Salted Fish is a Rebellious Person – Chapter 25

Tong Xuyang had filled out the form in secret.

At the time, he had been both surprised and excited, fearing that it might not be real.

The person in charge wasn’t sure what Gu Zheng had done to offend Fu Xiuning, but since the boss wanted the announcement to be made on the very last day, it was clear that secrecy was required. The person in charge had warned, “If you want things to go smoothly, don’t tell anyone. When the list is announced, just say you were notified at the last minute.”

Tong Xuyang was obedient. He didn’t let a single word slip.

For days, he had been restless and unable to sleep well. Only now, upon hearing his own name, did he finally relax.

His friends stared at him in confusion, but as he smiled at them apologetically, they gradually understood and joined in the applause.

Feng Zifan and Yu Yi followed suit, and soon the entire room was clapping.

The person in charge smiled and said, “Alright, those are the names. Let’s wish them all the best in the competition.”

Everyone applauded enthusiastically, but their eyes were filled with curiosity. Wait, it’s not that they just added someone—Gu Zheng is actually out?!

Gu Zheng himself looked utterly clueless. It was clear that he had only just realized he had been replaced. And on the day before entering the competition, no less—what the hell had happened?

When the applause died down, Gu Zheng’s roommates couldn’t help but react first. “Teacher, was there a mistake? Wasn’t it supposed to be Gu Zheng?”

The person in charge replied casually, “Oh, after reviewing the talent from other companies and considering the director team’s recommendations, we felt that Gu Zheng didn’t have much of an advantage. So, we decided to promote someone with a different style.”

She turned to Gu Zheng with a puzzled expression. “Didn’t the instructors inform you in advance?”

Gu Zheng stiffly shook his head. His mind was still blank, and he couldn’t even form words.

The person in charge frowned slightly, then let out a soft hiss. “Maybe they got too busy and forgot. I’ll check with them later. But don’t worry, there will be more opportunities in the future.”

Gu Zheng still couldn’t speak. His entire being was consumed by disbelief and frustration. He didn’t want to accept reality.

The farewell party continued, and a few people patted Gu Zheng on the shoulder to comfort him. He stood there like a statue for a while before finally snapping out of it. He quickly went to find the instructor to argue for a spot. But when he learned that the list had already been submitted, all he could do was move aside and slump into a seat.

People around him stole glances but tactfully chose not to say anything.

His roommate hesitated before offering, “Want me to walk you back to the apartment?”

Gu Zheng sat motionless, unwilling to talk.

—

Feng Zifan and Yu Yi observed the scene from afar, both feeling immensely satisfied.

Feng Zifan, in particular, was now fully convinced. He had always been good at reading people, and when he first met Fu Xiuning, he could tell that he wasn’t an easy person to get close to. What he hadn’t expected was that Fu Xiuning would be so fiercely protective of Xing Shi. There was definitely something unusual about their relationship.

If it were him—if his boss were his senior and he felt something was wrong—he wouldn’t dare voice his suspicions. But Fu Xiuning and Xing Shi’s relationship seemed so strong that Xing Shi didn’t have to hold back at all. That was the key difference.

Yu Yi also looked at Xing Shi with admiration and handed him a small cake as a reward.

Xing Shi was thoroughly enjoying the show and accepted the treat happily. As he bit into it, he noticed Tong Xuyang walking by with the bouquet of flowers he had received.

Xing Shi called out, “Are you keeping that flower?”

Tong Xuyang, now fully relaxed after days of tension, was in high spirits. He grinned and handed the bouquet over. “If you like it, Brother Shi, it’s yours.”

Xing Shi accepted it. “Thanks.”

Feng Zifan and Yu Yi walked a short distance away before turning back and asking, “What do you even want that for?”

Xing Shi replied casually, “Gifting it to someone.”

Feng Zifan hesitated, then whispered, “You’re not seriously giving it to the boss to thank him, are you?”

Xing Shi scoffed. “Of course not.”

Feng Zifan sighed in relief.

Yu Yi, curious, asked, “Then who’s it for?”

Xing Shi said, “A good brother who saved my life.”

Feng Zifan & Yu Yi: “…”

He’s handing out life-saving gifts way too casually.

—

To give the trainees enough time to rest and prepare, the farewell party was scheduled for the afternoon, followed by dinner.

Xing Shi had no interest in eating. After watching the performances, he ate two more pieces of cake and got up to leave.

