Chapter 94: The Main Plot Begins

Chapter 94: The Main Plot Begins

Twenty minutes later, Mr. and Mrs. He, along with Jing He, arrived at the Qin residence.

Seeing L1 safe and sound, Mrs. He was so moved that her eyes welled up with tears on the spot.

Not knowing how to handle such a situation, L1 could only stand there helplessly, allowing Mrs. He to envelop him in a hug.

Qin Yao stood not far away, watching this scene with a smile in his eyes but made no move to intervene.

Since he had promised the little system that he would assist him, every similar situation that came their way would be a precious experience for the little system. He must learn to handle them himself.

It wasn't until Mrs. He's emotions stabilized that everyone took their seats.

Mrs. He spoke directly, "We're truly grateful to you, Little Qin. Now, we'll take L1 back home..."

"Hold on," L1 finally spoke up. Sitting between Mr. and Mrs. He, with Yan He and Ze He on the adjacent sofas, Jing He and Qin Yao opposite him, he subconsciously glanced at Qin Yao before addressing Mrs. He, "I... I don't want to go back with you."

L1 was accustomed to being straightforward and clear in expressing his thoughts, but he didn't expect that after uttering these words, the expressions on Mr. and Mrs. He's faces, as well as Jing He's, were shockingly similar to those of Yan He and Ze He earlier.

They were all extremely shocked and bewildered.

Even Yan He and Ze He, who had already heard the same words once, still harbored some lingering resentment.

Yan He turned his head in anger.

Ze He let out a heavy snort.

Jing He furrowed his brows deeply.

L1 was somewhat at a loss. He didn't understand why the He family's reactions were so intense, so he looked to Qin Yao for guidance.

Qin Yao gave him an assuring look.

At this moment, Mr. He finally spoke up, asking, "Why?"

Mrs. He glanced at Qin Yao, then looked at L1 by her side, softening her tone, "What exactly happened? Why don't you want to come back with us? Did we do something wrong before?"

L1 opened his mouth, wanting to say that they hadn't done anything wrong.

There were two reasons he left the He family. Firstly, because his observation of the He family had concluded, and secondly, because he didn't want to go back to taking medicine anymore.

But as the words reached L1's lips, he found himself unable to speak them aloud.

Perhaps it was the hurt in Mrs. He's eyes that made L1 realize that bluntly stating his reasons might hurt them. So, he could only turn to look at Qin Yao.

A faint smile flickered across Qin Yao's eyes, understanding that the little system couldn't handle the situation. He then said, "This matter is quite involved, let me explain."

Mr. and Mrs. He turned to look at Qin Yao.

Qin Yao pondered for a moment, deciding that he should try to explain the truth as succinctly and clearly as possible.

Thus, he slightly organized his thoughts and revealed L1's true identity.

Explaining L1's identity was actually quite simple.

However, when Qin Yao finished speaking, the credibility of his words wasn't very high.

Indeed, upon hearing Qin Yao's explanation that L1 was actually a system and had come to the human world merely to learn about human emotions, Yan He and Ze He both scoffed simultaneously.

Ze He remarked, "I never thought there would be someone more delusional than me in this world. It's ridiculous."

Yan He was even less courteous, "Qin Yao, did you make up this story to deceive Xiao Xiao?"

Mr. He asked in confusion, "Xiao Xiao?"

Ze He explained, "His name."

Mrs. He immediately looked at L1 with a deeply hurt expression, "You didn't even tell us your name."

L1 didn't know why, but at this moment, he particularly dared not meet Mrs. He's gaze. Although she hadn't scolded him, L1 inexplicably couldn't look her in the eye, so he could only lower his head slightly and defend himself softly, "Xiao Xiao isn't my name either."

It was just that Qin Yao thought it sounded nice, so he called him that.

Jing He retracted his scrutinizing gaze and looked at Qin Yao again, "So, was everything you just said really fabricated to deceive us?"

