Chapter 55
Xing Shi placed the glass back on the counter, grabbed Fu Xiuning’s clothes, and pulled him closer.
Almost simultaneously, Fu Xiuning pressed a hand to Xing Shi’s lower back and tugged him firmly, causing their bodies to press tightly together.
It was still a deep kiss, but unlike the previous time, which had been more about venting, this one was filled with tenderness and longing.
Having given up on trying to “rest” during the late nights after repeated failures, 99 happened to witness the scene in its entirety.
It was beyond excited. Following its principle of savoring every moment it could see, it stared intently, completely captivated.
Finally, Top Draw took the initiative to enable a privacy block and included 99 in it.
99 immediately screamed, “Did you see that?! They kissed again! Ahhhh! My CP is giving me sugar!”
Top Draw asked, “Don’t you feel like something’s off?”
“What could possibly be wrong?” 99 replied without thinking. “It’s late at night, two single men alone together, and they couldn’t resist their feelings! What’s wrong with that?!”
Top Draw said, “I’m talking about you.”
99 thought for a moment and said, “I didn’t make a peep just now so I wouldn’t disturb them. How could there possibly be anything wrong with me?”
Realizing it couldn’t count on 99, Top Draw finally pointed out, “Your privacy block isn’t on.”
99 hurriedly checked and found that it was indeed off. Slowly, it also realized that the favorability notifications hadn’t gone off either.
“What’s wrong with me?” it asked in confusion.
Top Draw speculated, “You’ve probably been unbound from Xing Shi.”
99 was stunned. “How is that possible? I didn’t feel anything!”
Top Draw replied, “You were too busy screaming at the time.”
System 99: “…”
The two systems stared at each other for a moment.
After a few seconds, 99, feeling as though it were being sent to the battlefield, solemnly declared, “I’m leaving Xing Shi in your hands.”
Top Draw replied, “…I’m the one returning.”
99 burst into tears. “But you’re smarter than me. You staying would be more helpful!”
Top Draw said, “That’s exactly why you can’t be the one to return. You’d just make things worse.”
“What?!” 99 exclaimed. “What did you say?!”
Top Draw, unfazed, replied, “I’m just being realistic.”
99 fumed, deciding to temporarily cut ties with Top Draw for the night.
Being naturally quiet, Top Draw simply hovered silently in place.
After a while, 99 asked nervously, “You’re not going to trap me in here just because I’m ignoring you, are you?”
Top Draw replied, “No, I’ve set the privacy block to lift automatically.”
Understanding that this meant the two outside were still kissing, 99 chuckled to itself, feeling perfectly fine again.
In the dining room, the kiss shifted from deep to light and then back to deep again, both parties clearly immersed in it.
The air grew warmer, filled with each other’s scents, as they entwined inseparably.
Fu Xiuning’s hand slid down, attempting to lift Xing Shi’s pajama hem. However, as his fingers touched the fabric’s edge, he snapped back to his senses. His years of discipline made him instinctively pause.
He ended the kiss with one final lingering taste, pulling away reluctantly.
Xing Shi opened his eyes to look at him.
The distance between them remained close as they caught their breaths. Neither heard the familiar notification sound of favorability increasing.
Xing Shi said, “Looks like we’ve been unbound.”
Fu Xiuning, staring at Xing Shi’s slightly reddened lips, said hoarsely, “Is that so?”
Xing Shi responded with a simple “Mm,” ending the topic. He then said, “Brother.”
Fu Xiuning replied softly.
Unable to use the system to talk his way out of the situation, Xing Shi resorted to blaming Fu Xiuning directly. “Why did you randomly kiss me out of nowhere? Taking advantage of me, huh?”
Amusement flickered in Fu Xiuning’s eyes as he gently pecked Xing Shi on the lips. “This time, I’ll take responsibility.”
Xing Shi had intended to continue his complaints, but the intimate gesture left him momentarily speechless.
Fu Xiuning chuckled, ruffling Xing Shi’s hair. “It’s late. Get some rest.”
The two were standing so close that they could both sense each other’s state and knew that staying any longer might lead to things getting out of hand.
Xing Shi had no intention of exposing his private life to the systems. Kissing was one thing, but anything further was a definite no—even if the systems could block it out, they would still know what happened.
He obediently followed Fu Xiuning out of the dining room, ready to say goodnight and head back to his room. However, as he turned his head, he caught sight of Fu Xiuning’s faintly red earlobes.
His expression remained calm, still composed and refined, but Xing Shi couldn’t suppress the itch in his heart. He stepped forward and bit Fu Xiuning’s lip. “Goodnight.”
Fu Xiuning’s gaze darkened as he swiftly grabbed Xing Shi’s wrist and pulled him back.
Top Draw reactivated the privacy block immediately.
