Chapter 34 Online Dating 1
The subordinate's worried expression suddenly froze, and the emotion that had been lingering in his heart evaporated instantly.
She then realized that she had only briefly met Lu Xuejin once, yet she had genuinely believed, disregarding evidence and suspicion, that Lu Xuejin was an innocent person caught up in a power struggle!
The attraction came too quickly, it was too strange!
With a thousand thoughts swirling in her mind, she heard Deng Ning say meaningfully, "Lu Xuejin never goes into the kitchen. That day wasn't Valentine's Day or an anniversary, so why did she suddenly have the idea to give Chenmo a surprise? Does he really know nothing about it?"
“…Indeed, it was my oversight.” The colleague frowned. “Something’s not right with him. I inexplicably developed a liking for him and trusted him like I was under a spell. I have to be careful.”
Deng Ning: "Born to be lovable? His appearance is indeed outstanding and gentle, but..."
The members of the secret organization have all undergone rigorous training and assessment, and those selected to serve as his subordinates in this mission are among the best of the best. They should not be easily swayed by Lu Xuejin.
Could there be another hidden story behind this?
Deng Ning raised an eyebrow.
...
On the other side, Shen Yuncheng embraced Lu Xuejin and saw her off to her car.
Seeing the young man leaning weakly against the car door, seemingly lost in thought, Shen Yuncheng took his hand and gently patted it, showing concern and comfort.
"...They said your older brother was murdered." Lu Xuejin gripped his hand tightly, her lake-blue eyes, like a clear sky after a wash, reflecting Shen Yuncheng's worried expression. "Your older brother..."
Shen Yuncheng sighed heavily: "Brother Lu, you've been fooled, and so have I. I thought Deng Ning was just a spoiled brat who came to the countryside to broaden his horizons, but I never expected he came with orders from the capital."
“You know, the relationship between the capital and us has always been delicate. That emperor is wary of the Shen family’s control over the border, yet he has no choice but to rely on them. How can a tiger sleep soundly beside one’s bed? Before, when my elder brother was still here, no one dared to act recklessly, but now that he’s gone,” Shen Yuncheng suddenly sneered, “those with ulterior motives are all itching to make a move. Deng Ning’s arrival so quickly clearly shows that the emperor has been keeping an eye on us.”
"Deng Ning approached you, Brother Lu, and slandered you, all in an attempt to strip you of your inheritance rights and seize the assets left by your elder brother! This is all a conspiracy by the capital!"
His story was very similar to Deng Ning's, except that both accused the other of plotting to seize the family business. Lu Xuejin blinked in realization, unsure of who to believe.
"Brother Lu, don't worry, I'm here for you. I will protect the Shen family, and protect...you." Shen Yuncheng said earnestly, his face showing no sign of falsehood.
Lu Xuejin refused his company and returned home alone.
He called out to Dongyao in his mind, but received no reply for a long time. Just when he thought the system was being repaired, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang out.
[Upon receiving a report, user ID 00010 has been stripped of their system privileges by the main system for repeatedly interfering with the task progress of their system-bound user and providing cheating methods on multiple occasions. I am now in charge of 'Dongyao'.]
【Host Lu Xuejin, hello.】
Lu Xuejin was extremely surprised: "...What about Xiaoyao?"
[Item 00010 is currently undergoing punishment. After the punishment concludes, the main system plans to re-educate the user.]
“Punish me if you want. I asked Xiao Yao to help me cheat. It doesn’t understand anything and only knows how to obey its host’s orders,” Lu Xuejin said anxiously.
The investigation results are clear enough that there was no wrongful penalty.
Will Xiao Yao come back?
[Once the training is completed and the assessment is passed, the main system will make other arrangements for user number 00010.]
Lu Xuejin lowered her eyes, her face filled with sorrow: "It's all my fault, Xiao Yao..."
If that little hole were still there, it would jump out right now, sending him all sorts of cute emoticons to comfort him. Unfortunately, Master Tong is gone, and the current Master Tong is a cold-hearted guy.
Instead of offering comfort, it coldly warned: "I hope you learn from this lesson and don't repeat it. I won't help you with the tasks you did with number 00010."
The hole revealed the shape of a metal sphere. Unlike Xiao Yao's round and cute appearance, its metal sphere was cold in color, and a huge eye was opened on it, staring stiffly at Lu Xuejin, looking extremely terrifying.
Lu Xuejin looked away: "Alright. From now on, I'll call you Dongyao. ...Xiaoyao is a name that belongs exclusively to it."
He chatted with the newly minted caveman about the interrogation he had just experienced, saying, "They accused each other of having ulterior motives and plotting something. Everyone's story sounded plausible. I'm confused."
"Silence... How exactly did he die? Looking back now, it all happened so fast, it's full of mysteries."
Lu Xuejin hugged a cushion, sank into the sofa, rested her chin on the soft pillow, and frowned, saying, "As a system, can you detect his true cause of death?"
Dong Yao said, "I only bound myself to the host during the funeral; I don't have any data from before that."
"Aren't you curious about my husband's death?" Lu Xuejin suddenly asked.
