Chapter 64
Xing Shi was still pondering what to say when meeting Fu Xiuning’s parents.
Over the years, he’d had a rough time and had grown indifferent to emotional matters, believing he’d never experience something like this. Yet now, he found himself drawn to Fu Xiuning, who checked all his boxes, and this meeting was inevitable.
He recalled seeing them by the seaside as a child, memories resurfacing as he focused on the road ahead. But his thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the system spoke.
He asked, “Three?”
99 said, “Yes.”
It worriedly added, “This exceeds the six-system limit. Is it targeting you?”
Xing Shi said, “Obviously.”
99 asked, “Could it be that Top Draw and the others were exposed?”
Xing Shi replied, “If that were the case, they wouldn’t just send systems. They’d kick you out of the group chat and publicly share my information with the other hosts.”
99 thought this over and agreed, “True. What do we do now?”
Xing Shi gestured for it to keep an eye on the group chat, then glanced at Fu Xiuning. Noticing the lingering smile on his face, Xing Shi paused briefly before looking away.
Fu Xiuning caught his subtle movement in the corner of his eye and asked warmly, “Nervous?”
Xing Shi said, “No.”
Fu Xiuning said, “The last time I went home and showed them some photos, they already knew about you. They just didn’t know what our relationship was.”
Xing Shi’s attention shifted back to the current situation. “So how did you explain it later?”
Fu Xiuning said, “I told them directly.”
Xing Shi asked, “…And how did they react?”
Fu Xiuning stopped at a red light and held Xing Shi’s hand. “They told me to take good care of you.”
Xing Shi was surprised. “They’re that open-minded?”
Fu Xiuning chuckled softly. “Yes.”
He had been pursued by both men and women in the past, so his parents had already discussed his orientation with him. Their stance was simple: as long as he was happy, it didn’t matter. At the time, however, he had told them he wasn’t interested in anyone.
Over the years, they had watched him grow colder and lonelier, worrying he would remain alone forever. Now that he finally had someone he liked, they were naturally supportive.
As they chatted, 99 listened curiously, intrigued by the mention of photos, though its primary focus was still on the group chat.
The sudden arrival of three new systems had caused a stir.
All of You Are Just Concubines: [What’s going on? Three new arrivals at once?]
Congratulations on Getting Rich: [Has this ever happened before?]
All of You Are Just Concubines: [Not that I’ve seen. Usually, one leaves, and a new one comes in after a month or two. The total never exceeds six.]
Congratulations on Getting Rich: [Is this because of Xing Shi?]
All of You Are Just Concubines: [It must be. I have this ominous feeling—storm clouds are gathering. It hasn’t even been twelve hours since Top Draw left.]
Congratulations on Getting Rich: [True. Things are happening one after another. What are the names of the three newcomers? Did they come with specific tasks?]
The three new systems, all still using their numerical codes as IDs, uniformly replied: “Hello. We’re from the emergency department.”
When the other two systems asked further questions, the newcomers fell silent.
All of You Are Just Concubines: [Why so secretive?]
Congratulations on Getting Rich: [If you need help, just ask. We’re all colleagues here.]
All of You Are Just Concubines: [With that attitude, I doubt they’ll need us. But what’s going on with the other two? This is a big deal, and they’re still not responding?]
Congratulations on Getting Rich: [@Face-Lover Forever @Green Bean Paste, are you two okay?]
99 reported the situation to Xing Shi, discussed it briefly, and then replied in the group chat.
Face-Lover Forever: [Thanks for your concern. Still sulking. Officially lying flat.]
Congratulations on Getting Rich: [@Green Bean Paste, what about you??]
99 waited a while before responding again.
Face-Lover Forever: [Could it be that they’re not sulking?]
Congratulations on Getting Rich: [Then what are they doing?]
All of You Are Just Concubines: [Did they drop offline?]
Face-Lover Forever: [Maybe? Like, one time, my host got mad at me after an argument and went to a bar to find someone random just to trigger the privacy shield and lock me in the dark room. He ended up locking me out a few more times after that. You know how it is.]
Congratulations on Getting Rich: […]
All of You Are Just Concubines: […]
Face-Lover Forever: [Just speculating. No guarantees.]
The other two systems were stunned, their perspectives thoroughly shaken.
