Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The system was completely thrown off.

Still reeling from the -2 drop in favorability, it watched as Xing Shi was equally startled by the fluctuation and momentarily lost his grip on the juice.

Then, both Xing Shi and Fu Xiuning instinctively tried to salvage the situation, but neither succeeded. Their hands grazed the bottle and ended up holding each other.

The juice hit the floor with a soft thud.

Immediately after, the favorability, which had dropped into the negatives, began to skyrocket.

The system remained in stunned silence amidst the constant beeping until everything finally quieted down. It snapped out of its daze, glanced at the score in disbelief, and let out a scream, “Ahhhh, 10 points! 10 points!—!”

“You were right, it really works with accidental contact. You’re a genius!”

“He’s such a stubborn guy, but he really does love you, ahhh!”

“I totally want to go to the group chat and send a ‘You’re all trash’ meme, hahaha!”

The two, having reached a mutual understanding, released their hands amidst the festive atmosphere that felt like celebrating the New Year. They quickly hid their emotions.

Xing Shi said, “Shut up.”

The system immediately fell silent, happy on its own, its energy practically itching to bounce around.

Fu Xiuning looked down at the juice by his feet.

Xing Shi hadn’t twisted the cap, and it had all spilled out.

Fortunately, it was a small bottle, so not much had spilled.

Fu Xiuning picked up the bottle and threw it in the trash. Xing Shi turned to look for some tissue. After a quick clean-up, Xing Shi took another bottle from the fridge, handed it to Fu Xiuning, and sat down next to him.

The system was still frightened and reminded, “This time, don’t grab his drink, just stick to your own.”

Xing Shi, innocent: “I didn’t expect him to flip out over a sip of juice.”

Fu Xiuning, holding the newly opened juice, unscrewed the cap and glanced at Xing Shi.

He also hadn’t expected that this kid would talk to the system behind his back and then come up with a plan to test him.

He had no expectations of human nature. Many hosts had schemed against him face-to-face, and no matter how vicious, he remained unmoved.

But it was undeniable that at the moment he heard Xing Shi was going to drug him, a hint of disappointment did arise, though it was fleeting. He immediately realized that Xing Shi had no reason to do such a thing at the moment.

But it was too late. The brief pause had exposed him. Xing Shi then proved with his actions that there was no drug in the juice, and the system clarified that it was all hypothetical. He instantly understood that Xing Shi had discovered his secret and was testing him.

He really knows how to stir things up.

He thought, but he’s also smart enough.

Fu Xiuning took a sip of the juice and guessed that the 1 point increase from that incident with Yu Shu had raised Xing Shi’s suspicions. Thinking about how this kid had been needling him recently, he looked at him again.

Xing Shi, noticing his gaze, couldn’t resist chiming in: “I don’t think he really loves me; he loves the juice more. If I and the juice fell into the water, he’d definitely save the juice first.”

Fu Xiuning: “……”

The system firmly stated, “How could that be? He definitely loves you more!”

Xing Shi sighed, "I hope so."

Fu Xiuning picked up the book next to him without changing his expression, too lazy to pay him any attention.

Xing Shi leaned closer, "Hey, put the book down. Let's talk for a bit."

Fu Xiuning asked, "What about?"

Xing Shi thought for a moment and decided to clear something up first, "Actually, I’m not sure... Oh, by the way, did your assistant buy this desk for me? I really like it. Can you ask him where he got it? I'll buy one myself in the future."

Hearing the word "assistant," Fu Xiuning turned his head to meet Xing Shi's inquisitive gaze and said, "If you like it, I'll just give it to you. But more importantly, pay attention in class. I went through your class notes, and there are some mistakes."

Xing Shi's heart stirred. Class notes?

So, Fu Xiuning checked my handwriting? When did he start getting suspicious?

Given that Fu Xiuning raised my score to 2, he must have confirmed I’m the real deal. His suspicions and intuition at the airport hadn't been wrong. He had indeed come back.

He said, "Alright, I got it."

Fu Xiuning wasn't sure how much memory Xing Shi had lost, but judging by his reaction, he seemed to have understood and continued to advise, "Try to stay out of trouble at school. Has Lin Kecheng been giving you a hard time recently?"

Xing Shi said, "Not really, but I did break his leg, after all. I should visit him occasionally to avoid people saying I’m cold-blooded. Man, people like him are such a pain. Are there others like him at school? I’ll steer clear of them from now on."

