Don’t Covet the Beautiful System!! - Chap 96
The moment these words came out, the tip of the pen in Ouyang Yu’s hand suddenly froze and there was only a terrified f*k left in his mind.
Why did he say the words in his heart?
Help!!
The air around the two of them froze strangely. In the dead silence, admiration from an outsider was suddenly heard.
Huang Wen wore earphones and was concentrating on the game. After finishing a boss, he slammed down on the keyboard and passionately told his teammates through the headset, “D*mn, you are really awesome!”
Ouyang Yu felt a pain in his knee and closed his eyes in pain.
Regardless of whether the two of them were lovers or not, his straight male reputation couldn’t be guaranteed based on this sentence.
In just two seconds, Ouyang Yu thought a lot. He thought bitterly about his possible rough relationship with the opposite gender in the future and even more painfully about the reaction of Pei Qingyuan, the lofty, god of learning, after learning about this conversation.
It always felt like he was going to be beaten.
Ouyang Yu’s fingers trembled slightly along with his notebook. Then in the end, he still plucked up the courage to raise his head and secretly observe Ji Tong’s expression. He wanted to see if there was any possibility of pretending that nothing happened.
Ji Tong looked very dazed and he couldn’t recover for a long time from this sentence.
It wasn’t until he met the other person’s gaze that he repeated, “My boyfriend?”
It was over. Judging by his expression, the two students were innocent.
Yes, he thought too much.
The gay one turned out to be himself.
“I mean, what club is your roommate Pei Qingyuan participating in..?” Ouyang Yu knelt down at the speed of light. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I thought the two of you were a couple. It is my fault, my fault.”
Ji Tong explained a bit slowly, “We aren’t… a couple.”
Ouyang Yu sincerely apologized while his toes curled up from the embarrassment. “You are good friends. I am the one talking too much. Don’t mind it and just take it as a joke. I’m sorry, I was wrong!”
However, Ji Tong’s expression showed that he obviously couldn’t take this as a joke.
He was thinking about something seriously and didn’t even bother to answer Ouyang Yu’s original question about the clubs.
Ouyang Yu felt like he had stabbed something strange.
…He didn’t dare to think about it at all.
As he was leaving Room 715, he happened to meet Pei Qingyuan, who came back from the call. At the incoming cold air, he almost couldn’t control his urge to bow and admit his mistake. He stuck to the wall and slipped back to his bedroom.
Pei Qingyuan, who didn’t know what happened at all: “……”
Why did the class monitor look like he was fleeing?
He pushed open the door and walked into the bedroom where everything was business as usual.
Ji Tong sat in front of his desk. The computer screen was showing the robot soccer game.
Pei Qingyuan originally thought that he was watching the soccer game. It was only after Ji Tong didn’t laugh at the scene of the robot falling that he realized Ji Tong was actually staring at the video interface in a daze.
“I’m back.” He tried to say a greeting.
Ji Tong’s back stiffened. He didn’t turn his head and only whispered after a long time, “Yes.”
Something was wrong.
Pei Qingyuan remembered Ouyang Yu’s state of running away just now and couldn’t help frowning.
There should be nothing serious or his roommate Huang Wen wouldn’t continue playing the game without caring about anyone else.
He was about to ask Ouyang Yu why he came over but the bathroom door opened again and Cui Yinan, who was sweating profusely, returned with a large bag of late-night snacks.
There were few people in the dormitory. He was bored and went for a run. After the run, he was hungry and simply bought late-night snacks.
“The two of you are back. Fortunately, I bought a lot and there is enough for us to eat.” The bag exuded the tempting aroma of food and Cui Yinan poked Huang Wen’s back. “Hey, if you don’t get up then your share will be gone.”
Huang Wen took off the headphones and turned around. He sniffed and looked moved. “Master Cui, I love you! How much? I will support you!”
“Get lost.” Cui Yinan scolded him with a smile. “This meal is my treat.”
His gaze swept over the flowers on the windowsill and he turned to look at Ji Tong and Pei Qingyuan. “Hey, did you buy these flowers from the campus supermarket? It is so romantic.”
