Chapter 6: Agreement

“Shen Yuling” didn’t know how much harsher she needed to be. In her first life, she had never killed anyone, but in her second life, the first person she killed was Liu Jingyi.

“Miss Shen, I hope you can help me.”

For a moment, Shen Yuling couldn’t even tell if she was dreaming or truly awake.

Yet, everything before her—the existence of the system, the woman standing in front of her, also named Shen Yuling, and every detail she described—felt too real.

It was so real that Shen Yuling couldn’t convince herself that this was a fleeting dream.

Shen Yuling circled around “Shen Yuling,” her gaze sizing her up.

Her own pure and charming appearance, after a while, had grown somewhat tiresome.

Looking at “Shen Yuling,” with her graceful figure and alluring face, if she were to act, it would certainly be more interesting.

And furthermore…

The story that “Shen Yuling” was telling was indeed difficult, quite challenging.

Such an exciting life made Shen Yuling feel some interest in the so-called transmigration.

“Agreeing to transmigrate isn’t out of the question, but before I agree, I want to ask you a few questions.”

“Miss Shen, please go ahead.”

“Are Liu Jingyi and Liu Shihan the only ones you’re seeking revenge on?”

Shen Yuling narrowed her eyes.

“Of course not!”

“There is also… Feng Moheng!”

At the mention of Feng Moheng, “Shen Yuling’s” expression turned frosty, her eyes flashing with a mixture of contempt and hatred.

Shen Yuling couldn’t help but let out a light laugh.

At least this woman wasn’t completely blinded by love.

It was a man who wavered, who played between two women, that was the true source of all the tragedy.

Shen Yuling continued, “What about the Emperor?”

These two men were the only ones who had been entangled with the “Shen Yuling” standing before her.

“He…”

“Shen Yuling” paused slightly, as if carefully considering her words.

“I actually haven’t interacted much with him. He is the Emperor, high above, and my matters have nothing to do with him.”

“However, in my second life, I wanted to use his power to seek revenge.”

“But no matter how I schemed and tried to tempt him, he remained unmoved.”

“No, I should say, every woman in the harem, who doesn’t long for the Emperor’s favor? The sad truth is, not a single one of us can secure a place in his heart.”

Shen Yuling felt truly helpless when it came to emperors like him.

According to modern views, an emperor was just a “rotten cucumber.”

He only saw women as tools to balance the court and produce heirs. Could such a man be married to?

Unless one sought power and status alone.

But from what “Shen Yuling” had said, this emperor had indeed achieved great things for his country.

The conflicting evaluations of being a “good emperor” and a “rotten cucumber” left her with a headache.

It seemed impossible to judge an emperor from any particular moral standpoint, because their life was never truly their own.

The system, listening to the two girls discussing Emperor Qianyuan, immediately grew anxious.

“Emperor Qianyuan must not be touched!”

Shen Yuling couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

“He’s the emperor, what can I do to him? Even if I wanted to, I don’t have the power,” Shen Yuling remarked casually.

The system hurriedly explained.

“You don’t understand. The initial setting of this world was that Emperor Qianyuan was the grand male protagonist who unified the four kingdoms. His achievements are enough to make his name immortal in history—he’s truly a magnificent emperor, a legendary figure.”

“Only later did the romantic subplot between the male and female leads begin to develop.”

“The grand male protagonist is Emperor Qianyuan, Quan Minghe. Initially, the romantic subplot was set between Feng Moheng and ‘Shen Yuling,’ but later, it shifted to Feng Moheng and Liu Jingyi.”

At this point, the system paused briefly.

“Every world has its predetermined storyline, and this cannot be easily altered.”

“Take this romantic plot, for instance. Since Liu Jingyi replaced ‘Shen Yuling,’ the world hasn’t collapsed.”

“But if there’s a problem with the grand male protagonist’s line, and no one capable of replacing Quan Minghe appears, the whole world will collapse.”

Shen Yuling scoffed.

“Quan Minghe… truly a name befitting a grand male protagonist. Clearly, ‘Ming’ is below, and ‘He’ is above.”

The system, listening to Shen Yuling’s mumbling, didn’t quite understand.

“What does that mean?”

“Shen Yuling” also looked bewildered, her innocent fox-like eyes staring curiously at Shen Yuling.

Seeing this, Shen Yuling let out a soft sigh.

With a touch of lament, she explained, “Clearly ‘Ming’ is below, and ‘He’ is above. This phrase means that the great and glorious heavens shine down upon the world, with brilliance radiating from the heavens above.”

“Listen to that name—each character exudes an unparalleled nobility. No wonder he’s set up as the grand male protagonist.”

After enduring three nominations for Best Actress only to be left as the runner-up each time, she had grown to truly despise these so-called male and female protagonist halos.

It felt as though, no matter how hard others tried, they would always struggle to catch up to those who were born with such luck and fortune.

