Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The food at Lin Lan Yuan was definitely worth the price, and Xing Shi enjoyed it very much.

But it was true that he hadn’t rested properly for over half a month. He rubbed his temples and said, “Don’t lose it.”

The system immediately silenced itself.

Xing Shi put the phone back on the table and asked again, “Could Lin Kecheng be the host?”

The system resumed its normal tone: “There’s no way to sense other systems. I don’t know if he’s the host either.”

Xing Shi decided to look for an opportunity to test him.

The system held back for a while but finally couldn’t resist: “Is there nothing else you want to say?”

Xing Shi looked at Fu Xiuning across from him.

The young president’s expression remained calm, as if the minor incident didn’t bother him at all.

Given his refined and distant demeanor, he seemed like someone who would dislike physical contact. So how did he gain points from that?

You really can’t judge a book by its cover, huh?

Xing Shi wondered, “Is your favorability system malfunctioning?”

The system said, “Impossible!”

It then considered the fluctuations from today and grew suspicious. After a thorough scan, it reported back, “Everything checks out.”

This meant that Fu Xiuning had indeed gained 1 point in favorability from holding hands with the host!

Fu Xiuning had given 1 point upon first meeting the host because he liked the host’s face. It hadn’t taken the ID wrong; being a face enthusiast was the best! This big villain who had taken down so many hosts was indeed a face enthusiast!

Who would have thought? If I posted this in the group chat now, no one would believe it!

It was so excited it wanted to scream but kept its volume low, analyzing, “Good-looking people tend to make others feel more favorable. Fu Xiuning is a psychopath; seeing someone better-looking than him makes him uncomfortable. So when he first met you, he added points but then subtracted them.

“You hadn’t seen each other for half a month, and the score dropped to -8. With more interaction, it gradually decreased to -10. A few hours later, when you met again, it went up to -9. Tonight, it should have dropped back to -10, but physical contact can bring people closer. Since you’re good-looking, he gave you 1 point.”

It shifted its tone, “That’s just a general assumption. I have another theory. Do you want to hear it?”

Xing Shi said, “Not really.”

The system ignored him: “I suspect he’s actually fallen for you at first sight but isn’t aware of it. The first reaction to love isn’t to get close but to dislike it. Inner struggle, avoidance, not wanting to admit it—the favorability fluctuates, so when you suddenly held hands, it went up!”

Xing Shi didn’t argue. He was also considering this possibility.

He had thought that Fu Xiuning wouldn’t show delayed gratitude, and that the 1-point increase in the parking lot was likely due to his appearance.

Although he had lost his memories from before he crossed over, he had never forgotten what he looked like. His body in the magic world resembled his by about 70%, and even that had attracted a lot of attention. Now that it’s nearly identical, he’s been asked for his WeChat numerous times over the past half month.

His attractiveness was an undeniable fact.

The system, noticing his silence, said, “Think about it. Does any of this sound off?”

Xing Shi sincerely replied, “Sounds reasonable.”

The system got excited, “So, are you thinking about switching to a romance storyline?”

Xing Shi shook his head. "No."

The system didn’t argue. Today had once again proven that the host’s face was a powerful asset. It felt reassured, knowing that a future of lying back and counting money would eventually come.

Fu Xiuning remained expressionless.

Over the years, he had heard countless whispers, insults, schemes, and even malicious speculations or fantasies about hosts and systems. He had become desensitized to it all and remained completely unfazed.

It seemed this approach worked on Xing Shi as well.

After finishing their meal, they left Lin Lan Yuan.

Xing Shi returned to the company for more training, only to find the practice rooms buzzing with activity.

He raised an eyebrow. "Did the teachers suddenly give us a day off?"

Everyone laughed and explained the situation.

The reason was that everyone had become a bit restless, so the teachers decided to pause the classes and first organize the dance groups.

Since their skill levels varied, the teachers planned to gradually increase the difficulty of the dance moves, building up the audience’s excitement along the way. Those with weaker foundations would be placed in one group, where they could focus on simpler moves that were easier to master.

Although Xing Shi was new, his talent shone through, and he picked things up quickly. As a student from Z University and the show’s main character, everyone agreed that he should take center stage in the final group dance.

Xing Shi accepted it without hesitation.

After all, the moves were the same no matter where he stood. He had found a way to coast through it.

He slouched into a corner, planning to get up once the groups were divided and then train until late at night, eventually returning to the apartment with everyone else.

After washing up and settling into bed, he instructed the system to pull up Fu Xiuning’s information.

As his consciousness drifted into his mind, he could see the interface the system displayed.

It showed the favorability records and the shop, which could be checked at any time. Additionally, it allowed for rapid reading of documents. Half a month ago, he and the system had gone through all the information about the original host together.

The system now treated him like a precious gem, considerately saying, "Aren’t you tired? No need to rush. Get some sleep, and we can talk about it tomorrow when you have more time."

Xing Shi refused.

He wouldn’t let his consciousness sink in an environment he didn’t fully trust. For now, only the company and the school dormitory allowed him to lower his guard slightly.

He insisted, "Now."

The system was impressed by his dedication. "Alright, which part do you want to check first?"

Xing Shi said, "Family."

The system pulled up the relevant content, and under the rapid reading mode, Xing Shi absorbed the information quickly.

