Fu Xiuning didn’t eat at the restaurant but brought the food back to eat with Xing Shi.
There was a small round table in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in the lounge, with a single sofa on each side, making it the perfect spot for a meal.
Before sitting down, Fu Xiuning took both of their phones to the outer office area to charge, reminding him, “Don’t play with your phone while eating.” Whether Yan Feng’s system would catch this statement in time was none of his concern.
With no electronic devices around, they no longer needed to pass notes.
Xing Shi started discussing the situation in the chat group.
Someone had to be assigned to monitor Yu Yi and prevent Yan Feng from contacting him.
Later on, Shang Shang Qian deliberately admitted that Yan Feng was its host, acting overly enthusiastic, as if afraid no one would believe it. This would naturally make people hesitant—especially since Yan Feng’s demeanor was unlike any host they had encountered. Whether the other hosts believed it or not depended on their judgment.
But Xing Shi’s name had been brought up. Whether or not they had noticed Fu Xiuning’s special treatment of him before, they definitely knew now.
Feigning innocence, Xing Shi joked in a teasing tone, “It’s all because I’m too outstanding and too popular. What should I do, brother? They see how nice you are to me—do you think they’ll target me?”
Fu Xiuning replied, “Li Yu probably won’t, but Sang Chenhao is uncertain.”
Xing Shi asked, “For the new host, do you have a suspect list?”
Fu Xiuning glanced at him and said, “Not yet.”
Despite knowing Fu Xiuning had figured out the strategy, System 99 still couldn’t help but gasp. It turned to Shang Shang Qian and muttered, “That’s terrifying. How does he pinpoint the hosts? Do you think he’s right?”
Shang Shang Qian responded, “I don’t know.”
It recalled the series of favorability increases and had a vague suspicion, but the whole thing was too bizarre and required more observation.
99, still instinctively loyal to the main system, hesitated. “If everything they say is true, then this is terrifying.”
Shang Shang Qian countered, “Then it’s a good thing.”
99, still struggling with its old mindset, paused before agreeing, “That makes sense.”
Xing Shi picked up some food for Fu Xiuning and, seeing him eat, raised an eyebrow and asked, “How is it?”
Fu Xiuning looked at him and calmly responded, “Hmm.”
Earlier, Xing Shi had been too busy interrogating Shang Shang Qian and later forced to rest by Fu Xiuning. He hadn’t had the chance to check on 99. Now, he took the opportunity to confirm with Fu Xiuning.
Noticing that Xing Shi asked about the “suspect list” rather than directly inquiring about new hosts, Fu Xiuning immediately understood—he wanted to keep his ability to hear system conversations a secret.
Though it would be difficult to hide from Shang Shang Qian, at the very least, he wanted to keep it from others. Fu Xiuning cooperated with the act.
Xing Shi got his answer: he could still hear System 99’s voice.
This confirmed that the reason he couldn’t hear Shang Shang Qian was not due to a lack of energy but because it had completely unbound itself from its host.
In other words, even if System 99 had its energy drained, Xing Shi and it remained bound. It needed to be completely dismantled to sever their connection.
Additionally, despite the main system’s obsession with conserving energy, as long as Fu Xiuning was within a certain range, the favorability program remained active. This suggested an invisible energy link binding them, allowing Xing Shi to hear system conversations while maintaining favorability tracking.
This meant that if nothing unexpected happened, Xing Shi’s favorability tracking program was still running. The issue could be either undiscovered hidden energy within 99 or a separate operational mechanism that draining energy wouldn’t fix.
That was fine.
99 was right in front of him—he could dismantle it at any time.
But, since he still needed a system to secure his return ticket, he had to keep it for now.
With a favorability score of 70, he still had time before dismantling it at 90.
The two exchanged glances before looking away.
Dinner ended quickly. Fu Xiuning glanced at the leftover food on Xing Shi’s plate and asked, “Not to your taste?”
Xing Shi replied, “No, it was delicious.”
Fu Xiuning observed him and asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”
Xing Shi said, “Still a little sleepy.”
Fu Xiuning touched his forehead, then stood up to find something.
Xing Shi also touched his own forehead. “No fever, right?”
Fu Xiuning said, “Not sure.”
He took a thermometer from the bedside table and handed it to Xing Shi.
