CHAPTER 14

Zhang Yuan was indeed there to take care of Xu Yi, and that included Wen Yang as well.

For the first time, after eating her fill in the old, shabby house, Wen Yang felt the warmth of a home.

She took off her glasses, meticulously wiped the lenses clean until not a speck of dust remained, and placed them on the table.

After giving the system several days to think, it was time for an answer.

Wen Yang: 006, have you decided?

System: I have… but the fast-forward function can only be used once. The time fast-forwarded will be deducted from your lifespan when you return to the real world, meaning your life will be shortened.

Upon hearing this, Wen Yang casually replied, “Deal.”

Elated by the good news, Wen Yang could hardly contain her excitement. She felt as if she were ready to set off fireworks, ride a time machine, and finish her mission tomorrow to finally return home the day after.

However, the system withheld an important detail. After the seven-year fast-forward, Wen Yang would complete her final required scene, but there would still be two years where the female lead searched for the male lead. Moreover, Wen Yang seemed to have forgotten that not only did she need to finish the plot tasks, but she also had to wait until the novel concluded to return home.

Seeing Wen Yang so jubilant, the system dared not disrupt her mood, even with a hundredfold courage.

“Don’t blame me, don’t blame me.” The system thought. “006 has done its best to negotiate for the host.“

---

The next day, Wen Yang, sporting faint but noticeable dark circles, entered the classroom full of energy. Behind her was Xu Yi, who had been dragged out of bed early by Zhang Yuan.

This was partly Wen Yang’s fault. When Zhang Yuan asked what time she usually got up, she said 7 a.m. As a result, Zhang Yuan had breakfast ready at 7 a.m. and waited in the hall. Believing Xu Yi always went to school with Wen Yang, he went upstairs to wake him, only to be chased away by Xu Yi, who was still groggy with messy hair.

Not long after, Lin Minjing, Qi Chen, and Xiao Yan walked into the classroom together.

During the 15th period, it started drizzling outside. The faint rain brought a damp, earthy smell into the classroom, while the sound of laborers hammering away continued undeterred.

A young female teacher stood at the lectern, her clear voice resonating as she wrote on the board.

As a dedicated and studious character in the novel, Wen Yang always went above and beyond to complete her homework, often to the point of exhaustion. Satisfied with her neat stack of papers, she thought she could take it easy for the next few days.

Xu Yi noticed Wen Yang putting her papers away and tapped on her desk.

“What is it?” she asked.

He slid his phone over. “Want to play?” The slight thrill in his tone made it sound like he was enticing a good student to commit a minor crime during class.

Wen Yang extended her slender fingers, trimmed short with no visible nails, and tapped the phone screen. “What’s the game? A speed-tapping contest?”

“You already know.”

“I’m smart.”

Xu Yi raised an eyebrow, a faint smile on his lips. This “good student” carried an innate confidence.

They placed the phone on the desk between them, and Wen Yang started the game.

Three, two, one—start!

Both began furiously tapping the screen. The taut lines of Xu Yi’s knuckles were visible as his fingers moved rapidly. Their bodies slightly trembled from the intensity, but within seconds, Xu Yi’s blue character utterly dominated the screen.

“You win,” Wen Yang admitted, withdrawing her hand into a fist and pursing her lips in frustration. “Again.”

The second round began. Wen Yang adjusted and won.

Xu Yi: “One more.”

The third round: Wen Yang won again.

Xu Yi: “Another.”

In the fourth round, Xu Yi regained a victory.

Wen Yang straightened up and declared, “No more.”

However, Xu Yi’s competitive streak had been ignited. How could she just stop now?

The teacher approached Wen Yang’s side and spoke calmly, without raising her voice. “Wen Yang, come to the office after class.”

After the teacher left, Xu Yi turned to her. “Are you okay?”

While Xu Yi didn’t think Wen Yang was the type to get flustered easily or cry from criticism, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. After all, he had been the one to instigate the game, yet she was the one called out.

He asked again, “Do you want me to go with you?”

Unlike Xu Yi, who was overthinking the situation, Wen Yang appeared calm.

“The teacher didn’t call you. Why would you come? To see me get scolded?” she replied, her tone cool as she glanced at him.

Just days ago, she called him a saint. Now, he was being accused of delighting in her misfortune? Was he such a petty person?

Xu Yi had nothing to say.

From the back, Xiao Yan observed and whispered to herself, “A demon tamer has arrived.”

Qi Chen tapped her head with his pen. “Do you want to be called to the office too?”

Xiao Yan tilted her head with a grin. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t dare interfere with a good student’s studies.”

Nearby, Lin Minjing covertly tossed a crispy cracker into her mouth, carefully chewing. Spotting her, a little girl with wide eyes stared. Feeling awkward eating alone, Lin Minjing poured some crackers into her hand. “Here, take some.”

The little girl blushed, took the snack, and began nibbling like a tiny mouse alongside her deskmate.

---

Although Wen Yang dismissed him coldly, Xu Yi couldn’t sit idly by. He waited outside the office, eavesdropping on the conversation.

“You need to focus on your studies. Don’t let other distractions affect your performance,” the teacher said.

“I understand,“ Wen Yang replied with a serious nod.

The teacher, gazing at the tall and beautiful girl before her, thought of the spoiled rich boy in their class. Though she didn’t want to say too much, she didn’t want the girl to ruin her future for someone unworthy.

