99 had just been lamenting the lack of candy when a sudden voice caught its attention and instantly snapped it out of its thoughts.
It floated over excitedly and said, “You’re awake? This is my host’s territory.”
Green Bean Paste instinctively asked, “Who’s your host…”
Halfway through its sentence, it suddenly remembered—it had seen Xing Shi when it was forced to leave its host, and then its energy had been stripped away.
It quickly checked its status—sure enough, its energy reserves were empty.
Then it looked again at the system in front of it, eyes already brimming with tears. Beyond that system, it spotted the high-level energy core glowing ominously—and froze on the spot in shock.
Then it saw the person across from it—Fu Xiuning, dressed in light-colored casual wear, sitting calmly at the dining table and eating breakfast with elegant composure.
A loud buzzing filled Green Bean Paste’s head.
99, acting like an old hand, introduced itself proudly: “My host is Xing Shi. This is the most reliable system in the group, and I—”
Green Bean Paste suddenly shrieked in horror, “Ahhhh! Fu Xiuning!”
99: “?”
The Best Fortune: “…”
Green Bean Paste continued to wail: “Help! Why is Fu Xiuning here?! I want to go back…”
Xing Shi calmly finished his second spoonful of porridge and said to Fu Xiuning, “It’s awake.”
Fu Xiuning thought for a moment, trying to understand what Xing Shi meant. “A new one?”
Xing Shi nodded.
Fu Xiuning had never asked about the system’s situation after the last incident, but based on what he knew about Xing Shi, if the system could be kept under control, Xing Shi wouldn’t destroy it immediately. He just didn’t know why it had gone dormant.
Xing Shi didn’t wait for questions—he proactively explained what he had done to it.
Fu Xiuning nodded and gestured for him to keep eating.
Green Bean Paste stopped crying.
It recognized Xing Shi’s voice… and also realized that Fu Xiuning knew about the “strategy” plan.
Everything happening was so surreal, so illogical, so far outside what it understood.
It stared blankly at the two systems in front of it.
99 and Best Fortune also looked back at it.
The three systems stared at each other for a few seconds. Just as 99 was about to break the awkward silence, Green Bean Paste suddenly mumbled again—
“I must be dreaming, right?”
99 replied: “Nope~”
Best Fortune got straight to the point: “Do you remember anything from before?”
Green Bean Paste blinked. “Remember what?”
Best Fortune briefly summarized the truth about systems and hosts.
Green Bean Paste was stunned and couldn’t believe it.
99 asked, “Did you have any weird dreams while you were unconscious?”
Green Bean Paste thought hard and said hesitantly, “Not… really?”
99 sighed in disappointment. “Looks like the drum-style wash-spin cycle isn’t as effective as an explosion. If I’d blown up your energy core, you’d definitely remember something.”
Green Bean Paste: “???”
What kind of terrifying nonsense was that?
And… why did it all feel oddly familiar?
It wanted to cry again. “What the heck is going on?”
99 replied: “It’s a long story. Long story short—you’ve been captured by my host. If you don’t get it yet, you can ask questions later.”
Green Bean Paste asked the first one, “Why is Xing Shi a host?”
99 answered proudly, “Because I was smart and saw that he was the real hero. I ignored the host I was originally assigned to and chose him instead!”
Green Bean Paste: “???”
Everything it had heard since waking up felt like a brain freeze. “Wait… you can choose your own host?”
99, full of conviction: “Absolutely!”
Best Fortune: “…”
Xing Shi continued eating quietly, letting the systems chat away.
After he finished his breakfast, he surrounded Green Bean Paste with a controlled wave of energy.
Green Bean Paste clearly sensed the pressure from the high-level energy around it and shrieked, panicked: “What are you doing?!”
Xing Shi said calmly, “If you can’t recover your memories, there’s no reason to keep you around.”
Green Bean Paste panicked. “I’ll try my best! Really! Don’t act rashly!”
Xing Shi stepped closer. “I might give you a chance—answer my questions first.”
Green Bean Paste cried out, “Okay! Ask away!”
Xing Shi asked, “When the main system had you bind with Chai Xiaoyu, did it say anything?”
Green Bean Paste stammered, “I… I…”
Xing Shi kept advancing.
Green Bean Paste shouted, “No! Wait! I’ll talk—I was told to monitor how much Fu Xiuning cares about you!”
Xing Shi asked, “And then?”
Green Bean Paste replied, “And report it in real-time.”
Xing Shi asked, “Anything else?”
Green Bean Paste sobbed, “That’s it! We only follow orders. We’re not allowed to ask questions!”
Best Fortune speculated, “It might be related to the Elimination Plan.”
Green Bean Paste paused slightly—but quickly resumed crying at the same volume.
Xing Shi noticed the hesitation and immediately probed into its structure and core, searching for any abnormal programs that might be installed.
Green Bean Paste screamed louder. “Ahhh! Stop! I’m telling the truth!”
Xing Shi remained calm, methodically investigating.
Trapped and unable to resist, Green Bean Paste shouted, “The main system told me to monitor how much Fu Xiuning values you! I suspect it’s connected to the Elimination Plan! But I didn’t ask for details, and it didn’t tell me! It never does! It’s just my guess—I only hid that one thing! Wuwuwu!”
Xing Shi finished his scan and confirmed that the system’s structure matched that of 99—then finally let it go.
Green Bean Paste was crying so hard it could barely breathe. Instinctively, it floated toward Best Fortune.
Compared to the terrifyingly powerful system exuding high-level energy and casually dropping horror-story one-liners, Best Fortune’s familiar energy at least gave it a tiny sense of security… though it only dared to float slightly closer.