Qin Yao smiled and asked a piercing question, "Uncle He, Aunt Lin, did you check the surveillance footage after Xiao Xiao went missing?"

As his words fell, Mr. and Mrs. He stiffened.

Mr. He looked at Qin Yao, "You..."

Qin Yao continued, "On the day Xiao Xiao came to my house, I had someone check the surveillance footage. I can confidently tell you that none of the surveillance cameras at the Qin family's old residence captured his image, yet he appeared on my balcony."

Qin Yao asked, "How did Xiao Xiao appear at your house?"

Now, not only were Mr. and Mrs. He stunned, but even the three He brothers were taken aback.

Yes.

How did L1 appear at their house?

Initially, the He family was also puzzled.

Because they too had checked the surveillance footage. In all the camera feeds outside the villa, there was no trace of L1.

He seemed to have appeared out of thin air, suddenly materializing in the He family garden before being carried into the He residence by Mr. He.

They weren't without consideration of this issue; rather, each time they pondered it, they failed to find any evidence to support their theories.

Given that they had reported the case immediately, hoping one day to reunite L1 with his family, and even if that proved impossible, the Huo family was more than capable of adopting another child, they didn't give it much further thought.

Not until yesterday, when L1 suddenly vanished from the Huo household, leaving them unable to find any surveillance footage of him. Even when Mr. and Mrs. Huo went to the police, mentioning this child who appeared at their home half a month ago, they were met with disbelief: "What child? You reported this half a month ago?"

Confronted with these questions, they were forced to face reality -

Mr. Huo still found it unbelievable: "So Yaoyao is really..."

"Yaoyao, can you fly?" Qin Yao suddenly asked L1 with a smile.

After some thought, L1 nodded.

And so, in front of everyone, L1 took flight.

His movements were graceful as he circled the entire first-floor living room.

Watching him, a hint of nostalgia crossed Qin Yao's eyes: "They do not belong to our world, so naturally, our world leaves no trace of them. And even -"

Qin Yao retracted his gaze, looking at the utterly shocked Mr. and Mrs. Huo: "If he hadn't been willing, we wouldn't be sitting here discussing matters concerning him. They are free systems, unbound by the rules of our world."

They were like the most liberated wind in the wilderness, unrestrained.

Perhaps for their entire lives, humans would never find a way to keep them close.

Why not let them be free from the start?

Thus, Qin Yao never dared to dream of meeting again the system that once helped him.

Despite how absurd and unbelievable the truth was, seeing L1 fly before them, the Huo family chose to believe.

They didn't insist that L1 return to the Huo household; they merely told him that if he ever wanted to see them, he could come back anytime. The Huo household would always be his home.

Even as Mrs. Huo left, she held L1's hand earnestly, warning him that while learning human emotions was good, he mustn't be deceived.

After all, there were far too many humans in this world, and not all of them were good. There would be those who might harm L1, and he needed to learn to discern.

If unsure, he could ask them or Qin Yao.

Because they would never hurt L1.

Such words weren't just spoken by Mrs. Huo to L1; Mr. Huo and Huo Jing said them too.

Even the still-awkward Huo Yan and Huo Ze shared these sentiments with L1.

But what they didn't know was that long before meeting them, L1 had already understood this principle.

Yet L1 didn't intend to tell them about these matters, simply nodding to show he knew.

Before they left, L1 solemnly thanked them.

From that day on, L1 lived at Qin Yao's house.

Actually, saying he lived at Qin Yao's wasn't entirely accurate, since L1 only went there at night. During the day, he either ate at the Huo household or observed other supporting characters outside.

As the best system in the Supervision Department, despite the unfamiliarity of human interactions, he learned quickly.

In just half a month, L1 observed many supporting characters.

He soon realized that each character's personality deviated somewhat from the descriptions in the plot he had access to.

Humans themselves were complex amalgamations.

A person's character couldn't be fully captured in a few lines of text.

To truly understand someone required long-term interaction and observation.

