The winter sun always carries a gentle warmth, hanging brightly in the sky, its round shape imprinted on the gray sky, functioning as simply as a giant light bulb that never gets hot.
After several heavy snowfalls, the temperature in S City dropped to below zero, and every natural river was completely frozen.
Behind Lu Shizhen was the sound of cars speeding across the bridge, and her view was filled with the laughter of children skating.
The sharp ice skates carved lines into the ice, their movements fluid yet not clumsy.
Pain seems to lose its terror in the face of children, and the thick ice surface supports every brave child.
Lu Shizhen stood on the bridge for a long time, watching a little girl go from being too timid to take the first step to skillfully controlling her ice skates with the encouragement of another little girl. Her eyes, hidden under her hat brim, curved into smiles.
"Host, where are we going next? This world is quite big." Qiuqiu hid in Lu Shizhen's hoodie collar, the cold air making her wings flutter less nimbly than before.
Lu Shizhen gripped the only gold coin in her pocket and sighed, letting out a puff of white mist: "I don't know either."
Last night, in order to find accommodation, Lu Shizhen exchanged one of her gold coins for the currency of this world.
The small hotel had poor soundproofing, and Lu Shizhen's already confused mind was completely turned into a mess. As for what to do next, she really couldn't think of an answer.
I've been waiting all day, and the task balance points in the main system still haven't been displayed.
Lu Shizhen didn't know how long she could survive on the remaining gold coin, or when she would be able to complete the points accumulation. She had indeed completed the mission and embraced a new body, but apart from that, she had gained nothing. Like an ordinary person, she was even worse off starting from scratch.
As she landed, the cold wind ruffled her hair, which reached her jawline. She suddenly remembered what her best friend had told her before.
Company bosses love to make grand promises. Before you join, they exaggerate your future benefits, but once you're there, you realize it's all just empty talk.
Lu Shizhen felt like a pitiful new employee who had been tricked into joining the company by an unscrupulous boss.
The transmigration novels she read were actually corporate stories fabricated by the unscrupulous boss, the Main God, to deceive them into joining the company!
Feeling wronged, confused...
A mix of emotions surged through Lu Shizhen's mind, causing her to angrily slam her fist against the cold bridge railing: "This damn God, what a rip-off!"
The sturdy railings, stained with cold rust, clearly created a situation where Lu Shizhen suffered heavy losses on both sides, even at the cost of inflicting a thousand casualties on the enemy.
Before Lu Shizhen could even feel the pain from her fist, a cold wind blew by, and she suddenly heard an electric shock in her ear.
"Points statistics loading complete. Congratulations to the host for the successful completion of the mission. Mission assessment successful. Level: S+. Mission taker: Lu Shizhen. Current points: 23,587,9 ...
The complex and repetitive traditional Chinese numerals, gleaming with a blue light, resembled an ancient secret.
She watched as the numbers in her scoreboard skyrocketed. The rectangular white box couldn't hold all those numbers at once, and it seemed as if they were being crammed into a small box.
Tightly packed, leaving no gaps.
Just like Lu Shizhen's bewildered mind at this moment.
"Host... two hundred billion points?! My God!!" Qiuqiu flapped its wings and flew out of Lu Shizhen's arms in an instant. Whether it was from excitement or from being cold outside, it could hardly speak properly.
It was like a huge surprise had suddenly fallen on someone's head, a mix of delight and bewildered pain. The points she had accumulated so far, even considering the system's inflated system shop, were enough to redeem all the items in the entire system shop twice over.
Lu Shizhen didn't know why her settlement had suddenly succeeded, nor did she know how she had obtained so many task points.
Does complaining about the system actually help?
"This is completely beyond my expectations!" Qiuqiu exclaimed in bewilderment. "To be honest, host, I made a prediction based on the points Xu Shiyue gave you. In the best-case scenario, we could only get 20 million points. This is completely beyond my expectations!"
"Then where do these scores come from?" Lu Shizhen was even more puzzled and tried to open the history of the points system.
Without warning, the monotonous "999" exploded onto her and Qiuqiu's screen.
In an instant, the entire points system screen was filled with the number "9". Not only were there countless numbers, but Lu Shizhen almost didn't recognize the Arabic numeral anymore.
"Is there a system bug?" Lu Shizhen opened her mouth, but it took her a while to finally ask the question.
Qiuqiu hesitated, then shook her head and said, "I don't know..."
This was the first time Qiuqiu had questions about the main system, and its tail was shaped like a question mark in distress.
It quickly gave Lu Shizhen a few brief instructions and then plunged into the system to investigate.
