Chapter 4 - Host, Would You Like to Blacken?
Two hours later, the system woke Lin Quan up on time. He didn't rush to get up
but stayed lying on the hospital bed, chatting with the system about the
little Young Master Lin's interpersonal relationships. He was determined to
memorise all the details about his so-called relatives and friends.
Lin Quan deeply felt how pitiful the young master of the Lin family was. The
two most dangerous people around him were Childhood Friends No. 7 and No.
6. Their situations were the complete opposite. The young master of the
Lin family desperately wanted Childhood Friend No. 7 but couldn’t have him,
while Childhood Friend No. 6 desperately wanted the young master but couldn’t
have him either.
The outcome was pretty obvious. Childhood Friend No. 7 only cared about wealth
and not Young Master Lin himself, so he ended up obtaining most of the Lin
family’s fortune.
Childhood Friend No. 6, on the other hand, became severely twisted inside
after failing to win the little Young Master Lin's affections. He took great
pleasure in tormenting Lin Quan. The one who hit Lin Quan the hardest and
tortured him in ways unimaginable was Childhood Friend No. 6.
Lin Quan: Stay away from psychos, and you’ll live a long life.
Lin Quan: The heavens are out to get me! My paternal cousin, who likes
Childhood Friend No. 7, is hostile towards me while my maternal cousin, who
likes Childhood Friend No. 6, targets me. Even my brother’s secret admirer
sees me as a love rival? Have I activated some sort of halo that makes
everyone my enemy?
Lin Quan: Are all love rivals so capricious these days? Just randomly
attacking me without reason?
System: "Your brother treats you well, and they're jealous of you, so they
dislike you.
Lin Quan: No way. If my brother or what not truly cared about his little
brother, would I be stuck in this sanatorium, calling out for help with no one
answering, no matter where I turn?
System: He's also been tricked and believes that you're living well.
Lin Quan: Tricked… Fine, I’ll give him that one…
Was being gullible a genetic trait in his family? The kind where they could
easily be fooled even without dumbing down their intelligence? Talk about
tragic, written in caps too.
Lin Quan: Little Temtem, there are too many people. Can't we cut it down some
more?
System: This is already the most streamlined version. If it's still too much,
just focus on the key characters for now.
Lin Quan: Key characters? Childhood Friend No. 7 and Childhood Friend No. 6.
One is after my money while the other is after my life. A bunch of cousins,
paternal and maternal, and brothers, but the only brother I can trust has been
deceived and is oblivious. As for the childhood friend I can rely on, he's
been barred from the sanatorium and can't get near me.
System: Exactly, that’s the gist of it.
Lin Quan: Is this tragic life just one endless spiral of eighty-one
hardships[1] right to my death?
Lin Quan: All this becoming twisted or blackening, day in, day out. Want to
bet I could blacken any minute and wipe the floor with them?
System: I bet you could. So, Host, would you like to blacken?
Lin Quan: I was just joking, Little Temtem. You actually took it
seriously? You don't have a buff to scale walls, but you have a
"blackening" buff? What a high-end feature…
Lin Quan: The world is so beautiful, why turn to the dark side? Is the
sunshine not warm enough? Is having money, not happiness? Who would want to
hide in a dark corner and slowly go mad?
Lin Quan: I want to stay far away from that pack of lunatics, live a happy and
fulfilling life, and live so brightly that it blinds their eyes and makes them
envious. I'm going to live in the light and make them green with envy. I don't
have that much time to waste on playing that crappy game of who is crazier
than the other.
System: *Clap, clap* Host, you are a righteous and upstanding young man.
Lin Quan: As a reward, can you give me a buff that makes my IQ and EQ
skyrocket?
System: There's no such buff. Would you like one which lowers your
intelligence?
Lin Quan: Oh wow, how generous of you, but no thanks. Be honest with me,
Little Temtem. Are your previous Hosts still alive, or did they all get
themselves killed from being too stupid?
System: My previous hosts are all living happily and well. I'm an excellent
system with a super-high task completion rate.
Lin Quan: Makes sense. Ignorance is bliss, right? You’ve dumbed them all down
so much, they must be having the time of their lives. Little Temtem, what’s
your mission with me, anyway?
System: That’s classified. Insufficient clearance so I can't tell you now.
Lin Quan: You can't tell me now, but you can tell me later? When is later?