In short, it took time.

During this half-month period, what made L1 happiest was returning to the Qin household every evening.

Though L1's understanding of other supporting characters and protagonists was still limited, he knew Qin Yao's work schedule inside out.

The moment Qin Yao returned home, L1 would land precisely on his balcony.

Sometimes he might arrive a few minutes early, but more often than not, L1 arrived right on time.

After being late once, Qin Yao told L1 that if he arrived early in the future, he didn't have to wait and could open the floor-to-ceiling window himself to enter.

But the polite L1 insisted he couldn't casually enter Qin Yao's home, so he stood on the balcony, stubbornly waiting for Qin Yao to open the door for him.

After Qin Yao mentioned it once and saw L1's persistence, he didn't bring it up again.

However, L1 gradually noticed that Qin Yao's return times became increasingly punctual, and several times, before Qin Yao's usual quitting time, L1 flew back early, only to find the floor-to-ceiling window already wide open, with the sweet scent of oat milk wafting through the room.

Ever since discovering L1's fondness for oat milk, Qin Yao prepared a cup for him every day he was due.

L1 was delighted.

And as spring approached, the balcony's floor-to-ceiling window remained permanently open.

One evening, as L1 flew to the balcony, ready to enter directly to find Qin Yao, he suddenly noticed a change in the balcony's layout.

The snowman from winter had long melted away, replaced by a small coffee table and a rocking chair beside it. The sunniest spot on the balcony was now covered in flowers.

L1 recognized these flowers; humans called them roses, though these were actually varieties of the rose family.

April was the season when roses bloomed in full splendor.

Hearing the movement on the balcony, Qin Yao emerged with a cup of oat milk and a small chocolate cake, placing them on the coffee table. He then asked L1, "What do you think?"

L1's eyes widened slightly. "Is this for me?"

Qin Yao nodded with a smile. "Mm-hm."

L1 spoke truthfully. "I like it, it's very nice."

Qin Yao smiled. "Good to hear."

He asked again, "By the way, have you been busy lately?"

L1 nodded, as the protagonist he had been observing recently was overseas, and each trip back and forth still required some time.

L1 had been in the human world for nearly two months now, during which he had gained further insight into the subtleties of human conversation.

At this moment, he cleverly deduced that there was more to Qin Yao's words, so he asked with a smile, "You're asking me this because there's something on your mind, isn't there?"

Qin Yao laughed. "It seems you're getting to know me better and better."

L1 smiled, happily climbing onto the recliner. He found that this height was just right. Sitting on the recliner, drinking milk, he asked, "Go ahead, what do you want to ask me?"

Qin Yao laughed. "It's not that I want to ask you anything, but I happened to run into Huo Yan today, and he said you haven't been back to the Huo family's place for several days."

L1 took a bite of the small cake, his cheeks puffed out. "I've been flying overseas recently."

Qin Yao was surprised. "You're also trying to understand foreigners?"

L1 thought to himself that of course not, but he couldn't tell Qin Yao.

After all, the character he had been observing recently seemed to be Qin Yao's cousin.

So L1 said, "Should I go see Huo Yan tomorrow? Is he shooting a scene these days?"

Qin Yao nodded. "Coincidentally, I'm going to the set tomorrow too. I'll take you along."

L1 nodded without hesitation, agreeing immediately.

After finishing the cake and drinking the milk, he went back to his room.

When he said back to his room, he actually meant back to the guest room in Qin Yao's suite.

Ever since L1 decided to stay at Qin Yao's place, Qin Yao had prepared a bedroom for him next to his own.

The room was spacious, though it didn't have a large balcony, it did have a bay window. L1's current body wasn't large, so he liked lying on the bay window to sleep.

But tonight, he preferred the recliner outside on the balcony.

When Qin Yao came out of the study, he found L1 swaying gently on the recliner.

A hint of amusement flickered in his eyes, and suddenly remembering something, he approached quickly. "Did you take a bath today?"

