Chapter 230
Shen Shuyu chatted with Wen Yue for a while before saying, “Auntie, I’ve been craving your homemade cookies. Do you have any left?”
Wen Yue let out a soft sigh. “You silly child, you should have said something sooner.”
She glanced at the clock. “I’ll bake some for you after lunch. You can take them back to share with your family.”
“There’s no need for that much trouble, Auntie,” Shen Shuyu replied. “I just had a sudden craving. I can just go downstairs later and buy some from the shop manager; they’re the same.”
“The ones in the shop are good, but I was planning on baking some anyway. Do you have other plans this afternoon? If not, I can have a courier deliver them to your house once they’re ready.”
Shen Shuyu sat there holding Meimei. “I’m free this afternoon. I’ll just wait here until you finish your meal. It’s a good chance to rest for a bit.”
Wen Yue asked, “Aren’t you going to eat?”
Shen Shuyu grinned. “I ate with a friend before coming over, so I’m still full. You should go ahead and have lunch with the teacher.”
He made himself comfortable, curling up on the sofa. Meimei snuggled into his arms, her tail twitching lazily now and then. Man and cat looked exceptionally cozy.
“Alright,” Wen Yue said. “I’ll go get the ingredients ready. Just rest here for a while.”
As she spoke, she draped a nearby blanket over him and patted his head, her eyes brimming with gratified warmth.
A short while later, there was a knock at the door. The teacher from across the hall had come to call Wen Yue for lunch.
Only after sensing that Wen Yue had left the room did Shen Shuyu open his eyes. He shifted Meimei up toward his chest so her head would pop out.
Meimei opened her eyes, and Shen Shuyu asked, “You’re a system—since when can you eat meat buns?”
Meimei opened her mouth, but instead of a meow, Xiao 1’s mechanical electronic voice came out.
[Xiao 1: Master, the buns were delicious.]
Shen Shuyu scratched the cat’s chin with his finger. When he had come over yesterday, he hadn’t wanted to disturb Wen Yue, so he had stealthily allowed the System to temporarily inhabit Meimei’s body.
“How does it feel to be a cat?” Shen Shuyu asked.
[Xiao 1: The sensation is quite wonderful. I can jump onto the sofa, chairs, tables, and even the bed. Wen Yue strokes my back—these are all things I have never experienced before.]
Of course, there was also the taste of chicken breast and meat buns, flavors it was tasting for the first time.
They were delicious; it liked them very much.
However, Xiao 1 did not forget its duties. It asked, [Xiao 1: Master, has there been any progress?]
“Not exactly progress, but it’s currently dormant in my mind.” Shen Shuyu pointed to his own head. Although a system is one with its host, it cannot perceive the outside world while in hibernation. Even to access memories, it requires the host’s explicit consent.
That was why Shen Shuyu was able to bring it to find Xiao 1 so openly.
[Xiao 1: What is it trying to do?]
“It wants me to fall in love with Chi Yanxun again.” Shen Shuyu paused. “I suspect it wants to force the plot back onto the novel’s original trajectory.”
[Xiao 1: What benefit does that bring it?] Xiao 1 was puzzled.
Shen Shuyu said, “It claimed to have been created in a high-dimensional world and that its previous tasks also involved guiding hosts. It said Shen Shuyu (Fish) was the first host it chose for itself.”
He looked at Meimei in his arms—no, he looked at Xiao 1.
Shen Shuyu looked at Xiao 1 and asked, “What kind of world is this ‘high-dimensional world’ anyway?”
[Xiao 1: A high-dimensional world is essentially a digital space. I was also produced through countless calculations and tests. However, our names are usually numerical. We don’t have names like ‘Luck.’]
Names, besides being their identifiers, were also their codes. Those codes contained their entire lifespans.
They guided hosts day after day, experiencing the world through their hosts’ eyes, compiling those perceptions into data strings, and finally archiving them permanently.
No system would ever discard its own lifespan; otherwise, even their final trace of existence would vanish.
Shen Shuyu stroked the cat’s head as he thought. “How many of these high-dimensional worlds are there?”
[Xiao 1: Only one. I will report this to the Master Mind. Master, I’ll have to trouble you to figure out exactly what it’s after and why it wants to push this world toward a novelistic script.]
“Alright.” Shen Shuyu rubbed the cat’s ears. “Getting used to being a kitty?”
[Xiao 1: I am.]
Shen Shuyu laughed. “I thought you preferred being a puppy.”
[Xiao 1: I like being a puppy too. Puppies can eat many, many more meat buns.]
Shen Shuyu remarked, “Look at you, so easily swayed by a few meat buns. Why not just become human?”
[Xiao 1: Human emotions are too complex. Animals are simpler. For example, right now, because I like you, I wag my tail instinctively. But humans express their feelings more indirectly—sometimes they even lie.]
“Fair enough, Xiao 1 the cat.” Shen Shuyu leaned his head back against the sofa. “I’m going to nap for a bit. Wake me up when Auntie Wen Yue gets back.”
Xiao 1 let out a purring sound, sounding very much like a real cat now.
Wen Yue returned quickly after lunch. Once Shen Shuyu woke up, he sat in the living room and played with Xiao 1 for a while longer.
Xiao 1 glanced at Wen Yue in the kitchen and whispered conspiratorially, [Xiao 1: But Master, we can’t drag this out too long. If the Luck System stays in your mind for too long, it will gradually start to control your emotions and thoughts. So, while you were resting, I contacted the Master Mind again. The Master Mind said we must capture this Luck System within three days at the latest.]
Shen Shuyu fiddled with Xiao 1’s ears. He had actually considered this problem long ago. When Luck had targeted Chi Yanxun and Wen Jiafei, both of their personalities had undergone more or less significant shifts.
It wasn’t just a simple change; it was as if a certain facet of their character was amplified, making them irritable and prone to anger.
This was likely related to the energy field.
Soon, Wen Yue finished the cookies. She packed a large bag for Shen Shuyu and sent him out with a smile.
Shen Shuyu carried the cookies and slowly walked out of the residential complex. It had started to snow again.
He tilted his head back slightly, wondering if it was snowing where Wen Jiafei was.
Before he had gone looking for Chi Yanxun and Luck yesterday, he had sent Wen Jiafei a message, but Wen Jiafei hadn’t replied yet. He wasn’t sure if the business in Planet Siro was finished.
Shen Shuyu rubbed his fingers together and then opened his palm, letting the snow fall onto his skin.
The terminal in his pocket chimed. Shen Shuyu snapped out of his daze and pulled it out. It was a message from Shen Yisi asking when he would be home. Tomorrow was New Year’s Eve, and Yue Cheng’s injuries had mostly healed.
Mother Shen had told Shen Yisi early on to bring Yue Cheng home so they could have a happy New Year together.
He replied that he was heading home immediately. Just as he was about to put the terminal back, he received a news notification.
[News: Ning Bai Passes Away! The Heir to the Ning Family Fortune is Shrouded in Mystery, Just Who…]
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