The Salted Fish is Rebellious – CH39

Chapter 39

Feng Zifan finished speaking and turned to leave.

Yu Yi, panicked, grabbed his sleeve. “Brother Zifan!”

Feng Zifan stopped, turning to look at him.

Yu Yi bit his lip, his eyes welling up with tears. “I admit I have a bit of a crush on the boss. I always thought he and Xing Shi were just friends. When we went out last time, I originally planned to tell Xing Shi about it. But after playing games, I realized their relationship wasn’t ordinary, so I didn’t say anything.”

Choking up, he continued, “I just found out about them, and I was upset. I told myself I’d only look at him from afar every day, and once Xing Shi was discharged, I’d forget about the boss. I see Xing Shi as a brother. How could I compete with him for someone? Brother Zifan, I’ve never wanted to do anything that crosses the line, I swear.”

Feng Zifan looked at him, sighed softly, and his tone softened. “Xiao Yi.”

Yu Yi’s heart relaxed slightly as he gazed back pitifully. But the moment he thought Feng Zifan had softened, the gentleness in his expression quickly disappeared.

Feng Zifan asked, “Have I ever truly known you?”

Yu Yi’s expression froze. “Brother Zifan…”

Feng Zifan’s gaze grew colder. “You say you see him as a brother, yet when your brother was unconscious with a mysterious fever and barely responsive, you ran to him late at night. Under the guise of concern for him, you asked the boss for his WeChat. Is that what you mean by ‘not competing’?”

Yu Yi’s fingers, still clutching Feng Zifan’s sleeve, stiffened completely.

Feng Zifan pulled away from him. “Don’t take people for fools. Like I said before, stay away from us from now on. Just pretend we never met.”

The sound of the safety door opening and closing echoed dully, as if it were pounding directly on his chest.

Yu Yi’s face turned ashen. He stood there for several seconds before kicking the railing in frustration and taking deep breaths to calm himself.

Asking for WeChat—that was where he’d slipped up.

He had only wanted Fu Xiuning to see how much he cared for Xing Shi, hoping it would earn him some favorability points.

He’d been so careful, always appearing timid and harmless in front of Fu Xiuning, never showing any obvious intentions. He thought asking for a WeChat would be no big deal. Who knew it would immediately arouse suspicion?

Thinking back to what the system had said about Fu Xiuning being a target, it all made sense. The man had been through a lot and must have gained plenty of experience.

The key to resolving this lay with Xing Shi. As long as Xing Shi was willing to forgive him, everything could be smoothed over.

Xing Shi was usually easygoing and polite, even if he had shown clear disgust toward people who harbored feelings for Fu Xiuning during the Yu Shu incident. But Yu Yi couldn’t just do nothing—he had to come up with a solution.

He decided to meet Xing Shi face-to-face. At the very least, he needed to show some sincerity.

Skipping class, Yu Yi quickly messaged his teacher to request leave and took a taxi straight to the hospital.

This was an acting class. When Feng Zifan noticed that Yu Yi hadn’t returned ten minutes in, he stepped out to check the hallway but found no sign of him. After some thought, he sent Xing Shi a message.

When Xing Shi received the message, he immediately informed Fu Xiuning, who made a phone call.

This hospital belonged to the Fu family, and with one word from Fu Xiuning, the matter was swiftly handled.

As a result, Yu Yi didn’t even make it to the elevator in the inpatient department before being politely escorted out by security. No amount of pleading worked; the guards firmly maintained that appointments were required for entry.

He tried messaging and calling Xing Shi, but his number had already been blocked.

Borrowing a stranger’s phone to call again, he managed to get through, but Xing Shi hung up as soon as Yu Yi let out the first sob.

Xing Shi remained unbothered.

This was why neither he nor Fu Xiuning had been particularly concerned about Yu Yi being a Host.

He was just a trainee with no background, living in a relatively isolated and simple environment. His chances of debuting were entirely in Fu Xiuning’s hands, making him exceedingly easy to deal with.

Still, there were a few loose ends to tie up.

Xing Shi opened Bei Jinrong’s chat window, sent him the chat logs, and explained the situation.

Bei Jinrong, upon reading everything, was immediately incensed. His temper flared, and he wasted no time laying into Yu Yi with a barrage of snide and cutting remarks in the group chat.