Listening to him say this, Ji Tong’s body slowly leaned forward. He reached out his hand and silently covered half his face, as if he didn’t want to face this sentence.
He didn’t react to the barbecue that Cui Yinan brought and he didn’t get up immediately.
Pei Qingyuan took in everything and calmly asked Cui Yinan, “Didn’t you buy any drinks?”
Cui Yinan patted his thigh and quickly tied the open barbecue bag. “I said I forgot something. Xiao Huang, run downstairs. Hurry up, the barbecue will be cold in a while. I want a Coke.”
Before Huang Wen could speak, Pei Qingyuan took it first. “I’ll go.”
“Thank you, Brother Pei! I want iced green tea. Brother Pei, I love you too! I’ll give you money!”
“…You are truly yellow literature.”
The moment Pei Qingyuan closed the door, he saw Ji Tong quietly sighing with relief. His originally restrained movements stretched out and he leaned back against the chair.
Ten minutes later, Pei Qingyuan returned with a bag full of chilled drinks and an ice cream cone with a mixed fruit flavor.
In the midst of the cheers of his roommates, he handed the cone to Ji Tong.
Ji Tong hung his head when he took it. His expression wasn’t clear and his voice was low. “Thank you… Brother.”
Pei Qingyuan said quietly, “Come and eat.”
Everyone chatted and ate. In the middle, it was so fragrant that the person in the next bedroom knocked on the door to ask which barbecue they had bought. Laughter sounded from time to time in the room and it seemed the same as usual.
However, Pei Qingyuan knew very well that there was indeed something wrong.
Today, it took Ji Tong fifteen minutes to finish eating this cone that kept melting.
It usually took him only five minutes.
This was obviously his favorite mixed fruit flavor.
The barbecue was only symbolically eaten.
He seemed preoccupied and consciously or subconsciously avoided physical contact with Pei Qingyuan.
Apart from Huang Wen, who was too dull, Cui Yinan found something strange and jokingly asked Ji Tong if he was rejected by someone he liked when they went for a drive.
“By the way, I don’t seem to have calculated your relationship for you yet.” Cui Yinan didn’t forget the true nature of a charlatan and helped ease his mind with jokes. “Do you want me to help you calculate it? See if the person will change her mind and like you.”
“No thanks!” It was rare for Ji Tong, who had been distracted all night, to answer so quickly. Then he muttered something in a low voice.
Pei Qingyuan was sitting beside him and was the only one to hear clearly.
He said, “Don’t like me.”
Pei Qingyuan vaguely understood the root of tonight’s abnormality.
He had never hidden his concern for Ji Tong in front of others.
Ji Tong had no emotional experience and was accustomed to getting along with him day and night since he was a child, so Ji Tong was perhaps unaware of it.
However, it was only a matter of time before others perceived this special feeling.
After using the camouflage technique at night, Ji Tong shed his shell like a golden cicada and didn’t turn into a cat doll. He secretly counted his hair to hypnotize himself into thinking he was asleep but he actually stayed peacefully in the consciousness space.
The cute cat doll was gone and the mini nest next to the pillow was empty. Pei Qingyuan was very uncomfortable.
If he wanted to communicate with Ji Tong right now, it could only be in his mind and he wouldn’t be able to see the other person’s demeanor and movements. So after hesitating for a moment, he gave up again.
This matter needed to be said in person.
College was a collective life. There were many places to pay attention to and be restrained. Pei Qingyuan started to miss the more private time at home when they could chat freely.
In the quiet dormitory at night, he thought for a long time before finally asking as usual, “When can I enter the consciousness space?”
The little robot squatting in front of the paulownia flowers in a daze heard this question and sizzling electronic particles suddenly filled his body.
He thought for a while before he found a reason that sounded passable. He said, “It will probably be fine when the next regular meeting is over.”
In fact, the growth value possessed by the host who officially opened the career line after the first pot of money task was completed last time already met the conditions for opening the consciousness space.
