Chapter 215
Shen Shuyu went upstairs and first soaked in a bath to dispel the chill from his body. After changing into comfortable loungewear, he lay down on the soft bed and picked up his terminal to send a message to Wen Jiafei, letting him know he had arrived home safely.
After sending that, he scrolled down and opened Feng Xingâs chat to ask if he had made it home.
Feng Xing replied quickly, saying he had just arrived.
He didn’t forget to send a photo showing he had already turned on his computer, ready to log in and start gaming.
Shen Shuyu raised an eyebrow slightly, deciding not to disturb Feng Xingâs slaughter. After finishing his rounds of messaging, Shen Shuyu put down his terminal, intending to take a nap.
He truly had woken up early todayâbefore seven oâclockâand he had been out wandering until late with Wen Jiafei last night. By the time he had returned to the hotel and packed his things, it was already past midnight.
Just as he closed his eyes, his brain involuntarily recalled the conversation heâd had with Feng Xing in the car. Now that he had recovered from the initial shock, he wondered why he had so naturally blurted out that line about going to catch fish together.
The key was that Feng Xing said he and the original host used to go to the river to catch fish every spring five years ago. But in the most recent five years, they hadn’t gone once; even when they did, it was Feng Xing going by himself.
Shen Shuyuâs mind raced as he processed the information about the original host, but he suddenly realized that the memories stored in his head only covered these last five years.
What about the ones before that?
Clearly, flashes of the original hostâs childhood would occasionally flicker through his mind, so why could he remember nothing now? Why was there only a brief five-year window?
Shen Shuyu had a faint feeling that something was wrong, yet he was powerless to do anything about it.
He opened his eyes, stared at the ceiling, and called out for the System.
[System: Master~~]
The System was as lively as ever, but it keenly detected Shen Shuyuâs unease. It asked:
[System: Master, whatâs wrong? I sense that your emotions are fluctuating wildly and your thoughts are very chaotic.]
Shen Shuyu asked: [When you transferred Shen Shuyuâs memories to me, are you sure you input them from childhood through adulthood?]
[System: No.]
The System replied:
[System: I only transferred the memories revolving around Chi Yanxun from the last few years. The original hostâs memories prior to that were not input to you.]
They hadn’t been transferred? Shen Shuyu asked again: [Then why do images of the original hostâs childhood occasionally appear in my mind?]
The System said:
[System: It might be a situational trigger. We have many sophisticated mechanisms used to remind the Host to complete tasks.]
Shen Shuyu gave an “Oh.” Could it be that what happened earlier really was just a situational trigger?
But the trigger felt far too realâas if that event was something he and Feng Xing had truly done together.
[System: Master, is there a problem?]
The System said:
[System: Xiao 1 can answer anything for you!]
[Shen Shuyu: Have you cracked the code clues yet?]
Shen Shuyu asked in return.
The System’s indicator light flickered a few times. Whether for a human or a system, the thing they feared most was sudden “concern.”
The terminal sitting beside him chimed. Shen Shuyu temporarily ignored the System’s silence and unlocked his terminal to see a new message.
He assumed it was Wen Jiafei replying. Thinking of Wen Jiafei, his expression softened slightly.
He opened the chat, only to discover that the sender wasn’t Wen Jiafei, but Chi Yanxun, whom he hadn’t contacted in a while.
Shen Shuyu opened the message with some confusion.
Chi Yanxun: [Did you receive the flowers?]
Seeing this sentence, Shen Shuyu was stunned for a moment before realizing that the bouquet heâd seen upon going upstairs was actually sent by Chi Yanxun.
C.
Chi.
Shen Shuyu hadn’t thought in that direction at all. Looking at the message, he felt a bit of a headache. He had already made things clear to Chi Yanxun; why had he become so persistent now?
Before Shen Shuyu could decide how to reply, the other party sent another message: [Are you free tonight? Let’s have dinner together.]
Shen Shuyu replied slowly: [Sorry, I’m not free.]
Chi Yanxun replied instantly: [Okay, I hope you’ll be free tomorrow.]