Fu Xiuning said, "For now, he’s the only one I know."

Xing Shi understood. This means that besides me, Lin Kecheng is the only other host at the school. So that long list Lin Kecheng sent last time was just a bunch of lies.

He said, "I hope there won’t be any more in the future."

Fu Xiuning looked at him and nodded, "Mm."

The next day was Monday, and both of them had morning classes.

Xing Shi watched Fu Xiuning drive into the school, and as the teaching building came closer, he reached for the seatbelt clasp, preparing to get off.

At the last turn, however, Fu Xiuning suddenly slowed down.

The next moment, a wheelchair dashed out from the side, narrowly skidding past the front of the car and crashing into the curb, toppling over along with its occupant.

Xing Shi: "Hiss..."

System: "Eek!"

Fu Xiuning hit the brakes, feeling a bit regretful.

Back then, he wouldn’t have hesitated to hit him, but now he had to let Xing Shi handle it.

He said, "Looks like it’s Lin Kecheng."

Xing Shi immediately switched modes, unbuckled his seatbelt, and rushed out, asking worriedly, "Senior, are you alright?"

Lin Kecheng had fallen hard. When he fell, he tried to break the impact with his arm. His arm felt sore and numb, and his fractured leg seemed to have been hit again, pulling at his nerves.

His face twisted in pain. "No... Ah! Don’t... don’t touch my arm!"

Xing Shi pulled back his hand and asked worriedly, "Should I call an ambulance for you?"

Lin Kecheng gasped, "No need."

Class time meant there were a lot of students on the road, and a few hurriedly gathered around.

Lin Kecheng caught a glimpse of Fu Xiuning getting out of the car from the corner of his eye. He tried to compose himself, and as Fu Xiuning approached, he apologized with a pained expression, "Sorry, Senior. I was in a hurry to get to class and didn’t mean to startle you."

Fu Xiuning looked down at him, his gaze still gentle but without any intention of lending a hand. "Hmm, how are you?"

Lin Kecheng showed a bit of pain. "Still okay."

Fu Xiuning said, "Don't push yourself. If it’s serious, you should go to the hospital."

Lin Kecheng gave a bitter smile. "I don’t think it’s necessary, but I’ll head to the infirmary for now."

He slowly sat up and was lifted onto Fu Xiuning's car with the help of a few people.

The car restarted and turned towards the infirmary.

As a naive and sweet person, Xing Shi naturally had to accompany him.

The system had observed the whole thing and asked, "Is he trying to scam him?"

Xing Shi said, "Hmm, probably wanted Fu Xiuning to injure him, turning it into an accident. That way, no one would hold him responsible, and Fu Xiuning might check on him or take care of him occasionally, creating opportunities to be together."

The system snorted, "People like that just cause trouble."

It then perked up, "Should I send this to them? I could give them a piece of my mind too."

Xing Shi stopped it, "Not yet, wait for a bit."

The system trusted him, "Okay!"

Lin Kecheng did indeed want to hurt himself to get Fu Xiuning to injure him.

He used to frequently appear in front of Fu Xiuning to no effect, only managing to gain 1 point when he became a minister, which was the only time his efforts paid off. All known hosts were stronger than him, so the situation was dire. After discussing with his system, he decided to try a different approach.

He hadn’t anticipated that his plan would backfire, leaving him even more injured. The worst part was that he could only attempt this once; a second try would definitely raise suspicion.

Pain clouded his thoughts. "Did Xing Shi warn him?"

The system remained rational, "We didn’t share our location, and Xing Shi knows how to message us if he needs something. There’s no need for the system to waste energy tracking us, so it’s unlikely to be him."

It continued, "You weren’t fully hidden from view. Fu Xiuning might have slowed down because he saw something."

Lin Kecheng exploded, "Damn it!"

The system said, "Calm down."

Lin Kecheng was desperate for progress and couldn’t calm down at all.

It wasn’t until they reached the infirmary building that he managed to compose himself a bit. Suddenly, he remembered something, "Hasn’t Xing Shi messaged us yet?"

The system replied, "No."

Lin Kecheng felt uneasy, "Should we send an explanatory message? Say that we were trying to get closer to Fu Xiuning to both make progress with him and find out who the other hosts are."

The system also thought a message was necessary.

If they had succeeded, it would have been fine, but now they had failed spectacularly and were looking too pathetic. Who would want an ally like that?

