to resume his work, leaving a stunned Mo Yuzhu staring blankly at his retreating figure.
Qi Ningze worked with extraordinary diligence today; even his plate-washing movements were noticeably faster than before. An invisible fire of determination seemed to burn fiercely all around him.
Upon returning home, the System began nagging Qi Ningze relentlessly: [Fool! You let such a great opportunity slip right through your fingers! What on earth were you thinking back there?]
Like a scolded child, Qi Ningze kept his head lowered, eyes shimmering with mist while his mind went completely blank. Eventually, he whispered defensively: “Why do you say I let the opportunity slip? Mo Yuzhu was clearly in a difficult spot just now, yet he still wanted to help me. I felt too bad to burden him.”
The System covered its eyes with countless electronic tentacles and let out a heavy sigh, utterly exasperated. [How on earth did you manage to graduate successfully? You don’t even understand basic human social etiquette!]
Qi Ningze replied softly: “But System, you’re a a system! Systems don’t need to learn human social etiquette, right? Systems live such happy lives every day all you have to do is eat, drink, and have fun.”
The System genuinely wanted to extend an electronic tentacle and slap Qi Ningze across the face.
Systems had monthly performance quotas too! And severe penalties awaited those with poor performance—it wasn’t like it could slack off whenever it wanted!
[Idiot, do you have any idea how hard we systems work?] the System protested. [Not only do we have to compete on performance every month, but we get zero holidays all year round, and we’re on standby 24/7 without a single moment of rest…]
Reaching up with a tentacle to stroke its remaining few hairs, the System felt a fresh wave of sorrow. A few virtual tears welled up in its eyes, dripping down to form a small puddle on the ground.
So systems have to go to work too? Qi Ningze hadn’t considered that angle.
Letting out a soft chuckle as life gradually returned to his posture, Qi Ningze tilted his head with a smile: “So that’s how it is! The System works hard at its job every day too.”
Recalling his own ambition to become the most formidable wicked supporting character in the world Qi Ningze felt encouraged.
Having lost his previous memories, he didn’t know where he came from; the only entities that had ever taught him anything were machines.
Qi Ningze had been born slow-witted. Concepts that others grasped on the first try required him to be taught several times over.
Fortunately, Qi Ningze was extremely hardworking, and through diligent study, he successfully landed a position in the Cannon Fodder Department.
“Then our goals are the same, System! Let’s work hard together.”
Thinking about the upcoming selection tournament and earning Yang Le’an’s goodwill, Qi Ningze felt his head spinning slightly.
How should he go about gaining Yang Le’an’s favor? Through this period of interaction, Qi Ningze had roughly figured out Yang Le’an’s personality.
Though Yang Le’an appeared warm and enthusiastic on the surface, his true demeanor underneath was quite different.
By the time Qi Ningze returned home, Yang Le’an had already prepared dinner.
“You’re back! I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.” A look of pleasant surprise crossed Yang Le’an’s face, the corners of his mouth curving upward into a gentle, welcoming aura.
Yang Le’an seemed exceptionally happy today, his eyes holding a distinct gleam.
Tilting his head to study him, Qi Ningze blinked. “What’s wrong? You look so happy today.”
“I encountered something wonderful today, Qi Ningze. Do you know about the commoner selection tournament?” Yang Le’an brought it up unprompted.
Continuing on his own, he declared: “As long as I pass the commoner selection tournament, my entire world will change completely.”
Those deep, dark eyes blazed as if set on fire, revealing an inner ambition and intense desire that had long remained hidden.
Looking straight at Qi Ningze with utmost sincerity, Yang Le’an asked: “Qi Ningze, will you help me? Help me pass the commoner selection tournament smoothly.”
Qi Ningze froze. He opened his mouth as if to say something, yet no words came out.
How strange, he thought. Just a moment ago, it felt like Yang Le’an had briefly revealed his true self in front of me, so why did it vanish into thin air a second later?
Biting his lip, Qi Ningze nodded blankly, a flurry of memories flashing through his mind concerning his time with Yang Le’an.
“What’s wrong? Are you unwilling?” Lowering his head, Yang Le’an’s voice grew softer and quieter. “If you’re not willing, then forget it.”
Shaking his head, Qi Ningze let out a deep sigh before replying: “No, no… haha, I was just thinking about something else. I’ll head to my room first; you go ahead and get busy.”
Walking numbly into his room, Qi Ningze locked the door and collapsed entirely onto the bed.
He murmured softly: “How strange, how strange… why does the protagonist act like this? Protagonists are supposed to have smooth-sailing lives without any worries, aren’t they?”
The System asked with a hint of annoyance: [What happened? Wearing such a long face what could possibly have upset you?]
Taking a deep breath and summoning his courage, Qi Ningze asked: “System… has the protagonist shou been faking his personality in front of me the whole time just to use me?”
Covering his face in distress, he muttered to himself: “Why didn’t Yang Le’an just tell me straight? Why make things hard for himself by trying to please me… that sounds exhausting.”
The System’s tentacles froze mid-air. Transforming into a metaphorical stone statue inside Qi Ningze’s mind, it shrieked: [Ahhh! How did you figure it out?! Aren’t you supposed to be a dummy?!]
Qi Ningze: “……”
Qi Ningze explained helplessly: “Did you forget? After things wrapped up at the barbecue stall last time, that boy stuffed a note into my hand.”
Even though Qi Ningze had tried his hardest to forget, the words on that note continued floating up clearly in his mind over and over again:
Beware of Yang Le’an; he will use everyone around him.