VBNWDW - Chapter 3
Chapter 3
“You almost died.”
In this situation, the cold, mechanical voice actually showed a hint of humanity.
Luo Yueqing just smiled nonchalantly. “But I’m still here, aren’t I?”
“This is your only chance. If the mission fails…”
Before it could finish, Luo Yueqing was interrupted by her vibrating phone. She clicked her tongue a few times and said, “Our villainess is so generous. If I could, I’d be willing to work like a horse for her for the rest of my life.”
The voice in her mind was momentarily speechless.
Then, Luo Yueqing spoke again. “Alright, alright, I was just testing the waters, wasn’t I?”
“It’s just stopping the villainess from going dark. I don’t think she’s that bad. She’s much better than those stingy, two-faced bosses. At least she pays well.”
The System paused for a moment, perhaps unable to find the right words to respond, and could only repeat stiffly, “This is the Host’s first time undertaking a mission to maintain a parallel world. Please take it seriously. If you fail to stop the villainess from going dark, the small parallel world will be destroyed, and the Host will be eliminated as well.”
Luo Yueqing heard it but didn’t reply, instead continuing to stare at the string of numbers on her phone screen. Soon enough, however, the amount was deducted, and her balance returned to zero.
She wasn’t surprised. After all, the original owner’s family background was tragic, a perfect fit for the miserable protagonist archetype in a novel—a gambler for a father and a mother in a vegetative state.
The money in her bank account was either used to pay off debts or deducted by the hospital.
Luo Yueqing could only shake her head in regret. She then took out the only packet of noodles from the dilapidated kitchen and tossed them into a pot of boiling water. This was her dinner for the day.
“Why didn’t that Xi Zhoulu ask me to stay for dinner? She’s a CEO, for goodness’ sake. So inconsiderate,” she grumbled resentfully as she scooped the limp, plain noodles into a large iron bowl.
The System no longer responded, as if it had never existed.
Luo Yueqing could only carry her bowl to a wobbly, short stool and sit down. As she looked up, the oldest, most dilapidated little house in the slum seemed to respond, shaking and sending a cloud of dust falling down.
Luo Yueqing was speechless.
Luo Yueqing couldn’t take it anymore. “System, don’t you have any perks or anything? Can’t you make my living conditions a little better?”
The cold voice finally returned. “This System does not currently have such a function. The Host is advised to focus on completing the mission and not get caught up in seeking pleasure.”
Luo Yueqing pouted, looked at the plain noodles seasoned with only salt and soy sauce, and resignedly picked up her chopsticks.
That night,
The evening breeze rustled through the treetops, sweeping up the garbage scattered around the slum and blowing it against the body of a Maybach parked beneath a condemned building.
The Xi family butler from earlier in the day, still dressed in an old-fashioned three-piece suit, stood with his hands crossed in front of him, watching from the side as the woman signed the contract pressed against the hood of the car.
When she finished the final stroke, his tense expression finally relaxed. He said in a low voice, “We’ll be counting on Dr. Luo for the upcoming treatment.”
Luo Yueqing casually put her pen away and handed the thick stack of papers to him. “Since I’ve signed the contract, it’s my duty. Naturally, I’ll do my best to treat her.”
Capitalists were so suspicious. After warning her during the day, they still had to prepare a stack of terms and conditions at night to restrain her, afraid of what she might do. Fortunately, the compensation was extremely generous, enough to give Luo Yueqing a slight reprieve from her heavy debts.
Before the butler could answer, Luo Yueqing suddenly turned her head and asked, “What’s her contact information?”
The butler was clearly stunned for a moment, slowly uttering a single word: “Huh?”
It wasn’t that people hadn’t tried to get Xi Zhoulu’s contact information through him before, but this was the first time someone had been so direct. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
But Luo Yueqing acted as if it were perfectly normal. “Her contact information isn’t on the contract.”
“Didn’t she basically buy all my time for this period? If I don’t have a way to contact her and be on call whenever she needs me, isn’t she getting the short end of the stick?”
Perhaps influenced by her environment, Luo Yueqing was already starting to embrace her identity as a debt-ridden poor person, even calculating gains and losses on behalf of others.
The butler’s attention was entirely on her first sentence. He explained helplessly, “Our miss just wants Dr. Luo to focus solely on her treatment during this time.”
Luo Yueqing didn’t see the difference between the two. She waved her hand and said, “Fine, fine, but you have to give me a contact number, right? What if she has a sudden episode and can’t find me?”
The butler’s expression shifted several times. Finally, he gritted his teeth, stepped aside to make a call and ask for permission, then walked back and gave her Xi Zhoulu’s private number.
The rest was just perfunctory pleasantries. It wasn’t until the out-of-place luxury car had left the slum that Luo Yueqing relaxed a little. At the same time, the phone in her palm chimed with a crisp notification.
Luo Yueqing looked down, ignoring the System’s alert in her mind. Instead of heading upstairs, she began typing furiously.
In the dim light, the screen showed a series of professional-sounding sentences of concern, mostly telling Xi Zhoulu not to read for too long and to pay attention to getting rest.
The person on the other end was cold. Even when not face-to-face, her concise replies were tinged with frost.
【Thank you for your concern, Dr. Luo.】
【Rest early.】
Looking at these two replies, those mischievous impulses she hadn’t suppressed bubbled up again.
She casually tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and typed back: 【I hope Miss Xi can arrange a time for a guidance session soon.】
She then emphasized: 【It’s not because I want to see Miss Xi sooner. I’m just rather worried about your condition.】
【So it’s better if we start treatment as soon as possible.】
The “typing…” indicator in the chat box appeared for a moment, but no new message came through.
Luo Yueqing thought of the Omega who had put on a stern, cold front during the day and smiled like a successful prankster.
【Miss Xi, you should rest soon. If you have any problems, just call me directly. I’m available anytime.】
【Good night.】
Not only did she not quit while she was ahead, but she also deliberately sent an adorable emoji, letting her messages fill the entire phone screen.
“Host,” the System finally couldn’t stand it anymore and spoke up, reminding her not to go too far.
Only then did the wicked Alpha back off, replying nonchalantly, “I’m just trying to make a deeper impression on our villainess, so she doesn’t sign the contract and then forget all about me.”
Your actions during the day were memorable enough, the System complained silently, only able to advise, “According to the original trajectory, Xi Zhoulu should be calling for you very soon.”
The implication was that she shouldn’t do anything unnecessary, lest she annoy Xi Zhoulu and make her resistant to Luo Yueqing’s psychological guidance.
“I know, I know,” Luo Yueqing waved her hand and asked for confirmation, “She faints and goes to the hospital tomorrow afternoon, right?”
“Yes,” the System replied, thinking she was finally being reliable.
“Then I can still sleep in,” Luo Yueqing stretched her arms high, a brazenly lazy gesture. The hem of her shirt, pulled upward, revealed a sliver of moon-white skin.
The System was speechless.
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