Upon arriving in this world, he had initially embraced the philosophy of taking things as they came and had even considered integrating into their lives. However, habits ingrained over a long period were not easily changed, and neither were his methods of seeking favor.
No matter what he did, his disliking parents remained disliking, as did his elder brother and the servants.
After enduring their strange glances for so long, he no longer struggled.
They regarded him as an anomaly, a disgrace. Fortunately, he hadn't started liking them either.
He was the apple of the Empress’s eye, the darling of the Royal Consort. They had nurtured and protected him for so long, not to have him suffer grievances in another world.
As for Qiao Ci, she was the one who had first offered him a ray of sunshine, a hint of warmth.
He had instantly adored her, willing to dedicate himself to her, content to humble himself for her.
The facts proved his devotion was worthwhile.
In the face of his true nature, she hadn't looked at him strangely, had she?
He could even see helplessness and heartache in her indifferent expression.
His Royal Consort had once told him:
“If one day, a woman appears who is unconditionally good to you, tolerates you, and cherishes you, and you also happen to love her, bring her to me. I will vet her for you.”
“As long as her character is sound, I won’t stop you. I will arrange a grand wedding with your Empress, complete with imperial crowns, phoenix robes, and a dowry of ten miles, to marry you off splendidly to the one worthy of your lifelong commitment.”
The Royal Consort had also said:
“My child, you must also prepare yourself. Hearts are fickle, and most women are inherently cold and cannot withstand tests. If that person changes their mind, and you harbor no more hope, then come back. I will always be your haven. Don’t let fear of us worrying cause you to suffer. You are a treasure meticulously nurtured by your Empress and me. Remember, wherever and whenever, you will always have us behind you…”
By the time his thoughts drifted back, the family discipline had been administered.
Prime Minister Su observed his youngest son, who lay unmoving, with a pensive gaze. His son’s skin was torn and bleeding, yet he didn’t whimper like he usually would.
He had initially thought his youngest son had gained some backbone and was salvageable. However, when the boy looked up, his eyes were red-rimmed and filled with tears. Prime Minister Su’s anger flared anew.
“Utterly incorrigible, useless thing!”
With that, he angrily flung the cane away and departed.
Madam Su also rose indifferently. Her departing glance at him was filled with disdain. She regretted giving birth to such a monster, who resembled neither the Prime Minister nor herself in temperament or looks.
Anything that deviates from their expectations is a monster, *hehe*.
Su Mo sniffled, enduring the bone-chilling pain as he pushed himself up.
He took out the handkerchief Qiao Ci had given him from his chest, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, carefully folded it, and placed it back near his heart. Then, he casually wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve and stumbled his way towards his own courtyard.
After today’s events, Qiao Ci found herself developing a slight concern for the stubborn youth. In her leisure time, she would have Little Spoon check on what he was doing.
“Host, are you developing a crush? Hehe, I just monitored and found Su Mo has fallen asleep~”
“This system is very open-minded. The mission is already complete anyway, so it’s acceptable for the host to fall in love and relax a bit~”
“Do you think the mission is truly complete? Wasn’t it divided into S, SS, and SSS tiers? The final evaluation is done by the main system, right? It doesn’t automatically become SSS just because the original host felt it was complete?”
The barrage of questions left Little Spoon somewhat incredulous.
From giving up to pursuing perfection, what had happened? It knew nothing, had the host already started pushing herself?
Understanding that Qiao Ci wanted to strive for excellence, Little Spoon was overjoyed. To avoid adding pressure on the host, it offered encouragement: “Little Host, this is only your first mission, and you’ve already done a fantastic job. You don’t need to pressure yourself. You can play freely for the remaining time, hehe~”
“Why do I feel your tone is becoming more human-like? Have you switched modes?” Qiao Ci raised an eyebrow, looking at the little system in front of her, which only she could see, constantly twirling its spoon handle.
“Host, your perception is erroneous! This system has always been aloof! Don’t think about getting close, don’t think about taking shortcuts. What you deserve, you will get, and what you don’t deserve, don’t even think about it!” The serious electronic voice returned to its initial state. After speaking, it felt its tone was too harsh…
Little Spoon was internally panicking.
Why was it that throughout its existence, it had bound with countless hosts, yet none had ever stayed long? It was all because of its soft nature and its susceptibility to being manipulated. Those hosts had pushed their luck, eventually leading to their own downfall.
Besides having the worst performance, it was also known as the ‘nice guy’ in the system industry.
It was one thing for previous hosts to overdraw its points; other smaller systems often borrowed from it too, mostly with no intention of returning.
*Wuwuwu*, it didn’t want to lend either, but seeing other systems so pitiful, unable to maintain their cute forms, or wear pretty clothes, it softened its heart.
It absolutely had to maintain its system persona! It couldn’t let the host know it was the ‘softie’ system of the industry!!
*Wuwuwu*, Little Spoon didn’t have many points left…
Unsure of what the little system was panicking about, Qiao Ci, seeing that the night was getting late, prepared to seek further advanced studies with Xiao Ren, based on the latest address provided by the system.
Xiao Ren was indeed the child of destiny, and his tricks were numerous. Recently, Qiao Ci had gained much knowledge, and in pursuit of excellence, she observed him daily.
Little Spoon put on a righteous front. The host’s personality was unstable and impulsive. To prevent her from doing anything out of line, it had to follow and supervise…
In Weiyang Palace, Xiao Ren and Wei Zhu were about to discuss life. Perhaps due to Qiao Ci’s frequent peeping and startling him in recent days, Xiao Ren was horrified to discover that he had become impotent!
Wei Zhu had tried every method, and he had reached the peak of excitement, yet Xiao Ren’s little part remained motionless.
Wei Zhu, left unsatisfied, cast a cold gaze at the flustered Xiao Ren, who had summoned numerous imperial physicians in the middle of the night. Never before had she felt he was so useless.
It was bad enough that as emperor, he allowed a woman to lord over him daily. Now, even the most important male attribute was no longer functioning!
As Qiao Ci arrived, she saw Xiao Ren anxiously having imperial physicians feel his pulse, frequently nodding at their advice…
In summary, Xiao Ren was to cultivate himself for the next month and could not visit his consorts.
Qiao Ci: ↷(o╻o)
No more happy *pa*!
Qiao Ci, like a wilted eggplant, dejectedly returned to Fengyi Palace. She tossed and turned on the bed, unable to sleep.
Habits were truly terrifying!!
Alas, ancient times were so boring.
Nighttime entertainment options were pitifully few.
Since she couldn’t sleep anyway, Qiao Ci decided to find something to do.
The moon was bright and the stars sparse.
A light, ethereal figure glided into Su Mo’s courtyard.
Qiao Ci stood at Su Mo’s doorway but did not enter. She felt her current actions were incredibly foolish, like a pervert sneaking into someone’s boudoir at night!
Moreover, the system had said Su Mo was asleep. Coming here in the middle of the night was disturbing his dreams!
Turning to leave, she faintly heard sobbing sounds, which froze her in her tracks.