Chapter 24 Triple Update for VIP

Chapter 24: VIP Triple-Chapter Update

Yu Zhilan watched Jiang Jiang get carried off by Lu Nanzhou without putting up a fight, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Were these two actually that close?

Of course Jiang Jiang didn't resist.

His ankle was already hurting; why would he refuse a free ride when someone was offering to carry him?

Besides, Lu Nanzhou was partly to blame for his sprained ankle!

He felt perfectly justified as Lu Nanzhou carried him into the infirmary.

The doctor in the infirmary was an experienced middle-aged man. He only hesitated for a second before taking it in stride, gesturing for Lu Nanzhou to set him down on the exam bed.

"What happened?" the doctor asked while squatting down to examine Jiang Jiang's ankle.

"Just a minor twist from horse riding," Jiang Jiang jumped in.

Lu Nanzhou looked at the doctor and said, "Please examine it carefully."

The doctor pressed and prodded with professional skill, making Jiang Jiang suck in a sharp breath with a hiss.

"Mild sprain, not serious, no bone damage," the doctor concluded, standing up to fetch an ice pack and an elastic bandage. "Apply a cold compress first. You can switch to warm compresses after 24 hours. Avoid strenuous activity for the next few days and try to keep weight off it when you walk."

Lu Nanzhou listened and nodded.

Jiang Jiang stole a glance at him and found that his expression had returned to its usual calm, as if he weren't the same person who had been knocked over and then gave him a princess carry in front of everyone just moments ago.

This guy's poker face was truly something else.

Jiang Jiang grumbled inwardly.

The doctor brought the ice pack, and Lu Nanzhou naturally took it. He placed a piece of gauze over Jiang Jiang's ankle, then applied the ice pack with movements that weren't particularly gentle but were certainly steady and secure.

The cold sensation made Jiang Jiang flinch, but it was soon followed by a comforting relief from the sharp pain.

For a moment, the only sounds in the infirmary were the faint rustling of the doctor organizing medicines and a palpable silence between the two of them.

Jiang Jiang stared at his iced ankle and finally couldn't hold back any longer. He blurted out, with a hint of accusation in his tone: "Why were you ignoring me before?"

He was a bit angry, even skipping the usual "brother."

Lu Nanzhou's movements paused almost imperceptibly. He didn't answer immediately.

Jiang Jiang waited a few seconds but got no response.

His eyes darted, then he wilted, lowering his head to stare at his own fingers. "You only replied with one word to my messages, said you were busy when I asked to walk the dog with you, and pretended not to see me in the lounge... Did I do something to upset you?"

Lu Nanzhou looked at the boy's fluffy crown of hair. The familiar cowlick was now drooping listlessly, very much like a little animal neglected by its owner.

He remained silent for a moment. Just as Jiang Jiang thought he wouldn't answer, a low voice replied: "No."

Jiang Jiang: ?

You mean I didn't upset you, but you only replied with one word to my messages, turned down my invitations, and pretended not to see me?

The reproach in his gaze was practically spilling over.

Lu Nanzhou averted his eyes, looking out the window at the verdant racetrack. His tone was as flat as if stating an unrelated fact: "I just thought... perhaps we should maintain an appropriate distance."

"Distance?" Jiang Jiang was even more confused. "Why? Aren't we friends?"

Even if he had initially approached Lu Nanzhou because of a mission, after spending time together recently, he thought they were at least friends.

Well, and he was one of the few friends who didn't seem to mind his chattiness or the trouble he sometimes caused.

Jiang Jiang could tell that although Lu Nanzhou often seemed exasperated, he never showed disdain.

In all his years, Jiang Jiang had many friends, but none particularly close.

They liked his cheerful and outgoing nature but couldn't accept his talkativeness or the occasional trouble he brought.

He once had a friend he thought he got along with very well.

But he later heard from others that this friend complained about him talking too much, being a bit noisy, and often causing trouble.

Jiang Jiang had been genuinely upset for a long time back then.

Thinking about it now, though, he wasn't angry at all anymore, because when his second brother found out about it, he immediately took Jiang Jiang to ambush that guy with a sack.

......

Lu Nanzhou turned his gaze back, his deep eyes meeting Jiang Jiang's clear, almond-shaped eyes filled with confusion.