Yu Yi, who had just thought of using Bei Jinrong and his friends for leverage, was about to reach out to them when he saw the messages. “…”

He bit his lip and sent an explanation.

A moment later, he was kicked out of the group.

This time, he bit his lip so hard it started bleeding.

Xing Shi, watching the group chat from his end, was in an excellent mood. He turned off his phone screen with a satisfied expression.

The system comforted him, “Alright, forget about him. Get some rest.”

Xing Shi tossed his phone aside, closed his eyes, and settled into bed. He asked, “Has Shangshangqian shown any signs of activity?”

The system replied, “Nope.”

It added, “Don’t worry. Competition between Hosts is normal. Even if Shangshangqian reports you to the main system, we won’t be punished.”

Xing Shi murmured, “Mm.”

Compared to Yu Yi, he was far more concerned about the system itself.

A highly intelligent and clever advanced system that knew his secrets—there was no way to feel entirely at ease with it out there.

If it were him in such a situation, he wouldn’t stay silent. Could it be that Shangshangqian had been injured in the explosion and lost its energy? Or perhaps it had burned all its energy to survive and was now unable to speak?

He asked, “If it dissipates or returns, its ID will disappear, correct?”

The system answered, “Correct. But I can’t imagine what it’s doing. Systems aren’t native to this world, so they’re heavily affected by this world’s dimensions. Floating around for long periods is extremely draining on energy.”

Xing Shi pondered. “Could it have stopped on someone else?”

The system hesitated before replying, “It’s possible, but without a direct order from the main system, it can’t bind to a native inhabitant on its own. That would also consume energy—unless it found another Host… Wait, do you think it’s trying to expose you to other Hosts? That’d be so underhanded!”

Xing Shi asked, “Does it even know who the other Hosts are?”

The system froze. “Oh, right, it doesn’t. Then what is it up to?”

Xing Shi said, “Keep an eye on the group chat. Let me know immediately if it shows any activity.”

The system agreed, “Got it.”

Xing Shi spent one more night at the hospital. By the next morning, his temperature had returned to normal, and he decided to check out.

He had already called Director He and the others in advance, telling them not to bother making a special trip. After packing his things, he got into Fu Xiuning’s car.

As Fu Xiuning slowly drove out of the hospital, he asked, “Should we stop by the apartment on the way?”

Xing Shi agreed readily. “Sure.”

He hadn’t been sleeping well at the apartment and hadn’t planned to go back, especially now that he had an annoying roommate. Since he had the time today, he figured he might as well move out entirely in one go.

However, when they arrived at the apartment, they found Yu Yi inside.

Yu Yi hadn’t expected Xing Shi to return.

After coming back to the company yesterday afternoon, Yu Yi discovered that Hou Zhang had spread the news about him, and now all the trainees knew.

In the past, his surroundings were always lively after class, but now, no one was around. When he tried to strike up a conversation, people would respond, but their attitudes were perfunctory. Worse still, Hou Zhang would occasionally throw in sarcastic remarks that stung.

Yu Yi felt the weight of subtle, judgmental stares all around him. He had to maintain his pitiful persona and couldn’t lash out in public, leaving him in a miserable state from afternoon until evening.

Even the teacher seemed to have heard the rumors. Seeing his condition, they didn’t ask any questions and instead gave him the day off to sort himself out.

As Yu Yi was brainstorming ways to meet Xing Shi, he was caught off guard when Xing Shi walked in. He immediately got up to greet him, his eyes red-rimmed and his voice choked with emotion. “Xing Shi…”

Xing Shi raised an eyebrow.

After an entire night, Yu Yi looked like a hollow shell, as though he might shatter at any moment.

Yesterday, Xing Shi had left him to stew, just to make him suffer. But sooner or later, he would need to arrange another meeting between Yu Yi and Fu Xiuning—he still wanted to know if Shangshangqian was with Yu Yi. After all, Yu Yi had also been present at the explosion.

Xing Shi glanced at Fu Xiuning, ignoring the system’s whispered advice to disregard Yu Yi, and walked inside.

Yu Yi immediately turned and followed him.

