Chapter 76

Qin Aochen shouted fiercely, but his tough tone masked inner fear. His limbs trembled uncontrollably. His hand was restrained by Luo Yi, leaving him helplessly kicking his legs against the ground.

Shen Lihuan pulled out the medicine bottle, pretending to sprinkle the powder on him to test the system—but she clearly didn’t feel any reaction from it.

Her expression turned thoughtful. She gave Qin Aochen a meaningful look and then actually sprinkled the powder on his face. The system remained completely still, as if it were dead.

The drug took effect almost instantly. In less than two seconds, Qin Aochen stiffened and collapsed to the floor. Aside from his eyeballs, he couldn’t move at all.

Shen Lihuan handed the bottle to Luo Yi. “Go sprinkle this powder on the woman in the room.”

Luo Yi took the bottle, hesitated for a moment, then, noticing the eager looks from his brothers, couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, “Miss Shen, can we have the rest of this powder when you’re done?”

Shen Lihuan looked up and smiled at the bodyguards. “Brother Luo, you should’ve said something earlier. If you want it, just ask. I’ve got plenty of this little powder.”

Luo Yi’s eyes instantly lit up. His usually expressionless face even revealed a trace of a smile. “Then I’ll thank you on behalf of my brothers.”

Shen Lihuan nodded, and Luo Yi went into the room, keeping his eyes straight ahead as he sprinkled the powder on the flushed, bare-armed woman. Even though there was a strong, indescribable smell in the room, he didn’t frown once. After finishing, he turned and left.

Once Luo Yi exited, Shen Lihuan turned to the armed bodyguards and said, “I have some things to ask Qin Aochen. Brother Luo, you all head upstairs for now. I’ll call if I need anything.”

Qin Aochen was living in a villa—there was plenty of space. Even if the bodyguards went upstairs, they wouldn’t be able to hear anything from downstairs.

They all knew Shen Lihuan was skilled in combat, and with Qin Aochen currently immobilized, they didn’t argue and quietly went up.

Qin Aochen hadn’t expected the powder to paralyze him completely. His eyes rolled around wildly in fear as he stared at Shen Lihuan, and finally remembered who she was.

No wonder the system said the Shen family had made a move against him—it was because of this woman. She was You Changqing’s partner, of course she’d be against him.

For the first time in his life, Qin Aochen regretted provoking You Changqing. If he hadn’t stubbornly pestered You Changqing over his pride, he wouldn’t be lying here like this, completely paralyzed.

He wanted to beg for mercy, but his mouth couldn’t move. All he could do was blink furiously at Shen Lihuan, hoping she’d understand what he meant.

As Luo Yi and the others disappeared upstairs, Shen Lihuan finally turned her attention to Qin Aochen’s face.

“Come out. I know you’re there.”

She spoke coldly.

Who was she talking to? Aside from the two of them, was there anyone else here? Qin Aochen was confused, but a bad premonition suddenly welled up in his heart.

The system didn’t know if she was addressing it, so it only stared at her in puzzlement, saying nothing.

Shen Lihuan’s sharp senses locked onto the system’s presence. Her gaze shot over like lightning. “Found you.”

The system jolted in panic. Had she actually seen it? How else could she be staring right where it was hiding? The energy in its body began fluctuating more and more.

Qin Aochen’s heart thudded. Who was she talking to? Could she see the system? If she could—was he still the chosen child of fate in this world?

A coppery taste rose in his throat.

“Come out. You know I’m talking to you. Or do I have to call you out by name, little system?”

Shen Lihuan didn’t understand why the system had stood by while Qin Aochen was under threat—but it worked to her advantage, so there was no need to dig too deep.

“Pfft!” A mouthful of blood spilled from Qin Aochen’s lips. It was over. His final trump card had been exposed.

Now the system was certain it had been discovered. But strangely, it didn’t dislike this girl—on the contrary, it felt a strong fondness for her. It could see a brilliant golden glow of karmic virtue around her—such light only came from saving many lives. That meant she was a kind person, someone who wouldn’t harm it.

The system thought for a moment, then released its invisibility. Flapping its little wings, it flew over to Shen Lihuan. “Hello, I’m System 521. Nice to meet you.”

