Chapter 6: Departure

“So, my mission is to help Tan Yanlu retrace her life path and help her overcome this hurdle, right?”

The Gossip System nodded: “Exactly. We believe in getting up from where you fall. The reason Little Koi was deceived was simply because she was inexperienced and naturally naive, which made her an easy target.

Therefore, it was decided that Little Koi needed an external guide to act as a preventive measure. However, we can’t forcibly prevent Tan Yanlu from interacting with Gao Shaolin. This is her trial, and only she can resolve it.

If we intervene forcefully and Tan Yanlu can’t overcome this hurdle on her own, then all our efforts would be in vain.

Hence, the Gossip System came into existence and bound itself to you, the host. Through gossip missions, we aim to help Tan Yanlu break free from psychological manipulation, escape a life of being schemed against, and transform herself.”

“What if the mission fails?” Jiang Pan Yu voiced the worst-case scenario.

“If that happens, your rewards will naturally be revoked. As for Tan Yanlu, she has already died once. If she fails this time, her soul will truly dissipate.” The Gossip System’s tone was grave. This was Tan Yanlu’s only chance to turn her life around. Once lost, it would be gone forever.

In other words, Tan Yanlu has already restarted her life, but without the memories of her first life and the pain she endured. This was deliberately erased by the Great World’s Will, as it didn’t want Tan Yanlu to be reborn with resentment, which would be detrimental to her cultivation.

Jiang Pan Yu commented, “It seems being a female lead isn’t easy!”

The Gossip System shook its head, appearing mature: “This is nothing. In the future, we’ll encounter all sorts of protagonists, whether they’re eccentric or not, tragic or not. This is just a small taste of what’s to come.”

“Small taste? You call this thankless task a small taste?

Rather than saying it’s about helping Tan Yanlu retrace her life path, it’s more about a Koi Spirit’s journey of self-awakening. How is that easy?” Jiang Pan Yu suddenly felt the weight on her shoulders. The task was so daunting that she felt she could barely stand straight.

“Gua Gua!” Jiang Pan Yu weakly called out to the Gossip System: “This mission is so challenging. I feel I’m not knowledgeable enough to handle it. Maybe you should…”

Before Jiang Pan Yu could finish, the Gossip System chimed in: [Host, upon successful completion of the mission and saving Tan Yanlu, you will be rewarded with a Beijing courtyard house!]

“Maybe you should confidently entrust the mission to me. Don’t worry, I’ll go through fire and water to help Tan Yanlu break free from her shackles. I won’t let you down.”

Jiang Pan Yu hastily changed her tune, fearing that if she spoke too late, the reward would slip away.

Jiang Pan Yu’s eyes instantly lit up. Forget about the house.

As a well-rounded youth growing up under the red flag, she simply wanted to rescue Tan Yanlu from the pit of despair!

No one! Could stop her from claiming that courtyard house!

Not even the male lead of the novel or the plot itself!

The Gossip System seemed to sense Jiang Pan Yu’s fervor and chimed in: “Host, rest assured. Gua Gua will stand by you through thick and thin. We will surely succeed.”

“Also, host, I really like the nickname you gave me! I heard that among humans, giving a nickname with repeated syllables to someone you like is a sign of affection.

I didn’t expect you to like me so much, I’m really overjoyed.”

The Gossip System happily rolled around on the ground.

Jiang Pan Yu fell silent. She couldn’t bring herself to say that she had just casually come up with the nickname, afraid of crushing the innocent system’s spirits.

Oh well, Gua Gua it is! As long as the Gossip System is happy.

Jiang Pan Yu was filled with determination, pondering how to help Tan Yanlu escape the Weasel Spirit’s schemes.

Lost in thought, Jiang Pan Yu returned to the welfare home. As soon as she stepped through the gate, she saw the Chen Family Three Brothers, each carrying a large bundle, looking as if they were about to embark on a long journey.

Behind the three brothers were several staff members from the Educated Youth Office. These three had been forcibly sent to the countryside because they had secretly signed Jiang Pan Yu up without permission. They hadn’t received any subsidies from the Educated Youth Office, and life in the countryside would undoubtedly be tough for them.

When they saw Jiang Pan Yu return, their eyes instantly turned vicious, as if they wanted to rush over and tear her to pieces.

But with the Educated Youth Office staff watching, they didn’t dare act recklessly. They could only express their helpless rage through their eyes.

Jiang Pan Yu glanced at them, recalling how, before she regained her memories of her past life, these three brothers, along with other children in the welfare home, had bullied her. Now, they had also cut off her path to a brighter future.

Truly despicable. Even if Jiang Pan Yu retaliated later, she had already suffered a loss.

After all, it was already 1974. By the time Jiang Pan Yu finished high school, it would be around 1976. By then, policies would have relaxed. Given Jiang Pan Yu’s slow reactions, she could almost be considered half-disabled. Even if she graduated from high school, she might not necessarily be sent to the countryside.

Hmph! I haven’t even settled the score with you yet, and you dare come to me? Now you’ll see just how formidable Jiang Pan Yu can be.

Jiang Pan Yu turned and walked out of the welfare home gate, running to a nearby garbage dump. She whispered something to the Gossip System in her mind.

A moment later, Jiang Pan Yu returned from the garbage dump. The Chen Family Three Brothers were still there, but Jiang Pan Yu put on an innocent expression and went to chat with the Educated Youth Office staff.

Compared to the Chen Family Three Brothers, Jiang Pan Yu was clearly more popular with the staff. She used the topic of what to prepare for going to the countryside as an entry point to strike up a conversation.

Jiang Pan Yu spoke slowly, her reactions sluggish, and she looked somewhat malnourished. But this demeanor made the staff feel a bit of pity for her.

So, they answered all her questions honestly, giving her the most sincere advice. This back-and-forth lasted about ten minutes. Finally, the bus to the train station was about to arrive, and the staff took the Chen Family Three Brothers to use the restroom first.

Jiang Pan Yu took out a few transparent bubbles from her Personal Space. Inside the bubbles were countless lively, jumping fleas. The bubbles would burst after ten minutes of exposure to air. And then… hehe!

Jiang Pan Yu had to put in quite a bit of effort to convince the Gossip System to help her with these things. With a sinister smile, she placed the bubbles into the Chen Family Three Brothers’ luggage.

Jiang Pan Yu was confident that this grand gift would leave an unforgettable impression on the Chen Family Three Brothers. No need to thank her—it was just something she felt she had to do.

The Chen Family Three Brothers were completely unaware of Jiang Pan Yu’s revenge. After leaving the restroom, they picked up their luggage and, under the escort of the staff, boarded the bus to the train station.

Along the way, they began to notice something was wrong. The fleas, having burst out of the bubbles, had crawled into their clothes and bedding. When night fell and the three brothers were about to sleep on the train, they opened their luggage only to find themselves covered in fleas, their bodies and faces bitten all over.

Flea bites are notoriously venomous, and the itching can last for ten days to half a month. The torment of such itching is unbearable—sometimes even a single bite is hard to endure, let alone being covered from head to toe.

Even if the three brothers had grown ten extra hands, they probably wouldn’t have been able to scratch all the bites!

Fortunately, the fleas on them didn’t spread to others, as they were in the last carriage of the train. Due to the lack of temporary seating, they had been assigned to the cargo compartment.

In that compartment, the three brothers scratched at their faces and picked at the fleas, and by the time they arrived at their rural destination, their faces and heads were completely scratched up.

In a rather peculiar way, the three brothers managed to make a name for themselves in the local area.