Having been kicked out of the group chat, targeted by Hou Zhang, and hit with blow after blow, Yu Yi didn’t know whether Xing Shi or Fu Xiuning was behind it. But given the current situation, it didn’t matter—he had to pretend he didn’t know.

With a pitiful expression, he said, “Xing Shi, you’ve misunderstood me. I’m not using you, and I’m not trying to steal from you. I truly see you as a good friend.”

Xing Shi ignored him entirely, opening the closet and pulling out his clothes.

Fu Xiuning shut the door to the room and said, “If you have something to say, say it to me. I’m listening.”

Yu Yi, his eyes reddened, looked at Fu Xiuning with rare anger in his expression. “Yes, I do like you, but I never intended to pursue you. When I asked for your WeChat, it was purely to check on Xing Shi. You can’t think of me that way!”

Fu Xiuning nodded calmly. “So setting up Hou Zhang was just an excuse to see me a few more times?”

Yu Yi choked. With Xing Shi’s condition almost at discharge-ready, claiming he had visited for Xing Shi’s sake was obviously a lie. Reluctantly, he admitted, “That was because I… wanted to see you.”

Fu Xiuning interrupted him bluntly. “That’s what we call using people.”

“No, it’s not!” Yu Yi protested, shaking his head vehemently.

Fu Xiuning had dealt with too many people like him and had no interest in debating.

He pulled out Xing Shi’s chair, sat down, and announced calmly, “Tomorrow, I’ll have the legal department terminate your contract. You can pursue opportunities elsewhere.”

Yu Yi froze as if struck by lightning.

If he tried to sign with another entertainment company, they’d undoubtedly investigate why he’d been dropped by Liuyue Culture. With his incident already spreading through Bei Jinrong’s circles, the truth would be easy to uncover.

Not to mention, he had offended Fu Xiuning. Would any entertainment company in Z City dare to take him in? Even if they did, seeing Fu Xiuning again would be near impossible. Even if he somehow managed to make a name for himself, Fu Xiuning wasn’t a celebrity—meeting him wouldn’t be as simple as attending a public event.

He could no longer afford to think about Xing Shi. Crying, he began begging Fu Xiuning to reconsider.

But Fu Xiuning had only said this to toy with him. He knew people like Yu Yi would never willingly stay away.

For a Host without a system—one who existed outside the norm and whose presence the main system might or might not detect—it was better to keep him within reach. Not to mention the unresolved matter of Shangshangqian’s disappearance.

Enjoying the spectacle for a moment, Fu Xiuning finally relented. “I can give you another chance, but there are conditions.”

Yu Yi immediately wiped his tears and said respectfully, “Please, tell me.”

Fu Xiuning said, “From now on, stay away from Suisui. If I catch you bothering him again, prepare to have your contract terminated.”

Glancing at Xing Shi, who had already finished packing, Fu Xiuning added, “Starting now.”

Yu Yi: “…”

So, after all that, they were back to square one—only this time, he had no way of asking for forgiveness.

Yu Yi stood there silently, collapsing inwardly as though he might fall apart.

Unfortunately for him, the two people in the room were merely spectators to his breakdown. Even the system was gleefully chiming in.

“That’s what you get for trying to steal someone else’s person. Serves you right!”

“With a face like his, no self-awareness, and no clue how high Fu Xiuning’s standards are? Tsk. Ugly people just cause more trouble. Bet he’s learned his lesson now!”

Xing Shi, ever fair, said, “He’s actually pretty good-looking. Not ugly.”

The system replied, “But compared to you, he’s just trash.”

It chuckled. “Fu Xiuning really pampers you. He loves you… Wait, is he about to faint? Is this an act?”

Yu Yi did feel like fainting.

He still wanted to try one last time—to let Xing Shi see just how miserable he was.

So, after trembling out a weak “Alright,” his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.

Xing Shi and Fu Xiuning glanced at him.

Xing Shi continued packing. Fu Xiuning calmly called for an ambulance.

Xing Shi didn’t have much to pack—just some clothes and personal items. Fu Xiuning put away his phone and helped him finish. By the time they were done, the ambulance had arrived.

Fu Xiuning told the paramedics, “He can pay for the ambulance when he wakes up.”

The paramedics hesitated. “…When he wakes up?”

Fu Xiuning nodded, then left with Xing Shi without looking back.

