Chapter 24

Mi Rui'an's quirks

"The estimated date is two days from now," Xiaodong thoughtfully added.

Wei Jiangxue quickly thought about it. Was her first sensitive period as an Alpha about to begin? For some reason, she was even a little excited!

Xiao Dong, this robot, can even see that...

233 did mention that she should prepare suppressants during her vulnerable period to avoid affecting the protagonist, Mi Rui'an, and causing the plot to deviate.

But what exactly is the function of inhibitors? Wei Jiangxue couldn't remember at all.

[System 233: The inhibitor controls your Alph hormones, allowing you to maintain your sanity even during your most vulnerable period. It's more effective and stronger than the inhibitor bracelet you wear when you go out, which can only be used daily and cannot be applied during your most vulnerable period.]

Wei Jiangxue had a flash of inspiration and remembered this point of knowledge following 233's words.

Right, although Mi Rui'an claims to be a Beta, Wei Jiangxue, who knows the plot well, knows she's an Omega. The pheromones released by the Alpha could very well put Mi Rui'an into heat. If she accidentally marks Mi Rui'an according to Alpha instincts in the ABO world, the plot will be ruined!

[System 233: ...You're quite thoughtful. I'm worried you've drawn out Mi Rui'an's Omega pheromones and been attacked by them. Mi Rui'an definitely won't want to send you to the hospital then, because the risk is extremely high. If there are people Mi Feng arranged at the hospital who can tell you've been attacked by Mi Rui'an's pheromones, it will expose her whereabouts.]

“So it’s the vulnerable period…” Mi Rui’an said calmly, “Do you have any suppressants prepared?”

Even though she couldn't see Mi Rui'an, her gaze slid over Wei Jiangxue inch by inch as if it were a physical object, like being licked by a snake's tongue, sending a shiver down Wei Jiangxue's spine.

"No." Wei Jiangxue hurriedly turned her head away and took a step back. "You weren't here before. I just stayed home during my sensitive period. Even though you're a Beta, I don't think you'd want to have the pheromones of a sensitive Alpha on you when you go out, right? You'd better stay away from me."

These words sounded like blaming Mi Rui'an for moving into a rented apartment, and there was also a hint of schadenfreude in them.

Mi Rui'an gave her a meaningful look. It was common knowledge that Alphas needed to wear suppression bracelets or carry suppressants. Although everyone tacitly ignored this in slum areas, they would still obediently follow the rules when entering and leaving busy areas. Wei Jiangxue did the same, but Mi Rui'an always felt that she…

They seem quite uncomfortable with these rules.

Alphas consider suppression bracelets or neckbands shameful, and even though manufacturers have made numerous improvements to make them almost imperceptible to wearers, Alphas will immediately remove them as soon as they get home. Wei Jiangxue, also an Alpha, went to the other extreme; she seemed completely oblivious to the invisible constraint, even able to ignore it entirely.

Several times, if Mi Rui'an hadn't reminded Wei Jiangxue that she had returned to the rented room, Wei Jiangxue would probably have fallen asleep wearing the suppression bracelet without even realizing it.

What kind of environment would produce an Alpha like this? Mi Rui'an looked at Wei Jiangxue with a hint of scrutiny in her eyes.

Wei Jiangxue was completely unaware of this. She tilted her head slightly and revealed a sly smile: "Look how much I've thought of for you, shouldn't you show some appreciation?"

Wei Jiangxue's original intention was to ask Mi Ruian to cook more of her favorite foods today, as the other party had recently been keen on feeding her.

"Okay, I'll prepare inhibitors for you."

Mi Rui'an agreed unusually readily, sounding as if she couldn't wait to help Wei Jiangxue, but unfortunately, her understanding was far from Wei Jiangxue's original intention.

[System 233: The character's OOC level has decreased a bit more, well done.]

How strange... It seems I should take advantage of Mi Rui'an more often.

But Wei Jiangxue felt guilty about bullying a girl, especially since Mi Rui'an had agreed so readily, like a sucker. So Wei Jiangxue silently swallowed back what she originally wanted to say; she would just order takeout whatever she wanted to eat and wouldn't bother Mi Rui'an any further.

Hey, protagonist, you'd better be more careful!

Wei Jiangxue sighed with her hands behind her back, then turned to the robot Xiaodong and asked, "Can you turn on the navigation function and take me out for a walk?"

“No problem, where would you like to go, sister?” Xiaodong responded quickly.

"I want to go to the nearby park to sunbathe."

As soon as she finished speaking, Wei Jiangxue felt her hand being taken, and the metal her fingertips touched was no longer as cold as before, but this time it was warm.

Seemingly noticing Wei Jiangxue's surprise, Mi Rui'an answered her question: "Xiao Dong didn't adjust its settings properly just now. The temperature will be more suitable when you touch it now, so don't worry about getting cold."

Wei Jiangxue thought for a moment and then asked her, "Do you want to come along? You can supervise me while I use Xiaodong, so you don't break it."

“I don’t need to. I’ll go order inhibitors for you. And you don’t need to worry. As long as the robot isn’t smashed to pieces by a violent impact, it will be fine. I believe you’re not that violent.”

Wei Jiangxue listened blankly, only focusing her attention after Mi Rui'an got up, went back to her room, and closed the door. She then made a few fist gestures and waved them at the air.

What are you saying? She's clearly very gentle!

233 stared at the direction Mi Rui'an had left in for a while, then suddenly remembered something he had forgotten: [Host, didn't you ask about signing with a live streaming platform before? We finally got a private message from a company!]

Seeing Wei Jiangxue stop in her tracks, 233 continued, "However, this company has some connection with Mi Rui'an. The host can consider it; theoretically, we can go."

