“I’m back!”
Jiang Shumo turned off the light and was about to go to sleep when a familiar voice echoed in her mind. She paused for a moment, then lay back down. “Program maintenance done?”
Strange. Why was Little Retard so excited?
The system’s tone brimmed with irrepressible joy. “Haha, during my program maintenance yesterday, I found that the Bureau had sent me a commendation letter. They said I did an excellent job, and the World Consciousness is very satisfied with us!”
No wonder Little Retard was so worked up—it had been commended.
Jiang Shumo suddenly understood. Right after, she realized something else. She hadn’t done a thing: no matchmaking between Yan Qingxu and Bai Jiao, no following the old script by provoking Bai Jiao or targeting Yan Qingxu. Even so, the World Consciousness was satisfied?
Were the excuses she’d used to fool the system actually true?
“…You really lived up to my trust. The World Consciousness sent the Bureau a huge burst of energy feedback, and the Bureau is thrilled. They praised me for doing such a great job!”
The system was still basking in the glow of the commendation. “Tell me, once the story wraps up, do I have a shot at the ‘Outstanding System Award’?”
Wow, it would be the shiniest cub among all the newborn systems!
“You bet, of course.”
Jiang Shumo responded offhandedly, her mind still turning over the puzzle.
She’d only meant to string the system along, but the World Consciousness had actually fed back energy. So where did the World Consciousness get its energy? What outcome was it truly aiming for?
“…Bad Woman?”
The system rattled on for ages without a peep from the Bad Woman. It couldn’t resist calling out twice more. “I’m talking to you here! You weren’t listening to a word, were you?”
“Hm?”
Jiang Shumo murmured absentmindedly. Before the system could unleash a barrage of words, she cut in. “A Tong, let me ask you something.”
“…?”
The system went quiet for a few seconds after the interruption, but the commendation letter made it decide to forgive the Bad Woman’s impoliteness with magnanimity. “Shoot. What’s the question?”
Jiang Shumo got straight to the point. “What does the World Consciousness really want?”
The question left the system stumped. “…This world’s core is a sweet romance plot, so of course it wants the two female leads blissfully together!”
Jiang Shumo’s heart skipped. “You sure about that?”
“Of course—”
The system started to reply on reflex, but then it recalled their recent clashes—its own outbursts, the Bad Woman’s forceful arguments, and how the outcome proved her right, with the Bureau’s commendation as ironclad proof!
Did the Bad Woman suspect other possibilities?
That thought sent the system’s processors into overdrive. “Got any other theories?”
Maybe it should hear out the Bad Woman’s take after all.
Jiang Shumo hadn’t realized the commendation had skyrocketed her credibility with the system. She blinked in confusion at the question. “I’ve never dealt with ‘World Consciousness.’ What theories could I have? Doesn’t your programming explain how to gauge its needs?”
Only then did the system catch on that she wanted the official rundown from it. With confidence, it explained, “It’s simple to figure out. Check the world’s main focus. For a romance novel, the World Consciousness craves feedback from the leads’ love—the deeper the affection, the greater their happiness, the richer the feedback.
“For plot-driven stories, it’s about the protagonists’ achievements. In mysteries, it’s the puzzles solved; in empire-building power fantasies, the vaster the territory and stronger the power, the better the feedback.”
Jiang Shumo got it at last.
So that’s how it worked.
Without thinking, she followed up. “The World Consciousness doesn’t care whether Yan Qingxu and Bai Jiao end up together, then? As long as they… both find happiness?”
“Spot on!”
The system answered without hesitation. “When I got back, I checked the Female Lead Top’s progress. Her feedback contribution is low—almost all of it comes from the Female Lead Receiver… Her emotions are so rich and full!”
Thinking back to Yan Qingxu’s actions over the past few days, Jiang Shumo pursed her lips. No kidding. It was her first time meeting a girl whose feelings ran so deep and eagerly alive.
“？!”
The system jolted as realization hit. “…The emotional feedback she’s providing? It’s all because of you.”
