Put aside personal decency—when something happens, just lose it.
Instead of making things hard on yourself, torment others instead.
——
“All right, they’ve already left. Sleep peacefully now.”
“Mm~”
Inside the classroom, by the desks and benches, Dream Siyu rested her head calmly and peacefully on Su Moli’s soft thigh, leaning against a few classmates’ benches.
Normally, as girls living in a female-dominated world, they were very averse to such physical contact between same-sex individuals.
Even holding hands in elementary school wasn’t accepted by the surrounding environment. Over time, even the slightest touch between fingers would instantly feel like an electric shock, reflexively snapping away in a flash.
But…
For some reason, lying on Su Moli’s thigh at this moment, Dream Siyu didn’t feel the slightest discomfort. Instead, there was a faint sense of warmth, like a newborn baby lying in its mother’s embrace—full of safety and relaxation.
“What’s wrong? Not sleeping yet?”
“Almost.”
Dream Siyu, lying flat, suddenly opened her eyes. She watched Su Moli bending over, carefully tidying her hair. Seeing that she had woken up, Su Moli immediately responded with a faint smile. This scene made Dream Siyu want to shout out “Daddy” from her heart, but fortunately, she stopped herself just in time, or else the consequences would have been unimaginable.
God only knows if Su Moli would get angry if Dream Siyu thought of her as a boy 💢.
Besides, they were only classmates…
“What are you thinking about?”
Noticing the subtle shy expression on Dream Siyu’s face, Su Moli narrowed her fox-like eyes and mischievously asked with a sly smile.
“N-Nothing! I’m going to sleep now 💤.”
Seeing that Su Moli had caught her daydreaming, Dream Siyu was so startled that she let out a shriek, immediately burying her face in the soft thigh, too embarrassed to come out.
“Ah—what are you doing? Come out quickly.”
“No—don’t want to—”
Suddenly feeling Dream Siyu’s face pressed into her thigh, Su Moli gasped, feeling an unbearable itch on the inner side of her leg, wanting Dream Siyu to come out.
But Dream Siyu was too shy to reveal her face, so she burrowed even deeper.
“…”
Watching Dream Siyu desperately burrowing in, a faint blush slowly spread across Su Moli’s originally calm, snow-white face.
“Ahem, ahem~ Fine, if you don’t want to come out, then don’t. Just don’t burrow any deeper.”
To avoid further embarrassing Dream Siyu, Su Moli chose to give in, forcing a composed expression as she looked toward the window. Outside, she watched the students freely running and doing exercises on the playground, thoroughly enjoying a school principal’s version of a parade.
Only, if one observed carefully, they would see that Su Moli’s calm little face still bore a lingering blush that gradually spread further…
——
“Ah—Is it day or night now?”
In the pitch-black, damp-smelling room, Gu Shiying lay miserably on a single bed. Next to her on the table was the leftover takeout box from yesterday.
“Is it already morning?”
Her right hand groped around the bed, weakly opening her phone. It was already past eight in the morning. Although her mind told her it was time for breakfast, her stomach felt no hunger.
“What’s wrong with me?”
Regretfully, Gu Shiying crawled out of bed, her hair disheveled and hanging behind her. Recalling the absurd days just passed, she felt like she was in a dream—completely unreal.
She had clearly decided to go out and find a job, but she had no motivation at all. It felt like she had simply been lying in bed playing on her phone for days on end.
“Today, I have to be disciplined!”
Suddenly, the downcast Gu Shiying shouted at the ceiling like a madwoman without any warning, then immediately lay back down and opened her phone again.
Half an hour later.
“What do I do? I kind of need to pee… Ah, I’ll wait a bit longer.”
An hour later, she was getting anxious.
Another hour passed, and just as she was about to lose control, Gu Shiying darted off the bed and ran quickly to the bathroom.
Two minutes later, she returned to her room, turned on the light, and stared at her own miserable appearance with hollow eyes, asking herself deeply:
“Is my life over?”
Fully aware of her reality, Gu Shiying sat painfully on the edge of the bed, recalling how after graduating, she couldn’t find a decent job, couldn’t stand the numbness of assembly line work in the electronics factory, and how she looked down on low-paying free jobs that didn’t want her. So she began to live off the allowance her family sent, slowly wasting away in her rented room.
Ten days.
Half a month.
One month, two months…
After lying around for two months, Gu Shiying felt her brain becoming dull, no longer sharp. She hadn’t spoken to anyone during those two months, often talking to herself as if crazy. She mustered up the courage to go out but was paralyzed by the fear of failure again and again, causing endless procrastination.
