When she reached the stairwell, Yu Ning stumbled and leaned against the wall, slightly out of breath.

She questioned the system coldly in her mind:

"Is this the cool, arrogant, and feared school bully you described? Have you ever seen a ruthless school bully explaining problems to the top students in his class? And he even scored over 700 points in the five-school joint exam? Are you sure the script you gave me is correct?!"

At this point, Yu Ning couldn't help but feel a burning urge to retaliate.

For more than ten days, she studied day and night, neglecting sleep and meals, and barely managed to squeeze into the top ten in her grade, still fifty or sixty points behind the top two in total score.

For this meticulously planned first meeting, she even reluctantly spent a fortune on a bottle of foundation to cover up her enormous dark circles.

However, the reality is that the other party did not follow the expected development of the story at all.

The system replied in a stiff, mechanical voice: "There will be no problems with the script. Please follow the plot development strictly to win over the male lead."

"Do you think I can still win over the male lead now that he's become like this?" she said expressionlessly.

The system's voice contained a subtle warning: "If the strategy fails, you know what the consequences will be."

“I know,” Yu Ning smiled slightly, her eyes calm, “that I will be wiped out.”

"It's good that you understand, host. Please follow the plot."

The coldness of the tiles behind her seemed to seep into her bones. Yu Ning straightened her shoulders slightly and said calmly, "I understand."

...

"Yu Ning, thank you so much for cleaning for me. I really had no other choice. This was the only time slot with tickets available for the movie I've been waiting for."

A girl, deeply moved, handed the broom she was holding to Yu Ning, and waved goodbye as she left.

"I'll invite you to watch it together next time~ Thanks!"

"It's okay, be careful on the road."

The girl with the low ponytail, standing still, held a broom and gave a gentle smile to the departing girl. A strand of hair brushed against her fair cheek, like a tender kiss from the wind.

The girl, who was about to turn around, was stunned. When she noticed the increasingly puzzled look in the other person's eyes, she belatedly turned her head and covered her burning face with her hands.

Ahhh, how come I never noticed how cute and sweet Yu Ning is before! Her voice is so lovely too, she's a real gem!!

The little girl, her face flushed, skipped and hopped out of the school gate. Yu Ning's smile gradually faded and returned to calm. She picked up a broom and swept the area symbolically.

It's been two days in a row, and we've gained nothing.

She and Xie Jingcheng were not in the same class, and constantly showing up at his door without reason would ruin her image, so she had to find other ways to meet him by chance.

She even volunteered to be a duty student for two days for this reason.

"System, tell me, besides his appearance, how else does he resemble the school bully?"

Whether it was going to school or leaving school, the time was so precise, it was as if they were strictly following the timetable. As soon as the school bell rang, they would pick up their bags, walk quickly out of the school gate, get on the bus and leave. Yu Ning wanted to chase after them but couldn't catch up.

Is this the daily routine for kindergarten children?

How many high school students today go straight home after school?

Besides, this guy is a school bully. What about all that basketball playing and gaming with friends at internet cafes that's mentioned in novels?

"According to the author's setting, Xie Jingcheng is the male protagonist. Please do not doubt it, host."

The system said.

However, Yu Ning didn't buy it. She sneered and was about to say something when the system continued, "Friendly reminder: the male lead is ahead."

Yu Ning paused, and as she listened to the bell ringing for the end of get out of class coming from the teaching building, she looked up.

A tall, slender figure in black appeared at the top of the stairs.

This time, she used the excuse of being on duty to leave self-study class early, just to wait for Xie Jingcheng.

But once she actually met the person, she didn't want to move.

The system's unchanging mechanical voice conveyed a hint of urgency: "This is an opportunity not to be missed. Please take action as soon as possible, host."

Yu Ning asked in a lazy tone, "What are we going to do? Walk up and say hello like an idiot?"

System: "When he gets close, you can pretend to accidentally cut your hand with a broom but don't care. When the male lead asks you to go to the infirmary for treatment, you can shake your head and refuse to continue cleaning, thus leaving an impression of your strong character in the male lead's mind."

Yu Ning's lips twitched: "…………"

"When it comes to disgustingly imaginative ideas, you artificial idiots are the best." She waved her broom indifferently, raising a fine dust on the bluestone bricks. "Why should I hurt myself to win his favor? What if he doesn't even care?"

"How will the host know it won't work if he doesn't try?"

"That's because you have no eyesight, oh, you don't even have eyes."

The system's voice was cold: "Please do not slack off, host. If you fail to complete the mission, you will disappear from the world forever."

But Yu Ning's eyes were even colder, as if she were sneer: "Don't try to threaten me. You won't benefit from my death."

The unpleasant, noisy voice in his mind fell silent, as if his lungs had been punctured. After a few seconds, the system spoke again: "But as long as you successfully complete the storyline, you will wake up in the real world and receive a cash reward of ten million, which is more than you could earn by making a hundred flop web dramas on the fringes of the entertainment industry."

"You don't want any of these either?"

The system asked.

Yu Ning's hand, gripping the bamboo handle, paused. Her eyelashes drooped, and she remained silent. The system's reaffirmation of her resurrection and cash reward pulled her thoughts back to the day she first woke up in this world.

A hazy consciousness, a blindingly white ceiling, the pungent, cool smell of disinfectant, blurry, overlapping figures, a nurse's hurried, shocked calls...

I was initially relieved that I, this unlucky guy, had survived such a terrible ordeal.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!