Ch 56: After My Mother Returned to the Rich Family

Bedroom, 10 p.m.

Ruan Zhengfei sat on the bed, drying Wei Jiao’s freshly washed hair with a blow dryer. The two had been busy for the past three days and finally had a moment to breathe. Turning off the blow dryer, he glanced at Ruan Cha. “What peach base? That blow dryer was so loud I didn’t catch it.”

“Jintao base, Jintao,” Ruan Cha repeated, handing them a clean towel, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling. “Dad, didn’t you say a few years ago that you were building greenhouses so we could pick strawberries in the future?”

“When I told Auntie today that Second High has a farming practice trip on Friday, she said Second High and several other high schools have been working with Jintao Base for a long time. I asked carefully, and it’s definitely the Jintao Base we own on the outskirts of Jin City.”

To have partnerships with schools—several schools at that—her dad was amazing!

Ruan Cha didn’t feel much about the family’s mountains since she’d grown up surrounded by them. The rolling hills around the town weren’t a rarity. But the fact that her mom’s cabbages had people lining up to buy them—that felt impressive. Exporting beyond the town! Now, with her dad’s base collaborating with schools, she thought it was equally impressive. Teaming up with education!

Ruan Zhengfei and Wei Jiao exchanged a look, both appearing a little bewildered. Especially Ruan Zhengfei, who scratched his head. “I had no idea. Your Uncle David mentioned that since we’d only be picking strawberries occasionally, the base was sitting idle most of the time. He wanted to rent it out to make a bit of extra cash. Oh, by the way, the extra money’s been deposited into the card I gave you earlier. When you have time, check it out. Your Uncle David said it’s part of your 18th birthday gift.”

Unlike Ruan Zhengfei, Wei Jiao focused on something else entirely. “Cha Cha, does your school really have farming practice? Won’t it tire you out? Should I help you request leave from the school?”

Still processing what her Uncle David had done, Ruan Cha shook her head at her mom’s question. “No need, I was picked by lottery, and Auntie said it’s not exhausting. Even Second Brother said they had a lot of fun at the farming base.”

“And…” Ruan Cha looked at her parents, curiosity brimming in her eyes. “It’s been three years since we’ve been there. I want to see how Uncle David has managed the Jintao Base.”

Ruan Zhengfei nodded. “Fair enough. Take some photos for us while you’re there.”

Neither he nor Wei Jiao had visited the Jintao Base in three or four years. The greenhouse at their previous residence made trips to the outskirts unnecessary. Picking strawberries right in their courtyard was much more convenient. From leaving the house to returning, it took only ten minutes, and they didn’t even need to step into the sun.

Plus—

Scratching his head again, Ruan Zhengfei admitted he couldn’t keep track of all the mountains he owned. Even for rental properties, he had to rely on the notes saved on his phone. What’s one more or less?

“Cha Cha, if you’re going, I’ll call your Uncle David later and ask him to stock up on your favorite juices and desserts at the Jintao Base. If you need anything else, just let him know. You’ve been troubling him since you were little, anyway.”

Without waiting for Ruan Cha to reply, Ruan Zhengfei nudged her toward the bedroom door. “Alright, alright, your mom and I need to discuss our next steps. Go to bed already.”

They needed to thoroughly prepare for the acquisition of both a company and a vineyard. For their future as leisurely retirees, they couldn’t settle for acquiring just one—they had to grab a few potential winners.

Once they had their mature companies and vineyards—ones that could earn money on their own—they’d be all set!

Wei Jiao, still seated on the bed, waved her hand dismissively. “Yes, yes, go back to your room and don’t interrupt us.”

Ruan Cha: “…”

You used to let me sit on the bed for a little while! Now you won’t even let me stay for a moment.

Ruan Cha understood that both Ruan Zhengfei and Wei Jiao were hard at work striving toward their goals, but… she couldn’t adjust right away.

Having been a family of carefree “slackers” for over a decade, now all three of them were enthusiastically marching down the path of ambition. It gave her a strange sense that they were collectively betraying their previous lifestyle.