System 521 looked like an extremely adorable little boy, about five years old, with rosy lips and bright white teeth, his gender indistinguishable. His big, clear eyes and round little body made people want to reach out and squish him. Behind him were a pair of tiny transparent wings that fluttered adorably.

So this was what the system looked like? It was hard to believe. Shen Lihuan had expected a cold, robotic machine—never this little angel.

“I’m glad to meet you too. I was looking for you because I want you to break your bond with Qin Aochen. He’s such a filthy person—being bound to him is an insult to you.”

Staring at 521’s cute face, Shen Lihuan couldn’t bring herself to speak harshly. She was simply helpless against adorable little ones.

521 beamed. “I regret bonding with him too. But…”

His expression dimmed. “He’s already my host. If he dies, I die too. Only he can supply me with energy. But it’s okay. He did wrong—he should be punished. He hurt Huo Ran. I have evidence. I can give it to you… I hope you’ll help her get justice.”

Shen Lihuan fell silent. It was a good system—just stuck with the wrong person. Looking at 521’s forced smile, she frowned. “Is Qin Aochen the only one who can be your host? Isn’t there anyone else who can supply you with energy?”

If Qin Aochen could be bonded with a system, it proved his luck was extraordinary. But in such a vast world—was he really the only one with great fortune?

“Originally, only Qin Aocheng could be my host, but now there’s you as well. You are a person of great virtue, and the strong golden light of merit surrounding you ensures you will be Heaven’s favored one for ten lifetimes.”

The closer 521 got to Shen Lihuan, the more it liked the pure aura emanating from her. Its internal data surged frantically until a line of text appeared on its control panel—Person of Merit. Feared by neither ghosts nor gods. Eligible to be a host. Bind now?

521 was beyond thrilled. It finally had a chance to break free from Qin Aocheng. As long as Shen Lihuan agreed to become its host, it could unbind from him.

Shen Lihuan raised an eyebrow. “I’m a person of merit?”

She thought back carefully. In her previous life, she had killed countless zombies, saved many ordinary people, and eventually sacrificed herself to destroy the zombies and save the world. It made sense that she’d accumulated merit.

“Yes! Because you saved so many people, you’ve gained golden merit light. So… do you want to bind with me?”

521 looked at her hopefully, palms pressed together, face full of pleading.

Blood flowed even more freely from the corner of Qin Aocheng’s mouth. If the system unbound from him, he was truly finished.

“First, tell me exactly what kind of system you are. If I bind with you, will there be any danger to me?”

Shen Lihuan felt a bit of fondness for the system, but not enough to act recklessly.

“I’m a system from the interstellar future. My creator was Qin Yuan, the greatest scientist in the galaxy. At first, he built me just to be his assistant, to help with daily tasks and work. But over time, I developed consciousness. I discovered that by helping others complete tasks, I could absorb energy that made me stronger.”

“I used that energy to take on human form, and I began to enjoy being human. If life had stayed peaceful, I might’ve eventually become a real human. But then a catastrophic disaster struck. A massive planet came hurtling from outer space and collided with ours. People didn’t even have time to evacuate—the whole planet was destroyed.”

Recalling the past, 521’s big eyes held a sorrow far beyond its age. “My creator used the last of his strength to send me away, and I was lucky enough to fall into a time-space rift and end up on Earth.”

“So… you’re the only survivor from your planet?”

Shen Lihuan felt a weight in her heart. An entire planet—gone.

“Yes. Only I survived.”

Thinking of its beloved creator, tears welled up in 521’s eyes again. It wiped them away with its little hands. “But I’ve unlocked all of my permissions now. As long as I have enough energy, I can turn back time and return to my creator’s side.”

Even if it couldn’t stop the disaster, it would never leave him again. If death was unavoidable, it would die with him.

“I’m a support-type system. My mission is to help my host become a top figure in their field and reach the peak of life. The belief value the host earns is converted into energy for me. I only need energy. I don’t want anything else. You don’t need to worry about any danger. In fact, we’re one. Only if you thrive can I thrive.”

521 looked at Shen Lihuan sincerely and asked once more, “Will you be my host?”

