An electric current swirled around the white sphere of light, emitting an unstable buzzing sound.
Time flows forward, yet it also gives one the feeling of moving backward. When the familiar voice rang in her ears, Lu Shizhen felt as if she had returned to the time when she first met Qiuqiu.
She remembered that evening five years ago, Qiuqiu was just like that, clumsy and exceptionally cheerful, bursting into her sight with a somewhat childish voice that didn't sound like the reliable and professional system in the transmigration novel at all.
Unable to bear the weight of her tears, clear teardrops streamed down Lu Shizhen's face before she even realized it.
The glowing little ball looked at the tear stains on its host's face, tilted its body slightly, and asked in confusion, "Host, why are you crying? Have you encountered any difficulties? As your system, I will do everything in my power to help you solve them!"
Xiaoqiu's voice still carried that familiar, unreliable tone, but his words were filled with unfamiliarity.
Lu Shizhen was stunned when she heard Qiuqiu's words, and asked incredulously, "Qiuqiu...don't you remember me?"
Upon hearing the host's question, the small ball's electrical current flickered even more frequently, as if it had encountered a blind spot in its knowledge.
Or perhaps it's like a program that has been given instructions and has started downloading various additional resource packages.
Following Qiuqiu, the entire space fell silent for a second.
Then Lu Shizhen heard a tentative, uncertain voice coming from the little ball's body: "...Host?"
Having experienced the unfamiliar distance just now, Lu Shizhen didn't dare to rush forward to acknowledge her. With trepidation and anticipation, she responded to the small ball, "Qiuqiu."
Just as she finished speaking, the little ball opposite her burst out with excitement: "Host!"
Then that familiar voice became tinged with sobs.
Like a kitten or puppy that has finally found its home, Xiaoqiu wagged its tail, which had just reappeared, and suddenly pounced into Lu Shizhen's arms: "Waaaaah, host!! I'm alive! I actually came back to life!! Waaaaah, I thought I would never see you again."
That familiar voice was no longer the blank, lifeless sound it had been before. Lu Shizhen could no longer suppress her emotions and hugged Qiuqiu back: "Qiuqiu, you silly, stinky little ball, how could you bear to leave me?! You're not allowed to be so reckless again! Otherwise, I'll never buy you starch sausages again!"
"Waaaaah, host, I don't want to leave you anymore! You are my only host in this life!"
I've never seen a book where the host and system reunite in such a tearful and tearful way.
Lu Shizhen said that Qiuqiu's unreliable behavior was unlike that of a system, but wasn't she just like a host in the traditional sense?
This scene clearly overturned Lu Shien's expectations.
She touched the pocket on her white coat, took out a stack of tissues that Shen Yanxing had put in for her, and handed them to Lu Shizhen, hoping to salvage her sister's image in front of the God and Xu Shiyue.
Looking at this scene, Xu Shiyue asked the main god beside her in a voice that Lu Shizhen couldn't notice, "Now that Sixteen is no longer a member of the system, can Qiuqiu still stay by her side?"
"According to the rules, it's not allowed." The main god replied in the same volume, "The system's mission is to assist; it cannot neglect its duties, nor can it remain idle indefinitely."
The aroma of starch sausage wafts through the otherwise odorless space, and the fragrance of spices is hard not to whet one's appetite.
—Just as the main god uttered these words, Lu Shizhen handed Qiuqiu the starch sausage hidden in her pocket. The little ball ate it with gusto, turning pinkish-red at a visible speed.
The scene looks somewhat surreal, yet also a bit comical.
Xu Shiyue's eyes curved into a smile as she looked at Lu Shizhen, who reached out to catch the cumin powder Qiuqiu was dropping, and hesitated, wanting to discuss something with the main god.
Before she could speak, she heard the God say again, "The position of the main system has been vacant. I plan to make Qiuqiu the next main system."
Becoming the main system means being able to freely enter and exit various worlds with the permission of the main god, something Xu Shiyue knew from her interactions with the system these past few days.
However, looking at Qiuqiu sharing her sausage with Lu Shizhen, she felt a little sorry for her and said, "If it's so that it can meet with Sixteen from time to time, I don't think this is a good solution."
The Supreme God, however, asked in return, "What if I said I had selfish motives?"
“If it weren’t for this, I wouldn’t have been able to bring her back.”
The deity spoke calmly, addressing Xu Shiyue, but her eyes remained fixed on Qiuqiu.
Her eyes held a gentle calm, like a spring breeze, and her voice, though seemingly ethereal, was exceptionally firm: "The God of the Main God has only one chance to find the designated system, and that is to choose the main system that belongs to Himself."
“She is very talented and has strong critical thinking skills. I think I can train her to become a qualified chief god, and she is capable of shouldering this responsibility.”
Reasonable reasons were all stated on the surface, while unspeakable secrets remained hidden in their eyes.
Xu Shiyue listened to what the God said, her lips remaining slightly pursed and unopened for a long time.
The main god and the main system have an irreplaceable bond and destiny throughout the ages.
Xu Shiyue didn't know if Qiuqiu knew these things, but she knew that the God knew and was willingly walking towards that fate.
