At an ordinary public school in S City, during the lunch break in the girls' dormitory.
"Yi Yan, you're going to the library again. Really not coming to play games with me?" a girl asked persistently.
"Sorry, my number one goal in life is to study hard for the next three years, pass all my courses, and smoothly get my college diploma."
Even if she had an interest in gaming or other things, she had to restrain herself and not waste time carelessly; college life required self-discipline.
With these words from Yi Yan, coupled with the habitual smile playing on her lips, the gaming girl at the start of her match could say no more!
How boring. This roommate she had lived with for two years was truly a wallflower. Aside from occasionally exchanging a few words with those in her dorm or her class, her attitude toward everyone else—save for a faint, polite smile—was never to initiate a single word from beginning to end. She was practically an invisible person... The gaming girl sighed deeply in her heart!
"Yi Yan, since you're heading to the library anyway, could you help me return a book?" another dormmate asked.
"Another meeting?" Yi Yan asked.
"Yeah, blame the senior for slipping away too fast and landing me the job as president of this year's anime club," a nearby girl said with a wry smile.
"Alright, I know! Go ahead!"
"Yi Yan, you really are my best roommate," the girl said with emotion, handing her library card and book to Yi Yan before hurrying off.
"Xiao Fen really has it rough. In our school over the past two years, the anime club has been going downhill. Taking over a mess like that now—isn't that just bringing endless pressure on herself? How exhausting."
"It's her choice and her original aspiration; we have no right to interfere," Yi Yan sighed.
"True! Just a pity for her!" Seeing that she had secured a five-win MVP streak, the gaming girl rubbed her eyes, closed her laptop, and prepared to climb the ladder to take a nap.
Just then, a figure rushed into the dorm, pulled out a desk chair, sat down, and buried her head in soft sobs. "Why... did I not get chosen... when I spent... a full two years on this?"
"Ugh, another one! Sigh, who asked you to look for trouble? A club, a student union—what Yi Yan said right at the start was so right, this sort of thing... Bah, bah, bah, I'm not lecturing you guys." The gaming girl sighed again. This nap was turning out to be anything but peaceful.
"Know when to step down; it's not too late until the very end," Yi Yan consoled her roommate before picking up her schoolbag, gathering a few books in her arms, and heading toward the library...
"I feel like what the little wallflower says makes more sense than anything else in the world. Alright, stop crying, Xiao Xin. A pit like the student union is too deep; someone as pure as you could never handle it... You know how rigged those internal selections are."
Hearing this, Xiao Xin wiped away her tears with a tissue and gradually pulled herself together.
She took a pen from her pencil holder and pulled out a form that had been pressed underneath a stack of books...
Meanwhile, Yi Yan felt a sudden surge of curiosity. Shortly after stepping outside the girls' dormitory area, she was caught in a mysterious gust of wind that whipped up falling maple leaves all around her, and before she knew it, she found herself inexplicably in this pitch-black place.
Yi Yan could not even see her own outstretched hand, and her backpack and books had completely vanished.
[Welcome, Host, to the Colorful Space. I am your system, Ni Tian System. Hehe.] As a milky, childish loli voice echoed in Yi Yan's mind, the space instantly lit up...
"Ni Tian? Sounds nice! Are we already bound by life and death in our souls?" Yi Yan asked unceremoniously.
[Yes, Host. But how did you know?]
[Back in middle school, I read a ton of novels!] So weren't all novels written that way? It was always the same tropes.
[Oh, I see. Could it be that when the Host was in middle school, she read too much and let her studies slip, leading her to test into—]
"Hold on, let's not dredge up the past. I've reformed now! As a two-year regular at the library, I didn't spend all that time for nothing..." Yi Yan said softly.
[Fine! Host! Let's drop the past! Let's start our mission! The Cannon Fodder Counterattack Mission!]
"Wait! I have another question."
[The Host has another question? Go ahead and ask! Anything I know, I will definitely tell the Host.]
"I clearly didn't die in an accident, right? Then why am I here? I want the truth."
Upon hearing this question, the Ni Tian System paused for a moment before replying:
[Well, Host, I don't really know either! Maybe it's fate. Or perhaps it's destiny, the will of the heavens.]
An answer like that made it crystal clear that the Ni Tian System was completely fobbing Yi Yan off.
Yet, rather than pressing further, Yi Yan asked another question: "Are my parents well? And what about my roommates? Will my departure affect them?"
[Rest assured, Host! They are doing well! As for any impact, they will simply temporarily forget your existence. Once the Host completes various missions and earns enough Nitian Value, you will be able to return.]
"Is that so? I've really let them down!" Beneath Yi Yan's calm expression lay a heavy tangle of worries.
As an only child, she not only enjoyed their undivided love, but she also would—and must—shoulder the responsibilities of their future.
As for her roommates, over the past two years, their bond had been pretty good. The girls in this dorm had not been tainted by selfish interests.
[Host.]
"Alright, let's begin! The sorrow is already behind me, and no matter how heartbroken I feel, given your authority, I probably have no hope of changing this." Yi Yan smiled helplessly, having figured everything out!
She decided not to make things difficult for the Ni Tian System.
[I'm sorry, Host! Let me give the Host a Newbie Gift Pack in advance!]
As the soft voice of the Ni Tian System finished speaking, a screen appeared before Yi Yan, displaying a purple brocade box with an "Open" button beneath it.
Yi Yan pressed it, and the box sprang open to reveal six bold characters: One Mystery Lucky Draw.
[The Host's luck is soaring, please draw your prize!]
"Draw."
The moment Yi Yan spoke, a window popped up on the screen, and a seven-colored roulette wheel began spinning automatically.
A moment later, a small purple jade pendant appeared in Yi Yan's palm.
Without hesitation, Yi Yan pricked her finger to bind it with her blood, then hung it around her neck.
[Host, you're really quite practiced at this kind of operation. This Purple Jade Pendant is an artifact that can enhance all of the Host's abilities.]
"I love it. Send me off, Ni Tian System!"
[Okay.]