Chapter 40: A Side Story of This World (Part 1)

Today marked the umpteenth day that she wanted to kill the system, and it was also the third day since she had arrived in this new world.

Nian Zhi’an, who belonged to the Clearance Department, had been turned into an infant in this low-grade world under the arrangements of System S-232. She had heard that it had spent a considerable number of points just to send her to this era, all so she could sneakily power up during her toddler years.

According to the system—【Based on my calculations and analysis, a blockhead like you would struggle to complete the mission even in the lowest-grade world. Believing you had potential was the biggest miscalculation of my career. But I’m one of the finest systems in the Clearance Department. Even if I were bound to a pig, I could get it to finish the task. So, Host, you just need to follow my instructions and not do anything extraneous.】

That last line sounded like a warning of some sort. Nian Zhi’an played dumb to fool the stubborn and arrogant system. Until she had complete confidence in delivering a one-shot kill, she had to grovel in front of it.

You’re really lucky to have run into me. Swap me out for another Clearance Department executor, and you’d be in deep trouble.

Nian Zhi’an turned her head to look at the infant lying beside her. That baby was this world’s anomalous antagonist, just a little kid right now—but an extraordinarily cute one. She had never seen such an endearing child.

At the moment, the two of them were neighbors. The antagonist’s parents were away on business, and the babysitter had conveniently gone back to her hometown, so they had temporarily left her in Nian Zhi’an’s home.

Her own mission was to kill the antagonist, and only the protagonist or Nian Zhi’an herself could do it. So the system either wanted her to assist the protagonist or force the antagonist into self-destruction through even nastier methods. What a pitiful little thing.

“Mmm.” The toddler, who had only recently learned to crawl, had somehow made her way to Nian Zhi’an’s side. Under Nian Zhi’an’s horrified gaze, she crawled right onto her.

Get off! Do you know how heavy you are? I just ate—don’t squish me or I’ll hurl! Keep that mouth away! It’s all drool! Help!

On the third day in this world, Nian Zhi’an realized that this little rascal seemed to like her quite a bit, constantly chewing on her and leaving her face covered in drool.

She took back what she had said earlier. This kid wasn’t cute in the slightest.

Later, the antagonist’s parents returned, and the little rascal was picked up. After that, she heard the child had been taken in by her grandparents for a few years, only coming back when it was time for kindergarten.

Then, either by coincidence or by the system’s design, the two of them ended up in the same class. Surrounded by a gaggle of snot-nosed brats, Nian Zhi’an exuded an air of profound melancholy.

She was exceptionally bright, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She always aced her homework, earned constant praise from her teachers, and came home every day covered in gold star stickers…

To the other kids, Nian Zhi’an’s world-weary reticence came across as mature steadiness. The brilliant and beautiful girl quickly became the hot commodity among her peers. Several of them even threw tantrums, fighting over the chance to be her desk mate.

The teachers couldn’t calm them down, so they let Nian Zhi’an pick her own.

Nian Zhi’an glanced around the room and pointed straight at the quiet girl in the corner, the one who had never bothered her. And just like that, little Mu Yixuan became her new desk mate.

While the other kids’ noise gave Nian Zhi’an a headache, her little neighbor quietly read her book. While the others wailed and refused to eat, needing teachers to chase them with spoonfuls, her little neighbor ate neatly and calmly, without spilling a single grain of rice…

Setting aside herself as the fake kid in the bunch, this little neighbor of hers was remarkably composed for her age. No wonder she would grow up to be a big shot.

“What book are you reading?” Little Mu Yixuan, back when she was still innocently adorable, tried hard to make conversation.

Her desk mate was independently reading a picture book with quite a lot of text—an impressive feat for a kindergartener.

Nian Zhi’an, however, had no qualms about bullying the weak. She casually opened her English storybook, delivering a crushing blow of superiority to her kindergarten peer.