“So… what should I do?”
Gu Shiying cried out for help, but in reality, she had no friends—not that she had none, but she didn’t have a single one she could truly open her heart to. Online, it was just some sketchy image-sharing and game groups, with no one to vent her pain to.
No! That’s not right!
Suddenly, Gu Shiying remembered someone—an online stranger who knew her situation very well, but they had never met in person, and she didn’t even know their real name.
【Gu Shiying: Are you there?】
【Su Moli: What’s wrong?】
【Gu Shiying: It’s just…】
Seeing that someone was finally willing to listen, Gu Shiying’s heart leapt with joy. She started venting all her recent sorrows wildly, not caring whether the other side wanted to hear them or not—she only cared about feeling relieved.
Because she was really, really miserable.
【Gu Shiying: That’s basically it. Do you have any solutions?】
Nervously typing her last question, Gu Shiying felt embarrassed by how much she bombarded the other person with messages, but she immediately reminded herself that Su Moli claimed to be a system sent to save her life.
【Su Moli: Actually, the reason you feel so miserable and lack motivation, always procrastinating,】
【is because you’re still trapped by your past. Every time you think about how much money your family spent for your master’s degree, how much your parents sacrificed, and yet in the end, you found a job just like your parents’, you feel so guilty.】
【At the same time, failing repeatedly to find a job after graduation has made you deeply afraid of failure and rejection, so you don’t want to try anymore.】
【It’s funny, isn’t it? Your rational mind tells you that wasting away is wrong, but your subconscious chooses to waste away out of fear of failure.】
【Gu Shiying: Then what should I do now?】
Reading Su Moli’s detailed explanation that hit so close to home, Gu Shiying grew more and more shocked. She had never met anyone who understood her so well.
【Su Moli: It’s simple. If your past is a burden, then completely abandon it. Imagine yourself as a time traveler or someone reborn.】
【Gu Shiying: Time traveler?】
【Su Moli: Exactly! You’re now a time traveler. In your previous life, you were in your thirties, caring for your parents, supporting your wife and daughter, burdened by hundreds of thousands in mortgage and car loans, yet your monthly salary barely covered those loans, leaving just over a thousand yuan for the living expenses of five people.】
【Then your parents suddenly fell ill and were hospitalized for chronic diseases, costing over a thousand yuan per month. Your daughter’s school required all kinds of fees, and you saw her eating plain rice and steamed buns to save money.】
【You yourself were diagnosed with heart, lumbar, and neck problems due to long hours of overtime, needing to take a handful of pills daily just to keep working.】
【At such a desperate moment, you suddenly traveled back and were reborn—unmarried, no children, your parents healthy, just graduated with a master’s degree, full of youthful vigor.】
【With such a beautiful new beginning, what do you have to complain about?】
【Gu Shiying: Damn! I get it! Master! Thank you!】
In her rented room, reading those comforting words, her heart burned with renewed fire. She realized how pathetic she had been. She was a freshly graduated master’s degree holder! She was going to do great things—how could she waste away alone here?
With that thought, Gu Shiying suddenly felt energized like she’d been injected with adrenaline. She quickly got up, tidied herself, and went out to look for a job.
——
【Congratulations, you have successfully saved Gu Shiying from the brink of despair. Reward: [Natural Fragrance 1/10]. Please continue your efforts.】
“Seriously? Why are all the system rewards lately just fragments?”
【Because my aunt is the pdd system.】
“……”
Putting down her phone, Su Moli was speechless. But getting a reward was better than none, especially since she didn’t seem to have done much.
Still, why was the weather so hot recently?
How did she sweat just from sitting for a while?
Feeling the dampness beneath her, Su Moli turned her gaze downward and saw Dream Siyu’s awkward sleeping profile nestled between her legs. Her little mouth was slightly open, with tiny, sparkling strands of drool slowly dripping down, pooling into a wet patch on Su Moli’s pants, gradually soaking through…
【Congratulations, you have triggered a reality task!】
【1. Pretend nothing happened. Reward: [Gentleman] title. Effect: Force yourself to calm down and suppress desire.】
【2. Use your phone to take a picture of this scene to threaten Dream Siyu later. Reward: [Bad Student] title.】
【3. Push Dream Siyu away with a disgusted face. Reward: [Straight Girl] title.】
【4. Dip your finger in the drool and taste it. Reward: [Pervert] title.】