Chapter 26

Chapter 26

With just three minutes before class started, people in the lounge began heading back to the practice rooms, and Feng Zifan and the others joined them. Seeing Xing Shi, they walked over.

"I thought you might be late," Feng Zifan whispered, slowing down to keep a bit of distance from the others. "By the way, Gu Zheng wasn't at the dinner last night, but he came looking for you while we were sitting around earlier."

Xing Shi, who had been lost in thought about Fu Xiuning, snapped back to reality. "Hmm?"

Feng Zifan said, "I asked him what he wanted, but he didn't say."

Xing Shi casually responded, not taking it to heart.

Yu Yi asked, "You don't think they figured out it was because of some plan to mess with you, right?"

Feng Zifan said, "Or maybe he's trying to get Shi to help him get his name back on the list. I heard that after they enter the facility, there's a training period, and there's still room to maneuver now."

Yu Yi's eyes nearly popped out of his head, and Feng Zifan couldn't help but laugh at his reaction.

Xing Shi didn't interrupt, as Lin Kecheng came over to ask about the result.

To avoid making it look too suspicious, he had Lin Kecheng's system keep chatting in the group for a while before going quiet. The system must have just wrapped up.

He then instructed the system to reply, telling them that Yu Shu was most likely the host. The system used its usual tone, explaining that it was all based on its observations.

Lin Kecheng was still lying in bed.

After pulling an all-nighter to compile a report that looked impressive but was mostly guesswork, he had been feeling uneasy. Upon hearing the result, his spirits lifted. "Does this mean we're useful?"

He felt that the frustration he had been enduring for days had eased a little. "If his system intervenes, as long as they connect the time it arrived in this world with when Xing Shi appeared in front of Fu Xiuning, they're bound to become suspicious, right? Unlike us, we don't have any issues. This proves they still need helpers."

The system said, "But he's now met another host, one who arrived earlier than us and is working for Fu Xiuning."

Lin Kecheng's expression changed slightly. "Are you saying he's going to switch allies?"

The system was somewhat uneasy. "I'm not sure."

Lin Kecheng tried to stay calm and analyzed, "He shouldn't. For now, only we know that Xing Shi is the host. If they don't renew the contract, aren't they afraid we'll expose him?"

He said, "Go invite him for a meal, I'll sound him out."

The system went off quickly and returned. "Xing Shi said he's too busy, and told you to hurry up and confirm the identities of the suspicious people on the list. The next time the contract is renewed and you gather, you can discuss it then."

Lin Kecheng let out a sigh of relief. "I knew they wouldn't cut ties so fast."

Deciding not to catch up on sleep, he dragged himself out of bed with a tired leg. "I'll go now."

The system sighed internally.

Was it just him, or did it feel like their host was being played? It looked at the depressing -5 favorability and reminded, "Don't just focus on work. We need to spend more time in front of Fu Xiuning to boost our own favorability. You saw how Yu Shu went to increase his presence today, right?"

Lin Kecheng understood this logic. "Yes, we have his schedule. You keep track of his location more often, but not too often—let's conserve some energy."

The system sighed internally.

With Lin Kecheng taken care of, Xing Shi made his way to class.

The class session ended, and Gu Zheng and his roommate approached. All eyes turned to them, their expressions ranging from curiosity to concern.

After a restless night, Gu Zheng looked visibly worn out as he asked quietly, "Shi, can we talk outside?"

Xing Shi glanced at them and walked out of the practice room.

Gu Zheng and his roommate hurried after him, all the way to the window at the end of the corridor. Seeing Xing Shi casually leaning against the wall, Gu Zheng took a deep breath and said, "Shi, we're here to apologize."

Xing Shi raised an eyebrow. "Apologize for what?"

Gu Zheng, head lowered, regretful, said, "We deliberately bumped into you last time. We're sorry."

The roommate also bowed his head. "Sorry, Shi."

Xing Shi was surprised. "Oh, deliberate?"

Gu Zheng, devoid of the vigor he had a few days ago, admitted, "Yes."

He explained his motives, saying, "I suspect my replacement might have been because of this incident. I brought this on myself, and I don’t blame anyone else, but I still owe you an apology."

