Chapter 02

Chapter 02

"Stop! I already told you I’ll spill the beans!"

"Initiating Level One Punishment Protocol!"

"This is really important today. You can’t just run off! Stop right now!!!"

"…Initiating Level Two Punishment Protocol!"

As the final words rang out, a wave of pain surged through Xing Shi’s body.

Xing Shi was just two steps from the wall when he made a sharp turn into the nearby corridor, where a restroom sign hung overhead—he had spotted it earlier.

He rushed to the sink, rinsed his hands, and looked up at the face in the mirror—his own familiar face stared back.

Xing Shi stared at himself for a moment, then turned and left.

Based on the meal, he figured that not many people here recognized him. Since everyone seemed to be strangers, he quickly changed his ‘look’ by taking off his jacket, pretending that the guy who had just sprinted like crazy wasn’t him, and calmly returned to the dining area.

The Level Two Punishment had ended, and the pain was manageable. The system couldn’t control his body, and it seemed termination wasn’t something it could trigger at will. For now, aside from punishment, it seemed powerless against him.

With the information organized in his mind, he headed to the beverage area.

The system was about to crash. Seeing him so lively and still in the mood for a drink, it broke down, "Does Level Two Punishment not even faze you?"

Other hosts would collapse the moment it was activated—how could he be completely fine?

It asked, "Is there something wrong with your nervous system?"

Xing Shi replied, "I have a high pain threshold. How about trying Level Three?"

The system went silent.

Xing Shi suspected the punishment mechanism only activated under specific conditions. He added, "So, crashing into a wall wouldn’t hurt. Should I demonstrate?"

The system immediately replied, "Fine, I’ll tell you."

Xing Shi poured a glass of juice and hummed in acknowledgment, signaling he was listening.

"Xing Shi, 19, is a freshman at Z University."

After backing down, the system’s voice regained its calm: "You met a talent scout while working part-time over winter break and signed with June Culture Media as a trainee. Today is the day for your retest and class assignment..."

Xing Shi interrupted, "Am I not going to college anymore?"

The system said, "You are. The school is very close to here, you’ll attend classes while training."

June Culture Media had only been around for two years but was growing rapidly.

Its roster included a rising star actor and popular young idols. Last year, the trainees they sent to a popular online talent show placed first and fifth.

This year, with more talent shows planned across various platforms, the company’s trainee recruitment announcement at the start of the year drew an overwhelming number of applicants.

After explaining the background, the system said, "The company has a scouting team that signs promising candidates early on, which is what Feng Zifan and the others call ‘pre-selected.’"

"Recently, everyone who passed the initial test needed to take the retest. Today is the last day. This afternoon, those who pass the retest and the ‘pre-selected’ will be assigned to classes, and then receive targeted training."

Xing Shi hesitated. "How many years did I sign for?"

The system replied, "Five years."

Xing Shi asked, "What's the penalty for breach of contract?"

The system explained, "The contract says it's over a million, but June Culture Media is pretty fair. We can negotiate the termination fee, but given your looks, it’ll likely still be in the six figures."

Xing Shi asked, almost without hope, "Can I even afford that?"

The system said, "No."

Xing Shi grabbed a few mini cakes and a plate of fruit, then headed back to his seat.

The system waited a moment, but Xing Shi didn’t say anything. Worried he might do something rash, it added, "Being a celebrity has its perks. People will love you, and you’ll make serious cash."

Fu Xiuning heard the voice again but kept his head down.

There was a range limit, so he didn’t catch what they said afterward, but he saw the host make a sharp turn into the hallway. The other guy had sprinted off too quickly, leaving only a fleeting view of his back—black pants and a denim jacket.

Once they were divided into classes, he’d know who it was.

Feng Zifan and the others had finished eating and scooted over to make room when Xing Shi returned.

They had noticed his sudden departure earlier. "Why did you take off like that? What happened?"

Xing Shi slid his tray to the center and casually mentioned, "I felt a bit queasy, but it passed before I even made it to the bathroom."

Seeing Xing Shi munching on a mini cake, Feng Zifan figured he wasn’t in any real trouble and steered the conversation back to the class assignments. Now they knew his name and that he was one of the "pre-selected."

Xing Shi clarified, "This isn’t pre-selection; I just signed a few days earlier. I got lucky with a talent scout. If they’d seen you guys, you might’ve signed too."

Feng Zifan and the other guy smiled at that but modestly waved it off.

"Looks come in different levels. Standing next to you, we’re still not quite there," Feng Zifan admitted. "We don’t know how many are pre-selected, but there are two obvious ones among the guys. Both arrived around noon today, and one of them is you, right?"

Xing Shi checked with the system and confirmed, "Yeah."

Feng Zifan’s “I knew it” expression deepened as he lowered his voice. "The other one is behind us to the left. Take a look; you’ll definitely know who I’m talking about."

Xing Shi turned and immediately spotted the guy sitting two tables away.

It was early spring, and the guy’s overcoat was neatly folded over the back of the chair. Now he wore just a simple white shirt.

The sleeves were neatly rolled up, revealing elegant wrists. His fingers were long and pale, effortlessly holding dark chopsticks with graceful movements as he ate with quiet refinement.

His face was slightly pale, but it only enhanced his striking features, adding a touch of fragility. Yet, he carried himself with such regal grace and polite distance that it made people hesitate to get too close.

Xing Shi met Feng Zifan’s expectant gaze and confirmed, "White shirt?"

