The Salted Fish is Rebellious – CH53

Chapter 53

Xing Shi towel-dried his hair and walked into the living room. He played on his phone for a while and, noticing that Fu Xiuning had also come out, asked, “What do you think of my little brother?”

Fu Xiuning sat down beside him. The emotions in his eyes had receded, replaced by his usual gentle demeanor. “He seems fine.”

Xing Shi understood. From that response, it was clear that Chai Xiaoyu was a native.

Though he was a little annoyed by this, it wasn’t enough to shake him, let alone make him hesitate.

Sitting cross-legged, he looked at Fu Xiuning. “If he invites me out in the next few days, I’ll make time to hang out with him.”

Fu Xiuning, who had already understood Xing Shi’s stance when he hugged him earlier, responded with a soft “Mm.”

Xing Shi didn’t want to linger on the topic, so he leaned in a little closer to change the subject and chat with Fu Xiuning.

Fu Xiuning quickly noticed that Xing Shi was trying to ease his mind, and his gaze softened slightly. When he saw a droplet of water from Xing Shi’s hair sliding down his ear to his neck, he reached out to wipe it away.

Xing Shi shivered at the sensation, and his words abruptly stopped.

Fu Xiuning lowered his gaze and met his eyes. He froze as well. The two were very close, their breaths mingling.

“91,” Top Draw said flatly.

Both **99 and Latecomer Surpasses, who were engrossed in watching, immediately turned to look at it.

“What’s your problem? I rarely get to watch something live,” Latecomer Surpasses grumbled.

“Exactly,” 99 agreed. “The score’s just going to drop again anyway.”

“I’m just reminding you,” Top Draw said coldly.

The interruption snapped Xing Shi back to reality. He leaned back to create distance between them.

Fu Xiuning, though he could only hear 99’s voice, could guess the general situation and restrained himself as he pulled his hand back.

Xing Shi adjusted his emotions and began brainstorming ways to lower the favorability score.

After singing three consecutive songs with no effect, he sincerely suggested, “Brother, how about we go buy a scooter? I’ll take you out for a ride.”

Fu Xiuning, knowing there wasn’t a better option, fell silent for a few seconds before compromising. “Alright.”

[Ding Ding] [Current favorability: 90]

Xing Shi’s eyes lit up. “Let’s head out now, take a night ride, and I’ll drop you at the company tomorrow morning.”

Fu Xiuning silently stared at him.

Xing Shi looked back with anticipation.

Fu Xiuning stood up from the sofa, his expression gentle. “Okay.”

[Ding Ding] [Current favorability: 89]

The three systems: “…”

“Just like that?” Latecomer Surpasses marveled.

“Tch, it’s probably to maintain his dignity as the elder brother,” 99 quipped.

Xing Shi couldn’t help but laugh.

Having eaten and showered, he only wanted to laze around. Hearing the score drop, he said, “How about I stay home while you go buy it and ride it back yourself?”

Fu Xiuning immediately realized that Xing Shi wasn’t interested in going out and sat back down.

This time, he refrained from reaching out, lest he risk raising the favorability score again.

He picked up the book next to him and began reading quietly.

Xing Shi watched the familiar scene unfold and felt his earlier emotions completely settle.

Noticing Xing Shi’s gaze, Fu Xiuning closed the book and gently asked, “Want to watch a movie?”

Xing Shi didn’t mind. “Sure. What do you want to watch?”

Fu Xiuning used his phone to search and picked a well-reviewed film.

The living room lights were turned off, leaving only the glow of the television.

The two sat side by side, watching the screen in silence.

The movie lasted two hours. After it ended, Xing Shi wished Fu Xiuning goodnight and went to his room, where he flopped onto his bed and began carving a magic array onto Top Draw.

Top Draw trembled slightly but hovered in place without moving.

99 and Latecomer Surpasses observed for a while. When it remained silent, 99 looked at Latecomer Surpasses.

Feeling insulted, Latecomer Surpasses exclaimed, “This is really unbearable!”

“But Top Draw isn’t fazed,” 99 pointed out.

“That’s Top Draw! Not me!” Latecomer Surpasses retorted. “You’ll see when it’s your turn!”

99, knowing its limits, imagined the scenario and fell silent out of fear.

Having done this once before, Xing Shi worked much more smoothly this time, continuing until he was nearly exhausted before putting his energy away.

