Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 78

Si Xiaoxiao was weeping in the pure white space, curled almost into a ball. Crystal teardrops rolled down one after another, splashing onto the invisible “floor” with soft, audible thuds.

As she watched the mess on the screen and the tentacles still “working diligently,” her heart was drowned in a massive wave of guilt.

What should she do? Li Ting had been soiled…

And she was the one who did it…

“Waaah… what am I going to do…” she sobbed, her voice thick with nasal congestion, sounding incredibly aggrieved. “Li Ting… Li Ting was made dirty by me…”

Indeed, an adult’s breakdown happens in an instant.

Wooo… She was a bad person. To think she actually used this method to… sob…

She condemned herself frantically in her inner world while her body trembled slightly from the sobbing.

What made her feel even more panicked and self-loathing was that beneath the surging shame and moral condemnation, she actually… didn’t feel regret. In fact, the clear, warm tactile sensations and Li Ting’s subtle reactions transmitted through the link were like the sweetest poison, nurturing a hidden, greedy longing in the depths of her heart.

She wanted more! She wanted to feel that warmth and softness even more! To occupy that territory even further!

To touch the rival she was supposed to hate even more!

This contradictory psychology caused her immense pain, making her cry even harder.

Her entire body seemed to flush a faint pink from emotional overload, looking like a pathetic, overcooked shrimp—fragile, helpless, and utterly pitiable.

Seeing that the system space was about to be flooded with tears, the System panicked a little, though perhaps with a hint of unknown excitement. It quickly asked: “What are you crying for! Aren’t you the one taking advantage here?”

Goaded by these words, Si Xiaoxiao’s tears fell even faster, tinged with a bit of humiliated anger. With an “Awoo,” as if punishing herself, she raised her “left hand” and slapped her “right hand” hard!

“Bad… bad hand for not listening! For taking advantage of people!” She scolded her own “hand” while crying. Her large, jewel-like eyes, washed by tears and looking like they contained the stars and the sea, were brimming with water, appearing even more clear and bright, yet filled with grievance and self-blame. “That’s Li Ting! Your rival! How could you… how could you do this!”

Since she was alone in the system space, she could shamelessly display her childishness and contradictions.

“Uh…” The System seemed a bit speechless at this display of extreme morality and self-punishment.

But on second thought, its host had always been a “clumsy beauty” who was unexpectedly pure and serious in certain aspects. Well, considering it was a first love, this reaction didn’t seem so strange after all.

Moreover, the more this dummy cried like a pear blossom in the rain and took her self-blame seriously, the more it stimulated… a certain wicked pleasure of wanting to bully her even more to see more of her reactions.

So, the System adopted a casual tone and dropped another bombshell: “Please don’t dwell on it. The ‘hand-feel’ you’re obsessing over is just an appetizer. Just a reminder: the sensory link doesn’t just sync the feelings of the ‘hands.’ Why don’t you look at the screen more closely?”

“Ugh…?” Hearing this, Si Xiaoxiao reflexively stopped her crying a bit. Her long, tear-drenched lashes trembled as she looked up, letting out a very obedient, nasally “Hm?” before gazing at the large screen once more.

On the screen, those pink, tender tentacles were still tightly entwined around Li Ting’s body.

Due to the previous “struggle” and a certain mysterious heat, Li Ting had long ago kicked away the thin quilt. Her once-neat clothes were now a mess, her collar slightly open, revealing a glimpse of an exquisite collarbone and more delicate skin…

Si Xiaoxiao suddenly didn’t want to look anymore. This System definitely had bad intentions!

So why was she looking!!

Even as she thought this, she swallowed hard, her eyes unable to move away from the screen at all.

And one of the slenderest, most flexible tentacles was… was covering…!!

Si Xiaoxiao: “??!!!”

What is it doing?!

She instantly sensed that something was wrong!

Almost at the same time, an extremely strange sensation surged through that damned link.

Her bad premonition was confirmed! She felt as though something had been stuffed into her “mouth.”

What was this?

The ominous feeling in Si Xiaoxiao’s mind grew stronger. Turning back to the screen—Miss Diligent Tentacle! She was climbing a mountain!!

Stop it right now!!!

“Host, didn’t you know?” The System’s electronic voice chimed in at the perfect time, smugly beginning to explain the ultimate blow: “The sensations transmitted from the tips of the tentacles simulate the touch of ‘fingers.'”

It continued.

“And as everyone knows! Those cute little suckers on the tentacles… they are synced to the perception of the ‘mouth’! Well? Isn’t Miss Tentacle’s physiological structure wondrous and exquisite?”