On the stretcher, Yu Yi: “…”

Once they were in the elevator, Xing Shi looked at Fu Xiuning, his tone loaded with meaning. “Are you sure we shouldn’t bother with him?”

Fu Xiuning replied, “No need.”

Xing Shi understood. Fu Xiuning hadn’t heard Shangshangqian’s voice from Yu Yi.

Since the incident, they had seen Yu Yi several times, yet Fu Xiuning had never heard any system dialogue. Based on the information provided by System 99, the likelihood of Shangshangqian being with Yu Yi was high, but if there was no dialogue, something unknown was at play.

Setting their doubts aside for now, the two returned home.

Xing Shi casually tossed his belongings into the bedroom, changed into loungewear, and returned to the living room. He asked Fu Xiuning if there were any suitable projects for him recently.

Fu Xiuning, who hadn’t gone to the office today, was working on his laptop. Hearing this, he looked up. “Shouldn’t you rest a few more days?”

Xing Shi replied, “No need. I’m fine now.”

While the fever was gone, the magic core within him hadn’t fully awakened as he had hoped. He suspected this was due to the incompatibility between the ordinary human body he now inhabited and the core—unlike his body in the magical world, which was naturally suited for it.

For now, he could faintly sense the magic core’s presence but couldn’t harness it. If Shangshangqian hadn’t exploded its energy, the core might have been activated already.

The uncertainty surrounding Shangshangqian left him uneasy—he wanted to regain his power as soon as possible.

Sighing, he said, “After being stabbed in the back by a friend, I’ve been telling myself to let it go, but I still feel the need to clear my mind.”

Fu Xiuning replied gently, “I’ll look into some options for you in the next couple of days.”

Xing Shi nodded. “Alright.”

The system couldn’t help but interject. “Why bother taking on work? You two could go relax together. If you’re off working, your ‘husband’ will just be left all alone again.”

Xing Shi blinked. “Hm?”

The system insisted, “You know what I mean. It’s inevitable. Mark my words—it’s just a matter of time.”

Xing Shi smirked. “Getting bold, are we?”

The system squeaked, quickly correcting itself. “Your brother! I meant your brother!”

It added, “You could go out with your brother, have some fun.”

Xing Shi said, “He can visit me on set.”

The system, suddenly enlightened, said, “True, he can’t bear to be apart from you.”

Xing Shi glanced at Fu Xiuning, who happened to meet his eyes at the same moment. In his mind, Xing Shi shouted, “Exactly!”

Fu Xiuning: “…”

The system carried on. “This time, don’t ask him to visit you on set. Let him stay home alone. The more time he spends missing you, the deeper his feelings will grow. Haha, actually, you should go work after all!”

Xing Shi replied once again, “Exactly!”

Fu Xiuning moved his laptop aside, grabbed a bag of snacks, and handed it to Xing Shi. “Stop talking.”

Trying not to laugh, Xing Shi took the snacks and opened them, ending the topic. He began chatting with the system about other things, eventually bringing up the topic of transmigration Hosts.

He asked, “Did you come over with us when we transmigrated?”

The system answered, “Sort of. There’s a sequence—we arrive after you do. Once we detect the energy wave from your souls crossing over, we bind to you.”

Casually munching on his snack, Xing Shi said, “Energy waves… so our energies are the same, right?”

The system corrected him. “Of course not. You’re human; we’re high-dimensional intelligences.”

Xing Shi said, “But aren’t you biological, too?”

The system hesitated. “Well, yes, but there’s still a big difference. Put simply, our energy level is higher.”

Xing Shi asked, “What if our energy levels were the same? What would that mean?”

The system dismissed the idea. “That’s impossible.”

Xing Shi pressed, “Humor me. Hypothetically.”

The system thought for a moment. “If our energy levels were identical, it’d mean you’re also a system.”

Xing Shi swallowed his food and said softly, “I see.”

Fu Xiuning’s fingers paused slightly on his touchpad.

Xing Shi wouldn’t ask such a question for no reason. Was this related to something he’d discovered during the Yu Shu incident?

Fu Xiuning looked at him. “What do you want for lunch?”

Smiling, Xing Shi handed him a piece of the snack. “Anything’s fine.”

As their eyes met briefly, Fu Xiuning accepted the snack, realizing his guess had been correct—Xing Shi had made a new discovery.