"Friends?" he repeated, his tone unreadable. "Jiang Jiang, did you really approach me just to be friends?"

Jiang Jiang's heart skipped a beat.

He couldn't have discovered that I approached him because of a system mission, could he?

His eyes instantly showed a flicker of panic, and he instinctively wanted to avoid Lu Nanzhou's scrutiny.

But the next second, Jiang Jiang instantly regained his righteous indignation.

Even if it was for a mission, he hadn't done anything bad!

And what did Lu Nanzhou mean by that? Did he think Jiang Jiang wasn't good enough to be his friend?

"Otherwise?" Jiang Jiang straightened his back. Even though sitting on the bed made him shorter, he wasn't going to back down. He said righteously, "I gave you gifts, walked your dog for you, greeted you every day... If I didn't want to be your friend, did you think I wanted to be your dad?"

Lu Nanzhou: "..."

404: "... Savage."

At the infirmary door, Lu Xingye and Yu Zhilan, who had just arrived, happened to hear this line. Their expressions varied.

Lu Xingye wore a look of "Holy crap, you actually dared to say that," while Yu Zhilan slightly furrowed his brows, his gaze shifting between Lu Nanzhou and Jiang Jiang.

Right at that moment, 404 received a call notification from the Main System; its scheduled appointment time had arrived.

The appointment slot was only half an hour. If it hurried over now, it would make it just in time. Missing its slot would mean having to queue again, and that could take days, not just one or two.

"Jiang Jiang, I need to go to the Main System to fix a core bug. It'll take at least a day, maybe two at most."

404 only had time to leave this instruction before logging off.

Jiang Jiang tried calling out twice, but there was no response.

Jiang Jiang: ...

This system just signs off whenever it wants.

Lu Nanzhou watched him suddenly fall silent, looking a bit dazed, and felt a strange emotion stir within him, which he quickly suppressed.

Was he... overthinking this?

But he called him 'brother.'

Hmm... fine. He'd just take Jiang Jiang at his word. As long as Jiang Jiang didn't bring it up, he'd pretend not to know.

Even though Jiang Jiang often disrupted his plans, leaving him both amused and exasperated, and frequently said shocking things...

He could be a friend.

"I didn't mean it that way," Lu Nanzhou spoke up, breaking the silence, his tone softening slightly. "I've just been really busy lately."

Was this... an explanation?

Jiang Jiang snapped out of his daze caused by the system going offline, blinked, and looked at Lu Nanzhou.

The other man's face was still expressionless, but the chill in his eyes seemed to have thawed a bit.

"Alright then," Jiang Jiang huffed lightly. "I'll reluctantly forgive you."

The doctor walked over and began wrapping Jiang Jiang's ankle with a compression bandage.

Watching the doctor's movements, Lu Nanzhou suddenly asked, "How are you getting back later?"

"Ah, Yu Zhilan said he'd take me back," Jiang Jiang answered instinctively, looking toward the door.

Lu Nanzhou also followed his gaze to the doorway.

Standing beside Lu Xingye was a handsome man now watching them with a gentle gaze.

Yu Zhilan took the opportunity to step inside. He extended his hand. "Mr. Lu, hello. I'm Yu Zhilan."

Lu Nanzhou seemed to recall something, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

Him...

The pause lasted a bit too long.

Yu Zhilan's outstretched hand began to feel awkward. Just as he was about to withdraw it, this Mr. Lu finally raised his hand and gave it a brief, shallow shake.

Lu Nanzhou gave him a polite nod. "Hello."

He turned back to Jiang Jiang. "I'll take you back later."

His tone brooked no argument.

Jiang Jiang: "...Huh?"

Lu Nanzhou offered no clarification, simply saying to the doctor, "Thank you for your trouble, Doctor."

Jiang Jiang looked at Lu Nanzhou's profile with its cold, hard lines.

What was up with this guy?

One moment he's icy and aloof, keeping his distance; the next, he's insisting on taking him home without even asking?

A man's heart is as deep as the ocean!

After the bandaging was done, Lu Nanzhou leaned down again, seemingly intending to carry him.

"Wait!" Jiang Jiang quickly stopped him. "I can hop on one foot!"

Now that they had cleared the air, he felt too embarrassed to let Lu Nanzhou carry him again. He shouldn't keep imposing on a friend.