Top Draw trembled again, swayed slightly, and quickly steadied itself.

99 and Latecomer Surpasses rushed over. “How are you feeling?”

“Top Draw replied calmly, “Not bad.”

Both 99 and Latecomer Surpasses were filled with admiration. “Truly a tough one,” they thought.

Xing Shi gestured for them to quiet down, rolled over, and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day passed as usual, with Xing Shi shuttling between school and the company. Before he realized it, evening had arrived.

That night, Xing Shi didn’t have elective classes and stayed at the company to train. Fu Xiuning, instead of going home after work, joined him for dinner at a restaurant.

Midway through their meal, a commotion arose in the dining area, and faint noises came from outside.

Moments later, Fu Xiuning’s phone rang abruptly. The caller ID showed it was Yan Feng’s agent.

He immediately guessed that something had happened and answered the call.

Yan Feng had passed away.

The news instantly shot to the top of trending topics, sweeping across the internet.

After being in a coma for over half a month, he hadn’t woken up and had passed peacefully in his sleep.

Fans wailed online, while major bloggers shared condolences and posted information on stroke prevention.

The systems quickly learned of the news and opened their group chat simultaneously, noticing that Latecomer Surpasses’ name was still present.

A system cannot survive long after detaching from its host. If Yan Feng were the host, whether native or transmigrated, his death would have meant Latecomer Surpasses going offline as well. This was common knowledge.

Yet, after waiting for half an hour, Latecomer Surpasses’ name remained. Unable to contain themselves, the others spoke up.

[All Are Consorts]: [@Latecomer Surpasses, impressive acting.]

[Green Bean Paste]: [So the senior’s host wasn’t Yan Feng? ?]

[Prosperity for All]: [Sigh, can’t we just be honest with each other?]

Hearing the activity, 99 and the others joined the group chat.

[Latecomer Surpasses]: [Tch, didn’t think the truth would come out so quickly.]

[All Are Consorts]: [You stayed silent after Yan Feng’s accident to throw us off, didn’t you?]

[Latecomer Surpasses]: [Of course. So, how does it feel? Didn’t you all think he was really my host?]

[Prosperity for All]: [We sure did. I was even worried about it.]

[Green Bean Paste]: [Me too. Seniors are so cunning.]

[Latecomer Surpasses]: [Haha, sorry to make you worry for nothing. My host’s perfectly fine~]

[All Are Consorts]: [Heh. What’s the point of all this scheming? In the end, we’re all destined to be taken away.]

[Latecomer Surpasses]: [Not happening. Look at my ID. If anyone’s getting taken away, it’ll be you all.]

[Prosperity for All]: [Sigh, don’t fight.]

[All Are Consorts]: [I’m not fighting. Time will tell everything.]

[Prosperity for All]: [@Top Draw, so what was that whole “fake madness” incident about? It wasn’t Yu Yi? What was it, then, for it to cause such chaos?]

Top Draw remained silent.

Both [All Are Consorts] and [Prosperity for All] stared at its ID, disappointed.

Top Draw was always calm, occasionally sharp, and notoriously hard to deal with. They had long hoped to uncover its host but had made no progress.

The incident with Latecomer Surpasses had initially seemed like an opportunity. Yan Feng didn’t fit the profile of a host, but his background matched, and his personality had changed before. Meanwhile, Yu Yi’s identity, behavior, and the “fake madness” incident all fit. The conclusion seemed obvious: Yan Feng was Latecomer Surpasses’ host, and Yu Yi was Top Draw’s host.

Though Top Draw hadn’t confirmed this and Latecomer Surpasses had tried to sow doubt with its carefree attitude, the theory seemed likely.

Knowing that Top Draw was stuck with someone like Yu Yi had been reassuring.

But now, realizing that Yan Feng wasn’t Latecomer Surpasses’ host, their earlier theory crumbled.

[All Are Consorts]: [The only person who went berserk near Fu Xiuning recently was Yu Yi, and the timeline fits. I don’t believe that’s a coincidence. Are you two saying you spotted signs that Yu Yi was about to snap and staged a performance in the chat to redirect our focus? Why would you do that? Or is @Top Draw’s host really Yu Yi, while @Latecomer Surpasses’ host is someone else at the scene, Xing Shi?]