Xing Shi took it, shook it a bit, then obediently placed it under his arm.
Five minutes later, the results came out—37.5°C (99.5°F).
Fu Xiuning frowned slightly.
Meeting his gaze, Xing Shi quickly explained, “My energy core wasn’t fully activated before, so I was weak when trapping them. But after absorbing system energy, it’s fully activated now. This won’t happen again. Don’t worry.”
Fu Xiuning looked at him. “Are you sure?”
Xing Shi nodded. “Sure.”
Since he didn’t avoid discussing it in front of System 99 and Shang Shang Qian, Fu Xiuning figured he was telling the truth. He asked, “Should I send you home?”
Xing Shi agreed without hesitation. Sleeping at home was always better than resting at the company. “Just ask Brother Qin to take me there.”
Fu Xiuning ignored him, picked up his car keys, and motioned for him to follow.
Xing Shi obediently followed and glanced at his phone while entering the elevator.
Since he had it muted, he hadn’t noticed—Yan Feng had called three times during dinner. He asked, “Did Yan Feng call you?”
Fu Xiuning had already checked his phone and replied, “He did.”
Just as Xing Shi was about to comment, the fourth call came in. He answered, “Hello, Brother Feng?”
Yan Feng, nearly ready to rush back to the company, barely held himself back upon hearing Xing Shi’s voice. “Why didn’t you answer earlier? Did you just wake up?”
Xing Shi said, “Didn’t hear it on silent mode. Something wrong?”
Yan Feng said, “I wanted to buy you some food, wanted to check if you wanted anything.”
Xing Shi replied, “No, I have a low fever. Going home to sleep.”
Yan Feng was surprised. “Low fever?”
Xing Shi weakly added, “Yeah, maybe I got scared.”
Yan Feng secretly thought, What a weakling, then suggested, “Why don’t we go to the temple and pray? I’m free tomorrow morning. Want to go climb the mountain together?”
Xing Shi replied, “Depends on how I feel.”
After hanging up, Yan Feng sneered to the system, “Such a coward. We should stage more supernatural events—maybe we can scare him to death.”
The system hadn’t expected Xing Shi to be so frightened he developed a fever. It hesitated before saying, “Then… should we try it?”
Yan Feng decided to test things out, starting with a simple horror movie or an escape room. Once he confirmed that Xing Shi was genuinely afraid, he could craft a more detailed strategy.
Xing Shi returned home, took a shower, and changed into fresh clothes. As he stepped out of the bathroom, he heard a knock at the door and went to open it.
Fu Xiuning had knocked once and, receiving no response, assumed Xing Shi was showering. Seeing his damp hair, he frowned slightly and asked, “Why are you showering when you have a fever?”
Xing Shi, completely unfazed, replied, “It’s fine. It’s not a cold.”
Fu Xiuning didn’t argue, instead handing him a cooling fever patch. “Dry your hair before bed.”
Xing Shi nodded obediently.
Fu Xiuning glanced into the room.
The curtains were drawn, and the room was dim—perfect for sleeping.
He didn’t step inside, simply instructing, “Get some rest. Call me if you need anything.”
Xing Shi first dried his hair, then applied the fever patch to his forehead.
Signaling to the two systems not to disturb him, he climbed into bed, pulled the quilt over himself, and drifted into a deep sleep.
In his dream, he returned to childhood.
It was the first day of their beach vacation. Having saved his younger brother and gifted him an ice cream, Xing Shi had naturally become the “big brother.”
Since they would be staying for a few days, he immediately took charge, handing Fu Xiuning a small plastic shovel with great generosity. “Here! You can play with this all you want!”
Fu Xiuning chuckled, “No need. I’ll just watch you guys play.”
Xing Shi extended another invitation. “Come on, how can you not play in the sand when you’re at the beach?”
Fu Xiuning smiled. “Watching is just as fun for me.”
Xing Shi gave him a knowing look. “Are you embarrassed?”
Fu Xiuning shook his head. “No.”
Xing Shi, ever tolerant, observed him for a moment. When Fu Xiuning tried to return the shovel, he took it back, squatted down, and dug into the sand a few times. Then he looked up pitifully. “Brother, I don’t know how to build a castle. Can you help me?”
His younger brother, intimidated by his tough act, trembled and promptly fell headfirst into the pit he had just dug.
