Chapter 032 1.0 The male host is here
To be honest, this old lady Cao is the most respectable old lady in the building.
Of course, she's not young anymore, turning 57 this year. Two years ago, Mrs. Cao's husband passed away, and she was living alone in her hometown. But her eldest son, worried about her, brought her to live with him and his family. She's lived with him ever since. Last year, because of their harmonious family, they were recognized as a "Three Good Families" and even elected building manager. Life has been going smoothly.
The family has two sons. The eldest, Zhou Yuanqing, is a doctor at the staff hospital. His wife, Huang Yuxiu, is a pharmacist there, dispensing medicine. They are a respectable and well-educated family, with two sons and a daughter. The eldest, Zhou Zhilai, is 21 years old and got married and moved out two years ago. The second daughter, Zhou Zhishun, is 19 and got married last year, leaving only the youngest, Zhou Zhidao, who is 15 this year and still in his first year of high school.
Only after the two children moved out and married off did Zhou Yuanqing's family have enough space. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to bring in Old Lady Cao. Because they lived less crowded and had fewer conflicts, they were considered the most harmonious family in the building.
The youngest son, Zhou Yuanfeng, served in the army early in his life, stationed at the border, and settled down there. His wife was also in the army, and the couple had only one son, Zhou Zhixing. For more than a decade, the youngest son and his family had only returned a few times.
Who would have thought that suddenly, there would be such a surprise.
"I remember it was already 1.2 when you came. More than ten years have passed, how come the 1.0 host was just reborn?" Jiang Nan sorted out the timeline, a little confused.
"Host, our system is spread across many different planes. Time overlaps and intersects. What seems like over a decade to you might seem like just a short while to another plane."
"Okay, let's go and see if he still has the system. Can you connect to his brain waves?" Jiang Nan stood up and prepared to go downstairs to check.
[Well, host.] The system's voice was weak. [To protect the original host, the system cannot arbitrarily read the information of other system hosts, and...]
It paused, then continued, "Because the male host 1.0 died suddenly, the main system determined it was the fault of the original 0278 system and decided to compensate the original host by allowing him to be reborn. Furthermore, the main system has issued a task requiring the subsystem to protect the original host 0278's information once it finds it, allowing him to live to a natural death."
Jiang Nan howled inwardly, "You're trying to tire me out, aren't you? I have the main quest to complete, and I still have to protect a stinky man. Are you dissatisfied with my life being too good?"
[Hey, host, don't be angry. The main system will compensate you. Your mission rewards will be doubled from now on. And the male host doesn't have a system. He's just an ordinary person who's been reborn with memories of a past life. It's just because he's been bound to the system that he can hear the conversation between the host and me. It's nothing, nothing.]
Jiang Nan: Haha, hehe.
"If I fail to protect him, will there be any punishment?"
[That means stripping the system and depriving the host of any memories related to his parents. I will be reborn with the male host and go to another world to protect him, hehe.]
Jiang Nan's mind was spinning. She looked at her parents and felt that things were becoming increasingly bizarre. "So, if we can't protect him, our whole family will die too? After all, without our memories, we'll likely die in the explosion."
Jiang Mancheng was remarkably calm after hearing this. He waved his hand and said nonchalantly, "Let's meet him first, and we'll talk about it later. He can't die from holding his urine, so don't worry too much. Besides, as long as we ensure that nothing happens to this guy within the next ten years, isn't that enough? By then, if the murderer is found, it won't be a big deal if he's lost his memory. No rush, let's go out and take a look."
Chen Jinhua held her daughter's hand tightly. Of the three, she knew the least. When she heard about the resurrection, her heart was in turmoil and she almost fainted. But she was someone who had accepted the system after all, so she quickly adjusted her state and followed them out.
In the open space in front of the building, Old Mrs. Cao had fainted twice from crying. When she was woken up again, she was still in tears.
"My poor little son." Old Mrs. Cao's voice was hoarse from crying for too long. She held the ashes and howled uncontrollably, "How can you be so cruel? You are so unfilial. Woo woo woo, the old are sending the young away. Why is my life, Cao Chuncao, so miserable?"