Lu Nanzhou glanced at him but didn't insist. Instead, he reached out and steadied Jiang Jiang's arm, taking on most of his weight.

"Let's go."

Leaning on his support, Jiang Jiang hopped out on one foot.

At the doorway, Lu Xingye was watching them with a complicated expression.

"Jiang Jiang, since you've got a ride with Mr. Lu, I'll head off with my friends then? Keep in touch," Yu Zhilan said in his gentle tone.

"Okay, thanks for today," Jiang Jiang thanked him.

Lu Nanzhou gave Yu Zhilan a slight, parting nod and then, supporting Jiang Jiang, led him straight out.

Watching the two figures depart together, Lu Xingye stroked his chin, looking utterly incredulous. "My brother really is acting a bit strange."

Yu Zhilan gave a slight smile but said nothing, though his eyes deepened a shade.

On the other side, Lu Nanzhou drove Jiang Jiang back to the Jiang family villa.

Only after confirming Jiang Jiang had arrived home safely did Lu Nanzhou drive back to the equestrian club.

......

For Jiang Jiang, the days with an injured ankle felt like an eternity.

He was ordered by his eldest brother, Jiang Huaijin, to rest quietly at home. His range of activity was basically confined to the first floor of the villa. He was even forbidden from using the stairs, only allowed to take the elevator, for fear his one-footed hopping might cause a secondary injury.

This wasn't Jiang Huaijin being overly strict; something similar had indeed happened before.

Jiang Jiang would recuperate from an illness, only to end up sicker.

It turned out he had a craving, secretly gotten up in the middle of the night to eat ice cream, and had three servings in a row. The next morning, his simple cold had escalated into a fever.

Fortunately, this sprain wasn't serious, and with a young person's strong recovery ability, by the third day, Jiang Jiang's ankle was mostly healed. As long as he didn't exert too much force, walking normally was no longer a problem.

It was just a bit boring.

His eldest brother was still swamped with work, and his second brother remained as elusive as ever.

Auntie Wang did try to cook him all sorts of delicious food, but with no one to bicker with, no one to fool around with, Jiang Jiang felt like he was about to grow mold.

He sprawled on the living room sofa, listlessly flipping through TV channels.

404 had said it would be back in two days at the latest, but two days had already passed, and there was still no sign of it.

He had finally managed to raise the Impression Value to 80.

Jiang Jiang muttered, "I hope it's not broken beyond repair..."

Would his 1 million reward still be issued then...

Just as his thoughts were wandering, his phone let out a *ding*.

He picked it up lazily, but his spirits instantly perked up.

The one who had texted him was none other than Lu Nanzhou.

Over the past two days, Lu Nanzhou hadn't ignored his messages anymore, returning to his usual demeanor—though he remained as aloof as ever.

He only occasionally inquired about Jiang Jiang's injury.

Lu Nanzhou: How's your foot?

Jiang Jiang: Much better! I can already put weight on it!

Lu Nanzhou: Hmm, still need plenty of rest.

Jiang Jiang: Okay...

Having nothing better to do, Jiang Jiang decided to continue pestering Lu Nanzhou.

Jiang Jiang: Brother, I'm so bored, wuwuwu.

Jiang Jiang: Rolling around on the floor.gif

Lu Nanzhou: What do you want to do?

Jiang Jiang's eyes lit up, and his fingers flew across the screen.

Jiang Jiang: I want to go river rafting!

Jiang Jiang: But going alone is so sad, and my foot isn't fully healed yet, no one to help me if I stumble...

Jiang Jiang: Brother, are you free? Pitiful puppy eyes.jpg

After sending the messages, Jiang Jiang suddenly had second thoughts.

Would Lu Nanzhou think he was being too annoying?

But that thought only lasted a second before he confidently brushed it off.

After all, his future tasks were likely tied to Lu Nanzhou anyway. More interaction now was just laying groundwork for the future.

So what if he was annoying? Others would kill for the chance to be annoyed by him!

Lu Nanzhou should be grateful!

On the other side of the screen, Lu Nanzhou fell silent for a few seconds, confirming he had indeed read "river rafting." He was momentarily speechless.

Did this guy even realize he was still a patient?

Naturally, the outcome was Jiang Jiang getting rejected.