Later on, she didn’t know when it started, but the little antagonist next door began studying English too—and progressed at an astonishing rate. Nian Zhi’an only inwardly marveled in passing that she truly lived up to her status as the being who could crush the protagonist in this world, a genius from childhood. She didn’t dwell on it.

And much, much later, after they had been married for several years, Nian Zhi’an happened upon their kindergarten photos while tidying up the house. That was when her wife told her the truth: her quiet, studious demeanor back then had all been an act. In reality, on Nian Zhi’an’s very first day of school, Mu Yixuan had wanted to play with her. But she had been shoved aside by some of the taller, burlier kids. And that pretty little girl seemed annoyed by all the chattering brats anyway.

Later, she had overheard the girl chatting with the teacher, saying she liked quiet, smart people. That’s why Mu Yixuan had sat nearby, reading quietly. She had even started learning English to have common topics with her friend.

Nian Zhi’an was stunned when she heard this. Suddenly, it all made sense why Mu Yixuan had her completely wrapped around her finger after they grew up. The woman had been this shrewd even as a child!

The Song and Mu families were neighbors, and since neither set paid much attention to their kids, it wasn’t until the girls were in middle kindergarten that they discovered the two were classmates—and quite friendly ones, at that.

Qian Wanni’s parents were still around back then. In this city, the Qian Family ranked second only to the Long Family, with the Song Family looking up to them. It wasn’t until Mu Xiong took over that things started sliding downhill. So the ever-opportunistic Song parents immediately seized the chance to cozy up to the neighbors.

“Qi An, Yixuan is your little sister, so you have to take good care of her, got it?” Song Mother gripped her hand tightly—enough to make most kids cry from the pain.

As Song Father’s third wife, with his previous two both bearing sons, Song Mother had to pull out all the stops to bolster her position in the family struggle. Her first child was a boy, but he was dim-witted, far less clever than his older brothers and out of favor with her husband. She pinned all her hopes on this daughter of hers, who had been unnaturally bright from a young age.

“Oh.” Nian Zhi’an didn’t even need to look up to picture Song Mother’s fawning expression. Across from them, the husband reeked of calculation in his eyes, while his wife wore an air of smug superiority. Both made her skin crawl.

By comparison, the little antagonist standing beside her mother and smiling at her the whole time was far too cute.

“Call me ‘big sis,’ and I’ll take you to buy some lollipops,” Nian Zhi’an coaxed shamelessly.

Unfortunately, Qian Wanni enforced strict discipline on her daughter at that time, forbidding snacks from outsiders. Nian Zhi’an thus missed her chance to hear Mu Yixuan call her “sister”—and it never came again afterward.

By the time they entered elementary school, Qian Wanni had given birth to another daughter, the Qian elders had passed away one after another, and Mu Xiong dropped his hypocritical mask.

Nian Zhi’an’s room was on the first floor of the villa, closest to the Mu residence. She could hear the nonstop arguments, tantrums, and commotion from next door through her open window. The tale of the phoenix man was as old as time, but few women debased themselves quite like Qian Wanni. Annoyed beyond endurance, Nian Zhi’an pulled the covers over her head.

Later, two slamming doors echoed from next door, followed by the roar of car engines one after the other. She figured Mu Xiong had stormed out first, and Qian Wanni had chased after him in fear he might find some side piece.

Finally, she could sleep. Nian Zhi’an had just closed her eyes when a baby’s wail drifted over. It sounded weak, nothing like the lusty cries of a healthy infant.

Though faint, the crying persisted. When Nian Zhi’an opened her eyes again, half an hour had passed.

【Host, are you paying too much attention to the antagonist? Starting to feel sorry for her?】

The system’s warning from not long ago echoed in her mind, sending chills down her spine just to think about.

Though the system’s mechanical voice carried no emotion, she knew that a single “yes” would spell her doom.

Nian Zhi’an closed her eyes and spent ten minutes brewing a rising fury. She knew the system was constantly monitoring her emotions, so she even had to train herself to adjust them at will.

