System, you bastard!

Give me a straight answer: can I run or not?

Cheng Yu stared at the options, feeling utterly exasperated. Options A, B, and C seemed different on the surface. But in truth, they all shared the same core.

They all failed to immediately agree to Shenyufu’s demand.

This sudden pop-up from the system was a warning. If he couldn’t give a definite answer now, he might enrage Shenyufu—that crazy woman—and trigger another cleaver swing.

Honestly, if he could move right now, he’d beat that dangerous element senseless a hundred times over.

And option D caught his eye immediately. It was different from past choices.

Five attribute points. Not random. Specifically for stamina.

This alone proved that even choosing D carried far higher risk than before.

What to do? Nine o’clock already. Survival first.

So in Shenyufu’s view, Cheng Yu suddenly stood up without a word. His face was etched with irritation.

She tightened her grip on the folding knife. Ready to resort to unconventional methods to force his cooperation.

But after standing, Cheng Yu did nothing. He paused briefly. Then sat back down swiftly. Leaning back in his chair, he muttered to himself:

“Fine. I agree.”

“…”

Now it was Shenyufu’s turn to freeze.

She knew this demand was unreasonable. She’d braced for his refusal. Prepared to use special tactics to make him comply.

Yet he’d actually agreed?

“What’re you staring at? I’ve got chronic rheumatism and joint pain. Just stretched my knees. Can’t a guy stand up anymore?”

Cheng Yu shot Shenyufu an annoyed glare. He trusted the system. Choosing D meant that as long as he didn’t do anything extremely reckless, the cleaver threat should stay away.

So even acting rude to this lunatic now wouldn’t backfire.

Seriously… compared to this crazy woman, even the class monitor seemed adorable.

Sure enough, Shenyufu ignored his unreasonable tone. Frowning, she pressed:

“You… really agreed?”

“Aren’t you being a bit unreasonable? You kept saying ‘you have no choice.’ Now I’ve agreed, and you’re not satisfied?”

Cheng Yu danced on the edge of her landmines. Shenyufu’s brow furrowed, about to retort. But he quickly added after his jab:

“Yes, I agreed. So let me confirm: once I find your sister Yexuan’s whereabouts, this ends. Right?”

“Correct.”

“And you’ll handle the Suzhan Yue matter too. Right?”

“Yes.”

“You really are a dirty person, Senior Shenyufu.”

“Say whatever you want.”

No matter what Cheng Yu said, Shenyufu stayed utterly calm. His confirmation was all that mattered.

Cheng Yu snorted. He stood again, walked to the conference room door. His hand gripped the doorknob.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he turned back.

“Can I ask one more thing, Senior Shenyufu?”

“Go ahead.”

“Why not report this to the police? Wouldn’t they handle it better than me?”

“Unfortunately, Cheng Yu, I reported it long ago.”

Disgust filled Shenyufu’s eyes as she spoke.

“But those Azure Blade Society scum operate smarter than you think. For abductions or trafficking, they hire others to do the dirty work. They only take a cut. So pinning them for human trafficking is impossible.”

“Police caught some traffickers before. But the Azure Blade Society brainwashed them. They refused to talk. Beyond brawls, we’ve found no traces of them.”

“Honestly, even knowing the Azure Blade Society exists, wiping them out quickly is hard.”

“…But I can’t wait that long.”

Shenyufu’s knife hand trembled—excitement or anger, unclear—as she murmured:

“Every second, I crave overthrowing them. Making them pay. I even wish I could kill them all myself.”

“And every extra minute increases Yexuan’s risk of being sold.”

“So I need you to do this for me.”

“…Senior Shenyufu.”

Cheng Yu took a sharp breath. His voice turned serious.

“You’re truly a terrible, morally corrupt, and downright dangerous individual.”

“I know.”

Shenyufu showed no complaint. Only calm resolve.

“But for my sister’s sake, I’ll do anything.”

“Then I hope you find Yexuan soon.”

“That way… I’ll never have anything to do with you, this crazy woman, ever again.”

[Task completed. Host awarded 5 stamina points.]

Cheng Yu walked out. Slammed the door shut. Leaving Shenyufu alone in the quiet room.

Her eyes shimmered, lost in thought.

…

Jiangyx Jiang: [Cheng Yu!!! Where’ve you run off to this time, you idiot!! (｡･ˇ_ˇ･｡:) Afternoon class soon!! What if the teacher takes attendance and you’re missing!! （╯‵□′）╯︵┴─┴]

Cheng Yu: [If the teacher asks, tell them I went to defend Rhodes Island. Love you, babe. Muah~]

“Seriously… attendance hasn’t even started yet… why’s she so worried about me…”

Cheng Yu lay on the playground, muttering softly. He ignored his phone. Gazed up at the high sky.

He was still troubled.

Moving Suzhan Yue’s dorm seemed trivial. Yet it led him to someone he never wanted to see. And a demand he never imagined.

Even now, his head spun. Everything felt too sudden.

He even sensed a force behind him, pushing him onto this path.

“…If I’m honest, that force really exists.”

Cheng Yu chuckled to himself, bitter.

Hadn’t he been making choices under the system’s guidance all along?

What future lay ahead? Why did the system choose him? When could he escape this life—

These questions remained a complete fog.

“…Is it you, System?”

Cheng Yu whispered softly. Pouring his worries to the breeze.

But just then, a sweet, clear voice answered:

“Xitong… who’s that? No, it’s not. I’ve come to find you, Cheng Yu.”