Jiang Jiang: Why? River rafting doesn't use your feet; you can just lie down and enjoy it!

Lu Nanzhou forwarded him an article from a public WeChat account.

"The Downsides of Going River Rafting with a Sprained Ankle."

Jiang Jiang was completely bewildered after reading it. How could there be a dedicated article for something like this?

Fine, if he didn't want to go, he wouldn't. It wasn't like he was that eager anyway.

For the rest of the afternoon, Lu Nanzhou received messages from Jiang Jiang from time to time.

The content was all over the place.

He shared political news, cute cat and dog videos, and anything funny he came across—always demanding Lu Nanzhou's commentary.

Lu Nanzhou: What's funny about this?

Jiang Jiang: Man with no taste.jpg

Lu Nanzhou: ...

Seeing several new messages pop up again, Lu Nanzhou couldn't help but rub his temples. He could almost imagine Jiang Jiang's tone while saying these things.

What a nuisance.

......

404 had actually been back for a while.

But it was a bit too apprehensive to face Jiang Jiang.

The moment it was repaired, it went to check whether the [redacted] for the mission target had been fixed.

One look, and it nearly glitched out again.

The target character profile clearly stated:

Main Male Lead:

Name: Lu Xingye

Background: Young Master of the Lu Group...

It remembered how confidently it had claimed it could recognize him upon meeting in person, only to identify the wrong person.

404 felt its vision go dark.

It pondered for a long time, unsure how to bring it up.

But watching Jiang Jiang chat more and more with Lu Nanzhou, 404 finally mustered its courage, pretending to clear its throat. "Ahem."

Jiang Jiang abruptly sat up from the sofa, exclaiming happily, "404, you're back?"

Hearing the joy in his voice, 404's guilt surged like a tidal wave.

It had failed Jiang Jiang.

"Reward, reward, where's my 1 million?" Jiang Jiang immediately demanded.

404 instantly retracted that bit of guilt.

This guy wasn't missing it; he was missing the money!

"I'm back," 404 said. "Now, there's good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

Jiang Jiang didn't hesitate. "Good news."

404: "The good news is, your Impression Value has reached 80. The preliminary task is complete. The 1 million reward will be issued to you tonight."

"Hooray!" Jiang Jiang then asked about another matter. "Is the source of this reward money legitimate? Don't send me off to enjoy state-provided meals."

"Alright then," Jiang Jiang asked casually. "What's the bad news?"

"It's really bad."

Jiang Jiang crossed his arms, unconcerned. "...How bad could it be?"

The money was already in hand, after all. Surely nothing could be worse than the reward not being issued.

"The male lead is actually not Lu Nanzhou, but Lu Xingye."

Jiang Jiang slowly sat up straight.

A question mark formed in his mind.

So there really was something worse.

After saying it, 404 heaved a sigh of relief and decided to just lay out the facts in one go. "After my system was repaired, I discovered that Lu Xingye is actually our mission target. In the original story, the love interest is Jiang Heyao, and Lu Nanzhou is just a powerful background character. It was my bug earlier that mistakenly identified Lu Nanzhou's energy fluctuations as the male lead's."

"404!!!!!!"

Now he finally understood why the impression points were always delayed in arriving.

He should have realized it sooner. Every time the impression points came in, that guy Lu Xingye was present.

The system also only realized after being repaired that its impression point detection hadn't actually been wrong.

Recalling everything that had happened recently:

Jiang Jiang walked Lu Nanzhou's dog but ended up making him fall.

Jiang Jiang gave Lu Nanzhou flowers, causing him to be hospitalized with allergies.

Jiang Jiang staged an accident with Lu Nanzhou, only to knock him flying to the ground.

......

One incident after another—the list of offenses was truly endless.

Jiang Jiang closed his eyes in remorse.

I'm really sorry, Brother.

He took out his phone and sent a message to Lu Nanzhou.

Jiang Jiang: Brother, you are a truly great person.

"So," 404 cautiously probed, "the upcoming official mission..."

"I'm not doing it!" Jiang Jiang said angrily. "If I have to call Lu Xingye 'Brother,' I'd rather die."

Besides, if he called him brother, wouldn't that mean he was beneath him? Jiang Jiang could already imagine the expression Lu Xingye would make.