“Wen Yang, you’re exceptional. Once you get to college, you’ll meet peers who truly share your aspirations. Don’t let an illusion blind you from the real forest ahead.” The teacher’s eyes were kind. “Do you understand what I mean?”

Wen Yang didn’t fully grasp her point, but she nodded anyway.

The teacher patted her shoulder gently. “Focus during class from now on.”

“Okay.”

“You can go now.”

As Wen Yang stepped out, she spotted Xu Yi standing by the wall. Without pausing, she walked past him.

Xu Yi followed, replaying the teacher’s words in his head. He understood the underlying message, but did she? He couldn’t be sure.

The drizzle continued outside, faint and unrelenting. Overhead, the sun peeked through, casting a strange mix of warmth and gloom—much like his own tangled emotions.

Xu Yi bent down and poured hot water into the plastic basin, looking at the gutted chicken inside with a face full of disdain.

“Alright, alright, now go fetch a bucket of cold water,” Zhang Yuan said, holding up his two greasy hands.

Zhang Yuan never imagined there would be a day he could boss Xu Yi around, let alone that the young master wouldn’t get angry. Zhang Yuan couldn’t help but grin widely.

---

During dinner, Zhang Yuan asked the two of them if they were having a conflict with the other girl, as she didn’t come down for dinner despite being called earlier and gave no response.

Wen Yang spat out the tiny bone in her mouth without replying. She didn’t even know how to explain.

From the moment Lin Minjing moved in, Wen Yang hadn’t seen her eat a single meal. Perhaps her system had cooking capabilities. Compared to that, Wen Yang felt miserable. While Lin Minjing was enjoying full meals and snacks at will, she was left gnawing on instant noodles every day.

006 is really inhumane!

No one answered Zhang Yuan’s question, so he didn’t press further. But his peripheral vision caught his young master’s subtle, doting gestures.

Xu Yi used the communal chopsticks to fish through the casserole. When Wen Yang lowered her head to gnaw at a piece of meat, he discreetly pushed the larger, easier-to-eat chunks toward her.

An old man watching two young people display such sweetness, Zhang Yuan chuckled to himself, seeing it but saying nothing.

---

Late at night, the world was quiet. Xu Yi lay on his bed, unable to sleep. The words spoken in the office earlier that day lingered in his mind: mirage, forest, university. Between the lines, he sensed the disdain toward him.

After staring into space for a while, he decided to try and sleep. Just then, footsteps echoed from the neighboring room.

Wen Yang thought she had drunk too much water tonight—the casserole Zhang Yuan made was too salty, though undeniably delicious.

Holding a flashlight, Wen Yang went to the bathroom. On her way back, she marveled at how the cooler weather was a blessing—no more pesky flies and mosquitoes buzzing in her ears while she used the toilet.

Suddenly, she felt something soft under her foot. She shone the flashlight downward, her heart nearly stopping. Her mind went blank, and for a second, she froze. Then, with shaky legs, she jumped aside, almost falling to the ground. She forced herself to take a few steps forward.

“System!” Wen Yang called out, her voice trembling.

Xu Yi was startled awake by her shout and quickly ran downstairs.

“What’s wrong? What happened? Why is there a snake here?” Wen Yang’s face was pale with fear, and she had forgotten to use their encrypted communication method.

“What’s wrong?” Xu Yi asked.

Wen Yang pointed toward the bathroom. “Snake—there’s a snake in front of the bathroom!” She suddenly stood up, spinning around with a vigilant look as her eyes scanned the ground. She no longer trusted this place, feeling utterly deceived by the system.

Xu Yi patted her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Startled, Wen Yang nearly jumped out of her skin. “What are you doing!” she yelled.

“I—I can’t even explain,” Xu Yi mumbled, noting her obvious terror. She was genuinely afraid of snakes.

“I’ll go take a look and get rid of it.”

“Don’t!” Wen Yang grabbed his arm before quickly letting go, maintaining her distance from everyone around her. “What if it bites you?”

In her mind, Wen Yang recalled the images of snakes she had seen on wildlife shows—slithering, jumping, capable of striking out of nowhere. Who knew if this one would lunge and sink its fangs into someone’s skin, or worse, climb up a person and flick its tongue near their face? This was the wilderness, after all; by the time someone reached the hospital, they might already be gone.

She was both terrified and morbidly fascinated by snakes. Watching them on TV always gave her nightmares of snakes crawling into her bed, but she couldn’t stop herself from tuning in again.

Tonight’s real-life encounter burned the snake’s image into her memory. It felt like it would haunt her for life. Even if she stood on stilts in the yard, she’d worry the snake could climb up. Every corner—cabinets, under the bed, even the bed itself—seemed suspect.

At this moment, she desperately wanted to escape the mountain, the ground, and even Earth itself. She longed to fly to a snake-free planet where she could live out her life in solitude.

The cool night breeze dried the faint traces of tears at the corners of her eyes. Standing there, Wen Yang didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want to stay in this place any longer.

Noticing her anxious state, Xu Yi gently asked, “If you don’t want to look, why not go upstairs?”

Wen Yang kept her head down, staring at the ground. After a moment, she replied, “You should go back to sleep. Don’t worry about me—I just need to calm down on my own.”

“Calm down in your room?”

“I’m not going back!”