Chapter 82 Total Favorability Value "What is Qin Jin's current total favorability value...?"

"Last night, I had a nightmare. It was so real that I couldn't just dismiss it as a dream."

With her slender, white fingertips tracing the still-wet words on the original book, Xue Rongyue's gaze fell upon the jasmine flowers in the white jade vase by the window.

Although the delicate fragrance of flowers still lingers in the room, the green branches have lost their vigor, and the slightly curled petals are no longer as white and bright as when they were first picked, showing signs of fatigue.

The blazing sun slanted through the bright window, casting its rays upon the woman's elegantly styled hair, making it appear even darker and shinier. Beneath the jade hairpin, Xue Rongyue's eyes were slightly lowered, her expression calm, yet tinged with an indescribable and imperceptible sorrow.

“I dreamt that I was forcefully lifted up by servants and thrown out of the Xue mansion without a word. I was covered in grime and could only pretend not to care. Amidst the mocking and ridiculing gazes, I picked up the last remaining bundle and walked out of the gossiping crowd.”

"I saw many people along the way."

In her dream, she held a thin, pitiful bundle in her arms. She had never felt that the road to leaving Chang'an would be so rugged and long. Walking on the wide road paved with white stones, passing through magnificent and beautiful pavilions and towers, she was still in Chang'an, but it felt completely different.

A long gust of wind swept by, scattering her hair, and with a sharp screech of the reins, a magnificent carriage came to a stop before her.

A pair of slender, jade-like hands lifted the curtain, revealing somber eyes. The second wife of the Zheng family smiled indifferently at her and said, "Just now, Cen Zhou came to report that Shu Man's maternal family found her a good marriage, but she was ungrateful and, after marrying into the family, couldn't bear it and hanged herself from the roof beam. I know that Madam Xue and she were very close, so I came here specifically to ask you to accept my condolences."

The magnificent curtains fell, and a joyful laugh came from inside the carriage. It slowly drove into the distance. She walked through the bustling streets like a walking corpse, feeling as if her heart was breaking. Every step she took was weak and unsteady.

Then, she saw Xue Fengchun.

Xue Fengchun, dressed in fine clothes and surrounded by servants, stood high above them, her gaze filled with pity. She sighed and said, "I never intended to compete with you for anything, yet you always hold me back. What I find even more perplexing is why you are so stubborn, insisting on going to great lengths to snatch those things that seem precious but are actually the cheapest and most vulnerable."

Numbly, she continued walking forward, until she reached the Princess of Chang Le, with whom she had always been at odds.

I originally thought that the appearance of the Princess of Changle was also for ridicule, but I never expected that the Princess of Changle's gaze was very complicated, and even had a trace of obvious sadness for her kind.

Her lips trembled slightly, but the Princess of Chang Le ultimately said nothing. She simply stepped forward silently and stuffed a large bag of silver coins into her hand.

At the end of the road is Princess Yu'an.

Watching her walk forward silently, Princess Yu'an's gaze was filled with deep disappointment, her expression distant, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far from her.

Upon seeing the emotions in her eyes, Princess Yu'an couldn't bear it any longer and turned her face away, sighing, "You have disappointed me so much. How could you have become like this, so ruthless, inhuman, and utterly unreasonable?"

In this dream filled with sorrow, she had become numb, but after Princess Yu'an uttered those words, Xue Rongyue found that she seemed to become angry again in the dream.

This anger didn't seem to be directed at Princess Yu'an, nor was it hysteria; it was more like the pain of utter helplessness.

She seemed to hear herself screaming in her dream—but I didn't do anything wrong, what did I do wrong?!

But until the very end, she said nothing in her dream, swallowing all the pent-up frustration and grievances, silently lowering her head, and curtsying deeply to Princess Yu'an.

She then stood up, seemingly wanting to smile at Princess Yu'an, but the smile that appeared was too unsightly, so she had no choice but to give up and turn to walk straight out of Chang'an City, where the bustling crowd gradually engulfed her.

She walked faster and faster, almost recklessly, her slender figure like a little sparrow released from its cage, running through crowded streets, bustling alleys, and rows of grand mansions.

She threw all of that to the back of her mind, the long wind howling past her ears, the distorted sounds filling her ears. She was oblivious to everything, only wanting to rush towards the path of survival she had forged for herself.

Then, the dream ended.

A rumble of thunder boomed outside the window. She sat up in bed, her hands and feet icy cold, a chill seeping into her body. Still shaken, she looked out at the raging wind and rain, momentarily disoriented, unsure of where she was.

She could only wait quietly for dawn.

Picking up a yellowed petal with her fingertips, Xue Rongyue asked in the empty room, "Are these really just dreams?"

The system quickly provided the answer: [The host already has the answer in mind, doesn't he?]

yes.

She already had the answer in her heart.

Xue Rongyue asked blankly, "In my dream, I seemed very angry. What did those 'wrongdoings that clearly didn't happen' mean?"

After a brief silence, the system provided its answer again: [According to the original plot, after the female lead [Xue Fengchun] returns to Chang'an, the character [Xue Rongyue], driven by a twisted and jealous nature, will launch a series of retaliatory attacks, harms, and frame-ups against her, ultimately reaping the consequences of his actions.]