“Stupid system! Stupid Yu Zheng! This is all your fault!”

The thought of the happy, carefree days her family used to enjoy made Ruan Cha so angry she wanted to mash Yu Zheng and the system into a ball and fry them a thousand times over.

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[Database updated. Please review—]

Ruan Cha was muttering under her breath when the silent system suddenly came to life as though it had heard her complaints. Without any warning, it completed its update. Before she could even lift her eyes to look at the content on the interface, a bright white light flashed before her eyes.

[Dear Ruan Cha, allow me to introduce myself. I am part of the Star Capital A Research Institute from Star Year 1748, codename 1128. For the foreseeable future, I will be your partner in battle!]

Ruan Cha stared at the sudden appearance of a white ragdoll cat with large, watery blue eyes in front of her. She unconsciously stepped back half a step. “Why did you change your form?”

The system, now in the form of a ragdoll cat, tilted its head slightly. [According to a comprehensive database analysis, humans in this world seem to have a preference for furry animals, especially cats. Cats rank among the most loved creatures, with many willingly becoming their devoted caretakers.]

The system reasoned that taking on the form of a beloved animal might make it less disliked.

Raising its adorably tiny face, the system watched Ruan Cha nervously, licking its soft pink paw pads as if trying to charm her. Yet, Ruan Cha’s expression remained unchanged—unimpressed.

[Ruan Cha…]

“I’m okay with you being a cat,” Ruan Cha said, her face void of emotion. “But can you be a hairless cat? I’m allergic to cat fur.”

Honestly, if the system’s codename hadn’t been 1128—her lucky date—she would’ve grabbed the thickest English dictionary from her bookshelf and whacked it without hesitation.

—This incompetent and infuriating system.

The system: […]

Looking utterly dejected, the system curled into a tiny, glutinous rice ball and rolled around on the floor. [Ruan Cha, I think we should cooperate. The former host, Ren Qingqing, has already switched to the Idol Training System.]

Ruan Cha, seated at her desk with a senior-year math book in hand, paused mid-page flip. “You’re calling Ren Qingqing the former host?”

The system, still rolling around in its rice-ball form, perked up at her question and immediately responded: [Yes. I was originally designed to assist hosts with their studies, but a virus infection corrupted my program. The Idol System you mentioned is actually a derivative of Virus X.]

The system hesitated briefly before continuing: [Eight hours ago, the former host, Ren Qingqing, completely abandoned the Learning System and switched to accepting tasks from the Idol Training System. During the struggle between myself and Virus X, I used the antivirus program you were running to successfully separate from Virus X.]

After separating from the Virus X program, the thought processes within System 1128 became clear. It realized that it had been originally designed to bind to Ren Qingqing but had been unable to unbind due to the suppression from Virus X. This changed only earlier that day when Ren Qingqing, as the host, actively unbound herself.

Listening to this, Ruan Cha felt a headache brewing. She harbored no goodwill toward the system, but remembering how it could manipulate people’s perceptions and perform other abnormal actions, she forced herself to remain patient. “Since you’re now calling Ren Qingqing the ‘former host,’ does that mean her connection with Xu Nan no longer exists?”

The system, still in its glutinous rice-ball form, shrank back timidly, its voice lowering several notches and sounding on the verge of tears. “N-no, it doesn’t exist anymore.”

“Originally, in the Virus X design, the Learning System and the Idol System were each supposed to have one target for connection. However, the former host Ren Qingqing had already changed her associated target earlier. When the target’s status is unequal to the host’s, the connection becomes invalid.”

The system didn’t quite understand why it felt so guilty. In theory, the B-tasks and association features were all part of Virus X’s implantation and had nothing to do with it. However, knowing it had been the carrier that gave Virus X the opportunity to harm people made it unbearably uneasy.

Moreover, after separating from Virus X and analyzing Ruan Cha’s antivirus program, the system finally understood why the former host had failed repeatedly: Ruan Cha had been able to see the tasks.