“Fuck! So damn noisy! Some of us are trying to sleep here!” Nian Zhi’an threw on a coat, climbed out her window, and yelled from beside the Mu villa. “Can’t someone soothe that baby? It’s driving me nuts! Don’t other people need sleep?”

The window she faced was the Mu household’s first-floor nursery. After a moment, little Mu Yixuan opened it, her eyes red and puffy.

“Sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with my little sister. I can’t get her to settle.”

“Where are your parents? The babysitter?”

“Daddy and Mommy are out. The babysitter’s sleeping—I knocked, but she won’t open the door.”

“Unbelievable. Move aside.” Nian Zhi’an had Mu Yixuan step back, took a running start, vaulted through the window in one smooth motion, and landed inside the room.

The tiny infant was gasping for breath amid her sobs in the cradle. Shaking it did nothing.

“This is why I hate kids the most! System, how do I shut this little monster up?”

【She’s in a state of hunger. If the Host wants her to quiet down quickly, you can mix some sleeping pills into her formula.】

“I have no money or points, so how could I buy sleeping pills?” Nian Zhi’an replied to the System while asking Mu Yixuan, “Where’s the milk powder at your house? Your sister must be hungry.”

“The milk powder… I think I saw the nanny take it to her room.” Mu Yixuan said uncertainly, “But her room door is locked from the inside.”

“…Wait here.” Nian Zhi’an had already guessed what was going on. She climbed out the window again and returned to her own house. More than twenty minutes later, she came back carrying a bowl.

“I boiled some rice cereal. It’ll have to do for now.” Nian Zhi’an spooned the cooled rice cereal to the baby bit by bit. The child was starving and soon devoured most of the bowl.

“Thank you.” Nian Zhi’an felt someone tugging at the corner of her clothes. She turned to see a certain little girl who had cried until her face was a complete mess, like a kitten dunked in mud.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed you before.”

Nian Zhi’an paused for a moment before realizing the girl was apologizing for shoving her into the mud pit earlier.

However, the whole incident had started when she herself had scared the girl with a big green caterpillar. The child had stumbled into the mud pit in fright, dirtying her favorite dress. Then, in tears, she had pushed Nian Zhi’an in after her.

The child had actually fought back. Although Nian Zhi’an had ended up with a mouthful of mud, a strange sense of gratification inexplicably welled up inside her.

After that, Mu Yixuan stopped walking to school with her. Their relationship seemed to hit rock bottom. The System was pleased about it, thinking Nian Zhi’an showed some promise and could be pushed further.

“Waaah!” Perhaps hearing her big sister crying, the baby who had just eaten her fill suddenly burst into loud wails again. This time, her cries rang out with full force, making Nian Zhi’an’s scalp tingle.

“If you want me to forgive you, hand over all your pocket money, and I’ll let bygones be bygones!” Nian Zhi’an felt like she had turned into a total bully thug.

“I-I don’t have any pocket money.”

“Then hand over all your snacks and toys!”

She had no snacks, but the child obediently gave her the few toys she had left, including several birthday gifts she cherished dearly. Nian Zhi’an felt a long-dormant conscience stirring with faint pangs of guilt.

“Why is your little sister still crying?” Feeling like she had been forgiven, young Mu Yixuan finally mustered the courage to ask Nian Zhi’an.

Nian Zhi’an sighed and had young Mu Yixuan go back to the little bed beside them. She rocked the cradle while humming a lullaby.

Under that peculiar melody, the fussy baby who refused to sleep yawned and drifted off. The child who had spent the day terrified amid her parents’ quarrel also fell asleep.

Nian Zhi’an knew she couldn’t show even a hint of pity. She gazed at the sky outside the window, feeling at a loss about the dire straits facing this big girl and little one in the future.

Helping once or twice could pass as coincidence, but if she helped too much, the paranoid System might really make her slip something into the baby’s milk powder.

What should she do from now on?

No, perhaps she shouldn’t help them at all. Staying away from these two children might be the best thing for them.

But the dog System wouldn’t let her stay completely out of it either. What to do? Her head ached.

