Ning Xiaoyu had never thought she would one day encounter something so utterly beyond reason. This development felt almost magical.

She rubbed her eyes vigorously. After doing so twice, she opened them again. Sure enough, the words before her had not disappeared. Beside them, a glaring red countdown timer stood out prominently, its numbers ticking down second by second, bringing with it a sense of urgency and foreboding.

What would happen if she didn’t choose? And if she did?

As if reading her mind, the love system quickly provided an answer.

〖Love System: Girl, if you don’t choose, you will face a minor punishment. However, if you do choose, I can grant you a wish in the future once certain conditions are met.〗

At that moment, the love system felt to Ning Xiaoyu like some shady fortune-teller making grand promises. A wish? Any wish? Did she look like someone so naïve as to fall for such an obvious ploy?

〖Love System: Any wish. Absolutely anything.〗

Hearing that, Ning Xiaoyu’s hands clenched slightly.

If she had any wish right now, it would be only one— to have her comatose father wake up again.

It was almost laughable. Her father’s condition couldn’t be separated from her biological mother and her younger sister.

She would never forget that day when her mother, beautiful and graceful like a swan, left without a backward glance, taking Ning Yuwei with her.

The moment the understated yet luxurious black Maybach drove out of their modest residential area, it seemed to silently declare something.

In her rush, she could only catch a glimpse of her mother’s exquisite yet cold profile through the half-lowered car window.

Ms. Zhang sat in the car without turning her head, and she never would.

From that day on, she, Ms. Zhang, and Ning Yuwei became people from entirely different worlds. She continued living in her ordinary and humble neighborhood, while Ms. Zhang became the wife of a wealthy man, and Ning Yuwei transformed into a socialite. Meanwhile, her father, in his futile pursuit of Ms. Zhang, got into a car accident and became comatose. Ironically, after he became a vegetable, neither his ex-wife nor his younger daughter ever visited him.

Ning Xiaoyu didn’t fully trust this so-called system.

But she also didn’t want to give up completely.

Maybe? If something as miraculous as this system could exist, then perhaps waking up a comatose person wasn’t entirely out of reach?

If only she could use the wish in advance.

〖Love System: Smile.jpg〗

Ning Xiaoyu understood the system’s meaning. There was no wish in advance, just a promise for the future. After pondering for two seconds and seeing the countdown drop to three, she made her choice.

Of the three options— A, B, and C— only C seemed remotely reasonable.

So, without much thought, she selected it.

After Ning Xiaoyu made her choice, the love system’s tone became noticeably more cheerful, 〖Go for it, Girl!〗

Ning Xiaoyu glanced around. There was no one else in sight, and she also couldn’t see any cameras. It was an absolutely private space. Ten minutes in there should be fine, right?

To Ning Xiaoyu, big shots like Lu Jingdu were nothing but trouble. And as someone who preferred the quiet life, she despised trouble.

A salted fish like her only wanted to lie down in peace, avoiding even the tiniest bit of drama.

So, most of the time, she kept her distance from such big names and never sought to ride their coattails.

But thinking about her father who had been unconscious for years, she chose to enter the lounge anyway.

The lounge arranged by the production team was naturally quite comfortable, furnished with a sofa, a coffee table, and soft, warm carpeting. On the coffee table stood a vase holding dewy yellow oleanders and roses.

Yellow oleanders symbolized deep friendship, while roses represented love.

This variety show was truly peculiar. But Ning Xiaoyu, being a salted fish, couldn’t be bothered to decipher the director’s hidden intentions. Whether it was about friendship or romance, who cared?

Because of the thick carpet, Ning Xiaoyu’s footsteps were almost silent.

What she didn’t know was that this lounge wasn’t what she imagined. Due to a staff error, the livestream in this room had been running the entire time.

The moment she entered, viewers in the livestream chat immediately noticed her.

【Here to leech off my idol’s fame?】

【I almost felt sorry for her being the only eighteenth-line actress on the show, but look at her. Another green tea^[1]pretty and innocent in appearance, but promiscuous, debauched, materialistic, or cunning in nature b*tch, huh? She’s already exposing her ambition.】

【People these days will stop at nothing for fame.】

【Stay away from my idol! Don’t you dare tarnish him!】

Ning Xiaoyu was oblivious to these comments. She had planned to sit in the farthest corner of the sofa, away from the movie king. But faintly, she noticed a glowing circle.

It looked just like the quest markers in online games. Most games would draw a circle to indicate the mission area, and missions completed outside the circle didn’t count.

Thus, Ning Xiaoyu had no choice but to sit somewhere within the circle. After all, if a system could appear, a mission marker in real life wouldn’t be so far-fetched.