Xing Shi was even more surprised. "How is it related to me? The teacher said it was a comprehensive consideration that led to the replacement."

They seemed to imply there was no evidence, and Xing Shi silently agreed.

Gu Zheng felt a bitter taste in his mouth. "Yes, it's unrelated, but we felt we needed to give you an explanation since we made a mistake. We regretted it the moment we did it, but we held onto the hope that we wouldn't be found out, delaying the apology until now."

The roommate spoke hoarsely. "I regretted it the moment I rushed down that day, afraid we might hurt you. I tried to pull back at the last second, but we still bumped into you. I’m not making excuses; we were wrong, and I’m sorry, Shi."

Gu Zheng lowered his head again. "Sorry, Shi."

Xing Shi responded flatly, "Mm."

He wasn’t the type to hold a grudge. If someone schemed against him, he just needed to retaliate. Their apology was secondary to him. As long as they didn’t cross him again, it was fine.

He said, "Take the time to apologize to Yu Yi and the others too. Then we can consider this matter closed."

Relieved, Gu Zheng and his roommate quickly agreed.

Xing Shi watched them leave, standing still.

He was a bit distracted during the first class, needing to organize his thoughts.

The system thought he was still thinking about it and commented, "Hopefully, they genuinely regret it. Part of the reason they came to apologize must be because they’re worried about potential future repercussions, fearing they’ll never debut."

Just as Xing Shi was about to respond, the system added, "But what can you do? Fu Xiuning is head over heels for you. He’d be thrilled if you two got closer. I can’t even imagine how high the favorability would soar if you two actually hooked up."

Xing Shi said, "...Do you remember we’re on the friendship path?"

The system cheerfully replied, "Yes, we’re on our path, and he’s on his. It doesn’t interfere."

Xing Shi ignored it and asked, "Will there be a record of favorability changes?"

The system said, "Yes, you can check anytime you want."

It continued, fortunate, "Luckily, this can’t be shared. Otherwise, Lin Kecheng and the others would definitely want to check it out, and our first alliance would be exposed."

In the midst of their conversation, Feng Zifan and Yu Yi approached.

Only then did Xing Shi move to meet them halfway.

Yu Yi asked, "What did they say?"

Xing Shi replied, "Just an apology, nothing else. I told them to apologize to you guys as well, and they should follow through today."

Feng Zifan understood. The target of Gu Zheng's scheme was Xing Shi, while he and Yu Yi were collateral damage, one having been hit and the other not. Both of them were caught in the crossfire of the other party's malice.

Yu Yi's eyes lit up. "They already apologized to me that day," he said.

Feng Zifan grinned. "That's not the same. Back then, you didn't know they were doing it on purpose. They need to make it official this time."

Yu Yi nodded, accepting his explanation.

Xing Shi had classes at school in the afternoon, so after finishing lunch, he left the company.

However, he didn't go to school. Instead, he skipped class and returned to Fu Xiuning's house.

The system was puzzled. "Why did you come back?"

Xing Shi said, "I guess after the morning, I felt quite touched and wanted to reminisce about the path I've taken."

The system was confused. "Huh?"

Xing Shi locked the guest room door, took a shower, changed into comfy clothes, dried his hair, climbed into bed, and let his mind drift into a deeper state.

The more the system watched, the more baffled it got. After all, its host rarely let his mind sink like this. It cautiously asked, "What do you want to do?"

Xing Shi said, "I want to check the favorability records."

He reminisced, "I remember the first time I made eye contact with Fu Xiuning, the favorability was -4, and now it's 4. That's a real milestone, worth savoring!"

The system was taken aback. "Ah?"

Xing Shi pulled up the progress bar to the very beginning.

The records were simple: time, location, and favorability changes.

Initial -5, first encounter -4, immediately followed by a -10.

The system joined him in reflection. "At that time, you said it was because you were handsomer than him that you lost points, but actually, he had a crush on you. Look how intense the first struggle was!"

A wave of emotion washed over Xing Shi, and he nodded softly. "Yeah."

Compared to that unfamiliar first meeting, he now understood Fu Xiuning better.