Talk about capable—the Bad Woman hadn’t lifted a finger, yet she’d gotten the Female Lead Receiver to fall for her and pour out all this feedback.
And that was with the Bad Woman constantly turning her down. What if she said yes? The Female Lead Receiver would…
The system pictured it and nearly saw itself back home, basking in leadership praise, claiming the “Best System of the Year Award.”
Wow, that would be epic!
The more it dwelled on it, the more excited the system got. It was gearing up to speak when it remembered its earlier pushback and scoldings toward the Bad Woman. Now it needed her help…
How sneaky of it.
The system dithered over how to bring it up, while Jiang Shumo wavered too.
Most of the World Consciousness’s energy came from Yan Qingxu—and Yan Qingxu could give so much because she liked…
Jiang Shumo recalled what Yan Qingxu had said that evening, when she’d learned about Brilliant’s financial troubles. She had offered any help within her power, with utter sincerity.
That kind of open, fervent affection made Jiang Shumo want to… pull back.
Yes, pull back.
Did someone like her truly deserve Yan Qingxu’s love?
Did Yan Qingxu even know what she was?
What was Yan Qingxu after, liking her like this?
Love?
But she’d never had it herself. How could she give it to anyone else?
The darkness seemed to wrap her in safety. Thoughts cascaded through her mind. Jiang Shumo rolled over, staring into the black void, her self-doubt swelling.
Seeing her eyes fixed on the darkness, silent for ages, the system asked softly, “…What’re you thinking about?”
“…I’m wondering what Yan Qingxu wants from me.”
Jiang Shumo let out a sigh. From childhood on, she’d never known “love”—not from elders, not from peers.
She’d been born in a small town and handed off to her infirm grandmother soon after. With no parents around, other kids bullied her endlessly. Stubborn to her core, she always hit back hard. When those kids ended up worse for wear, their parents stormed over to complain. Grandma would drag her out and force an apology.
When Grandma died, her parents finally took her in—but they doted on her little sister, not her.
At school, classmates mocked her accent. She beat one up, and her mother got summoned. After hearing the full story, she slapped Jiang Shumo and called her nothing but trouble. The classmate’s parent even intervened to stop her and apologized themselves.
Jiang Shumo would never forget that classmate’s gaze as her birth mother struck her—shock mingled with pity and relief. Relief that his own mom wasn’t like that, that she was patient, stood up for him, loved him.
Not like hers.
From that day, Jiang Shumo knew she could only count on herself. No one offered love, and she didn’t need it. She was a weed—tough, unbreakable—rooting down fiercely, sucking up every nutrient, clawing upward with everything she had. Knowledge alone stayed by her side.
Now someone claimed to like her that much? Her gut reaction was…
Why her?
What was worth liking?
Jiang Shumo couldn’t make sense of it. She didn’t dare dig deeper, afraid it’d brush against something brittle that could shatter and wound her.
“What could she want? You, obviously.”
The system found the Bad Woman’s words odd and was baffled. “Liking someone means wanting the person, doesn’t it?”
Person?
Jiang Shumo’s heart stirred.
“Yeah, simplest terms: this person meets your needs—physical, emotional, all of it.”
The system stated the obvious. “I’m not human, but I get the basics.”
Physical needs made sense to her. But emotional ones…
Could she manage that?
In the darkness, Jiang Shumo sighed softly.
The sound unsettled the system. “Why the sigh? This is great news! The mission’s cruising, our old approach was spot-on, Yan Qingxu even likes you… We’re just one step from total success, aren’t we?”
“One step?”
The system blurted, “Just say yes to her, and boom—happy ending!”
No sooner had the words left its mouth than it realized it had voiced its true thoughts. Recalling its earlier vehement opposition, it felt a bit embarrassed. “Uh… that’s what the data says, anyway. Before, I didn’t know any better—I thought the two leads ending up together was the best outcome. But facts prove you were right!”
