Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Lin Kecheng struggled to keep his composure.

He tried to stay calm. "It should be because of the last incident. Maybe the police said something to him, but we can definitely clear this up. Once the investigation is over, the favorability should bounce back. When he realizes he misunderstood me, it will go up even more."

His system chimed in, but it was secretly panicking.

Lin Kecheng was unaware that many previous hosts had tried to win over Fu Xiuning, which was why he remained optimistic, but his system knew the truth all too well.

Fu Xiuning's favorability only showed significant fluctuations in the first year or two, after which the changes became smaller and smaller, as if he was gradually losing his human emotions. Some hosts were still at -5 when they were taken out of the game.

Clearly, a little suspicion wasn’t enough to make Fu Xiuning drop points.

The system worried that after Fu Xiuning left the student council, his former subordinates might gradually revert to being nobodies in his eyes, which might have caused the favorability to drop back to the initial value of -5.

If that’s the case, you’d need to get into Fu Xiuning’s company to have a shot at regaining those points.

At the same time, Xing Shi and his system were having a conversation.

The system said, "Why are you testing him? If he’s a host, we should just be careful. What if your sudden test makes him suspicious of you?"

Xing Shi said, "I’m just curious, that’s all."

The system advised, "But it’s risky."

Seeing Lin Kecheng approaching, Xing Shi unbuckled his seatbelt and said, "I know what I’m doing."

Before Fu Xiuning could ask where they were going to eat, Lin Kecheng, who had overheard, volunteered, "Cultural Plaza."

He quickly composed himself and explained, "My junior has evening training, and it’s closer, more convenient."

Fu Xiuning nodded, "Get in."

Lin Kecheng smiled in gratitude and opened the door to get in.

Fu Xiuning’s company was in the same direction as the plaza, so he was giving them a ride on the way.

As he sat in the car, Lin Kecheng took the initiative to ask about the progress of the Shao Jianbo incident, hoping to explain and recover some favorability points.

Fu Xiuning said, "My family's lawyer is handling it. I haven't asked."

A small arc formed at the corner of his mouth, his comforting tone reminiscent of that day. "For intentional injury, he will definitely be sentenced. It's his personality; don’t let it bother you."

The smile on Lin Kecheng's face froze instantly.

The system screamed internally. So the deduction had nothing to do with this incident!

Both Lin Kecheng and his system were thrown off again, and he barely responded while starting to investigate with his system where that 1 point was lost.

Xing Shi glanced at the driver's seat.

A few days ago, Fu Xiuning clearly suspected that Lin Kecheng was behind the incident, but now he was comforting people as if he were an expert.

However, based on the information he gathered, Xing Shi understood that Fu Xiuning had become accustomed to such situations after experiencing so much. It was no wonder his favorability toward people was generally -5.

After five years of being cornered, Fu Xiuning remained gentle and elegant, driving someone who had recently schemed against him with remarkable composure—a once-noble young master had turned into a cold-hearted boss.

Fu Xiuning looked ahead at the road, listening to two conversations at once.

After reviewing Lin Kecheng's information, Lin had chosen a path to first become someone useful to him, then slowly develop other connections.

Now, it was clear that the student council's usefulness had run out. Lin Kecheng went off on a rant but then resigned himself to figuring out how to get into Fu's company fast.

Meanwhile, Xing Shi's System was still trying to persuade its host to drop the idea. Fu Xiuning's attention was mostly focused here.

He revealed Lin Kecheng's situation because Lin was always scheming. He wanted Xing Shi to be more cautious.

To Fu Xiuning, Lin Kecheng was just a way to pass the time, like those other hosts. But Xing Shi was different. There were too many exceptions with him, and Fu couldn't afford to let anything happen before he figured it out.

Perhaps because of this, when he learned that Xing Shi would confront Lin Kecheng, he began to dislike Lin. Or maybe, because Xing Shi was an exception, Lin Kecheng, who had never earned him money and only caused trouble, became disposable.

System 99 failed to convince Xing Shi.

It checked the data and sighed, "Shouldn't you consider the worst possible outcome before doing something? What if he becomes suspicious, how will you handle it?"

Xing Shi shrugged. "I'll just be honest. You gotta own your stuff."

Fu Xiuning: "..."

The system almost glitched. "Wait, what are you thinking?"

Xing Shi immediately responded, "I'm an open person."

The system didn't believe him and guessed, "You want to form an alliance with him?"

Xing Shi said, "Oh. So, does that mean we can team up?"

The system warned, "Sure, but I wouldn’t advise it. There’s only one ultimate prize, and hosts are in competition. Once the alliance is dissolved, he might try to eliminate you first."

Xing Shi remained calm. "It's fine. I might handle him before the alliance even dissolves."

System: "..."

Who was it that just said they were open?

It replied helplessly, "Systems aren't stupid. To ensure the safety and interests of our hosts, we sign a contract when forming an alliance. During the alliance, hosts can't harm each other. If one side breaks the contract, the other can report to the main system. Once an alliance is formed, a friend list will show up on the screen, allowing both parties to exchange messages and share locations at any time."

Xing Shi said, "Phones can do that too."

The system added, "Our system doesn’t have any risk of leaks. You don’t have to send the messages yourself. Just tell me, and I’ll send them."

Xing Shi asked, "So how do you sign the contract?"

The system replied, "Hosts shake hands, representing the formation of cooperation, and we will then sign the contract."

Xing Shi felt a subtle shift, suspecting that there would be an energy transfer during the handshake.

He had intended to reveal his identity to Lin Kecheng for another purpose but made an unexpected discovery.