L1 frowned immediately. "I'm a system, I don't need to take baths."

Besides, he really, really hated water!

Back when he lived at the Huo family's place, if not for the housekeeper helping him bathe every day, he would never have bathed by himself!

Qin Yao smiled helplessly. "But you said before that your current body is human. A human body needs food, rest, and of course, baths."

L1 pursed his lips. "But I can exchange for cleaning reagents at the points mall."

Qin Yao knew the cleaning reagent he was talking about; its function was one-click cleaning.

During this period, L1 had always used the cleaning reagent.

But what about when he was at the Huo family's place?

Suddenly, Qin Yao said, "Are you afraid to bathe alone?"

L1 immediately refuted, "Of course not, I'm an omnipotent system. How could I possibly be afraid of taking a bath?"

"Then go take one?" Qin Yao said.

L1 shook his head. "No."

Qin Yao laughed. "I'll help you."

L1 hesitated.

Although he indeed didn't particularly like water and was somewhat worried, the feeling of hot water flowing over his body was quite comfortable. Having Qin Yao help him bathe...

It might work?

L1 nodded.

Qin Yao turned around with a smile, heading to the bathroom to run hot water for L1.

To say he was helping L1 bathe, in reality, Qin Yao only helped fill the bathtub with water and handed L1 towels and clothes from the side.

L1 was the first highly independent system, capable of bathing himself entirely.

But perhaps due to being a system, ever since his creation, he had a natural aversion to water.

L1 wasn't afraid of water; he simply disliked it. So he felt more at ease with Qin Yao by his side.

After a comfortable soak in the hot bath, L1's entire system felt dazed. In the end, it was Qin Yao who lifted him out of the bathtub.

L1 was half-asleep, not struggling upon sensing it was Qin Yao, only muttering softly, "I didn't... didn't get wet."

Qin Yao chuckled lightly.

The youth's voice was gentle, as if whispering right by L1's ear, making him feel particularly reassured. He said, "No water got in, go back to sleep."

And so, L1 fell asleep.

The next morning, after drinking the oat milk that Qin Yao had prepared for him, L1 went to the film set with Qin Yao.

L1 had visited the set before, so upon arriving at the set, if his memory served him right, it was this very one. There seemed to be a supporting actor here as well.

Taking advantage of the fact that Huo Yan hadn't arrived yet, L1 told Qin Yao that he would go for a walk on his own.

Qin Yao nodded, not stopping him.

However, his assistant beside him was somewhat worried and repeatedly asked Qin Yao, "Don't we really need to send someone along with him?"

Qin Yao smiled.

He knew that L1 was a system, which is why he wasn't worried.

But others didn't know; to them, L1 was just a five-year-old child. How could they let him wander around the set alone?

Still, Qin Yao said to the assistant, "No need. Let him play by himself for a while. When the time is right, he'll come back on his own."

The assistant was helpless. Since Qin Yao had spoken, what could he do?

Meanwhile, L1 was weaving through the crowd on the set.

L1's body, being only five years old, was too small. The crew members were numerous and busy, rushing about. Several times, they almost bumped into him as they hurried back and forth, but L1 reacted quickly, dodging out of the way before anyone could collide with him.

Soon, L1 had skirted around the crowd. He sensed that the supporting actor he wanted to see was nearby, as if just around the corner—

After a dull thud, L1 frowned. He felt his forehead bump into someone's body, and then a sharp voice rang out: "Where did you come from, kid? Do you have any idea what you—"

L1 felt his body lift off the ground, but this time, he wasn't flying on his own. Instead, he was lifted up.

L1's brows furrowed instantly. Before he could struggle, another male voice sounded: "Yu Bai, put him down."

Yu Bai?

L1 looked up at the man in front of him, his brows tightly knitted. He knew Yu Bai; he hadn't expected to run into this supporting actor on his way to find Song Zhehan.

Yu Bai wasn't an easy person to deal with.

