Shen Xiaoyu, in An'an's room, was on edge, afraid that something unexpected might happen.
After all, she knew almost nothing about this world's plot and characters, not even who her pursuit target was. The useless system couldn't be contacted—it was too difficult for her.
Seeing Shen Xiaoyu frowning, Shen Nian'an grumbled unhappily: "Hmph, with that sour face, you don't want to celebrate my birthday at all, do you? You hate me too, right?"
Shen Xiaoyu hurriedly shook her head: "No!"
Shen Nian'an wrinkled her little face in disbelief: "Then why aren't you smiling?"
Shen Xiaoyu forced a smile that looked worse than crying: "Fine, I'm smiling..."
"Are you doing this on purpose? It's my birthday and you're smiling so awkwardly!"
"..."
Why did she feel this girl was being unreasonable?
But looking at Shen Nian'an's delicate little face, she really couldn't get angry. Sigh, she must have owed this little devil in her past life!
Shen Xiaoyu showed her most brilliant smile ever, trying to get closer to Shen Nian'an to gather some information: "An'an, what's the relationship between your Mommy and that Tang auntie?"
Shen Nian'an pouted: "Hmph, why are you pretending? Aren't you two love rivals? Tang auntie has always liked Mommy, but Mommy doesn't like her, and doesn't let me play with Auntie Tang Tang. If Mommy wasn't so busy ignoring me, and you hadn't abandoned me, I wouldn't have gotten so close to someone else…"
Halfway through, the little one seemed to realize something was off and added proudly, "Don't think I like you, okay."
"..."
Seeing Shen Xiaoyu staring at her, Shen Nian'an felt somewhat guilty and shifted her gaze. "What are you looking at? So annoying!"
After saying this, she used her hands and feet to push Shen Xiaoyu out of the room.
"You little girl, I didn't do anything to you," Shen Xiaoyu murmured helplessly at the door.
Forget it. She wouldn't think about it anymore. She would go to the garden first. Maybe she could connect with that useless system again.
Shen Xiaoyu turned and went downstairs. Just as she reached the hall, she saw Su Huan coming out of the study alone.
Su Huan looked at her: "Xiaoyu, where are you going?"
"Ah, that... I thought I'd take a walk in the garden."
For some reason, facing Su Huan always gave her a strong sense of guilt, making her whole body uncomfortable.
"I'll go with you."
After saying this, Su Huan took her hand without giving her a choice and led her toward the garden.
In an instant, Shen Xiaoyu's discomfort returned. For some unknown reason, she... seemed extremely resistant to Su Huan's closeness.
As Shen Xiaoyu was being led, trying to free her hand from Su Huan's, they happened to meet the butler hurriedly bringing someone through the garden toward them. "Miss, this Miss Shi says she has urgent business with you and refused to wait outside."
Who was this Miss Shi?
Shen Xiaoyu couldn't help but look over curiously. She saw a woman with delicate features standing not far away, looking at her with reddened eyes.
She seemed to be saying something but wasn't making any sound. Upon careful observation, it appeared to be two syllables.
Sister.
Shen Xiaoyu's head buzzed, and she heard the crackling sound of the system.
[Pursuittargethasappeared!
Pursuittargethasappeared!]
[Pursuitcharacter: ShiQiubai. Pursuitmission: Eliminatecorruptionvalue. Currentcorruptionvalue: 1~100%]
Hearing this, Su Huan suddenly tightened her grip on Shen Xiaoyu's hand, staring with disbelief as the sword that had been hanging over her heart finally fell.
The system had still appeared.
Su Huan never imagined that despite her meticulous arrangements, the system had still connected with Shen Xiaoyu. Not only that, but this time the pursuit target was Shi Qiubai!
Why would it be Shi Qiubai?
How could it be Shi Qiubai?
The system said she was the villain of this world, a villain that needed Shen Xiaoyu's salvation. Why would Shen Xiaoyu change her pursuit target?