Interested, he asked, "Is there a time limit? If I only want to form an alliance for one day, is that possible?"

The system confirmed, "Yes."

Xing Shi was satisfied. "Good. Are you done collecting the info?"

System said, "I found it... Are you sure you want to form an alliance?"

Xing Shi said, "Yeah, I'm planning to start with two days."

System: "???"

Fu Xiuning slowly stopped at the red light and glanced at the person next to him.

He knew Xing Shi was up to something again. He was curious to follow and listen, but if he was there, the two of them wouldn't be able to chat properly.

So he calmly listened to the conversation on both sides and drove to the Cultural Plaza.

Lin Kecheng failed to convince Fu Xiuning to join them for a meal and regretfully took Xing Shi into the mall.

They had already decided what to eat and headed straight to the restaurant upstairs.

Xing Shi waited for Lin Kecheng to finish ordering, then, according to the clues the system found, downloaded a mobile app, opened the relevant novel, found the corresponding section, and pressed the reading function.

A cold male voice instantly rang out.

"Host, your task is going to fail!"

Lin Kecheng, caught off guard, choked and started coughing uncontrollably.

He finally caught his breath and, upon hearing the rest of the content, realized it was a novel. He looked at Xing Shi, "Senior..."

Xing Shi frantically pressed the screen, turned off the sound, and looked up. "Sorry, Senior. I pressed the wrong spot. Did I scare you?"

Lin Kecheng took a tissue to wipe his mouth and forced a laugh. "Yeah, it startled me. Are you reading a novel?"

Xing Shi nodded. "A roommate recommended it. He said it's good. This is my first time reading an online novel. It's quite interesting. It's about a protagonist being bound by a system and traveling through different worlds."

Enviously, he said, "I wish I had a system like that. But it's just a thought. Something like that is impossible, right?"

A brief flash of satisfaction crossed Lin Kecheng's face, and he smiled. "Yeah, that's right."

Xing Shi observed his reaction and estimated there was an 80% chance this guy was a Host. He called out to the system, "He doesn't seem to know about the other Hosts."

The system chimed in, "Yeah, he doesn't suspect you at all. Do you still want to form an alliance?"

Xing Shi said, "Of course."

He gave Lin Kecheng a handsome smile and lowered his voice. "I’m just messing with you, Senior. I thought you might be a Host, so I wanted to see if you’d react—since I am one too."

Thinking he was special, Lin Kecheng went, "???"

The already suspicious system went, "..."

Xing Shi said, "I wonder where the other Hosts are. Senior, do you have any suspects?"

Lin Kecheng, the chosen one, was taken aback. As he frantically called out to his system, he asked, "Other people?"

Xing Shi said, "Yeah, there are six of us in this batch."

Lin Kecheng: "!!!"

Xing Shi cupped his cheeks with both hands. "I come from another world. Senior, did you also come from another world, or are you native to this one?"

Lin Kecheng's mind was blown. "...Another world?"

Xing Shi eyed him uncertainly. "Senior, you... don’t actually know anything about this, do you?"

Lin Kecheng felt like he had been caught off guard, and his defenses crumbled.

His system scrambled to apologize and soothe him, while sneaking a glance at Xing Shi. _What’s with this guy? How can he be so reckless?!_

Xing Shi waved it off. "It’s not a big deal."

Xing Shi continued, "The real issue is that Fu Xiuning is such a tough nut to crack. His favorability barely budges, just a few points at a time. I’ve been here for two months and still haven’t hit 10. You’ve been here longer, so your score must be way higher, right?"

The person and their system, who had spent six months gaining just one point before resetting to zero, were stunned. "Wait, what?!"

Lin Kecheng's system also completely crumbled and started being sarcastic in the group chat.

Heaven's Favorite chimed in. "Some new guy is almost at 10, and last time he even faked a -5. Impressive!"

The comment sent shockwaves through the group. Everyone had been grinding away, inching up their scores one point at a time. How could this newbie be so far ahead?!

They all went wild, tagging @YanKongWanSui.

System 99 stayed quiet, watching to see how its host would respond.

Xing Shi cut to the chase. "I’m not the fastest, and tackling these tasks alone is exhausting. What if we team up? You could help me out, Senior."

Lin Kecheng had already discussed on the way there that they should make good use of Xing Shi. Now that they knew Xing Shi was a host, it would be even more convenient.

Lin Kecheng was quickly briefed by his system on the alliance details and immediately agreed. "Sure."

Xing Shi asked, "How many points do you have, Senior?"

Lin Kecheng remained calm. "That's confidential. I can’t tell you before the alliance. Let’s exchange screenshots after signing the contract."

Under the tense gaze of the other, Xing Shi thought for a moment and compromised. "Alright, let’s try it for a week and see if we’re compatible."

Lin Kecheng had wanted to sign for three months but didn’t insist when Xing Shi disagreed. He decided to try and change Xing Shi’s mind within that week.

Xing Shi took the initiative, secretly adjusting to the state of absorbing the magic source.

As their hands clasped, Xing Shi felt the energy transfer and immediately tried to siphon it off.

At the last second, a thin thread of energy slipped into his mind and disappeared.

Although he couldn’t tell where it went, he was sure he could absorb it.

If he could persuade Lin Kecheng to extend their cooperation after a week, he could keep reaping the benefits!

He was instantly pleased.

Lin Kecheng and his system, holding onto their "-5" and making a big gamble, successfully gained a powerful teammate and were also very happy.

They checked their new friend list and quickly exchanged favorability screenshots, eager to see the results.

When the image loaded, it displayed a single number: -8. The pair stared at it in disbelief. "…………”