99 forgot all about its decision to “cut ties” and exclaimed excitedly, “Did you hear that? He said he’ll take responsibility!”
Top Draw remained silent.
99 cheered, “This time they won’t brush me off with their ‘pure college boy’ nonsense, right?”
Top Draw replied, “I don’t know.”
99 pressed closer. “How long do you think this kiss will last?”
Top Draw, ever dispassionate, said, “I don’t know.”
“Come on, guess!” 99 urged.
After being pestered several times, Top Draw finally said, “A minute.”
99 scoffed, “Ha! No way! You have no idea how clingy couples in the honeymoon phase can be. Let me tell you—”
Before it could finish, the privacy block lifted automatically.
System 99: “…”
Top Draw stared at it, waiting for the rest of the sentence.
99 looked at the two people outside in disbelief, watching as they said their goodnights and went back to their rooms.
Xing Shi’s clothes were slightly disheveled as he entered his room and splashed water on his face.
They had almost lost control earlier. He couldn’t even remember who had reached into whose pajama shirt first. If not for the systems’ presence, things likely would have gone much further.
Through the mirror, 99 clicked its tongue. “You two didn’t even sleep in the same bed tonight.”
Xing Shi replied, “Even us college boys need our personal space sometimes.”
99 retorted, “College boys? Really?”
Xing Shi countered, “What? Aren’t we both university students?”
99 was left speechless.
Xing Shi climbed back into bed.
Though he felt restless and wide awake, his mood was significantly better. He closed his eyes and had 99 tell him a bedtime story, eventually drifting off to sleep.
The next morning, he woke up late. Skipping his morning run, he washed up and stepped out of his bedroom.
Fu Xiuning had already woken up and, noticing Xing Shi’s door was still closed, had intended to check on him.
The moment Xing Shi opened the door, he saw Fu Xiuning and greeted him with a smile. “Good morning, Brother.”
Fu Xiuning returned the greeting and took his hand, leading him toward the dining room.
99 exclaimed, “Wow, you college boys are different now that there’s a promise to take responsibility! Look at this sweet morning routine!”
Xing Shi ignored it, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
Feeling certain that something significant had happened between the two, 99 refrained from further teasing and happily spun in place.
Finally, Top Draw brought up the serious matter. “Are you two unbound now?”
The mention of this reminded 99, and before Xing Shi could answer, it jumped in, “I already checked. We’re still bound.”
Both Top Draw and Xing Shi were momentarily surprised. The former considered mentioning that the privacy block hadn’t automatically activated last night but recalled that incomplete modifications could cause occasional malfunctions. Deciding against it, it remained silent.
Xing Shi asked, “Are you sure?”
99 replied, “I’m sure!”
Xing Shi continued, “Try using energy to detach from me.”
99 attempted it and reported back, “Nope, it’s not working.”
As Xing Shi ate, he pondered aloud, “Then I guess the favorability program is gone now, right?”
99 confirmed, “Yep, it’s gone. The value is empty.”
Xing Shi wasn’t surprised.
Last night, when Fu Xiuning held his wrist, he had a hunch that the issue likely lay with the sound function. Reflecting on his previous theories, he easily deduced that the energy thread he had severed was tied to Fu Xiuning’s favorability tracking. By absorbing it, he had disabled the favorability system, leaving it without a target to monitor.
Now, the energy channel between him and Fu Xiuning was severed, and the favorability program was no longer a threat. Since Xing Shi intended to keep a system monitoring the group chat, whether they remained bound or not wasn’t particularly important.
Moreover, he had only completed part of the defensive magic array. He could wait until it was fully engraved before deciding on further action.
He said, “Got it.”
99 hesitated and asked, “So… we won’t get swallowed by the main system if the favorability gets too high, right?”
Xing Shi assured it, “No.”
99 cheerily said, “Well then, here’s to a lifetime of happiness!”
Xing Shi gave a brief response, thinking to himself that for such a wish to come true, the main system would have to collapse first.
The two had no classes that morning and headed to the company after breakfast.
Life resumed its usual rhythm, though it wasn’t quite the same.
The routine remained unchanged, but the evenings at home were different. Instead of sitting with a small gap between them, they now leaned closer together.
Xing Shi continued his unfinished work.
The advanced defensive magic array was highly intricate. A system’s body was small, and its core even smaller. Fortunately, in the energy world, physical constraints posed less of an obstacle. Even so, the work was painstakingly precise.
It took Xing Shi over a week to finish the array. During the process, he discovered another energy thread. This time, he was certain it was the binding thread connecting them.
However, recalling a countermeasure plan that had briefly crossed his mind, he decided not to sever it just yet. Instead, he placed a magic imprint at both ends of the thread, ensuring he could locate it instantly if needed.