Nian Zhi’an hadn’t come up with a solution yet when the next day, clever Mu Yixuan showed up at the Song Family house carrying her wailing little sister. Amid his busy schedule, Song Father made time to see his youngest daughter and specially instructed her to take good care of her friend and her friend’s little sister.

And so Nian Zhi’an became the one helping Mu Yixuan look after the child. She ended up handling almost everything a parent should do, all by herself!

Nian Zhi’an often muttered to the baby—if she could live to old age in this world, the little one had better honor her and take care of her in retirement!

Because Song Father had business dealings with Mu Xiong, he later specifically warned him not to go too far with certain things, lest they come out later and make things ugly.

After taking full control of the company, Mu Xiong grew increasingly concerned with his reputation. He went home and harshly scolded the nanny. If not for her pleading with him by invoking his late mother’s connection, she would have been fired on the spot. Afterward, though she still slacked off occasionally, she reined herself in a lot, at least enough not to let the two sisters go hungry.

But the most ironic part was that despite the huge mess, Qian Wanni remained completely oblivious. She was still searching day and night for her husband’s mistress.

Nian Zhi’an clicked her tongue in amazement. She had underestimated this world’s big boss. Despite her young age, she was pretty formidable. If it were her at that age facing something like this, she’d probably be no different from a fool.

Yet this clever little girl had one not-so-clever trait: even after being scared by her caterpillar prank and having her favorite toys snatched, she still stuck to Nian Zhi’an like glue for school, morning and night. Even in junior high, she never made other friends.

It wasn’t that others didn’t want to befriend her; her icy demeanor kept everyone at least a meter away. Nian Zhi’an was certain that if Mu Yixuan just nodded, a horde of people would line up to be her friends.

By contrast, under Song Father’s guidance, she had already befriended plenty of rich kids and officials’ offspring. She lived like a total player every day, so she often had to ditch Mu Yixuan. Whenever that happened, she would spot the other girl standing alone, as if she had been abandoned.

…What kind of weird comparison was that!

Nian Zhi’an quickly shoved the odd thought from her mind and gently suggested that Mu Yixuan could make some other friends.

“Like you?” Mu Yixuan said expressionlessly.

Nian Zhi’an scratched her head. The little antagonist from next door was getting less and less adorable. She used to smile often as a kid; how had she turned into an ice queen? And what was with the attitude today—was she spoiling for a fight?

“Or like them?” Mu Yixuan pointed to the couple making out by the bushes downstairs.

Nian Zhi’an glanced over, then abruptly flung open the window and shouted, “The director’s here!”

The young couple downstairs panicked and fled in a flurry.

Her neighbor… no, the little antagonist next door was still so innocent, believing that kissing led to pregnancy! The punch from her last joke still smarted faintly on Nian Zhi’an’s face. A girl this pure couldn’t be led astray by anyone!

Nian Zhi’an said solemnly, “Don’t ever learn that kind of thing—at least not now. I’ve got a date with some other people, so I’m heading out!”

The girl bounced away happily. Mu Yixuan watched her retreating back with an inexplicable unhappiness. This was the who-knows-how-manyth time she had ditched her to go play with others.

She pulled a pink envelope from her drawer. Scrawled crookedly on it were the words “To Song Qi’an.”

Earlier that day, she had caught a boy stuffing this letter into Song Qi’an’s drawer. Mu Yixuan had been furious and planned to tell the disciplinary director.

The boy begged her not to snitch—this school’s rules were extremely strict, and getting caught dating early meant big trouble.

So she confiscated the love letter and forbade him from going near Song Qi’an again, threatening to drop it on the director’s desk otherwise.

To avoid a parental beating from both sides, the boy could only agree and slink away dejectedly.

Mu Yixuan tore the love letter in her hand into tiny shreds. She didn’t know much about romance, but she knew this boy wanted to do to Song Qi’an what that couple downstairs had been doing.

The scraps of paper fluttered into the trash can, mingling with the refuse.

In your dreams!