Waking up, eating, writing novels, watching shows, staying up late.
These few things had been going on in Jiang Xia's life for two solid months.
Every single day followed this unchanging routine.
Finally, one day after those two months.
Jiang Xia finished washing up, happily flopped down onto her soft mattress, and prepared to go to sleep.
A system named the God-level Sign-in System came banging on her door in a furious huff.
[Good grief, as the mighty God-level Sign-in System, I simply cannot watch this anymore. How can you be like this?]
A chilling mechanical voice, utterly exasperated and carrying a trace of emotion, echoed in Jiang Xia's ear.
Jiang Xia jumped, startled right out of her wits.
What on earth!
"What's wrong with me?" Jiang Xia instinctively replied.
Yet the moment she spoke, she felt something was amiss. Where had that voice come from?
She must be hearing things!
[How can you not step outside for two entire months? Do you not need to breathe fresh air? Do you not yearn for the world outside?] the system complained, firing off three questions in a row.
"Goodness me, who's there? Stop playing tricks."
Jiang Xia figured she must be hallucinating.
What on earth was this?
She was the only one home, and she wasn't playing any TV shows. Where on earth was that voice coming from? It was terrifying.
And she wasn't exactly courageous.
What had she just heard?
The God-level Sign-in System? She must be hallucinating from getting too immersed in writing her novel.
"An illusion, right, it's an illusion. I'd better just go to sleep. In just a few more days, this novel will be finished, and I can go out and relax."
Jiang Xia muttered to herself, patting her face to wake herself up.
"That scared me to death, I'm actually losing my mind."
Then she lay back down to sleep.
The God-level Sign-in System was just ignored like this. Could it possibly take that lying down?
[What illusion, bullshit illusion. Get up, damn it!]
Before Jiang Xia could even close her eyes, she heard that voice again.
She was utterly certain there wasn't a second speaking creature in her house.
Could it be???
"Mom save me." It was a ghost. Too terrifying.
And then there was nothing more.
Jiang Xia had passed out.
If the system had eyes right now, it would really want to glare this jerk Jiang Xia to death.
[Hey, you've got to be kidding me.]
The God-level Sign-in System was truly speechless at this moment. This Host was just too...
Could she at least have fainted later?
It hadn't even bound yet.
Whatever, it would just do it itself.
[Beep — the system is matching with the Host.]
[Beep — matching successful.]
[Beep — system binding in progress.]
[Beep — binding complete.]
[Beep — wishing the Host a pleasant dream.]
The system went off to rest.
It was exhausted.
The next morning, when Jiang Xia woke up, she assumed she had just had a terrifying nightmare the night before.
She shook her head. They say what you think about by day appears in your dreams by night. It was all her own fault for getting too absorbed in writing her novel lately.
She was a child nurtured by science; as a novel writer, believing in things like systems was out of the question.
Hahaha.
To think she could be so childish.
Once she finished writing, she really should go out and have some fun. Her brain was all mixed up.
After having these thoughts, she nodded with satisfaction.
She hadn't stepped outside in such a long time.
It was time to experience fresh things in the outside world and find some new inspiration. Her next novel should be a realistic drama.
Otherwise, she'd lose her mind again.
She rolled over, preparing to get out of bed.
[Meow~!!!]
A meow rang out, instantly startling Jiang Xia so badly that she sprang straight to her feet and whipped her head around to look at her big, soft bed.
That cry was truly heart-rending, sounding like a cat with its fur all fluffed up in panic.
The owner of that voice was a physical kitten that had materialized after the system was bound.
Right after the successful binding yesterday, fueled by that burst of energy, it had smoothly transformed into a physical form and was sleeping soundly right there on the bed.
As a result, who could have foreseen that when Jiang Xia rolled over to get out of bed, she ended up lying right on top of it, almost crushing the system's newly formed body out of existence.
Jiang Xia saw a ball of white fluff appear on her bed.Looking closely, she saw a white cat with eyes like blue sapphires, staring back at her with wide, angry eyes.
