Chapter 4
Chapter 4
The system was having a serious conversation with its host.
Of course, Barbara might have been the only one taking it seriously, because its host was holding a plate of small cherries, tossing them into the air one by one, and catching them in her mouth.
Mmm, so sweet! Zhu Yin narrowed her eyes in delight.
Barbara was a little nervous.
It had always thought its host was a rookie who knew nothing. It had even kindly suggested that she try developing her career in a more popular division.
Never had it imagined that it was the only rookie here!
What kind of rookie could casually produce an item worth at least six figures in points?
What did a six-figure points balance mean?
Take the World-Hopping Bureau’s missions as an example. Missions involving protagonists with major roles were dangerous, but they offered equally high rewards and plenty of points.
If someone completed a protagonist-world mission perfectly and unlocked all sorts of achievements, they could earn over ten thousand points from a single mission if luck was on their side.
The most popular products in the World-Hopping Bureau’s store were stat points.
Every one thousand points could be exchanged for one stat point. Stat points could be applied to a host, improving everything from physique, appearance, and charisma to the soul, innate aptitude, and more.
Most employees of the World-Hopping Bureau came for the points store.
Of course, their Supporting Role Division was known as the poorest division in the World-Hopping Bureau. A single mission could never earn as many points as a protagonist assignment.
But the advantage was obvious. Supporting roles had low participation, little screen time, and consequently little risk.
Those who came to the Supporting Role Division either had limited qualifications and ability or wanted to slack off and coast through their days.
For the more involved Supporting Role Division assignments, an employee might serve as an important assistant beside the protagonist, as Zhu Yin did this time. The work was more tiring, but the final points settlement would also be higher.
At other times, the Supporting Role Division would be sent to make a token appearance as passersby. These roles included, but were not limited to: members of the cheering section praising the protagonist from below the stage while the protagonist crushed all opposition; innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire while the protagonist crushed all opposition; and the disposable extra who got killed while the protagonist crushed all opposition…
In any case, Supporting Role Division missions paid as little as a hundred or so points, while even the highest rewards barely broke a thousand.
An item worth hundreds of thousands of points?
Barbara did not even dare imagine it.
It asked cautiously, “Host… you’re actually a top expert from the Protagonist Division who came to our Supporting Role Division to see how the other half lives, right?”
It was already convinced that even within the Protagonist Division, anyone who could casually produce an item like that had to be one of the illustrious experts high on the rankings.
Unfortunately, it was only a little system fresh out of its internship and had never seen any of those experts in person.
Zhu Yin burst out laughing. She lifted the little ball from her shoulder, set it in her palm, and rubbed it soothingly.
“You’re overthinking it. I told you on the first day that I’m a new employee.”
Barbara did not believe a single word!
Zhu Yin explained, “I got this item from my previous job. I was lucky enough to retire successfully and received quite a lot in bonuses, so I exchanged them for a few things.”
She spoke as though it were nothing of consequence.
Barbara asked doubtfully, “Really?”
“Of course.” Zhu Yin smiled. “In any case, there can’t be anything wrong with my identity. If there were, your Supreme God would certainly have discovered it, wouldn’t they?”
Barbara put its little mind to work. That was true!
The Supreme God and the Central System must have reviewed every new employee before recruitment.
Its host’s identity was sound, and these powerful items would make completing their missions easier. Barbara would benefit from the points too. It ought to be grateful.
The little ball immediately cheered up. Even the brightness of its body visibly increased.
Han Qingzi came out carrying something and smiled when she saw the female butler eating fruit with all the childishness of a little girl.
“Butler Zhu Yin, his dizzy spells have eased considerably over the past two days, and his appetite has improved quite a bit.”
Zhu Yin had arranged the menu during this period, and it had indeed helped Shen Dongjun recover. Everyone in the Shen family was extremely grateful to her.
These days, Han Qingzi had personally tended to Shen Dongjun without leaving the task to anyone else. Zhu Yin naturally knew when to stay away. Unless absolutely necessary, she never appeared before the pair.
She demonstrated through her actions exactly what it meant to have no interest in the eldest young master of the Shen family, leaving those who had darkly speculated about her motives with nothing to say.
Han Qingzi had treated her well from the beginning. After more than ten days, she had grown even closer to her.
Zhu Yin thought for a moment. “I expect the Young Master will be fully recovered in another two or three days.”
The aftereffects should be just about gone by then.
“Really?” Han Qingzi was delighted.
Zhu Yin and Barbara watched her leave with light steps like a fluttering butterfly. Before long, she went upstairs and entered the bedroom again. Woman and system both fell into thought.
Over the past ten days or so, Han Qingzi had cared for Shen Dongjun with the utmost devotion. The atmosphere between them had been wonderful. Anyone with eyes could see that they had feelings for one another.
If they had feelings for each other, why did they argue every day?
To answer that, one had to speak of the entanglement between them.
Shen Dongjun and Han Qingzi had entered an arranged marriage between their families.
Shen Dongjun’s grandfather, Old Mr. Shen, was a very close friend of Old Mr. Han.
What had happened between Shen Dongjun’s parents convinced Old Mr. Shen to choose an outstanding wife for his grandson in every respect.
Because of Shen Xin, Shen Dongjun’s standards for emotional fidelity had reached an almost pathological degree. He rejected every advance from men and women alike.
Han Qingzi, meanwhile, had harbored a secret crush on an idealized love for many years in her youth.
At the time, the Han family business ran into trouble, and Old Mr. Han was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Everything was in chaos.
Old Mr. Shen stepped in to help. When he visited his old friend in the hospital, he saw Han Qingzi. The well-behaved, polite little girl he remembered had grown into an elegant and lovely young woman.
Old Mr. Shen thought of his grandson, had an idea, and suggested bringing the two young people together.
At first, their marriage was uneventful.
They initially treated each other with the courtesy due between guests. Though they were not particularly intimate, they got along pleasantly and politely enough.
Han Qingzi was lovely, gentle, and quite talented. With such an exceptional beauty before him every day–and as his wife at that–Shen Dongjun could hardly avoid developing feelings for her.
Likewise, Shen Dongjun was handsome, highly capable, and morally disciplined, without any of the bad habits common to rich heirs. It was difficult not to fall for such a man after spending so much time with him.
Had things developed normally, this should have been a sweet modern romance about love blossoming after marriage.
But if everything had been that normal, Zhu Yin would not have needed to come.
Just as the atmosphere between them was steadily improving, Han Qingzi’s idealized love returned.
Someone deliberately revealed Han Qingzi’s past to Shen Dongjun and embellished every detail, turning an adolescent crush into a love so profound it had carved itself into her bones. According to this account, Han Qingzi still could not let the man go.
Han Qingzi also received an audio recording in which Shen Dongjun said he hated their marriage, did not like Han Qingzi, and had married her only to fulfill his grandfather’s wish.
Their relationship plunged completely to freezing point.