So all the bad luck points were added after the system spoke to her and she became blank and unable to respond to Xu Qingzhu?
So, is this system... sick or something?
Before she could even think or curse the damn system, the pain in her heart rendered her speechless.
In an instant, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his face turned deathly pale.
Xu Qingzhu immediately leaned over and asked, "What's wrong?"
Liang Shi clutched his chest, "You...you don't cry."
She was in so much pain that she was trembling and couldn't utter a complete sentence; even as she tried to say those few words, her teeth were chattering.
This was the first time she had experienced this kind of pain, and it was many times more painful than when her palm was cut open last time.
It's that feeling of knowing you're being punished, yet still strongly feeling like you're hovering on the edge of death.
His life hung by a thread.
"Liang Shi, what's wrong?" Xu Qingzhu asked anxiously. "I really didn't mean to scold you."
Liang Shi: "..."
But that damn system thinks you're not satisfied with me.
[Ding dong! Urgent notification!]
The eerie mechanical voice sounded again, this time with a hint of urgency, and spoke much faster than before: "[Due to a detection error just now, the host suffered an undeserved calamity. The second-level penalty of the Misfortune System is now cancelled.]"
[We sincerely apologize, Host. Due to the system's inappropriate announcement, your Luck Points accumulated too quickly. The Resentment Management Bureau will compensate you for any errors caused. For the next thirty days, the Luck System will suspend collecting your Luck Points and compensate you with five Luck Points. Simultaneously, the Time Reversal function will be used to erase the memory of your recently encountered target, returning you to the moment you returned home. Host, please seize this opportunity to accumulate Luck Points as quickly as possible.]
[PS: To compensate you for the damage you suffered, the Resentment Management Bureau will revoke your administrative privileges after you complete the mission.]
[Note: This means that after accumulating 100 luck points, you will become a true Liang Shi, and a true free person.]
[P.S.: Due to the seriousness of this error, the Resentment Management Bureau will add an answer to one of your questions. You can ask it now or later; the question is valid for thirty days.]
[Note: If asked now, the Resentment Management Bureau will guarantee not to lie; however, they cannot guarantee otherwise.]
Liang Shi: "..."
If this system were a physical entity, she really wouldn't be able to control the knife in her hand.
However, after a brief weighing of the pros and cons, Liang Shi did not hesitate to ask the question now.
"Why did I come to this world? Did I come to this world before?" Liang Shi asked the same question he had asked the system last time.
She felt this issue was of paramount importance.
In the first half of her life, she lost her memories of the period before she was eight years old.
Her fear and suffocation towards Mrs. Qi were all too real, and she has always been someone with a fairly accurate intuition.
This time, her intuition did not disappoint her.
After a moment of silence, the system spoke in a strange, mechanical voice, mimicking a human sigh: "Yes, you have been here, and your return is to correct the mistakes God once made. That's all I have to say."
Liang Shi let out a soft breath.
If she has been here before, it means she came before she was eight years old.
Did she exist in this world at the same time as the original owner before she was eight years old?
Or is it a swap with the original owner?
Both possibilities exist, but Liang Shi leans more towards the second possibility.
Did you come here sometime before you were eight years old? Or did you originally live in this world?
Liang Shi felt that...it still needed further investigation.
However, she now knows that she cannot reveal too much information about herself to Xu Qingzhu, especially the fact that she transmigrated into the book, as the system would consider that as cheating.
But Xu Qingzhu was the one who discovered that picture first. Does talking about things related to the picture count as self-incrimination? She was clearly speaking in the original owner's voice.
[Ding dong! Little Tong is back! I'm sorry, host, nothing you did while acting as the original owner doesn't count as self-destruction, but gaining the trust of your target in this way is considered cheating. Your luck value just accumulated to fifteen in an instant, so this is considered a violation.]
[Due to the time reversal, your luck stat has returned to its previous level. Please keep up the good work!]
[P.S.: Could you please speak a little slower? That way you won't accumulate a lot of luck points in a short period and be considered to have violated the rules!]
Liang Shi: "..."
You're such a little genius.
But Liang Shi had just endured such inhumane torture and had no desire to talk to it.
The only thing they said was, "Why doesn't the Resentment Management Bureau punish you? You were the one who disrupted the order first."
The mechanical voice fell silent for a moment, then mimicked a human's pitiful tone, saying: "[Waaah, host, don't you like me anymore? I've already put so much water in there, even my tears!]"
Liang Shi: "..."
Please get out of here right now, okay?
[Your insults have been received. After speaking with you, I will return to headquarters to receive punishment and have my chip replaced. Your colleagues will be looking after you from now on, so please do your best to complete the mission!]
Liang Shi: "..."
I have to urge them eight times a day.
It really is!
Even working people get a day off! She works 24/7 without a break and has to deal with punishments from time to time. How can one word describe her miserable life?
