Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Tong Xuyang had filled out the form in secret.

At the time, he was both surprised and delighted, afraid it might be a mistake.

The person in charge didn’t know what Gu Zheng had done to upset Fu Xiuning, but since the boss wanted to make the announcement on the last day, it certainly couldn’t be revealed earlier. She instructed, “If you want things to go smoothly, don’t tell anyone. On the day of the announcement, just say you were notified at the last moment.”

Tong Xuyang was very obedient and didn’t leak a word after returning.

But recently, he had been on edge, barely able to sleep. It wasn’t until today, when he heard his name, that his heart, which had been on edge, finally settled.

His friends looked at him in confusion, and he apologetically smiled at them before they gradually snapped out of their daze and clapped in unison.

Feng Zifan and Yu Yi quickly joined in, and in no time, the applause spread once again.

The person in charge smiled and said, “Alright, these are the people. Let’s wish them good luck in the competition.”

The crowd clapped enthusiastically, their eyes full of curiosity: Oh wow, it’s not just that they didn’t add someone—Gu Zheng really isn’t on the list at all! Judging by Gu Zheng’s expression, it seemed he hadn’t known either. Was he really swapped out the day before the program started? What happened?

Gu Zheng’s roommate waited until the noise died down and, seeing Gu Zheng standing there as if soulless, couldn’t hold back anymore. “Teacher, is there a mistake? Shouldn’t it be Gu Zheng?”

The person in charge said, “Oh, we studied the trainees from other companies and, based on the directors’ suggestions, felt that Gu Zheng’s advantages weren’t significant. We decided to push someone else instead.”

She looked at Gu Zheng questioningly. “Didn’t the teachers tell you in advance?”

Gu Zheng shook his head stiffly, his mind still blank, unable to say a word.

The person in charge paused, then muttered, “They probably just forgot in the chaos. It’s fine, there will be other opportunities.”

Gu Zheng remained silent, his heart aching unbearably, completely unwilling to accept reality.

The farewell party officially began, and a few people came over to pat his shoulder in comfort. He stood there numbly for a moment before finally snapping out of it and approaching the teacher to plead his case. Upon learning that the list had already been submitted, he walked aside and sat down.

Those around him exchanged glances but didn’t disturb him.

His roommate asked, “Do you want me to accompany you back to the apartment?”

Gu Zheng sat in silence, not wanting to speak.

Feng Zifan and Yu Yi watched from a distance, feeling extremely pleased.

Feng Zifan couldn’t help but be impressed. He had a fairly accurate read on people, and from the first meeting with Fu Xiuning, he knew that person wasn’t easy to approach. He hadn’t expected Fu to be so protective of Xing Shi. These two must have a pretty close relationship.

If Feng Zifan were in Gu Zheng’s position and had been secretly sabotaged, he wouldn’t complain based on mere speculation. Only a strong enough relationship would give him the confidence to act like this.

Yu Yi also looked at Xing Shi with admiration and offered him a small cake.

Xing Shi, thoroughly enjoying the show, took a bite with a satisfied smile and, as he looked up, saw Tong Xuyang passing by with a bouquet of flowers. He called out to him, “Do you still need these flowers?”

Tong Xuyang, having shaken off his days of unease, was unprecedentedly bright and smiled as he handed them over. “If you like them, Shi, they’re yours.”

Xing Shi said, “Thank you.”

Once they were far enough away, Feng Zifan asked, “What are you going to do with those?”

Xing Shi replied, “Give them to someone.”

Feng Zifan hesitated for a moment and asked in a low voice, “You’re not giving them to the boss as a thank-you, right?”

Xing Shi said, "Of course not."

Feng Zifan breathed a sigh of relief, and Yu Yi curiously asked, "Then who is it for?"

Xing Shi said, "For my brother who has been through life and death with me."

Feng Zifan and Yu Yi: "..."

No wonder he’s so relaxed around someone who has been through life and death with him.

To give the trainees enough time to rest and prepare, the farewell party was scheduled for the afternoon. There was going to be a get-together later, and after that, everyone could do their own thing.

Xing Shi didn’t plan to eat. After watching the performance and having a couple of small cakes, he got up and left.