In fact, it was because of him that Qin Yao had suffered significant losses.

Yu Bai glared at the person behind L1 and snorted heavily. "Song Zhehan, you really like playing the good guy everywhere you go, don't you!"

Song Zhehan?

L1 wanted to turn around to look at him, but he was being held by the collar by Yu Bai and couldn't break free.

Song Zhehan's voice came from behind him. His voice carried a smile, sounding particularly gentle. "Yu Bai, he's just a little kid. There's no need for you to make a fuss over him."

Yu Bai was speechless. "Which eye of yours saw me wanting to make a fuss?"

Then, L1 felt his collar being released.

However, Yu Bai didn't put him on the ground. Instead, he simply let go of his hand mid-air.

L1 reacted quickly. He could easily protect himself from injury, but something even faster than him intervened.

Song Zhehan caught him from behind.

"Brat, are you alright?" After catching L1, Song Zhehan placed him on the ground.

L1 turned to look at him.

Song Zhehan raised his eyebrows, then thought of something. A look of surprise flashed across his eyes before he revealed a gentle smile. "Why are you looking at your big brother like that? Do you know me?"

L1 nodded.

Song Zhehan's smile grew wider. "So you're my little fan?"

L1 shook his head.

Song Zhehan's smile immediately faded, akin to a face-changing act. "Then I won't pretend in front of you."

L1 watched his rapidly cooling expression and thought to himself that this was Song Zhehan's true character.

However, L1 felt that his personality wasn't that unpleasant.

Thus, L1 spoke up, "You don't have to pretend."

Song Zhehan tugged at the corners of his mouth, clearly not intending to say much to a mere child. He merely reached out to ruffle his head. "Do I need your permission to pretend or not? Brat, I helped you with your trouble. Aren't you going to thank me?"

L1 said, "Thank you."

Song Zhehan smiled again.

This time, L1 could tell that this smile was genuine, coming from the depths of Song Zhehan's heart.

Song Zhehan asked again, "Whose child are you? Are you here to be an extra on our set? Why are you running around?"

Before L1 could speak, he heard Song Zhehan continue, "I didn't want to bother with you either. A brat like you is truly troublesome, but if I don't take care of you and someone else sees, they'll say that I'm two-faced. What a hassle."

"If I'd known, I wouldn't have created this lousy persona. Why on earth did I agree to my agent back then?"

Even L1, who was emotionally insensitive as a system, could tell that Song Zhehan's mood was particularly sour at this moment.

Yet despite this, he still squatted down with a full smile on his face, picking him up once more. "Come on, I'll take you to find your parents."

L1 furrowed his brow, disliking Song Zhehan's smile.

He opened his mouth to say something, but the self-imposed restrictions he had set for himself prevented him from speaking.

In this world, every character in each plotline has their predetermined ending.

L1 is the regulatory system; the regulatory system cannot interfere with anyone's conclusion.

So even knowing that Song Zhehan, who was holding him, wasn't a bad person, L1 couldn't intervene in his life.

Over the next half year, L1 observed many protagonists and supporting characters.

Among them were supporting characters Zhou Zijian and Wen Xiangyue, as well as main characters Liu Yan and Shen Chong.

All four of them were good people, largely consistent with the plot descriptions L1 was familiar with.

Of course, there were also protagonists and supporting characters with particularly stark contrasts.

For example, the protagonist and attacker, Zhao Wei, he didn't seem worthy of Ning Xu at all.

And then there was Lu Bo; using human terms, he was simply a scoundrel.

As L1 continued to observe more and more people, he gained a deeper understanding of the humans Qiu had spoken about.

Humans are truly complex.

But among these complex humans, there were some who were especially endearing.

Soon, autumn turned into winter.

L1 welcomed his second Spring Festival in the human world.

And the main storyline of the A20231007 world was about to begin.

Suddenly, L1 realized that he seemed to intensely dislike the upcoming main storyline.