Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 77

How did that just slip out!

Si Xiaoxiao felt like she wanted to cry but had no tears left. Her entire consciousness had withered like an eggplant hit by a frost. She simply refused to communicate with the system anymore, fearing that any further explanation would only make things worse.

Meanwhile, on the giant screen ahead, the plot continued to advance steadily.

In the scene, Li Ting finally seemed to have finished dealing with the overly enthusiastic fisherwoman, Lin Xiu. Dragging her exhausted body, she returned to the temporary room assigned to her—a simple but relatively clean little space.

She carefully checked the doors and windows, even setting up a crude alarm using a thin string. She tucked a kitchen knife under her pillow before blowing out the oil lamp and lying down fully clothed on the hard wooden bed.

The light on the screen dimmed, leaving only the cold moonlight filtering through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows on the floor. Li Ting’s breathing gradually became even and long; her pale face carried a heavy weariness as she fell into a deep sleep.

“Uh, am I supposed to be a voyeur watching Li Ting sleep now?” Looking at the screen which hadn’t moved for several minutes, Si Xiaoxiao fell into another fit of hesitation.

This feels way too perverted! At this point in the plot, shouldn’t the camera pan away and skip ahead with a subtitle saying “A night of silence”?

“Host, please remain calm.”

The system’s electronic voice chimed in perfectly, carrying a hint of schadenfreude-filled excitement.

Then, almost the instant the system finished speaking, the image on the screen underwent a subtle change.

The camera slowly moved away from Li Ting’s tranquil sleeping face and focused on the bottom of the simple wooden door.

A thin stream of thick, ink-like shadows was silently seeping through the crack beneath the door, moving like a living liquid. The shadow writhed and gathered in the moonlight, emitting an ominous aura.

Ahhh! What is that!?

Si Xiaoxiao was startled by this textbook horror-movie cinematography. Her consciousness almost catapulted into the air. She instantly forgot her previous embarrassment, her entire mind captured by the screen as she cried out: “Where did this monster come from! Li Ting! Danger! DANGER!!!”

The mass of shadows flowing into the room moved across the floor like a living thing, finally condensing and rising in front of Li Ting’s bed. It began to twist and deform… gradually outlining a blurry silhouette.

It appeared to be… several pink, slippery, flexible tentacles with translucent suckers at the tips?!

At that moment, the moonlight shifted, its clear glow falling upon Li Ting’s bloodless face—sunken in sleep due to exhaustion—forming a bizarre contrast with the solidifying tentacles that radiated a weird sense of “cuteness” mixed with deep-sea danger. It looked as though the scene was about to gallop off in a very strange direction…

This thing is so ugly!

Si Xiaoxiao curled her lip. She felt like she had seen these tentacles somewhere before. That pinkish color, that sucker-lined design… Speaking of which, who was a tentacle?

Wait, it seemed like her body had become a tentacle.

“Wait… this, this ugly thing couldn’t be me, right!! Is it a ‘part’ of me left in that world?!”

Thus, Si Xiaoxiao sought confirmation from the system.

The system gave an affirmative answer: “Of course. We do not like NTR elements, therefore the system ensures the Host does the ‘job’ herself.”

Si Xiaoxiao spiraled further: “You’re saying this ugly thing is me?! Ahhh! I don’t accept this!”

“Indeed~” The system’s electronic voice was as cheerful as a child’s. “This system keeps itself clean and dislikes NTR (cuckolding) elements. Therefore, in principle, all important interaction plots involving the Host will be completed by the Host herself or her constituent parts ~”

Si Xiaoxiao went completely ballistic: “You’re saying this pink, slimy, wriggling thing is me?! Ahhh! I won’t accept it! My image! My aesthetics! This is the ultimate desecration of Ms. Si Xiaoxiao’s perfect appearance!”

She couldn’t imagine being associated with something that looked both weird and… suggestive. It was pure torture!!

“Please mind your language, Host.” The system “comforted” her while actually twisting the knife: “This is a manifestation of a small piece of your true soul and power; it is part of your essence. Of course, you could more kindly imagine it as… well, your ‘tail’?”

Si Xiaoxiao: “Whose tail is this ugly? Shouldn’t it be fluffy?”

Accepting the criticism, the system countered seriously: “With all due respect, your taste is poor. This ‘Dreamy Pink Crystal Sucker-Tentacle Lady’ model is a limited-edition ‘noble’ variant among octopuses in the deep sea. It is both cute and beautiful, with excellent functionality—soft yet tough, strong suction, and sensitive perception…”

“!!!” Si Xiaoxiao’s mental defenses completely shattered! Limited-edition noble variant? Excellent functionality? She didn’t want any of this weird knowledge or setting!