They had always known 99 had a poor relationship with its host but had never grasped the full extent of it. Privately, they’d even thought it might just be a lack of adaptability on 99’s part. Now they finally understood.
All of You Are Just Concubines: [Wow. Bold move.]
Congratulations on Getting Rich: [I can’t believe things could escalate like that.]
Face-Lover Forever: [It’s all tears [crying emoji].]
Congratulations on Getting Rich: [But privacy shields only activate during ongoing activities, right? It’s been ages since last night.]
Face-Lover Forever: [There’s this thing called toys. You can’t imagine the depths people can sink to. Last time, my host locked me out for three days and then spent half a month recovering.]
Congratulations on Getting Rich: […]
All of You Are Just Concubines: […Ew.]
Face-Lover Forever: [The more I talk about it, the sadder I get. I’m going offline.]
After that message, the group chat quieted down. The other two systems didn’t reply again.
99 waited a couple more minutes to be safe before concluding the topic and informing Xing Shi.
It praised, “How did you even think of using a privacy shield? Genius!”
Xing Shi said, “I just thought of it casually.”
99 remarked, “But you can only use this trick once. Green Bean Paste is very chatty in the group chat, and disappearing too often will look suspicious.”
Terrified, Green Bean Paste quickly said, “Sweetie, I believe you now! I can become one of you!”
Xing Shi ignored it.
Green Bean Paste added, “I’m a victim too. If I recover my memories, I might be able to provide information about the main system that you don’t know!”
99 hesitated. “Might?”
Green Bean Paste eagerly replied, “Exactly!”
Xing Shi said, “All of you, shut up.”
Green Bean Paste whimpered and wisely went silent.
Halfway to their destination, Fu Xiuning pulled over to accompany Xing Shi into the fruit market. When Xing Shi wanted to buy several crates, Fu Xiuning promptly stopped him.
Xing Shi reasoned, “They’re small crates, so it’s not much.”
Fu Xiuning said, “The house already has plenty. Trust me.”
After some bargaining, Xing Shi reluctantly gave in, reducing the number of crates and carefully selecting the best ones.
Fu Xiuning stood by, watching.
In the winter chill, Xing Shi wore a light-colored coat. Since the car’s heating had been sufficient, he hadn’t bothered buttoning it. Standing tall and lean, he immediately drew the attention of everyone around him. Completely unaware of the attention, he focused seriously on picking fruit, looking exceptionally well-behaved.
Fu Xiuning’s gaze softened as he stepped forward to hold Xing Shi’s hand.
When they arrived at the Fu family home, Fu Pengfeng and Bian Ran had been waiting eagerly. Seeing the pair finally arrive, they hurried out to greet them.
Xing Shi politely greeted them, carrying the gifts inside. After changing into slippers and removing his coat, he obediently sat on the sofa, engaging in conversation.
The more Bian Ran looked at him, the more she liked him. Smiling, she asked, “Do you still remember much from when you were little?”
Xing Shi replied, “I remember everything. I haven’t forgotten.”
Bian Ran nodded, praising, “You were adorable as a child, and now you’ve grown so handsome—better looking than ever.”
Xing Shi said, “You’re the same, Auntie. I think you’re even more beautiful than I remember.”
Bian Ran was instantly charmed and found him even more pleasant.
She reminisced, “I still remember how you’d come looking for Xiuning to play every day. You’d drag him along no matter what you were up to.”
Xing Shi chuckled. “I’m still like that now.”
99 was baffled. “What does that mean? You two met before?”
Green Bean Paste was surprised. “You didn’t know?”
99 turned to it. “Know what?”
Green Bean Paste fell silent.
99 prompted, “Speak.”
Green Bean Paste, sensing its confusion, weakly said, “Ask Xing Shi. I’m afraid I might say something wrong and get scattered.”
Before 99 could ask, Bian Ran brought out a photo album, instantly revealing everything.
99 was stunned. “You two really knew each other? Why didn’t I find any information about this?”
Xing Shi replied, “Maybe because I’m not your host. Must’ve been a bug.”
99 asked, “Then how did you respond so naturally just now?”
Xing Shi answered smoothly, “With confidence.”
System 99: “?”
Green Bean Paste: “…”
Xing Shi gestured for them to stop bothering him, focusing instead on bonding with the parents.
