"I'll ask you one last time, is there really no change to the script?"
Yu Ning's tone was casual, but it seemed to contain other meanings.
The system repeated its previous statement: "Yes, host."
The girl frowned slightly.
Something's not right, something's still not right.
Both Xie Jingcheng and Yu Ci are acting very strangely.
Especially Yu Ci, I always felt that he wasn't as simple as he seemed on the surface.
She trusted her intuition.
Yu Ning frowned slightly, didn't ask any more questions, and said in a somewhat nonchalant tone, "I understand."
She raised her hand to look at her watch, then turned and walked towards the back of the mountain, no longer paying attention to Yu Ci, who was still feeding squirrels in the pavilion.
"Host, where are you going?"
The system spoke in a stern voice, enunciating each word clearly.
“Yu Ci is right there; you should go there now.”
Yu Ning walked back the way she came, and even when she heard the system's dissatisfaction, she remained unfazed and replied calmly, "I'm in a hurry."
The unpleasant, mechanical voice, as always, conveyed a clear sense of dissatisfaction: "Is there anything more important than maintaining the plot?"
At this point, even the system itself was unaware that it was becoming increasingly susceptible to being emotionally stirred by Yu Ning's casual remark, a stark contrast to its indifference and numbness on the day it was first bound to her.
Yu Ning remained noncommittal, lazily swatting away a mosquito: "A technological product like you, which doesn't need to eat, drink, or relieve itself, of course wouldn't understand the hardships of ordinary people."
"How come I didn't know? I'm also going to take on a mission..."
The system's rebuttal came to an abrupt halt, as if a second of rationality had cut off its words.
Yu Ning acted as if she hadn't heard and continued on her way.
The system's anxiety subsided quietly.
When they reached the foot of the teaching building, a group of people walked arm in arm, and as they passed by Yu Ning, a few words drifted into her ears.
"No. 11 Middle School", "Challenge", "Avenge the defeat"...
Yu Ning paused for a moment, then walked away as if she hadn't heard anything.
In contrast, the system was much more excited: "Host, Yingchuan and No. 11 Middle School have arranged a fight. The male lead, as the school bully, will definitely be there. This is a great opportunity to advance the plot."
In the original story, the female protagonist was unwittingly drawn into a fight between Yingchuan and another school because of some unlucky guy, which was an important turning point in the rapid development of the relationship between the male and female protagonists.
It still hadn't given up on the idea of making Yu Ning bleed a little in order to "attract" the male protagonist. At this moment, it was like a hyena smelling carrion, its whole body tainted with the aura of greed.
"Host, my suggestion is absolutely correct. You just need to take the opportunity to get a minor injury... Wait, where are you going? Aren't you going with them?"
It went on and on with a long, drawn-out explanation, but Yu Ning simply replied with five words: "I already said, I don't have time."
The system felt a lump in its throat; if it had a fist, it would have clenched it tightly.
It really couldn't figure out what this host was thinking. This didn't fit its expectations, and she was far less obedient than the previous hosts it had mentored.
If you say she's giving up, she'll still try to get close to the male lead and the second male lead as instructed; but if you say she's proactive, she only moves when you nudge her, and often doesn't move at all!
She could always detach herself quickly once she made a move, leaving no trace of emotion. In the days since returning to school, she had only spoken with Xie Jingcheng and Yu Ci once each, and even chance encounters were few and far between.
This shouldn't be happening!
It chose her because of her intense resentment before her death, because it saw the burgeoning ambition in her soul, which had been wasted in worldly affairs.
Yu Ning's unpredictable attitude was driving the system to the brink of a mental breakdown. Its anger was rising, and its voice was icy cold: "You have been missing for nearly three months. What I asked you to do were all important plot points that were missing from the original work!"
The mechanical voice in her mind suddenly became sharp and piercing, and a strong sense of foreignness surged in Yu Ning's brain, making her temples throb. Her drooping fingers twitched almost imperceptibly, but her expression remained unchanged.
She is still walking her own path.
"You know perfectly well that your mission is to fill in the gaps and maintain the storyline within the allotted time. If you fail, it won't just be you—"
The system, overwhelmed by anger, stopped in time, but—
"Not only will I be eliminated, but you will also be severely punished for failing the mission you accepted, and your strength will be greatly damaged, right?"
Yu Ning smiled and continued the system's unfinished sentence.
"Let me guess, taking on missions... is it like being a mercenary?"
The system was completely stunned, its unchanging tone suddenly stuttering: "You, you..."
Yu Ning let out a soft "Ah," and then said thoughtfully, "So you still have your own consciousness, or are you just wearing an artificial intelligence shell?"
That would create an opportunity for negotiation.
"...Have you been trying to trick me into revealing information?"
The system, terrified, fell silent as soon as it uttered its words. A chilling sensation, like an onion being peeled back layer by layer, surged through its host, and Yu Ning's past gradually came to light.
The system was shocked and realized the situation belatedly.
It turns out that Yu Ning had been probing its background all along.
Yu Ning, who had been walking, finally stopped and raised her hand to rub her aching temples. Her voice was soft and gentle, like a spring breeze: "How could that be? It's just a guess."
The system didn't believe a single word.
It suddenly realized that it had overlooked a fundamental truth.
Ambitious people are often difficult to control.
Yu Ning... can no longer be manipulated by it at will.
After a long silence, the system slowly spoke:
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