Despite its guilt, the system also felt a tiny bit of relief. Although it had been infected, at least it hadn’t caused any irreparable harm.

Ruan Cha listened carefully to the system’s explanation, then nodded. “If the connection has truly been severed, Ren Qingqing can no longer affect me. So then, what use do I have for you?”

Without waiting for a response, Ruan Cha returned to her math book, continuing her review.

After all—

The system didn’t seem like it would simply give up. It might even reveal more valuable information.

Ruan Cha thought that something as advanced as this system, which didn’t belong to their world, was nothing short of a disaster waiting to happen. However, if it was to be studied, every experiment needed a guinea pig. She had no intention of letting the system slip away.

Not that it showed in her tone—her voice remained calm and measured—but inwardly, she felt a cold shiver.

If what the system said was 100% true, then it meant that in the book, Ren Qingqing had likely connected herself to another innocent person in the entertainment industry later on.

At least now, with both of Ren Qingqing’s connection opportunities used up, she couldn’t harm anyone else.

Seeing that Ruan Cha was ignoring it, the system panicked.

In its development phase, it hadn’t been programmed with a self-destruct function. Instead, the developers had imbued it with human-like emotions, including “fear of death” and “cowardice.”

During the earlier suppression by Virus X, these humanized emotions had been sealed away. Now, freed from suppression, they erupted in full force.

The thought that the antivirus program was effectively under Ruan Cha’s control terrified the system. If one day Ruan Cha’s skills advanced enough for her to fully grasp the program, she could erase the system entirely with just a few lines of code. The system was utterly panicked.

Ruan Cha glanced at the hesitant “glutinous rice ball” system and deliberately sighed. “Now that Ren Qingqing can’t threaten me anymore, there’s still Yu Zheng standing in the way. I just can’t figure out how Yu Zheng knows Ren Qingqing has a system.”

As she rubbed her temples, she added, “It’s really baffling.”

But to her disappointment, the system’s focus remained solely on Ren Qingqing. “Ruan Cha, it’s a real threat. Even though I’ve separated from Virus X, the system store has been taken over by it!”

“Ren Qingqing can still earn points by completing tasks, and with those points, she can purchase high-tech products from the store that might harm you in the future!”

The system trembled with fear—if Ruan Cha were to die, the antivirus program would automatically self-destruct, and the system itself would perish along with it.

“Let’s work together. I won’t assign you any tasks. As long as you study and gain knowledge through exams, I’ll absorb that energy to sustain myself.”

“With enough energy, I can activate the negative rebound effects in the antivirus program. Whoever tries to harm you will suffer the consequences. And if there’s plenty of energy, I could even initiate offensive actions proactively.”

Ruan Cha closed her book, suddenly struck by a realization. She was dealing with three separate entities: the antivirus program, System 1128, and Virus X. It seemed that the punishments for Ren Qingqing’s failed tasks didn’t come from Virus X but from the antivirus program.

The antivirus program was likely the “white virtual panel” she had always thought of as a bug in the system’s question database.

Setting aside the antivirus program for now, Ruan Cha scrutinized System 1128 carefully, sensing its deliberate avoidance of the topic of Yu Zheng.

Tapping her pen on the desk, she asked in a calm tone, “What’s your connection to Yu Zheng? If you won’t tell me, there’s no deal.”

“…”

“…The same as with a prior host and their system.”

To be precise, Yu Zheng was technically the first host of System 1128 in this dimension, while Ren Qingqing was the first host of Virus X.

Ruan Cha’s eyes widened at this revelation. She couldn’t help but sit up straighter. Among all her speculations, the idea of Yu Zheng being a system host seemed the least likely.

Almost instinctively, she blurted out, “Who was Yu Zheng connected to?”

The system hesitated for a moment before responding. “Yu Zheng chose Task A in the AB task system.”

Ruan Cha: ???

Someone as calculating, ruthless, and seemingly deranged as Yu Zheng, who wished for her death, had willingly ignored Task B? How could that possibly make sense?