No one would answer Su Huan's questions.
After issuing the mission, the system crashed again, not even emitting an electronic sound.
Shen Xiaoyu was completely stunned. She didn't know Shi Qiubai, and moreover, she was living in Su Huan's home. How was she supposed to eliminate Shi Qiubai's corruption value?
And what did the system mean by saying the pursuit target would find a way to take her away from Su Huan?
Shen Xiaoyu couldn't figure it out and quickly put it aside. No matter what, at least she now knew who the pursuit target was.
She quietly freed her hand from Su Huan's grip and, before Su Huan could grab it again, casually moved to the side.
The atmosphere instantly became strange, with the three people showing different expressions.
Shen Xiaoyu could only force herself to look at Su Huan and say: "Aren't you going to introduce us? This is..."
Su Huan lowered her eyes to look at her empty hand, just as her heart now contained only emptiness.
But even facing the exposure of her lies, she wouldn't give up. No one could take Shen Xiaoyu away from her.
"This is Shi Qiubai, Miss Shi. She's a... casual friend of mine."
She clenched her fist, raised her head to look at Shi Qiubai in the crowd, slightly lifting her chin to declare ownership, "Shen Xiaoyu, my wife."
At these words, a trace of gloom flashed in Shi Qiubai's eyes, mixed with indescribable shock.
So sister really wasn't dead?
When she first heard the news of Shen Xiaoyu's "death," she immediately went to where her sister lived. All of Shen Xiaoyu's belongings remained in the room, nothing taken away, with bloodstains still on the floor.
No one knew what had happened the night before she disappeared. There were no cameras in the room, but according to the neighbor across the hall, two people had come looking for her before she left.
They only heard voices but didn't see the people, and after Shen Xiaoyu was taken away, she never returned.
She sought surveillance footage from the property management and with great difficulty found that the last people to appear in the community were Tang Tang and Su Huan, but she couldn't find anything more. She never gave up looking for Shen Xiaoyu, but Shen Xiaoyu had vanished without a trace, not a single piece of news.
She even found her parents and questioned them face-to-face. Upon learning of their daughter's "death," the elderly couple were so shocked they were immediately hospitalized. Because they were surrounded by people, they nearly died at their doorstep. In the end, Su Huan sent people to take them away, reportedly to some sanatorium abroad, but no one found them again.
So she had always suspected her sister's death was related to Su Huan and had been doing everything possible to investigate.
But today she finally confirmed that Sister wasn't dead and had been with Su Huan all along.
But why?
Sister would never willingly stay with Su Huan.
Shi Qiubai stared at Shen Xiaoyu with red eyes. Six years without seeing each other, and Sister still looked the same, but the way she looked at her carried strangeness and distance.
Although she didn't know what had happened to her, she could be certain it was related to Su Huan!
Shi Qiubai couldn't help but snap coldly, her voice slightly shrill as she questioned: "Su Huan, since when did Sister become your wife?"
Shen Xiaoyu suddenly looked at the speaker, the same person who had just called her "Sister."
Her pursuit target?
But what did her words mean? Could it be that she and Su Huan weren't actually married?
Shen Xiaoyu's mind was filled with thoughts, confusion appearing on her face as she looked doubtfully at Su Huan.
Su Huan suddenly stood up, taking a step to block her from view, cutting off the line of sight between the two.
"Miss Shi, you're not welcome in my home. Please leave." Su Huan rudely dismissed her. "Butler Wang, see the guest out!"
Butler Wang's expression was somewhat awkward. After all, having a guest sent away without even a sip of water was something that had never happened before.
Shi Qiubai laughed coldly, staring coldly at Su Huan. "I'll leave, but first, let's clarify something in front of Sister! You two are neither married nor have a marriage certificate. When did Sister become your wife?"
"How do you know we don't have a certificate?" Su Huan glared at Shi Qiubai with icy eyes. "What does Xiaoyu's business with me have to do with you? What right do you have to interfere?"
