Chapter 38 (First Release)
The system, with its data in complete disarray, remains down.
Is this feeling what people often call dizziness or lightheadedness?
This is the first time I've experienced this; I never knew systems could have this…
Are these truly genuine human emotions?
But upon hearing its host's call, it still instinctively responds.
[Host, I'm here.]
However, out of consideration for the host's health, the system maintained a sliver of rationality and did not immediately agree to let the host eat unhealthy food at this time when the host was feeling unwell.
The host's health is really important! Just one all-nighter has caused this, the system deeply feels that the host's delicate human girl body needs to be properly cared for.
Because she received a response from the system, Ning Wanwan no longer showed any confusion about not being able to hear the system's voice.
She regained a little consciousness, but not much, and slowly called out again, "System..."
"Yes, I'm here." The system continued to respond patiently.
The sleepy-eyed girl paused for a while, as if deep in thought. She probably assumed the system's earlier silence stemmed from its exasperation with her insistence on eating other foods, despite all attempts to dissuade her.
For whatever reason, Ning Wanwan doesn't want to ruin her relationship with the system right now.
"I really want to eat this, I haven't had it in so long..." She covered herself with the soft blankets, pursed her lips, and because she didn't want to put in the effort, she spoke very softly, ending with five gentle words, "I want to eat it, okay?"
But to the system, it sounded like they were whispering to each other.
Whispering to me! My host is whispering to me! She's asking for my opinion!
There are only the two of us here! Oh no, I mean, one person ruling the whole place!
This counts as being cute, right? Absolutely!
How can a sleepy, half-asleep host be so adorable!
The system, whose data was constantly overheating and almost smoking, had no processing power to think about other issues. It was like being drunk and slurring its way out, saying "okay."
Okay, okay, you can eat whatever you want.
If the system weren't currently a virtual entity without money, it would have loved to rob a bank to buy its host whatever she wanted to eat—it would have bought her everything she desired!
Even a virtual existence isn't impossible; it might even make hacking into banking systems easier...
Just as the system's thoughts were getting increasingly irrational, a notification sound indicating a successful food delivery order pulled it back to the harsh reality.
System: [...] What dangerous things was I thinking just now!
A law-abiding person like the host would definitely not want a system with such severe punishments!
And what was my original purpose again? Now I've been completely swayed by the host!
Ning Wanwan's drowsy eyes cleared a little, and she sat up slightly, leaning against the pillow and tucking her phone into the blanket: "System, I've already placed the order, it can't be changed."
It's as if they're afraid it might change the order.
system:【……】
Alright, there's no other way. Since the host wants to eat it so much, then let's eat it.
Upon closer reflection, it's clear that the host overreacted. The host wasn't sick; it was just eating a strong-flavored food that humans enjoy.
Seeing that the system didn't speak again, Ning Wanwan breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't quite understand why the system cared about her so much, but since it was caring, she couldn't keep refusing it.
It would be best if the system allowed it by default.
Ning Wanwan dug her phone out of bed again, and while waiting for her takeout, she scrolled through the notifications on her phone and saw a message from Lin Ruowei.
Because Ning Wanwan had brought her phone to school before, she had silenced it, which meant she didn't see these messages and calls in time.
Ning Wanwan still vividly remembered Lin Ruowei's actions last night, in which she used her ignorance to belittle Shen Wu. She pursed her lips and slowly opened the message box.
Lin Ruowei: Why did you run off so late? And why didn't you come today?
Lin Ruowei: Did Zhao Rui go to see you?
Ning Wanwan only glanced at the first sentence, but when she saw the second sentence, her heart skipped a beat.
Zhao Rui came to see me? Really? Is he that free?!
He probably doesn't know his own address...
Ning Wanwan did not reply to Lin Ruowei. She exited the message box and found that there were several missed calls from unknown numbers that had not been saved in her contacts.
The original owner of this body did not have Zhao Rui's friend list or phone number, but Ning Wanwan had a premonition that these missed calls were from Zhao Rui.
Just then, the phone screen popped up, and that number called again.
Ning Wanwan really wanted to press the red reject button, but she was afraid that if he actually came to her door, it would be even more troublesome.
After hesitating for a few seconds, she finally pressed the green answer button.
Let's just deal with this for now...
On the other hand, Zhao Rui originally thought that after leaving the school, he would be able to find Ning Wanwan quickly with her address.
When they arrived, they discovered that there were quite a few apartment buildings in the area. When they asked the thugs who had come with them, they found that they had only bumped into Ning Wanwan by chance in the vicinity. They could confirm that she lived in this apartment complex, but they did not know which building or apartment she lived in.
They asked the gatekeeper, who, seeing the lazy male students loitering outside during class time, became wary upon hearing that the students were looking for a female classmate and resolutely refused to reveal a single word.
These unruly-looking boys are clearly not good students!
Luckily, one of his underlings had saved the original owner's phone number: "Brother Zhao, should we call and ask?"
Zhao Rui immediately dialed the number, but after several attempts, he only heard a busy signal and no one answered.
He was already getting impatient with the increasingly suspicious look in the doorman's eyes, and the inability to get through on the phone only made him more irritable.