Fu Xiuning was emotionally distant, indifferent to most things. People like him rarely let anyone in. That sudden -10 wasn't because someone was handsomer than him, nor was it a struggle. It was more like... disgust.

A sudden wave of disgust, as if he had just discovered something unsettling.

He kept scrolling through the records.

The next encounter dropped to -8, drinking porridge somehow brought it down to -9, and at the company, it plummeted back to -10.

The system sighed. "Looks like he's still struggling, but not as intensely as before. Mostly, the changes are just a point or two."

Xing Shi smirked. "Guess he just couldn't resist my irresistible charm."

He was thinking about how Lin Kecheng was also present that day, and how the assassination incident had occurred afterward. Was the -9 score related to the assassination incident?

As for this -10... He vaguely remembered it was when they were getting off the elevator, but he talked so much every day that he couldn’t recall what he had said.

He asked the system, “What’s the deal with this -10?”

The system said, “That really frustrates me. You saved him, and he still penalized you!”

Xing Shi said, “What did I do wrong?”

The system said, “You didn’t even look at him or say a word!”

Xing Shi asked casually, “Oh, then what was I doing? Chatting with you?”

The system said, “Yeah, I asked if you were going to apologize to your dad. Remember?”

Xing Shi remembered. The system thought he was skipping class for training, but really, he just wanted to eat at the restaurant.

That evening, Fu Xiuning suddenly invited him to dinner. The score rose to -9 in the parking lot and then to -8 at Lin Lan Yuan.

The system exclaimed, “That’s the first time you accidentally held hands, and the score shot up right away!”

Xing Shi said, “That’s right, he must have fallen for me at first sight!”

He remembered this event. It left an impression on him because it was their first time holding hands, and he knew they had talked about Lin Kecheng.

It seemed from that day onward, his interactions with Fu Xiuning gradually increased.

Xing Shi scrolled through each entry, while the system eagerly analyzed them one by one.

"Total appearance-obsessed, no doubt about it."

"Feeding you a small cake, just looking at you boosts your favorability."

"Calling him 'bro' also boosts your favorability~"

Xing Shi chimed in, "Right! Exactly! He loves me!" and kept scrolling to the latest record.

The system chirped happily, "Today’s cuddle!"

Xing Shi thought, yeah, the timing of this cuddle was pretty convenient.

He tried to convince himself that this idea was crazy, but after reviewing the records from a different perspective, he couldn’t shake the suspicion.

He suspected that Fu Xiuning might be able to hear the host and the system’s conversations.

If this was true, a lot of things started to make sense.

For instance, their relationship had been lukewarm, but then Fu Xiuning suddenly invited him to move in.

For example, when the mission began, Fu Xiuning was just a high school student, with a happy family and smooth life. Even if he was distant, he wasn’t difficult to get close to.

While some hosts were extreme, others should have been more moderate. The mission didn’t force hosts to pursue a romantic route. With some patience and appropriate little tricks, it should have been easy to befriend a high school student. But after five years, not a single person had succeeded.

And for example, he had never quite understood why, even though Fu Xiuning liked his face, the favorability was lower than the initial value.

After all, feelings like "liking" can’t always be clearly perceived, but Fu Xiuning could sense it, and each time the favorability dropped quickly.

Now he understood.

Fu Xiuning, knowing he was from another world, became increasingly aware through the system's broadcast of how much his appearance affected him. This clarity only made him understand more fully that the "original owner's" soul had dissipated, like a bone stuck in his throat.

Xing Shi looked at the record again.

All the points added because of his looks had mostly fallen back.

All the points added because of his personality and intelligence remained, pulling his score bit by bit from -8 back to the initial value of -5.

Looking at the record, it was as if he could see the entire process of this person resisting his appearance while appreciating his soul.

So how did Fu Xiuning suddenly come to terms with it? What exactly was in the file the assistant gave him?

The system, seeing his silence and thinking he was still emotional, said, "Don't look anymore. The tough times are behind us; things will be easier from now on."

Xing Shi responded with a soft "Mhm" and detached his consciousness.

The system closed the record and thoughtfully said, "Since you've skipped class anyway, if you're tired, just take a nap."