There was no way he was doing missions for Lu Xingye!

404 cleared its throat and reminded him quietly, "But if you don't do the main mission, you'll be punished with electric shocks."

"Are there no basic human rights?!" Jiang Jiang said fiercely. "I just won't do it. Go ahead, shock me. Shock me to death!"

After Jiang Jiang's words fell, his mind fell silent.

404 seemed shocked by his "slacker" attitude and didn't speak for a long while.

"Detection: Host is explicitly refusing to execute main mission. Warning punishment triggered."

The next second, a needle-like stinging sensation shot through his limbs.

"Ow—" Jiang Jiang sprang up from the sofa.

But it only lasted a moment before the feeling disappeared.

Jiang Jiang rubbed his still-numb arm. "404, we've been together for so long, and you actually went through with it!"

404 hurriedly clarified, "It wasn't me shocking you! That was the main system's punishment triggered to prevent the host from slacking off."

"I have no control over that," it said softly. "But it's harmless to the body and, to a certain extent, can even be said to strengthen it."

Jiang Jiang: *Damn it!! Strengthening the body doesn't change the fact that it's an electric shock!*

"Um... do you want to read the original novel's plot?" 404 changed the subject.

Jiang Jiang's attention was successfully diverted.

To be honest, he was quite curious about the story of Lu Xingye and Brother Jiang.

It was a novel from a place called "JJ Literature City." He spent the afternoon poring over it.

To sum it up, it was a tender, sentimental love story revolving around a cycle of jealousy, breaking up, and begging to get back together.

Lu Xingye gets jealous, then acts wildly possessive of his "sister-in-law." Jiang Heyao can't take it and breaks up. Lu Xingye regrets it and begs to get back together.

Then more jealousy, another breakup, and another plea for reconciliation.

And his role was to be the green tea cannon fodder constantly adding fuel to the fire in this cycle, calling Lu Xingye "Brother" this and "Brother" that, and showing off to Jiang Heyao how close he and Lu Xingye were.

After reading it, Jiang Jiang felt like the sky had fallen. Did he really have to do missions for Lu Xingye?

Not to mention he and Lu Xingye already didn't get along.

More importantly, he didn't actually want to meddle in Brother Jiang's relationship.

Even though he felt Lu Xingye really wasn't good enough for Brother Jiang.

"It's not about you actually interfering. Your very existence is a test and a catalyst that can promote their relationship," 404 explained.

"Speak human."

"You just need to follow the plot and complete the green tea missions. The main goal is to push the relationship between the leads forward."

Silence.

"How about... taking a look at the first mission?" 404 tentatively asked.

Jiang Jiang, unusually expressionless, asked, "Can I not look?"

"Seems not."

"Then why ask?" Jiang Jiang snorted and sat back on the sofa.

404, knowing it was in the wrong, was being especially accommodating.

"Mission Context: You and Lu Xingye are childhood friends. However, you went to a university far from City A, so you drifted apart. Now, you've returned to City A after taking a leave of absence from school due to depression. Thinking of your Xingye Brother, whom you haven't seen in ages, you can't help but inquire about news of him."

"Run into Lu Xingye and deliver the line: 'Brother Xingye, long time no see.'"

"Deadline: 3 days."

Jiang Jiang: "......"

Maybe I should just take the shock.

404 reassured him, "All main quests give rewards when completed."

"How much?" Jiang Jiang thought if it was a lot, he might as well do the task. After all, he wouldn't be the only one grossed out.

"100,000."

Jiang Jiang flopped back down, "Then just electrocute me."

"The rewards stack. The second task gives 200,000, and the third gives 300,000."

Jiang Jiang: ...That's not really a lot either.

Zap—

Jiang Jiang finally caved.

Although he wasn't very sensitive to pain, it still hurt when it happened.

Thinking of this, he cursed under his breath again.

Damn 404!

404: "I *told* you I can hear..."

Goddamn 404!!!

404: "......"

Fortunately, the first task had a fairly generous deadline. Jiang Jiang spent two full days mentally preparing himself.

In the original story, the green tea cannon fodder pretended to bump into Lu Xingye at a gym he frequented.

Jiang Jiang couldn't be bothered to think of another plan and decided to just follow the original plot.

He arrived at the gym half an hour early.