He didn’t know why but Ji Tong didn’t dare tell the host about it. In any case, the host hadn’t asked him at the time.
He looked at the flowers planted by himself in the garden as well as the paulownia flowers that bloomed from the host’s heart. Then he inexplicably felt that it wasn’t a wise decision to let the host enter this space.
Today’s words bluntly pointed out a problem that he had been subconsciously avoiding.
The way the host treated him was special.
It was beyond the uniqueness of a host-system relationship.
In the eyes of others, they even looked like a couple.
Pei Qingyuan continued to ask, “When is the regular meeting?”
The little robot’s expression froze. “…Tomorrow.”
He forgot that tomorrow was the regular meeting.
Why hadn’t he found another reason?!!
The host sounded a bit pleased. “Okay, see you tomorrow.”
Ji Tong wanted to cry but had no tears. “Tomorrow, see you tomorrow.”
He regretted it now. He should’ve persuaded the host to choose the time reversal card reward so he could go back to a minute ago and change the reason for the delay.
No matter how much he didn’t want to face tomorrow, tomorrow still came.
In the meeting place, a handsome man in black carefully looked at the depressed Ji Tong and asked curiously, “Why do you look like you failed the exam and you don’t dare to take the paper home for your parents to sign it?”
“……” Ji Tong laughed dryly. He didn’t want to pay attention to this lively elementary school student. “You read it wrong.”
During the break in the system meeting, his two human system friends came over and took the opportunity to chat.
Fu Yinyin saw his melancholy expression and stopped talking. “Did something happen?”
Ji Tong was actually a bit afraid to face Fu Yinyin.
During the Spring Festival this year, Fu Yinyin specially told him to keep the secrets of the system and not to expose his human identity.
He didn’t reveal his human identity but he seemed to have caused even bigger troubles.
If the host really liked him then what about the emotional line later? Would this projection world be destroyed because of the plot collapse?
Ji Tong hesitated and didn’t dare to answer. He couldn’t help thinking about everything he had experienced in the past year.
It was as beautiful as one of the happiest dreams he could ever imagine.
He would rather be banished from this world as a system that failed the mission than for everyone here to disappear.
…Of course, it was better to have nothing happen.
He loved the world.
The intelligent customer service who received him at the time said he was lucky to transmigrate into the novel.
Now it seemed that this was indeed the luckiest thing in his life. He didn’t want to bring bad luck to others because of it.
Wait.
Ji Tong suddenly discovered a problem.
The boy in the black shirt looked up at the different systems around him. Then he eagerly asked his two friends next to him, “My name is Ji Tong, right?”
Fu Yinyin and Fang Hao looked at each other before nodding blankly. “Yes. Have you caught a virus? Do you want us to help you find the representative of the main brain?”
“That isn’t it,” Ji Tong hurriedly said. “When I came to this world, the customer service said that I came here because I had the same name as a system.”
“But isn’t there a system in every world? Why did I enter this world?”
Why did he happen to come to Pei Qingyuan’s side?
The two of them showed thoughtful expressions when they heard him say this.
This seemed to be a problem.
But why dwell on this problem?
Ji Tong immediately asked, “Will I not only assume the function of a system but also play an important role in the plot belonging to the host?”
Maybe he was the other half of the host’s emotional line.
No matter whether he liked the host or not, at least the world wouldn’t be destroyed because the host liked the system.
After listening to his mind-blowing conjecture, Fang Hao gasped. “Are you really infected by a virus? It turns out that human systems can also get viruses?”
“In fact, the customer service might just be perfunctory to you and think that you will believe these types of words.” He waved his hand. “I remember when I met the customer service. It didn’t give me a reason and only said, ‘Child, come with me’ in a tone of coaxing children.”
Fang Hao thought for a while before he suddenly burst out laughing. “I think the most likely thing is that the customer has seen a cartoon called ‘Mindless and Unhappy’ and thinks it is very good. Therefore, it assigned you to Brother Pei, who is always unhappy.”
Ji Tong: “……”
He really wanted to punch this elementary school student.
