Chapter 6: World One

Nian Zhi’an had a dream in which she looked particularly disheveled.

Someone had grabbed her collar and was yelling at her desperately.

“Was it you? Did you set her up?!”

“Why would you do that? Do you enjoy being someone’s lapdog so much? How pathetic can you get?!”

Then came another shove, and she fell to the ground, hitting it hard—but it didn’t hurt.

Perhaps seeing that she had been knocked down made the other person’s voice falter, as if they were a bit nervous. After a moment of silence, she squatted down beside her, seemingly wanting to help her up.

“He’s not a good person. He’s just using you. Can’t you snap out of it?” Her lifelong rival, who had always competed fiercely with her from childhood, had never begged anyone before, yet here she was pleading in such a humble tone.

“No,” Nian Zhi’an shook her head. Then she plastered on a smug, condescending smile that even she found repulsive. She had no choice—who was she to argue with what the system liked?

After that, the hazy dream dissolved into endless arguments, interspersed with the system’s voice.

【Host, you’ve done well.】

【Hand over all your assets to the male lead. That way, the antagonist will never recover.】

【The male lead’s in trouble. Go take care of it.】

That voice was like a death knell straight from hell!

Nian Zhi’an shot up in bed with a jolt, her forehead covered in fine beads of cold sweat.

The sun was already high in the sky outside, its harsh light seeping through the poorly sealed door crack. The other people in the dorm seemed to have all left; she couldn’t hear any breathing besides her own.

She had thought she would lose sleep over all the mess, but surprisingly, she had dozed off in a daze during the latter half of the night. However, this sleep had been far from peaceful. Events from her time in this world had flooded her mind like a tidal wave in the dream.

The voice of System s-232 still seemed to echo in her ears. Even though she had already sent it to the Destruction Field, Nian Zhi’an could still feel a chill rising from deep in her bones.

The little system, which had been up all night writing its strategy guide, jumped a foot in the air in fright.

“W-What’s wrong?” it asked cautiously as it edged closer. Seeing Nian Zhi’an’s pale face and poor mental state, it carefully backed away a little—probably to avoid her having one of her “episodes.” “Your roommates have all left. I checked, and you don’t have class today, so I didn’t wake you.”

It seemed her intimidating presence still lingered; she had scared off all her roommates.

And no wonder—after all, Zhang Qin had gotten beaten up. There were two in the dorm who had acted as her accomplices and now wanted to minimize their presence as much as possible. On top of that, the algorithm had bombarded them all day with stories about college roommates murdering each other. Who would dare stay here?

Nian Zhi’an tugged at the corner of her mouth. “You’re a bit more considerate than your predecessor.”

The little system couldn’t tell if the Great Demon King was praising it or being sarcastic, so it tentatively replied, “Th-Thank you?”

Hearing such a straightforward thanks, Nian Zhi’an paused for a moment. “Are all the systems from the Redemption Department this amusing?”

Huh?

The little system scratched its bald, glowing head. “I-I don’t really know. I was just created, and I haven’t interacted much with the other systems. Maybe… it’s because I have an amusing soul?”

The little system’s earnest demeanor was endearingly silly, nothing like the loathsome s-232. Nian Zhi’an finally laughed out loud. For once, she and the system were having a normal conversation.

The little system breathed a sigh of relief. The Great Demon King actually looked soft and fragile when she wasn’t having an episode—quite pitiable, not scary at all. It hoped she could stay like this a bit longer.

“Host, um… would you consider saving the antagonist? I don’t mean anything else. It’s just… I see that you two seem to get along pretty well…” Seizing the moment when the host appeared approachable, the little system tentatively extended its probing claw.

“Which of your eyes saw that we get along?” Nian Zhi’an scooped up the light orb and examined it closely, but she couldn’t find anything resembling eyes. “Oh, so you don’t have eyes. Never mind, then.”

The little system felt like it had taken a full-body hit from its fellow system. It explained solemnly, “We systems don’t have eyes like humans do, but we can still see things! I’m not blind!”

She had encountered plenty of systems before, but none as dim-witted as the one floating before her now.

Nian Zhi’an sighed faintly and muttered under her breath, “Could it be that the Main System dumped a defective product on me?”

“What did you just say?”

“…Nothing. You should be able to access the records of my previous mission executions, right? Go take a look.” With that, Nian Zhi’an put on her pajamas, got out of bed, and headed out to wash up, leaving the little system to check for itself.

The little system hesitated for a moment. After all, its predecessors starting with “s” had originally belonged to the Clearance Department… It had heard about their ruthless style. Had that predecessor not only left it with a Great Demon King host but also a massive mess?

With Nian Zhi’an’s permission, the little system timidly pulled up the past failure records. From the Great Demon King pushing the antagonist into a mud puddle as kids, to stealing her family company’s secrets after growing up…

One incident after another laid out before it. The little system’s vision went black.

Not from an internal circuit short, but from the bleak darkness of its future.

This was completely beyond whitewashing. What to do? No, no—not entirely hopeless. The current Great Demon King was Guo Yuzhen, not Song Qi’an. What did Song Qi’an’s actions have to do with Guo Yuzhen? Yes! They still had a chance!

The little system paced the dorm room in circles a few times. It glanced at Nian Zhi’an, who was still washing up outside, then sneaked under the bed and opened the contact for that helpful senior system.

That senior was impressive, always cutting straight to the point on tricky matters—probably very experienced. Who knew its rank on the leaderboard? It sent over the whole story, hoping for some advice.

The senior seemed idle; it replied almost immediately with two words: 【Interesting】.

Interesting my foot!

The little system vented in a flurry of complaints: landing such a Great Demon King host and inheriting a huge pile of messes from its predecessor. Why did all this bad luck have to fall on it?

