Shuqi did not know if other people's systems were like hers, but hers was extremely emo and constantly gave her tasks.
Shuqi: "Xitong," she raised her eyes with a flattering smile, "I want to ask, what is this Hardwork King System of yours all about? I've been wanting to ask for ages, but I've been too busy these days." The Hardwork King System—shouldn't a system itself work hard? enslaving a mere child day in and day out wasn't very nice. She didn't dare say the second half out loud.
"Huh?!"
"If you have something to say, just say it. My system here is pretty straightforward, so little kid, you might as well just spit out what's on your mind."
Shuqi wore an awkward expression, thinking that there really was no need to be *that* straightforward. She said, "I'm just purely curious. You're a system, so don't overthink it. Why is it called the Hardwork King System, anyway?"
Xitong cast a lazy glance at her and said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, "That's because once bound, hosts all become ultimate workaholic kings. So hurry up and tidy up, and get up the mountain to work for me right now."
Shuqi: "......" Her fists suddenly clenched; she wanted to hit someone. Ah no, she wanted to hit a system.
Seeing Shuqi looking like she wanted to slaughter someone but didn't dare, Xitong delivered another blow, "Don't you want to raise that little puppy? This dog obviously was born not long ago and needs milk. You can go up the mountain and catch a nanny goat to milk for it."
Shuqi: "..........." That actually sounded right.
In the end, Shuqi yielded to Xitong. She finished her breakfast in record time, and without waiting for Xitong to urge her, she hurried off toward the mountain.
When she reached the task location, Shuqi checked the time and found that she had arrived much earlier than usual. For this, she even received praise from Xitong.
"Sure enough, people are driven by pressure. Look how much faster you reached the mountain today just by pushing yourself a little."
Who knew how Xitong managed it, but right now she was curled up on a thick branch of a large tree, with a plate of exquisite tea pastries placed right in front of her. That obnoxious tone of hers was truly infuriating.
At this moment, Shuqi yearned more than ever to become strong so she could beat this lousy system to death. She ignored Xitong's teasing, got to work, and decided not to pay this unscrupulous system any mind.
An incense stick's length of time later, Shuqi rubbed her less-than-slender waist, raised her eyes to glance at Xitong in the tree, and the grievance in her eyes was almost enough to drown Xitong.
Shuqi: "Give me some of what you're eating! I'll pay you back with tasks later!" Anyway, if she didn't eat, Xitong would just find an excuse to give her more tasks, so she might as well secure some food for herself—when you have too many debts, you stop worrying.
Xitong straightened her upper body, looked down at her for a long while, and only then took a few pastries from the plate and tossed them down. A smile gradually appeared in her eyes: "Here, catch! Eat up!"
Shuqi: "Oh." She hurriedly raised her hands to catch the flying pastries, and muttered softly, "Thanks!"
Xitong gave an indifferent nod, then lay back down, covering her face with both hands to block the sunlight filtering through the leaves, and pretended to doze.
Shuqi found a spot right on the ground under the big tree, sat down, and slowly began to eat the pastries. Actually, she had brought her own food when she climbed the mountain, but after working hard for the better part of the day and looking up at that cozy posture of a certain system, she suddenly didn't want to eat her own food anymore. She wanted to eat Xitong's, and who knows, maybe she could even tick off that stingy ghost of a system. She just hadn't expected things to turn out a bit differently than she anticipated—Xitong didn't seem angry at all. Shuqi thought to herself that it seemed her system wasn't quite as stingy as she'd previously imagined; she must have misjudged her before.
At this thought, Shuqi's expression visibly brightened a lot. After finishing the pastries in her hand, she took the water skin she had brought up the mountain out of her basket, drank a few sips right there, stood up, and brushed the pastry crumbs off her clothes. After catching her breath, she began the next round of labor. Before leaving, she looked up at Xitong and, seeing that she was still asleep, muttered to herself, "Sleeping so much, are you sure you're not the God of Sleep instead of a system!"
"I can hear you, you know!" Xitong didn't get up, but that didn't stop her from speaking.
Shuqi: "........." Spoke too soon. She hurriedly tried to salvage the situation: "I was just joking! The sun is getting strong, be careful not to get sunburned."
"Well, then I thank you a lot, huh." That single sentence inexplicably made Shuqi's back feel cold. She offered an awkward laugh and walked away.
Shuqi followed the prompts to the marked location and saw that something had been disturbed. She squatted down, pushed aside the grass on top, and saw a Milu right in front of her, staring at her with a pair of innocent eyes, showing no fear of humans. She massaged her forehead, a hint of helplessness in her voice: "Xitong, didn't you say yesterday that you were finding a nanny goat for the puppy? I'm young, don't lie to me—is this a sheep?"
Xitong: "Ah, you found out! This indeed isn't a sheep; this is much more precious than a sheep. Aren't you still planning to take that little puppy to cultivate immortality? You have to cultivate it from a young age, of course. A mere nanny goat is definitely not worthy of nursing it. This is a Milu I went up the mountain overnight to find for it yesterday—a female. Just take it back first to nurse your little puppy."
Shuqi: "You were quite busy last night, then!" She ruthlessly complained, "This deer looks like anything but an ordinary creature. How am I supposed to bring it back? If the villagers see it, it won't be easy to explain."
"Don't worry, I'm here. I'll help you bring it down," Xitong said indifferently, as if this had always been the easiest thing in the world.
Shuqi's eye twitched, and she continued to complain: "Then why didn't you just give it to me at home this morning? Why go to all this trouble?"
Xitong immediately became displeased and retorted, "Is something I bring you the same as you finding it yourself? Things obtained through your own effort give you a sense of achievement."
Shuqi: "........" I think you were just trying to torture me on purpose.