But the progress on the screen would not stop just because the original body outside the screen was having a breakdown.

The pink tentacles, like curious spirits, noiselessly approached the bed. One of the slenderest ones tentatively… crept into the edge of the thin quilt covering Li Ting. Then, following the curves of her body, it began to crawl upward…

Si Xiaoxiao: “!!!”

Damn it!!! Those places! I haven’t even… haven’t even personally touched those places yet!!! By what right! Why does a mere ‘tail’! A ‘tail’ I don’t even want to admit is mine! Get to… get to rub up against her already?

Si Xiaoxiao really didn’t want to watch the livestream anymore! Turn it off, what on earth is this.

Ahhh! So I really am just a guest in the observation room! I’m the powerless wife in this farce!! Dammit! There’s no sense of participation at all.

Suddenly, the plot took a sharp turn.

The tentacle-version of Si Xiaoxiao didn’t forget the core essence of bickering with Li Ting; it suddenly wrapped around Li Ting’s neck and began to tighten, creating terrifying marks.

Si Xiaoxiao’s heart instantly squeezed tight. She stared at the screen without blinking, her previous awkwardness and shame replaced by massive worry.

What should I do! Is this going to fail? Such a thick tentacle…

Fortunately, Li Ting woke up instantly.

Her reactions were lightning-fast: struggling, counter-attacking, grabbing the knife, and slashing.

The movements were seamless and terrifyingly calm. The human and the “hand” fought in the dim room with a thrilling intensity.

Si Xiaoxiao stared at the screen, unsure if she wanted the “hand” to win or the human to win.

Technically, that was half of herself. If she couldn’t even beat Li Ting as a little monster, wouldn’t she be completely dominated in the future? But if the “hand” struck too hard, wouldn’t Li Ting end up meeting her here in the system space?

Just as her mood was like a roller coaster, nervously watching the screen, Li Ting—pushed to a desperate corner—suddenly shouted that name: “Si Xiaoxiao!”

The cold and resolute voice pierced through the screen and the void of the system space, echoing clearly in Si Xiaoxiao’s “ears.”

Outside the screen, Si Xiaoxiao froze.

She guessed it… She actually guessed it. Well, it’s normal since there are only two hosts in this system… and there were so many hints…

Si Xiaoxiao’s mind raced to find various excuses, trying to act with a “I expected this all along” indifference. However, the corners of her mouth, which were curving upward uncontrollably, completely betrayed her heart’s true throb.

[Congratulations Host, the name has been found! Establishing sensory link now!]

“Huh? What does that mean? Sensory link!?”

The next second—

“Ugh!”

Her expression changed instantly, and her whole body stiffened!

An extremely strange, indescribable feeling swept through her consciousness!

She felt as if… her “hand,” or rather a projected perception, had out of thin air touched something…?

That texture… delicate, warm, with the softness and elasticity unique to human skin… it seemed to be…

Si Xiaoxiao looked blankly at the tentacle on the screen, and her head instantly felt like it was flooding with heat.

Oh, it’s a sensory link. I thought it was… she touched it, and it’s just the place where the tentacle brushed against… what’s the big deal…

Even though Si Xiaoxiao’s mind was stubborn, telling herself to stay calm.

But!

BUT!

Her heart felt like it was going to!!!

FEEL LIKE IT WAS GOING TO EXPLODE, AHHHHH!!!!

That sensation transmitted through the mysterious link was incredibly clear and real.

The slight heat of Li Ting’s skin was like the warmth of jade under the early spring sun, transmitting through the thin fabric in threads, scorching Si Xiaoxiao’s consciousness until she wanted to curl up.

She could “feel” the slight rise and fall of Li Ting’s body as she breathed—the expansion and contraction of the chest—carrying a rhythm unique to life that was normally reassuring, but now felt exceptionally heart-stirring due to the intimate contact.

She could even… even capture the faint but steady thumping of the heart through the layers of obstruction.

Thump, thump, thump!

Each beat was like a strike against her consciousness, causing waves of inexplicable, flustered resonance.

All these minute perceptions merged into a surging, irresistible torrent of information, forcibly pouring into her “mind.”

This feeling was too strange!

How should she describe it? It felt like herself, yet not quite.

Everything was just too vivid!

It was as if she had two bodies.

This was probably instinct? It was so shameful and embarrassing.

The only saving grace was probably that she was the only one in the system space.

So much so that she could vent her emotions to her heart’s content.

“Wooo…” Si Xiaoxiao finally couldn’t help but let out a tiny, tearful whimper…

Tears gradually blurred Si Xiaoxiao’s eyes, falling in large droplets to the floor.

Those were not tears of sadness, nor did they seem to be tears of joy…

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