Feng Zifan and Yu Yi walked him to the elevator. Yu Yi asked hesitantly, “Are you still not coming back to the apartment tonight?”

Ever since moving into Fu Xiuning’s house, Xing Shi hadn’t returned to the apartment. His excuse had always been that he had things to do at school.

But after a few nights of good sleep, his nerves—constantly on edge since arriving in this world—had started to relax a little. He was beginning to adapt to his current life. Maybe he could try returning to the apartment for a nap, just to see if he’d still be easily startled awake.

He replied, “Give me two more days.”

With that, he said his goodbyes and headed for school.

—

Lin Kecheng had been discharged from the hospital the day before.

To celebrate his escape from his first round of suffering, the student union had arranged a dinner. There would even be a second gathering later—on the day his cast was removed.

Since Xing Shi had been involved in the incident, he was also invited.

He found the restaurant they had booked and saw that nearly everyone had arrived.

Lin Kecheng sat in a wheelchair, chatting with the people around him.

Xing Shi walked over and handed him the bouquet of flowers. With a sincere tone, he said, “Senior, congratulations on your discharge.”

Lin Kecheng accepted them, a bit satisfied.

This fool has only been to the hospital twice, and both times he just glanced at me and left. But unexpectedly, he actually has some manners and even brought flowers this time. I wonder who taught him this.

He looked past Xing Shi and asked, “Senior Fu isn’t here?”

Xing Shi blinked. “Did you invite him too?”

Lin Kecheng sighed. “The president and I both sent him messages, but he said he was busy. I was hoping he might change his mind.”

Xing Shi comforted him, “It’s okay. There’ll be more opportunities in the future.”

Lin Kecheng nodded.

Xing Shi studied him for a moment. Based on the way he was acting, it was clear that Lin Kecheng didn’t suspect anything.

Has he really not been keeping an eye on me and Fu Xiuning?

Given Lin Kecheng’s personality, if he had learned that Fu Xiuning was living with a host, he would definitely be investigating.

But whatever.

Xing Shi didn’t care if his cover was blown—he was just taking things one day at a time, dealing with problems as they came.

He reached out his hand. “Anyway, I hope you recover soon.”

Their alliance contract had expired again.

After shaking hands, Lin Kecheng grew curious about Xing Shi’s favorability score and tried to check it—only to be denied access.

A certain One Person One Unification immediately realized something was wrong.

[Why is it locked?]

System 99 panicked. “Crap! It’s happening! What do we do? I mean, I want to show off these 3 points to the world, but this is not the time!”

Xing Shi remained calm. “Why are you panicking? This problem was bound to come sooner or later.”

Xing Shi saw the student union president waving him over, so he walked over, sat down, and was immediately fed snacks while dictating his reply message.

Xing Shi: [You always ask me for favorability updates. It feels like you don’t trust me at all.]

Lin Kecheng: [I can show you mine, too.]

Xing Shi: [You can’t even see Fu Xiuning’s favorability. It’s definitely -5. Why would I even want to look at that?]

Lin Kecheng nearly coughed up blood. He composed himself and tried to reason: [That’s exactly why you should understand. Since you’re always in contact with Fu Xiuning, I need to give you strategic advice based on how his favorability changes.]

Xing Shi: [You didn’t! Since we formed this alliance, you haven’t given me any advice at all! You’ve just been lying about it! My system told me you guys think I’m an idiot, but I refused to believe it. My system even bet me that you wouldn’t bother asking me about my progress—you’d just check my favorability. And look, that’s exactly what happened!]

Lin Kecheng: [It’s just a misunderstanding, a coincidence!]

Other Side: [Heh. You and I both know whether it’s a coincidence or not. My host may be dumb, but I’m not. I’ve been telling him all along that we don’t need to form alliances, but he wouldn’t listen. He insisted on finding an ally. Well, he lost the bet today. Thanks for helping prove my point.]

—

The other side panicked and quickly began damage control, frantically coaxing the “fool.”

Without Xing Shi, their current progress was as good as stalled. To get close to Fu Xiuning, they would need to break into the entertainment industry—a path that was not feasible. And Qi Changyi, as Xing Shi’s cousin, posed another major obstacle.

System 99 silently watched as the message notifications flooded the screen. Then it glanced at its host, who was calmly eating snacks, pretending to be upset. It asked in all seriousness, “Be honest, did you form this alliance with him just because you were bored?”

Xing Shi smirked. “You finally figured it out?”

The system wanted to curl up in a ball. This guy… he formed an alliance just to watch the monkey dance.