Perhaps, this was the greatest injustice in the world.

But after hearing “Shen Yuling’s” story, another thought inevitably emerged in her mind.

Perhaps reincarnation truly was a matter of the blessings accumulated by others in their past lives.

For every gain, there is a loss; for every cause, there is an effect. Why should one cling too tightly to things beyond their control?

It’s enough to do what one can within their ability.

Of course, luck does play a part in this world.

Just like Liu Jingyi’s transmigration—wasn’t it a minuscule chance, a rare event that happened by mere coincidence in one of the countless small worlds in the Milky Way?

A one-in-a-billion chance, almost negligible.

For someone like her, it was better not to expect luck to suddenly come knocking.

Do your best within the scope of your abilities, and as for the final outcome, it’s fine to have expectations, but it’s also important to remain detached. Only then can one live freely and at ease.

“Alright, I’ve finished asking about the person involved.”

“Next, it’s your turn, cute system.”

The system froze for a moment, then felt a hint of joy.

The future host actually thinks I’m cute.

“Host, feel free to ask anything. I will answer all your questions to the best of my ability, leaving nothing unsaid and no doubts unanswered.”

Shen Yuling slightly raised her gaze, staring directly at the system interface that radiated a soft glow.

“Can I go Back here?”

“Of course, Host. Rest assured, I will safely return you to this world without any issues. You don’t need to worry about that. In fact, you’ll even have the freedom to choose when you return.”

Shen Yuling lightly nodded.

“Then, what about the time flow? I mean, is the passage of time the same in both worlds?”

“Host, over there, ten years could pass, but here only one day would have gone by. So, even if you experience long years over there, when you return, not much time will have passed here. You don’t need to worry about that.”

Shen Yuling nodded again, satisfied. That wasn’t too bad.

She definitely didn’t want to return as an old woman. She was quite satisfied with her appearance; it made deceiving others a lot easier.

“If I were to unfortunately die in that world, would there be a chance to start over?”

“That’s not possible.”

“Host, if you really die in that world, you will be completely lost, and I won’t be able to bring you back. So, please be extra careful.”

Shen Yuling’s expression slightly froze.

As expected, there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Even seemingly tempting tasks carried great risks.

She was silent for a moment.

“If I successfully complete the task, will I really be able to make my three wishes come true?”

“Yes, Host, as long as you complete the task, I will definitely fulfill the three wishes as promised. You can rest assured about that.”

“Alright, I’ve asked all the questions I needed.”

“Now, I have two requests. If you can agree to these, I will accept the task.”

“Host, please go ahead, but I must remind you that your requests can’t be too far-fetched. My abilities are limited, after all.”

“The first request is that, once I enter that world, I hope you, this cute system, can transform into my maid and stay by my side, helping me complete the task.”

Shen Yuling came from a completely different world, and if she could have someone who both understood her words and could be completely trusted beside her, it would at least prevent her from feeling too lonely. Plus, she could also make use of the system’s remaining potential—why not?

The system paused for a moment upon hearing this request, as though the pure white space itself had fallen silent. It was clear that it had never encountered such a situation before.

Shen Yuling didn’t rush, calmly giving the system time to think it over.

On the system’s side, it quickly sent a message to its higher-ups. After receiving confirmation, it happily responded, “Sure, I can do that!”

It couldn’t help but feel a bit excited. After all, it had never transformed into a human form before.

The second request Shen Yuling made was that she wanted to travel back to the moment when “Shen Yuling” was just born.

She had always been the type of person to make thorough preparations once she set a goal. Her first step was to completely immerse herself in that world, to understand its rules and principles clearly. She needed to know what kind of person was considered truly exceptional in that world, so that she could shape herself into someone equally capable, giving her the best chance to succeed in her mission.

The system responded decisively, without hesitation.

“Alright.”

“However…”

The system hesitated.

“Speak if you have something to say.”

Shen Yuling was a straightforward person and disliked when others were indecisive.

“You will share all of the original female lead’s life experiences and emotions. The pain she endured, her struggles, the suffering she couldn’t escape from—all of it, you will experience firsthand.”

The system finally blurted it all out.

Shen Yuling fell silent.

She had originally thought she was just an observer in the story, there to save the original female lead, but…

When she first ventured into the entertainment industry, she wasn’t very skilled at acting. In order to portray someone else’s life well, she would force herself to immerse in the character’s love, hatred, and emotions.

Now, it was merely a deeper form of sharing. The more she immersed herself in the role, the better she could accomplish her goal.

“Alright, let’s share.”

In reality, Shen Yuling wasn’t without desires. She wasn’t completely indifferent to the three wishes the system mentioned. However, revealing her desires too early would leave her with fewer bargaining chips.

Thus, Shen Yuling always made sure to present herself as invulnerable.

Of the three wishes, one was something she had to fulfill. She wanted to see a certain person again…

Therefore, this mission—she had accepted it!