The main system's notifications remained the same as before: they appeared suddenly and disappeared just as quickly.
Lu Shizhen looked at the fleeting preview and was furious: [Tell me what your main system is saying! It knows this wasn't my intention, yet it still wants to punish me!]
Lu Shizhen typed rapidly on the keyboard, then paused, as if remembering a crucial question, and typed again: "What's the difference between a severe punishment and a warning?"
"Of course." Qiuqiu nodded. "Severe punishment will cause physical deprivation and isolation to the host, but warning punishment is simply a warning, more of a low-level punishment that serves as a deterrent to the punisher. If the host reacts in time, it can completely avoid the warning when it occurs."
Hearing Qiuqiu's explanation, Lu Shizhen's anger subsided slightly: [That sounds alright, huh?]
Then Qiuqiu cautiously added, "However, host, because this punishment is of a very low level, the main system usually won't pop up a special reminder when the punishment is executed."
"How could this be..." Lu Shizhen pouted. "I thought the main system had finally become human... no, I mean, a system."
[This is utterly heartless! Cold-blooded! Damn it! How can your main system be like this? Isn't it afraid I'll be killed by these punishments?]
[Host, the main system's judgment is based on rigorous calculation and analysis!] Qiuqiu immediately raised her virtual hand in protest. [This is also to keep the host highly vigilant during this period and increase the host's attention to the mission!]
The text bubble increased line by line, and the exclamation marks made the cartoon ball on the screen look a bit fierce.
Seeing that the dissatisfaction in Qiuqiu's expression had changed, Lu Shizhen poked the puffed-up Qiuqiu and said, "Qiuqiu, I've noticed that you get upset and agitated whenever your main system is mentioned."
Lu Shizhen's eyes lit up with a gossipy smile, and she continued typing meaningfully, "Qiuqiu, you don't actually like your system, do you?"
【How...how is this possible!】
The originally white, transparent bubbles gradually turned into a deep red, just like the little ball's flushed face.
Qiuqiu felt like her secret had been exposed, and she hurriedly tried to explain herself, but somehow she suddenly froze on the screen.
The wings that were constantly flapping stopped in mid-air, and the body that was originally radiating light took on an eerie color.
The sun had already sunk below the horizon, and the dim sky enveloped Lu Shizhen's vision.
She stared at her suddenly silent phone and immediately panicked.
Qiuqiu just patted her chest and assured her that no one in the world could crack the system program.
Who should she contact to fix this kind of problem?
Tap it...
Lu Shizhen didn't dare to pat it rashly.
And this is her Qiuqiu, the only person in the world who knows her identity.
Lu Shizhen stared at the seemingly malfunctioning phone, her heart gradually racing faster and faster from its initial calm.
Although she initially thought this little thing was unreliable, being greedy and prone to crashing, it had truly accompanied her through many days and nights, helping her come up with ideas and earn points. She didn't want the main system to send her another new system at all...
Lu Shizhen was caught in a kind of sadness called hypothetical separation when suddenly her phone returned to normal.
Three minutes ticked by in the upper right corner of the screen, and the memo, filled with text, seemed to have been wiped clean, along with the little ball.
No way.
Could something really have happened...?
"Host!"
The familiar voice pulled Lu Shizhen back from her nervousness, and then she saw Qiuqiu break free from the limitations of the phone's data and fly back to her in the form of that glowing little ball.
This time, however, it had a long white arrow attached to the back of its body, like the tail of a little devil in some anime.
“You…” Lu Shizhen was taken aback for a moment, and Qiuqiu excitedly told her, “I’ve regained my virtual avatar!”
Lu Shizhen still remembered Qiuqiu crying to her a few days ago about how she didn't know how she came out of the phone. A question popped into her mind: "What, did the main system come here to pronounce my punishment and fix you up in the process?"
"...It seems so." Qiuqiu scratched her head sheepishly. "My little quirks are just a piece of cake for the main system..."
Lu Shizhen was both amused and exasperated. She reached out and deliberately tugged at Qiuqiu's newly sprouted tail: "Your main system has a rather wicked sense of humor."
"Host!"
Whether it was because of the mention of "your main system" or because the newly grown tail was more sensitive, Qiuqiu's transparent little body actually turned slightly red.
As Lu Shizhen watched, her smile deepened.
She watched Qiuqiu return to normal and continued teasingly, "Hey, wouldn't you say that you got something good happen because of me? So when can you let something good happen to me?"
