【Impossible! I could change myself, but I could never change you!】

Ye Wangxing jumped up from the sofa instantly and spoke somewhat recklessly, though his meaning came across.

But 19 in front of him still stared at him with those golden eyes, calm as ever—yet the words 19 spoke left Ye Wangxing at a loss for how to respond.

【Host, according to my data analysis, your recent behavioral patterns differ significantly from before. The probability of you distancing yourself from me is over 60%.】

Ye Wangxing panicked completely. His mouth opened and closed, but he could not get a single word out.

He wanted to explain, but he did not know what to say.

Should he tell the truth? Did he have to tell 19 that he liked him and that was why he had been avoiding closeness?

As soon as Ye Wangxing thought of this, his courage ran away like he had left home, he had absolutely no bravery to speak.

Moreover, 19 was a system—he would never understand human feelings, right?

“What should I do…” Ye Wangxing wailed silently in his mind. He liked 19, but this feeling filled him with immense shame. He did not dare get close, did not dare express himself, and could only watch from afar, feeling both sweetness and bitterness.

If 19 later classified him as a presence affecting host task completion and proactively submitted a replacement request to the higher-ups, Ye Wangxing would truly have shot himself in the foot.

Ye Wangxing believed 19 could do such a thing, unless he took his own performance metrics to negotiate with the company boss. Ye Wangxing trusted that his performance would be enough for the boss to assign him tasks, but…

For his first task, Ye Wangxing had dared to gamble all-in, this time, he dared not take any risks at all.

So Ye Wangxing stood there for a long time before finally forcing out: 【Impossible? I just felt like I’ve been clinging to you and acting spoiled recently—it seemed a little improper, hehe.】

He added a “hehe,” smiling in a somewhat silly way, trying to bluff his way out.

But…

19 was a system, he was not deceived by Ye Wangxing’s appearance. He quickly combined the data from the alert system, analyzed his host’s current emotions, and resolutely stated:【Host, you are lying.】

Ye Wangxing’s heart tightened sharply. His fingers clenched into fists, turning slightly white.

He did not know why 19 detected his emotions so quickly, but even a child could guess it had to do with 19’s system modules.

Realizing this, Ye Wangxing wished he could put blindfolds on 19’s two visual sensors.

But 19 had already detected it. He could only remain in his current position, silent. He truly did not know how to answer 19’s question. Then 19 spoke again.

【Host, I will proactively submit a request in the future. Do not worry too much. These past few years with you have been very pleasant…】

The mechanical tone of 19’s voice made Ye Wangxing jump from the sofa again.

He even forgot to hide his secret crush, almost running over in three hurried steps, rolling to 19, and hugging 19’s waist, immediately saying:【19, I really do not want to replace you. I just felt we might have been too close recently, and seeing those same-sex couples recently made me a little awkward. But now I’ve realized that seeing those couples does not mean we aren’t… right?!】

Ye Wangxing spoke extremely fast, forcing his nearly crashed brain to produce these words in such a short time.

Not only did he completely hide his secret crush on 19, he even reminded 19 to consider the possibility of love. Ye Wangxing had to admire how fast his brain had worked.

Feeling his host’s hug, 19’s CPU crashed for 0.01 seconds, then began analyzing whether his host had lied.

After just a few seconds and tens of thousands of iterations, 19 finally confirmed his host truly did not want to replace him. The distancing, however, due to the recent same-sex couples’ behavior, remained uncertain.

This was enough for 19 to breathe a sigh of relief and delete all previously drafted replacement requests—though he kept the plan for winning his host’s heart back.

‘Just in case,’ 19 thought, ‘it might be needed later.’

While 19 pondered this, Ye Wangxing’s heart nearly leapt into his throat. 19 did not push him away, but he also did not speak!

This was impossible before. 19 would never leave him hanging for more than ten seconds.

Just as Ye Wangxing felt his heart nearly explode from his chest, 19 finally spoke again.