Feng Zifan and Yu Yi saw him off to the elevator, and the latter asked reluctantly, "You’re still not going back to the dorm tonight?"

Ever since Xing Shi moved into Fu Xiuning's place, he hadn’t stayed in the dorm, using the excuse that he had school matters to attend to. However, after sleeping well for a few days, the nerves that had been tense since his arrival in this world finally relaxed a bit, and he began to gradually adapt to his current life. Maybe he could try sleeping in the dorm again and see if he would still be easily startled.

He replied, "I’ll think about it in a couple of days."

After saying goodbye to them, he went to the school.

Lin Kecheng was discharged from the hospital yesterday. The Student Council planned a gathering to celebrate his recovery from the initial phase of treatment, and they would have another one on the day he had his cast removed.

As the other party involved, Xing Shi had also received an invitation.

He found the restaurant they had booked and saw that almost everyone had arrived.

Lin Kecheng was sitting in a wheelchair, chatting with the people next to him.

Xing Shi walked over, handed him the flowers, and offered a sincere blessing, "Senior, congratulations on your discharge from the hospital."

Lin Kecheng thanked him and accepted the flowers, feeling slightly satisfied. This fool had been to the hospital twice recently but was in a hurry both times, leaving after just a few glances. He didn’t expect him to be so thoughtful this time, bringing flowers. He wondered who had taught him to do so.

He looked behind Xing Shi, "Didn't Senior Fu come?"

Xing Shi blinked, "Did you invite him too?"

Lin Kecheng seemed a bit regretful, "Both the Student Council President and I invited him, but he said he was busy. I was hoping he might change his mind at the last minute."

Xing Shi comforted him, "Don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

Lin Kecheng nodded.

Xing Shi quietly observed and, based on their recent interactions, confirmed that Lin Kecheng didn’t suspect anything. Either he was doing a good job acting, or Fu Xiuning’s reputation for being difficult had really stuck. If it were him, he’d definitely keep an eye on things after finding out Fu Xiuning was living with a host.

But it was fine. Although he didn’t care about keeping up appearances, avoiding trouble for another day wasn’t a bad idea.

He extended his hand, "In any case, I wish you a speedy recovery, Senior."

When Lin Kecheng was hospitalized, they had renewed the contract, which had now expired once more.

After shaking hands, Lin Kecheng was curious if his favorability had changed and tried to check, but his request was denied.

One person and one system immediately realized something was off and asked, "Why?"

System 99 was on edge. "It's finally come to this, what should we do? I wanted to show off these 3 points to the whole world, but it was just a fantasy!"

Xing Shi shrugged. "Why panic? This was bound to happen eventually."

Seeing the Student Council President wave at him, Xing Shi walked over, sat down, was handed snacks, and directed the system to reply to the messages.

Xing Shi: "It's because you're always asking me for my favorability, like you don't trust me at all."

Lin Kecheng: "I can show you mine too."

Xing Shi: "You haven't seen Fu Xiuning, so it's definitely -5. Why would I even need to check?"

Lin Kecheng swallowed his pride and tried to explain, "That's exactly why you should understand. You're always in contact with Fu Xiuning. I need to strategize for you based on how your favorability changes."

Xing Shi: "You haven't! Since we formed this alliance, you haven't helped me once! All this talk about strategizing—it's all a lie! My system said you think of me as a fool. I didn't believe it, but it bet that you'd ask to see my favorability without even asking about my progress. Sure enough, that's exactly what happened!"

Lin Kecheng: "It's a misunderstanding, just a coincidence."

From the other side: "Hah, whether it's a coincidence or not, you know the truth. My host might be a fool, but I'm not. I've been telling him that with our conditions, there's no need to form alliances with others, but he wouldn't listen. He insisted on finding an ally to feel secure. Today, he lost the bet. Thanks for playing along."

The person and system on the other side panicked and hurriedly started to placate Xing Shi.

Without Xing Shi, given their current situation, they would need to enter the entertainment industry to pursue Fu Xiuning. Since that path was blocked and Qi Changyi, Xing Shi's cousin, is involved, things would get much harder for them.