Zhou Yuanqing wore glasses, his eyes red. Although he and his younger brother hadn't seen each other often in over a decade, they had grown up together, and blood was thicker than water. He found it hard to accept this. His wife, Huang Yuxiu, held their youngest son's hand. Though pained, her face remained silent. It was understandable that after more than twenty years of marriage, she had only met her younger brother's family a handful of times, so they didn't share a deep bond, so naturally, it wasn't as hard on her.
Opposite the four stood two young men in military uniforms, no older than thirty. They had resolute expressions, yet their eyes held a hint of sadness. They had already offered words of comfort, but they understood that it was difficult for families to accept the sudden death of a loved one.
Before them stood a young man, about eighteen or nineteen years old. He was also dressed in military uniform, standing erect. He looked about 1.88 meters tall, though not particularly thin. His pale complexion, however, diminished the sharpness of his features. His narrow eyes were downcast, his thoughts unclear. A closer look revealed a long, thin scar at the corner of his right eye, like a thin flame, poised to burst into flames.
【The host is him. 】
Jiang Nan: “…”
For the first time, she worried about the system's intelligence: "Xiao Tong, you're admitting it yourself. Just shut up."
At the same time, the young man raised his head and looked straight at Jiang Nan with a scrutinizing look in his eyes.
"Auntie, please accept my condolences. Comrade Zhou left a will wishing to return to his roots, so we've sent their ashes back home." One of the men stepped forward, bowed, and spoke again. "Also, Comrade Zhou's son, Zhou Zhixing, also served with distinction on the battlefield. He was injured and no longer fit for military service, so we've arranged for his release. He'll be assigned to a nearby police station."
Huang Yuxiu's eyes flashed, her body obviously relaxed a lot, and she lowered her head to wipe away her tears.
Only then did Old Lady Cao recognize her grandson. To be honest, because her youngest son's family rarely came home, she had only seen him three times, so she wasn't familiar with him. But blood ties are such strange things; once you recognize someone, you immediately feel close to them. Old Lady Cao wiped her face and, supported by her eldest son, walked step by step to the young man. She hugged him and said with heartfelt concern, "Xiaoxing, you are Xiaoxing. My poor grandson. Follow me, and I will treat you well in the future, my grandson."
Zhou Zhixing was huddled in the old lady's arms, and honestly, he was a bit bewildered. He had been reborn on a train, and the original owner, 'Zhou Zhixing,' had been heartbroken, allowing him to exploit her. Having been bound to the system before, he wasn't panicked at all, and quickly absorbed the original owner's memories. While the original owner wasn't as noble as he was in his previous life, he was still respected. It seemed that an unjust death in his previous life had its benefits.
In his previous life, he was a playboy. His family had a hereditary title and was rich and prosperous. Unfortunately, none of it had anything to do with him, as he was a bastard who couldn't inherit a title. However, even a bastard had his share of luck. Unexpectedly, he was bound by the system and accidentally ate a melon from a noble in the capital. Unexpectedly, he got paid for eating melons. He became addicted and couldn't stop, so he simply made eating melons his profession.
He was a naturally outgoing and eloquent person, able to make friends with anyone. After he had eaten up all the prestigious nobles and officials in the capital, he had his sights set on the capital's largest place - the Imperial Palace.
He went to the palace to be a guard! And he was even a harem guard. It was just that he was too young at that time.
Zhou Zhixing on the train was regretting it so much that his intestines turned green. You know, because he ate too much melons, he had already bought a large mansion with five courtyards in the capital, and his life was too comfortable.
But no matter how upset he was, he was already here. Zhou Zhixing was quite good at assessing the situation. Now that he had lost his system, he quickly made up his mind to start over, live a peaceful life, do his job properly, and at least not make any more trouble for the next year or two.
Well, Zhou Zhixing still knows himself well, so he can only endure it for one or two years.
Before he could even think about what to do next, he heard a woman's voice conversing with an electronic voice in his head. He knew that voice so well; it had been in his head for nearly twenty years, and he recognized it instantly. It was the "Eating Melon System." The two were talking about something like a "honey trap," and his eyes twitched unconsciously.