Xing Shi waited until they had basically confessed their sins before switching tactics—first playing hard to get, then pretending to “trust” them again. The classic good cop, bad cop routine.

Lin Kecheng was juggling damage control while also engaging with the student union members. It left him completely overwhelmed, sweat forming on his brow.

This time, he didn’t dare bring up the favorability issue again. Instead, he cautiously asked about Xing Shi’s progress.

Xing Shi: [It’s been the same. If he’s in a good mood, he talks to me more. But I sat next to him and ate cake during rehearsal, so now everyone at the company thinks we have a great relationship. So, the reality is: our relationship is so-so, but the people around us think he treats me really well.

Oh, and I asked Fu Xiuning if any of his admirers were especially persistent or affectionate. He seemed annoyed by my question and mentioned a name. I was wondering if that person might also be a host.]

Lin Kecheng: [Who?]

Xing Shi: [Yu Shu. He was trending recently. Do you have any other suspects?]

Lin Kecheng: [No.]

The system on the other end: [Heh.]

Everyone’s scalp tingled immediately. That single word meant the system had taken over the conversation.

Lin Kecheng’s system had seen this particular system pop up in group chats before, though only a few times. It had seemed friendly, maybe even easygoing. But now, in full “work mode,” it had an entirely different presence.

Sure enough, it spoke again: [My host is taking his mission very seriously. What about you? Just sitting around, waiting to reap the benefits of someone else’s hard work? Senior Lin, forgive me for being blunt, but I highly doubt your claim that you gained a single favorability point in six months.]

System 99 lit up. “Let me at ‘em! I don’t need training—I can curse them out all by myself!”

Xing Shi calmed it down. “This time, we’re just teaching them not to demand my favorability updates anymore. But that’s not really the point. Next, they’re going to do two things to try and figure out my favorability:

One, they’ll go through all my message records with Fu Xiuning.
Two, they’ll start monitoring me once I get home.

Do you remember what I sent Fu Xiuning last time when I almost fell down the stairs?”

The system recalled, “You said you suspected someone was trying to mess with you, so you asked him to check the surveillance?”

Xing Shi nodded. “Right. I deleted that message ages ago, but he probably didn’t. Once Lin Kecheng finds out, he’ll realize that I took revenge on him. He won’t openly turn against me, but he’ll definitely be more cautious moving forward.”

Then he hesitated. “If I were Lin Kecheng, I would’ve checked our message history the moment I got locked out of the favorability tracking. I don’t think he found anything.”

The system grew nervous again. “Should I go check, just to be sure?”

“Go ahead.”

A few moments later, the system returned, laughing. “Fu Xiuning deleted it too!”

Xing Shi was surprised. “Huh?”

The system burst out, “Hahaha, he cleared his WeChat memory recently! Luck is on our side!”

A strange thought flickered through Xing Shi’s mind. “Really now?”

He let it slide for the moment. “Alright, let’s stay the course. From now on, whenever you talk in the group chat, let me know first. We need to keep our story straight so they don’t catch on.”

The system nodded. “Got it!”

Just then, Lin Kecheng sent over a flood of explanation messages.

After listening to the system’s summary, Xing Shi instructed it to reply with a simple request: Keep an eye out for any suspicious people.

He was taking advantage of the situation, but he also wanted to give Lin Kecheng something to do—keep him occupied so he’d stop causing trouble.

Of course, Lin Kecheng wouldn’t refuse.

Lin Kecheng: [Got it, leave it to me.]

—

After dinner, Xing Shi returned home.

As soon as he stepped into the living room, he saw Fu Xiuning on the couch, playing with his phone. He called out, “Boss, I’m back. Gonna take a shower.”

Fu Xiuning looked up briefly and watched him head into the guest room.

—

Meanwhile, Lin Kecheng hadn’t found anything in Xing Shi’s message records with Fu Xiuning. Frustrated, he instructed his system to monitor Xing Shi’s location and start surveillance the moment he returned home.

A little while later, he asked, “So? Is Fu Xiuning at home? What are they talking about?”

The system answered, “He’s in the shower.”

Lin Kecheng frowned. “Fine. We’ll wait half an hour, then check again.”

The system acknowledged, “Understood.”

—

After showering, Xing Shi tossed his phone onto the bed, dried his hair, and prepared to head out.

The system was uneasy. “Is Lin Kecheng still monitoring you?”

Xing Shi said casually, “It’s only for half a minute. It’s fine. I’ll just have a normal chat with Fu Xiuning.”