Fu Xiuning laughed, finally squatting down.
And, as it turned out, playing in the sand was actually fun.
Xing Shi had originally planned to take care of his new little brother, but soon realized he couldn’t.
Because Fu Xiuning’s sandcastle was stunning—an intricate work of art.
Xing Shi, now a mere assistant, handed him tools and showered him with praise. “Brother, you’re amazing~”
Fu Xiuning responded with a simple, “Hmm.”
Xing Shi added smugly, “Your skills are almost as good as mine.”
Fu Xiuning, still focused on his work, asked with a chuckle, “Didn’t you say you didn’t know how to build one?”
Xing Shi, completely shameless, replied, “I meant theoretically, Brother. You get it~”
Fu Xiuning chuckled again, asking no further questions.
As the castle took shape, it drew a crowd of spectators.
The three of them squatted behind their masterpiece, calling over their parents to take a commemorative photo. They then parted reluctantly, promising to play together again in the afternoon.
Another must-do beach activity was, of course, playing in the water.
The waves were large—even adults could feel their impact, let alone children.
Worried parents allowed their kids to wade only to knee-deep waters before calling them back.
Fortunately, the hotel had a vast public pool, shallower than a typical swimming pool, making it perfect for children during vacation.
Since Xing Shi didn’t know how to swim, He Fengbo put a flotation ring around him and sternly warned him not to take it off.
Xing Shi agreed obediently before impatiently jumping into the water, searching for Fu Xiuning. His younger brother followed closely, splashing water all over them.
He wiped his face and immediately demanded a water gun from He Fengbo.
The pool was enormous, spanning the hotel’s central garden, with several bridges arching over it. While not as deep as a traditional swimming pool, it had both shallow and deep sections.
After playing for a while, Xing Shi noticed the water level reaching his chest. Eager to gain more mobility, he slipped out of the flotation ring.
Finally free, he could fight back at full strength, soaking everyone.
Fu Xiuning, smiling, left for a moment and returned with a larger, more powerful water gun than Xing Shi’s.
Xing Shi’s eyes widened. “Brother, are you rebelling against me?”
Fu Xiuning calmly filled the tank and pointed it at him, smiling. “What did you just call me?”
Xing Shi, utterly unafraid, declared, “Brother, you’re committing mutiny.”
Fu Xiuning: “…”
The water fight began. Other kids got caught in the crossfire and soon joined in. Eventually, even a few adults joined for fun.
Xing Shi took cover behind a statue by the shore, stealthily refilling his water gun. Just as he was about to rejoin the fray with renewed vigor, he felt a sharp cramp in his leg and, before he knew it, was sinking into the water.
The mischievous little fool had thought that even if he couldn’t swim, he could just shout for help. He wasn’t that stupid.
Only now did he realize—when you’re really drowning, you can’t make a sound.
His limbs went weak. He stared at the faint light shimmering above the water, feeling himself sink deeper and deeper.
Fear swelled in his chest, his consciousness fading.
And then, a hand reached down, breaking through the blue waves.
Fu Xiuning caught him.
Xing Shi’s eyes snapped open.
The room was still dim, just as it had been before he fell asleep.
99’s voice sounded in his mind. “You’re awake. Do you still have a fever?”
Xing Shi took a moment to process before touching his forehead. “Not sure.”
99 added, “About ten minutes ago, someone opened the door, took a look, then left. It should have been your brother.”
Xing Shi asked, “What time is it?”
99 hesitated. “I don’t know.”
Shang Shang Qian answered, “3:21 AM.”
Only then did Xing Shi realize that 99 had no energy left. But since Shang Shang Qian had absorbed some energy from him earlier, it could still function.
He reached for his phone on the bedside table and sent a message to Fu Xiuning.
Two minutes later, Fu Xiuning pushed open the door.
This was his first time stepping into Xing Shi’s room since he moved in.
As he entered, he discreetly scanned the space, taking everything in.
A housekeeper cleaned daily, so the room was tidy. After glancing around, Fu Xiuning withdrew his gaze and walked over to the bed.
Xing Shi noticed he was in home clothes and asked, “You didn’t go to work?”
Fu Xiuning replied, “Just got back. How do you feel? Are you still sleepy?”
