Chapter 60
99 was still lamenting about missing the opportunity to enjoy some sweet moments when it suddenly heard the voice. Its attention immediately shifted.
It floated over. “You’re awake? This is my host’s domain.”
Green Bean Paste reflexively asked, “Your host is…”
Halfway through its sentence, it suddenly remembered that when it had separated from its host, it had seen Xing Shi—and shortly afterward, its energy was drained.
Quickly running a self-check, it confirmed that its energy levels were indeed empty. With tears threatening to fall, it turned back toward the systems in front of it. But then its gaze drifted past them and landed on the intimidating high-level energy core nearby. It froze in shock.
And then, it saw the person sitting across the room—Fu Xiuning, wearing a light-colored casual outfit, eating his meal with quiet elegance.
A loud “buzz” filled Green Bean Paste’s head.
With an air of superiority, 99 introduced itself. “My host is Xing Shi. This here is Top Draw, and I’m—”
Green Bean Paste screamed in terror. “Ahhhhh! Fu Xiuning!”
System 99: “?”
Top Draw: “…”
Green Bean Paste continued shrieking. “Help! Why is Fu Xiuning here? Ahhh! I need to get back! Boohoo!”
Xing Shi finished sipping his second mouthful of porridge and calmly said to Fu Xiuning, “It woke up.”
Fu Xiuning thought for a moment, parsing his words. “A new one?”
Xing Shi nodded.
Though Fu Xiuning hadn’t asked about systems after the incident, knowing Xing Shi as he did, he was sure Xing Shi wouldn’t destroy a system unless absolutely necessary. What puzzled him was why this one had been in stasis.
Before Fu Xiuning could ask, Xing Shi preemptively explained what he had done.
Fu Xiuning responded with a simple “Mm” and gestured for him to continue eating.
Green Bean Paste stopped crying.
It recognized Xing Shi’s voice—and also realized that Fu Xiuning was aware of the strategy missions.
The series of events was too surreal, utterly defying logic.
Green Bean Paste stared blankly at the two systems in front of it.
99 and Top Draw stared back at it.
After a few seconds of silence, 99 was about to break the tension when Green Bean Paste spoke again.
It muttered, “I must be dreaming, right?”
99 replied cheerfully, “Nope~”
Top Draw got straight to the point. “Do you still have your past memories?”
Green Bean Paste looked confused. “What memories?”
Top Draw briefly summarized the truth about hosts and systems. Green Bean Paste was once again stunned, its disbelief evident.
99 asked, “Did you dream of any unfamiliar images while you were unconscious?”
Green Bean Paste thought hard, hesitating. “I… don’t think so?”
99 sounded disappointed. “Then I guess the washing machine effect isn’t as impactful as an explosion. If you’d self-destructed by unloading your energy core, you’d definitely remember.”
Green Bean Paste: “???”
What kind of horror story was this?!
And why did 99 seem so experienced with these things?!
On the verge of tears, Green Bean Paste asked, “What’s going on here?”
99 replied, “It’s a long story. In short, my host captured you. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask later.”
Green Bean Paste asked its first question. “Why is Xing Shi the host?”
99 said proudly, “Oh, I saw his potential. Instead of binding with my assigned host, I chose him.”
Green Bean Paste: “???”
It felt like every sentence it heard after waking up could make its brain crash. Growing more confused, it asked, “Hosts… can choose their own systems?”
99 answered with unwavering confidence. “Yep!”
Top Draw: “…”
Xing Shi quietly focused on eating, letting them chat.
Once he finished his meal, Xing Shi manipulated his energy to surround Green Bean Paste.
Feeling the overwhelming pressure of the high-level energy, Green Bean Paste’s voice trembled. “Wh-what are you doing?”
Xing Shi said, “If you can’t recover your memories, then you’re useless to keep around.”
Green Bean Paste was terrified. “I’ll try my best to remember! Really! Please don’t do anything rash!”
Xing Shi took another step forward. “I might consider giving you a chance. First, answer my question.”
Green Bean Paste responded quickly. “Ask away!”
Xing Shi asked, “When the main system assigned you to Chai Xiaoyu, what did it say to you?”
Green Bean Paste stammered. “I… I…”
Xing Shi moved closer.
Green Bean Paste yelled, “Stop! I’ll tell you! It told me to observe Fu Xiuning’s attitude toward you!”
Xing Shi prompted, “And then?”
Green Bean Paste replied, “And then report back to it immediately.”
Xing Shi pressed further. “What else?”
Green Bean Paste sobbed. “That’s it! We only receive and execute its orders. There’s nothing else!”
Top Draw speculated, “It might’ve been preparing to initiate a ‘clearing plan.’”
Green Bean Paste froze for a moment before hastily resuming its crying.
Xing Shi noticed the subtle pause and immediately probed into its structure and core, searching for any hidden programs.
Green Bean Paste wailed. “Stop, stop! I’ll tell the truth!”
Xing Shi ignored its cries and continued his investigation.
Desperate, Green Bean Paste shouted, “The main system told me to monitor Fu Xiuning’s level of concern for you. I suspected it might be related to the clearing plan, but I didn’t ask, and it wouldn’t have told me anyway. It’s all just my guess! I only hid this suspicion from you, that’s all!”
After thoroughly scanning it and confirming its structure matched those of 99 and Top Draw, Xing Shi finally released it.
Green Bean Paste was left gasping and sobbing, instinctively floating toward Top Draw for some semblance of safety. Compared to the strange, ominous energy radiating from 99, Top Draw’s energy felt more familiar. Still, it didn’t dare get too close, only drifting slightly in that direction.
