Chapter 04

Chapter 04

The system glanced at the time, dazed.

Some hosts maintain a favorability of -5 from start to finish, but Xing Shi had managed to drop from -5 to -15 in just two hours, despite barely speaking to Fu Xiuning.

After such a disastrous first meeting, could the favorability ever recover?

Xing Shi had no idea he had just set a new record.

In the dead silence, he said, "Teacher, I've finished singing."

The trainees, having been subjected to a soul-cleansing experience, maintained blank expressions and clapped half-heartedly. The sparse applause quickly faded back into silence.

The vocal teacher collected herself and asked, "What's the name of this song?"

Xing Shi replied, "I forgot. It's a folk song. The locals all sing it. It's said to be their spiritual totem."

Everyone: "..."

Yeah, sure, we believe you.

Putting the totem aside, this song definitely had some spiritual significance. Maybe it was used by their ancestors to intimidate enemies.

The vocal teacher fell silent, not wanting to relive Xing Shi’s performance or the melody. The dance teacher asked, "Have you studied dance before?"

Xing Shi replied, "No."

The two teachers then gestured for him to leave.

Xing Shi returned to his previous spot, and the system had also collected itself.

It reassured itself, thinking, "It's okay. After the class assignments, Xing Shi can learn everything he doesn't know."

But then it reconsidered. Xing Shi might be stubborn, and the punishment system didn’t affect him. The newbie lottery was a “thanks for playing.” What else could it do?

It tentatively asked the main system to try the lottery again but was rejected, falling into a state of self-isolation.

Xing Shi didn’t wait for it to lose it and asked, "Did I make you crash?"

The system replied dejectedly, "Still here."

Xing Shi picked up on the tone and asked, "I’m a bit curious—what exactly are you? An intelligent product or something else?"

The system perked up. "I’ll tell you, but first, you need to answer a question. We both have to be honest."

Xing Shi nodded. "Sure."

The system explained, "We are high-dimensional intelligences, part mechanical and part biological, with powerful computational abilities that allow us to think independently and experience certain emotions."

Xing Shi understood. This meant they could be dismantled or destroyed.

The system continued, "Now it’s my turn. There are multiple paths to interact with Fu Xiuning: the romantic route, the friendship route, being loyal to him like a dog, taming him to be your dog, or even becoming like father and son. Which path will you choose? Be serious in your answer."

Xing Shi pretended not to notice that the system had assumed he would cooperate in interacting with Fu Xiuning and didn’t argue.

Since all the hosts have the same objective, Fu Xiuning is a crucial player. He’ll inevitably need to interact with Fu Xiuning, so the system doesn’t need to waste time trying to convince him.

He admitted, "It depends on his attitude. If he’s cooperative, we can go for the friendship route."

His goal was to take down the system. If Fu Xiuning was willing to cooperate, they could team up and take care of this mess together.

The system recalled Fu Xiuning’s history and asked, "What if he’s not cooperative?"

Xing Shi didn’t hesitate. "If that’s the case, I’ll be his dad."

If he takes them down single-handedly, Fu Xiuning will have no choice but to call him dad.

System: "Wait, what?"

While a father-son dynamic isn’t out of the question, you’re really thinking outside the box. Do you know how many hosts Fu Xiuning has taken down?

But since the host was finally ready to talk business, the system wasn’t about to rain on his parade. It was happy to have a clear direction: "Alright, let’s start with the friendship route."

Fu Xiuning remained expressionless as he listened to the entire thing and watched Trainee #6’s performance before getting up and leaving.

He came today because he figured the system needed new recruits and wanted to check if any potential hosts were among the trainees. Now that he’d spotted someone, he didn’t stick around any longer.

The trainees exchanged glances, sneaking looks at Xing Shi.

The boss had stood by his side during the assessment and, once it was over, only glanced at one person before leaving. It was hard to believe there was nothing between them.

Feng Zifan knew that Xing Shi and Fu Xiuning had only just met, making him feel even more regretful. He thought that if he hadn’t left halfway through, maybe he could have formed a stronger bond with Fu Xiuning.

After all 16 trainees completed their assessments, it was no surprise that Xing Shi ended up in last place.

The assessments in the other two practice rooms also concluded one after another. When all three groups' scores were put together, he firmly held the last place.

However, the teachers had high hopes for him.

Trainees need to undergo rigorous training before they can debut. It doesn't matter if their foundation is weak at first; they can always learn later.

Today, they simply wanted to separate those with a foundation from those without, to facilitate teaching. The assessment one month later would cover various aspects, including vocals, dance, acting, appearance, and camera tests, and would be a comprehensive evaluation. Xing Shi had an outstanding appearance; as long as he trained hard, he would eventually move up to Class One.

Next came the dormitory assignments.

The dorms were double rooms with bunk beds and desks below, equipped with private bathrooms. The overall space was slightly larger than student dorms, with extra room for a refrigerator, two full-height wardrobes, and a dance mirror, creating a small training area. Additionally, the apartment complex had communal laundry facilities, a gym, and a recreation area.

Dorm assignments were random, but trainees were allowed to negotiate swaps among themselves, provided they informed the company.

After the initial and final auditions and class placements, some of the trainees had already gotten to know each other and wanted to live with familiar faces.

Xing Shi needed a bed here for convenient training. He didn't mind who his roommate was, but coincidentally, the person who swapped into his room was also a "pre-selected" individual, just like him, with no connections. The two decided to stay together and not swap again.

Feng Zifan and Dazhuang glanced over and, seeing the situation, didn't mention changing rooms. They called out to their friends and headed off to eat.

Out of the corner of his eye, Xing Shi noticed someone about to put a hand on his shoulder. His muscles tensed, and he immediately turned sideways. The other person's arm swung through empty air, and before they could react, Xing Shi asked what they were eating, quickly shifting their focus.