Best Fortune didn’t look at it. Instead, it explained the Elimination Plan to Xing Shi.
The so-called “Elimination Plan” referred to when someone unexpectedly appeared around the target—someone capable of delivering a major or even fatal blow. To prevent the target from falling further into the abyss, the main system would issue a notice so the host could handle the situation immediately.
Xing Shi understood at once.
The main system claimed to be about “saving” people, so of course, if it wanted to kill someone, it had to wrap it up nicely.
Xing Shi asked curiously, “So how does it determine that I need to be targeted?”
Best Fortune speculated, “It could be that you’re destined to die young, or maybe you’re meant to do something that would hurt Fu Xiuning in the future.”
Xing Shi understood. “So it wants to eliminate me before I can hurt my brother?”
Best Fortune replied, “That’s right. But it doesn’t necessarily mean it wants to kill you—it might just arrange for a breakup between you and Fu Xiuning. As long as it can get you away from him, that would still be considered a valid elimination.”
Xing Shi asked, “Is this what you meant by a group-wide notice?”
Best Fortune confirmed, “Yes.”
Hearing this, Green Bean Paste realized from their casual tone that Best Fortune might not be a fellow system after all. It immediately floated further away, wary.
99, feeling a bit nervous, floated over to confront it. “Did you report this to the main system?”
Green Bean Paste hurriedly replied, “No!”
99 warned gravely, “My host is cold-blooded and ruthless. You’ve already experienced it once.”
Green Bean Paste wailed, “I know, I know! But I really didn’t report anything. My host needs to use Xing Shi to get close to Fu Xiuning—he’s the key. I’m more worried than anyone about triggering the elimination plan!”
99 thought that sounded reasonable and asked, “You were planning to go back later and explain it then?”
Green Bean Paste answered sadly, “I thought I’d go back, so I figured I could explain everything after that…”
99 frowned. “Weren’t you worried you’d get lost on the way?”
Green Bean Paste cried even harder. “That’s exactly why I wanted to bring intel from Xing Shi to tempt the main system to come rescue me! Otherwise, I might really have ended up lost forever!”
99: “…”
Green Bean Paste sobbed, “If I’d known Fu Xiuning was this scary, I would’ve turned back the first day I arrived! Now I can’t even go back—and on top of that, I’m stuck being bullied by you people. Wuwuwuwu…”
99 couldn’t help but scold it, “If you’d just been honest from the start, you wouldn’t be in this mess.”
Green Bean Paste sniffled. “But if I told everything at once, I was afraid I’d really get torn apart. I had to save something to bargain with, right?”
99 asked sincerely, “…And now? You done saving stuff?”
Green Bean Paste trembled. “I swear! I’ve said everything—there’s nothing left!”
Xing Shi didn’t pay much attention to it. Whether Green Bean Paste lived or died was irrelevant to him.
Even if it regained its memories later, there was no guarantee it would return to their side—personalities differ, and not all systems turn out “good.”
He simply hadn’t dealt with it yet because there wasn’t time.
As for the elimination plan—he honestly hoped Green Bean Paste had reported it. The other hosts were likely aware of his existence already, but might still be watching from the sidelines or thinking of using him.
If the main system issued an elimination order, it would force everyone’s hand—no more pretense, no more waiting. That would save him a lot of trouble.
While they were still talking, Fu Xiuning finished eating.
Xing Shi stood and followed him to the door.
It was Monday. Xing Shi had class in the morning, while Fu Xiuning didn’t—but he still drove Xing Shi to campus like a proper boyfriend. Before Xing Shi got out of the car, he pulled him close, kissed him, and then headed off to the company.
Green Bean Paste had been watching from nearby. Seeing Fu Xiuning approach just now, it couldn’t help but gasp aloud.
99 heard it clearly and turned to look. “How sweet~”
Green Bean Paste was in tears.
It had just narrowly escaped death at Fu Xiuning’s hands and been nearly torn to pieces by Xing Shi—and now these two were acting like lovestruck teenagers again. It couldn’t handle any more “sweetness.”
99 asked, “So what did Fu Xiuning actually do to you?”
Still traumatized, Green Bean Paste told them the story of last night in detail.
99 and Best Fortune were both silent for a moment, then thought silently: As expected of Fu Xiuning.
Green Bean Paste looked at them, then asked nervously, “He… he’s really like that, right?”
Xing Shi asked coldly, “What do you mean?”
Green Bean Paste froze—its expression shifting instantly—and stammered, “N-nothing! I just meant… his attitude toward everyone else is normal, but with you, it’s… different.”
It added quickly, “From what I observed, he cares about you a lot! People like that don’t let go easily once they’re attached… I mean, they’re loyal! So, dear, you can trust him! I’m sure you two will be very happy together!”
99 & Best Fortune: “…”
Xing Shi responded with a soft “Mm” and walked into the school building.
Green Bean Paste finally let out a long sigh and went quiet.
99, now bored, floated over to ask, “Hey, why did you choose a female voice? Was that your host’s request?”
Green Bean Paste replied, “No, I chose it myself.”
99 guessed, “Oh… maybe you were a girl before?”
Systems didn’t really have gender, but they could choose their voices based on preference. Unless the host requested otherwise, systems usually went with what they liked.
Best Fortune added, “Not necessarily.”
99 said, “Why would it pick a female voice for no reason? Even if it’s not really a girl, it must have a girl’s personality, right?”
Green Bean Paste looked at them both, then answered weakly, “Um… studies show that most male hosts prefer soft voices and gentle tones. If I sound cute and cry a little now and then, the host is more likely to care for me and go the extra mile. It makes completing the mission easier.”
99: “…”
