Chapter 10: Slapped in the Face at Light Speed — “Worthy of Being a Love-Brain”
Lu Xunye was sound asleep on the bed.
Xiao Ai jumped onto the duvet beside him.
The next second, Lu Xunye kicked his legs violently, flinging the duvet entirely over Xiao Ai’s head. The sheer weight of it dragged the cat, along with the duvet, off the bed and onto the floor.
“Achoo—” Lu Xunye sneezed but didn’t wake up, muttering in his sleep, “Scram… stay away from me.”
Xiao Ai had just struggled free from the duvet when it heard this. Angrily, it hopped onto the pillow and used the tip of its fluffy, clean tail to tickle Lu Xunye’s nose.
Lu Xunye sneezed violently, waking himself up. His sleep disturbed, he woke up grumpy.
He opened his eyes a crack, locked onto the target, pulled the pillow out from under his head, and threw it. “If you want to die, go die outside.”
The pillow flew past. Xiao Ai lost its balance while dodging—”Meow-oo!”—and fell four-legs-up onto the duvet on the floor.
It kicked its legs in an uncoordinated flurry, failing to right itself. “Host! I’m going to report you for bullying a cat!!!”
Hearing this, Lu Xunye struggled to pry his eyelids open, lying on the edge of the bed and looking down. “Didn’t you say cats are fierce and you didn’t want to be a cat?”
Xiao Ai fell silent.
Okay, it did say that.
But thinking about it, it really didn’t understand.
“Why didn’t the Host wait for the Protagonist Shou to wake up before leaving? If the Protagonist Shou knew the Host took care of him all night, he would definitely be moved. Maybe his affection level would even go up.”
“Expect gratitude for a favor?” Lu Xunye twitched the corner of his mouth and scoffed lightly. “Do you think I, your Host, would do something so tacky?”
Hearing this, Xiao Ai nodded firmly and replied without hesitation, “Yes.”
“…”
It was Shen Yunqian who gave him the cold shoulder first. Lu Xunye would never admit he had eagerly rushed over to take care of him. If he were to seek reconciliation right in front of him now…
Like a simp… that would be too humiliating.
What he didn’t know was that behind the neighbor’s door, Shen Yunqian had already seen clearly how he had entered.
Lu Xunye rolled his eyes at the system. “None of your business.”
After speaking, his blinking slowed down, and his eyelids drooped shut again mid-sentence.
Xiao Ai had never seen such a difficult host. It yelled to startle him awake: “Host’s current Love Points: 3000. Life countdown: 27 days and 6 hours. The Host should speed up the conquest to obtain Love Points.”
It complained, “Host, you are the laziest host this System has ever seen.”
Lu Xunye stared at it quietly with an unfriendly gaze.
“First, humans need sleep. Second, because of you, I acted as a free fairy godmother for someone, washing duvets, scrubbing walls, and serving water. I only went to sleep at eight. What time is it now?”
He grabbed his phone and checked; it was only ten-thirty. “I’ve only slept for two and a half hours and you’re already going crazy.”
Lu Xunye asked sincerely, “Do you want to die?”
With that, he sat up straight, his hair exploding in a mess and dark circles hanging under his eyes. Ignoring the system’s reply, he darkened his face, picked up the duvet, shook the cat off it, covered his head, and went back to sleep.
Not long after, a muffled “Achoo—” came from under the duvet.
The system was confused. “Didn’t you say you had more energy than a plowing ox?”
How annoying. Why do humans need to sleep for so long? Systems work 24 hours a day.
There was no reply, not even a curse. Only the notification sound of the phone rang several times in succession.
Lu Xunye, who had wrapped himself like a silkworm chrysalis under the covers, suddenly threw off the duvet and bolted upright. Looking at the transfer on his phone, the expression on his face was truly spectacular.
“F*ck, he really takes me for a nanny!”
Then the system watched as the host, who had been listless from sleepiness just moments ago, suddenly acted as if injected with chicken blood. He changed clothes in a few moves and rushed out of the bedroom.
It hurriedly chased after him. “Host, what are you doing? Not sleeping anymore?!”
“I’m going to settle the score!”
Lu Xunye yanked the door open and strode out, slamming the main door with a thunderous bang, kicking over a yellow insulated bag at the entrance.
He bent down to pick it up. It was a takeout order. The receipt listed three buns, a fried dough stick, a cup of soy milk, three ounces of sauce-flavored pancakes, and an order note for five lollipops.
Lu Xunye: “…”
He glanced at the unfamiliar last digits on the order and got even angrier. Even takeout could be delivered wrong.
He walked to the middle of the corridor near the elevator and placed the takeout by the wall.
Until he stood in front of Shen Yunqian’s door.
Looking at the peephole on the brownish-red door, he instantly calmed down.
He began muttering to himself, brainwashing himself.
“Why should I come looking for him? I did the work and took the money; I’m not losing face.”
He pursed his lips unconvinced, turned around to open his own door, and was about to go back when the door behind him unlocked with a click and opened.
Lu Xunye froze, pretended not to hear, and continued pushing his door.
“…Thank you.”
A constrained, cool voice came from behind.
Lu Xunye turned around to look at Shen Yunqian, who was also standing at the door.
Shen Yunqian looked like he had just woken up, or perhaps he had taken a shower.
The young man’s short hair hung softly against his forehead, his eyes misted with a layer of moisture. His face, having just recovered from the fever, was pink and tender, like a glutinous rice ball just scooped out of boiling water.
Ignoring his tall stature, he looked small… and smelled nice.