[That's unrelated to the system task. The most urgent matter is for the host to awaken the silent soul fragment as soon as possible; only then is there a possibility of bringing him back to life.]
Lu Xuejin suddenly smiled: "Yes, that's the most important thing."
He said lazily, "How boring. Let's move on to the next world."
...
The sun was blazing in City C.
At the side entrance of a large supermarket, a worn-out truck was blocking the entrance. Upon seeing this, Yuan Ying immediately rolled up her sleeves, put on her yellowed gloves, and got on the truck with her colleagues to unload the goods.
As the boxes of drinks were unloaded, the mechanical bending and carrying made it unbearable. With no shade overhead and the scorching sun, beads of sweat appeared on the forehead, cheeks, and chin within minutes, while the back was constantly soaked with sweat. The heat and humidity were unbearable.
Several colleagues, having moved half of the goods, sat down to fan themselves, panting heavily. Yuan Ying, however, silently got into the truck and unloaded the remaining cargo.
The truck driver's disgruntled gaze softened slightly as he reprimanded the men: "You have one more trip later, and two more tonight. If you keep shirking your responsibilities like this, you won't finish moving everything in a day! Learn from Xiao Yuan, he's hardworking and doesn't rest until he's finished his work! Look at you, you're even a few years older than Xiao Yuan!"
Several colleagues, already seemingly unfazed, chuckled and said, "Old Chen, it's easy for you to say that when you're not the one suffering. If you don't feel tired, why don't you try it? Young Yuan is young and strong, but he's afraid to rest because he sees you as someone who's too proud to take a break."
"Exactly! He's just here for a summer job; he'll be going back to college afterward. The rest of us are unloading goods and working like crazy every day. If we worked like Xiao Yuan, we'd get sick sooner or later!"
As they spoke, Yuan Ying silently finished unloading the goods. She brushed aside her wet hair, wiping away the sweat with her hand.
Old Chen patted him on the shoulder: "Young man, you've got real strength!"
His thick, dark fingers picked out a stack of red banknotes, he licked his thumb, and quickly counted out a few to pay Yuan Ying in cash.
Yuan Ying grabbed a handful and stuffed them into her pocket, not caring how much or how little.
The truck rumbled away, kicking up a cloud of dust. Several people disdainfully fanned away the dust and called to Yuan Ying, "Little Yuan, don't rush to clean up, come and sit down."
Yuan Ying readily agreed to suggestions. His colleagues were already used to his taciturn nature, and when he started chatting, he talked about nothing more than trivial matters such as family conflicts and his child's poor grades.
"I used to dream of winning the lottery and making a fortune, but I quit immediately and went home to my wife, kids, and a warm bed. How wonderful that would be!"
"Oh ho, you're dreaming! Besides, can't you think of something better? Winning the lottery? That's too tacky! I heard someone read a story on that novel app where a rich relative suddenly appears, and you inherit a fortune, living in a big house, buying gold, and eating fish and meat every day!"
"Don't even think about it. No matter how much money we make, it'll only be around ten thousand a month, and that's hard-earned money. We'll be old and sick by then. Those rich people, look, that one—" My colleague pointed to a car that suddenly drove by and stammered, "A Rolls-Royce! A car like that costs millions. Where are you going to earn that kind of money?"
Everyone's eyes followed the gleaming car as it drove away, and once it disappeared from sight, their bragging interest vanished.
One of them glanced at Yuan Ying and curled his lip: "Rich people are born that way. Even if someone like Yuan Ying gets into university, she won't earn much. University graduates are worthless now; their wages are lower than those of us who do manual labor."
The tone was sarcastic and unpleasant.
"It's only a second-tier university, right? You might as well go to a vocational college." The man stared at Yuan Ying.
Yuan Ying put on her sweat-soaked gloves and continued moving goods.
"Look at him, look at him!" the man said, pointing at him and sneering. "He's good for nothing, no matter how many books he reads!"
...
The air conditioning in the car blew gently, a stark contrast to the scorching heat outside.
Lu Xuejin, wrapped in a light coat, listlessly gazed at the receding scenery outside the car window.
The car drove into a villa on a hillside.
The car door opened from the outside, and hot air rushed in. Lu Xuejin shivered as the light in front of her was suddenly blocked.
A maid held up an umbrella to block the light, and the man in the suit and tie, his serious expression replaced by a gentle smile, leaned down to give Lu Xuejin a hug, then turned his head to kiss her cheek.
"You must be tired from the journey. Are you feeling unwell?" As he spoke, the man touched his forehead, which had a normal temperature.
"Hot." Lu Xuejin uttered a single word.
"Okay, let's go home now. Mom and Dad are at a conference abroad, and your older brother is at home. Your doctor is still on the plane; we'll have someone from the Capital Medical University check you up for the next few days. Grandma said you don't like to eat and that you play all day..."
Lu Xuejin interrupted the man's rambling: "Brother, is my computer set up yet?"
"—Playing games." The man finished speaking and said helplessly, "Little internet addict, everything is set up according to your specifications."
Lu Xuejin then looked away with satisfaction.
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