novelzi Chapter 14 - As Steady As Ever
Chapter 14 - As Steady As Ever
[Host, host, great news!!]
During the break, Ji Mu, who was sitting at his desk, wanted to relax.
The system suddenly jumped out, full of excitement.
[Do you know how much Ruan Qingqing's aversion to men has decreased in just one morning?!]
Ji Mu leisurely twirled his pen.
"Don't keep me in suspense, just tell me."
[It dropped by a full ten points!!!]
In just two days, it had dropped from -75 to -58.
As expected from the host it chose, truly impressive!
The system was overjoyed.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the aversion to the female protagonist of the first book was completely erased.
Steady progress.
[Host, we've taken another big step towards saving the world]
Ji Mu was also quite surprised.
He had only helped the girl get rid of the greasy principal and given her some advice.
He hadn't expected the aversion value to drop so much.
An unexpected gain.
[After these two days of interaction, I can even feel that Ruan Qingqing's attitude towards you has become more familiar.]
The system put its hands on its hips and began to take credit.
[Right now, she definitely sees you as a friend, so the good friend strategy is definitely working].
"Indeed."
To be fair, even though the system seemed stupid most of the time and had woefully low emotional intelligence, it didn't drop the ball at critical moments.
Ji Mu rarely agreed.@@@@
"In terms of artificial intelligence, you're still quite excellent."
[Hmph!]
The system raised its chin, looking extremely proud.
Not satisfied with that, it wanted the boy to praise it even more, when suddenly, the voice of the subsystem echoed in its mind.
〖Main system, there is a message to report.〗
[A message?]
Hearing that there was something important, it temporarily put aside its chat with the host and turned back to the system room.
[What happened?]
〖Even though Ruan Qingqing's aversion to men has decreased, her hidden darkness value has increased significantly.〗
Hidden Darkness Value?
[What is that?]
The subsystem explained in a distant voice.
〖When the hidden darkness value reaches its peak, the character will be prone to darkness, obsession, and madness. In addition, physiological cravings will also increase.〗
[Uh...]
Obsessive? Strong physiological desires?
Isn't that basically a combination of a yandere and a nymphomaniac?
[Sounds pretty scary. So, does this affect the mission?]
〖Based on current analysis, it has no effect.〗
No impact? Then why mention it?
The system immediately felt relieved.
After all, by the time Ruan Qingqing truly went dark, her aversion to men would probably be gone, and the host would have become her close friend.
Besides, as a basically kind-hearted heroine, no matter how crazy she became, she wouldn't harm her best friend, right?
The system pondered for a moment and decided that this logic was flawless.
It waved its little hand.
[No need to worry.]
"Isn't that right, Junior Ruan?"
She ignored their seemingly joking but thoughtless remarks.
Ruan Qingqing lowered her head and silently ate the food on her plate.
Fu Rongjing was one year older than her.
In the past, when she had been bullied by other girls, he had appeared to help her.
She always remembered his kindness in her heart.
But since then, he often appeared around her.
He intervened in various aspects of her life in a way that seemed gentle on the surface, but was actually forceful.
For example, he helped with cleaning, delivered her homework, bought extra water during gym class, and so on.
Ruan Qingqing had clearly refused before, but it was always brushed off with a casual "I'm just helping out".
"Alright, alright, stop joking around."
Fu Rongjing's helpless voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Can't you see that Ruan Ruan is unhappy?"
On the surface, he seemed to be speaking on her behalf, but the indulgent tone was deliberately suggestive.
Ruan Qingqing lowered her eyelids.
Her long, thick eyelashes hid her emotions.
Here it was again.
Forced to endure his "special treatment".
Yet Fu Rongjing himself seemed completely unaware.
This boundless attention often led others to privately speculate that they were together.
Some even went so far as to say that she was deliberately stringing Fu Rongjing along.
No matter how hard she tried to explain, her classmates took it as a sign of guilt.
She had tried to make it clear to Fu Rongjing that he should keep an appropriate distance from her.
But he would just look upset and say that the innocent have nothing to fear.
Finally...
Fu Rongjing remained the gentle and elegant heartthrob of the campus.
On the other hand, she became the target of bullying and hostility from more and more girls who admired Fu Rongjing, all because of the swirling rumors.
The inability to change the situation gradually wore her down.
Like a patient with a chronic illness, she could only watch as she sank deeper into the suffocating swamp.
"What are you thinking about, Ruan Ruan? Why aren't you eating?"
Fu Rongjing's voice, which he thought was considerate, came from next to her again.
"No matter how many worries you have, you must remember to eat. Otherwise, if your stomach gets upset and you develop gastritis, what will you do?"
Ruan Qingqing shook her head and did not answer.
She maintained her original posture and silently ate her food in small bites.
Fu Rongjing didn't think much of it.
After all, in the past, the girl often seemed so quiet and easy to bully.
He smiled.
Lowering his voice to make it sound as magnetic and charming as possible, he said,
"I ordered a little too much today. I can't finish it all by myself. Ruan Ruan, help me with some of it."
As he spoke, he picked up a piece of meat and placed it on her plate.
But in the next second, the hand holding the meat stopped abruptly in midair.
The girl in front of him moved her tray aside.
"No need."
Ruan Qingqing raised her eyes.
Those bright, clear fox-like eyes were no longer as cautious as before.
Remembering what the boy had told her in the morning, she unconsciously tightened her grip on the metal edge of the tray.
There was a hint of firmness in her sweet, soft voice.
"I don't want to eat it and I don't like it."