System 99 silently watched the flood of messages, then glanced at its host, who was quietly munching on snacks, seemingly upset, and sincerely asked, "To be honest, did you form this alliance because... you're usually too bored?"

Xing Shi laughed. "Did you figure it out?"

The system kind of wanted to hug itself, thinking what kind of twisted taste it was to form an alliance just to keep a monkey entertained.

Xing Shi waited until they had groveled enough, then played the good cop and decided to give them one more chance.

While Lin Kecheng was busy trying to salvage the situation in his mind, he still had to deal with the student council members, forcing a sweat from him.

This time, he avoided mentioning favorability and cautiously asked about their progress.

Xing Shi: "Between him and me, sometimes when he's in a good mood, he'll talk to me a bit more. But during the rehearsal, when I sat next to him eating cake, the whole company still thinks we're close. So currently, our relationship is average, but everyone around us thinks he treats me well. Oh, by the way, I asked Fu Xiuning if any of his admirers were especially devoted or persistent. He might have been annoyed by my question and gave me a name. I'm wondering if this person is also a host."

Lin Kecheng: "Who?"

Xing Shi: "Yu Shu, he was on the hot search not long ago. Do you have any other suspects?"

Lin Kecheng: "No."

From the other side: "Hah."

The person and system felt a chill run down their spines, realizing the system had taken over again.

Lin Kecheng's system had noticed the other party briefly appearing in the group chat with just a couple of messages. It had expected the other to be easygoing, but once business started, they proved to be tough.

Sure enough, the other side scoffed. "Oh, sure. My host is very serious about completing the tasks. What have you been doing? Waiting to reap the benefits? Excuse me, Lin Kecheng, but I seriously doubt the truth of your claim that you increased the favorability by 1 point in half a year."

System 99 was itching to jump in. "Let me take care of this! I don’t need a tutorial; I can handle the scolding!"

Xing Shi calmed it down. "This is just to make sure they won't casually ask for my favorability again, but they do care. Next, they'll do two things to deduce my favorability: first, check all my messages with Fu Xiuning. Second, they'll start eavesdropping after I go home. What message did I send to Fu Xiuning?"

The system recalled, "You said you suspected someone was setting you up and asked him to check the surveillance?"

Xing Shi said, "Yeah, I deleted the messages on my side a while ago, so there shouldn't be any on his side either. Once Lin Kecheng checks, he'll realize I'm retaliating against him. He won't openly break off relations, but he'll be wary of me afterward."

He sounded a bit uncertain, "If I were Lin Kecheng, the moment the other side refused to share the favorability, I'd check the message history. But from what I can tell, he doesn’t seem to have noticed anything."

The system became tense again, "Should I go check it out to be sure?"

Xing Shi said, "Go ahead."

The system quickly checked and happily reported, "Fu Xiuning deleted them too!"

Xing Shi was surprised, "Huh?"

The system said, "Looks like he cleared his WeChat storage recently. We’re in luck!"

A strange feeling flashed through Xing Shi's mind, "Is that so?"

He said, "Then we've managed to hold out again. You'll have to tell me before you speak in the group chat from now on, so we don't contradict ourselves and get caught by the other side."

The system replied, "Got it!"

At that moment, Lin Kecheng sent a bunch of explanatory messages.

After hearing the system’s report, Xing Shi told it to reply to Lin Kecheng and ask him to watch out for any suspicious people.

Today, apart from profiting from the situation, he also wanted to give this ally something to do to distract him and prevent him from stirring up trouble.

Lin Kecheng certainly wouldn't refuse, "No problem, leave it to me."

After finishing a meal, Xing Shi returned to his residence.

As he stepped into the living room, he immediately saw Fu Xiuning playing with his phone. He greeted him, "Boss, I'm back. I'm going to take a shower."

Fu Xiuning looked up and watched him enter the guest room.

Meanwhile, since Lin Kecheng found no issues in the message history between Xing Shi and Fu Xiuning, he had the system keep an eye on Xing Shi's location and start monitoring as soon as he got home.

After waiting for a while, he asked, "How is it? Is Fu Xiuning at home? What did they talk about?"

The system replied, "He's in the shower."