Compared to Lu Xunye’s messy, exploding hair and the dark circles under his eyes, they looked like they belonged to different worlds.
As for why he seemed to have just showered…
It was because Lu Xunye noticed he wasn’t wearing the same pajamas as yesterday.
Long sleeves and long pants; his thin frame seemed especially empty inside them.
His gaze touched a piece of white gauze taped to the side of Shen’s neck. Lu Xunye snapped back to reality, his words and tone filled with indifference. “Thank you for what… aren’t we even?”
“…Right.” Shen Yunqian curled his fingertips. “Think what you want. Anyway, regarding last night… thank you regardless.”
Lu Xunye was stunned. How does he know?
Perhaps his expression was too surprised, as Shen Yunqian tapped the peephole on the door behind him. “There’s a camera here.”
“…” Remembering his nonsensical ramblings at the door just now, Lu Xunye shook his head frantically in his heart. Impossible!
On the surface, he remained calm, refusing to admit anything. “What does that have to do with me?”
Subconsciously, Shen Yunqian grabbed the slightly long cuffs hanging over his hands. He lowered his eyes, not angry at all.
On the contrary, this was the most relaxed his constantly tightened heart had felt since meeting Lu Xunye, suppressing the insignificant sense of loss mixed within that relief.
Shen Yunqian asked, “Did you see my cat? The one that… went to find someone to save me. It was the one who opened the door for you.”
He continued to add, “I saw in the surveillance that it followed you out…”
The recording range of the surveillance was limited, only covering half a meter beyond the doormat. Thus, he only saw the white cat go out after Lu Xunye left.
Lu Xunye didn’t focus on the part about the “cat finding someone to save its owner.”
Naturally, he missed the implication that Shen attributed the rescue to a cat. Instead, he was thinking about the conversation he had with the system last night.
He cursed silently in his heart: Was that recorded too? Will he think I’m a fool like that mother and son did?
Thinking of this, a flash of guilt crossed his eyes.
Just then, the door behind him moved, bumping against his back. His heart stopped for two seconds, then began to beat violently.
As expected, he looked down to see a white cat’s paw scratching at the door, seemingly trying to get out.
Lu Xunye made a prompt decision, shifting over to block the crack in the door and kicking backward with his foot. Only a muffled meow was heard.
He locked the door with a backhand twist, effectively muffling the sound.
Shen Yunqian leaned out to look into the corridor. Seeing Lu Xunye looking uncomfortable all over, he was a bit suspicious. “Was that a cat meowing just now?”
“You suspect me of stealing the cat?” Lu Xunye seized the initiative, his tone filled with disgust. “I hate cats the most.”
Shen Yunqian said flatly, “I know.”
Actually, the night before last, he hadn’t failed to notice Lu Xunye’s attitude of avoiding the tabby cat like the plague.
Precisely because of this, he didn’t think Lu Xunye had taken the cat away. Even if he really had, Shen Yunqian wouldn’t say anything.
He knew Lu Xunye definitely wouldn’t hurt the kitten. After all, no one was kind enough to save an irrelevant person again and again like he did.
It was as if Lu Xunye came for him; whenever he was in danger, the other would always appear.
But… Shen Yunqian recalled the other’s mercilessly cold attitude.
He thought to himself: Finally, everything is returning to the right track…
No one should treat him this well.
So well that it made him feel guilty.
Made him fearful.
Made him want to hide far away.
The atmosphere suddenly cooled. Seeing the young man’s knuckles turning red from the cold, Lu Xunye spoke awkwardly, “There’s no cat here. I won’t keep you freezing. Stray cats have wild natures; it might not want to go home with you.”
His intention was to get the young man to go back home because the cat was in his apartment, separated by a door. No matter how much Shen searched, he wouldn’t find it.
Shen Yunqian showed no reaction after hearing this. “Mn.”
Lu Xunye didn’t hear clearly. He opened his door and went home, leaving Shen Yunqian alone outside.
Just as Shen Yunqian was about to go back, he saw the takeout bag by the wall not far away.
The hand gripping the doorknob slowly tightened. He stared at the bag for a while, lost in unknown thoughts.
Meanwhile, as soon as Lu Xunye closed the door, the system pounced on him.
He rolled his eyes and stepped to the right. The white cat couldn’t stop in time and crashed headfirst into the door.
Lu Xunye rubbed his brow, having a headache. “Can you change your skin?”
He struggled for a long time. “Or maybe you should just live in my brain.”
It was a bit noisy, but at least they could communicate without sound—much better than being taken for a fool.
Finally free to run around, the system naturally refused. “No.”
“But once I upgrade, I can freely shuttle between the cat body and the Host’s consciousness.”
Speaking of points, Lu Xunye ruffled his hair irritably. “Tsk.”
“Sigh.” Lu Xunye let out a long sigh, his heart dead as ash. He had spoken so… ruthlessly earlier. If a mission were released now, he would be embarrassed to death.
If Lu Xunye knew what would happen in ten seconds, he absolutely wouldn’t have thought about this. It was simply invoking the god of bad luck.
10 seconds later.
“Random Mission Released: Please invite the Protagonist Shou to dinner. Countdown: 10 hours. Failure penalty: Deduct 10 Life Points. Success reward: 5 Life Points.”
Hearing the voice, Lu Xunye nearly passed out.
He gritted his teeth and said, “You really are worthy of being a Love-Brain System, huh?”
Recommended Reads
![Accidentally Turned a Tragic Romance Plotline into a Sweet and Pampering One [Transmigration]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ACCIDENTALLY.png)