Unexpectedly, Qiuqiu reacted quickly this time, immediately saying, "I actually have some good news to tell the host!"
"What?" Lu Shizhen asked, somewhat curious.
"Xu Shiyue's physical data is showing a steady upward trend. She broke through the critical point at noon. I believe she will see it soon!" Qiuqiu shook her body, her tail full of excitement.
Indeed, this was fantastic news for Lu Shizhen.
Her main plan was to help Xu Shiyue regain her sight in exchange for a lot of points.
Lu Shizhen immediately felt that she had taken a big step closer to completing the mission. She couldn't help but rub her healthy legs and nod, saying, "This is indeed good news."
“Yes.” Qiuqiu nodded repeatedly, then pulled up new statistics. “Moreover, your points have been growing by a triple digit recently, so I believe you’ll be able to balance out the negative numbers in the points system soon!”
"That's right, that's right."
Lu Shizhen silently agreed with Qiuqiu and reached out to rub Yuanzi's head.
The puppy seemed tired after a long day and fell asleep on the side, not even when Lu Shizhen rubbed it.
The world had already fallen into darkness, and the streetlights flashing outside the window reminded Lu Shizhen that it was getting late.
She didn't bother Yuanzi anymore and subconsciously turned to look at Xu Shiyue.
The lighting inside the carriage wasn't great; a dim moon hung over Xu Shiyue's head.
Her hand was resting on Yuanzi's body, the soft fur supporting her palm, the platinum color making her pale skin appear even whiter, her well-defined bones making her look like she had stepped out of a manga.
Lu Shizhen's greedy gaze lingered on those hands for a long time before slowly moving down along the slender arms to Xu Shiyue's body.
The girl's usually taut shoulders relaxed a little, and she leaned back against the chair, her black hair cascading over her shoulders, looking casual and a bit lazy.
However, her clean and aloof face did not reflect the ease that her body exuded.
Beneath her long hair, her perpetually calm brows furrowed slightly, as if she were experiencing or recalling something unpleasant.
Lu Shizhen then belatedly realized that Xu Shiyue hadn't said a word since they got on the bus.
She was a little nervous and asked cautiously, "Xu Shiyue, what's wrong? You look like you're frowning. Are you feeling unwell?"
When Xu Shiyue heard Lu Shizhen's words, her expression seemed to pause for a moment, but the flashing streetlights made it seem unreal.
After a pause, Lu Shizhen saw that Xu Shiyue had not answered for a long time and wanted to lean over to observe her more, but Xu Shiyue did not give her the chance and answered, "Tinnitus."
Xu Shiyue remained the same as always, her eyes lowered and unusually calm.
The simple narrative tone made it seem as if the person experiencing tinnitus wasn't herself.
Lu Shizhen still remembered Qiuqiu's good news to her, saying that Xu Shiyue's eyes were on the verge of recovery, and couldn't help but feel nervous about her sudden new symptom: "Tinnitus? What's wrong? Is something bothering you? Have you been having this a lot lately? Is something wrong?"
A series of questions flashed through Xu Shiyue's vision like the flickering streetlights outside the car window.
She let out a soft breath and shook her head at the somewhat nervous person beside her: "It's nothing, it doesn't happen often, it just happened suddenly a moment ago, I could still vaguely hear..."
Just as Xu Shiyue was about to describe her state to Lu Shizhen in detail, she suddenly stopped.
The red light illuminated the windshield, and the no longer flashing streetlights cast their light into the car. In the dim light, Xu Shiyue's eyes calmly fell on Lu Shizhen.
Even in the dim light, Xu Shiyue's pupils remained unfocused, yet they gave the impression that she could see everything.
This also includes Qiuqiu, who was hovering directly in front of her.
A breeze swept across the road where cars were parked, and the back seat of the car suddenly became quiet.
Even Qiuqiu, who never worries about being exposed and often chats enthusiastically with Lu Shizhen without restraint, stopped beside Lu Shizhen.
Because of Yuanzi's presence, Lu Shizhen and Xu Shiyue were not very close to each other.
Lu Shizhen couldn’t tell if it was because the car wasn’t warm enough, but she could clearly feel Xu Shiyue’s breath, warm and soft, falling on her nose and cheek, making the air, which was almost still, gradually become more intimate.
Xu Shiyue's eyes seemed fixed, and her gaze could not be seen moving.
Lu Shizhen didn't know why she was suddenly like this, or what she was looking at. The familiar fragrance, mixed with a faint herbal scent, permeated her nostrils, and her heartbeat was as rapid as the beat of a small drum, thumping against her heart.