Liang Shi brushed it off, and then the system disappeared without a trace.
She came to her senses and found herself and Xu Qingzhu standing at the door, so she quickly opened the door.
//
The rest of the procedure was the same as before, even the height at which Xu Qingzhu hung the clothes was the same.
Therefore, going back in time will not change anything.
Liang Shi remained silent after hearing Xu Qingzhu's words.
She looked at Xu Qingzhu, poured her a glass of water, and said gently, "Have some water first, then we can talk slowly."
Well, take your time. Luck accumulates slowly.
Xu Qingzhu still looked tired. She took the water that was handed to her, but only took a small sip before putting the glass back on the coffee table.
Liang Shi said, "Let me think about it. Where should I start to tell you?"
Xu Qingzhu looked at her and said, "I already told you, you don't need to think about how to lie to me. If you want to talk, I'll listen. If you don't want to talk, I'll go upstairs to sleep. I don't want to hear lies."
Liang Shi nodded: "I know, don't get excited. I promise that everything I'm telling you is true, but the story is very long."
"Then get to the point," Xu Qingzhu said crisply.
Liang Shi: "..."
“I need to organize my thoughts.” Liang Shi paused for a moment, then asked, “Do you remember that phone call I had with my mother before? When we were at the hospital.”
Xu Qingzhu thought for a moment, then nodded.
That day, Liang Shi questioned Qiu Zimin, asking why she was used to make a deal with Zhou Yian.
Qiu Zimin's answer was also very hurtful.
However, Xu Qingzhu was in a very bad mood that day, so bad that she even wanted to ask Liang Shi for a hug.
She didn't take it too seriously; every family has its own problems.
Especially in large families, enjoying rights comes at a price.
There are many families that send their beloved daughters to marry into political alliances; the Liang family is no exception.
It's nothing.
What surprised her, however, was why Qiu Zimin said that the land in the south of the city was particularly important to the Liang family. What use would a luxury goods company have for a piece of land? How could it have reached the point where it would go bankrupt if it couldn't get the land?
During that time, Xu Qingzhu had so many messes to deal with herself that she didn't have time to think about Liang Shi's affairs, so she didn't delve into it. Now, looking back, there are many suspicious points.
"I remember some," Xu Qingzhu replied conservatively, though she actually remembered most of it.
This is probably the advantage of having a good memory.
"Back then, she wanted to introduce me to Zhou Yi'an, hoping to use me to exchange for that piece of land in the south of the city. She even tried to persuade me to undergo differentiation surgery. To undergo secondary differentiation when I was perfectly healthy and without any illness or injury—that's not something a mother would do, right?" Liang Shi said calmly, while answering another question: "After waking up in the hospital, I lost a lot of my memories, you know that, right?"
Xu Qingzhu looked at her, "So you have amnesia, and you haven't had your soul swapped? Are you sure?"
She suppressed her gentle aura, and when she looked at you intently, there was a sense of oppressive tension. Her clear eyes made your heart beat faster involuntarily.
Liang Shi turned his face away and sighed softly, "May I remain silent on this issue?"
Xu Qingzhu paused for a moment, then replied, "Okay."
“Because I myself still have many questions that I haven’t figured out,” Liang Shi said. “As you said, I am free, and I don’t want to answer you with things that I haven’t figured out yet, which means I don’t want to lie to you.”
Xu Qingzhu: "...Okay."
"You went through my phone last time, didn't you?" Liang Shi asked her.
Suddenly, that eerie image flashed into Xu Qingzhu's mind, sending chills down her spine. She took a deep breath and said, "Yes, I apologize for that, because I really wanted to know why you changed like this."
"Isn't this version of me good enough?" Liang Shi asked.
Xu Qingzhu smiled. "Very good. But do you know how much it troubles me to think about this question every day: who exactly are you?"
“I am Liang Shi.” Liang Shi smiled firmly and said, “I am Liang Shi, there is no doubt about it.”
In her original world, she was also called Liang Shi.
Xu Qingzhu nodded, not dwelling on the issue, and said, "Go on."
“The bottom right corner of that photo says ‘offerings,’” Liang Shi said. “I don’t remember this, but I’ve been back to the old house. Did you go into my room?”
Xu Qingzhu shook her head: "We moved to this villa after we got married. Before the wedding, when I went to your house, I didn't stay overnight at your house, and no one asked you to take me to your room."
Generally speaking, before a wedding, when the fiancée arrives at the groom's home, she should sit in the groom's room and take a look around. But Xu Qingzhu did not. She had a hurried lunch with Liang Shi, and then Liang Shi took her away in a hurry.
I basically didn't stay for two hours.
Liang Shi was relatively well-behaved in front of her parents, but she always remained vigilant.
Xu Qingzhu usually has a very accurate eye for people, which is why this puzzled her.