【Sigh, being too outstanding is a real hassle too.】

The other side hesitated, then sent a question mark.

【A case this thorny? The Main System Lord must have picked the most outstanding new-gen system to handle it—that’s why I got chosen.】 The tallest tree in the forest attracts the axe; it was just too excellent, what a headache!

【……】 The other side sent a string of ellipses, followed by: 【Or maybe it’s because you’re the silliest?】

That message was deleted within a second; the little system barely caught it.

【Don’t worry.】 The other side followed up quickly.

【Why?】 How could it not worry? So many days had passed, and the host showed no intention of tackling those tasks. She was slacking off completely, seemingly planning to let the protagonist starve to death before heading back.

After a pause, the other side sent a voice message: 【Nian Zhi’an will agree. She has no choice but to agree.】

The voice sounded familiar, carrying an aloof condescension and an indefinable pressure. The little system shivered.

After washing up, Nian Zhi’an returned to the dorm room. She glanced around but didn’t see the system. That half-baked little thing was always hovering like a grim reaper; its absence was a relief for her ears.

【Host, it’s getting late. You should eat. Aren’t you hungry? Going hungry too long can lead to stomach problems…】

The little guy had popped up out of nowhere again, nagging like a mother hen.

Nian Zhi’an nearly crushed her desk.

【After eating, don’t forget to pack. We’re moving today!】

Oh, right—she had almost forgotten. From now on, she was the family tutor for Mu Yutian’s daughter!

“No rush.” Nian Zhi’an waved her hand. “Let me talk to the original host first.”

【Huh? The original host? Didn’t she already reincarnate?】 The little system was puzzled.

Nian Zhi’an and the little system stared at each other.

“You don’t know?” Nian Zhi’an had assumed the original host was a contingency left by the little system.

【…W-What should I know?】 the little system asked timidly.

“…” Nian Zhi’an rubbed her forehead. Either this little thing was an expert at playing dumb, or it hadn’t even finished the basics of system training.

“After the original host dies, she usually reincarnates. But sometimes lingering obsessions leave a remnant of consciousness. The system should help the executor scout the situation ahead of time. Didn’t you pay attention in class?” Nian Zhi’an’s head throbbed twice as hard. Tutoring Mu Yixuan’s kid was one thing—she owed Mu Yixuan, and Mu Yixuan paid generously. But why was she tutoring for the Main System too?!

The little system immediately pulled out its textbook and, sure enough, found the fine print.

Nian Zhi’an picked up the little system, which was clinging to her leg and tearfully promising no next time, and set it aside. Then she sank her consciousness into a certain corner, where she found the original host’s soul huddled against a leg, sobbing softly.

“Guo Yuzhen?” Nian Zhi’an called out to her.

Guo Yuzhen jerked her head up. Her tear-streaked little face was full of shock, her mouth agape wide enough to fit an egg.

The girl did indeed bear some resemblance to her, but her timidity and cowering had dulled that similarity considerably, making her look nothing like her at all.

“You, you you…” Guo Yuzhen jumped like a startled rabbit.

Nian Zhi’an didn’t stand on ceremony with her. In this cramped corner, she plopped down right beside her, their shoulders touching.

“You haven’t gone into reincarnation even now. Is there something you’re unable to let go of?” Nian Zhi’an ruffled the young girl’s hair vigorously.

Guo Yuzhen was still lost in her shock and couldn’t pull herself out of it. “Song, Song Song Song… Miss Song? It’s really you! I thought I’d seen wrong!”

She had seen Miss Song’s photo before! So she was the legendary lover of President Mu, who had passed away ten years ago?!

Oh my God! Guo Yuzhen’s eyes immediately reddened again. After the pain of parting in life and death, the departed soul returned to the mortal world by any means possible because she couldn’t let go of her still-living beloved—what a heartbreaking love story. It was wonderful that President Mu finally had a chance to reunite with her lover!

“You know me? Sorry about borrowing your body. If you have any unfinished wishes, you can tell me. As repayment, I’ll do my best to fulfill them for you.” The System wasn’t reliable, so Nian Zhi’an had to handle the after-sales service herself.

“No, no, no! You don’t need to feel sorry at all. Truth be told, I have no lingering attachments to this world. You paid off my debts and taught those bullies who tormented me a lesson… I’m truly grateful!” Guo Yuzhen was a kind-hearted girl. The last thread of obsession that had held her back wasn’t anything else—it was the voice of the System that she’d overheard by chance.

She explained that she’d heard a voice saying that once so-and-so died, Mu Yixuan wouldn’t die well either. That was why she’d wanted to ask the kind soul who took over her body to save Mu Yixuan.

Mu Yixuan’s years of good deeds had earned her their due reward. Nian Zhi’an absolutely refused to admit that she felt even the slightest bit gratified.

That damn System! How could it make such a rookie mistake? Veins bulged on her forehead. Had the Main System really sent her a half-baked product?!

“But I’m not worried anymore.” Guo Yuzhen broke into a smile of pure relief. “You came back for President Mu, right?”

“Uh… yeah.” It wasn’t wrong to put it that way.

A dopey grin of “I knew it” and “I’m totally shipping this” immediately spread across Guo Yuzhen’s face. “That’s great, that’s great. President Mu is in your hands from now on!”

“…Huh?” Nian Zhi’an felt like something was off about those words.

The path to reincarnation opened. The young girl, who had withered away in the prime of her life, could finally head happily to her new existence. She took a few steps forward, then suddenly turned back, rushed up to Nian Zhi’an, and grasped her hand. “I almost forgot—wishing you and President Mu a hundred years of harmony! You have to be happy!”

Listen to yourself—what kind of wild words are coming out of your mouth!