System: When your HP reaches "60".
Lin Quan glanced at his current HP of "20"; this was really going to take a
while. When his HP reaches "60", it'd probably mean that his life was in a
more secure and safe state.
Lin Quan: Little Temtem, why isn't there any info on Qian Gu?
System: Your access level isn't high enough to unlock details on late-stage
villains.
Lin Quan immediately fell silent, refusing to communicate further with the
system. The little Young Master Lin had been farmed to death by that
bunch of people long before getting to the late stages, so he couldn't access
those parts of the plot. One of his reasons for looking up information was to
learn more about Qian Gu.
When Lin Quan got up, neither Qian Gu nor Grandpa Qian were around. Only the
Qian family's bodyguards remained, dutifully standing guard at the door of the
hospital room.
Lin Quan walked over to the window and peered outside. This private sanatorium
was nestled between mountains and water and had a beautiful view. The sun was
warm and Lin Quan squinted slightly from the light. He realised he hadn't
noticed earlier when he was perched on the sixth-floor windowsill that it was
such a lovely, clear day.
As his mood changed, the scenery looked different too. Even the wind blowing
through the hospital seemed to carry a whiff of freedom.
At the moment, Grandpa Qian was basking in the sun on the lawn downstairs. A
young nurse was pushing his wheelchair as they chatted.
Lin Quan saw that Grandpa Qian had bodyguards following nearby but Qian Gu was
nowhere to be found. After weighing his options, Lin Quan walked out of the
room.
The bodyguards at the door didn’t stop Lin Quan from stepping out, but one of
them followed him at a safe distance, ready to ensure his safety at any
moment.
And it wasn't just the Qian family’s bodyguards; the ones from the sixth floor
were tailing him too. Their purpose wasn't to protect him but to continue
keeping him under their surveillance and control.
Lin Quan: Little Temtem, can I request the Lin family to switch out these
bodyguards?
System: You can, but it won’t make a difference. The new bodyguards might not
help you; they’re probably still just spying for someone else.
Lin Quan: Tsk. I’m supposed to be rolling in Lin family wealth, but I can’t
even live a carefree and unrestrained life? In these types of circumstances, I
should be playing the role of the spoiled rich kid, throwing my weight around
just because I have money. Getting bullied like this simply doesn't make any
sense.
System: These are the basic settings of the plot.
Lin Quan: Well, I don't care if it's a setting or whatever. I'm going to
firmly resist the plot. Little Temtem, I'm going to leave this sanatorium and
escape this cycle of death of being an XP fountain.
System: What do you plan to do?
Lin Quan: What else can I do? I'll avoid what I can, and when I can't, I'll
unleash my ultimate move.
Lin Quan: A top-notch killer move dedicated to turning the plot around. An
ultimate plot twist so to speak, which would throw the plot in a completely
different direction. Once the storyline falls apart so badly it can't be
fixed, that’s when I can kick back and enjoy my freedom!
System: Hmm, a host with great ideas. Good luck, you can do it.
Lin Quan: Your encouragement is not sincere at all. Come on, how about giving
me a detailed copy of Qian Gu's info?
System: No can do.
Lin Quan: See, that's why I say your encouragement is not sincere at all.
Lin Quan adjusted his mood and walked up to Elder Qian: "Grandpa Qian, the
weather's lovely today."
"Indeed it is, perfect for a stroll," the old man chuckled, "The ward is too
stuffy."
"Super stuffy! It's so stuffy I could barely breathe in there. I feel so much
better being outside." Lin Quan responded with a smile. His partnership with
the Qian family was only a temporary measure. Only when his life is held in
his own hands could he truly be considered to be free.
Pushing the wheelchair, Lin Quan accompanied the elder on this leisurely
stroll. The Qian family’s bodyguards unceremoniously shoved Lin family
bodyguards out of the way, not allowing them anywhere near Grandpa Qian. Lin
Quan was more than happy to see those people stand far away from him.
He said, "Grandpa Qian, about the marriage alliance between me and the Qian
family; I'm serious. I'm not joking."
In this competition to become Qian Gu's marriage partner, Lin Quan was
determined to secure the marriage with Qian Gu, no matter what. Especially
since the Qian family’s current candidate was none other than Childhood Friend
No. 7. That was not happening on Lin Quan’s watch. Childhood Friend No. 7 was
a dangerous man. If he were to snatch away Lin Quan's Protection Blessing
Charm, how would he survive? He couldn't just tremble in fear every time the
plot happens.