The winter wind carried the crisp laughter from the ice to Lu Shizhen's ears, but her gaze no longer fell on the children.
The girl's eyes were lowered as she silently looked at the only gold coin in her hand. The sunlight slanted across the brim of her hat and fell on her eyes, as if something was burning within them, flickering weakly yet tenaciously.
If these sudden surges in scores aren't a bug in the points system...
Could it be because...?
she.
A cold wind blew from behind, ruffling the girl's bangs. Amidst the swirling hair, Lu Shizhen carefully uttered a single word.
Pure white mist drifted slowly into the air with each breath, and the ice surface, reflecting the sunlight, transformed into the flickering lamps of last night.
The bustling crowd moved slowly, and Lu Shizhen stood in a corner where no one paid attention, her hood pulled up.
Not far away, Xu Shiyue grabbed a passerby whose figure was extremely similar to hers.
The lights blurred her vision, as if trying to push the person she was targeting into the crowd.
However, Lu Shizhen kept her gaze fixed on Xu Shiyue, and in the bizarre and dazzling lights around her, she saw the man's eyes suddenly light up.
It felt like the joy of something lost and then found again.
But she was standing far away from her.
Her surprise was destined to be in vain.
There were no roads; the bustling crowds and swaying lights blended together, like a river blocking all of Lu Shizhen's paths.
She could only stand far away in the shadows, out of sight of anyone, watching Xu Shiyue's joy and her disappointment.
Seeing Shen Yanxing rush over to help her out of the predicament and apologize.
Just like in the original text, whenever Xu Shiyue encountered some unexpected bug, Shen Yanxing would always appear.
The small section that had been stagnant in the flow of people quickly resumed its flow with the arrival of Shen Yanxing.
Lu Shizhen couldn't hear what she said to Xu Shiyue, just a few brief words, before she saw Xu Shiyue being helped into the car.
The loose cotton-padded coats were folded together, and the familiar way they were used was almost identical to when he used to support the blind Xu Shiyue.
The snow hanging from the branches was shaken off to the ground by the sudden night wind, and the snow that had accumulated on the ground was covered with fresh snow.
Lu Shizhen suddenly felt a tightness in her chest, and a flood of emotions welled up inside her.
What she knew and what she didn't know came crashing down on her like the night itself, threatening to devour her.
Lu Shizhen didn't understand what was wrong with her chaotic emotions. When she came to her senses, she heard a very clear sound of a door closing in the noisy environment.
The person she had just spotted in the crowd had completely disappeared into the crowd.
Qiuqiu has never been able to figure out the reason for the sudden surge in points at the same time.
However, Qiuqiu felt that since the main system had approved it, these points were real and usable, and encouraged Lu Shizhen to confidently plan her future.
But Lu Shizhen didn't seem to be that promising.
She redeemed her points for a considerable sum of money and used it to catch up on sleep at a five-star hotel.
—Rather than planning her future, she needs a clear head right now.
Even with such a simple idea, Lu Shizhen failed to achieve it.
She didn't sleep well that night; she dreamt again of her childhood, and that extremely simple sterile ward once again locked her inside.
The empty room was spotless, including the wheelchair that sat diagonally in the center of the room, unused by anyone.
Lu Shizhen stared blankly at the wheelchair she knew all too well, and then she faintly heard the sound of crying.
She followed the sound and saw her as a child, curled up in the gap between the bed and the wall.
She wasn't wearing shoes, and her feet were on the cold floor, her skin, which had never seen the sun, flushed a light pink.
Her hair, which she usually takes great care to comb every day, was suddenly left loose, messy, and unsightly.
The crying sound came from her throat, and it sounded like she was really, really sad. Her long hair, which was covering her face, was covered with tears.
Lu Shizhen stood opposite him, her eyes filled with confusion.
She never remembered ever being so heartbroken, and she didn't know why she was crying so hard.
Is it because another child who had just fallen ill has passed away?
Or is it because my leg is not getting better?
...
Lu Shizhen thought to herself, none of the countless possible answers could convince her.
Because she also felt that sadness from herself.
It was as if she could no longer find something she cherished dearly, and tears uncontrollably streamed down her bewildered face.
A helpless sadness welled up from every crevice of her body, and an almost frantic resentment was like a beast constantly assaulting her body. Each tremor shook off a piece of bone filled with despair. She wanted to vent, but had nowhere to vent.
Even my chest started to ache.
Lu Shizhen subconsciously raised her hand and tightly gripped her heart. Through her teary eyes, the door that had appeared out of nowhere slowly opened.
The pitch-black corridor was like a black hole, stretching endlessly toward Lu Shizhen, as if trying to drag her in, into this dark, hopeless, and deathly silence.