Her tone was severe, her clenched fingers revealing bulging veins, her expression furious as if she might explode at any moment.
She had always disliked Shi Qiubai, sticking to Shen Xiaoyu like glue. Even when leaving, she had to find the most suitable manager for Shi Qiubai.
Shi Qiubai completely ignored Su Huan and looked at Shen Xiaoyu behind her with gentle eyes. "Sister, let me introduce myself again. I'm Shi Qiubai. Your former artist."
Since Shen Xiaoyu didn't remember anything, she would let Shen Xiaoyu get to know her again.
Shen Xiaoyu's heart suddenly jumped. Artist? Hers?
Was the original owner that impressive? Even working in the entertainment industry?
Su Huan's face turned completely black, her hands clenched tightly at her sides, veins bulging on her forehead, a torrent of anger about to erupt.
With her back to Shen Xiaoyu, she naturally didn't notice the person behind her growing increasingly calm, until finally not a trace of expression remained.
Seeing the atmosphere between the two becoming increasingly tense, not knowing what was going on, Shen Xiaoyu could only helplessly laugh it off: "Alright, today is Nian'an's birthday. Let's not make everyone unhappy."
Shi Qiubai stopped targeting Su Huan. She hadn't come to cause trouble but to see Shen Nian'an.
She hated Su Huan, but Shen Nian'an was still her Sister's daughter. Although Su Huan hadn't said it outright, anyone could see the resemblance to Sister. With Sister absent, she naturally wanted to help take care of her. She hadn't expected this trip would bring her such a pleasant surprise.
No matter what, she would definitely take Sister away from Su Huan.
And Shen Xiaoyu's current mood was also very complex. Tonight's events had far exceeded her expectations, with the system acting as if it were dead, not making a sound.
Although she had found her pursuit target, the situation had become even more complicated.
"CEO Su, it's been a long time since we've seen each other. Won't you invite me in for a seat?" Shi Qiubai deliberately looked at Su Huan.
Fearing it would arouse Shen Xiaoyu's suspicion, Su Huan didn't dare to be too forceful. She could only watch Shi Qiubai walk ahead with great displeasure as the three of them entered the hall.
When taking a seat, Shi Qiubai deliberately went to sit opposite Shen Xiaoyu. Meeting her gaze, she showed a gentle smile. "Sister, it's been a long time. How have you been?"
Shen Xiaoyu smiled awkwardly. "Well... I'm fine."
Shi Qiubai wanted to say something to her, but Su Huan beside her was watching like a dog with rabies, as if she would pounce and bite her to death if she said one more word.
But the more Su Huan acted this way, the more Shi Qiubai provoked her, deliberately discussing past events with Shen Xiaoyu.
Shen Xiaoyu had no memories and didn't know what to say, so she just smiled without speaking, all while frantically calling the system in her mind.
Stop playing dead, give me some plot hints! Otherwise, she really feared the pursuit would collapse.
Su Huan beside her had all her attention on them, her eyes warning Shi Qiubai, occasionally joining in to divert the topic or shift Shen Xiaoyu's attention.
Soon, Su Huan's patience wore thin, and she once again dismissed Shi Qiubai. "Shi Qiubai, it's getting late. Shouldn't you be going home?"
As she spoke, she stared intently at Shi Qiubai, looking as if she wanted to throw her out.
Shi Qiubai slowly stood up, supporting herself with the chair, then suddenly fell, her hand gripping the chair back righteously. "Oh dear... sorry, I've twisted my ankle. I can't walk."
Shen Xiaoyu had an expression like an old man watching his phone on the subway. Was this person a green tea bitch?
Su Huan gritted her teeth in anger, pointing outside. "Get out."
She turned to call the servants to throw her out.
