Chapter 8
The mission required her to injure Mi Rui'an.
The cannon fodder Alpha didn't see her roommate very often; according to the script, their occasional encounters were usually during their commute. But now that Wei Jiangxue had arrived and changed her job to a live streamer, it became even more difficult for her to run into Mi Rui'an.
[System 233: Actually, this isn't bad. Usually, when you encounter the protagonist, the small world might suddenly issue random missions, which of course come with extra rewards. You can decide for yourself whether to do them, but the difficulty varies. Some hosts might take a risk, while others choose to play it safe. Just be careful and don't mess things up.]
Wei Jiangxue was a little curious about the random tasks it mentioned, but considering that she might not be able to complete the main quests 100% of the time, she decided to temporarily give up the idea of wandering around in front of Mi Rui'an.
"I'll think about whether or not to do random missions when I'm more capable."
Wei Jiangxue quickly figured it out. The cannon fodder Alpha was expected to be offline in six months. Once she got through those six months, she could return to her family. 233 said that if she was interested, she could continue working for the Transmigration Bureau. It had all the worldly treasures that Wei Jiangxue could imagine. As long as she completed the missions, there was no material reward she couldn't get.
The actual mission was simpler than Wei Jiangxue had imagined, but the rewards promised by the system and the Transmigration Bureau were so generous that she couldn't help but begin to doubt the true difficulty of the mission. Perhaps the system was lying? Did the protagonist, Mi Rui'an, harbor even more secrets, and would the subsequent missions become increasingly difficult?
System 233 seemed enthusiastic and sincere, but Wei Jiangxue never dared to truly trust it or the Transmigration Bureau.
Her impoverished life had made Wei Jiangxue accustomed to planning ahead. She felt that if the system was something she had imagined, or something designed to deceive her, then she had to face the new world and new life that she could not observe with her own eyes.
So, while the system was still active, Wei Jiangxue asked it if she could experience the outside world on her own, explaining that she could prepare in advance should she have to go out to do missions later.
233 thought for a moment and decided it was feasible. It also didn't want Wei Jiangxue to stay cooped up at home all the time; this blind human always seemed vulnerable, and going out for some fresh air would help her relax. It was said that humans who had experienced disasters were prone to PTSD, dwelling on past pain.
233 didn't want Wei Jiangxue to be left behind. Although she was blind, with the help of the Transmigration Bureau, she would recover sooner or later. In the meantime, what Wei Jiangxue needed to do was find the courage and enthusiasm to face life.
【How about we go to the supermarket today? There are lots of people there, and the sales staff can answer your questions promptly. I'll also keep an eye on you. You've been eating instant noodles for days and don't like takeout. You'll become malnourished if you keep going like this.】
Wei Jiangxue thought for a moment, resting her chin on her hand: "Okay, I can buy some other convenient foods, or vegetables and fruits that can be washed and eaten."
System 233 said with satisfaction: "That's a good idea. You tell me first, I'll make a list, and then I'll go shopping."
Just as she was about to leave, Wei Jiangxue bumped into Mi Rui'an, who had suddenly returned.
The usual rose scent suddenly became much sweeter today. Wei Jiangxue couldn't help but take a deep sniff, and there was also a bloody smell mixed in.
"You're injured," Wei Jiangxue said with certainty.
"When I came up, my hand hit the railing and a piece of skin was scraped off by the rust."
The actual situation was more serious than Mi Rui'an described. She had been slashed by the pickpocket who stole Wei Jiangxue's phone a few days ago. The thief had been dealt with, and the wound had been treated; she was actually fine. Mi Rui'an herself hadn't even smelled the blood, but Wei Jiangxue noticed her injury.
It's really strange that Omega and Alpha blood also contain pheromones. If it weren't for the presence of Wei Jiangxue in the rented apartment, and the fear that her pheromones would make the Alpha look bad, Mi Rui'an definitely wouldn't have risked going to the clinic for treatment.
But now, this treatment is completely useless, because the other party can smell it.
The fact that her pheromones had no effect on Wei Jiangxue was what Mi Rui'an cared about most.
Why? Her eyes probing, she stared at Wei Jiangxue's empty, lifeless eyes.
Wei Jiangxue couldn't see that Mi Ruian was looking her up and down. After receiving Mi Ruian's reply, she stopped and turned back into the living room.
Mi Rui'an followed her into the house, and seeing that she didn't come out, she simply closed the door.
Perhaps Wei Jiangxue didn't notice when she got dressed this morning, but she's still wearing Mi Rui'an's sweater.
The scent of roses lingered around her, and as Mi Rui'an inhaled the fragrance, the emotions in her eyes deepened.
Mi Rui'an had already seen on the surveillance footage that Wei Jiangxue had secretly returned the missing ring. As for the clothes, Wei Jiangxue was now in a difficult situation and probably planned to return them at a better time, but then she got busy and forgot about them.
Mi Rui'an leaned against the door, continuing to observe Wei Jiangxue. She saw Wei Jiangxue rummaging through the cabinets in the living room, and then taking out a first-aid kit.
The latter was unaware of Mi Rui'an's location, so he was talking to thin air again.
"Here's the first-aid kit. Take care of it yourself."