Xing Shi closed his eyes, thinking he needed to test Fu Xiuning. After all, a guess was just a guess until proven.

He slept for a while and returned to the company for dinner in the evening.

Feng Zifan and the others had already arrived at the restaurant, waving and smiling at him, sharing the latest gossip: "Today, Yu Shu came to the training department and bought us a bunch of afternoon teas."

Although they were in the same company, the stars were busy working all over the place, while the trainees were training hard all day. When they did manage to cross paths, everyone got really excited.

But today's highlight wasn't this.

A classmate came over and said, "Yu Shu's drama isn't finished yet. He had a schedule in the morning, took a day off temporarily, and has to rush back to the crew tonight. Despite his tight schedule, he still made time to visit us at the training department. What does that mean?"

Xing Shi thought, it means after Yu Shu finished showing off in front of Fu Xiuning, he came to build rapport with him, but unfortunately, he didn't check with the system whether he was there or not and missed him.

He asked curiously, "What does that mean?"

The person looked mysterious and said, "Come on, remember the bet we made? Yu Shu has a crush on someone in the company, so we guessed, could that person be Boss Qi? When he heard Boss Qi had visited us, he followed in his footsteps and came too."

Xing Shi nodded. "That makes sense."

The system said, "He came to see you."

Xing Shi said, "Mhm, did he leave?"

The system checked and said, "Yes, but he's about to wrap up filming. The variety show he's doing next records episodes with intervals, so he'll probably come looking for you again. What do you want to do?"

Xing Shi said leisurely, "No rush. His name has been exposed, and the other hosts will be paying attention to him, which should keep him busy for a while."

But Fu Xiuning's situation was even more pressing.

Xing Shi finished the class as quickly as he could and rushed back.

Fu Xiuning was sitting in his usual spot and glanced at him when he returned.

Xing Shi had worked up a sweat from training, greeted him, and went to take a shower. As he came out and saw Fu Xiuning reading, a detail from the previous day suddenly clicked in his mind: when he returned yesterday, knowing that Lin Kecheng was likely monitoring him, he entered calling him "boss." At that time, Fu Xiuning was playing with his phone, but by the time he came out of the shower, Fu Xiuning had switched to a book, and his phone was charging in the bedroom.

With suspicion in his heart, now everything seemed like evidence supporting his theory.

He pressed down on this state, walked over naturally, and sat cross-legged on the sofa sideways, his upper body leaning forward slightly: "Bro, what book are you reading every day?"

He reached out to flip the cover, and his fingers touched the other person's fingers in the process. He looked down to clearly see the title, then pulled back his hand indifferently.

The system observed this scene closely, excitedly waiting for a few seconds before wondering, "Why no points yet? You clearly touched hands!"

Xing Shi said, "Maybe because it was just a slight touch?"

The system said, "But you both gain points when you get close!"

Xing Shi said, "Hmm... maybe he noticed my actions from the corner of his eye and was mentally prepared? The previous two times were accidents."

The system suddenly realized, "That seems to be the case."

Fu Xiuning closed the book and looked at him, asking gently, "How was the training today?"

Xing Shi obediently replied, "Just the usual, making a little progress every day."

He looked at the other person and continued the topic in his mind, confronting him directly: "You see, he used to struggle because of my appearance, and he's a walking contradiction, so he probably doesn't like it when others initiate contact and only enjoys accidental touches."

The system had great confidence in its host's intelligence: "Exactly!"

It immediately suggested, "Why don't you try creating an accidental close encounter?"

Fu Xiuning, maintaining his elder brother demeanor, asked with concern, "How did the guy who tried to mess with you last time react? Did they figure it out?"

Xing Shi said, "They figured it out and came to apologize today, and their attitude was pretty decent."

He continued to speculate, "If I don't try, I'll seem like a tease. Let's just leave it at that. He loves me."

The system said, "Alright, let's keep it steady."

Xing Shi said, "Yeah, let's take it slow. He's too contradictory. He loves me but doesn't pursue me, likes me but resists. No wonder he hasn't been in a relationship for so many years. Too bad I'm just here for the friendship, so he'll stay single."