Perhaps sensing the momentary heaviness in the atmosphere, the God of War looked at Qiuqiu, who had devoured an entire starch sausage to the astonishment of Lu Shizhen and Lu Shien, and said gently, "So let's give her a few days off first, and then let her take on the responsibilities she'll have to shoulder in the future. Besides, doesn't Miss Lu still have some starch sausages she hasn't offered to Qiuqiu?"
Xu Shiyue glanced at the main god and asked in return, "Are you collecting debts for Qiuqiu?"
The Supreme God smiled and did not deny it: "Someone always has to speak up for her, especially since she is my future main system."
Time always flies when you're reunited. Qiuqiu ate a big bunch of starchy sausage flowers and listened to Lu Shizhen recount what happened after she left. When she looked up again, she saw the sun slowly sinking to the foot of the mountain.
Perhaps because the summer temperature was so high, even the clouds drifting in the sky were burned to a fiery red color.
As dusk settled, the entire sky turned a vibrant orange-red, as if calling people on the road home.
After finishing her dinner, Yuanzi, as always, lay down on Qiuqiu's body to aid digestion.
Its body was curled up lazily like that. If you said it was not careful, it did know to tuck its back in so as not to bump into Qiuqiu. But if you said it was careful, its thick tail was pressed straight against Qiuqiu's face.
Meow~
It was as if a sleeping cat, finally unable to bear the disturbance any longer, meowed in dissatisfaction at the heavy tail.
The sound was muffled by the tail and wasn't very clear, but Yuanzi's droopy ears still twitched.
The room was quiet, then another cat's meow rang out: "Meow~ (Lift your tail! It's pressing down on me!)"
After two calls, Yuanzi finally realized it had heard Qiuqiu's voice and immediately stood up and raised its head.
Then it saw a cat standing high above it, looking down at it, with the same appearance and demeanor as the old friend it had been guarding these past few days.
After only a brief pause, Yuanzi happily wagged its tail and jumped around Qiuqiu.
Qiuqiu was also very excited to reunite with Yuanzi. With a haughty cat look on her face, she said to Yuanzi, "I'm back! Aren't you happy?"
"Woof!" Yuanzi barked crisply in response to Qiuqiu.
"Have you missed me these past few days?" Qiuqiu asked again.
"Woof!" Yuanzi barked crisply as always, wagging its tail even more vigorously.
"I ate so much starch today..."
Qiuqiu, the happy cat, held its head high, but before it could finish its boast to Yuanzi, everything went black.
It had been so long since we'd seen it that it'd forgotten everything. Yuanzi's way of showing affection for it was to come up and suck its head.
A dog's tongue is much bigger than a cat's; one bite and Qiuqiu's long-neglected fur on its head became all wet.
It struggled desperately, but it was no match for Yuanzi's enthusiasm. In less than half a minute, not only its head but also its body was licked wet by Yuanzi.
The pet room, bathed in the glow of the setting sun, echoed with the cats' protests, while the floor-to-ceiling glass walls were now in a frosted finish.
Lu Shizhen was hunched over and peeking from outside, watching Qiuqiu ask Yuanzi a question like a boss, then being held down in its "little brother's" mouth. Suppressing her laughter, she closed the window for the two long-lost friends.
"Why is Teacher Sixteen so happy?" Xu Shiyue asked, looking at Lu Shizhen who was covering her mouth and chuckling.
"Yuanzi gave Qiuqiu a drool bath, hahaha..." Lu Shizhen said with a gloating expression, and then sat down on the living room sofa next to Xu Shiyue.
I don't know what movie Xu Shiyue was watching, but the scene was a bit old, with rain falling on it, and two girls in school uniforms walked by.
The greenish hue evoked a strong sense of summer, and the film's composition was quite impressive; Lu Shizhen was immediately drawn to it as soon as she sat down.
Seeing that Lu Shizhen's attention was drawn, Xu Shiyue suddenly asked, "Teacher Sixteen, you are very knowledgeable, do you know why Yuanzi is called Yuanzi?"
In fact, Lu Shizhen had thought about this question when she brought Yuanzi over, but at that time she was not familiar with Xu Shiyue and did not understand her very well, and she dared not pester her with her negative score.
Now, that barrier between them has long since disappeared, and they can ask each other questions.
Lu Shizhen shook her head frankly, then turned to Xu Shiyue and expressed her doubts: "Yes, why?"
The lush osmanthus leaves outside the window rustled in the night breeze.
Under the shade of the tree, Xu Shiyue slightly curved the corners of her lips and said gently to Lu Shizhen, "Because before you brought the glutinous rice balls, you asked me if I wanted to eat sweet fermented rice balls."
Lu Shizhen suddenly realized, but was also very surprised by Xu Shiyue's answer.
The name "Yuanzi" was chosen because of herself, an answer that Lu Shizhen could never have imagined, much less dared to imagine, at the time.
The seed that had been buried for so long seemed to be touched by the sweet rain that seeped into the soil, and took root and grew into a tree that no one can replace today.
They forgot each other, yet they never truly forgot each other.
Lu Shizhen felt Xu Shiyue's hand slowly climb up her wrist, and then Xu Shiyue deliberately pressed down on her waist and back.
Xu Shiyue's voice was warm and tender as she gently brushed against her earlobe: "So I want to eat it now, can I still eat it?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