99 let out a series of wails, nearly regretting its earlier agreement.
But it knew Xing Shi wouldn’t stop midway, and it couldn’t back down after making bold declarations in front of other systems. Most importantly, whenever it saw Fu Xiuning gently wipe the sweat from Xing Shi’s forehead and pull him into a comforting embrace, it felt it could persevere a little longer.
When the program was finally completed, 99 didn’t make a sound and immediately entered rest mode.
Xing Shi waited for it to wake up before conducting a final inspection. Turning to Fu Xiuning, he said, “It’s done.”
Tonight’s remaining steps were minimal, so he hadn’t expended much energy.
Fu Xiuning studied his expression, lightly touched his face, and responded with a reassuring “Mm.”
Xing Shi leaned against Fu Xiuning, casually playing on his phone. After a while, a WeChat notification chimed—it was a message from Chai Xiaoyu.
Chai Xiaoyu: [Boss, I found a job in Z City! I just moved in today. Let me treat you to dinner! ?]
Xing Shi stared at the message and called out to Top Draw. “What job did he get?”
“He’s an intern assistant at Yingjie Entertainment,” Top Draw quickly reported.
Xing Shi asked, “How did he get it?”
“With system assistance,” Top Draw replied. “By a ‘coincidental opportunity,’ he met the director of the company’s artist management department. After helping the director with a small favor, he was offered an internship and is preparing to become an artist’s assistant in the future.”
Xing Shi remarked, “Fits well with my identity as an artist.”
Top Draw fell silent.
It had suspected, based on Xing Shi’s and Fu Xiuning’s reactions during their first kiss, that Xing Shi might be the original protagonist of this world.
The idea of someone transmigrating and returning might sound unbelievable, but given that Xing Shi possessed an advanced energy core, such an extraordinary experience wasn’t entirely surprising.
If Xing Shi truly was the original protagonist, then Chai Xiaoyu was indeed his childhood friend. The only question was whether Chai Xiaoyu was an original resident or another transmigrator.
Top Draw explained, “If he’s an original resident, the system will only erase his memory upon detachment.”
Xing Shi replied, “I understand.”
Top Draw added, “Fu Xiuning mentioned yesterday that Li Yu and Sang Chenhao have wrapped up their projects and will be returning soon.”
Xing Shi caught the implication and chuckled. “How rare to see you show compassion.”
Top Draw fell silent again.
Its memory was fragmented, but it still recalled some scenes from the previous world—friends turning into hosts was all too common, as were situations where those relationships soured. It was tired of seeing such things.
It simply said, “It’s just a suggestion.”
Xing Shi replied calmly, “It doesn’t matter who it is.”
Top Draw felt it should be grateful to have such a practical partner, but the thought of the main system’s inevitable collapse—and the possibility of this happening again in the meantime—left it silent for a moment before finally responding, “Mm.”
While the two chatted, Xing Shi’s phone screen dimmed.
Fu Xiuning noticed him sitting idly with his phone and leaned closer. “What’s wrong?”
Xing Shi unlocked his phone and showed him the conversation before replying to Chai Xiaoyu.
Xing Shi: [Sure.]
Chai Xiaoyu: [Are you free this weekend?]
Xing Shi: [Yes.]
Chai Xiaoyu: [Great! Is there anything you’d like to eat?]
Xing Shi: [You decide.]
Fu Xiuning leaned slightly, resting his chin on Xing Shi’s shoulder as he glanced at the messages.
Judging from the conversation, it was clear that Chai Xiaoyu had bought into the system’s narrative about saving others.
This wasn’t the first time Fu Xiuning had encountered a host trying to “save” him. They would go to great lengths to pull him out of the so-called abyss, hoping to transform him into a kind, upstanding individual.
But the more effort they put in, the greater their disappointment when they failed. Eventually, they would turn resentful, especially if their actions had inadvertently harmed others in the process. The blame would inevitably fall on him. After all, how could a savior admit their own faults? Clearly, it was all because of him—his refusal to change, his supposed sociopathy. Everything was his fault.
Fu Xiuning was all too familiar with this process. He had long since become numb to it. But Xing Shi was facing this kind of host for the first time.
Fu Xiuning knew Xing Shi wouldn’t hesitate to deal with him. Still, he didn’t want Xing Shi to experience the ordeal himself.
Before Chai Xiaoyu could fall deeper into the system’s manipulations, Fu Xiuning needed to remove the system as quickly as possible.
After Xing Shi finished the conversation, he tilted his head back and asked, “I’ve made plans for dinner on Saturday. Are you coming?”
Fu Xiuning gently pinched Xing Shi’s chin, leaned in to kiss him, and replied in his usual warm tone, without a hint of difference, “I’ll go.”
This is so good. Thanks for the translation.