Xing Shi stretched lazily. “I’ve had enough sleep. I feel fine now.”
Satisfied, Fu Xiuning walked over to the window and pulled back a layer of curtains.
Lying on the bed, Xing Shi watched as the soft light filtered through the sheer fabric, gradually brightening the room. The glow outlined Fu Xiuning’s figure, and in his profile, Xing Shi could still catch glimpses of his childhood self.
Fu Xiuning turned back and met his gaze. He was slightly startled—there was something in Xing Shi’s expression he couldn’t quite decipher. He asked, “What’s wrong?”
Xing Shi smiled playfully. “Hmm… how should I put it? I dreamed about you.”
99 let out an excited “Wow!” on the spot.
Shang Shang Qian fell silent for two seconds before reminding, “You don’t need to do the strategy mission anymore.”
99, mindful not to disturb Xing Shi, responded in a hushed voice, “I know, but I have no energy, no memory, and nothing to do. So what’s wrong with enjoying a little CP action?”
Shang Shang Qian was speechless.
Meanwhile, Fu Xiuning sat down on the bed and handed Xing Shi a thermometer. “What did you dream about?”
Xing Shi studied him closely.
The Fu Xiuning in his dream had been warm all over, his smiles genuine, his tone gentle. The one in front of him now was still warm but had an edge of coldness. Even when he smiled, there was something calculated beneath it.
Seeing Xing Shi hesitate, Fu Xiuning reached out and touched his forehead.
Xing Shi caught his hand and held it up for a closer look.
He had noticed these hands from the very first day he was reborn—back when he met Fu Xiuning in the restaurant. Even then, he had thought they were beautiful. Now, upon closer inspection, he was certain.
Fu Xiuning’s expression froze momentarily, but he didn’t pull away.
【Didi】
[Current Favorability Value: 71]
99: “!”
Shang Shang Qian: “?”
Xing Shi snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at Fu Xiuning.
This time, Fu Xiuning gently withdrew his hand, his expression calm. He asked again, “What did you dream about?”
Xing Shi dodged the question and asked instead, “Have you ever been to the beach as a child?”
Fu Xiuning thought for a moment. “I have.”
Xing Shi continued, “Did you ever play with sand and water guns?”
Fu Xiuning recalled, “I think so.”
Xing Shi grinned. “With who?”
Fu Xiuning hesitated. For a brief second, a blurry figure flashed in his mind, but he couldn’t grasp it clearly.
Noticing Xing Shi’s peculiar behavior after waking up, he immediately connected the dots. “With you?”
Xing Shi observed his expression and saw that he was merely guessing—he didn’t truly remember.
Still, he smiled and confirmed, “Yeah. Brother, you saved me~”
Fu Xiuning stared at him, incredulous.
【Didi】
[Current Favorability Value: 72]
Shang Shang Qian: “?”
That was way too easy.
It glanced at 99, who was too busy reveling in the CP moment to care about anything else.
99, however, suddenly recalled something. “Wait a minute, Xing Shi. This isn’t in the original host’s data. If the original owner had met Fu Xiuning as a child, I wouldn’t have missed that! I would’ve told you to use it for the mission!”
Xing Shi replied casually, “I made it up. But look, his favorability still went up.”
99 was baffled. “But… you and him are working together to dismantle the system. You don’t need to do the mission anymore.”
Xing Shi shrugged. “So what? The favorability program exists to make people crave higher scores. Can’t I have a little hobby?”
99 stammered, “But… but if you max out the score, it’ll be absorbed by the main system!”
Xing Shi smirked. “I’ll be careful.”
99 sighed. “Alright, just be sure.”
Shang Shang Qian: “…”
Fu Xiuning, accustomed to Xing Shi toying with the system, didn’t react and instead continued trying to piece together his fragmented memories.
Unfortunately, before he could recall anything clearly, the thermometer beeped. He checked it—normal temperature.
Xing Shi asked, “How is it?”
Fu Xiuning replied, “Your fever’s gone.”
He noticed the open fever-reducing patch on the bedside table, placed the thermometer next to it, and instructed, “Keep them all in one place.”
Xing Shi nodded, sat up and stretched. He pulled off the cooling patch and tossed it in the trash, then opened the drawer to store the medical items.
Fu Xiuning stepped aside to give him space. But as he glanced at the drawer, something caught his eye.
