The Disgraced Heir of the Wealthy Family Has Gone Mad - Chapter 16

Watching Shen Muyun act this way, the system stretched its wings and muttered, “Host, you cannot do this. You are burning bridges. I have provided so many useful clues; you cannot just turn your back on me like this.”

Shen Muyun kicked the quilt. Even though it was September, the air felt damp and hot, making him extremely uncomfortable. His right eyelid started twitching again; there was no telling what ridiculous thing would happen next.

He looked at the system, which still had not left, and began to hold it accountable.

“Burning bridges? The system has not even been held accountable yet. You tell me: what effective information have you ever provided? When I fell off the horse, you used your ‘stand by and watch’ tactic. What if I had lost, the contract had been signed, and you tried to take back my previous rewards?”

“That, well, Host, please calm down. It is not like that. It would not happen, I promise!”

“Then what would happen?”

The system’s display screen showed a cute little heart. “At worst, there is always your brother. He would not have agreed to that contract either. It was an attempt to cannibalize the Shen family assets; do you think he would not have known? But really, you should not participate in such dangerous things in the future. Winning or losing does not matter as much as I cannot let anything happen to you.”

“Since you know you cannot let anything happen to me, why did you just let it happen?”

“Host, I was wrong, is that not enough? Besides, I still want to return to my original world. I miss the scallion pancakes there. Even if there are no scallion pancakes, meat-filled cakes would be fine. If there were little mice, that would be even better.”

Shen Muyun rolled his eyes at the system. “System, I never noticed before, but you are a foodie. Wait, no, System, what is with the little mice? And where is this original world you speak of?”

The system’s little wings twisted and crinkled together as it landed on the bed, blinking its eyes at Shen Muyun.

“I came from the same place as you. It has probably been several hundred years since I last went back. Perhaps my abilities are insufficient, but now the Space-Time Administration has issued me a mandatory task. Your missions look like they will become increasingly complex. As for the little mice, that is my pet. Its name is Zhizhi. I just miss it.”

Shen Muyun sighed. He had died from overwork in his past life. Was he now destined to work himself to death in this repetitive cycle? No, he had to live a more relaxed life. He would live for the moment and forget about the main storyline tasks. Happiness came first.

“System, the meaning of life lies in freedom. Do not worry about so many unnecessary tasks and waste our precious time. Even if the tasks are difficult, what does it matter? Is it not just about having the courage to be yourself?”

“Um, Host, actually, your abilities are very strong. The people over there intend for you to complete tasks not just to redeem the villain or extend your life, but because there are more important things waiting for you. This is a strange territory, and you need to explore it slowly.”

Shen Muyun had originally only wanted to survive, but now, hearing the system’s words, he realized he would not have a moment of peace. More rewards? He could never go back, so what were these rewards really? They were probably just empty promises. Forget it; thinking so much about it was meaningless.

“System, what is the use of that gemstone? I have asked many times, but your answers are always vague. Is there something special about that kind of thing?”

Shen Muyun blurted this out suddenly, catching the system off guard.

“That gemstone was previously in the mall at a high price. It was specially provided by the new administrator of the Space-Time Administration. Currently, the answer given to me is that this gemstone can save your life in an emergency. Based on my experience, it will likely transmit you to a different time and place, equivalent to a fresh start. Host, you are great, and I hope this will be my final mission as your system.”

Shen Muyun felt slightly comforted by these words, but he believed in taking things as they came. It did not sound like anything too difficult.

“Beep, beep, beep. A new task has arrived. Host, please receive it.”

The system screen displayed a small envelope with tiny pink wings. Why was it so suggestive?

Shen Muyun reached out and tapped the screen. A string of new tasks appeared: September 26, Lu Huainan’s birthday. Please attend his birthday banquet on time and complete the hidden task. Reward: 500,000 tokens.

Lu Huainan’s birthday… interesting. As for birthdays, Shen Muyun had not celebrated his own since he was eighteen. He figured that every birthday made him a year older; if he did not celebrate, he would be eighteen forever. But Lu Huainan was turning thirty and was so enthusiastic about it.