The ambiguous atmosphere around me made my heart race, yet also inexplicably made me feel guilty and flustered.
After an unknown amount of time, the red light in front of the windshield flashed once.
Xu Shiyue raised her hand from Yuanzi's body and reached out towards Qiuqiu's drooping tail.
"!"
The shock of one person unifying the world froze Lu Shizhen, her heart nearly stopping.
She instinctively held her breath, but then saw Xu Shiyue's hand pass through Qiuqiu's virtual tail without any hesitation.
The streetlights cast the girl's fingers onto Lu Shizhen's face, and her cool fingertips brushed aside the long hair that was covering her ears.
Xu Shiyue casually took the earphones off Lu Shizhen's ears and calmly reminded her, "You should wear them less often too, or you'll get tinnitus."
Lu Shizhen felt a momentary limpness, as if she had just escaped a crisis, but she still forced herself to remain calm and said, "I understand."
Upon hearing this, Xu Shiyue didn't make any further moves. She handed the earphones back to Lu Shizhen and leaned back in her chair.
The car slowly started moving, and the lights inside the car began to flash backward.
Lu Shizhen stole glances at Xu Shiyue. In the dim light, the person's eyes were slightly lowered, and her expression was as calm as ever. This sense of familiarity made her let out a soft breath.
The cool touch on her earlobe gradually warmed up, and Lu Shizhen finally understood what it meant to have a guilty conscience.
Even setting aside the fact that Xu Shiyue couldn't see it, how could Qiuqiu, a system projection free from the constraints of the world, possibly be caught and discovered by anyone other than herself?
Xu Shiyue clearly did this because her vision was obstructed and she couldn't see clearly, and she wanted to help her take off her headphones.
How could it be that I saw something...?
How could that be...?
After the winter solstice, the weather is getting colder and colder.
Lu Shizhen began living a life of going back and forth between school and home, narrowly escaping several minor close calls, unsure if it was a warning or punishment from the main system.
Time quickly came to the last day of the year, the day when the sword of Damocles hanging over Lu Shizhen's head would finally disappear.
A thin layer of snow covered the moonlit world, the silent white illuminated by the headlights of cars approaching from afar.
The opulent banquet hall reflected a blatant and extravagant luxury, somewhat out of place with the white snow of the night.
As the New Year approaches, various banquets are held one after another, with people gathering together to seek opportunities for cooperation in the coming year.
What's particularly valuable is the ability to connect with the government, and this exchange banquet on artificial intelligence held on the last day of the year is a prime example of that.
The Rolls-Royce, gleaming with pure black light, slowly came to a stop in front of the porch. The doorman opened the front and rear doors, and Lu Shize, dressed in a suit and tie, and Lu Shizhen, in a flowing long dress, stepped out of the car.
Lu Shizhen didn't rush to leave. She turned around and extended her arm into the carriage to support Xu Shiyue's falling hand.
Since Lu Shize had already broken ties with the Xu family last month by cutting off Xu Shouxian's business because of Lu Shizhen's matter, there was no need to hide anything. At Lu Shizhen's suggestion, he also brought Xu Shiyue to attend this banquet.
Each of the three had their own aura. Xu Shiyue stood between the Lu siblings, who were all dressed in black, her silver-white diamond-studded dress shining like moonlight, overwhelming everyone around her.
Logically, each car should wait for the car in front of it to drive away before coming to stop, but some people just can't wait and drive up and stop right behind their cars.
Lu Shizhen heard the car door open, followed by the not-so-pleasant sound of high heels clicking on the marble floor.
A woman who looked elegant and noble stepped out of the car, carrying a white mink coat, and deliberately greeted Xu Shiyue, who was not visible to her, saying, "It's been a long time, Shiyue."
Lu Shizhen felt inexplicably disgusted by the voice and subtly noticed a slight tightening at her wrist.
She looked at the woman who had come to greet her and saw a man with a sinister look on his face smile at her.
It was Xu Shouxian.
Whether it was to show off or to display some family prestige, the woman's gorgeous diamond necklace, the bracelet hanging from her daughter's wrist, and the brooch pinned to Xu Shouxian's suit were all a set, and they all looked quite valuable.
Lu Shizhen looked at the nouveau riche family showing off with disdain, then paused for a moment, as if she remembered something.
She thought that if she remembered correctly, the family of three was wearing the set of jewelry that Xu Shiyue's mother had left her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