He then crafted a sincere message and sent it.

Xing Shi got out of the car and helped Lin Kecheng into a wheelchair. As he pushed him inside, he listened to System 99's recap.

The system commented, "That sounded as if he's making a great sacrifice and compromising. How should we reply?"

Xing Shi said, "Don't reply."

System 99 promptly closed the chat box.

Lin Kecheng waited for a response but didn’t receive one. He turned to look at Xing Shi, who met his gaze with a look of concern, seemingly unaware of what had happened. Lin Kecheng asked the system, "Did you send it?"

The system was also anxious. "I did."

Just as Lin Kecheng was about to ask it to send another message, the school doctor gave the diagnosis. He was badly injured and recommended going to the hospital for an X-ray.

Finally, they received a reply.

The other side: "Hmph."

Both Xing Shi and System 99 felt a chill run down their spines. It was obvious who had replied—System 99.

The other side: "Don't try to play innocent with my host. We've already agreed that all communication will go through me from now on, so you can't treat him like a fool anymore. Do you know what he just said? He said that you got injured again and that he was worried you might be inconvenienced, so he wanted to help you with part of the personnel list. I didn't have the heart to tell him that you brought this upon yourselves."

The other side: "Last time, who promised to keep communication open and transparent if there was any issue? Is this how you show sincerity? Impressive! Can’t even sit still with a broken leg? All we asked was for you to confirm the list, and yet you're so reluctant to do any work?"

Lin Kecheng hurriedly explained, "We are confirming it."

The other side: "Forgive me, but all I saw was you nearly getting run over by Fu Xiuning's car. With or without injuries, do you think your efficiency would be the same? We haven't even identified the enemy yet, and you're already stirring up drama. Let's not bother with an alliance. You can play on your own."

Lin Kecheng: "This was a mistake."

The other side: "Mistake? Don't insult that word."

System 99 got its wish: "This is what we call ‘the ugly causing trouble!’"

It was thrilled. "Hahaha, so satisfying!"

Xing Shi directed it to continue the confrontation until the other side guaranteed they would confirm the list soon. Only then did they let them off.

He pushed Lin Kecheng out and looked at Fu Xiuning, blinking. "Lin Kecheng’s injury is pretty bad. If you can’t skip class, you should head back to class. I'll take him to the hospital."

Lin Kecheng also looked over, hoping Fu Xiuning would stay so they could spend more time together. If not, today would be a total loss.

But his hope was dashed. Not only did Fu Xiuning not want to deal with him, but he also didn't want Xing Shi to get involved. He called the Student Council President, briefly explained the situation, and had her summon a few students who were free.

Once they arrived, Fu Xiuning handed Lin Kecheng off to them and returned to the teaching building with Xing Shi.

He asked, "Will you head back to the company on your own after class, or will you wait and leave with me at noon?"

Xing Shi said, "I'll head back on my own."

He added, "The weather forecast says there will be heavy rain tonight. If it's bad, I'll just sleep at the apartment."

Fu Xiuning nodded lightly. "Uh-huh."

They parted ways and returned to their respective classrooms.

Xing Shi continued with his usual classes and training. After the last gathering, the Student Council President added him to the student council’s chat group, where he soon saw an update on Lin Kecheng's condition—a severe soft tissue contusion that would require a long recovery period.

He followed the crowd and sent a message of concern, then turned off his screen, hoping Lin Kecheng would finally take things seriously.

The weather forecast was spot on. It started raining later that night.

The rain wasn’t as bad as I thought, but I still decided to head back to the apartment for the night.

Yu Yi grinned as he closed the door behind him. "Finally, I’m not the only one here!"

Xing Shi chuckled. "Don’t Feng Zifan and the others usually stop by?"

Yu Yi replied, "They sometimes drop in, but they usually get back pretty late. By the time we all clean up, it’s bedtime."

Xing Shi nodded and gestured for Yu Yi to go ahead and shower first.

After they both finished washing up, Xing Shi came out wiping his hair. Seeing Yu Yi on his phone, Xing Shi asked, "Have you read any good novels or watched any anime recently?"

Yu Yi said, "Yeah, there are a few good ones. Want me to recommend them to you?"

Xing Shi said, "Sure, I’m into fantasy or alternate worlds—stuff with superpowers, magic, or leveling up. I’d prefer something in anime form."