Confirming with Xing Shi, Latecomer Surpasses replied: [That’s right. You caught me~ My host is Xing Shi, and he’s super close with Fu Xiuning. Scared yet?]

[Green Bean Paste]: [There you go again ?]

[Prosperity for All]: [Sigh. I’m tired. I can’t keep up with you guys.]

[All Are Consorts]: [I’m done guessing too. Do whatever you want. In the end, you’re all getting taken away anyway.]

[Latecomer Surpasses]: [Don’t be like that! I’m telling the truth this time ?]

[All Are Consorts]: [Heh ?]

Watching the group chat, Latecomer Surpasses asked Xing Shi, “What if they try to confirm everything by asking Yu Yi directly? If they talk to him, they’ll find out Top Draw’s host was Yu Shu, my host was indeed Yan Feng, and neither of us went offline after our hosts’ deaths. That’d blow everything wide open.”

Xing Shi said, “Yu Yi’s in a psychiatric hospital right now. Every visitor has to be strictly registered.”

Latecomer Surpasses immediately understood.

If someone unrelated went to visit Yu Yi, it would immediately draw suspicion, putting them under the scrutiny of every host and system.

They were all in superficial relationships; the chat group had always been full of half-truths and outright lies, and they had grown accustomed to it. Deciding whether or not something was worth exposing oneself over was an easy judgment to make.

Xing Shi naturally understood the importance of Yu Yi, but Fu Xiuning also knew who the remaining hosts were and would keep a particularly close eye on them.

He added, “Don’t worry, no one will be able to see him easily.”

At that moment, Fu Xiuning had just finished his call, during which he had handled all the arrangements related to Yan Feng’s passing.

He put down his phone, his thoughts also turning to Yu Yi.

Yu Yi’s existence was far too unique. If his identity was exposed, Xing Shi would inevitably be exposed as well.

He looked at Xing Shi. “The company will be handling Yan Feng’s funeral. Most of our artists will probably return for it.”

Xing Shi raised an eyebrow. Finally, he would have the chance to meet the two artist hosts.

Fu Xiuning asked, “Willing to waste it this time?”

The abrupt change in topic made Xing Shi pause before understanding what he meant. He replied, “Sure. What about you?”

Fu Xiuning said, “I understand.”

The three systems were listening in.

99 was confused. “What does that mean? Are they using secret codes again?”

Top Draw understood and remained calm. In their situation, a single misstep could lead to eternal disaster, so there could be no hesitation.

After a few seconds of thought, Latecomer Surpasses hissed.

99 immediately turned to it, drifting closer.

Latecomer Surpasses explained, knowing that Xing Shi and Fu Xiuning were being deliberately vague because they were sitting in a public restaurant, but the systems had no such concerns. “The last time ‘waste’ came up was when I went to absorb Yan Feng’s soul energy.”

99 thought for a moment before finally understanding. “So ‘waste it this time’ means they’re not going to use Yu Yi’s energy?”

“Correct,” Latecomer Surpasses replied.

99 hissed as well. Fu Xiuning’s intention was obvious: to deal with Yu Yi. Xing Shi’s incomplete response was likely reminding Fu Xiuning to be extra careful.

Just as it was about to make a comment, the chat group lit up with notifications. Upon opening it, they saw a message from a newcomer.

[Green Bean Paste]: [While the seniors are free today, I have a question… What should I do if my host has a bad impression of Fu Xiuning? How can I fix it? ?]

The newcomer quickly shared their host’s favorability score.

The other systems opened it and saw a number: -8.

[Latecomer Surpasses]: [Hiss.]

[All Are Consorts]: […]

[Prosperity for All]: [Uh, what?]

[Top Draw]: […]

[Green Bean Paste]: [Is there still hope for me?]

[Prosperity for All]: [How did it get to -8? What did you do?]

[Green Bean Paste]: [I don’t know! It’s so hard to figure out what Fu Xiuning is thinking. I just want to know if there’s still hope. ?]

[All Are Consorts]: [You should ask @Long Live the Beauty Lover.]

[Prosperity for All]: [Yeah, its host had a -8 before but managed to climb back a bit.]

[Green Bean Paste]: [@Long Live the Beauty Lover, help me!]

99 relayed the messages to Xing Shi and asked, “What do we do? Should I respond?”

Xing Shi said, “Ignore it.”