Fu Yinyin was answering him seriously. “Maybe it is because of fate?”
“What fate?”
“I don’t know,” she sighed with a smile.
At the reliable or outrageous guesses of his friends, Ji Tong worried about it for the entire meeting. Finally, he ran to find the representative of the main brain.
After listening to his question, the representative of the main brain said coldly, “This is a high-level question and you don’t have the authority to know the answer for the time being.”
Ji Tong chased after him. “Then when will I have permission?”
“I don’t know.” The representative of the main brain with the appearance of a classic robot said in a perfunctory manner. “Let’s talk about it later.”
Why did the style change in the blink of an eye?
Just now, he obviously looked like he was doing business!
At Ji Tong’s complaints, the eyes of the robot representative of the main brain flashed and he continued to ask coldly, “Why are you asking this? Is something wrong with your world?”
Ji Tong suddenly became obedient. “It is nothing. Thank you, excuse me.”
At the end of the regular meeting, Ji Tong didn’t want to go back to face the host and dragged it out until he was the last one remaining. Then he was decisively blasted out of the central system by the impatient representative of the main brain.
The consciousness space was about to be opened to the host.
The worried little robot stood in front of the mirror in the virtual world and hurried to modify his appearance.
The round mechanical corners became sharper and the fresh bean green color was replaced with a rusty bronze green.
All in all, he had to make his robot form less friendly. The more distant, the better.
Ji Tong reflected on it all day. He felt it must be that his human form had grown up, giving the host the illusion of getting along with a peer all day and night. It was only then that the host would develop these special feelings.
If he often saw such a cold robot then the host’s feelings might slowly fade.
People and systems were different in the end.
The host should like real humans.
From this perspective, opening up the consciousness space might be a good thing.
From now on, he was at a college campus so he couldn’t use his robot form in reality.
Ji Tong could only comfort himself in this way.
It was a pity that the little robot overlooked one of the most important things.
As Pei Qingyuan stood in front of the thick black door, many prepared words flashed through his mind.
In this secret world that only the two of them knew about, he had a lot to say to the other person.
Then the moment he actually pushed open the door, the words suddenly became pale.
He once received a birthday present, which was a photo of a small robot in rubber shoes, standing in front of a bush of flowers and waving with a smile at the camera.
At that time, he thought it was like a scene from a fairytale.
Now he understood that seeing a fairytale was different from walking into a fairytale.
HE walked into the fairytale and saw the grand garden full of flowers, the paulownia trees that created purple clouds, the childish amusement park and the little robot standing a bit nervously in front of him.
Pei Qingyuan also saw a white butterfly parked on the petals of a paulownia flower.
Then he suddenly remembered a day a long time ago.
That day, Ji Tong asked him for leave to meet his friend Fang Hao who came to visit from another world. The two of them went to the game arcade to catch a lot of dolls, went together at night to attend the parent-teacher meeting for him and then took him home.
Pei Qingyuan, who was alone in school during the day, experienced the feeling of absent-mindedness for the first time.
This was also the first time that he knew that Ji Tong could go to other worlds at any time and meet friends he didn’t know.
He was feeling upset because of this when Ji Tong stuffed a furry thing into his arms.
It was an ugly butterfly doll with white wings.
“Host, I think this looks a lot like you. I took more than ten attempts to catch this. I spent a lot of coins to give to you.”
Ji Tong had smiled happily when he said this.
But at that time, Pei Qingyuan had looked at it for a long time and couldn’t find any similarities between himself and the butterfly doll.
“How does it look like me?”
“It is a secret. Host, you will know later.”
Now he finally knew the answer to this secret.
The little robot lowered his head as if afraid to look at him. However, the flowers behind him were honest. They swayed their stretched branches and leaves under the reflection of the clouds in the sky and it was like a dream.
The white butterfly, which had a hundred types of flowers, quietly left the petal it had landed on and flew toward him with the sound of each flower blooming in the past, with the moment of the past and the sunlight of the present.
This was until it flew into his heart.