The wait was really boring, so Jiang Jiang decided to warm up.

However, since his ankle injury had just healed, to play it safe, he chose an exercise easy on his feet: pull-ups.

He found an unused bar and started pulling up easily while bickering with 404.

In no time, he had done at least ten.

16, 17... 35, 36...

At first, no one paid much attention, but as the numbers kept climbing, the surrounding gym-goers were drawn in.

This slender young man, who looked like he could be blown over by a gust of wind, actually had incredible arm strength.

One by one, gym buffs gathered around.

"86, 87, 88..."

"Good heavens, how many can he do? He still looks completely at ease, not even panting."

"Bro, that's insane."

As soon as Lu Xingye walked into the gym, he noticed the pull-up bar area was unusually crowded.

Drawn by the crowd, he changed clothes and went over to see.

But when he saw the person surrounded by the crowd, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Jiang Jiang?"

Hearing his name, Jiang Jiang spotted Lu Xingye and carefully lowered himself from the bar.

He looked at Lu Xingye, opened his mouth, "Xing... Xing..."

Despite all the mental preparation, the line he had rehearsed countless times got stuck in his throat. He couldn't bring himself to call Lu Xingye "brother."

Lu Xingye was baffled by his hesitant, conflicted expression.

He looked Jiang Jiang up and down, "What are you up to now?"

"Xing..." Jiang Jiang felt his temper flare under Lu Xingye's gaze, "Can you even do it?"

Lu Xingye: ???

404 despaired: "...Repeat after me: I am green tea, I am green tea, I am green tea."

"Who are you calling incapable?" Lu Xingye's face darkened.

At this point, Jiang Jiang had no choice but to clear his throat, "Then let's have a contest. Whoever does more pull-ups wins."

"Fine, let's do it."

Lu Xingye jumped up, grabbed the bar, and easily did several pull-ups.

While doing them, he even shot a challenging look at Jiang Jiang.

Annoyed by his expression, Jiang Jiang started doing pull-ups on the bar next to him.

Somehow, the two of them got fired up.

If you do one, I'll do two.

More and more gym-goers gathered to watch.

Huff, puff.

Lu Xingye started panting.

In the end, he was the first to give up.

"I won!" Jiang Jiang jumped down, careful to avoid putting pressure on his injured foot.

Lu Xingye: ......

He couldn't believe it. He had actually lost to Jiang Jiang in pull-ups, and to a Jiang Jiang who had already done a full set beforehand.

"The task..." 404, though holding out little hope, still reminded him.

Jiang Jiang finally remembered what he was supposed to be doing.

He glanced at Lu Xingye.

Lu Xingye: ???

He thought Jiang Jiang was acting weirder and weirder today.

They had just met at the riding club a few days ago.

What did he mean by "long time no see"?

He pointed a finger at Jiang Jiang, then twirled it in a circle near his own temple.

Are you out of your mind?

Jiang was angry. Jiang wasn't going to take it anymore.

System 404: "You're a green tea! A green tea! Jiang Jiang! Don't be impulsive!"

Jiang Jiang gave Lu Xingye a thumbs-up, then, under his puzzled stare, abruptly flipped it into a thumbs-down.

You little loser.

System 404: "...Forget it. This task is beyond saving. Just scrap it."

The victorious Jiang Jiang and the despairing System 404 returned home together.

......

On the top floor of the Lu Group, in the CEO's office.

After finishing the last document on his desk, Lu Nanzhou subconsciously picked up his phone and glanced at it.

The chat history was still stuck on the question mark he had replied with yesterday.

All day today, Jiang Jiang had been unusually quiet.

Even the daily, unwavering "good morning" message had, for the first time, failed to appear.

His brows furrowed slightly. His fingertip hovered over Jiang Jiang's profile picture for a moment before he tapped the input box, wanting to ask what was going on.

But after typing a few words, he felt it might seem like he was overly concerned.

Forget it.

In the end, he deleted the text, locked the phone, and casually placed it face down on the desk.

He *should* be glad Jiang Jiang wasn't bothering him.

He finally had some peace and quiet.

However, the next day, there were still no new messages in the chat window.

Without Jiang Jiang's constant chattering, his private WeChat hardly rang at all.

Lu Nanzhou's fingers tapped unconsciously on the smooth desktop surface.