Fu Xiuning was an only child. His parents had a harmonious relationship, and the family atmosphere was warm and welcoming. Despite the Fu family’s power and influence, Fu Xiuning was neither arrogant nor rude. He was polite and had been well-liked since childhood.

Xing Shi asked, "Did he have any accidents when he was young? Like being kidnapped or anything?"

The system, which retrieved information faster, replied, "No."

Xing Shi requested Fu Xiuning’s elementary school records and quickly skimmed through them. Everything seemed normal, with no signs of any bad behavior. The early signs of his aloof demeanor were starting to appear, likely because he was so popular that learning to keep his distance became necessary to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

The information gave him a headache, and as he massaged his temples, he asked, "Did he have any crushes or early romantic relationships in middle or high school? Were there any periods where his grades fluctuated significantly?"

The system said, "No romantic relationships, but his grades fluctuated."

Xing Shi asked, "When did this happen?"

The system replied, "In high school, he missed a monthly exam because of illness and injury, which dropped his ranking to the bottom. But whenever he did take an exam, he ranked in the top ten of his grade."

Just to be safe, Xing Shi reviewed the middle school records again and found nothing out of the ordinary, so he moved on to the high school records.

The first semester of his freshman year was uneventful, but the second semester saw a sudden spike in incidents.

During a PE class, he was deliberately tackled and injured. The person who did it acted remorseful and insisted on personally taking care of him.

He was ambushed by people from another school but was rescued by the guys in his class. After turning down their offer to be friends, the entire class labeled him as cold and heartless.

At a stairwell, a mentally unstable girl shoved him down the stairs with full force... Incident after incident filled up the entire second semester.

In his sophomore year, he transferred to a new school and enjoyed a brief period of peace, but soon, the incidents started happening again. To protect himself, he hired private instructors during every break to learn combat skills, and over time, the number of injuries decreased.

Xing Shi requested the college records and kept reading, all the way to the most recent event: Shao Jianbo’s assassination attempt.

The previous record involved an obsessed girl who followed him off campus, and they both ended up in a car accident, leaving her in a coma.

The records were written from Fu Xiuning’s perspective, providing a brief summary of his life without revealing the thoughts or motivations of the other people involved. However, Xing Shi had a theory.

He asked, "System, when did this mission to influence him start?"

Fu Xiuning is now a junior in college, and five years ago was the second semester of his freshman year in high school.

After a few seconds, he said, "You said he was antisocial?"

Xing Shi scrolled back to the first semester of high school and asked, "What makes him antisocial?"

The system explained, "The main system predicted that he would become antisocial in the future, so they decided to intervene during his teenage years."

Xing Shi smirked and said, "Isn’t it possible that the main system’s prediction was part of his fate, and your intervention is what actually made him antisocial?"

The system sighed, "Before we came here, I had this thought when reviewing Fu Xiuning’s records, but things have already played out this way, and now we can only try to save him."

Xing Shi thought to himself that this didn’t feel like saving him—it felt more like a hunt.

But regardless of whether this reason was true or not, he was determined to take down the system.

This time, it wouldn’t just be about calling him “dad”; Fu Xiuning would have to call him “real dad.”

His consciousness detached from his mind, and he said half-heartedly, "Alright, good luck."

The next day was the weekend. Xing Shi’s school was closed, but his company wasn’t.

The trainees’ training was intense, with few breaks, and part-time trainees like Xing Shi had to train at the company on weekends.

Full-time trainees occasionally got a day off, but few actually took the time to rest because everyone was focused on debuting and trained relentlessly.

Xing Shi spent two days at the company, and on Sunday night, his friends returned the favor by treating him to a meal.

After that, it was a mix of classes and training every day until Friday, when Xing Shi ran into Fu Xiuning on campus.

Fu Xiuning drove by, saw him, and pulled over. "Where are you headed?"

Xing Shi replied, "The South Gate."

Fu Xiuning motioned for him to get in and kept driving. "What’s up?"

Xing Shi answered, "To meet up with Senior Lin."

Fu Xiuning assumed he was going to pick up another food delivery and shot him a glance. "Didn’t I tell you to keep your distance from him?"

Xing Shi explained, "He insisted on treating me, saying he’d feel bad if he didn’t. So I agreed, but we’re just grabbing a bite—no deep talk."

Fu Xiuning, knowing Xing Shi had a good head on his shoulders, nodded in approval.

The system waited expectantly and then asked, "Why didn’t the favorability budge? Did you not dress well today?"

Xing Shi replied, "It just shows that his baseline favorability toward me is -8."

The system paused. "You’re right. Love can be blind. Once he gets past this, it’ll be smoother sailing."

Xing Shi changed the subject. "Can you help me gather some info? I want to test Lin Kecheng."

Fu Xiuning raised an eyebrow. "Is this what you call ‘not having a deep conversation’?"

They were already close to the South Gate when they met, so it only took a few minutes to arrive.

Lin Kecheng had just arrived. Unable to convince Fu Xiuning to join them, he decided to focus on building rapport with Xing Shi.

Who would’ve thought he’d get so lucky—Xing Shi was being dropped off by Fu Xiuning himself.

He immediately grinned and approached, hoping to convince Fu Xiuning to join them for lunch.

But the next moment, a notification chimed in his head.

"Beep"

"Current favorability: -5"

Lin Kecheng: "!!!"

His system: "!!!"

It had taken them six months to gain just one point, and now they were back to where they started.

Both Lin Kecheng and his system were thrown for a loop. "Why?!"