This, ah this, this world also has a system? He can even hear the system communicating with other hosts?!
Before Zhou Zhixing had time to digest the original owner's sadness, he felt God's kindness towards him. He had endured so much alone.
whee.
As for the fact that he looked cold and stern like a cool guy when he first stood downstairs, it was because the original owner's appearance was too deceptive, and Zhou Zhixing had just been reborn not long ago, and it wasn't like he was born again, so his soul and body hadn't been well-matched yet, and he was suppressed by the original owner's appearance.
Actually, well, he is essentially a chatterbox like Jiang Mancheng.
The chatterbox Zhou Zhixing coughed lightly and imitated the original owner's accent, his voice choking with sobs. He said, "Grandma, I finally see you, my dear grandma. Woohoo, Mom and Dad wanted to go home, and I sent them back. I finally see my family!"
......
The crowd was silent for a moment.
Zhou Zhixing realized that he had tried too hard and had learned from the wrong person.
He'd heard the woman talk to her family this way, but it didn't seem to fit the original owner's personality. He blamed the original owner for being a soldier and not spending much time with his parents as an adult. Plus, he didn't spend much time with his family in his past life, so he had no idea how to talk to them.
Zhou Zhixing's eyelids twitched, and he wondered how to pull them back, but then he heard Old Lady Cao howling again, "Grandson, my dear grandson."
This old lady Cao is also a nagging person. It's just that her eldest son's family is too serious, so she has no place to show her talents all year. Now that her little grandson knows that he is a fellow traveler, her sadness immediately surges back.
The corners of Jiang Nan's mouth twitched, and he felt that the temperament of the boy opposite him had suddenly changed.
Jiang Mancheng curled his lips, looking at Zhou Zhixing intently. He stepped forward, shook hands with the man he had just spoken to, and introduced himself. "Hello, I'm a resident of the building. My name is Jiang Mancheng. This is my daughter, Jiang Nan, also a police officer at the station. I'd like to confirm, is Comrade Zhou going to the 10th Operations Division Police Station? What position will he take?"
"Yes, Xiaonan is also a policeman. He went to complete the job application today." Lin Bing continued.
The man breathed a sigh of relief and stopped looking at Jiang Mancheng. He said, "Yes, after the funeral, Comrade Zhou Zhixing will go to the 10th Operations Division Police Station to start work. What specific position he will take up will depend on the arrangements made by the police station. I don't know for sure."
Cheng Gaigai's face flushed, and she glanced at Zhou Zhixing from time to time. She puffed her cheeks and said nervously, "Comrade Zhou... Zhou Zhixing, you... don't be sad. The dead cannot be resurrected. Living well is the greatest comfort to the deceased." After saying that, she looked at Zhou Zhixing nervously, not knowing what he would say to her.
She might have to go to the countryside, but if she got married, would she no longer have to go there? Moreover, Comrade Zhou looked young and promising. She felt that she understood what love at first sight was.
Yes, she fell in love with Comrade Zhou at first sight.
Zhou Zhixing caught the girl's eye and knew what she was up to. He gently pushed Mrs. Cao aside, approached Jiang Nan, extended his hand, and said, "Hello, Comrade Jiang Nan. My name is Zhou Zhixing. I'm eighteen years old. I'm sure you know me. It's nice to meet you. I hope we can work together happily." He winked at Jiang Nan.
[Host, is he seducing you? ]
"Shut up right there! How come your IQ plummeted after meeting the 1.0 male host? Xiao Tong, are you stupid because of eating too much melon?"
Having lived two lives, Jiang Nan finally understood for the first time the immense sorrow of an old mother for her children.
Zhou Zhixing's lips curled up, but he quickly suppressed it. He opened his mouth cunningly towards Jiang Nan and whispered, "I heard it."
Jiang Mancheng was so angry that his beard was crooked. Oh, he didn’t have a beard, but he was just very angry.
This bastard molested his daughter right in front of him. He must be dying. And he looked like he wasn't a decent person. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He looked this ignorant brat up and down.
Why does it feel like I've seen this look somewhere before?