Elder Qian smiled gently. "I'm old now. You young people can sort out these
romantic entanglements on your own."
Lin Quan was momentarily stunned. Was that a yes or a no? By "sort it out
yourselves", did that mean the marriage would be up to him and Qian Gu to
decide, and Grandpa Qian would not get involved in it?
Lin Quan was extremely curious about the Qian family's crisis, but
unfortunately, the system wouldn't tell him. The system gave a very reasonable
excuse: Lin Quan would naturally know what the crisis was once he entered the
Qian family. If he couldn't become a part of the Qian family, then there was
no need for him to know.
Lin Quan felt helpless. Based on the system's reaction, it wasn't hard for him
to guess that the real issue was still his insufficient access level. The
little Young Master Lin only lived till the other early stages of the story,
so the secrets from the later parts could not be revealed to him easily.
He couldn't help but sigh. He had only reached the part about Young Master
Lin's death when he fell asleep so he didn't manage to see more of the later
story.
As it is, Grandpa Qian has made it clear that he wouldn't get involved, so Lin
Quan had no choice but to contact Qian Gu himself. Only when they reached an
agreement could the other plans have a chance to unfold.
Lin Quan stared at the new number he had just acquired. He racked his brains
over how to prove to Qian Gu that choosing him over Childhood Friend No. 7 was
the better option. He had to reduce the chances of Qian Gu backtracking as
much as possible. Suddenly, his phone rang. He got the shock of his life when
he saw the name of the caller.
Lin Quan: Little Temtem, what's going on? Is this Childhood Friend No. 6?
Lin Quan: Didn't you say I’d be safe for a few days after getting through that
great misfortune?
System: According to the original plot, you should be in a coma right now.
Whether or not you receive Childhood Friend No. 6's call has got nothing to
do with you. And even if it does, you don't have to answer it.
Lin Quan: But this call has popped up. Can you give me a reading—should I pick
it up or not? Is it dangerous?
System: Your luck is average—neither good nor bad; it doesn't involve life or
death. Whether you avoid him or confront him, it’s up to you.
Lin Quan: This is that psycho who enjoys torturing people, of course, I should
stay as far as possible from him.
System: Friendly reminder, he isn't completely twisted yet. However, there is
a chance that your rejection will aggravate his blackening process.
Lin Quan: Ugh, this is so exhausting. Does that mean if I reduce the stimulus
and ease my attitude towards him a little, I can slow down Childhood Friend No. 6's villain arc?
System: Yes, Childhood Friend No. 6's blackening process would be slowed down
and dangerous plots would be pushed back.
Lin Quan took a deep breath and answered the call. A gentle voice immediately
came from the other end of the line, "Ah Quan, you're awake. You said you
wanted to eat roasted chestnuts last time, do you still want to eat them?"
Lin Quan was baffled. Chestnuts? Where did that come from? The system hadn't
told him about this at all. Fortunately, this question wasn't difficult to
answer. Lin Quan couldn't figure out what tone to use, so he decided to just
keep it simple and straightforward with a "Yes."
The next second, the voice on the other end let out a gentle laugh, so soft it
was almost soothing, but the words that followed were enough to make Lin
Quan's hair stand on end. "I thought so. I’m just outside the sanatorium. I’ll
bring them up right now. They’re still warm, wait for me."
Lin Quan: Little Temtem! This is what you meant by average luck? Neither good nor bad? To hell with
neither good nor bad! Is it too late to reject him now?
System: Stay calm, don’t panic. You still have a protection charm by your
side.
He turned around to look. His professional HP fountain, Qian Gu, was not here,
but Grandpa Qian was—he's the grandfather of his Lucky Lifesaver Charm. In
that case, he'll… stay glued to Grandpa Qian's side until Childhood Friend No. 6 left.
1. Written as "九九八十一难" which is the concept of enduring 81 (9x9)
hardships or tribulations, often linked to Buddhist or Taoist traditions,
where overcoming these difficulties leads to a higher state or
enlightenment. A famous story about this is "Journey to the West".↩
A/N:
Lin Quan: Where are you, my Lucky Lifesaver Charm?
Qian Gu: What do you need me for?
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