The system was still worried. “But what if Lin Kecheng starts tracking your location whenever you two are together? Even if he can only monitor once or twice a month, eventually, he might notice a pattern.”

Xing Shi smiled. “Didn’t you say that forming an alliance consumes energy? Does it use more energy than searching for information?”

The system confirmed, “Much more.”

Xing Shi’s smile widened. “Then I bet his system won’t approve his request.”

He analyzed further, “He’s been bound to his system for nearly a year, and his favorability is still negative. At most, he can afford one or two monitoring sessions per month. But don’t forget, I have to renew our alliance every seven days. He’s completely reliant on me now. His system has to conserve energy to keep me around.”

The system lit up with realization. “You’re a genius!”

Xing Shi grinned. “Yeah, I think so too.”

Xing Shi walked into the living room and saw that Fu Xiuning had switched from his phone to reading a book. He asked, “Why aren’t you on your phone?”

Fu Xiuning replied, “It’s charging.”

Xing Shi glanced around.

Fu Xiuning added, “In the bedroom.”

Hearing this, Xing Shi suddenly felt pleased and plopped down next to him.

—

Meanwhile, Lin Kecheng attempted to monitor the conversation a second time, but this time, he saw that both of their phones were in the bedroom.

He wasn’t sure if it was just a coincidence, so he muttered, “Forget it for today. Next time, whenever you see them together, listen in on what they’re saying.”

As expected, the system refused. Instead, it explained its energy storage situation in brief.

Lin Kecheng was shocked. “You mean you could run out of power?”

The system clarified, “Not exactly. Retrieving data is fine, but other functions should be used sparingly for long-term planning. If you can convince Xing Shi to extend the alliance, I won’t have to drain my energy every few days. So, you need to prove your usefulness as soon as possible.”

Lin Kecheng looked serious. “I will.”

—

The next morning, when Xing Shi woke up, he received an analysis report from Lin Kecheng. The report listed several possible hosts within the school and included brief background information on each one.

At the end of the document, there were also strategy suggestions for dealing with Fu Xiuning.

Fu Xiuning was eating breakfast slowly when the system read aloud, “…If none of the above methods work, you can take a different approach—like getting him drunk and sleeping with him. But this is very risky, and if you’re not careful, you might offend him.”

The system then asked, “He’s really putting in the effort. Has he stopped suspecting you?”

Xing Shi wasn’t surprised. “I doubt it. But he still has to work hard and try to show me results in the short term.”

He instructed, “Reply with this: ‘My host is too busy every day. You guys need to confirm whether those at school are hosts or not.’”

The system obediently followed the instructions and then reported back, “They’re asking why we need to confirm if someone is a host. If we aren’t careful, we might expose ourselves… That makes sense. But are they afraid you’ll form an alliance with someone else?”

Xing Shi replied, “Answer in your usual tone: ‘If you want to play this game properly, you need to identify your enemies. I seriously doubt your professionalism.’”

The message was sent, and there were no further objections.

The system was delighted. Lin Kecheng had always acted superior, making demands of Xing Shi. Now, they were the ones scrambling. It felt like karma.

It advised, “Don’t listen to his advice about drinking with Fu Xiuning. He already likes you. Let’s just proceed step by step.”

Xing Shi hadn’t intended to follow the suggestion anyway.

He acknowledged it and looked at the man sitting across from him.

Days had passed, yet their relationship remained the same. The favorability score hadn’t changed, and there were no signs that Fu Xiuning had any romantic interest in him.

Fu Xiuning raised his eyes while eating. “What’s wrong?”

Xing Shi bluntly tested him, “Nothing. The more I look at you, the more I think you’re incredibly handsome. You really are worthy of being my half-brother.”

Fu Xiuning pretended not to hear and continued eating.

Xing Shi scooted closer. “Brother, what type of person do you like?”

Fu Xiuning answered, “That’s a secret.”

Xing Shi pressed, “Give me a little hint—consider it a birthday present to me.”

Fu Xiuning looked at him. “Is today your birthday?”

Xing Shi shook his head. “No, but it’s in a few months. I can just claim it early.”

Fu Xiuning said, “If you don’t eat now, you’ll be late.”

Realizing the time, Xing Shi dropped the topic.

—

Since they had no classes that morning, they went straight to the company after lunch.

As the car slowly pulled into the parking lot and stopped, Xing Shi followed Fu Xiuning out of the vehicle. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed two people walking diagonally ahead of them.