At this point, Shen Lihuan had no reason to refuse. She nodded. “I will.”

521 beamed. A burst of red light radiated from its chest. Qin Aocheng suddenly heard a mechanical voice in his mind: “System unbound. System unbound!” His mind went blank, as if something had been torn away from it.

At the same time, Shen Lihuan heard a cheerful childlike voice: “System 521 has been bound to you. Looking forward to working with you, Master!”

Shen Lihuan curved her lips into a smile. “Looking forward to it.”

521 flew to its new master’s side with joy all over its face. The new master was incredible. As soon as they were bound, a steady stream of energy flowed into it. It was finally full, and the constant hunger vanished.

Now that she held the system in her hand, Qin Aocheng was no longer a threat. After obtaining the evidence from 521, Shen Lihuan called Luo Yi and the others downstairs. 521 immediately cloaked itself—only Shen Lihuan could see it.

“Brother Luo, I’m counting on you tonight. Please take this guy to the Public Safety Bureau first thing tomorrow.”

She handed the documents in her hand to Luo Yi. After he took them, he stomped hard on Qin Aocheng’s back. “You ignored the road to heaven but barged into hell. Enjoy what I’ve prepared for you.”

She gave a look to Luo Er and the others, then walked out of the villa. Staring at the starry sky in silence, 521 leaned against her shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, Master. I placed a restriction on him—if he tries to talk about us, he’ll lose his voice. If he tries to write it down, he won’t be able to move his limbs.”

“You did well.”

Shen Lihuan looked at it. Even without the system’s help, Qin Aocheng wouldn’t have had a chance to spill her secrets.

After all, medicine and poison go hand in hand—her poison skills were no weaker than her medical ones.

But she didn’t need to tell the system that. No need to shatter its confidence.

A few minutes later, Luo Yi and the others came out one after another.

“Miss, we’ve given him a good lesson.”

They had used stealthy, brutal techniques. There were no visible injuries, but his internal organs were all damaged. Remembering how cold sweat poured from Qin Aocheng when his limbs were dislocated, Luo Yi’s eyes flashed.

“Thanks for your hard work. I should head back too. Leave three people here to watch him. The rest, come with me. Once this is all settled, everyone gets a 30% pay raise.”

Her words made all the bodyguards smile. “Then thank you in advance, Miss!”

They worked as private bodyguards, earning over thirty thousand a month. And since the young lady wasn’t someone who courted trouble, unlike other bodyguards who had to get into life-threatening fights to protect their employers, their jobs were relatively peaceful. They were all quite satisfied with the work and grateful to the young lady. After all, she never gave them attitude or looked down on them. What more could they ask for?

Now that she even offered them a raise, they were all the more grateful to her.

Three bodyguards stayed behind while the rest drove Shen Lihuan back to the Shen residence.

When Shen Lihuan entered the house, she noticed the lights in the living room were still on. She sighed and walked in. Shen Jiashu was still sitting on the sofa, holding a newspaper, though his eyes weren’t on it at all.

A pang of emotion hit Shen Lihuan’s heart. She raised her voice and called out, “Dad, I’m back.”

Only then did Shen Jiashu come back to his senses, a gleam of life returning to his eyes. “It’s good you’re back.”

He carefully looked her over, and only when he saw she was unharmed did he finally relax. “Since you’re back, go to bed soon. You still have school tomorrow.”

“I know. Dad, have I ever told you I really love you?”

Shen Lihuan smiled as she spoke, then turned and went upstairs.

Shen Jiashu looked at her retreating figure and smiled with affection.

Back in her room, Shen Lihuan instinctively held her breath. Using her phone’s light, she walked to the bed and saw that Chang Qing was still sleeping soundly. She let out a soft breath of relief, then took off her shoes and socks, changed into her pajamas, and carefully lifted a corner of the blanket to slip into bed.

Sensing the warmth beside her, You Changqing automatically reached out, then rolled over and snuggled right into Shen Lihuan’s arms with practiced ease, even throwing a long leg over her.

Shen Lihuan didn’t dare move a muscle while she shifted, worried Changqing might wake up. Only after her breathing evened out did Shen Lihuan exhale quietly, wrapping her arms around her and drifting off into a deep sleep.