Actually, Zhou Zhixing also wanted to pretend for a while longer and not be exposed so quickly. After all, he had never tried the aloof persona before, and since he finally had the chance again, he had to change his style, right?
But, but, he didn't want to get entangled with the little girl. Although he was handsome, popular, sociable, and not afraid of crowded occasions, and was very curious, otherwise he wouldn't have lost his life just to eat melons, but this didn't mean that he liked socializing with people and enjoying the admiring eyes of little girls.
Ahem, he didn't enjoy it, not at all. In his previous life... in his previous life, he almost lost his life because of this look. If it happened again, as soon as he saw this look, he would know that he must stay away from it, definitely stay away from it, the kind that wouldn't give him any hope at all.
On this side, everyone was having a great time, their eyes met, while on the other side, Cheng Gaigai lowered her head in disappointment.
Her love ended without a trace.
Despite the usual bickering, the atmosphere was quiet at this time. After all, soldiers defended their country and were highly respected. Many of the elders had lived through the old society and war, and naturally understood that the life we have today was earned through the bloody battles of the soldiers. Everyone put aside their past grudges and urged Mrs. Cao not to be too sad, as they also wanted to help the Cao family with the funeral arrangements.
It was almost midnight when everyone gradually returned home, including the two soldiers, who also went to the guesthouse. Zhou Zhixing was taken home by Old Lady Cao, along with the urns of the two martyrs.
However, although the crowd dispersed, the discussions in each household continued.
I won't go into the Zhou family's tears, but let's talk about the Jiang family first. Jiang Mancheng and Chen Jinhua cuddled together, sweating profusely. Chen Jinhua, with her large figure leaning against him, glanced at the man's face and asked tentatively, "Mancheng, do you dislike the new Zhou kid?"
Jiang Mancheng hummed, his tone filled with disdain: "He flirted with our daughter right after arriving. I'd be surprised if I liked him. Humph, we can't let this pig take over such a good girl like our Jiang Nan."
Chen Jinhua, however, had a different perspective. She'd always admired heroes, and Zhou Zhixing's parents were not only martyred, but he himself had also made contributions, demonstrating his integrity. Even though his core had changed, the system had instructed them to protect Zhou Zhixing's safety, indicating he wasn't a bad person. Well, that was very Chen Jinhua; she was always protective.
She considered and said, "Actually, I think the Zhou family kid is not bad. At least he knows everything about me. Our Xiaonan has such a big secret, we can't just find someone."
Jiang Mancheng actually agreed with the last sentence. He said, "Of course. Well, it's too early to say that now. We just met today, so who knows what will happen in the future. But we have to be careful for our daughter and never let her be deceived by a bad man. Men, I know too well, there are not many good ones."
Chen Jinhua laughed: "You are a man yourself, and you still say that. Aren't you insulting yourself?"
Jiang Mancheng said seriously, "Because I'm a man, I know a man's virtues better. My daughter has been spoiled by us since she was a child. Can you bear to see her being tortured in someone else's home?"
Chen Jinhua clenched her fists: "Let's see who dares!"
Jiang Mancheng: "You don't understand this. There are many ways to torture people. Some are so vicious that they can torture you to death and you won't be able to explain why. Our Xiaonan is smart, there should be more than that, but we can't relax, we have to keep our eyes open. Not everyone can get close to our Xiaonan. Just look at that educated youth in the village last time, named Tian Jiaguang, who later seduced Pan'er. Wasn't he planning to eat up the whole family? It's obvious that Xiaonan is still very dangerous. We have to keep our eyes open."
Chen Jinhua nodded: "Okay, then I'll keep an eye on it every day."
Jiang Mancheng: "I'm watching too. This is a matter between us as husband and wife. How can I let you do it alone?"
Chen Jinhua was happy: "I know."
She sighed, "If only Xiaonan was as lucky as me and found a man as good as you. Xiaonan has a job now, so if she finds a man in the future, he will definitely have a job. But I see that the unemployed men in our building don't do housework, let alone those who have jobs. I am lucky to have found you, but I don't know if Xiaonan can be like me."