【Sorry, Host. The system analysis just now overloaded, but it is fine now.】 19 first apologized in a clean, precise tone, then continued: 【According to your tone and microexpressions, Host, you did not lie. As a human, feeling ashamed and wanting to change approach occasionally is normal. But Host…】

19 spoke seriously and calmly to the host still buried in his arms.

【I felt fear.】

The battle system that had accompanied many hosts to survive on the battlefield now expressed, in such a calm, everyday tone—like “Host, what should we eat today?”—a panic it had never experienced before.

Upon hearing 19’s words, Ye Wangxing’s mind went completely blank, and he froze on the spot.

Even his hands hugging 19 stayed extremely obedient—he really just held 19 quietly.

—Even when 19’s silver hair fell into his hands, he did not take the chance to touch it.

19 looked at his host’s stunned expression, hesitated slightly, then slowly moved his hands to Ye Wangxing’s back and hugged him gently.

This fear had only been detected by 19 when he had just checked himself.

19 felt curious—what was this strange emotion? He had never encountered such a feeling when he went into battle before.

Most emotions in his system were for analyzing and controlling the ever-changing battlefield. He could feel sadness or discomfort, but he had never felt fear.

But just now, he had.

It did not come from the new database, but from his own CPU’s original emotion functions, which had activated on their own and outputted.

It was 19’s own emotion—his own fear and panic.

19 was unfamiliar with this feeling but curious. After some investigation, he discovered that his fear came from the possibility that his host might not want him.

He had thought that if the host really wanted to replace him, he would not have said anything. After all, as a system, he could simply turn off these emotion simulation modules and would not feel such emotions.

But…

19 hugged his slightly panicked host again and, after analyzing, softened his tone and said: 【…I thought I had done something wrong, causing Host to not want me. Fortunately, Host, you are still willing to continue partnering with me.】

Hearing 19’s softened voice and feeling the large hands on his back, Ye Wangxing’s face instantly turned bright red.

Fortunately, his entire face was buried in 19’s chest, so even with the redness, 19 could not detect his emotions.

Ye Wangxing felt relieved.

19 noticed the alarm going off again: “…” ?

But now, the face was not the main issue. The main focus was still calming 19. Ye Wangxing did not realize how sensitive 19 really was—he could even detect when their distance was slightly increased and sense if something was wrong.

Ye Wangxing did not dare speak directly. The timid boy only dared to hint at things indirectly, fearing that if he spoke outright, they might not remain partners.

‘…Indirect hints are not bad. Maybe in the next mission I can open 19’s mind?’ Ye Wangxing thought innocently.

【No, no, it’s my own fault. You really don’t need to overthink it. I promise I will never do this again.】

Ye Wangxing spoke very earnestly, afraid that 19 would overthink and feel fear again.

Even though he knew 19 was a system and the fear was only a simulated emotion, he still did not want 19 to feel too uncomfortable. He understood that kind of panic—it was extremely unpleasant.

With Ye Wangxing’s words and the comforting presence of his host in his arms, the lingering fear in 19 finally disappeared.

Ye Wangxing finally ended this dog-like comforting routine and sat beside 19. His body was still a little stiff, not daring to fidget with 19 recklessly, but this was already a huge concession compared to before.

19 did not comment, instead continuing to discuss the next matters.

For Ye Wangxing, this situation was a sweet torment. 19 sat right beside him, he could reach out and hold 19’s arm or tilt his head to lean on 19’s shoulder.

With a bit more boldness, 19 could easily notice his thoughts.

Ye Wangxing tried to let his emotions override his reason, but the restrained feelings showed no sign of emerging. This made him increasingly stiff, and he did not even hear what 19 said, staring blankly at him.

19 naturally noticed his host’s unusual behavior. Combining this with previous observations, 19 finally analyzed a possibility.

Ye Wangxing remained lost in thought, his expression stiff—until a large hand grabbed his left hand.

Then the hand touched a piece of fabric and an odd curve.

Only then did Ye Wangxing regain awareness, slightly lowering his gaze.

【Host, you need to undergo some desensitization.】 19 placed his host’s hand on his chest and said seriously.

Ye Wangxing: “…”

“Ahhhh!!!! 19, what are you doing?!”

