Great Zhou World
"Host! Host! The data world has been invaded, and the plot seems to have collapsed again. According to the plot, the Nangong family's genocide should have happened after the Oiran Contest, when Nangong Xi would have surprised others. Now all the heroine's shining points have been deleted."
Ning Yangyang's body lay like a corpse on the bed, but her consciousness had long since rested in the system world. "Isn't this better? Less love-at-first-sight drama, and I don't have to worry about ruining people's first impressions. And didn't you see how my brother doesn't care about me? Extra missions are basically impossible. I have to start with the real missions."
"Host, I just checked who invaded this world, and it seems to be Qi Yiwen!"
"Old Six from the previous world?"
"Because he died just as the world collapsed, he was brought to this world and is hiding among the numerous NPCs. Host, I'm going to ask you for an extra mission. If you can find this chaotic data, I'll apply for five social insurances and one housing fund for you."
"At that time, I felt that this Lao Liu was no simple matter. He could obviously fight three people alone, but why was he ambushed by Meimei in the end? I'm afraid he had planned it out long ago. Do you think he would still be obsessed with turning me into his prematurely deceased white moonlight? Now, these obsessed perverts have gathered in this world." Chen Ye felt a chill just thinking about it. Sure enough, such an obsessed lunatic would exist in the world of traveling through books.
Ning Yangyang's body drooped limply, her head tilted on the side of Xiao Ziyi's neck, her eyelids tightly closed, her breathing deliberately long and even - she had mastered the art of pretending to be asleep.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, Madam Ning has successfully given birth to a baby boy." The servant in the mansion came to announce the good news as ordered by Xia Weiya, but this news was only good news for the nosy Xiao Yuhuan.
"Host! The male protagonist is cueing you! Wake up!" The system issued a sharp alarm in her mind.
"I'm sick, seriously ill, and need to rest." Ning Yangyang rolled her eyes in her mind and didn't move.
"Host! The hero is carrying you like a sack! He's going to drag you away!" The system's voice was filled with a hint of fear.
"Next mission... I'll apply to be a lone wolf, a roadside stone..." Ning Yangyang wailed in her mind, her body resigned to the fate of a stagnant pool, letting Xiao Ziyi's control. Like a boneless vine, she clung to Xiao Ziyi, muttering sarcastically, "Brother, you're so loyal and impatient. It's as if if we were a step later, my newborn nephew would have wings and could fly away." She loathed this so-called brother with all her heart, and she was even more convinced that the original owner would never like him. He was a walking star of misfortune, and anyone who approached him would be doomed to suffer some kind of misfortune.
Xiao Ziyi exerted force with his arms, yanking her off his shoulders like a burden. Ning Yangyang was prepared, deliberately letting her feet land softly, her whole body sliding limply to the ground, trying to increase his burden—after all, her character was a bit mediocre this time, so a little more weight didn't matter.
"You and your cousin and his wife are quite close." Xiao Ziyi lowered his head, his voice extremely low, each word squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a cold, unquestionable scrutiny. The bitterness and inquiry in his tone were so thick that even Ning Yangyang, who was pretending to be dead, felt a chill down his spine.
"They are siblings, right, system? Are you sure you didn't mistakenly hear this blood relationship drama?" Ning Yangyang called out frantically in her mind.
"Guaranteed! They are genuine siblings!" the system said firmly.
The harsh scraping of chains dragging across the ground, mixed with the faint, untimely laughter of a baby in the backyard, suddenly shattered the tranquility of the twilight. Six guards in icy black armor, escorting a woman in plain clothing, collided head-on, a narrow encounter.
"Your Highness, Your Highness the Crown Prince." The leading Black Armor Guard spoke in a resonant voice, but when his eyes fell on Ning Yangyang, who was being carried on Xiao Ziyi's shoulders, or rather, who had just been thrown off by him, he paused. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and after a moment's hesitation, he managed to squeeze out the title, "...Princess."
The woman being escorted was none other than Nangong Xi. Her hair was disheveled, a few strands of black hair clinging awkwardly to her sweat-soaked forehead, covering most of her frosted neck and shoulders. However, beneath her plain white collar, faint red marks appeared, like cracks on fine white porcelain, stained with an ominous rouge hue that was glaring and shocking.
"Lower your head!" The leading Xuanjia Guard shouted, and his rough hands pressed Nangong Xi's neck without mercy, forcing her to bend over.