Of course, she sat at the very edge of the circle, staying as far away from the fans’ idol as possible.

Movie star = lots of girlfriend fans = lots of wife fans = trouble. And salted fish like her wanted to steer clear of trouble.

The system, as a ‘love’ system, had several nicknames— Candy Shipping System, CP Fan System, and so on.

It restrained its excitement as Ning Xiaoyu sat near the movie king, rubbing its metaphorical hands in anticipation of a sweet moment. This scene ought to be heartwarming, right?

Meanwhile, the live chat’s discussions intensified, with words like ‘scheming’ and ‘green tea’ rolling across the screen repeatedly.

At that moment, Ning Xiaoyu moved.

Without so much as glancing at the movie king beside her, she reached into the wide pocket of her coat and pulled out a large handful of melon seeds.

The viewers were momentarily stunned, unable to process this development.

What was this eighteenth-line actress doing with melon seeds? No, more importantly, why did she have so many melon seeds on her?

Most people couldn’t fathom Ning Xiaoyu’s mindset as a salted fish. For her, melon seeds were a must-have. Whenever there was downtime, cracking a handful of seeds was the perfect way to pass the time.

Unlike ordinary people, however, her approach to eating melon seeds was different. Where others might make loud, crunchy noises, Ning Xiaoyu was adept at noiseless cracking.

She hadn’t forgotten the movie king resting nearby. Making noise and disturbing him wouldn’t be ideal. If he woke up to see a stranger in the room and questioned her presence, how could she explain?

Would she say she was there because of a love system that assigned her a mission to ‘gain the movie king’s favor’?

No, no, no. That wasn’t necessary.

So, she performed a flawless demonstration of silent melon seed cracking.

Before the audience could react, Ning Xiaoyu had already noiselessly cracked several seeds. The discarded shells were perfectly intact, and if one didn’t look closely, they wouldn’t even notice that the kernels were gone. Her speed and precision showed she was a seasoned expert, wholly immersed in the process. It was as if she didn’t find anything odd about her actions.

【???】

【What kind of bizarre development is this? Did she come here just to eat melon seeds?】

【No, wait, sitting right next to you is Brother Lu! Lu Jingdu! And you’re ignoring such a ridiculously handsome guy, crossing your legs and munching on melon seeds? Do you even have a heart for romance anymore?】

【What a waste! An absolute waste of resources!】

No matter how hard the viewers racked their brains, they could never have guessed that this was how things would unfold.

They thought Ning Xiaoyu came to ride on the movie king’s popularity, but in the end, she was just there to snack on melon seeds?

Imagine this— right beside you lies a stunningly handsome movie king, so perfect he doesn’t even seem real. He’s young, accomplished, wealthy, gentlemanly— and at this moment, he appears to be sound asleep, completely unaware of your presence. Even if you don’t have any bold intentions toward him, wouldn’t you at least sneak a few extra glances? At the very least, snapping a few candid photos wouldn’t seem out of line, right?

After all, stealing a few more looks wouldn’t hurt, would it? And honestly, feeling a bit of worldly desire in the face of someone like Lu Jingdu is perfectly normal, isn’t it?

But Ning Xiaoyu didn’t.

Not only did she refrain from sneaking extra glances, but she also acted as if her entire world revolved around her melon seeds. She didn’t even spare Lu Jingdu a glance out of the corner of her eye, as if the man lying beside her were nothing more than a wooden dummy.

Ning Xiaoyu faithfully adhered to her salted fish philosophy— avoid unnecessary trouble at all costs. While munching on her melon seeds, she kept an eye on the time.

Ten minutes, which had flown by when she was lying down earlier, now felt excruciatingly long.

Before long, she finished a handful of melon seeds. Without missing a beat, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a second handful.

【???】

【Why does this actress carry so many melon seeds with her?】

【Melon Seeds: Do you even have manners?】

【Melon seeds are high-calorie snacks! Eating this many? I have to salute this eighteenth-line actress. She’s got guts!】

【Even if you’re eighteenth-line, shouldn’t you at least try to act like a proper actress? At this rate, you’ll never land a role!】

At this moment, the viewers’ focus had clearly shifted. Words like ‘green tea’ no longer appeared in the discussion.

While they were fervently debating how much Ning Xiaoyu might weigh, she suddenly stood up decisively. With quick movements, she pulled a transparent trash bag out of her pocket, cleaned up the melon seed shells, and left the lounge without looking back, trash bag in hand and leaving no trace behind.

Her entire demeanor screamed, ‘Finished snacking, time to go.’

Viewers: ???