After completing her task, Wei Jiangxue got up, leaning on her white cane, and prepared to go out.
"Oh, you were looking for the first-aid kit. Thanks for your concern, but I've already bandaged it up." Even knowing she couldn't see, Mi Rui'an still waved her bandaged hand in front of Wei Jiangxue. "Where are you going?"
The straightforward question caught Wei Jiangxue off guard. They were just roommates; there was no need for them to report their whereabouts to each other.
But 233 spoke up: [Ask the protagonist if she's going. If she goes, you'll have an assistant to help carry things. I just saw it; her left hand is injured, but it's not serious. Her right hand is fine.]
233 is very shrewd. She even told Wei Jiangxue about Mi Rui'an's injuries. Anyway, the mission is to bully the protagonist, so this can count as some mission progress.
Besides, if Mi Rui'an goes too, she can take more videos and photos of the two of them!
Yes, why not take advantage of a good deal? Wei Jiangxue was completely unaware of 233's little schemes.
But they shared the same goal. Thinking that they could increase their mission score, Wei Jiangxue said to Mi Rui'an, "I'm planning to go to the supermarket to buy some things. Do you want to come along? If your injury isn't too serious."
“Okay.” Mi Rui’an readily agreed, and even voiced Wei Jiangxue’s thoughts, “I can also help you carry things, so you can just focus on walking.”
*
In the supermarket, Wei Jiangxue tugged at Mi Rui'an's clothes, her head bowed as she pondered how she had been persuaded to put down her white cane and follow closely behind Mi Rui'an.
"Careful, there are people around. Don't let go of me." Mi Rui'an turned around, grabbed Wei Jiangxue's hand, and pulled her closer to herself, avoiding the shopping cart being pushed on the other side.
"Mommy, why is that lady wearing sunglasses indoors?" The little girl sitting in the shopping cart was very excited and wanted to tell her mother about everything she saw.
Under Mi Rui'an's watchful gaze, the adult covered the little girl's mouth, but finding it difficult to explain the existence of blind people to a child of such a young age, he could only bluff, "Shh, maybe it's just that your older sister likes sunglasses. Don't you always insist on wearing a bow when you go out?"
Mi Rui'an noticed her clothes being tugged, and turned around to see Wei Jiangxue's long eyelashes flutter, her eyes unfocused: "Is it strange to wear sunglasses indoors?"
“It’s not surprising. That child was too young. You look beautiful even in sunglasses.” Mi Rui’an was telling the truth. If Wei Jiangxue’s face hadn’t been so eye-catching, the child would probably have been more attracted to the snacks on the shelf.
Wei Jiangxue smiled, her cheeks flushing. Feeling embarrassed, she changed the subject: "I'm looking for oatmeal and yogurt. Where are they?"
"Follow me." Mi Rui'an walked slowly, glancing back every now and then to make sure Wei Jiangxue hadn't lost her.
Wei Jiangxue was intently clutching Mi Rui'an's clothes, chatting idly with System 233 in her mind.
Suddenly, the mission notification sounded—
[System 233: Random mission, deliberately bump into the protagonist's injured arm...]
[Quest Reward - Half a Day of Light.]
Wei Jiangxue froze. Mi Rui'an, who was in front of her, noticed that she had let go of her hand again. She turned around and said patiently, "This time, hold my hand instead. Don't run around."
But Wei Jiangxue had no interest in listening to what Mi Rui'an was saying; she was eagerly checking with System 233 to confirm the mission reward.
"Having half a day of light".
What does that mean? Wei Jiangxue's brain has gone blank. Does that mean she can see the world again? But there's a time limit; she only has half a day.
"Yes." 233 affirmed her interpretation. "I highly recommend the host do this; the reward for this task is extremely rare."
Wei Jiangxue hesitated.
The random mission required her to harm Miri'an, even if it was just by bumping into her injured arm. But no matter how you look at it, it was still inappropriate.
In the past, minor squabbles, verbal sparring, and stealing a few things were still within Wei Jiangxue's acceptable range.
However, Wei Jiangxue is somewhat unable to commit such acts that directly harm people.
233 understood her inner conflict: "If you don't want to do it, that's okay. The task and reward will automatically disappear after 24 hours and refresh next time. You don't need to worry about encountering the same task again."
Wei Jiangxue nodded: "I won't do it..."
"Not doing anything? Don't you want to hold my hand?" Mi Rui'an's voice rang out as she grasped Wei Jiangxue's hand.
“No, it’s not…” Wei Jiangxue was startled.
“So you want to hold my hand.” Mi Rui’an gently shook her hand. “Don’t let go this time, or it will be hard to find you if you get lost.”
Wei Jiangxue was confused and didn't understand the current situation. She hadn't intended to hold hands with Mi Rui'an either.
But saying it now would most likely only make both of them feel awkward, so Wei Jiangxue silently swallowed her words of refusal.
The undeniable warmth emanating from Mi Rui'an's hand warmed Wei Jiangxue's icy hands, making her heart feel warm too.
As she listened to the other person gently ask which type of oatmeal she wanted, Wei Jiangxue felt inwardly relieved—
Fortunately, she didn't choose to complete that task.
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