On the other end of the line, the System paused for a second before saying, "Considering that the host has a rather poor memory, the System finds it necessary to remind you that the task issued this morning required you to exercise for one hour. Although you remained in the gym, your total exercise time fell far short of an hour, and therefore, you are about to receive a penalty..."
Even though it was a flat electronic voice, Ruan Shiyu still managed to detect a sense of disdain in it!
"Penalty initiating in five, four, three..."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Hearing that the System was about to launch some nonsensical penalty, Ruan Shiyu hurriedly waved her hand and said, "What right do you have to say my time wasn't enough? I spent the entire morning at the gym, all the way until lunchtime!"
Ruan Shiyu felt greatly wronged. Just to go to the gym, she hadn't even drawn anything today! Yet the System immediately pierced through her grievance: "Host, it seems that not only is your memory poor, but your brain isn't working too well either."
Ruan Shiyu instantly widened her eyes: "What is wrong with you, System? Why are you resorting to personal attacks?!"
The System's flat electronic voice carried no emotion: "You left the house at six-forty in the morning, spent an hour and a half running at the entrance of the residential complex, and when your friend came to look for you, it was already eight-ten. You spent twenty minutes washing up at home, left the house at eight-thirty, waited twenty minutes for the coach at the gym, and spent ten minutes talking..."
The System laid out everything Ruan Shiyu had done yesterday, piece by piece. Facts proved that excluding the time spent waiting for Shi Qianjin, Ruan Shiyu had only spent a total of fifty-nine minutes in the gym, of which her actual workout time was less than half an hour.
With solid, irrefutable evidence right before her, Ruan Shiyu couldn't deny it even if she wanted to, but she had no desire whatsoever to accept any penalty. Since she couldn't run away from it, she simply sat on the bed and threw a tantrum: "You're a fitness system, not a corporal punishment system! How can you just slap people with penalties at every turn? What's your customer service number? I want to lodge a complaint!"
As soon as these words came out, the System immediately fell silent. Thinking she had hit upon the System's weak spot, Ruan Shiyu hurriedly softened her tone and pressed her advantage: "Wouldn't it be better if we just let each other off the hook? Look, it's not like I didn't go work out. This morning was truly a special circumstance; how can you expect someone not to eat lunch..."
The System remained silent.
Thinking it was about to give up and preparing to say a couple more words, Ruan Shiyu heard the System say: "Host, the fitness system is merely an auxiliary system. Our purpose for existing is to get you to exercise and optimize your quality of life. If you are going to be this resistant all the time, I will consider reporting this to headquarters and terminating our contract."
"Eh..." Ruan Shiyu hadn't expected the System to say that. Hearing the words "terminate our contract," she, who should have been overjoyed, froze instead. She opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.
The System calmly stated, "Wishing you a pleasant life hereafter. Goodbye."
With that, it hung up the phone and never mentioned the penalty again.
Having successfully wriggled her way out of the penalty that should have fallen upon her, Ruan Shiyu didn't feel a shred of happiness. Pushing her phone aside, she absent-mindedly walked over to her study, turned on her computer, and took out her graphics tablet to draw.
The tip of her pen scratched twice across the graphics tablet, but she couldn't manage to draw a complete shape no matter what. Ruan Shiyu sat blankly for a moment before finally gritting her teeth and standing up. She walked back to her bedroom, picked up her phone, and said, "Fine, call me a masochist if you want—3075, get out here! I accept the penalty, so don't go back and terminate any contract."
What was said just now had struck too deep! It made her feel like a lazy good-for-nothing who only knew how to slack off and throw tantrums. But she was only a little lazy; how could she be a hopeless case?
Yet the phone remained completely unresponsive, as if it were just an ordinary phone and the so-called fitness system had never existed at all.
Had she really angered the System into leaving?
"Hey, hey, hey! 3057, you're a system! How can you be such a fragile snowflake, walking out just because I said a couple of things to you?" Ruan Shiyu shouted at the phone twice. Finding that it still gave no response, she grew increasingly panicked. Abandoning all bravado, she hurriedly said, "I was wrong! Punish me, shock me with electricity or tie me up with a membrane wrap, do whatever you want—just say something!"
"I really know I was wrong!"
No matter how Ruan Shiyu called out, the phone didn't give the slightest reaction. With a tearful expression, she tossed the phone aside. It was over—she had really angered the System into leaving! Even though it was just a system, she still felt extremely uncomfortable inside!
Just as Ruan Shiyu was holding her head in deep regret, her phone suddenly rang. Ruan Shiyu started, immediately turned on her side, and scooped up the phone. When she saw the familiar interface on the screen, the corners of her lips curved upward into a wide smile.
She hurriedly pressed the answer button and, without waiting for the other side to speak, babbled breathlessly, "System, it's you! I knew you wouldn't leave me! You were just joking with me earlier, right? You're not going to leave, are you?"
After she rattled off a long string of words, the System finally let out a faint, "Mn."
Well, look at this system—it even had a tsundere streak.
Having regained what she lost, Ruan Shiyu didn't care about any of that. She reached her hand out, closed her eyes, and boldly shouted without a second thought, "Didn't you want to punish me? Go ahead and punish me!"