It had expected the Bad Woman to seize the chance to mock it, but even after it finished speaking, it heard no response from her.
“System: ‘…?'”
Jiang Shumo flipped over again. “…Go to sleep already. I have to go to the company tomorrow.”
Yet even as she said she should sleep early, Jiang Shumo tossed and turned, unable to drift off. Those thoughts tangled around her like countless threads—impossible to unravel or sever, yet impossible to ignore as they coiled tight around her heart.
After Jiang Shumo’s fifteenth flip, the System finally intervened. “…Actually, this time I updated a new function.”
“…Huh?”
“System: ‘Sleep Aid Function!'”
Before it had even finished speaking, before Jiang Shumo could react, her thoughts began to slow. Within seconds, she sank into boundless darkness.
…
Jiang Shumo had a dream.
She dreamed she was back on that day—the day the loudmouthed male classmate had mocked her as a country bumpkin. She marched up and punched him flat to the ground. He sat there looking dumbfounded, then burst into a loud wail.
The teacher arrived soon after and dragged both her and the boy back to the office.
Everything that followed had replayed in her mind countless times. She knew it all too well.
She stood against the wall, determined to dodge that slap when it came and crash right into that woman!
It wasn’t long before the woman stormed into the office in a fury. She shot Jiang Shumo a vicious glare, but Jiang Shumo glared right back, fierce and unyielding.
“…”
After listening to the teacher’s endless nagging, the woman strode up to her and raised her arm to strike. Jiang Shumo timed it perfectly and lunged forward hard—only to crash into a soft, warm embrace.
“…’?'”
Jiang Shumo dazedly lifted her head. The person had long, seaweed-like hair cascading over her shoulders, and her beautiful phoenix eyes brimmed with blazing joy.
“I’ve found you! No one will dare bully you ever again!”
The face seemed familiar. Who was she?
Before Jiang Shumo could figure it out, the girl pulled her behind her body and charged forward, slapping the woman hard across the face. “Don’t bully her! If you won’t be her mom, then I will!”
The woman was stunned by the blow. Ignoring her completely, the girl whirled around and rapped the loudmouthed boy sharply on the head. “What’s so funny, you little stumpy?”
She didn’t stop after hitting those two. From the boy’s parent to the onlooking teachers, everyone in the office got a slap:
“Keep your kid in check and teach him not to run his mouth!”
“You’re a teacher, and you just stood there watching her get hit?”
“What are you staring at? You’re next!”
Jiang Shumo watched in stunned silence as the girl rampaged like a Valkyrie, delivering an equal-opportunity slap to everyone in the room. Her awe-inspiring presence shone like dazzling light, freezing everyone in place. Even the boy, who had opened his mouth to cry, clamped it shut in terror, staring at her in fear.
Victorious, the girl with the seaweed-like hair returned. She crouched down in front of Jiang Shumo, her radiant face blooming with the brightest smile. “See? No one can bully you now!”
Jiang Shumo: “?”
She couldn’t understand why the girl would do all this. “…What do you want?”
“You, of course!”
Her gaze was direct and scorching. “Don’t novels always go like this? No way to repay a lifesaving grace except with your body, so just be with me!”
“I’m so pretty—you won’t lose out on that deal!”
“?”
Jiang Shumo stared blankly for a long moment. Finally, she recognized who this was.
Yan Qingxu.
Of course. Only Yan Qingxu would pull something like this.
Jiang Shumo couldn’t hold back her laughter. Then she woke up laughing.
The sound of her laughter startled the System. “?!’
What was wrong with the Bad Woman?!
“System: ‘…You okay?'”
Had it really sinned so gravely? Had changing its mind and deciding to support the two of them made the Bad Woman so happy she laughed in her sleep?
Jiang Shumo paid it no mind, lost in the memory of her dream. The more she thought about it, the funnier it seemed.
Dreaming of the past was strange enough, but how had her mind twisted Little Yan Pig—that silly sweetheart—into a Valkyrie swooping in to save the day?
“…What a nutjob.”