“Won’t that make them suspicious?” 99 asked.

Xing Shi replied, “Even if they are, they won’t figure anything out.”

99 kept watching the chat.

[Prosperity for All]: [@Long Live the Beauty Lover, come on, help the newcomer out?]

[Latecomer Surpasses]: [It hasn’t shown up in a while. Maybe it’s fighting with its host again?]

[All Are Consorts]: [@Long Live the Beauty Lover, stop hurting each other. If you really can’t figure it out, we’ll help you brainstorm something.]

But no matter how long they waited, there was no response.

That system had rarely interacted with the others since arriving in this world. Its appearances in the chat were few and far between, and it wasn’t very familiar with anyone. Seeing this, the other systems stopped bothering it and instead asked Green Bean Paste for details, hoping to offer advice.

Green Bean Paste, of course, wouldn’t reveal any information about its host. It made up a vague meeting scenario and received a slew of suggestions. While aware that some seniors might have ulterior motives, it treated the advice as a guide to potential pitfalls and saved it for reference.

After the discussion ended, the group chat fell silent again.

Yan Feng’s funeral was organized quickly.

His will was read aloud by a lawyer, and the funeral arrangements were handled transparently by the company, leaving no room for criticism.

One of the co-owners of June Culture, Qi Changyi, had a stellar reputation in the industry. Whenever conspiracy theories about the company profiting off the tragedy surfaced online, fans would shut them down before the company even needed to respond.

As Yan Feng’s trainees, the company’s idols attended the funeral. They all looked genuinely heartbroken.

Xing Shi followed the group through the proceedings before heading over to Fu Xiuning.

As the company’s owner, Fu Xiuning made a brief appearance to pay his respects, as did many artists who hadn’t been close to Yan Feng. Among them were the two artist hosts, who stopped by to greet him.

Xing Shi finally met the two hosts.

Li Yu, a cold and aloof beauty with an air of regality.

Sang Chenhao, a charming man with a kind smile and seemingly good temperament.

Unfortunately, both had film schedules and had only taken the day off. After briefly greeting Fu Xiuning and Xing Shi, they hurriedly left.

Yan Feng’s body was kept for three days before being sent to the crematorium.

By then, Xing Shi had finished carving the magic array for Top Draw. During this time, they noticed Yan Feng’s soul fragment dimming, on the verge of disappearing entirely.

The three systems gathered around to examine it. “It seems hosts, unlike us, don’t have a proper vessel. They just can’t hold on,” Latecomer Surpasses concluded.

Xing Shi had initially planned to let Yan Feng recover his memory and return with Latecomer Surpasses, but seeing this, he gave up on the idea.

Still, he didn’t feel much regret. After Top Draw decided to return, he had asked about related processes and learned that systems returning without their host’s soul energy wouldn’t arouse the main system’s suspicion.

Later, after capturing Latecomer Surpasses and consolidating its data, he learned even more.

Top Draw and Latecomer Surpasses had followed the main system to multiple worlds.

Each world had a powerful barrier. For an external system like the main system to invade and devour another world’s energy was no simple task. At first, it could only send out hosts and their systems like ants.

Some broke through the barriers and entered the world successfully; others failed and went astray. The latter outcome was so common that they were used to it.

Moreover, too much external energy would be rejected by the world, limiting how many “worker ants” could be deployed. For instance, Fu Xiuning could only have six systems operating around him at most.

Under normal circumstances, as the strategy progressed, hosts would exchange favorability for points, buy items from the system store, and establish energy channels for the main system to siphon the world’s energy. This created openings for further exploitation, expanding its reach.

But this world’s strategy had gone awry. After five years of attempts to target Fu Xiuning, there had been zero progress. On top of that, the main system had expended significant energy and could only wait impatiently outside the barrier.

For this reason, any system that successfully returned with valuable data would be a welcome asset, even without carrying their host’s soul energy.

Xing Shi sent a thread of energy to sense Yan Feng’s soul fragment. Confirming that it couldn’t be saved, he stood among the crowd and watched as Yan Feng’s ashes were interred, completing the final rites.

On the way down the mountain, he used energy to scatter the remaining fragment into the air, letting it dissipate.

99 was thoughtful. “I wonder which world he came from and what kind of story he had. Was he a host or someone being targeted?”