At the very moment the chains were tugged, the woman suddenly raised her face like a dying swan! The golden glow of the setting sun pierced through the tangled hair by her ears, transforming her pale lips into a nearly transparent amber hue. A strange, sweet, warm fragrance—a blend of the coolness of gold leaf and the richness of rose cream—drifted faintly. Xiao Ziyi's nostrils twitched slightly. This scent... was unmistakably the same as the box of premium rouge that had been imported from the Western Regions last night.
Nangong Xi stumbled, her already loose collar ripped halfway down her shoulders. The evening light streamed across her sweat-soaked skin, casting a crescent-shaped water mark on her rounded shoulders. Xiao Ziyi had brushed past her, not stopping when he felt a sudden, almost imperceptible tightening around his waist. Looking down, he saw that the white jade buckle with the coiled dragon had somehow become entangled with a strand of soft black hair, swaying in the air in a captivating arc as he walked.
"Bang!" Before Ning Yangyang could react, she felt like a discarded broken clay pot, crashing to the cold stone floor. And Xiao Ziyi, with lightning speed, had already turned around and precisely grasped the strand of hair entangled in the jade buckle!
Nangong Xi was forced to tilt her head high, her messy hair falling to the sides, revealing her entire face. Xiao Ziyi saw clearly that the condensation on her thick eyelashes wasn't tears, but crystal-clear beads of sweat, slowly rolling down her pale cheeks. The sweat reflected the setting sun, making her eyes look like black glass soaked in a cold spring, clear and cold, yet deep within them burned an unyielding fire.
"Swish!" The chain was violently tugged again. In the chaos, Nangong Xi's brightly painted, broken nails slashed across the back of Xiao Ziyi's hand. A strong, rusty, bloody odor instantly filled the air—a fresh wound on her wrist had rubbed against the jade ring with the peacock sapphire on Xiao Ziyi's thumb. The dark blue ring face was instantly stained and spread with a dazzling crimson.
Time seemed to freeze. Everyone held their breath, staring at the scene in shock.
Xiao Ziyi slowly bent her bloodstained finger, and in front of all the Xuanjia Guards and the dazed Ning Yangyang, she gently and very slowly pressed her fingertips, stained with Nangong Xi's blood, against her beautifully shaped lips. She even darting out her tongue to lick the warm red.
"Ding! Love ratio 70%!" The system's cold prompt sound exploded in Ning Yangyang's mind.
"Oh no! Oh no! He's in love again! And it's love at first sight!" Ning Yangyang screamed in her mind, feeling like her CPU was about to burn out, "No way system! Have you loaded some perverted patches like 'MAX lust at first sight' or 'bloody aesthetics lover' on him again? He can fall in love with such obscene actions? Does he have to have such a strong taste?" It's not that she didn't want to get up from the ground, it's just that the scene in front of her was too shocking, and she was afraid that if she got up, she would not be able to resist kicking him.
"Cousin, do you want to help me?" Xiao Yuhuan's voice broke the dead silence. His outstretched hand froze awkwardly in mid-air. He looked at his cousin, lying in disarray on the ground, then at his brother, who was performing a performance. He felt the atmosphere was so awkward it could have been squeezed out of a three-bedroom apartment. The Black Armor Guards were terrified, believing the Regent was about to snatch someone away in the street. They even swallowed the words "escorted by imperial order" that were on their lips, not daring to breathe.
"Get out of here!" Xiao Ziyi's voice suddenly rose in pitch, with a kind of satisfied, impatient anger, as if the shocking scene just now was just an illusion of others, "Are you waiting for me to punish you for dereliction of duty?!" He shook off Nangong Xi's hair, wiped his bloody fingertips and lips with a handkerchief in disgust, and resumed his usual indifference and arrogance.
But only Ning Yangyang, who was lying on the ground with her teeth bared, and Xiao Yuhuan, who had a complicated expression on his face, knew exactly what was going on: "This kid... is definitely in love! This bastard is seriously ill!"
"Help!" Xiao Yuhuan took a step forward and "fished" Ning Yangyang up from the ground with swift movements. He almost carried her and walked towards the delivery room in the east courtyard as fast as the wind, deliberately keeping a distance from the source of danger behind him.
"Actually... I can walk by myself." Ning Yangyang protested softly, feeling even more embarrassed to be carried.
"What? You still want to be carried by your brother like that?" Xiao Yuhuan leaned close to her ear and teased in a voice that only the two of them could hear, and his pace quickened.
When she stepped into the delivery room filled with the smell of blood and medicine, Ning Yangyang truly experienced what it meant to say "Life is like a play, it all depends on your acting skills."