[Although you were freed from the constraints of the original plot and did not commit these evil deeds due to the arrival of the host, in order to maintain the original plot, the other characters will still act out the events as set in the original plot—]

The character will assume you committed an unforgivable crime against the female lead [Xue Fengchun], thus suffering the fate of being abandoned by everyone, paving the way for your tragic death.

Her fingertips turned pale and tightened, and the precarious petals fell from the branch.

Xue Rongyue's chest heaved violently for a moment, then she slowly smiled, a smile tinged with an indescribable irony: "So, even though I didn't do evil according to the plot written in the original book, I still received this bad result, because fate... was already predetermined."

All characters are created from the original work; barring unforeseen circumstances, they are merely puppets on a string, blindly following the predetermined path of the original plot.

The mechanical voice paused, then the system unexpectedly offered reassurance: "Host, there's no need to be overly pessimistic or worried. The fact that you're here proves that the original story isn't entirely irreversible. As long as you successfully win over the character [Qin Jin], at least your own fate will be completely rewritten."

"What did I do in my past life that gave me the chance to rewind and start over?" Xue Rongyue remained noncommittal, lowering her eyes to the deep black characters—

[Perhaps your appearance disrupted the original setting, pulling many plot points and characters down paths completely different from the original work, thus creating more and more loopholes in the original world and leading to the current situation.]

[If this continues, the original world might collapse, or even be rewound and restarted, leading to indelible consequences. Host, you must act with caution and refrain from interfering with the main plot of the original story.]

Although it was a question, Xue Rongyue's tone was certain: "In my past life, I interfered with the main plot of the original story, didn't I?"

This time, the system's silence was noticeably longer before it gave an affirmative answer: [Yes, in your past life you interfered with the main storyline, causing extensive changes to the original plot. You paid a heavy price for this. Therefore, please do not act rashly again.]

Xue Rongyue asked, "What terrible price?"

The system's voice was cold and heavy: [Elimination. In order to repair the broken main storyline, your existence has been forcibly erased.]

Xue Rongyue scoffed lightly and lowered her eyes: "That's really domineering."

She asked again, "If I was erased, why was I given a second chance at life?"

This time, the system remained silent for an even longer period, until the blazing sun outside the window gradually dimmed its dazzling light and sank towards the west, before it slowly uttered four words:

No comment.

"...Isn't that a kind of answer?"

Xue Rongyue raised an eyebrow, looked at the setting sun by the window, and murmured, "It's getting dark again..."

Outside the window, Jingnu and his entourage were packing their belongings so they could leave Linxian as soon as possible. Large and small boxes were piled up in a corner of the courtyard, and a banquet was set up in the pavilion.

Xue Rongyue suddenly asked, "What is Qin Jin's current level of hatred and favorability? You can at least tell me that."

The system quickly replied: [According to the detection, Qin Jin's current hatred level is 19, while her favorability increased significantly last night, rising by forty. The progress of your conquest has reached 81.]

[Congratulations, host! You are getting closer to successfully winning over the character [Qin Jin]. Once the progress is full, you can completely break free from the constraints of the original story and rewrite your destiny!]

Xue Rongyue frowned slightly: "What is Qin Jin's current total favorability rating?"

She finally realized something was wrong: "Why have I never heard you mention Qin Jin's total favorability score?"

The system does not broadcast Qin Jin's favorability and hatred values ​​in real time. It only sounds when there are large fluctuations. However, each broadcast will not only list the increase or decrease of hatred and favorability values, but also give a detailed total hatred value for Qin Jin.

However, the favorability rating never has a clear total value; it only has numerical values ​​that increase or decrease.

As Xue Rongyue carefully considered the system's words, her brows furrowed even deeper, and suspicion and doubt welled up in her mind: "Moreover, the progress of the strategy seems to be only related to the decrease in the total amount of hatred, while the favorability is just a... insignificant side effect?"

Amidst an increasingly piercing crackling sound of electricity, the system provided its answer once more, an answer that only deepened Xue Rongyue's suspicions—

[I cannot answer this question, host. I can only inform you that the progress of the conquest is indeed closely related to the target [Qin Jin's] hatred and favorability levels, and not solely dependent on hatred.]

As the system's voice faded, Xue Rongyue's heart suddenly pounded twice, and her fingertips clenched slightly. She vaguely felt that she had discovered something extraordinary.

But before she could fully grasp the fleeting, subtle moment, a sudden knock on the door disrupted her thoughts.

Jingnu's voice rang out: "My lady, Prince Qin has arrived."

At Chenshi (7-9 AM), she summoned Qin Jin to her study not merely to test him.

However, Qin Jin's sudden actions threw her into a state of confusion, causing her to forget her original purpose. Before her confrontation with Qin Jin could even reach a clear conclusion, he was hurriedly summoned away by his personal guards to handle official business.

Xue Rongyue had no other choice but to send Luo Zhen to the yamen to ask for help at noon. Unfortunately, Qin Jin was busy with official duties at that time, so the request was postponed to the evening.

Xue Rongyue looked out the window.

Qin Jin was still wearing the same dark brocade robe with pearls and auspicious clouds that he wore at Chenshi, with a black jade belt around his waist, which perfectly outlined his broad shoulders and narrow waist. His chin was slightly raised, and the setting sun painted his superior and delicate eyebrows and eyes. He raised his eyelids and looked over quietly.

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Author's Note: Next chapter preview: Xiaoyue pretends to be drunk~ [heart eyes][shy]