So… were Hosts also systems?

Xing Shi only rested at home for a day before returning to the company.

The moment he stepped into the class, everyone gathered around him.

They used to see his good relationship with the boss and feel envious, begrudgingly thinking he had lucked into Fu Xiuning’s favor. Some had even entertained less-than-innocent speculations. But now, they saw things differently. After all, Xing Shi had a powerful family background to match.

Hou Zhang, eager to curry favor, asked, “Brother Shi, are you feeling better? Our training schedule is intense—don’t push yourself too hard!”

Xing Shi knew what Hou Zhang had done, which made him slightly more tolerable in Xing Shi’s eyes. Smiling, he said, “It’s fine, I’m doing well.”

Hou Zhang said, “That’s good. These past few days without you, none of us have felt at ease during training.”

Everyone around them internally hissed, thinking, That flattery is way too obvious. Leave out the ‘us,’ will you?

Even Xing Shi found it a bit over the top. He brushed him off with a few polite words before heading over to Feng Zifan.

Yu Yi had shown up today.

However, after Fu Xiuning’s warning, he didn’t dare approach. He only stood a short distance away, casting sorrowful glances in Xing Shi’s direction.

Xing Shi, of course, ignored him. He stretched his body, getting ready for class. As he looked up, he noticed Gu Zheng and his roommate approaching him, saying they wanted to talk.

After a moment’s thought, Xing Shi called Feng Zifan to join him.

As they walked out, Feng Zifan asked in a low voice, “What do they want with you again?”

Xing Shi replied, “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Feng Zifan looked at him. “From the way you’re talking, you already know?”

Xing Shi said, “I can guess. It’s going to be something pretty low. Prepare yourself.”

Feng Zifan: “?”

Since class was about to start, the lounge area had emptied out, leaving it unusually quiet.

Gu Zheng and his roommate stood in front of Xing Shi, looking hesitant.

Two days ago, after hearing about Yu Yi’s situation, Gu Zheng’s roommate had recalled how they had pulled their punches when colliding with Xing Shi back then. He had told Gu Zheng about it, and the two had been shocked as if struck by lightning.

They had thought their scheming against Xing Shi placed them on the “first floor.” Then the Lin Kecheng incident came out, revealing they were actually on the “second floor.” Now, with Yu Yi’s behavior exposed, they realized they had been on the “third floor” all along!

The adult world was truly dark, and they were just plain stupid.

Yu Yi’s maliciousness prompted them to feel obligated to warn Xing Shi. Of course, they wouldn’t deny that part of their intention was to ingratiate themselves with him.

Xing Shi listened quietly, entirely unsurprised.

Feng Zifan, on the other hand, was stunned and asked, “What did you just say?”

Gu Zheng admitted, “I know it sounds like we’re trying to wash our hands of responsibility, and it’s true that we intentionally bumped into him back then—that can’t be changed. But we’re risking coming to you now because we want you to know: Yu Yi isn’t just manipulative—he’s downright vicious.”

Xing Shi said, “I don’t think this kind of suspicion should be kept between just the two of us.”

Gu Zheng immediately understood his point. “We agree.”

Ever since they had apologized to Xing Shi in public, others had speculated that they had offended him and been removed from some lists as a result. At this point, they didn’t care if the whole matter was exposed.

Xing Shi watched them leave, then turned to Feng Zifan. “You okay?”

Feng Zifan stayed silent for a long time before muttering, “F**k!”

Xing Shi comforted him. “Relax. At least we cut our losses in time. I’m planning to do a variety show soon. If I can bring you along, I will. If not, I’ll have my brother find something else for you—you can pick one and have some fun.”

Having experienced so much, Xing Shi found it hard to form deep friendships. Yu Yi’s actions had little impact on him.

But he knew Feng Zifan had always treated Yu Yi like a younger brother, so Feng Zifan needed this break much more than he did.

Feng Zifan blinked, caught off guard by the sudden offer. “?”

Having resources dropped on his lap, his first reaction wasn’t joy but hesitation. “Am I even good enough for that?”

Xing Shi said, “No one’s perfect at the start. You’ll debut eventually, so take this time to adjust. Besides, being around him every day isn’t doing you any good—go out and enjoy yourself.”