It did seem a bit... too quiet.

He pressed the intercom. "Assistant Lin, come in."

"Yes, Mr. Lu."

One minute later, Assistant Lin appeared in the inner office.

"Mr. Lu, how can I help you?"

Lu Nanzhou was silent for a couple of seconds before speaking. "Today, you..."

Assistant Lin's heart tightened.

He hadn't made any mistakes at work recently.

Had the boss discovered he snuck off to the restroom to slack off today?

His heart was in his throat.

He held his breath, awaiting the verdict.

Lu Nanzhou: "Never mind. Tomorrow, take some gifts to the Jiang family to check on their young master. Report back to me afterward."

Assistant Lin's heart settled back down.

Phew, so it was about...?

Checking on Young Master Jiang Jiang?

Huh?

Assistant Lin's usually impeccable composure, unshaken even by major events, finally cracked.

In his four years with the company, while he had handled almost all courtesy calls on behalf of Mr. Lu, this was the first time the boss had specifically instructed him to visit someone and then report back.

Could it be...?

Lu Nanzhou, not receiving a reply after a while, looked at Assistant Lin. "What? Is there a problem?"

Assistant Lin snapped back to reality and quickly shook his head. "No problem."

"Hmm." Lu Nanzhou added, "Tomorrow, prepare more food items among the gifts, like snacks and small cakes."

"Alright, yes, Mr. Lu."

After leaving the office, Assistant Lin felt somewhat dazed. Their Mr. Lu seemed... not quite himself.

......

Meanwhile, Jiang Jiang was currently bickering with System 404.

"It's not my fault!"

"Whose fault is it then? Look at what you did today! Do you even remember your persona is a green tea?"

"Well, it's still not my fault. Blame... blame Lu Xingye then."

Jiang Jiang never wallowed in self-blame.

Rather than reflecting on oneself, it's better to blame others.

"..."

"If the task still isn't completed by 10 AM tomorrow, you'll have to face the punishment."

Jiang Jiang: (T^T)

But I really can't do it.

The next morning.

9:59 AM.

Jiang Jiang lay peacefully in bed, hands crossed over his abdomen, a smile of utter resignation on his face.

Ten o'clock sharp.

The familiar stinging sensation surged through Jiang Jiang.

This time the shock felt even stronger than when he had refused the task before.

He couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.

Damn it! 404, you—!!!!

But right now, 404 had no time to pay him any mind.

Because it was being zapped too.

404’s entire form started spewing 0s and 1s from the shock.

Wait, hold on—why was it getting shocked just because Jiang Jiang failed a task?

That can't be right, can it?

Once the current subsided and 404 recovered a bit, it immediately contacted the main system to report an error.

But when it saw the main system's reply, its screen went dark.

What did it mean, "To optimize task completion efficiency and prevent inadequate system supervision, starting this cycle, when a host fails a task, the bound system must share the punishment consequences"?

What the hell!

Thinking of Jiang Jiang's resistance toward Lu Xingye, 404 saw a bleak future ahead.

No, this won't do.

It couldn't just sit around waiting for doom. It had to do something.

Remembering its senior 001, who often helped it out, it immediately sent a message.

404: Bro, help!

001: ......

404: What do I do? My host looks like he won't complete a single task. I feel like I'm going to be fried into scrap metal, boohoo.

001: Have you forgotten? Within system permissions, you can also set up a "Helper" to share the task.

404: !!!

Right, how could I forget that!

After thanking 001, 404 logged off immediately to study this function.

All the hosts it had managed before were very obedient, so it had never needed to use this function.

Jiang Jiang was absolutely the worst host it had ever guided in its entire existence as a system!

Helper Function Description: After comprehensive calculation by the main system, the person judged most likely to assist in task completion will be granted shared task permissions and will be able to hear the task announcements.

Note: This function can only be activated once. Once activated, it cannot be turned off. The Helper is not required to complete tasks. Systems should use this function with caution.

Remembering Jiang Jiang's countless "heroic deeds," 404 could already picture a future of constant electric shocks. It decisively clicked "Activate."

-----------------------

Author's Note: Thank you, little treasures, for the nutrient solution!!!

Come here, let me give you all kisses [kiss][kiss][kiss]

Small red envelopes will be dropped in this chapter's comment section~