Just before Xing Shi closed it, Fu Xiuning suddenly said, “Wait.”
Xing Shi paused, confused, as Fu Xiuning bent down and pulled out a cufflink.
Lowering his gaze, Fu Xiuning inspected the dried blood on it. “Where did this come from?”
Xing Shi replied, “I heard it was from someone who saved a person in a car accident.”
Fu Xiuning was silent for a moment before asking, “When?”
Xing Shi asked 99, who quickly answered, “At the beginning of the year.”
Fu Xiuning had heard 99’s answer at the same time, but he remained silent.
Then, both men heard the familiar system prompt.
【Didi】
[Current Favorability Value: 80]
99: “!!!”
Shang Shang Qian: “…”
Xing Shi’s heart skipped a beat. He turned abruptly to Fu Xiuning, locking eyes.
And in that instant, he understood.
The person who was saved in that car accident… was Fu Xiuning?
For a strategy mission, this piece of information was far more valuable than any childhood encounter.
The system had actually missed such a crucial piece of information.
The vague thoughts that had lingered in Xing Shi’s mind ever since his last hospitalization—when he dreamed of Fu Xiuning—became crystal clear at this moment.
He had once asked the system how to identify a host and learned that there would be energy fluctuations when the host traveled through time.
But 99 had arrived in this world immediately after its host. The only way it could have mistaken Yu Yi’s identity was if Xing Shi’s and Yu Yi’s arrival had happened almost simultaneously. Xing Shi’s energy fluctuations must have momentarily overshadowed Yu Yi’s, creating an illusion for 99 and preventing it from detecting Yu Yi, who had also been in the restaurant at the time.
What were the odds that this misalignment was purely coincidental?
The answer: Extremely low.
So, when Fu Xiuning first mentioned Yu Yi, Xing Shi had instinctively linked it to his own dream, forming a vague suspicion.
And now, discovering that he had also saved Fu Xiuning?
That was the final confirmation.
There was another force at play in this world.
It was highly likely that this force had given Fu Xiuning the ability to hear the conversations between systems and hosts.
It was also the force that had transported Xing Shi to the magic world. After he had upgraded his advanced magic core and gained the ability to resist the system, it had sent him back—right at the moment when the host arrived.
To prevent further misunderstandings between the two of them, it had even erased certain memories.
Otherwise, consider Fu Xiuning’s perspective:
He would have discovered that Xing Shi was a time-traveling host, heard him and the system discussing strategies to capture him, and then realized that the body Xing Shi was using had belonged to his childhood playmate and the person who had saved his life.
Under those circumstances, would Fu Xiuning’s favorability value still be rising?
Absolutely not.
He would have been disgusted on the spot, set a trap, and eliminated Xing Shi before waiting for him to make money for him.
And Xing Shi was not the type to suffer a loss quietly—he would have retaliated twice as hard. The two of them would have reached a deadlock, locked in an irreconcilable battle, never becoming allies.
So, what was this force?
Could it be the world’s consciousness trying to save itself?
One standing, one sitting—the two of them locked eyes, neither speaking a word.
Fu Xiuning’s thoughts aligned almost perfectly with Xing Shi’s.
Except, he had considered one more question:
Why was it Xing Shi?
If there were no systems, no hosts—were they originally meant to be together?
Was that why Xing Shi had been sent away, only to return after enduring countless hardships—so he could save him?
But… why?
Fu Xiuning clenched the cufflink in his hand, emotions surging in his dark eyes.
He stared at Xing Shi in silence, thinking again—why?
【Didi】
[Current Favorability Value: 81]
【Didi】
[Current Favorability Value: 82]
[Drip…]
Xing Shi called out just in time: “Brother.”
Fu Xiuning snapped back to reality. His expression calmed as he said, “I’ll get you a glass of water.”
Xing Shi hummed in acknowledgment, watching him leave.
Then he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and got out of bed.
Fu Xiuning reached for the door handle, hesitated for two seconds—then suddenly turned around and walked back.
In the blink of an eye, they were face to face again.
They stopped.
They stared at each other.
The tension shattered in the silence.
A moment later, Xing Shi grabbed Fu Xiuning’s collar.
Fu Xiuning reached for the back of his head—
—and kissed him, hard.
