Su Nianyao regretted that she hadn’t performed well.
Such a good opportunity to pursue Jiang Tang, yet she had missed it simply because she was too shy.
Looking back, she realized that if she hadn’t run away while they were on the sofa, but had instead deliberately leaned close to Jiang Tang’s ear and whispered something ambiguous, that final 1 point of Affection Rating might have been hers.
[Xiao Ai, what is Jiang Tang’s Affection Rating now?]
[Master, Jiang Tang’s current Affection Rating is still 99, with no change. However, Bond Value has increased by 1. The current Bond Value is 5.]
[Is it reasonable for the Affection Rating to be so high while the Bond Value is so low?]
[The two use different calculation methods. Bond Value measures how deeply you understand each other. Also, after a failed pursuit, you can deduct 20 Bond Value and try again.]
[Then what is Grandma’s Bond Value?]
[Of course, it’s 100. You are Grandma’s only family. A Bond Value of 100 means ultimate favoritism. In other words, even if one person betrays you, the other person will still firmly stand by your side. It’s a very important value.]
[Besides giving items, what other ways are there to increase Bond Value?]
[As the number of interactions and the degree of mutual understanding increase, Bond Value will naturally rise.]
[What a pity. If I hadn’t run away, my Bond Value would definitely have increased by a lot… It’s a game, so why isn’t there a save-and-load option?]
Achoo!
Amid her regretful sighs, Su Nianyao had somehow caught a cold.
When she got up the next morning, her voice was hoarse, her head was foggy, and her forehead was as hot as bread fresh out of the oven.
Grandma touched her forehead and frowned worriedly.
“You’re burning up. Don’t go to school today.”
Su Nianyao lay in bed with the blanket pulled up to her chin and gave a dazed “Mm.”
“I’ll call the school and ask for leave.”
Grandma went outside.
Su Nianyao closed her eyes.
Her consciousness felt as though it were soaking in warm water, floating up and sinking down.
Half asleep and half awake, she heard Grandma talking on the phone.
Grandma’s voice was very soft, but fragments of the conversation drifted into her ears.
“…Yes, Su Nianyao… is sick and needs to take leave… Mm, thank you, teacher…”
Then came the sound of footsteps.
The door closed.
Grandma had probably gone grocery shopping.
Su Nianyao fell asleep again.
She had no idea that news of her absence had already spread throughout the school.
– Jiang Tang scared Su Nianyao so badly that she didn’t dare come to school!
In the classroom, people whispered about Jiang Tang’s exploits.
One supposedly reliable witness even claimed to have been a “helper” and confidently asserted that Jiang Tang had poured an entire vat of water over Su Nianyao.
The same vat that Sima Guang had smashed!
Ruthless!
Jiang Tang was truly ruthless!
The rumor grew wings, spreading throughout the school with increasingly exaggerated details.
Jiang Tang didn’t try to stop it.
She even showed up and actively helped spread the rumor.
“This way, my villainess persona will be firmly established.”
Jiang Tang was very satisfied with the fearful looks everyone gave her.
[Host is brilliant!]
The Point-Scrounging System was responsible for nothing except cheering her on.
“System.”
[I’m here.]
“I read the information you gave me. In the early part of the story, Su Nianyao was always weak, meek, and willing to accept mistreatment. Add her bleeding-heart, pushover nature, and anyone could bully her… right?”
[Yes, Host.]
“By the time she reaches college, she has an epiphany and begins standing up against injustice, eventually becoming a leader in the fight against bullying. Then she meets five male leads and experiences one heart-fluttering encounter after another. Along the way, she finally discovers her life’s purpose and resolutely starts her own business after graduation, building a global commercial empire.”
[That’s right, but…]
The Point-Scrounging System shuddered with goosebumps.
[Host, your tone sounds so disgusting.]
“Isn’t this the [original book plot] you transmitted to me? There’s more…”
Jiang Tang flipped through her notes and read with great emotion.
“Business is like a battlefield. On the battlefield, she is decisive, but in romance, she is hesitant. They all share precious memories with her. Who exactly will win her heart and meet her at the top?”
[One of us! Stop singing! Stop singing!]
The Point-Scrounging System ran around inside her mind, clutching its head.
“System, look at how viciously she swings a golf club in the break room. Is that really the high-school heroine from the book, the one who quietly accepted mistreatment?”
[Then, Host, which version do you prefer?]
The Point-Scrounging System stopped running away and became interested in gossip.
“Of course, my Wildcat is a little better.”
[Host, the points we’re collecting come from the plot before the main story begins. No matter how much Su Nianyao’s early personality differs from the original, her high school years are only a small part of her life story.]
The Point-Scrounging System patted its chest and declared—
[Rest assured! Our Point-Scrounging System is completely different from those human-trafficking systems. There are absolutely no traps, and we guarantee a successful run!]
“Shen Yan.”
Jiang Tang looked at the original plot and suddenly read out a name.
[What is it, Host? He’s a minor character who only appears later during the business rivalry with the heroine. He’s a stepping stone for the heroine to gain business experience.]
“I think I’ve seen this name somewhere.”
Jiang Tang rested her chin on her hand, her thoughts drifting as she murmured, “Where did I see it…”
[This System traced Host’s life trajectory and found 13,571 people with the same name. Could you have heard it somewhere before the car accident?]
“It doesn’t feel like something I heard by chance…”
“Rather, it feels like a very important person…”
Jiang Tang tried hard to recall, but no matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t remember anything from before the car accident.
She only remembered her parents, with no recollection of what she used to do or where she had lived.
“Was my car accident really that serious? Why can’t I remember so many things?”
[It was very serious, Host. If this System hadn’t found you and bound itself to you immediately, you would have been declared dead on the spot. In that case, even if you successfully obtained a healthy body and returned to your original world, you could only live under someone else’s identity.]
“Things will work out when the time comes… but I still need to save enough points early to exchange for a healthy body.”
Jiang Tang looked ahead optimistically, then thought of Su Nianyao again and couldn’t help laughing.
“Thankfully, my Wildcat is much cuter than the original heroine. Every time I complete a mission, I’m happy. This transmigration wasn’t a bad deal.”
[Host, why was your Affection Rating for the heroine so high from the moment you met her? Was it because the heroine is too beautiful?]
“Hm? I don’t know either… The moment I saw her, I felt as though the two of us had known each other in a past life.”
Jiang Tang’s thoughts began to wander, and a blurry image suddenly flashed through her mind.
She seemed to have always been watching someone from afar, but for some reason, she couldn’t get close at all.
She could only gaze at that person from a distance without blinking, letting bitterness fill her chest until it felt unbearably heavy.