Perhaps because Ruan Shiyu was being far too proactive, the System didn't react for a long time. Just as Ruan Shiyu couldn't help but want to open her eyes and take a peek, she felt a tiny trace of current flow across her fingertips—it felt much like getting a static electricity shock in a dry winter! Before she could even process the sensation, the current was gone. Ruan Shiyu kept her eyes closed and waited for a long time, but no further punishment came from the System. Surprised, she opened her eyes and asked, "That... you're done punishing me?"
This was on a completely different level from the morning's punishment when she didn't want to get out of bed! The System then said, somewhat shyly, "3075 is a system that exists for the host's physical health. If the host is willing to exercise of her own accord, then there is no need for a penalty to exist."
The System wasn't entirely heartless after all!
Hearing those words from the System, Ruan Shiyu felt even more embarrassed, and she scratched her head with a silly grin.
The System continued, "Since the host is being so cooperative, I will issue the next exercise task. Starting today, the host needs to go to bed early and get up early to maintain a healthy physical state so that you can achieve better fitness results!"
Though she knew the System meant well, upon hearing this, Ruan Shiyu still couldn't help but let out a wail: "We have to get up early too? What time counts as getting up early?!"
"Science has proven that the most scientific sleeping time for human beings is ten-thirty in the evening, and the waking time is six-thirty in the morning. Keep it up, host~"
Hearing the cheerful lilt at the end of the System's voice, Ruan Shiyu tried her hardest to suppress her reluctance as she said, "Then... alright. Do you have anything else? I'm going to hang up now."
The System said, "Alright, goodbye, host."
Upon hearing this, Ruan Shiyu moved the phone away from her ear and held it in front of her, preparing to press the hang-up button, when she heard the System on the phone suddenly say, "By the way, I forgot to tell the host one thing."
"What?"
"Once a contract is signed, there is no possibility of it ever being terminated. Alright, I'm hanging up now. Goodnight, host."
Ruan Shiyu froze. The System on the other end hung up very briskly, and the dial tone—*beep, beep, beep*—echoed from the phone.
After a long while, Ruan Shiyu abruptly threw her phone back onto the bed and said in a somewhat breakdown state, "So everything it said just now was a lie?!"
It was impossible for them to terminate the contract in the first place, and the System had even pretended it was going to leave just to trick her into feeling guilty?!
This system had way too many tricks up its sleeve! Ruan Shiyu clutched her chest and collapsed backward onto the bed, lamenting with a heartache: "My heart hurts so much! System-tong! My heart is wounded!"
She needed System-tong to give her kisses before she could get back up!
However, the System completely ignored Ruan Shiyu's coquettish act and played dead inside the phone. After rolling around on the bed by herself for a while, Ruan Shiyu realized how childish she was being, so she crawled back up and returned to the study.
Her editor had been pressing her for manuscripts for a long time; she hadn't even finished this month's manga yet! With the graphics tablet in hand, Ruan Shiyu was like a completely different person. Her gaze was solemn, her expression earnest, and she drew in the room for the entire afternoon—not remembering to go downstairs for dinner until the System reminded her.
Yet even after drawing all afternoon, she was still far behind on this month's pages. Looking at the portions already completed on the computer, Ruan Shiyu furrowed her brows in deep dissatisfaction.
Just as Ruan Shiyu was staring blankly at the computer, the System called again: "Host, it's already past ten o'clock. You should wash up and go to sleep."
"Hey, wait," Ruan Shiyu frowned and said, "I haven't finished drawing this chapter yet. Let me finish it."
The System was a fitness system and didn't understand this kind of work. Hearing Ruan Shiyu say this, it was silent for a moment before asking, "How much of this chapter is left?"
Ruan Shiyu said in a troubled tone, "Seven pages."
After all her revising and editing this afternoon, she had only managed to draw seven pages.
How could she possibly finish seven pages in a single night?
"I... but this chapter is a complete plot sequence. If I draw it tomorrow, I'll lose the emotional resonance I have right now, and it will affect the narrative coherence." Ruan Shiyu was thoroughly troubled, and she pleaded in a low voice, "Please make an exception for me tonight! I'll go to sleep right after I finish drawing, and I promise I'll get up early tomorrow!"
The System was also in a difficult position. Observing Ruan Shiyu's expression, it finally compromised and backed down: "Then... alright, hurry up and draw."
"System, can you not hang up the phone? Will you keep me company and talk to me?" Ruan Shiyu said, "I always feel like there's something wrong with what I'm drawing. What do you think?"
Ruan Shiyu had spent years cooped up at home alone. Whenever she hit such a creative bottleneck, she would always struggle in isolation. This was the first time she had someone she could talk to by her side. Although the System couldn't exactly be considered a human being, she still didn't want to return to that loneliness where no one answered her, so she couldn't help but make this willful request.
The System didn't refuse. Instead, it told her to set her phone aside and chatted with her.
However, the System knew nothing about drawing and could only watch as Ruan Shiyu pulled her hair out in frustration without being able to think of a solution.
The night grew deeper and deeper. Inside the room, the only sounds were the rustling of the brush strokes and the occasional dialogue between the person and the system: "Tong-tong, do you think this line I drew is crooked?"
"Host, my name is 3075, not Tong-tong."
"Oh, oh, oh, alright."
"..."
"Tong-tong, I'm so sleepy, but I can't sleep..."