Zhao Rui frowned at his underling, quite displeased: "Are you sure you've got this phone number right? Otherwise, why isn't the other end answering the phone?"
Feeling wronged by the doubts about his competence, the underling said, "...Brother Zhao, I guarantee you're absolutely right."
"Then why didn't she answer?" Zhao Rui frowned even more.
Younger brother: "..." Is it possible that the other person simply doesn't want to answer your call?
However, it is clear that Zhao Rui lacks self-awareness and persistently dials the number again.
He initially thought no one would answer again, but after a busy signal, just as he was about to hang up again, the call was suddenly connected.
Zhao Rui immediately withdrew his hand from the hang-up button. Hearing faint breathing sounds on the other end of the phone, he didn't speak first for some reason.
“…Zhao Rui,” came the hesitant voice from the other end of the phone.
"Ah." Zhao Rui's tone was casual, his voice slightly raised, "Ning Wanwan, you're quite bold, daring to avoid coming to school."
Ning Wanwan: "...I wasn't avoiding you."
Zhao Rui: "Really? Then come out here."
Ning Wanwan naturally refused: "...I'm not feeling well, I can't come out."
"You're trying to fool me," Zhao Rui wasn't so easily fooled.
He paused, chuckled, and said threateningly, "Tell me where you live. I need to see it with my own eyes, otherwise..."
Ning Wanwan really couldn't understand Zhao Rui. Sometimes she felt that this little villain was easy to fool, but other times he was very difficult to deal with.
She interrupted him softly, "I'm sorry, but I really need to rest."
Ning Wanwan paused for two seconds, knowing that this was not enough to get by, so she lied again and added, "Besides, I'm not home right now, I'm at the hospital buying medicine."
"You're in the hospital?" Zhao Rui's expression turned slightly serious, half-believing and half-doubting. "Which hospital? I'm coming over now."
Ning Wanwan: "No need, really... I'm going back to school tomorrow. We can talk about it then, okay?"
Zhao Rui's tone turned serious, and his expression became strange: "You mean, you want me to wait for you at school?"
Ning Wanwan, unable to see his expression on the phone, hesitated for a moment before replying, "...Uh, more or less?"
The underlings standing nearby thought, "..." Oh no, Brother Zhao hates it when people make him wait. He's the one who causes trouble for others, not the other way around.
Previously, aside from Lin Ruowei, who else could make Zhao Rui say "wait and wait"?
Brother Zhao will definitely give him a good scolding...
"Okay." Zhao Rui clicked his tongue, looking rather impatient, and said to the person on the other end of the phone.
As soon as he finished speaking, the other end of the phone quickly hung up, as if afraid he would say another word.
Zhao Rui: "..."
The underlings: "...Brother Zhao, aren't you angry at all?"
"What's there to be angry about?" Zhao Rui glanced at them, puzzled. "Didn't she say she'd be at school tomorrow?"
It's just one day; it's not like he can't wait.
The underlings: "..." That's what you say, but you're not usually like this!
"Alright, what are you still standing here for? Let's go back to school." Zhao Rui waved his hand, actually giving up and no longer insisting on finding Ning Wanwan's place, and turned to walk towards the school.
When the boss gave the order, the underlings quickly followed and left.
Not long after Zhao Rui and his group left, Zhou Yanyao found the neighborhood.
Unaware that Zhao Rui and his group had already returned to school, he looked around but didn't see Zhao Rui, which made him even more nervous and anxious, fearing that Ning Wanwan had already come knocking on his door.
Noticing the security guard staring at him, Zhou Yanyao seized the opportunity and approached him enthusiastically: "Sir, do you know that Ning Wanwan lives in this community?"
The security guard looked at the young man, whose demeanor was noticeably more harmless than Zhao Rui's group from before: "You're looking for her? I can't give you specific information like which building and apartment the resident lives in."
Zhou Yanyao shook his head repeatedly: "It's okay, it's okay, you don't need to tell me this, you can just make a phone call and ask her."
This was much more considerate than the previous attempts to directly ask for her specific address. The security guard dialed the number, and Ning Wanwan answered shortly afterward.
"Hello?" A slightly puzzled girl's voice came from the other end of the phone.
Zhou Yanyao was a little nervous: "Wanwan, I'm Zhou Yanyao... Do you remember me?"
He was afraid the girl would say she didn't know him, because he would feel terrible if she said that on purpose or if she really didn't remember.
To his relief, Ning Wanwan didn't say, "I remember you... is there something you need?"
Although he was happy to finally be able to talk to the girl again, Zhou Yanyao still remembered the important matter and became serious: "Wanwan, I just heard that Zhao Rui is coming to cause you trouble. Are you alright?"
The boy's voice was slightly strained, but the concern in his words was almost overflowing. Ning Wanwan could clearly feel this undisguised sincerity even over the phone.
Comparing her previous attitude towards him, Ning Wanwan felt a bit conflicted.
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 16:41:49 on December 23, 2023 and 17:13:00 on December 24, 2023!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Xing Shi (3 bottles); Si Shui Liu Nian and Qian (1 bottle each);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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