Shi Qiubai's eyes shifted to Shen Xiaoyu, gently rubbing her ankle, her face showing a trace of grievance. "Sister~"
Her tone was full of ups and downs, making one's heart feel soft and numb. Shen Xiaoyu's heart softened, and she stopped the servants. "Then don't leave. Zhang Ma, go prepare a guest room upstairs."
Shi Qiubai immediately smiled brightly. "Thank you, Sister."
Su Huan sharply looked at Shen Xiaoyu, but the latter didn't look at her, instead helping Shi Qiubai up and walking toward the stairs. "Come on, I'll take you up."
After all, she was the pursuit target. Building some goodwill was definitely a good idea.
Watching the two head upstairs, Su Huan followed without thinking. "Shen Xiaoyu, don't go with her!"
Shi Qiubai was like a time bomb. If Shen Xiaoyu stayed alone with her, she didn't know what Shi Qiubai might say.
If she revealed their past relationship—
Su Huan dared not think further. Seeing the two already on the stairs, she quickly stepped forward and grabbed Shi Qiubai. "You can't—"
Unprepared, Shi Qiubai fell backward, and a crisp sound came from her ankle.
"Ah—"
Shi Qiubai fell to the ground, clutching her ankle, crying out in pain.
"What are you doing!" Shen Xiaoyu's face changed drastically. She pushed Su Huan away, quickly went down to help her up. "Are you okay?"
Shi Qiubai bit her lip, her face pale, her forehead covered in fine sweat.
Her eyes were slightly red as she called out softly: "It hurts so much."
"I'll help you see a doctor!" Shen Xiaoyu immediately supported her and walked step by step toward the outside.
Behind them, Su Huan stood in a daze, looking at her own hand. She just now... hadn't used any force at all.
She watched Shen Xiaoyu's back. Shen Xiaoyu, who had already walked out the door, had turned her head, her eyes looking at her coldly, just like when she had said she wanted to leave.
"Start the car," she said flatly, then continued slowly walking with Shi Qiubai.
Shi Qiubai put all her weight on her, limping along, crying in pain while looking back provocatively at the nearly exploding Su Huan.
Did she think hiding her Sister away and deceiving her into thinking they were married would be enough?
Shi Qiubai wouldn't allow this to happen. Since she had found Sister, she would definitely make Su Huan's plans fail.
Su Huan stared at the two of them, not daring to anger Shen Xiaoyu further, and could only obediently go to start the car.
At the hospital, after Shi Qiubai saw the doctor, she was sent to a ward.
Taking the opportunity to send Su Huan away, Shi Qiubai grabbed Shen Xiaoyu's hand and pulled her into a tight embrace.
By the time Shen Xiaoyu realized she was being held, Shi Qiubai's arms were like pliers tightly gripping her waist, making her unable to move. A choked voice sounded by her ear.
"Sister, I've finally found you!"
Her voice carried grievance and sadness. "You promised you would always stay by my side, but when I went to find you again, you were gone."
Shi Qiubai's words made Shen Xiaoyu stop struggling. She stood like a wooden pole being hugged, motionless, just quietly listening to her confessions.
Shi Qiubai cried, as if wanting to pour out all her longing at once.
After a long time, she finally calmed down and asked with confusion: "Sister, where have you been all these years?" joy is not the same. Shen Xiaoyu only felt awkward. She knew Shi Qiubai was talking about the original owner, but she couldn't say she had transmigrated to complete a mission. She could only awkwardly play this role.
She chose her words carefully and eventually could only vaguely say: "I... I was in a coma for several years and only woke up recently."
Shen Xiaoyu pointed at her head. "Maybe it's an aftereffect of the illness. I've forgotten most of the past, so..."
Hearing this, Shi Qiubai suddenly pulled away from her, looking at her in disbelief, her lips trembling with sadness. "You have amnesia?!"
Shen Xiaoyu nodded. "You could say that."
Shi Qiubai's eyes darkened, and she gritted her teeth in hatred. "Su! Huan! This must be her doing! Does she think this way Sister will stay with her? Dream on!"