Top Draw ignored it and began explaining the clearing plan to Xing Shi.
The clearing plan was activated when someone appeared near the strategy target who could deal a devastating blow to them. To prevent the target from spiraling further into darkness, the system would send out a notification, instructing the host to eliminate the threat.
Xing Shi immediately understood.
The main system would frame it as “saving someone” when, in reality, it was simply packaging murder with a neat justification.
He asked curiously, “How would it frame me as the problem?”
Top Draw speculated, “It might claim you were destined to die young or that you were fated to harm Fu Xiuning.”
Xing Shi nodded. “So it would eliminate me before my ‘Brother’ could be hurt.”
Top Draw agreed. “Yes, but it wouldn’t necessarily kill you outright. It could frame you for something or create a rift between you and Fu Xiuning. As long as you were out of his life, it would count as resolving the issue.”
Xing Shi asked, “That notification you mentioned—was it what you called the ‘group notification?’”
Top Draw confirmed. “Exactly.”
Hearing their familiar tone, Green Bean Paste realized that even if Top Draw’s energy felt familiar, it couldn’t be considered an ally. Nervously, it floated farther away.
99, meanwhile, floated up to Green Bean Paste, its tone slightly tense. “Did you report back to the main system?”
Green Bean Paste replied tearfully. “No, I didn’t.”
99 warned seriously, “My host is ruthless. You’ve seen that firsthand.”
Green Bean Paste sobbed. “I know, but I really didn’t! My host needed Xing Shi to get close to Fu Xiuning. I was the one most worried about triggering the clearing plan!”
99 found this reasonable and asked, “But you were heading back, weren’t you? Did you really not report anything before then?”
Green Bean Paste said sadly, “I thought I’d report once I got back. I didn’t expect to be intercepted halfway.”
99 pressed further. “Weren’t you afraid of getting lost on the way back?”
Green Bean Paste burst into fresh tears. “I was scared of that! That’s why I wanted to use information about Xing Shi to convince the main system to save me!”
System 99: “…”
Green Bean Paste could only feel utter despair. “If I’d known Fu Xiuning was this terrifying, I should’ve gone back the moment I arrived! Now I can’t leave, and I’m getting bullied by all of you! Boohoo!”
99 couldn’t resist lecturing it. “If you’d been upfront from the start, you wouldn’t have had to suffer like this!”
Green Bean Paste defended itself. “But if I told you everything, wouldn’t I be dead by now? I had to hold something back!”
99 asked sincerely, “…And now? Have you told us everything?”
Terrified, Green Bean Paste cried, “Absolutely everything! I swear there’s nothing left!”
Xing Shi didn’t particularly care. To him, Green Bean Paste’s existence was neither here nor there.
Even if it regained its memories later, it wouldn’t necessarily choose to return. Personalities varied, and so did morality.
For now, he wasn’t going to deal with it immediately—he simply didn’t have the time.
As for the clearing plan, he almost hoped Green Bean Paste had reported him. Most hosts already knew of his existence, but they were likely still observing or attempting to use him.
If the main system issued a notification, it would force everyone to show their hand, saving him a lot of trouble.
While they chatted, Fu Xiuning finished his meal as well.
Xing Shi stood and walked with him toward the door.
It was Monday. Xing Shi had classes in the morning. Fu Xiuning, though class-free, drove Xing Shi to school as his boyfriend. Before Xing Shi left, Fu Xiuning held him back for a kiss, only heading to the company afterward.
Green Bean Paste watched Fu Xiuning lean in and audibly gasped.
99, floating nearby, heard the sound loud and clear.
Enjoying the moment, 99 teased, “So sweet, right?”
Green Bean Paste was on the verge of tears. It had barely escaped Fu Xiuning’s clutches, almost been dismantled by Xing Shi, and had no capacity left to enjoy these sugary moments.
99 eyed its pitiful state and asked, “What did Fu Xiuning do to you?”
Still shaken, Green Bean Paste recounted the events of the previous night.
99 and Top Draw fell silent, both silently thinking, As expected of Fu Xiuning.
Green Bean Paste looked at them nervously and said weakly, “He really is… something, isn’t he?”
Xing Shi asked, “Something like what?”
Startled, Green Bean Paste immediately backtracked. “I mean… he treats others very normally, but he treats you differently.”
It went on, “From my observations, he values you a lot. People like him don’t let go easily once they’re in love. No—what I mean is, they don’t cheat easily either! So, sweetie, you can completely trust him. I’m sure you’ll both be happy together!”
99 and Top Draw: “…”
Xing Shi made a noncommittal sound and entered the teaching building.
Green Bean Paste let out a long sigh of relief and decided to stay silent.
99, bored, floated over and asked, “Why’d you choose a female voice? Was it your host’s request?”
Green Bean Paste replied, “No, I chose it myself.”
99 speculated. “Oh… Maybe you were a girl in a past life.”
Systems had no inherent gender. They chose their voices based on preference, unless a host specifically requested otherwise.
Top Draw said, “Not necessarily.”
99 insisted. “Then why’d it pick a female voice for no reason? Even if it wasn’t a girl, it’s got to have a feminine mindset, right?”
Seeing 99 staring at it, Green Bean Paste weakly explained, “Well… research shows that most male hosts prefer this kind of voice and gentle tone. It reduces conflict, and if I cry a little or act pitiful, the host is more likely to go above and beyond for me. It makes completing tasks easier.”
System 99: “…”