Lin Kecheng said, "It's fine. Let's check again in half an hour."

The system said, "Okay."

After taking a shower, Xing Shi threw his phone on the bed, wiped his hair, and was about to head out.

The system felt uneasy, "What if Lin Kecheng is still monitoring you?"

Xing Shi said, "It's just half a minute, no big deal. I'll just chat normally with Fu Xiuning."

The system asked, "What if they monitor you every time you're together? Once or twice a month, they're bound to find something, right?"

Xing Shi said, "You mentioned before that many things consume power, does forming an alliance also consume power? More than searching for information?"

The system replied, "More."

Xing Shi smiled, "Then I guess his system won't agree to his requests."

He analyzed, "He's been bound to his system for almost a year, and his favorability is still negative. According to what you said, the system can only monitor or keep an eye on someone once or twice a month. Assuming he's never used this function before and has saved up power until now to use it a few more times, but don't forget that I need to ally with him every seven days. With his progress stalled, he can only rely on me. His system needs to keep enough power to avoid losing me as an ally, right?"

System: "!!!"

It exclaimed excitedly, "Yes, you're truly a genius!"

Xing Shi calmly said, "I think so too."

He walked into the living room and noticed Fu XiuNing had put down his phone and was now reading a book. He asked, "Why did you stop using your phone?"

Fu XiuNing replied, "It's charging."

Xing Shi looked around.

Fu XiuNing added, "In the bedroom."

Xing Shi's mood immediately lifted, and he sat down next to him.

Meanwhile, Lin Kecheng, having the system eavesdrop for the second time, discovered that both their phones were in the bedroom.

He wasn't sure if this was a coincidence and said, "Forget it for today. In the future, whenever you notice them together, just listen in on their conversation."

Sure enough, the system refused and started explaining its energy limits to the host.

Lin Kecheng felt as if a bolt from the blue had struck him. "You mean you could power down?"

The system said, "Not exactly. Data retrieval is still possible, but other functions need to be used cautiously for long-term considerations. If you can get Xing Shi to extend the alliance, I won’t need to drain my energy every few days. So, you need to prove your usefulness quickly."

Lin Kecheng nodded seriously, "I’ll do it."

The next day, when Xing Shi woke up, he received an analysis report from Lin Kecheng. It listed several individuals from the school who could potentially be hosts, along with brief background info on each.

At the end of the document, there were also suggestions on how to win over Fu XiuNing.

As Fu XiuNing ate, he heard the system say, "...If all else fails, you could try something unconventional, like getting drunk and having a relationship, but this is risky and could easily offend him."

The system asked, "What’s with the sudden enthusiasm? Has he stopped suspecting you?"

Xing Shi wasn't surprised. "He still suspects, but he has to work. He needs to show results in a short period."

He instructed, "Tell them, 'My host is too busy. You guys confirm whether those from the school are hosts.'"

The system obediently went to deliver the message. "They asked why we need to confirm the host's identity. It could expose us... It makes sense, but are they worried you’ll team up with someone else?"

Xing Shi said, "Reply in your tone, 'To play this game right, you need to know who your enemies are. I’m starting to question your skills.'"

After the message was sent, there were no further objections from the other side.

The system couldn’t help but feel a little smug. In the past, Lin Kecheng always acted superior and asked Xing Shi for help. Now it was finally their turn. Karma!

It said, "Don't follow his suggestion about getting drunk. Fu XiuNing likes you. Let's take it slow and steady."

Xing Shi hadn't planned to follow it anyway.

He responded and looked at the person across from him.

A few days passed, and their relationship remained the same. The scores hadn't changed at all. There was no sign that Fu XiuNing had any hidden agenda.

Fu XiuNing glanced up between bites, "What’s up?"

Xing Shi probed straightforwardly, "Nothing. The more I look, the more I think you're good-looking. No wonder we’re brothers from different mothers."

Fu Xiuning acted like he didn't hear and continued eating.

Xing Shi leaned in a little closer. "Bro, what type of person do you like?"

Fu Xiuning said, "Confidential."

Xing Shi said, "Give me a hint, like a birthday gift."

Fu Xiuning looked at him. "It's your birthday today?"

