newbobooks 63
63
"That kid didn't forget to close the window after getting caught in the rain on the balcony, did he?"
Gu Xinglan murmured.
Until the windows were completely closed, keeping the rain out.
System: [That's strange. The last time the target had a fever, it was because they got caught in the rain. If your guess is correct, will the target still get a fever after getting caught in the rain on the balcony?]
"The villa has a family doctor; it's just a matter of giving someone a fever-reducing injection in the butt."
system:[……]
The floor was soaked with water, but thankfully it didn't spill onto the carpet.
The room was a standard one-bedroom, one-bathroom room. Gu Xinglan walked into the bathroom.
It was damp and foggy everywhere inside.
Seeing this, he raised an eyebrow.
Did they get caught in the rain and then take a hot shower?
Judging from how well the fog has dissipated, the room's occupant must have left recently.
The bathroom's fresh air system extends to the outside, and when turned on, it emits a low hum, frantically drawing in the steam from the shower.
After the fog gradually dissipates.
Gu Xinglan then got a clear look at the layout of the bathroom.
A small stool was placed in front of the sink, with what appeared to be accumulated shoe prints on it.
On the sink were children's toothbrushes and toothpaste. The toothpaste was mint-flavored, and the mint pattern on it had little hands and feet, and a pair of wide-open eyes.
What's with the "kind of cute" thing?
Looking at these things is like seeing miniature versions of Li Hetai climbing onto a stool, standing in front of the sink, slowly brushing his teeth and washing his face while looking in the mirror.
“Li Taihe really doesn’t treat this kid like a son, he doesn’t consider the child’s height at all.” Gu Xinglan sighed and picked up the mop.
The rainwater that had seeped into the floor outside had to be wiped clean several times before it was finally clean.
After wiping, Gu Xinglan noticed that the floor and cabinet were two different colors. She suppressed her relaxed expression and was about to grab a rag.
System: [Host, you're not here to be the messenger's fairy godmother, are you?]
"..."
“I slept here yesterday, and the child didn’t say anything when he saw me sleeping on the floor today. I only get seven hours of sleep a day. If I slept alone, I would be wiped out in a few days. But I can sleep within five meters of Li Hetai and say a few harmless sarcastic remarks. This way, I can play the role of a stepmother well and also gain time. So… I’ve requisitioned this room from now on.”
System: [Have you ever seen a truly wicked stepmother clean for her stepson? That would definitely violate her character!]
[Also, the duration is not determined by a single factor; it also considers various numerical values related to the task to calculate the duration you receive.]
Just like humans develop drug resistance to long-term medications, so too do task targets. Your cold words and sarcastic remarks during your first meeting don't guarantee you'll gain time points the same way on your nth meeting, understand? Task targets become immune to your attacks!
Hearing this, Gu Xinglan raised her eyebrows and stared blankly: "Does he really want me to physically torture him?"
System: [This is your choice. Just like yesterday, a single slap granted you ten hours of time! Don't you think that's incredibly efficient, host?]
The system's words were like a beautiful flower on a cliff, something everyone wanted to pluck, but for him, if he were to pluck it, he was destined to fall to his death, flower and all.
They were indeed very efficient at beating people.
However, those who seek to gain profit through unethical and illegal means will ultimately harm themselves.
He has lost count of how many people have been ruined by taking shortcuts.
"System, you are a machine, I am a human. You are rational and cold-blooded, but I am not. I have flesh and blood. If I hurt others, I will also feel pain."
If it were an adult Li Hetai, he would not hesitate to raise his hand and slap him, and if one slap wasn't enough, he would slap him several more times.
But that's not the case now.
He has his principles, and the hand he slapped yesterday still makes him feel like he wasn't even human.
System: [The target you're tasked with will eventually grow into someone you fear and dread. You're eliminating this threat for yourself now.]
"Alright, go ahead, I'll watch you fight from the sidelines," Gu Xinglan said calmly.
system:[……]
"Well, I have my own brilliant plan. There's always a way out, and things will work themselves out. There's always a way out, isn't there? There's always more solution than problem." Gu Xinglan was unsure of himself and repeated the plan a few times before unconsciously sitting down on the carpet.
Honestly, if it comes to the point where he can't get enough time to make threats, he doesn't know what to do.
Based on past experience, when Li Hetai stares directly at him, he can say the classic threat, "If you look at me again, I'll gouge your eyes out."
They can also deliberately ask pointless questions like, "Are you really Li Taihe's son?" when Li Hetai makes a foolish move.
But if these words have no effect, does he still have to insult his ancestral home in front of Li Hetai?
He, who prides himself on being a civilized person, couldn't do it.
My thoughts were fragmented, and as I got to the end, I felt like I'd given up entirely.
At worst, they'll give you a test paper, and if you get a question wrong, they'll hit your palm with a ruler...
With her mind still hazy, Gu Xinglan lay on the carpet and slowly drifted off to sleep.
……
I'm tired, both mentally and physically.
[Xinglan?][Gu Xinglan?][Are you asleep?]
Faces were obscured, amidst snow and rain, a wheelchair, and a dark, towering building.
He was on the 120th floor, unable to escape. When winter came, the snow couldn't stay on the window at all; all he could see were white specks falling outside, a vast expanse of white.
[Xinglan, you need to exercise][You can't stay in bed all the time][You need to try to move around][Great job!]
It's so noisy.
It was noisy and hot.
He wanted the person who was speaking to shut up and leave him quickly.
The moment you open your eyes.
My eyes are filled with the face of a certain man...
"..."
With a "whoosh," his eyelids snapped open.
The person on the carpet was startled awake.
My mind is a bit hazy.
Is it a dream?
Or is it his memory?
"system?"
System: [I'm here, host, won't you sleep a little longer?]
It was getting dark.
Li Hetai's room was so dark that even the door was barely visible.
System: [Host, you only slept for twenty minutes.]
twenty minutes?
Gu Xinglan held her forehead with one hand and supported herself on the edge of the bed with the other, shakily standing up from the carpet.
Suddenly, a muffled clap of thunder sounded outside, as if it were tightly covered by a curtain. It was brief and dull, and the sound was not loud, but the flash of lightning was enough to illuminate the room.
Gu Xinglan was startled for a moment.
My gaze unconsciously drifted towards the window.
Li Hetai's room is very close to the villa's garden, and one of the gates in the garden is one of the entrances to Li Hetai's private torture chamber.
Cold sweat broke out on my back for no reason.
What did he hear?
Something is making a sound.
It wasn't the window shaking because of the typhoon, nor the sound of leaves howling in the wind, but rather a faint, almost imperceptible human voice.
The time on my phone was clearly 1 p.m., but it felt like night had fallen outside.
Gu Xinglan listened intently to the sound, swallowed hard, and slowly made her way towards the balcony.
The pulleys and tracks made a piercing "squeak" sound.
Braving the rain, Gu Xinglan shielded her eyes with her hands and leaned over the railing to look down.
Through the rain, I was just about to be seen looking into two unfathomable black eyes.
It's a reporter from the lobby!
Gu Xinglan immediately shrank back.
If you don't look closely, you might think there's a corpse lying below.
What's that reporter doing outside?