"!"
A heavy breath suddenly rushed into Lu Shizhen's throat, and the person who was just sleeping suddenly opened her eyes.
But the darkness that threatened to engulf her in her dreams still surrounded her, so dark that she couldn't see anything...
"Hmm... Host, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"
The slowly rising light in her vision completely dispelled Lu Shizhen's lingering fear. Qiuqiu, who had been accidentally knocked off the bed by Lu Shizhen's earlier movements, wobbled and flew up.
Before it could even figure out what had just happened, it kept glancing at Lu Shizhen's water surface monitoring data and said, "My system shows that your sleep quality is poor..."
Lu Shizhen's tense eyes turned into a look of realization.
She finally realized that she was in reality, not in that vivid and terrifying dream.
A soft sigh echoed in the quiet suite. Lu Shizhen brushed her hair aside, her fingers damp with a light sheen of sweat: "Just a little bit, but she woke up immediately. She's fine."
"Oh." Qiuqiu nodded and floated in front of Lu Shizhen. "Host, now that you're awake, can we...?"
I don't know when it started, but Qiuqiu also learned to behave like humans, expressing her intentions very subtly.
But its stomach, just like its host's, showed no mercy; before the words were even finished, it rumbled, "Gurgle~"
Lu Shizhen was extremely surprised: "Can bionic electronic products get hungry?"
Qiuqiu was quite embarrassed and covered her stomach with her tail: "Our system evolves based on the data we input."
"So you learned to feel hungry because you ate too much?" Lu Shizhen laughed mercilessly.
She suddenly found this artificial intelligence somewhat interesting, and her previously low mood improved considerably.
Although it was getting dark, it wasn't yet the dead of night.
It should be said that this time of year is the liveliest part of winter nights in S City.
Lu Shizhen quickly changed her clothes, and while zipping up her cotton-padded jacket, she walked out and said, "When I went to the mall to exchange money yesterday, I saw an item that can make the system mimic human form. I think we can get one so you can turn into a cat or dog. That way, I won't have to sneak around when I give you food."
Qiuqiu was very excited when she heard Lu Shizhen's ideas for changing her, and nodded repeatedly: "Okay, okay!"
The future is like a vast and weighty scroll, slowly unfolding at an imperceptible pace before people even begin to plan.
With this plan in mind, one person unified everything, and soon they arrived at the largest night market in S City.
Lu Shizhen hadn't eaten all day, and with Qiuqiu's bottomless system, she was completely overwhelmed. With her eyes wide with curiosity, she ordered two adult male portions of food at a roadside stall that sold everything.
The proprietress prepared two large trays of food and came out to call out numbers, only to see a tall but thin young girl appear in front of her, her tired eyes wide open.
Lu Shizhen also realized that she had bought too much stuff, and smiled apologetically.
Then, under the surprised gaze of the proprietress, she carried two large plates of food and a large plastic bag that the proprietress had thoughtfully stuffed into her hand, and found a secluded seat to sit down and eat.
As if afraid of scaring the proprietress, in addition to the fried skewers and snail rice noodles from the food stall, Lu Shizhen secretly placed the wheel cakes, roasted sweet potato noodles and pan-fried buns she had bought along the way onto the table.
The two exchanged glances and rolled up their sleeves to enjoy the vibrant night market food.
Lu Shizhen took a bite of the pan-fried bun: "It feels so good."
Qiuqiu nodded in agreement: "It would be even more fun if there were some gossip to hear."
Before Qiuqiu could even realize her wish, a man's voice rang out from nearby: "Big news! Huge news!"
Lu Shizhen wasn't one to eavesdrop on other people's conversations, but she found it too coincidental and couldn't help but turn her head to look in the direction of the sound.
She saw a lean man wrapped in a long black down jacket walk through various benches and sit down at the table next to her.
The two men opposite him seemed to be waiting for him. They tapped their watches with a hint of disdain: "What big news is more important than our brothers' gathering, Brother Yang? You're already half an hour late."
"I'm telling you this will definitely make up for me being late." The man said mysteriously, yet with unwavering certainty.
The man with dyed yellow hair didn't believe it: "What? Don't be like last time, where you said nothing at all."
The man chuckled upon seeing this, tossed his hat onto the table, and said, "Xu Shiyue scattered the ashes of a deceased person in our funeral home!"
"What?!"
They almost unanimously agreed.
Lu Shizhen and Qiuqiu both called out in their hearts the blond-haired man and the man with the watch.
The man didn't notice the reaction of the person at the next table. Pointing at his brother's expression, he mocked mercilessly, "Your expression is just like my colleague's."