She grabbed Shen Xiaoyu's hand and said seriously: "Sister, I will definitely take you away!"
Shen Xiaoyu nodded blankly.
Indeed, just as the system had said, Shi Qiubai would take her away. Was the pursuit going to be this smooth?
Before she could ask, the system in her mind finally responded: [Tsk tsk, Shi Qiubai is really pitiful! In the original story, she was a cannon fodder supporting character, but later she met...]
The system seemed to remember something and paused before continuing: [Fate changed, but the person who changed her fate disappeared. Alas, a good supporting character became corrupted into a villain. Who can we complain to about this?]
Shen Xiaoyu felt somewhat uncomfortable hearing this and immediately asked while the system was active: [What was going on with you earlier? Why did you say a couple of words and then disappear?]
[At least give me the story background! Otherwise, I'm completely in the dark, not knowing where to start.]
She had transmigrated for almost a month, and finally met the pursuit target, yet she knew nothing. Was this a joke?
The system was somewhat helpless. [I had no choice. Su Huan can hear our conversations. If I had told you the story background then, Su Huan would have known everything, making the mission even harder.]
Shen Xiaoyu widened her eyes: [? Why are you only telling me such an important thing now?]
[Wait, why can she hear our conversations? Is she cheating?]
Shen Xiaoyu had thought Su Huan was just an NPC with a more complex storyline. She didn't expect her to have such an impressive cheat ability.
The system was silent for a moment. [This is quite complicated to explain. Let's talk about it later. For now, you only need to know two things. First, Su Huan can hear our conversations. Second, Tang Tang is the awakened female protagonist of this book.]
[???]
Shen Xiaoyu's mind was full of question marks. Thinking of the woman called Tang Tang she had just met, she didn't know where to begin criticizing.
A mind-reading supporting character and an awakened female protagonist?
[What the fuck kind of broken book is this? Why didn't you tell me such important things before?] Shen Xiaoyu was nearly going crazy. Not caring if Shi Qiubai noticed anything unusual, she directly halted her actions. "Wait a moment, let me calm down."
Shi Qiubai, with her reddened eyes, closed her mouth and watched as Shen Xiaoyu paced back and forth in the room, finally stopping at the balcony.
Shen Xiaoyu seemed to have gone mad with anger. With one hand on her hip, she tilted her head back to look at the sky, looking as if she wanted to jump off the building.
Afraid she might actually do something, Shi Qiubai, enduring the pain in her ankle, limped to her side and hugged her waist. "Sister, let's talk this through. Don't do anything rash!"
Talk it through? What was there to talk about?
She had just arrived in this world and encountered two overpowered individuals, while she had no special abilities at all. The only thing that could be considered a special ability, the system, was like a ghost possession, flickering in and out, impossible to grasp. If it had been any later, it might have been preparing her funeral!
What pursuit? Just wait to be erased!
The system also felt somewhat grieved. [It wasn't intentional. Who knew we would encounter Su Huan right after arriving? And she even had a signal blocker, guarding against us inside and out. Even if I wanted to tell you, I had no chance.]
But soon, it perked up. [But it's better now. See Shi Qiubai beside you? Just prevent her from becoming corrupted, and all problems will be solved!]
Hearing this, Shen Xiaoyu calmed down a bit and turned to look at Shi Qiubai, who was still hugging her waist, red-eyed and pitiful, looking nothing like the corrupted villain the system described.
"It's all Su Huan's fault! Sister, you mustn't do anything foolish!" Shi Qiubai cried out, forcibly leading Shen Xiaoyu back into the room.
Shen Xiaoyu sat in a chair, raised her hand to rub her brow, pondered for a long time, and then looked at Shi Qiubai. "Can you tell me about the past?"
Shi Qiubai was instantly enveloped in a layer of sadness, staring at Shen Xiaoyu, tears falling one after another.
She showed a bleak smile and slowly recounted the past she knew.