Feng Zifan no longer objected. “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”

By noon, news of Yu Yi’s actions had spread.

People were shocked—completely blindsided. Some had initially been moved by his pitiful act, thinking that as long as he wasn’t outright stealing someone, his uncontrollable feelings were understandable to some degree. Now, all traces of sympathy had evaporated.

Yu Yi wanted to explain himself to Xing Shi but feared being thrown out of the company by Fu Xiuning. Left with no options, he could only sulk and feign misery on his own.

Xing Shi was very satisfied with the situation.

He focused on finishing his lessons for the day. When he returned home in the evening, Fu Xiuning had already chosen a project for him.

After showering, Xing Shi plopped onto the sofa and picked up the materials. Skimming past the details of the show, his gaze landed on the guest list. Among them was a single artist from Liuyue Culture, Yan Feng.

Feigning ignorance, Xing Shi asked, “Brother, this guy’s from our company, right?”

Fu Xiuning said, “Mm.”

Xing Shi grew curious. “What’s he like?”

Fu Xiuning replied, “He placed fifth in last year’s talent show. Very ambitious.”

In other words, he wasn’t pursuing a romance route. After transmigrating, he focused entirely on advancing his career. His current favorability: -3.

Fu Xiuning added, “But he’s arrogant. He likes to recruit others as his underlings.”

In other words, he was walking the “little brother” route—not to become Fu Xiuning’s subordinate but to rise to the top himself and turn Fu Xiuning into his subordinate. Then he would subtly manipulate him, exerting both kindness and power until Fu Xiuning was wholly devoted, willing to sacrifice anything for him. Quite an ambitious plan.

Xing Shi raised an eyebrow. “What a coincidence. I used to enjoy doing that too.”

Thinking of how Xing Shi now played the “daddy” role instead, Fu Xiuning’s lips curved slightly. He summarized, “He’ll probably look after you during the show—as long as you behave.”

Xing Shi gave a noncommittal “Oh” and flipped through the rest of the materials. He noticed the shoot was scheduled for next week.

The system, skimming with him, sighed in disappointment. “It’s only a three-day shoot? Take on another project after this. Stay out longer and let your husb… your brother stew at home for a bit.”

Xing Shi replied, “Not interested.”

The system prodded him. “Don’t you want to see him chase after you?”

Xing Shi answered, “No.”

The system pressed, “Why not?”

Not one to indulge in love-struck conversations with his system, Xing Shi replied, “No reason.”

The system tried to convince him. “Let him pursue you! Romance is wonderful. You’re at the perfect age for a sweet relationship—holding hands, hugging, kissing… oh, wait!”

Suddenly realizing something, it asked, “Are you refusing because you’re shy about me watching?”

Xing Shi openly admitted, “Exactly. If I agree to the romance route, will you uninstall yourself?”

The system balked. “I can’t do that.”

Xing Shi said, “Then no deal.”

The system panicked. “But… but we have a privacy mode! It’s a feature we’re proud of. For your privacy, we won’t see or hear certain things—hand-holding and hugs, fine. Deep kisses and, uh, other things… you know what I mean. We’ll automatically block it out. Promise.”

Xing Shi: “?”

Fu Xiuning: “…”

Xing Shi instinctively glanced at Fu Xiuning, meeting his gaze.

So, if they got a bit more intimate, they’d be able to talk freely without the system eavesdropping?

The thought flashed through his mind, and Xing Shi quickly realized how dangerous it was. Feigning shock, he pretended to lose balance and toppled forward.

Fu Xiuning caught him effortlessly but was pushed back slightly by the impact. Xing Shi ended up sprawled against him, looking up into his eyes.

The familiar notification sound blared in his ears.

[Ding Ding] [Current Favorability: 54]
[Ding Ding] [Current Favorability: 55]
[Ding Ding] [Current Favorability: 56]
[Ding Ding…]

Flustered, Xing Shi quickly scrambled to his feet, throwing out an excuse. “Bathroom!”

As the system yelled, “Why are you running? Be a man!” Xing Shi rushed back to his room.

Fu Xiuning sat up slowly, smoothing out the creases on the page of his book.

With his head lowered, the warm light cast a soft glow, revealing a faint blush from the tips of his ears to his neck.