Feng Zifan nodded eagerly. "Isn’t he hard to miss?"

Xing Shi nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

Feng Zifan sighed enviously. "You two are something else. You could debut right now without any makeup. You’re going to have so many fans."

Xing Shi didn’t respond because as soon as he said “Yeah,” the system started pushing him to make friends.

He realized, "So that’s Fu Xiuning?"

The system chimed in, "Yep, isn’t he stunning? Just a joy to look at."

"He's not a trainee; he's the boss of June Culture Media. Today's the day for class assignments, and he likely stayed here to observe the trainees instead of eating in a private room," it suggested. "Pretend you don't know who he is and try to befriend him. He might give you special attention in the company later on."

Xing Shi nibbled on a small cake, listening to Feng Zifan and the others chat about gossip while replying to the system, "He doesn’t seem like someone who makes friends easily."

The system said, "You’re attractive. What if he likes what he sees?"

Xing Shi said, "You didn’t deny it, so he’s clearly not easy to get close to."

The system was silent for a second, quickly calculating the host's personality and behavior. It concluded that Xing Shi was stubborn, and persuasion was useless. So it said matter-of-factly, "He’s a target for you to win over. It won’t be easy. Sure, you have good looks, but that won’t be enough on its own. If you don’t believe me, feel free to try."

Xing Shi didn't hesitate, "No need to try; I can’t pull it off."

The system said, "..."

Xing Shi suggested, "Why don’t you bind to someone else instead?"

"Once bound, it can’t be undone unless the target is successfully won over or the host dies," the system replied.

Xing Shi felt a twinge of regret.

The system said, "Once the host successfully wins over the target, they can make a wish to the main system. As long as it’s not too extreme, it will usually be granted."

Xing Shi finished his small cake and reached for the fruit platter.

"Go ahead and eat. Did you think you were the only host? Let me be clear: you’re the last one to be bound. The other hosts have already started interacting with Fu Xiuning," the system said coolly.

Xing Shi speared a piece of fruit and put it in his mouth, pausing slightly upon hearing this. He confirmed, "So there are other hosts in this world besides me, and we all have the same target?"

The system, seeing that he was somewhat concerned, decided that provocation would work. It gave a cold "Yeah."

Xing Shi became curious, "Why Fu Xiuning?"

The system said, "Because he’s antisocial. Do you remember the favorability score the program reported?"

Xing Shi remembered, "-5?"

The system said, "Yes, that’s his initial favorability toward you, even though you don’t know each other. He basically dislikes everyone equally..."

As they were talking, a commotion started in the dining hall.

Feng Zifan asked around and found out that the practice rooms downstairs were now open. They could go check out the space while waiting for the class assignments.

Xing Shi still had half of his fruit platter left and said, "You guys go ahead. I’ll join you after I finish eating."

Feng Zifan and the others sat back down, saying they’d wait and go together.

Xing Shi continued listening to the system's explanation, which was essentially that the Fu family was very powerful, and once Fu Xiuning inherited the family business, the resources and power he would command would be even greater. If he were to become antisocial, it would be terrifying.

With that thought in mind, Xing Shi finished his fruit platter and stood up, asking, "Then why don’t you just kill him or cripple him?"

The system said, "Our goal is to save him. It’s a life, and we can’t just kill him."

Xing Shi countered, "A host’s life is also a life. Don’t you punish or erase us without hesitation when necessary?"

The system sputtered, "We only say those things because we’re too anxious… Fu Xiuning!"

At that moment, Xing Shi noticed three people emerging from the dining area to his right, likely due to the system’s excitement. He glanced over casually and immediately focused on the last person—a guy in black casual pants, a white hoodie, and carrying a denim jacket. It was almost certainly the host.

When the system called out, Xing Shi lifted his head, and their gazes locked.

Fu Xiuning clearly saw his face.

High cheekbones, sharp features, clean-cut, handsome, dazzling, radiating youthful energy.

His gaze was remarkably composed, effortlessly masking the restlessness that often comes with youth, giving off an air of quiet confidence.

*Beep*

Favorability: -4

Xing Shi: "Huh?"

System: "What?!"

Fu Xiuning: *Silence*

Their eyes met briefly before quickly darting away.

Fu Xiuning continued walking, his expression darkening.

The favorability system had caused him trouble before and often put him at risk of exposure, but he never expected to give a host extra points just because of their looks. After all these years, he thought he was immune to human appearances.

It seemed this face appealed to his tastes. But the thought of the host eventually becoming unrecognizable filled him with immediate disgust.

*Beep*

Favorability: -10

Xing Shi: *Sigh*

System: "Wait, what?!"

The system had never expected Fu Xiuning to boost the favorability score just from seeing the host. It was practically ready to throw a party, but then came the sudden drop, leaving it stunned: "What happened?"

Xing Shi shrugged it off: "It’s pretty simple, actually."

Fu Xiuning kept walking at a steady pace, curious to hear Xing Shi’s reasoning.

Xing Shi explained, "People appreciate beauty, so when he first saw me, he thought I was pretty good-looking and gave me 1 point. The -4 makes sense, right?"

System: "That makes sense, but why the sudden drop?"

Xing Shi trailed behind, adding, "Didn’t you say he’s a psychopath? So when he really thought about it, he realized I’m even more handsome than him. Damn, that’s a -10."

System: *Deadpan*

Fu Xiuning: *Silence*