He looked at the display screen again. No, wait, that was 500,000 tokens. Why so many? Was this some epic-difficulty mission?

“Host, are you not going to check the hidden task?”

Shen Muyun only then noticed a small, inconspicuous envelope below the main one. The wax seal was a pink heart.

A sense of unease rose in his heart. This mission was definitely problematic and should not be accepted. His sixth sense urged him not to open this envelope; it felt like Pandora’s box.

“Host, such a beautiful little envelope, do you not like it? Would you like to change the design?”

The system instantly perked up and changed the envelope to black and gold, inlaid with small diamonds along the edges. It looked far more valuable than the original.

Shen Muyun still did not click it. “I can go to the birthday banquet, but I do not want to accept other hidden tasks. Can I not just earn tokens through the main storyline? I have been a corporate slave for ten years; now that I can finally lie flat, just let me rest.”

The system hovered back and forth in front of him, dissatisfied. “Respected Host, you must know that the items in the system mall are helpful for missions. You need to redeem them, and that requires tokens. Therefore, if there is a way to increase tokens, you should explore it actively. If you miss this opportunity, you do not know how many main storyline tasks you will have to do to equal one hidden task.”

Shen Muyun frowned and looked out the window, remembering his original intention: to live comfortably.

“System, if I do not do this kind of hidden task, will there be a penalty mechanism?”

The system quickly queried the relevant data. “Beep, beep, beep. Host, it shows here that if the hidden task has nothing to do with the main storyline, there is no penalty mechanism. However, if it is connected to the main storyline, such tasks cannot be skipped. If you force a skip, it will lead to subsequent instability, or even the collapse of the current world. You also know that if the world is destroyed, we will…”

Shen Muyun understood what the system meant. It was a trap, a massive trap.

He reluctantly clicked on the black-and-gold envelope, and the mission that greeted him left him dumbfounded.

“System, tell me what this means. What does capture Lu Huainan mean? Does capture mean becoming brothers? The Lu and Shen families are old family friends, so what is there to capture? You had better give me a reasonable explanation.”

A light blush appeared on the system’s cheeks. “Well, Host, life has both a career arc and an emotional arc. This refers to your emotional arc. It does not mean for you two to become brothers. You should understand what this means.”

“Absurd! What kind of absurd mission is this? This is impossible. System, is this not a side quest? Tell me, I only want to focus on my career. Is that not enough?”

The system looked at Shen Muyun awkwardly and continued, “Host, actually, such a task is not difficult compared to those with high risk. It is not impossible to accept. Besides, this is 500,000 tokens. The most expensive item in the mall is currently only worth 990,000. This is a sound investment.”

Shen Muyun felt the mission was too absurd and even began to question Lu Huainan’s previous actions. “System, is there a possibility that Lu Huainan’s actions were under your control, which is why he acted that way before?”

“No, no, no! That is impossible. Host, Lu Huainan is the male lead of this book. The Space-Time Administration cannot interfere with the characters or events originally in the book. So, he helped you voluntarily. What is wrong? Is the Host moved? To be honest, my data shows Lu Huainan is a high-quality man. He is the pursuit of many people in Jiangcheng, but he has never responded. For a while, there were rumors that he liked men. Perhaps you really have a chance.”

Shen Muyun gently rubbed his temples. What was this all about? He did not care about what Lu Huainan liked. “System, I will definitely attend Lu Huainan’s birthday banquet, but I do not think there is any need for this capture mission. I already owe him a favor; I cannot possibly…”

“Host, a drop of water should be repaid with a gushing spring; is that not the principle of the human world? So, if you offer yourself, would that favor not be repaid immediately?”

“Offer myself? How is that possible? Wouldn’t that mean I owe even more? Are you moonlighting as a matchmaker at the Space-Time Administration? That is not a good business model. You might have some high-quality sources waiting for you, but by the time you fail as a matchmaker, you will be chased and scolded by a group of people.”

The system scratched its head in embarrassment. “Host, the Space-Time Administration does not provide such services. This is a directive from above; it has nothing to do with me. I am just a bystander.”

“That phrase is not used like that, System. If this is a side quest, I am formally requesting a permanent closure of all side quests.”