The man in front had striking features and greeted them with a friendly smile. “Morning, boss.”

He then turned to Xing Shi, curiosity flickering in his eyes. “And who’s this?”

Fu Xiuning replied, “My brother.”

He glanced at Xing Shi and briefly introduced, “Yu Shu, and his agent.”

Just as he finished speaking, Xing Shi heard a familiar conversation from the system.

“Fu Xiuning has a younger brother? Why didn’t we know about this? Are they related by blood? This kid is way too good-looking. No way, go check his details—don’t tell me he’s a host!”

“Don’t panic, I’m on it.”

Yu Shu was still looking at Xing Shi, smiling warmly. “So, you’re the boss’s brother. Hello, I’m Yu Shu. Do you recognize me?”

Xing Shi grinned. “Of course I do! I’m a trainee at the company, so I’ve looked up all the artists here. Brother Yu, you’re incredible!”

Yu Shu’s system had just retrieved Xing Shi’s details. Upon confirming his identity, Yu Shu realized that Xing Shi couldn’t be a host. His mind immediately shifted gears—this could be a useful connection.

Seizing the opportunity, Yu Shu walked beside Xing Shi, his voice modest. “Not at all. I still have a lot to learn.”

Xing Shi played along. “That’s still way better than a newbie like me.”

Yu Shu replied, “We’re all growing together. You have even more potential than I do.”

Xing Shi nodded obediently, engaging in lively conversation as if they had instantly clicked.

At the same time, he called the system. “Contact Lin Kecheng. Tell his system to dig up all of Yu Shu’s previous hot searches, especially the ones about his ‘secret crush.’”

The system quickly complied. “Got it.”

Xing Shi continued, “Now, have them send a message in the group chat. Say this…”

A moment later, a message appeared in the system group chat.

God Feeds: [Sigh, since my host hasn’t seen Fu Xiuning recently, we were bored and started speculating about other people in his life. Could Yu Shu be a host? He even made it to the hot search. Is this a setup—laying the groundwork for a public confession later? [Screenshot attached]]

The previously silent group chat immediately buzzed with activity.

Come From Behind: [Damn, that’s some solid detective work.]

You Are All Concubines: [Tch, pointless effort.]

Gong Xi Fa Cai: [[Laugh-cry emoji] You guys confirmed it that fast? What if his crush is just another artist from the same company?]

Long Live Face Control: [Better to be paranoid than miss something. If you’re bored, keep an eye on him.]

—

As Xing Shi stepped into the elevator, he glanced at Yu Shu beside him and caught a momentary flicker in his expression.

Grinning, he gave the system another order.

God Feeds: [I had time, so I checked his background. It matches the usual profile of a host~]

Just as Xing Shi expected, Yu Shu’s expression changed again.

Once could be a coincidence, but twice? That’s too much to ignore.

Inside, Xing Shi chuckled. Ah, found another one.

—

Fu Xiuning, who had been silently listening the whole time, already sensed something was off. Anticipating that things were about to take a turn, he discreetly took out his phone.

As they neared their floor, he pretended to be distracted while watching the news. His hand, casually hanging by his side, brushed against Xing Shi’s.

【Didi】

[Current Favorability Value: 4]

Xing Shi’s full attention had been on Yu Shu, but the sudden touch made him instinctively pull away.

Then, just as he did, the system’s prompt sounded. He couldn’t help but glance at Fu Xiuning.

Fu Xiuning appeared to have just realized their hands had brushed. He casually looked at the small gap between them before taking a composed step to the side.

The system, not having seen their hands actually touch, assumed the point increase was due to proximity. It clicked its tongue and remarked, “Tsk tsk. Wow, just standing close makes your score go up? I think you should try more physical contact at home.”

With a soft ding, the elevator doors slid open at the third floor.

Xing Shi said his goodbyes and stepped out.

As he walked, he absentmindedly rubbed the spot on his hand where Fu Xiuning had touched him.

The last time his score increased from physical contact had been when he and the system had discussed other hosts.

That same strange feeling surfaced again.

It reminded him of a series of odd coincidences—

The assistant’s mysteriously erased trip records…
Fu Xiuning conveniently clearing his WeChat memory…
The unexpected invitation to move in, despite no clear romantic pursuit…
And now, twice in a row, he had gained favorability points from seemingly trivial physical interactions…

He slowed his pace, and an absurd yet unsettling thought suddenly took root in his mind.

Fu Xiuning…

Could he know that he was the host?