Huh? What are you talking about?! Since when is this ‘common knowledge’!!!

Si Xiaoxiao’s brain went “Bang!”

It felt as if an atomic bomb had detonated inside her head!

Wait?!

Which means… what I’m holding in my “mouth” right now… is… is…

Dammit!

Once her mind realized this incredibly shameful, shocking possibility, Si Xiaoxiao’s core consciousness felt as if it had been frozen instantly by absolute zero.

What… what kind of mess is this!

The System is trying to kill her!

She fell straight back, stiff as a board, hitting the invisible floor with a “Thud.” Her eyes completely lost their highlights, becoming hollow like a soulless, exquisite doll—a living person who had turned “dead.”

How did it come to this…

How could this happen…

Larger, more crystalline, and hotter tears—like a bursting dam—surged frantically from those unfocused, jewel-like eyes again, rolling down her cheeks and forming a small, sad puddle on the pure white floor.

It’s completely… over…

There was no room for turning back… After tasting the “sacred fruit”… how could she ever pretend to be a thorny person again?

She had committed an unforgivable sin!

Even though the tentacles did it… even though the System forced her… even though it was driven by instinct… still… in the end, the one who actually, physically enjoyed that strange and alluring touch and scent through her “mouth”… was Si Xiaoxiao herself!

“Congratulations on triggering a little Easter egg!” The System, never one to pass up on drama, took the opportunity to heighten the quality of the ‘play’: “The tears you shed will be transmitted through Miss Tentacle to Miss Li Ting as a holy healing medicine!”

Hearing this, Si Xiaoxiao’s tears fell even harder, and she cried so much she almost choked.

“This… this…” Because her mouth was “occupied” by something, Si Xiaoxiao’s voice became muffled and slurred, mixing with rolling tears and sobbing, making her sound even more fragile and pitiful—like a homeless kitten soaked by the rain.

The powerful, surging sense of self-reproach and guilt almost crushed and pulverized her; the aura of a fragile “loser” was displayed to the fullest on her.

It had to be said that Si Xiaoxiao was indeed a good girl who had survived the chaotic entertainment industry for years, yet miraculously remained untainted, keeping a surprising amount of purity and morality in a corner of her heart.

“As long as you both feel the same way, it’s just ‘flirting’!” Seeing that the kid was easy to fool, the System began its brainwashing.

Si Xiaoxiao shook her head with tear-filled eyes, her sobs making her words intermittent, like the whimpering of a wounded beast: “But, Li… Li Ting… she doesn’t like me…”

Like a strict instructor, the System’s electronic voice suddenly rose, questioning her with an undeniable momentum: “Then do you want her to like you?”

“Of… Of course!” Scared by the sudden interrogation, Si Xiaoxiao reflexively sat up straight like a student being called on. She nodded obediently while crying, her true thoughts slipping out—only for her tsundere nature to explode immediately after. She began shaking her head frantically, saying: “No! I… I don’t!!”

She tried to use grand gestures to hide her true feelings, her voice cracking with urgency. But the tears falling patter-patter and the subtle, unconscious sucking motions made by her “mouth” betrayed her completely.

“Host, it seems you still don’t understand the true meaning of this world!” The System’s voice sighed with a shake of its head, sounding incredibly majestic.

“True… true meaning?” Si Xiaoxiao flinched, licked her lips, and asked: “What do you mean?”

“Do you want Li Ting to be ‘eaten’ for free without any commitment!?”

“Huh?” Si Xiaoxiao blinked, her expression turning odd. How did this turn into “eating for free”—and it wasn’t exactly “drinking,” either.

“Host, here is one more hint. Actually, you only have one mission!” The System generously provided a clue: “That is to face your own heart! Find the choice of your instinct! Even so! Are you still going to make excuses?!”

“I… I’m not.” Si Xiaoxiao lowered her head, her face showing a look of struggle.

“As the basis for evaluating your mission! Answer me! Host, do you really hate Li Ting?”

Si Xiaoxiao unconsciously clenched her fists. After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke: “I… I don’t hate her.”

The System continued to press her, intent on not letting her dodge the question: “Is it just ‘not hating’ her?”

“I… I…” She opened her mouth, her voice broken and sobbing, carrying a sense of desperation as if she were throwing everything away.

All the struggle, all the awkwardness, and all the duplicity were washed away in this moment by the surging flood of emotion.

She took a deep breath, as if using every ounce of strength in her body, and finally spoke those burning words buried in the deepest part of her heart—clearly, tremblingly, yet with absolute certainty:

“I like Li Ting.”

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