By evening, the sky had darkened.

Tall buildings stood in rows, illuminated by bright lights, while the streets buzzed with crowds and traffic.

Not far from the apartment was a mall. Xing Shi followed them forward, listening to the honking of cars and the music from shops, and smelling the faint aroma of food, feeling as if he were in a vast and peaceful dream.

He stopped in front of a stall selling roasted sweet potatoes.

The system reminded him, "This is pretty filling, but you’ll still be having hot pot later."

Xing Shi took out his phone, "What's my payment password?"

The system gave up trying to persuade him and told him.

Xing Shi bought a baked sweet potato, split it open, blew on it a few times to cool it down, and took a bite.

The piping hot, sweet flavor hit his taste buds in the most vivid way, and he gazed at the bustling night scene before following the group.

The company gave them three days to settle in.

Except for the pre-signed "insiders" and those confident about their second interviews, who brought all their belongings, the rest had to go home or have their families send their things over. Most of them were staying in hotels, and after dinner, everyone headed back to their respective places. That’s when Feng Zifan and the others found out that Xing Shi attended a top-tier university, and the academic underachievers among them couldn’t hide their admiration and envy.

Xing Shi laughed and said goodbye to them, returning to his school.

The undergraduate dorm at Z University was a four-person room with bunk beds and study desks below.

Xing Shi used the system to familiarize himself with his three roommates and located his bed.

He pulled a textbook from the shelf, flipped through it casually, then put it back and grabbed another. This time, he noticed the original owner’s signature on the title page—sharp and forceful, much like his own.

How likely is it to have the same name, appearance, and even similar handwriting? Could it really be a coincidence?

Was he transported to a new world, or had he somehow... returned?

Since entering the magic world, his past memories had been fading, leaving only fragments of basic knowledge to remind him that he came from the modern world. Now, after crossing over again, he still couldn’t recall much.

He called out, "System?"

The system responded, "Yeah?"

Xing Shi asked, "Do you know where I came from?"

The system replied, "I don’t know—it’s the host’s privacy."

Xing Shi asked, "Then do you know why I crossed over?"

"I’m not sure about that either," the system said, recalling something. "You probably lost your memory, didn’t you?"

It explained, "The soul is an energy-based entity, and there’s a small amount of energy lost during transmission, which can cause varying degrees of memory loss. Most hosts who cross over experience this. Some gradually recover their memories, while others don’t."

"But don’t worry," it enthusiastically added, "We have memory pills in the store that can help you recover all your memories from birth. You can exchange them for points once you’ve earned enough favorability."

Xing Shi calmly replied with a “Hmm” and set the book back on the shelf.

After three days, the trainees started their rigorous training.

In addition to honing their professional skills, they also had to study cultural subjects like language and art, with a jam-packed schedule.

Out of this batch of trainees, including Xing Shi, only three had to balance their studies with training. After two weeks, one of them was already considering taking a leave of absence.

The system had initially feared that Xing Shi would give up, but to its surprise, he never complained.

Not only that, but he occasionally skipped one or two less important classes to attend training at the company, which was impressive.

The only downside was that they hadn’t had any interaction with Fu Xiuning since then.

Fu Xiuning didn’t live on campus and only came to Z University for classes or when necessary. As a result, they rarely saw each other at the company, and their friendship route remained stagnant.

The system noticed the host’s usual post-lunch routine of finding a spot to relax and said, "The dorm is just up ahead."

Xing Shi kept his eyes closed and didn’t move. "Ate too much, need to let it settle."

The system asked, "...So why did you eat so much?"

Xing Shi didn’t respond, content to bask in the sun.

The system realized it wouldn’t get a response no matter what and wisely kept quiet. A few minutes later, it suddenly perked up. "Fu Xiuning is coming this way!"

Xing Shi pretended not to hear and stayed still.

Seeing Xing Shi’s indifferent attitude, the system couldn’t hold back. "What’s going on with you? You didn’t go when I told you where Fu Xiuning was the last few times. What happened to the friendship route?"

This time, Xing Shi responded. "If Fu Xiuning could be swayed by just a few chats, they would’ve only sent one host. Why bother sending so many?"

The system asked, "So, what’s your plan?"

Xing Shi replied, "First of all, leave me alone."

The system: "..."

It sulked in silence, noticing Fu Xiuning was about to pass by. It decided not to watch, to avoid getting even more frustrated.

Over the past half-month, Fu Xiuning had spotted Xing Shi four times.

The first time was at noon after school. From his car, he saw someone sprinting toward the gate from a distance. As he drove closer, he realized it was Xing Shi, grinning widely as he ran to grab his food delivery.

The second time was in the company cafeteria. Xing Shi’s table had empty meal trays, but there were also four boxes of desserts. He had already finished one and was happily enjoying the second. Trainees had strict figure requirements, so desserts were limited. Clearly, these extras were from others who were trying to cut back.

The third time was at a side gate of Z University. As he passed by, he saw Xing Shi sitting at a crowded food stall, slurping rice noodles without even looking up.

The fourth time was today.

There was a small park in the school’s residential area, and as he passed by, he saw someone sitting on a double bench.

Xing Shi’s hands were stuffed into the pockets of his baseball jacket, and his sweatshirt hood covered his eyes. His legs were spread slightly as he lounged lazily. Next to him, a stray cat curled up on the empty seat, squinting and tucking its paws, basking in the sun alongside him. The sunlight filtered down, creating a warm and peaceful scene.

Fu Xiuning hesitated mid-step, his mischievous side starting to show.

How could the host be living so much more comfortably than him?

He walked over to Xing Shi.