The Salted Fish is Rebellious – CH7

Chapter 7

There was a police station in the university town, so the patrol car arrived quickly.

Shao Jianbai was handcuffed and taken away, and Xing Shi and the others had to follow to give their statements.

Xing Shi sat in the same vehicle as Fu Xiuning. Recalling the young man’s furious insults toward Fu Xiuning, he wanted to ask the person involved for details. However, aware of the police officers in the car, he swallowed the question.

Then it occurred to him that given his flimsy relationship with Fu Xiuning, whatever Fu Xiuning told him would likely match what he told the police. He asked instead, “Senior, do you know him?”

Despite the brief assassination attempt, Fu Xiuning showed no signs of panic, unease, or anger. His demeanor remained as composed and radiant as usual, exuding refinement from head to toe.

He glanced at Xing Shi.

Hosts who had transmigrated always came with an air of mystery. Fu Xiuning had noticed Xing Shi’s sharp reflexes when he lifted his hood but hadn’t expected his moves to be so efficient.

He replied, “Yes, his name is Shao Jianbai. He’s also a student at our school.”

Switching to the role of a grateful victim, he expressed concern: “I owe you for today. Are you hurt?”

Xing Shi replied, “No.”

Still curious, he ventured, “Do you have a grudge against each other?”

Fu Xiuning explained, “He’s had a crush on a girl since high school. That girl liked me.”

Xing Shi, having expected something dramatic, found the explanation mundane and lost interest. “That’s it?”

Fu Xiuning continued, “The girl’s personality was as extreme as his. When she pursued me, she resorted to intense and violent methods, which caused a lot of trouble.”

With a soft sigh, he added, as though he regretted the situation, “She suffered the consequences and fell into a vegetative state.”

This was the fate of the previous host. After handling her, the main system had brought in Xing Shi as a replacement.

He shifted the topic, “It caused a big stir. Didn’t you hear about it?”

Xing Shi, having deliberately avoided being too proactive about tasks to pressure the system, had only skimmed Fu Xiuning’s background and hadn’t delved deeply.

Feigning sudden realization, he exclaimed, “So it was her! I’ve heard of it. That guy liked her?”

Fu Xiuning silently watched him act, then confirmed, “Yes. Shao Jianbai blames me for all of it, so he hates me.”

Aware that the police were listening, he added with a touch of doubt, “I’m rarely on campus. The last time I saw him, he only cursed at me. It didn’t escalate to today’s level. I’m not sure what happened to push him to this extreme.”

Xing Shi speculated, “Maybe the girl’s condition worsened, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he got?”

He then raised a critical point: “But how did he know you were eating there?”

Fu Xiuning replied, “We’ll find out soon.”

“It’s because of me.”

At the police station, Lin Kecheng offered a rueful smile and handed his phone to the officer.

“I accidentally included my senior in a photo. Shao Jianbai contacted me, asking if the senior was there. I told him the senior had already left. He didn’t reply again, so I thought I’d successfully misled him. Who knew he’d still show up, and with a knife.”

With the restaurant’s surveillance footage available, it was easy for the police to piece together the sequence of events.

The chat logs showed Lin Kecheng had maintained contact with Shao Jianbai. His explanation was that he noticed Shao Jianbai’s hatred and, out of gratitude for Fu Xiuning’s mentorship, had tried to persuade him to let it go. The police said nothing further and released them after taking their statements.

As the three left the station, Lin Kecheng approached Fu Xiuning, his eyes red with guilt. “Senior, I’m so sorry. I… I almost caused you harm.”

Fu Xiuning dealt with hosts in various ways—sometimes preemptively when they disrupted his life, and sometimes by exploiting their schemes to eliminate them.

He regretted not getting rid of Lin Kecheng today.

But imagining Lin Kecheng’s shock and fury at being thwarted made him feel better. In a gentle tone, he replied, “You meant well. Just don’t be so reckless next time. We were lucky nothing happened today—any mishap and it would’ve been too late for regrets.”

Lin Kecheng said earnestly, “At the time, I wasn’t thinking. I just knew I couldn’t let him hurt you.”

He turned to Xing Shi. “Junior, thank you so much today. Let me treat you to a meal.”

Xing Shi modestly replied, “I just picked up a few moves from short videos. I didn’t think they’d actually work.”

Internally, Lin Kecheng cursed. He had spent so much effort subtly provoking Shao Jianbai into madness, pushing him to strike, only for the plan to crumble like this. Fu Xiuning would never reconcile, and Shao Jianbai was sure to face prison—rendering him useless as a pawn.

Forcing a grateful expression, Lin Kecheng said, “Maybe it was fate that you stumbled upon those videos.”

The three took a taxi back to campus.

Fu Xiuning’s car was parked there, as he planned to return to the company.

Xing Shi had class in the afternoon but, after the day’s events, felt too lazy to attend and decided to tag along with his boss instead.

Lin Kecheng also had a class but skipped heading to the teaching building, accompanying them all the way to the parking lot instead.

Fu Xiuning, hoping for more drama, curved his lips into a faint smile and consoled him warmly: “Don’t overthink it. Today’s incident wasn’t your fault.”

Lin Kecheng, deeply moved, watched the luxury car disappear into the distance before asking his system, “Has his attitude toward me improved?”

The system shared his impression. “It seems so, but the favorability hasn’t changed.”

Lin Kecheng speculated, “He’s probably still suspicious about my contact with Shao Jianbai. Once the police investigation clears up, everything will be fine.”

Confidently, he added, “Shao Jianbai’s an idiot. Even if he weren’t unhinged, he’d never connect me to this. Our chat records are clean, and I’ll come out unscathed.”

The system confirmed this, excitedly agreeing: “When that happens, Fu Xiuning will see your actions were purely instinctive, a genuine act of selflessness to protect him!”

