Chapter 36: Give It a Try

Jiang Pan Yu innocently spread her hands: “It wasn’t my fault, Tan Yanlu was the one who grabbed my hand.

I didn’t expect that just by having physical contact with me, Tan Yanlu could break free from the influence of psychological suggestion!”

Alright, actually Jiang Pan Yu did it on purpose, when the Gossip System told her that she was protected by the Great World’s Will and thus immune to psychological suggestion.

Jiang Pan Yu noticed the loophole in this, suspecting that she possessed something akin to a protagonist’s halo, a perk brought by her title as a Gossip Civil Servant, which functioned to immunize her against the effects of the protagonist’s halo.

So, with a mindset of giving it a try, she deliberately sneezed.

This led Tan Yanlu, out of concern, to make physical contact with Jiang Pan Yu, and unexpectedly, Tan Yanlu immediately broke free from Gao Shaolin’s psychological suggestion and returned to normal.

“But we are mere observers; we cannot interfere with Tan Yanlu’s fate,” the Gossip System tried to reason with Jiang Pan Yu.

“I didn’t interfere with Tan Yanlu’s fate, didn’t you notice? Since Gao Shaolin appeared, I’ve hardly said a word!

Everything Tan Yanlu did was of her own volition; I didn’t force her!

Moreover, your psychological suggestion is quite disgusting, capable of influencing others’ thoughts and forcibly reducing their intelligence.

No matter how much groundwork I laid beforehand, presenting Gao Shaolin and the scandals of the Gao family to Tan Yanlu.

Tan Yanlu herself was unwilling, but once the psychological suggestion took effect, she was influenced to ignore those matters forcibly. Is this supposed to help her break free from her fate?

You’re practically ensuring her soul is scattered, with no chance of ever turning things around!”

Jiang Pan Yu was indignant, having previously put so much effort into laying the groundwork, successfully making Tan Yanlu develop a negative impression of Gao Shaolin.

Yet, all that was wasted due to some damn psychological suggestion, which was infuriating to think about.

“But…” the Gossip System meekly said, “this way we’re violating the rules.”

“Rules are rigid, but people are flexible. When Tan Yanlu faced her fateful event, I didn’t intervene; I merely helped her break free from the suggestion’s influence, allowing her to face Gao Shaolin with a calm and rational mind.

And look at the task progress bar in the System Space yourself, it has advanced a bit, even if only by five percent, which proves my actions aren’t against the rules.

Besides, aren’t the so-called rules just set by you? Gossip, you don’t need to lecture me on principles or rules here.

We’re just workers, as long as the Great World’s Will sees no problem, then it’s fine!”

Jiang Pan Yu believed that the Great World’s Will wouldn’t trouble its own employees over such trivial matters.

After all, their goal was merely to help Tan Yanlu break free from the control of psychological suggestion, change her fate, so that after living her life, she could still cultivate her true form.

As long as the goal is achieved, what’s the harm in opening a small backdoor?

Jiang Pan Yu continued to persuade the Gossip System: “Actually, if you’re unsure, go ask your boss, ask Him whether to grant me the task reward this time.

If He had granted me the reward, it would mean He tacitly approved of my approach. Since your boss has already agreed, what else is there for you to say?”

The Gossip System thought it made sense and immediately inquired with its boss about the reward distribution.

As expected, the Great World’s Will didn’t mind the minor tricks Jiang Pan Yu had used, and the Gossip System naturally didn’t dwell on the issue of rule-breaking.

Soon, the task reward was issued: [Ding! Congratulations, host, the task has been completed. The reward has been deposited into your Personal Space.]

“So, the Great World’s Will doesn’t care about these trivial matters, right? In the future, you should learn more from me!” Jiang Pan Yu looked at the newly added reward in her Personal Space, feeling quite smug.

“Oh!” The Gossip System was still obedient. Although it didn’t understand why the Great World’s Will had tacitly approved Jiang Pan Yu’s rule-breaking, since its boss had agreed, it naturally followed suit.

The Educated Youth returned to their residence. Tan Yanlu found some ginger in the kitchen and half a pack of brown sugar from her belongings, brewing a pot of Brown Sugar Ginger Water for everyone to drink and ward off the cold.

No one stood on ceremony, each drinking a bowl while chatting and laughing.

Ironically, this incident turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Educated Youth residence, bridging the gap between the new and old Educated Youth.

From this moment on, they began to truly identify with the group, and they would accompany each other for many years to come. Although future conflicts and frictions were inevitable, they learned to be slightly more tolerant of each other, which was a good thing.

After drinking the ginger soup and washing up, Jiang Pan Yu climbed onto the heated brick bed, counting the task rewards in her space, her mood growing even more cheerful.

She had now achieved a life free from worries about food and clothing, and the issue of her body’s sluggish reactions had also been resolved. All that remained was to properly nourish her body.

She consumed the Nutrient Milk Candy and Nutritional Capsules from the task rewards three times a day without fail, hoping to grow to a height of 1.6 meters and transform her flat chest into something more voluptuous.

Jiang Pan Yu quickly fell asleep, but Tan Yanlu tossed and turned in her quilt, unable to sleep.

She couldn’t understand why she had felt nervous and shy, as if she had met a crush, when she faced Gao Shaolin earlier.

She was certain that before today, she had no particular fondness for Gao Shaolin. So why had she been so amiable towards him just now?

Tan Yanlu couldn’t figure it out, and the more she thought about it, the more awake she became, staying up all night. Finally, as dawn broke, Jiang Pan Yu woke up.

Tan Yanlu pulled Jiang Pan Yu outside the Educated Youth residence: “Pan Yu, tell me, did I act a bit strange when I met Gao Shaolin last night?”

Jiang Pan Yu was still a bit groggy, but hearing Tan Yanlu mention Gao Shaolin, she immediately perked up: “You did seem a bit strange! I even thought you might have a thing for him!”

Tan Yanlu immediately retorted, “How could that be? I’d rather fancy you than Gao Shaolin!”

“Ah!” Jiang Pan Yu was momentarily dazed, then she covered her chest and took a few steps back, looking at Tan Yanlu with a wary expression: “Speak properly, and we can still be good friends, but don’t you dare set your sights on mine—you’ve got your own!”

Tan Yanlu was both amused and exasperated, realizing she had misspoken in her haste: “Alright, alright, I admit I said the wrong thing, okay?”

“Oh!” Jiang Pan Yu glanced at Tan Yanlu’s “wow” figure, thought it was impossible, and then lowered her hands.

Tan Yanlu voiced her speculation: “I’ve been thinking, could it be because he saved me once that I’ve developed some kind of Imprinting?”

“Maybe. Since he helped you, why not prepare a gift to return the favor as a thank you?” Jiang Pan Yu said nonchalantly.

Tan Yanlu discussed with Jiang Pan Yu: “That makes sense. What do you think I should prepare?”

“Didn’t Gao Shaolin say he works in town? I don’t feel comfortable going to town to find him, so maybe I should send it to his house. I think half a pack of brown sugar should be enough!”

Jiang Pan Yu blinked: “That’s about right, but Yanlu, haven’t you forgotten? Gao Shaolin wasn’t the only one who saved you yesterday. Don’t you need to thank the others too?”

The power of subconscious influence is truly terrifying. Just look at this—one moment Tan Yanlu was questioning if something was wrong with her, and the next, she only remembered to prepare a thank-you gift for Gao Shaolin, completely forgetting about the others who had helped her.