Jiang Mancheng stroked Chen Jinhua's back. "Of course we can. She's our daughter, so we'll be lucky. Besides, even if we can't find one, we can support Xiaonan for the rest of her life. It's not like we can't afford it, so we don't have to worry about it. Even if we're unlucky and find a bad one, we can just switch. Three-legged frogs are hard to find, but two-legged men are everywhere. We can switch a few and eventually find a good one."
Chen Jinhua was speechless: "How can this be? This...this is not..."
Jiang Mancheng chuckled and said nonchalantly, "What's the problem? Men can find many, so why can't our Xiaonan? Women are liberated now, so we have to be liberated in this area too."
He paused and murmured, "Actually, Zhou Zhixing isn't without his merits. His parents are both deceased, so there's no mother-in-law to harass her daughter-in-law, which is a plus."
The couple chatted about random things in bed, while Jiang Nan in the next room was already fast asleep. There was nothing she could do, as she had to go to work the next day and needed to conserve her energy.
At the Fang family, Grandma Fang is instigating her daughter-in-law.
"Qiao Lian, the Zhou kid is here, you should go visit them more often. He's got double the pension. It seems he's done some good deeds, so he must have quite a bit of money. He's a grown man, does he know how to spend it? He definitely doesn't. Besides, he's a grown man, he definitely doesn't know how to live, so the money will be gone sooner or later. By doing this, we're helping him, preventing others from coveting his money and causing more trouble. Don't you agree?"
Sun Qiaolian was also thinking about it. She started doing this at the beginning, although it was because of her mother-in-law's instigation. But later on, she got more and more money without working, and gradually she didn't want to work hard anymore. She felt that it was still suitable for her to make money without working hard. After all, she was so beautiful, and making money like this would be too easy. But this time, she was a little uncertain. She said, "Mom, how old is the Zhou family kid? He is less than 20 years old, right? I am already in my 30s, how can he be interested in me?"
Granny Fang encouraged, "Why wouldn't he like her? You've always fooled Lin Bing, haven't you? You're incredibly charming. Just listen to me on this matter, go for it, it'll be no problem. You're only thirty-three, and you're good-looking, so you can handle men easily, right? Besides, they say a soldier's three years is as good as a sow's. He grew up in a military camp, what kind of women have he seen? With someone like you, you don't even need to make a move, you're guaranteed to charm him. And even if it doesn't work out for you two, you can still be a close sister or something, so you won't be at a disadvantage anyway."
Sun Qiaolian was confident in herself and was very proud when she heard this: "Okay, then I will go and take care of him more."
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were discussing here how to take down Zhou Zhixing. Another family that regarded Zhou Zhixing as a piece of fat meat was the Cheng family next door.
Cheng Gaigai was about to be sent to the countryside and was in urgent need of a partner. Although she was not yet eighteen, underage and not yet old enough to register for marriage, she had to start planning ahead.
Old Lady Liu went to Cheng Gaigai's room specifically to reason with her granddaughter. However, Cheng Gaigai's room was separated from the other small room, and the bed was less than a meter wide, so the two of them couldn't lie down, so they could only talk while sitting.
Old Lady Liu said earnestly, "Gai Gai, you have to keep a close eye on him. This Zhou family kid has been transferred to a new job after making meritorious contributions. He must have a job. If you can get along with him, you won't have to go to the countryside anymore."
Cheng Gaigai's face turned red. She was also moved, but...
"Well, he might have a crush on Jiang Nan. He's been talking to her all day."
Old Lady Liu curled her lips and said disdainfully, "Don't worry about that. What's the point of him liking him? He's an orphan. Jiang Mancheng and Chen Jinhua, those two who love their daughters, won't like him. Listen to me on this matter. Aren't we going to pay our respects in a few days? You can come with us and we can take the opportunity to get to know each other better. You're not bad looking, so you'll definitely be able to do it."
A trace of confidence rose in Cheng Gaigai's heart again.
Yes, Uncle Jiang and Aunt Chen love Jiang Nan so much, they should not look down on Zhou Zhixing, so doesn’t she still have a chance?
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