Must be said, it was super cute.
"Wow, this is just too cute."
"How can anything be this adorable?"
"Where on earth did this little cutie come from?"
Jiang Xia reached out a hand, wanting to stroke the lovely cat.
Wait a second, I don't even own a cat.
Jiang Xia pulled her hand back.
"Whose kitty are you? How did you end up in my place? And how did you even get in?"
Jiang Xia never in a million years expected a reply.
"I belong to you. And another thing, I'm not a cat, I am the system. Meow~"
Jiang Xia simply stood there in a daze, watching the mouth of the cat before her open and close, speaking human words.
Only the very last sound was normal.
Jiang Xia said in utter shock, looking all around her with a face full of doubt. She couldn't believe it; this defied all science.
"Stop looking around, it's me, the cat right in front of you. Meow~"
Jiang Xia's eyes widened. She instinctively leaped backward a step, pointing a finger at the little cat in front of her. "Ah! You—you've turned into a spirit?!"
Though, that voice sounded a bit familiar.
The system cat watched the person before it, its mouth opening and closing.
"Host, have you lost your mind? We met just last night, how could you forget after a single sleep? Meow~" The system looked aggrieved, like an abandoned puppy.
At this moment, Jiang Xia was thoroughly dumbfounded.
What did it say? It turned into a spirit? When on earth did I ever see it?
The system could see the state Jiang Xia was in. How could this woman turn around and pretend she didn't know it? It continued speaking.
"Don't tell me you've really forgotten me. How is it that I, the magnificent God-level Sign-in System, have zero presence with a woman like you? In all those novels you people write, don't people who get a system think they've won the lottery? Meow~"
In human novels, wouldn't a female protagonist be thrilled to get a system?
Was her host an idiot or something? What was going on here?
"Wait a minute, wasn't I dreaming yesterday?" Jiang Xia was still feeling rather uncertain.
This was just too absurd, it completely defied science—those were just novels!
Weren't the things in novels supposed to be fake? How could such a wonderful thing actually happen?
Did novels just cross over into reality? No way.
I must be dreaming. I definitely haven't woken up yet.
Avoiding the cat, Jiang Xia dived headfirst onto the bed. She chose her soft, huge bed to catch up on some sleep; once she woke up, everything would be back to normal.
The God-level Sign-in System little cat simply watched its host's actions and silently walked over to the side of her face.
"Get up right now! What are you sleeping for? Meow~" The system cat slapped Jiang Xia right across the face—it didn't hurt at all.
Jiang Xia didn't react, pulling the blanket up to cover her head.
At a total loss for words, the system cat had no choice but to start tugging at the blanket.
Jiang Xia held onto the blanket for dear life, refusing to face reality. This couldn't possibly be real.
Speechless once more, the system went to the kitchen to find some Sichuan peppercorn powder, sprinkling it right through the gap in the blanket.
Before long, Jiang Xia emerged from the blanket coughing, tears streaming down her face.
She surrendered. She believed it. She had no choice *not* to believe it, because that physical sensation was all too real.
"Cough, cough, cough! Stop. I surrender."
"Would it kill you to have done that sooner? You write novels, so why are you reacting completely differently from the heroines in novels when they meet a system? Meow~" The system complained. Honestly, what a waste of effort.
"You're the one who said those were written in novels, how can they be the same? You're really a system? The kind of cheat-code from novels?" Jiang Xia confirmed once again.
"That's right, this system is your personal cheat-code. Meow~"
Jiang Xia fell silent.
The system was displeased.
"Is that all the reaction I get? Meow~"
Jiang Xia had no choice but to accept the truth: she really did have a cheat-code now.
Pie really could fall from the sky.
Such an incredible thing had actually happened to her—this was simply fantastic!
Could she finally live a thrilling, overpowered life just like the female protagonists in novels?
Jiang Xia scooped up the system cat in a tight embrace, rubbing against it and kissing it. Its fur felt simply amazing.