He was quite pleased with the effect his words had on the two of them. As he sat down, he gestured with his hands and said, "Hey, that box of ashes, wow, it's so big, it's old Shen's. She rushed over, picked it up, and scattered it. She scattered it so cleanly and beautifully."
"You can't say how crazy her behavior was, but her eyes were absolutely ruthless. Your mom scared me half to death, damn it."
The man spoke vividly, and his rough language did nothing to hinder people from imagining the scene.
His use of interjections even vividly portrayed the insane and morbid scene.
"Wow, how much hatred must she have felt to scatter her ashes?" the blond-haired man exclaimed in astonishment. The man with the watch asked, "Didn't her family get angry with her?"
"What's the use of being anxious?" The man waved his hand dismissively. "You know, Xu Shiyue didn't want to give the remains to the family at first. My Juanzi was out driving that day, and she was stuck in the snow for three hours."
"Juanzi said that the two sides almost came to blows. There was a large group of people standing in the snow in the freezing cold. They were all tall, strong and fierce-looking. Juanzi was so scared that she hid in the car. She was afraid that bullets would fly over like in the movie."
It must be said that this man is indeed a master storyteller; he scared the men listening to his story in just a few words.
The blond-haired man shuddered and couldn't help but sigh, "What kind of deep-seated hatred is this? To grind someone to dust! Is there even a grave? Sigh... So, do you still get a commission on this deal?"
"What a load of crap." It was unclear which question he was answering, but the man slammed the cigarette he was holding onto the table. "This deal is now in this little wench's hands, damn it."
A spark from the tobacco stick bounced a few times on the table before being extinguished by the man's spittle.
As Lu Shizhen listened to the man talking to his friend, she suddenly felt her throat become unusually dry and awkwardly rolled her eyes.
She was reduced to ashes by Xu Shiyue...
Moreover, there isn't even a grave...
Lu Shizhen slowly took the pan-fried bun she was about to put in her mouth away.
The wonderful aroma of the food wafted warmly in the winter night market on the night breeze, and the dish she had just eaten five of suddenly didn't taste so good anymore.
Lu Shizhen felt the terror of her life being threatened.
But amidst this grotesque terror, she also felt as if a part of her heart had been twisted.
It was a very forceful blow.
They used so much force that they ripped off her most vulnerable spot, and then discarded it like trash.
Just like in the original story, she was reduced to ashes by Xu Shiyue.
Even though that body was just another version of her created by Qiuqiu and the main system using data.
I can't quite describe what this feeling is like.
Fear and disappointment intertwined, like a heavy lead ball sinking into Lu Shizhen's ankle.
She was submerged in the water and couldn't swim.
What was the purpose of Xu Shiyue's relentless pursuit last night?
Was he just trying to find out if he was really dead?
Overnight, the world seemed to have turned upside down.
She was not cherished by Xu Shiyue.
She thought they were already good friends because they spent so much time together, but why...?
Since we're not friends,
So what kind of relationship is it, where they spend every day together?
"Do you think this family will be the next one to suffer?"
“I think even if it weren’t for this incident, Xu Shiyue would definitely deal with this family. Just you wait.”
"What do you know from what you're saying?"
"I heard that when Xu Shiyue's family was destroyed, she stayed at the home of a 'friend' with whom she had a close personal relationship, but I also heard that this 'friend' has been coveting her for a long time..."
"Tsk tsk, two women."
...
As Lu Shizhen was thinking, the voices at the next table suddenly grew louder.
The gossip, based on hearsay and rumors, couldn't hide the scoundrels' filthy thoughts, and they started discussing it with great relish again.
"Hey, now that you mention it, I remember. People say Xu Shiyue has an angelic face but a scorpion's heart." The blond-haired man said, glancing at the man beside him with a lewd expression. "Brother Yang, is she pretty? Is she big?"
The man almost instinctively understood what the blond guy meant. He waved his hand dismissively and said, "What's so big about it? It's just a flat board. Juanzi is much more fun."
However, this disdain didn't last long on the man's face. Then, his eyes revealed a lewdness even greater than that of the blond-haired man: "But you didn't see her crying. Her eyes were all red and swollen, like she'd been tortured. She looked so pitiful, I even wanted to..."
The man's fantasies ran wild, but before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the sound of his head hitting the table: "Thump!"
Before Qiuqiu could react, Lu Shizhen, who had been sitting in front of her, suddenly disappeared.
The night was deep, and with a cold expression, she grabbed the man by the neck and slammed his head against the table without hesitation, using the most decisive physical method to cut him off.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