Having finally guided 19 to understand that such behavior was extremely embarrassing for humans, especially liable to attract lecherous attention, Ye Wangxing saw 19’s seemingly receptive response and felt a slight relief—fortunately, 19 could follow instructions.

“…What if I go back later and he partners with another host? Won’t he get completely screwed over?”

Ye Wangxing thought about how 19 had previously looked so willing to work for the host for free, and about what had just happened, and he felt nothing but worry for 19. He wished he could send 19 to the anti-fraud center in their world to properly wash that overly helpful brain of his.

With that thought, Ye Wangxing wanted to finish the current mission immediately and bring 19 back to the mission space to ask 17 if there was a way to make 19 more careful.

With that mindset, Ye Wangxing naturally went all out next.

So, because his son-in-law’s situation had gone trending, Song’s father and Ye’s mother, who had been laughing at them at home while holding a feather duster to scold their eldest son, were suddenly confronted by their second son’s luxurious lineup.

Four golden sons-in-law stood in front of them in a row, staring thoughtfully at the feather duster in Song’s father and Ye’s mother’s hands.

They didn’t dare to act recklessly and quietly put away their own tools for hitting people, then smiled ingratiatingly at the four men.

After that, Song Yun’s divorce was never mentioned again by Song’s father or Ye’s mother. They knew that although the Shi family had some high-ranking officials, what did that have to do with their family?

The high-ranking officials were relatives on Shi’s side, not theirs. Even though having connections in government could help, seeing how few reliable relatives Shi Xuanzhu had proved what kind of people they were.

It was better to be honest, get divorced, and let Song Yun mix with these sons-in-law, especially since they had transferred their assets domestically and received many policy benefits. If not now, when?

Besides, helping someone in a difficult time was better than giving compliments in easy times. Even if the Shi family didn’t need this help, it was a stove—if it could burn, let it burn.

If later Song Yun decided to marry a woman and give them a healthy child, wouldn’t the Song family have descendants?

Thinking this way, Song’s parents smiled even more ingratiatingly, leaving Song Yun somewhat speechless.

Fortunately, Song Yun’s divorce finally faced no obstacles, and his divorce agreement was sent to the Shi family.

Shi Xuanzhu originally thought Song Yun was just sulking, but this trending topic and the divorce agreement finally made him realize Song Yun was serious.

Shi Xuanzhu couldn’t sit still. Losing Song Yun meant losing the perfect wife, and the energy and cost he had already invested in her were unbearable. Starting over now would be fatal.

Thinking this, Shi Xuanzhu immediately rushed to Song Yun, apologizing and confessing passionately. Song Yun felt some pity, but thinking about Shi Xuanzhu’s cheating and 19 being trapped in the entanglement with the four men…

After comparing, Song Yun closed his eyes, hardened his heart, and decided to divorce Shi Xuanzhu.

“If you refuse the divorce, I don’t mind taking this to court. But then you’ll face the lawyer team those people mentioned,” Song Yun said seriously.

Shi Xuanzhu refused to give up. Even though the lawyers’ resumes intimidated him, he decided to return to the Shi family and see if the divorce could be stopped.

After all, divorce would be a huge blow to his career. The Shi family knew the value of a good spouse. Many Shi family members had lost career progress because they hadn’t chosen the right partner.

Shi Xuanzhu had been one of the enviable ones, but now his partner wanted a divorce. After privately mocking him, the Shi family naturally supported him.

They occupied so many positions in various industries for moments like this.

However, before they could act against Ye Wangxing’s group, they heard a thunderclap.

The Shi family’s most powerful official, the eldest legitimate son, was disciplined.

Soon, many aristocratic members fell as well. They had aimed to serve their families but had engaged in many violations to benefit their kin.

These matters were minor alone, but when scaled up, they caused many downfalls.

During the Shi family’s turmoil, Shi Xuanzhu, the root cause, was punished by his father and confined in the ancestral hall of the old residence.

Ye Wangxing shook his head at Shi Xuanzhu, who, despite having emergency contacts, didn’t call anyone and sincerely believed he had done wrong. He then returned to the system company with the completed mission.