Fu Xiuning's expression didn't change at all as he brought up the main topic, "Yu Shu met you today and is pursuing me. After learning you're my brother, he'll probably try to get closer to you."

Xing Shi nodded, "I heard they stopped by the training center this afternoon, but I was at school and didn't meet them."

Curious, he asked, "Bro, have you turned down everyone who's hit on you?"

Fu Xiuning replied with a counter-question, "Have you accepted anyone who pursued you before?"

Xing Shi, who had access to the original host's information, replied, "No."

Fu Xiuning gave a soft "Hmm," as an answer to his earlier question.

Xing Shi continued, "See, he doesn't like it when others make the first move."

The system said, "Isn't it possible that, like the original host, he has high standards?"

Xing Shi said, "It's possible."

The system got excited again, "So it has to be someone like you to make him fall head over heels!"

Xing Shi said, "There's nothing to be done, who made me so handsome. You see, he's so passive that maybe I'll get married before he suddenly realizes his feelings. At the wedding, he'll drink and cry, and everyone will think he's just happy for his brother, patting him on the back and telling him it's a joyous occasion."

Fu Xiuning: "..."

Xing Shi, seeing that his expression still hadn't changed, moved a little closer, "Hey, have you ever had a crush on anyone?"

Fu Xiuning looked at him gently. "Cut the curiosity and get some sleep."

Xing Shi said, "Come on, it's a long night, let's chat. I'm your brother, after all."

Fu Xiuning remained unmoved and stood up with his book, preparing to return to his room.

Halfway there, he heard the system crying.

The system said, "No, no, no, this is too tragic! I can't accept it. When you get married, just don't invite him, okay?"

Xing Shi watched Fu Xiuning continue walking back to his room and finally agreed, "Fine, I won't invite him."

He hadn’t picked up on any clues tonight, guessing that maybe Fu Xiuning had grown accustomed to the host and system's chatter, having already trained himself to tune it out.

Undeterred, he decided to keep at it.

For the next three days, he carefully guided the conversation to provoke Fu Xiuning in a way that wouldn’t raise suspicion. When Fu Xiuning stayed calm, he decided to go for something stronger.

The house was spacious, with a considerable distance between the living room and kitchen.

Xing Shi wasn’t sure how far Fu Xiuning’s hearing extended but that didn’t stop him from trying.

He opened the fridge, looked at the juice inside, and asked the system, "You think Lin Kecheng might ever get so desperate that he’d ask me to slip something to Fu Xiuning?"

Caught off guard by the sudden topic, the system replied, "Maybe? He’s pretty evil."

Xing Shi took out two different flavored juices, walked up to Fu Xiuning, and handed him one, watching him take a sip. He then called out to the system again, "What do you think Lin Kecheng would have me slip into his drink?"

Fu Xiuning paused, clearly having heard everything.

Xing Shi smiled and pulled the juice out of his hand. "Does this one taste good? Let me see for myself."

Under the other's gaze, he also took a sip, hearing the system reply, "It could be anything, but you’d never help him, so why even speculate?"

Xing Shi said, "Just curious, that’s all."

With that, he handed the juice back.

Fu Xiuning looked up, and their eyes met directly.

"Beep"

"Current favorability: 0"

"Beep"

"Current favorability: -1"

"Beep"

"Current favorability: -2"

The system was utterly shocked. "Did the favorability drop just because he drank his juice? What a psycho!"

Xing Shi wasn’t surprised at all.

Putting himself in the other's shoes, if he’d been hunted for five years and suddenly realized the host could overhear these conversations, his first instinct would definitely be to eliminate the threat. It was a survival instinct.

He let go, and the juice fell.

Fu Xiuning reached out just as Xing Shi's hand was falling.

Both of them ignored the juice, their hands meeting mid-air, as if by accident.

Xing Shi held his gaze, calm and unwavering.

Fu Xiuning returned the look, his usually gentle eyes now dark with intensity.

Without a word, they both tightened their grip at the same time.

Ping.

Current favorability: 2.

Ping.

Current favorability: 4.

Ping.

Current favorability: 6.

Ping...

Ping.

Current favorability: 10.

Maxed out.