Shen Shuyu swallowed hard. Was this really Chi Yanxun?
It felt like he had become a completely different person.
Shen Shuyu didn’t reply to Chi Yanxunâs message. He set the terminal aside, closed his eyes, then opened them again to speak to the System: [I just rememberedâthe day you felt the fluctuation, Chi Yanxun had visited my hospital room.]
When the Luck System had previously targeted Wen Jiafei, Shen Shuyu had felt it was very strange. He remembered clearly that Wen Jiafei had entered the hospital with him on the first day, but Wen Jiafei had gone home that first night. He only found out about Shuyuâs injury the second day and said he wanted to visit, but Shen Shuyu told him to stay at school and study since final exams were approaching. Wen Jiafei certainly couldn’t have come to the hospital.
If he had come, there would be no reason not to meet Shen Shuyu.
But on the second day, Chi Yanxun had arrived uninvited.
Back then, Shen Shuyu had been quite clear with Chi Yanxun. He thought his words had been harsh enough that Chi Yanxun should have left in a fit of anger, yet when they met again, he acted as if nothing had ever happened.
Combined with the flowers and the text messages, the whole thing was very strange.
The System said:
[System: Master, did you forget? When you met Chi Yanxun, I scanned him. He didn’t have the Luck System on him.]
Shen Shuyu snapped back to reality. Yes, the System had scanned Chi Yanxun after they ran into each other at the cafe. Still, Shen Shuyu felt something was off. He said: [You should check Chi Yanxun again, just to be safe.]
The System knew its Host was cautious and clever. It said:
[System: Okay, Master. But don’t worryâthis task is an extra one. Even if you don’t complete it, the reward promised to you before will still be given.]
Shen Shuyu, however, said: [But I want the reward for this task.]
Previously, the System had said that if Shen Shuyu completed this task, the Master Mind could grant him one wish.
The System asked curiously:
[System: Master, is there something you want? You can tell me first; Xiao 1 can help you too!]
Shen Shuyu only smiled: [This matter is something you really can’t help me with. Go get to work; stop dawdling.]
Seeing that Shen Shuyu didn’t want to talk about it, the System pouted and went offline.
The Chi Residence.
Chi Yanxun stood on the small balcony on the second floor, looking out at the scenery of his back garden. Many of the Chi familyâs relatives had arrived today for an early reunion dinner before the New Year.
A small ball hit his leg. Chi Yanxun turned his head to see his four-year-old cousin running toward him. The little boy said cutely, “Big brother, ball.”
Chi Yanxun bent down to pick up the ball, walked over, and handed it back. He patiently patted the boyâs head. “Be good. Go play downstairs. Big brother is busy.”
The cousin nodded, hugged his ball, and ran off again.
After watching him leave, Chi Yanxun stood up expressionlessly. The noisy voice in his head asked:
[Luck System: Your temper has improved quite a bit.]
Chi Yanxun gave a cold sneer: [Better than a piece of trash like you.]
The Luck System was furious at being insulted, but there was nothing it could do right now. It had just barely escaped with its life from Wen Jiafei, and more than half of its energy had been drained. Now, it was relying on Chi Yanxun to help it recover.
It said:
[Luck System: You should replenish some energy for me first. Otherwise, I won’t be able to help you at the critical moment.]
Chi Yanxun took a deep breath: [You were the one who said youâd help me pull things back on track. The matter isn’t done; where am I supposed to find energy for you?]
The Luck System said:
[Luck System: Shen Shuyu has returned. He has now replaced you as the secondary center of this world. Spend more time with him, and the energy field will naturally envelop you.]
Chi Yanxun remained silent. The Luck System continued:
[Luck System: Instead of using irony and sarcasm here, you should think of a way to seize back the position of secondary center. You know better than anyone that if you aren’t the secondary center, then all the best resources in this world and everyoneâs attention will have nothing to do with you.]
The Luck System snorted:
[Luck System: We are in a symbiotic relationship. If Iâm having a hard time, do you think youâll be doing any better?]
Chi Yanxun took another deep breath, suppressing the irritation in his heart: [I know.]
Recommended Reads
