Salted Fish is a Rebellious Person – Chapter 04

The system stared at the timer in a daze.

Some hosts stayed at -5 favorability from the moment they arrived until they left. Yet, in just two hours, with barely a few words exchanged, Xing Shi had managed to drop Fu Xiuning’s favorability from -5 to -15.

How was this even possible? Could the favorability value ever recover?

Xing Shi, oblivious to his record-breaking performance, broke the silence. “Teacher, I’ve finished singing.”

The trainees, having endured an emotional rollercoaster, clapped mechanically, their expressions blank. The sparse applause quickly faded into awkward silence.

The vocal teacher, regaining composure, asked, “What’s the name of that song?”

“I forgot,” Xing Shi replied casually. “It’s a folk song. The locals all know it. They say it’s their spiritual totem.”

Everyone: “…”

Sure, we’ll believe that.

Forget the totems—this song definitely had something spiritual about it. Maybe it was an ancestral weapon used to fend off enemies.

The vocal teacher pressed on. “Do you have a recording of the original version?”

“I just sang the original,” Xing Shi replied. “No adaptations.”

The teacher fell silent, unwilling to revisit the trauma of his performance.

The dance teacher chimed in, “Have you ever learned dance before?”

“No,” Xing Shi answered.

The teachers exchanged a glance and signaled him to return to his spot.

Back in his place, Xing Shi noticed the system reorganizing its thoughts.

It’s fine, the system reassured itself. Once classes start, we’ll train him properly. He can learn everything he doesn’t know.

But then it remembered—this was a stubborn mule of a host. He might not take training seriously. The punishment protocol didn’t work on him, and the lottery had given him nothing but “thank you for your patronage.” What else could it do?

Desperate, the system applied for another lottery draw. When it was rejected, it fell into silent despair.

Xing Shi, sensing its mood, teased, “Did my singing break you?”

The system replied dejectedly, “Still functioning.”

Curious, Xing Shi asked, “So, what are you? A smart device or something else?”

The system perked up slightly. “I’ll tell you if you answer a question truthfully in return.”

“Deal,” Xing Shi said with a grin.

The system explained, “We are high-dimensional intelligence—half mechanical, half biological. We possess immense computational power, independent thought, and limited emotions.”

Xing Shi processed this. So, it can be dismantled and destroyed.

“Your turn,” the system continued. “There are multiple routes to capture Fu Xiuning: love, friendship, loyalty where you’re his dog, dominance where he’s your dog, or even a father-son dynamic. Which route will you choose? Answer seriously.”

Xing Shi pretended not to hear, dismissing the idea that he needed to cooperate with the system’s plan.

He reasoned that all hosts shared the same goal: targeting Fu Xiuning. Contact with him was inevitable, so there was no need for the system to push.

Casually, he replied, “Depends on his attitude. If he’s friendly, we’ll go the friendship route.”

If Fu Xiuning agrees to work with me, we can dismantle these systems together.

The system, recalling Fu Xiuning’s track record, asked, “And if his attitude is bad?”

“Then I’ll be his father,” Xing Shi said without hesitation.

If I destroy these systems on my own, Fu Xiuning will have no choice but to call me dad.

The system: “???”

Father-son dynamics are possible, but this is bold! Do you even know how many hosts Fu Xiuning has ruined?

Still, the system chose to focus on the positive. “Alright, let’s try the friendship route first.”

Fu Xiuning watched Xing Shi’s performance impassively, then observed No. 6 before standing up to leave.

He had come today to see if the new trainees included any system-bound hosts. Having confirmed this, he saw no reason to stay.

The other trainees glanced at Xing Shi with mixed expressions.

The boss had stood near him before the assessment and looked at him afterward before leaving. There had to be something going on.

Feng Zifan, knowing that Xing Shi and Fu Xiuning had just met, felt a pang of regret. If I hadn’t left earlier, I might’ve hit it off with Fu Xiuning too.

After all 16 trainees finished their assessments, Xing Shi ranked dead last.

When the scores from all three practice rooms were combined, he remained at the bottom.

Yet the teachers were optimistic.

Trainees needed rigorous training before debuting, so weak basics weren’t a dealbreaker. With Xing Shi’s excellent image, he had the potential to rise to the top class with enough effort.

Next came the dormitory assignments.

The dorms were doubles, featuring bunk beds with desks underneath, private bathrooms, refrigerators, wardrobes, and dance mirrors. The shared apartment also had a gym, laundry room, and lounge.

Though dorms were assigned randomly, trainees could negotiate swaps.

Xing Shi, aiming for convenience, decided to stay in the dorms but didn’t care about his roommate. Coincidentally, his assigned roommate was another “pre-selected” trainee with no family in the city, so they stayed together without issue.

Feng Zifan and Dazhuang, seeing this arrangement, chose not to suggest room swaps and instead invited everyone out for dinner.

That evening, the streets were bustling, illuminated by bright lights and lined with tall buildings.

Xing Shi stopped at a roasted sweet potato stand, savoring the aroma.

The system reminded him, “That’s filling. You’re having hot pot later.”

“What’s my payment password?” Xing Shi asked, pulling out his phone.

The system gave up and told him.

Breaking open the sweet potato, Xing Shi blew on it and took a bite. The hot sweetness filled his mouth. Looking at the vibrant city around him, he felt like he was in a vivid dream.

After dinner, Xing Shi returned to his university dormitory.

Flipping through a book on his shelf, he noticed the author’s signature on the title page. The handwriting was sharp and precise, almost identical to his own.

The same name, the same face, similar handwriting… What are the odds this is a coincidence?

“System,” he called.

“Hmm?”

“Do you know where I came from?”

“That’s private information,” the system replied.

“And why did I travel through time?”

“I don’t know. I’m only here to oversee your tasks,” the system explained. Then, remembering something, it added, “You probably have memory loss. It’s common among hosts. The soul, being an energy body, suffers slight consumption during transmission, leading to varying degrees of amnesia.”

It continued, “But don’t worry! Our store sells memory pills that can restore all your memories. Just earn enough favorability points to exchange for them.”

Xing Shi hummed noncommittally and returned the book to the shelf.

Three days later, training began.

In addition to professional skills like singing and dancing, trainees studied cultural subjects, languages, and arts. The packed schedule was grueling.

Among the trainees, only three, including Xing Shi, had to balance training with university studies. After two weeks, one was already considering dropping out.

The system, initially worried Xing Shi might quit, was surprised by his determination. Not only did he persevere, but he occasionally skipped minor classes to focus on training.

The only downside was that Xing Shi hadn’t interacted with Fu Xiuning again.

One sunny afternoon, Xing Shi lounged on a park bench, his hands tucked into his jacket pockets. A stray cat lay curled up beside him, basking in the sunlight.

The system suddenly exclaimed, “Fu Xiuning is coming this way!”

Xing Shi didn’t move.

The system was exasperated. “What happened to the friendship route?”

“If Fu Xiuning could be won over with a few words, you wouldn’t need so many hosts,” Xing Shi replied lazily.

The system fell silent, muting itself in frustration.

Meanwhile, Fu Xiuning, passing by, spotted Xing Shi and stopped.

The sight of the boy lounging peacefully with the stray cat stirred something in him. How is this host living more comfortably than me?

With a spark of mischief, Fu Xiuning began walking toward Xing Shi.