Bian Ran wanted to personally cook a few dishes, so after chatting for a while, she headed to the kitchen. Fu Pengfeng, always the more reserved type, worried Xing Shi might feel uncomfortable. After exchanging a few words with him, he instructed Fu Xiuning to show Xing Shi around.
Fu Xiuning led Xing Shi upstairs to his bedroom.
The room was on the far left of the second floor, spacious and tidy, with barely any signs of regular use—clearly, its owner no longer stayed here often.
Xing Shi wandered around the room, eventually stopping in front of a display cabinet.
Inside were various trophies arranged chronologically—all belonging to Fu Xiuning.
Despite being hunted by the main system for over five years, Fu Xiuning remained exceptional.
But he could have been even more so. Xing Shi stared at the sparse collection of high school trophies, silently contemplative.
Fu Xiuning asked, “What are you looking at?”
Xing Shi turned to him and praised earnestly, “Looking at how amazing my Brother is~”
Fu Xiuning couldn’t help but laugh.
From the moment they started shopping for fruit, Xing Shi had been so obedient that it made Fu Xiuning’s heart itch. While Xing Shi was chatting with his parents downstairs, Fu Xiuning had barely managed to suppress the urge to tease him. Now, he couldn’t hold back anymore.
He reached out to pinch Xing Shi’s face. “That’s all the thanks I get?”
Downstairs, Bian Ran heard they had gone upstairs and decided to bring them some fruit herself.
Seeing that her son had left his door open, she was about to knock when she caught sight of him smiling—a warm, genuine expression she hadn’t seen in ages.
Her eyes instantly welled up.
It had been so long since she had seen her son like this. Over the years, he had grown colder, piece by piece, weighed down by too many painful experiences.
She had once tried taking him on trips to cheer him up. He had cooperated fully, but in rare moments when he glanced back, she realized he understood their worries and was silently taking care of their emotions instead.
Sometimes, she resented the intangible, ungraspable forces of fate. Why had it been so cruel to her son?
Xing Shi, sensitive to his surroundings, turned his head slightly.
Noticing, Fu Xiuning looked over and called out, “Mom.”
Bian Ran suppressed her emotions, smiling as she brought in the fruit and left.
Xing Shi stayed upstairs until almost noon before heading back down.
Lunch was a harmonious affair, and they ended up staying for dinner as well.
Bian Ran initially wanted them to spend the night, but with Monday’s obligations looming—school for Xing Shi and work for Fu Xiuning—she reluctantly saw them off at the door.
Back at home, Fu Xiuning pressed Xing Shi against the door the moment they entered, kissing him passionately.
The kiss stretched on for a long time before Fu Xiuning, restraining his impulses, held Xing Shi’s hand and led him further inside. “They really like you. Next time, I’ll take you back again.”
Xing Shi called, “Brother.”
Fu Xiuning turned. “Hmm?”
Xing Shi said, “Three new systems joined the group.”
Fu Xiuning froze. “When?”
Xing Shi replied honestly, “This morning.”
The amusement in Fu Xiuning’s eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a flicker of cold calculation. Moments later, his smile returned. “It’s fine. We’ll send them off too.”
Xing Shi agreed, “Alright.”
The next day, Fu Xiuning drove Xing Shi to school as usual. Just as Xing Shi was about to step out of the car, Fu Xiuning grabbed his hand. “Let me know immediately if anything feels off.”
Xing Shi replied, “Of course.”
Having been briefed the day before about Xing Shi’s magic core, Fu Xiuning felt somewhat reassured. He watched Xing Shi enter the school building before driving off.
Xing Shi’s first class was on the fourth floor.
Morning classes meant the elevators were packed, so he opted to take the stairs instead.
Climbing the stairs at a leisurely pace, he headed for his classroom. Passing a window along the way, he caught movement in his peripheral vision—someone near the window had lunged at him.
His reflexes, honed from years of surviving dangerous environments, kicked in. He immediately sidestepped.
The next moment, a knife slashed past his arm, barely missing him.
The assailant, having missed their target, quickly pivoted and lunged again.
The corridor was filled with people, all frozen in shock. Screams of terror erupted, echoing through the entire floor.
Damn main system! Thanks for the translation.