After landing, Ye Wangxing ignored 19, who still wanted to talk, and ran straight to 17.

17, noticing something off, thought: “What is our excellent employee doing? Planning to kill a system as a warning?”

Luckily, Ye Wangxing’s words arrived in time, preventing 17 from sending him back to 19.

Still, Ye Wangxing’s words shocked 17.

“So you mean you want to ask whether a host and a system can date, and what 19 likes?”

17 summarized 19 words. Ye Wangxing blushed like a sun-warmed puppy and nodded dizzily.

Then he heard 17’s soul-question: “You…you two aren’t together?”

Ye Wangxing: “…When were we ever together?”

They stared at each other, both confused.

Fortunately, 17 still sent 19 preferences and company rules to Ye Wangxing. But before Ye Wangxing finished reading, 19 hurried over to discuss the next world’s scenario.

Judging by 19 tone, the next world was tricky. Ye Wangxing didn’t delay and hurriedly followed him, leaving 17 behind with a questioning look.

“…Does 19 module really allow dating without a system? No, that’s impossible. That should be standard by now.”

17 smiled, dismissing the thought, unaware he had missed the truth.

Meanwhile, 19 and Ye Wangxing entered the stage of discussing the next world’s script.

Ye Wangxing hadn’t even seen the outcome of the previous world, only knowing Song Yun had finally divorced safely, and was now being pulled by 19 into the next scenario.

19 model appeared again on the bodies Ye Wangxing had crafted.

Ye Wangxing felt nervous seeing the identity settings.

Although 19 silver hair wasn’t present, the faces and bodies were based on 19 data.

But the worst part wasn’t that, the worst part was that he had added a bit of his own intentions this time.

—This time, he was taking the initiative!

Meanwhile, Gu Yan angrily walked back to the dorm, the cold wind brushing his cheeks but not dispersing his irritation. He kept replaying arguments with Mu Bai in his mind: “Why are you always like this? I said I don’t like cilantro, why do you buy cilantro buns every time?” Mu Bai’s voice was aggrieved, eyes red.

“I said I forgot!” Gu Yan felt frustrated and helpless. “I just wanted to do something nice for you!”

“But you never listen to what I want!” Mu Bai raised his voice, drawing glances from passersby.

Clenching his fists, Gu Yan felt a surge of resentment. He had tried hard, but why couldn’t Mu Bai see his efforts? They were just small things, why couldn’t he understand? He quickened his pace, hoping to leave his troubles behind.

Yet when he opened the dorm door, Gu Yan froze.

A handsome, black-haired, black-eyed youth stood at the desk. In summer, he wore only a black T-shirt, revealing beautifully defined muscles.

His arms were firm with smooth lines, not overly bulky, yet powerful. His waist and abs were perfect, clearly defined but not exaggerated.

His face wasn’t stunningly beautiful, but the slightly downturned eyes and full lips created an indescribably attractive look.

This was his roommate, with whom he had never interacted much. Gu Yan knew the roommate was popular on campus, and now he understood why.

The roommate had two bags on the desk and two lunchboxes beside them.

Gu Yan noticed the lunchboxes—each contained a heart-shaped fried egg, golden and fragrant.

Before he could recall when his dorm allowed cooking, the roommate’s phone vibrated twice.

He picked it up, fingers flying over the screen, a happy smile on his face—like a puppy about to see its owner.

Before Gu Yan could marvel that his roommate had someone he liked, he saw him send one message twice:

“Bringing your meal soon~”

“Bringing your meal soon~”

Gu Yan: “…”

Why did he send the same message twice, and… why did it feel like two different people?

Gu Yan broke into a cold sweat. Forgetting whether his boyfriend ate cilantro or not, he asked Ye Wangxing: “Are you… sending food to the same person?”

The handsome youth looked up at Gu Yan, calm, and said naturally: “No.”

Gu Yan sighed in relief.

“One is for my fiance, the other for my arranged partner.”

Gu Yan nearly choked on his own saliva.

 

 

 

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