Cousin Ning Xi, a veteran of the officialdom, was the quickest to react. Placing an impeccable smile, a mixture of exhaustion and joy, he attentively invited the most distinguished Crown Prince, Xiao Yuhuan, to take a seat. Then, he carefully took the embroidered little bundle from Xia Weiya's arms, his movements clumsy and with obvious nervousness, as he trembled and handed it to Xiao Yuhuan. He remained silent, merely looking at the Crown Prince with eyes filled with expectation and a hint of subtle flattery, then glancing toward the door, as if waiting for someone more important to make the final decision.
The newborn was red and wrinkled, its brows and eyes still unfurling. Ning Yangyang silently commented, "Hmm... to be honest, it's a bit ugly."
"Oh my! Your Highness, look at this!" Xia Weiya immediately chimed in, her voice rising with exaggerated surprise. "This child is truly destined for you! As soon as your magnificent body arrived in our house, he couldn't wait to come out and pay his respects to you! If the prince could grant him a name, it would be a truly heavenly blessing for our Ning family!" Her words were heartfelt, but unfortunately, they seemed to move only herself. However, at her hint, the maids and servants in the delivery room very sensibly surrounded Xiao Ziyi, who had just arrived, like a star-studded crowd surrounding the moon, creating a perfectly balanced atmosphere.
"Yangyang," Xiao Ziyi's gaze passed over the crowd and landed directly on Ning Yangyang, who was trying hard to reduce her presence. Her tone was filled with an intimacy that could not be refused, "Please choose a name."
"Me?!" Ning Yangyang nearly choked on her own saliva. Someone labeled "redundant" was actually going to name a newborn? This world was too magical! "System! Quick! What's this kid's name in the script? Hurry!"
"Ning Shangyang." The system replied immediately.
"What? Is there any story behind it?"
"The supporting character's name, the author just typed it randomly on the keyboard. This is... the choice of input method."
Ning Yangyang took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and forced a smile on her face, which she thought was a well-behaved smile. Her eyes first turned to her cousin-in-law Hu Mi, who had just given birth and was leaning against the head of the bed with a pale face: "Your Highness, look at this child, the tail of his eyebrows... are they not particularly flying? How about... just call him, Shangyang? Ning Shangyang?" She tested him cautiously, observing Hu Mi's reaction.
Hu Mi's strength was exhausted, her face betraying no emotion, only a frail, bewildered expression. She then glanced at her cousin Ning Xi, a veteran official with a perpetually unchanging, impeccable, respectful smile, as if calling anyone a cat or a dog would do. Finally, her gaze drifted to Ning Bihuan, standing in the corner—the vicious female supporting character from the original novel. Sure enough, she was the only one who seemed alive! Ning Bihuan's lips curled with undisguised sarcasm, her eyes filled with disdain, as if she were watching a farce.
The night was as dark as ink. Ning Yangyang finally moved into Xiao Ziyi's... uh, residence? with her only "possession" - three little turtles fished out from the Ning Mansion's pond.
Before me lay a bare courtyard, about half the size of a basketball court. Weeds grew thickly, and a dusty stone table and bench sat on it. Two dilapidated rooms, their doors and windows slightly crooked, stood facing each other. Otherwise, the place was completely empty, not even a lantern to illuminate it.
"One courtyard, two dilapidated houses, and three turtles?" Ning Yangyang hugged her "living thing" and looked around in disbelief, "Zero servants? Xiao Ziyi, you brought me here not to recognize my relatives, but to find free labor and a coolie who brings his own dry food?!" Although she was a newcomer, her desire to complain was unprecedentedly high. Holding the turtle basin, her pace was so fast that she almost surpassed the two people leading the way.
"My cousin, the Crown Prince!" She turned around abruptly and looked at Xiao Yuhuan with a sad face, trying to grasp the last straw, "Is there any empty room in your house? The woodshed will do! I think... I think it would be more appropriate for me to live with you!" Her eyes were full of pleading.
"Ahem," Xiao Yuhuan's scalp tingled at her gaze. He immediately took a big step back and waved his hands righteously, "Cousin, you are wrong! You and Ziyi are siblings, and blood is thicker than water. How can I, as your cousin, interfere in other people's affairs? It's inappropriate, absolutely inappropriate!" As he spoke, he quickly gave Xiao Ziyi a look that said "handle it yourself" and tried to slip away.
"System..." Ning Yangyang hugged Wang Ba in the cold wind, feeling her heart colder than the night wind. "The last world was an accelerated version of wilderness survival, and this time they turned it into a 'royal palace budget travel experience'? There's not even a girl to light the fire?"
"The male protagonist is like this, and 'Don't show off your wealth' is his motto. Please be patient, host." The system has no sympathy.