Is it related to Mi Rui'an? Wei Jiangxue wondered, confused.

233's next words cleared up her confusion: "It's a media company under Uncle Mi Rui'an, but it shouldn't be related to Mi Rui'an. We can still live and do our tasks normally. If you're interested, I'll reply to that agent for you and arrange a meeting to talk."

Wei Jiangxue said, "I have no objection. You can contact her and discuss a time."

If it were just about completing tasks, Wei Jiangxue wouldn't create unnecessary complications or do anything extra. But she unexpectedly discovered that she seemed quite suited to being a streamer. Perhaps, after returning to her original world, she could consider developing in that direction?

From a very young age, Wei Jiangxue would sing to lull her younger sister to sleep and to cheer up her grandmother; she actually loved singing. However, her impoverished family couldn't afford to support her in pursuing such a distant dream.

Wei Jiangxue had no choice but to give up.

A glimmer of hope appeared; unexpectedly, the new world brought her new opportunities.

Although she felt nervous and apprehensive, Wei Jiangxue felt that her dream, which had seemed unattainable in the past, was now within reach, as if she could reach out and touch it.

Therefore, having guidance from a professional team is entirely beneficial for Wei Jiangxue. She needs to plan for the future and make full use of all available resources. Even if she stops singing and live streaming, she might still be able to work behind the scenes in the industry; more paths mean more ways to make money.

"233, if you have time, could you find a way to transfer some book content into my mind? I think I can't just waste all this time. I... want to go back to school."

*

Xiao Dong is a competent robot, easy to use and quick to respond. The only thing that makes Wei Jiangxue uncomfortable is that she feels Xiao Dong's tone has become much stiffer since she left the house, as if she were talking to Mi Rui'an.

When we first met Xiaodong and named her, the robot referred to herself as "Xiaodong," a design feature that made her seem rather cute. However, after going outside, perhaps because the system adapted to the new environment, Xiaodong stopped referring to herself as "Xiaodong," and her speech became less playful, instead resembling the way Mi Rui'an spoke.

Even though Mi Rui'an was clearly in the rented room, Wei Jiangxue's hands still felt like they were made of metal machinery and had not been replaced by a human body.

She merely frowned in confusion before dismissing the slight discomfort. Perhaps it was just her imagination; after all, when traveling, it's better for robots to provide simpler and clearer instructions, making it less likely for users to misunderstand.

This time, Wei Jiangxue boldly expanded the scope of her actions. Following what she had discussed with 233, she went to the bookstore and bought several university course textbooks that shared knowledge with her original world.

Because 233 said that there are intellectual property protection regulations in the bureau, as a system, they cannot help the host cheat and directly steal resources such as books and movies from various small worlds, so Wei Jiangxue cannot directly browse text and picture knowledge from it.

However, 233 also offered a solution: Wei Jiangxue could buy physical books, take pictures of them, and then project them into her mind. This was essentially the same as Wei Jiangxue's previous schooling methods, except for the addition of a medium, 233.

After returning to her rented room with the book, Wei Jiangxue bumped into Mi Rui'an as she came out of the bedroom.

The other person greeted him very naturally: "You're back! What's that in Xiaodong's hand?"

Wei Jiangxue hadn't intended to hide it anyway, and said frankly, "The book I want to study."

"Xiaodong helped me navigate really well, please remember to give the order a five-star review!" Xiaodong said, as if taking credit.

How strange, it's changed back now. Wei Jiangxue was surprised for a moment, but was quickly captivated by the rose fragrance that had invaded her surroundings.

Mi Rui'an walked up to her. Wei Jiangxue stood there, not understanding why this person had come over.

"Are you planning to study and take the college entrance exam?" Mi Rui'an asked.

Wei Jiangxue heard the sound of pages turning and realized that Mi Ruian was looking through the secondhand books she had bought. She replied vaguely, "Maybe."

I've already passed the exam, but I just can't go to school yet.

Wei Jiangxue sincerely prayed that Mi Rui'an would follow the plot and not cause her any trouble, so that everyone would be happy and she could go home as soon as possible.

"Why didn't you buy the Braille version? You can't see these words." Mi Rui'an's gaze remained fixed on Wei Jiangxue's face. The latter seemed to sense this and reached out to touch her face, avoiding Mi Rui'an's gaze.

“…I don’t know Braille, but I can take a picture and extract the text, then have a voice assistant read it to me.” Wei Jiangxue quickly came up with a reasonable explanation.

Mi Rui'an seemed convinced, and Wei Jiangxue heard her say "Oh".

"Now Mi Rui'an should be leaving, right?" Wei Jiangxue thought uncertainly. "What's the point of two people and a robot standing at the door talking? If they're going to talk, they should come inside."

Unbeknownst to her, Mi Rui'an leaned closer to Wei Jiangxue, and a strong fragrance rushed towards her.

The area on her neck that 233 had defined as a gland felt hot, and Wei Jiangxue's face also became hot.

She could feel Mi Rui'an's breath spraying onto the skin of her collarbone, sending a tingling, itchy sensation through her. A strand of hair was gently pulled up; without even realizing it, it was definitely Mi Rui'an who had done it.

Wei Jiangxue couldn't understand why Mi Rui'an was pinching her hair. What was this? Was it a quirk?

At such close range, Wei Jiangxue was lost in thought and was about to push Mi Ruian away when she heard Mi Ruian's melodious voice—

"Do you need a teacher? What a coincidence, I happen to be good at that."

[Author's Note]

Wei Jiangxue wasn't wrong; the robot Xiaodong had indeed been logged out of the account. [shrug]