Yu Yi, not familiar with those, said, "I’ll find some for you."

Xing Shi asked for the platform name and started searching together with him, while also asking the system to help find some.

The system, while working, asked, "Why do you suddenly want to watch this? Is there a reason?"

Xing Shi said, "Just a sudden feeling."

The system didn’t understand. "What feeling?"

Xing Shi said seriously, "Look at Fu Xiuning. He’s so busy every day but still insists on reading to enrich himself in the evening. All I do is sit next to him playing on my phone or disturbing him. It makes me seem so shallow."

The system was even more confused. "…Does watching anime make you seem more cultured or something?"

Xing Shi said, "At least it’ll look like I’m doing something productive. Plus, if I find something good, we can watch it together and have more to chat about."

The system immediately agreed. "You’re right."

The system was efficient and found some options faster than they could.

Just as Xing Shi started searching, Feng Zifan walked in, and Yu Yi paused.

Feng Zifan glanced at Xing Shi, who was sitting in a chair, and echoed Yu Yi’s earlier comment. "It’s been a while. Good to see you back."

Yu Yi nodded vigorously.

Xing Shi smiled. "I haven’t been gone that long, right?"

Yu Yi asked curiously, "Are you done with your school stuff?"

Feng Zifan paused upon hearing that.

He always felt that Xing Shi didn’t seem like someone with school business. They trained very late every day, and Xing Shi returned to school even later. What kind of business could he possibly have? Besides, the apartment didn’t have a set time to turn off the lights, making it more convenient than university dorms.

But he didn’t ask too much. Although Xing Shi had a good temper and could chat with anyone, he wasn’t someone who easily opened up to others. Only Yu Yi could ask so naturally.

The truth was, Xing Shi had been avoiding trouble by not telling the truth.

But since they already knew about Fu Xiuning protecting him, it wouldn’t matter if they knew one more thing.

He said, "There’s nothing going on at school. I’ve been living with the boss lately."

Xing Shi looked at their shocked expressions and explained simply, "My dad is his elder. By chance, he discovered I had signed with his company and said he should take care of me, so I moved in."

Feng Zifan whistled in surprise, "My goodness... So, you're relatives?"

Xing Shi said, "No, we're not related. We just know each other. I only found out not long ago."

He continued, "Anyway, that's how it is. Don't tell anyone."

Feng Zifan and Yu Yi nodded in unison.

Xing Shi slept in the apartment for one night.

Things were better than before, but the habits from living in a dangerous place still stuck with him. He was still startled awake by loud noises.

The next morning, he entered the dining room with a yawn and took the opportunity to ask the system for a Level Two Stimulant.

The system said, "Ah?"

Xing Shi said, "I'm sleepy."

The system said, "Once you get into training, you'll be too busy to feel sleepy."

Xing Shi said, "But I have no energy. Give me one to shake off the sleepiness."

The system said, "That's not compliant."

Xing Shi said, "Why wouldn't that work? If I'm energized, I can train well, my mood will improve, and my expression will look better. We're relying on looks to win over Fu Xiuning, right?"

The system: "..."

Xing Shi said, "Check out these 10 points."

The system said, "I'll give it."

Three seconds later, Xing Shi felt the familiar energy spread through his body, with less pain than last time.

Unfortunately, he still couldn't absorb the toxin.

He figured he should talk to Fu Xiuning about it when he got back and found a seat with his meal tray.

Last night, I was too busy chatting with Feng Zifan and the others to focus on the real task.

Today, he used the break between classes to search for the anime provided by the system and Yu Yi and quickly found one.

It fit his needs perfectly, but the art style and voices were pretty kid-friendly, and the fight scenes were extremely playful, definitely made for kids.

The system, seeing him staring without moving, said, "Pick another one; this won't do."

Xing Shi said seriously, "I actually think it's quite good."

The system: "?"

It looked at the screen, where a bear was holding a magic stone, and made a sound, "Ah?"

Xing Shi was engrossed and said, "I really like it."

The system, having watched for a bit and unable to find any highlights, suddenly remembered its host was in a state of amnesia.

Since arriving in this world, he had been attending classes and training, with his only other activity being eating. This was probably his first time watching anime.

The system immediately softened its tone. "Good boy, I'll find you something good."

Xing Shi said, "No, this one is fine."

The system tried to persuade him for a while, but seeing it was useless, it gave up.