“I only know he must’ve been a self-absorbed, overconfident type,” Latecomer Surpasses remarked, then added sincerely, staring at the sky. “To my former boss, may you find nothing but work in heaven.”

Xing Shi: “…”

System 99: “???”

Top Draw: “…”

With Yan Feng’s funeral over, life returned to its usual rhythm.

Chai Xiaoyu spent five days in Z City. Perhaps due to Yan Feng’s passing, he didn’t disturb Xing Shi and only sent him a farewell message on his last day.

Xing Shi figured his next step would likely be to move to Z City for work. Not giving it much thought, he focused on carving a magic array for 99.

“Ahhh!” 99 immediately screamed.

Excited to watch, Latecomer Surpasses offered insincere comfort: “Hang in there; it’ll be over soon.”

“Easy for you to say!” 99 wailed. “You couldn’t handle it back then either!”

“Latecomer Surpasses retorted smugly, “In hindsight, it wasn’t that bad. Totally bearable.”

“Shut up!” 99 snapped.

Xing Shi, still deciding on the type of defensive array to use, paused after completing the first layer to take a break.

Fu Xiuning had recently been handling matters regarding Yu Yi while also selecting a suitable candidate from the list Xing Shi had given him.

The list was compiled with the combined efforts of Top Draw and Latecomer Surpasses. It consisted of entertainers in the industry who shared similar characteristics: not very popular, prone to causing trouble, with enough dirt on them to generate scandals—basically, the kind who could easily trend on social media once exposed.

Xing Shi asked, “If their company finds out it was your doing, will they hold a grudge?”

Fu Xiuning replied, “We’re competitors to begin with. I can give them a suitable excuse.”

Xing Shi said, “Oh?”

Fu Xiuning explained, “There’s a banquet the day after tomorrow.”

Xing Shi immediately understood. “Need me to go with you?”

Fu Xiuning said, “No, I can handle it.”

Xing Shi reminded him, “Brother, make sure you don’t drink anything suspicious.”

Fu Xiuning couldn’t help but ask, “What if I do?”

Xing Shi replied seriously, “Then I’ll just have to visit you in the hospital.”

Fu Xiuning ruffled his hair but didn’t say anything more.

Two days later, Fu Xiuning attended the banquet. Through deliberate scheming, a minor celebrity took the bait and offended him.

Without waiting for the celebrity’s manager to apologize, Fu Xiuning left the venue.

Three days later, the celebrity’s scandals were exposed online, instantly climbing to the top of trending topics. Fans were utterly shocked and vented their fury in the comments.

The celebrity had initially planned to cause trouble for Fu Xiuning in retaliation but couldn’t even get a meeting with him. Frustrated, they had no choice but to return to their company for help.

The trending topic lingered on social media for most of the day. Then Latecomer Surpasses called out, “Boss.”

Xing Shi responded with a light “Mm.” “Let’s go.”

Latecomer Surpasses looked at the other two systems. “Happy times are always short-lived. I’ll miss you both.”

99 was heartbroken. “I’ll miss you too!”

Top Draw, as always, remained calm. “We’ll see each other again soon.”

Latecomer Surpasses laughed. “Alright, I’ll be waiting for you at the main system.”

For the last time, it called out to Xing Shi. This time, it didn’t address him as “Boss,” but by his name, smiling as it said, “Xing Shi, I wish you and Fu Xiuning a lifetime of happiness together. May we never meet again.”

Xing Shi understood the meaning behind those words.

If he and Fu Xiuning failed in their mission, they would be swallowed by the main system, and their paths would inevitably cross within the vast energy flow. If they succeeded, however, the main system would collapse, and Latecomer Surpasses, as part of it, would also disintegrate.

He responded with another “Mm.” “Safe travels. May we never meet again.”

Latecomer Surpasses swayed its body in a gesture resembling a wave and detached itself from Xing Shi.

99 and Top Draw heard the “ding” notification and opened the chat group, only to see Latecomer Surpasses’ ID slowly fade away.

99 burst into tears. “What do I do? Will I ever see it again?”

Top Draw said, “You will.”

99’s hope was instantly rekindled. “Really?”

Top Draw said, “Yes. Once Xing Shi figures out how to unbind you and finds an opportunity to send you back, as long as neither of you gets lost on the way, you’ll see it again.”

System 99: “…”