Xing Shi said, "No, it's still a few months away, but I'm asking in advance."

Fu Xiuning said, "You'll be late if you don't hurry up."

Xing Shi glanced at the time and settled down.

They didn't have any morning classes, so after finishing their meal, they headed to the company together.

The car slowly pulled into a parking spot. Xing Shi got out after Fu Xiuning and saw two people passing by in front of them. Xing Shi caught sight of them from the corner of his eye and looked over.

The person in front had a clean-cut look and smiled familiarly. "Boss, morning."

His gaze shifted to Xing Shi, and he asked curiously, "Who's this?"

Fu Xiuning said, "My brother."

He then looked at Xing Shi and gave a brief introduction. "Yu Shu and his agent."

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a familiar conversation.

"Fu Xiuning has a brother? I didn't know that. Are they related by blood? This kid looks too good. Quick, check his background, he might be the host!"

"Don't panic, doing it now."

Yu Shu continued to look at Xing Shi with a friendly smile. "So, you're the boss's brother! Hi, I'm Yu Shu. Do you know who I am?"

Xing Shi smiled brightly. "Of course! I'm a trainee here, and I've seen all the artists. You're especially amazing!"

After receiving Xing Shi's information, Yu Shu realized that Xing Shi wasn't the host and saw this as an opportunity. He walked alongside him and humbly said, "No, there's still a lot for me to learn."

Xing Shi said, "You're definitely way ahead of me, a newbie."

Yu Shu said, "We all start somewhere. You'll catch up in no time, and you've got more potential than I did."

Xing Shi nodded obediently and chatted warmly with him, as if they had known each other for a long time.

Then he spoke to the system. "Contact Lin Kecheng and tell his system to find Yu Shu's previous hot search, the one about his secret admirer."

The system quickly responded. "Done."

Xing Shi said, "Okay, have it send a message in the group, say this..."

Moments later, a message popped up in the system group.

HeavenSent: "Lately, our host hasn't seen Fu Xiuning, so we've been speculating about the rest of his family. Is Yu Shu the host? He's even on the hot search, planning to confess publicly in the future? [Screenshot]"

The long-quiet group chat immediately became lively.

LaterButFaster: "Wow, very smooth."

We're All Concubines: "Heh, a waste of effort."

Wishing You Wealth and Prosperity: "[Laugh/Cry] So you guys are sure about this so quickly? What if the person he has a crush on is a fellow artist from the same company?"

Aesthetics First: "Better to err on the side of caution. Even the uninteresting ones deserve attention."

Xing Shi entered the elevator, smiling as he looked at the person next to him, noticing the slight change in their expression before issuing another command.

In the group chat, Idle Bystander said, "I had some time, so I checked his background, and it matches the usual profile of a host~"

Xing Shi then witnessed another fluctuation from Yu Shu. Once could be a coincidence, but twice was hard to dismiss.

He chuckled to himself, "Ah, another one."

Fu Xiuning overheard everything and, anticipating trouble, pulled out his phone in advance.

He pretended to browse the news while subtly moving closer to Xing Shi, and at the moment their hands touched, he heard the beep.

"Beep"

"Current favorability: 4"

Xing Shi, who had been focused on Yu Shu, immediately pulled away when touched.

But the next moment, hearing the notification sound, he looked at Fu Xiuning.

Fu Xiuning, seemingly realizing he had touched someone, glanced at the distance between them and calmly stepped aside.

The system didn’t detect their hands touching and assumed it was due to being too close, commenting, "Tsk, tsk, just a little skin contact and the score goes up. I think you should try more physical contact with him at home."

"Ding" The third floor arrived.

Xing Shi said goodbye and stepped out.

Feeling the lingering sensation on his hand, he used his other hand to rub it twice.

The last time the favorability increased was when he and the system were discussing other hosts.

A strange feeling flashed through his mind again.

Like the previously system-reported cleared schedule records in the assistant's car; Fu Xiuning's timely clean-up of WeChat storage; the invitation to live together that didn’t seem like a pursuit; the two accidental hand touches that increased favorability...

His steps halted, and a ridiculous guess formed in his mind.

Could it be that Fu Xiuning already knew he was the host?