Lin Kecheng smiled. “Exactly.”

The system advised, “Next time you have an idea, share it with me. We can strategize together for a higher success rate.”

Lin Kecheng agreed, “Alright. I’ll try to win him over this semester.”

After offering a few words of encouragement, the system logged into their private group.

All systems used the same blocker, preventing them from detecting each other’s locations or hosts. This group chat was their only means of communication. Over the years, members had come and gone, with the group size remaining at about six.

The main system didn’t prohibit alliances, but with only one grand prize available, the competitive nature made them wary. Conversations were rare, and usernames were deliberately cryptic.

Lin Kecheng’s system initiated a message.

OldHeavenFeedsMe: “Having an easy host is such a blessing.”

Other systems saw the post and quickly joined the chatter.

AllOfYouAreConcubines: “Ha, I know that tone. I’ve seen plenty of hosts like that over the years, but they all flamed out in the end.”

TheLatecomer: “You’ve survived for a while. So, Senior, what’s your current favorability score?”

AllOfYouAreConcubines: “That’s classified.”

CongratsAndProsperity: “Don’t snap at each other. By the way, isn’t there a newbie among us? Why haven’t they spoken up? How’s it going—smoothly?”

TheLatecomer: “It probably has the lowest starting score: -5, right?”

System 99 quietly looked at its -9 and stubbornly replied with one character.

LongLiveLooks: “Hm.”

The other systems adopted a senior-like attitude, sharing their wisdom and advising patience. “Don’t rush things. These things take time.”

Lin Kecheng’s system had posted its boastful message mainly to probe whether Xing Shi was a host.

With his outstanding appearance and having just saved Fu Xiuning, Xing Shi would have a significant advantage if he were a host. If a system had bound him, it might not be able to resist replying.

Seeing the reactions from its colleagues, Lin Kecheng’s system relaxed a little, and even gave some advice to the new recruit.

System 99 angrily exited the group chat and asked Xing Shi, “Why?”

Xing Shi blinked, confused. “Hm?”

“You saved Fu Xiuning, yet he! Didn’t! Reward! You! With! Points!” the system growled in frustration.

Xing Shi replied, “Because he’s a weirdo.”

“And you’re not mad about it?” the system demanded.

Xing Shi, accustomed to countless frustrations in the magical world, responded, “This is nothing. You’ll grow up once you’ve seen more of the world.”

The system fell silent.

The distance between Z University and June Culture was just three subway stops or a ten-minute drive.

Fu Xiuning drove into the underground parking lot, parked, and led Xing Shi to the elevator. “What class do you have this afternoon?” he asked.

“Dance and acting,” Xing Shi replied.

Fu Xiuning glanced at him. “Out of all the company’s courses, which do you enjoy the most?”

“They’re all fine,” Xing Shi said.

“If you had to pick one?” Fu Xiuning pressed.

“Probably dance,” Xing Shi replied.

The elevator chimed and opened.

Fu Xiuning stepped in first, Xing Shi following behind. As the doors closed, the system spoke: “He’s probably thinking about what type of resources to give you as a reward for saving him, isn’t he?”

Fu Xiuning was indeed pondering this, though it wasn’t related to being saved. He was simply gathering information to assign tasks efficiently and get the host to work sooner.

Xing Shi, however, resisted the idea of working. Having returned to the modern world, his only ambition after dismantling the system was to relax. “I’d rather he just treated me to a meal. Do you think he’d go for a fancy restaurant?”

The system was unimpressed. “…If you’re that desperate for a meal, why not go home and bow to your dad?”

“Absolutely not,” Xing Shi replied.

“Tch,” the system said. “It’s not even your real dad—it’s the original host’s dad. What’s wrong with bowing to him? The guy’s loaded. You could eat whatever you want. And with his status in the entertainment industry, getting you famous would be a piece of cake.”

Fu Xiuning was intrigued.

Regardless of whether they were transmigrators or natives, hosts always shared one commonality: they either came from humble backgrounds or were orphans. Their family ties and social connections were always simple and uncomplicated.

From the company’s records, Fu Xiuning knew Xing Shi’s father’s section was blank, and his mother’s name was listed as deceased. He’d assumed Xing Shi was no exception. Apparently, he was wrong.

Why?

Standing in the ascending elevator, Fu Xiuning cast a sidelong glance at Xing Shi.

Immune to punishments, rolling the “Thank You for Participating” slip, now defying the typical host backstory—why were there so many exceptions with Xing Shi?

Xing Shi, always perceptive, turned to look at Fu Xiuning. Seeing that he wasn’t staring, he finally replied to the system, “I never said I wanted to be famous.”

The system was dumbfounded. “Then why are you training so hard? Isn’t it to debut as soon as possible?”

“Nope,” Xing Shi replied.

“But you’re so dedicated! You even skip unimportant classes for training!”

“Oh… That’s because the company’s food is better than the school cafeteria’s. And it’s free. If I don’t skip classes, I only get leftovers when I rush over,” Xing Shi explained.

“?”

Fu Xiuning: “…”

The elevator chimed as they arrived on the third floor.

Fu Xiuning watched Xing Shi walk off, feeling a touch of dissatisfaction.

He eats his food, drinks his drinks, and lives off him—how dare he not earn him money in return?

As the elevator doors closed behind him, Xing Shi heard a familiar notification sound.

[Beep Beep]
[Current Favorability: -10]

Xing Shi continued walking without a word. The system, also silent, seemed to mirror his indifference.

The tranquility lasted until Xing Shi stepped into the practice room, at which point the system snapped back to life.

With its first full-blown outburst since arriving in this world, it roared, “You JUST saved him! What’s WRONG with him—!!”