Xing Shi spent the whole day watching anime, despite the puzzled looks from the system and Feng Zifan. In the evening, after returning home and taking a shower, he ran to the living room to find Fu Xiuning, excitedly saying, "Bro, I watched an especially good anime today, let me share it with you!"

System: "?!?"

It hurriedly said, "No, really, this one won't do!"

Xing Shi shot back, "Who says so? It's really good!"

The system said, "He'll definitely find it childish. Trust me on this, let's pick another one to share, okay?"

Xing Shi said, "I won't."

System: "..."

Almost forgot you’re as stubborn as a donkey.

Xing Shi sat cross-legged on the sofa. "My phone is charging, and I didn't bring my tablet. Do you have a tablet?"

Fu Xiuning went to the study to get one for him, watching as he typed a line into the search bar: "Magic Bear's Adventures."

Xing Shi clicked on the first episode and started playing it, explaining the plot to his new ally. "This is a magic world, and this bear has magic powers, but to use them smoothly, he needs to charge up first, you understand?"

Fu Xiuning naturally understood.

He had always wanted to figure out just how far Xing Shi could go, and now the other had told him—he could absorb energy.

He nodded, about to look away, but Xing Shi stopped him.

Xing Shi said, "Not done yet. Watch with me."

Fu Xiuning said, "What else is there? Just tell me."

Xing Shi said, "No, you have to watch for a bit to feel it."

Fu Xiuning sat next to him and watched along.

System: "?"

It observed quietly. Seeing that Fu Xiuning hadn't given up after three episodes, it began to wonder if the problem was with itself.

After two more episodes, Xing Shi asked, "What’s your take on it?"

Fu Xiuning, having only noticed the need for charging, looked at him calmly, waiting for more explanation.

Xing Shi asked, "Don't you think it's okay?"

He pulled up the episode list, showing it to the other. "At first, the bear doesn’t charge up much, so the magic is pretty basic. I heard it gets really cool later on, but there are 86 episodes, and it’ll take a long time to get to the good parts. It’s such a slow build-up."

Fu Xiuning understood his meaning—the energy for our alliance was still too weak, and he found it slow.

That’s an easy problem to solve.

Every time the system detaches from its host, it releases a burst of energy. That should be all the energy it has left. Although it's uncertain whether Xing Shi can capture it, he could send one over for Xing Shi to try.

Anyway, with one less, the system would restock soon enough.

Fu Xiuning went through the list and decided on Lin Kecheng.

He was the only one among the current few who knew that Xing Shi was the host. He was petty, liked to stir up trouble, and wasn’t worth keeping around.

He looked at Xing Shi. "You could skip ahead if you want."

Xing Shi wasn’t sure if Fu Xiuning was hinting at something. "Really?" he asked.

Fu Xiuning nodded.

Xing Shi said okay and continued, "Do you think the later episodes will be better?"

Fu Xiuning replied, "Probably."

Xing Shi's eyes lit up slightly. "So you think this anime is okay too? I’ve been watching it all day, and everyone else thinks I’m childish."

He felt a surge of excitement. "Bro, we’re like brothers; we’ve got the same taste. You’ll watch it with me tonight, right?"

Fu Xiuning: "..."

So, you made me watch five episodes before getting to the point?

The two looked at each other in silence.

One was trying to invite him, while the other just wanted to let him figure it out on his own.

At that moment, the system, which had also watched five episodes, spoke up. "Why are you two just staring?"

After questioning, understanding, and even becoming Xing Shi, the system thought it was actually not bad after watching it seriously. It reminded them, "It's the ending song; next episode."

Xing Shi snapped out of it and reached for the screen.

Fu Xiuning moved the tablet up a little, and their fingers happened to touch.

Xing Shi quickly moved away and pressed the next episode.

The system watched closely, its career-driven mindset kicking in again. "Accidental touch!"

It waited. "Why didn’t I get points for that?"

Xing Shi said, "Maybe he saw me reaching out."

The system said, "Did he? But he also saw you reaching out that time when you grabbed the juice."

Xing Shi said, "Maybe the area of contact was too small."

The system thought it was possible. "Okay."

Xing Shi caught sight of Fu Xiuning's fingers from the corner of his eye and couldn’t help adding, "Ah, men are all the same. Once they’ve had the big meal, they lose interest in the snacks."

The system agreed. "True."

Fu Xiuning: "..."

Great, now that it's out in the open, he's even more energetic.