"Stay, cousin!" Xiao Ziyi spoke, her voice tinged with calculated fatigue, as if she were overwhelmed with work. "There's some 'important' stuff you need to tell her in person." She had just experienced a thrilling love at first sight, yet now she acted like a veteran cadre overworked by state affairs. Ning Yangyang grumbled: Is this the ups and downs of officialdom? Even when nothing's happening, she has to pretend to be busy?
Xiao Yuhuan paused, sighed helplessly, and turned around, his face instantly transformed into a solemn expression, as if entrusted with the fate of his kingdom. He patted Ning Yangyang's shoulder firmly and said in a deep voice, "Cousin! This mission concerns the country and is extremely difficult! You must win the top spot at the upcoming Oiran Competition! And then—" He paused, took a deep breath, "Marry me!"
Ning Yangyang: “???!!!”
The turtle in her arms seemed to sense her petrification and moved its claws nervously.
"So, system!" Ning Yangyang roared in her mind, "You were pushing me to prepare for the Oiran Contest like my life depended on it, and your ultimate goal was to get me to marry this cousin of the Crown Prince?! Do I even deserve a love connection? Or even on this level?"
"Please! You're the second female lead this time! You have a big role!"
"Aren't second female leads usually vicious?! I have no romantic connection with the male lead, Xiao Ziyi, so why are you forcing an official match on me?!"
"According to the world line, the official match is the prince. Accept your fate, host."
"No CP! I refuse the official pairing!" Ning Yangyang screamed in her heart.
"If you think this is too difficult..." Xiao Yuhuan looked at her dazed expression, suddenly took a step closer, lowered his voice, and said with a coaxing "considerateness", "You can also... skip the Oiran Competition and marry me directly."
Ning Yangyang: “??????????”
She was completely stunned, her mind blank. Xiao Yuhuan finished his earth-shattering words, as if he had accomplished some momentous task. Taking advantage of Ning Yangyang's computer outage, he turned and scurried away, his steps so swift they sent a gust of wind through the air as he vanished from the pitch-black courtyard gate.
Finally, the world is quiet.
Ning Yangyang flung herself feebly onto the hard, musty wooden bed in the wing room. Using her mind, she called up the system panel and absentmindedly flipped through the PDF instructions for the "Oiran Contest." Her body and mind were clamoring to immediately initiate the "Lie Down Plan."
Oiran Contest Introduction:
In ancient times, the ultimate test of a noble lady's talent was nothing more than perfunctory performance in four areas: piano, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
Playing the qin, playing chess, writing, painting. Any eligible noblewoman in the capital could apply, and the current empress and several high-ranking concubines would preside over the judging, selecting the winner with both outstanding talent and beauty.
"Heh..." Ning Yangyang sneered in despair and confronted the system: "Alright, here's the solution: You, system, play a high-definition lossless recording in the background! Use the song 'High Mountain Stream Meets a Connoisseur'! Turn the sound effects up to the maximum, and make sure it creates the illusion of 'the lingering sound lasts for three days'!"
As for Go, calculate the optimal solution in real time! Give me the answer within 0.1 seconds of the opponent's move! Use AlphaGo mode! I want to win and make them question their lives!
Calligraphy? System, retrieve the data stream of Wang Xizhi's original "Lanting Preface" for me! Directly overwrite the nerves in my arm and let my hand move on its own! Write with the verve of "the world's best running script"! Painting? You, system, project a holographic image of "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" for me! Then load "printer mode" on my hand! I want a one-to-one replica, down to the last ink dot!
She finished her words in one breath, concluding, "Perfect! Seamless! Technology changes destiny!"
The system was silent for three full seconds before it emitted a cold electronic voice: "Why?"
"Just me—" Ning Yangyang said confidently, "What! No! Can't!? Have you ever seen a three-day crash course that can produce a talented woman proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting? Three days! Are you kidding me?! Do you think I'm a deity or the reincarnation of Wenquxing?!"
There was another silence.
Ning Yangyang unleashed her trump card, her voice filled with temptation: "Help me secure a full package of cheating services for the Oiran Contest, and I promise—I'll help you find that intrusive data virus, Qi Yiwen! I'll pack him up and send him back to his home in Huanyan! How's that? Isn't this a good deal?"
"...Deal." The system's voice seemed to carry a subtle hint of urgency. "Happy cooperation, host. Please ensure you lock onto the coordinates of 'Qi Yiwen''s data stream as soon as possible!"
Ning Yangyang closed her eyes contentedly, hugging her turtle basin. Finally, she could rest assured... and think about how to catch another bug in a world full of bugs. These days were truly "full" to the point of being outrageous.
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