Chapter 143
[System: I originally wanted to interact with you as an ordinary person, but all I got in return was distance. To be honest, I am indeed powerful, and I can help you get through this current crisis.]
Another ability?
Hearing this, Xie Mi’s ears perked up, excitement rising, listening intently.
Xu Shuangrong’s tone, for once, carried a rare sense of urgency.
[Xu Shuangrong: What is it?]
[System: Rap.]
[Xu Shuangrong: ?]
[System: I can teach you to rap, to diss Xie Mi.]
[System: Xie Mi, Xie Mi, I’m gonna diss you.]
[System: Tomorrow when you see her, just perform it like this.]
Nice! A real gem!
This system wasn’t just sarcastic; its absurd suggestions were unparalleled.
[Xu Shuangrong: Do you think you’re funny?]
[System: What else? I’m stupid and incompetent, can’t I have a little humor?]
Confident as ever.
Although the system joked around constantly, Xie Mi vaguely felt that it must be holding back some trump card.
Now that Xu Shuangrong was desperate, it still had the leisure to joke—clearly, she hadn’t been pushed to the brink yet.
Sure enough, when Xu Shuangrong was about to lose her temper, the system finally spoke honestly.
[System: Fine, fine. I really do have a solution.]
[System: But the risk is extremely high, and I can’t guarantee you’ll succeed. That’s why I hadn’t told you earlier.]
[System: But now, the situation is indeed rather bad.]
[Xu Shuangrong: Stop beating around the bush, just tell me.]
[System: Time travel.]
Xie Mi paused mid-bite of a macadamia nut.
[Xu Shuangrong: …What do you mean?]
[System: Travel back to a certain point in the past and change the course of events to achieve your goal.]
[System: When you travel back, your current body in this world will fall into a coma, and in the world you travel to, there will be two of you.]
[System: The past you, and the present you.]
[System: Once the task is completed, you’ll return to the present.]
Xie Mi thoughtfully stroked her chin.
This ability was almost godlike. The system had been hiding it very deeply.
Xu Shuangrong clearly hadn’t expected that this seemingly useless system would suddenly pull out something so astonishing, leaving her momentarily stunned.
[Xu Shuangrong: You mean…]
[System: You can travel back one hour, find the Xiao Jingxi who hasn’t noticed the “past you” yet, and distract him.]
[System: That way, in his eyes, you’ll still be the innocent, pure girl, and the male-female lead storyline can continue.]
[System: So, are you ready? If so, I’ll…]
[Xu Shuangrong: Wait!]
[Xu Shuangrong: Is the opportunity to time travel unlimited?]
[System: What are you thinking? Of course, it’s limited.]
[Xu Shuangrong: Then why would I waste it on such trivial matters?]
[System: ?]
[Xu Shuangrong: If I get discovered once, I’ll get discovered a second time, a third time. I can’t keep wasting opportunities like this.]
[Xu Shuangrong: Better to solve the root problem once and for all, and make him fall for me completely.]
[System: Huh? Wait, huh?]
The system, which had just managed to act cool, suddenly couldn’t keep up with Xu Shuangrong’s thinking.
[Xu Shuangrong: Since we can time travel, let’s go further back.]
[Xu Shuangrong: Didn’t you say Xiao Jingxi was kidnapped as a child?]
[System: Yes, Xiao Jingxi is the male lead. To make his character more complete, the author wrote in a childhood kidnapping.]
[System: At age eight, he was kidnapped by a perverted murderer who liked to torment children. He was held in a dark abandoned factory for seven days, and ultimately rescued as the sole survivor.]
[System: This event left a shadow in his heart. That’s why, in the original story, he was drawn to your resilience and gradually redeemed by you.]
[System: In short, this plot was just a way for the author to deepen the bond between the male and female lead.]
[Xu Shuangrong: Excellent. Then we’ll travel to that point in time.]
[System: Traveling back this far, what can you actually do?]
[System: To eight-year-old Xiao Jingxi, you appear as a 23-year-old. Even if you save him, he won’t recognize you.]
[Xu Shuangrong: Of course I won’t save him personally.]
[Xu Shuangrong: When Xiao Jingxi was eight, I was seven. I remember clearly, seven-year-old me already had intelligence far beyond my peers, knew exactly what I wanted, and was even more ruthless than adults.]
[System: You mean…]
[Xu Shuangrong: I’ll guide seven-year-old me to save eight-year-old Xiao Jingxi, and make sure she leaves a deep impression on him.]
[System: You want to become Xiao Jingxi’s “white moonlight”!]
[Xu Shuangrong: Exactly.]
[System: Clever. I knew I wasn’t wrong about you.]
[System: Since the time point is confirmed, get ready. We’re about to start the first time travel.]
[System: I’m starting to get a little nervous myself.]
Hearing this, Xie Mi fell into deep thought.
Relying on time travel to change the past and thereby alter the present’s storyline—it was almost fantastical.
If Xu Shuangrong successfully accomplishes her goal in the past, will her memories of the original events be erased?
As she pondered, a flash of white light suddenly appeared before her eyes.
Before she could react, the scene began to change drastically.
“Holy crap! Where am I?”
When her surroundings stabilized, Xie Mi found herself in a dark, narrow space.
This seemed like…
A ventilation duct?
No time to think. Xie Mi moved what seemed to be a vent cover, peered out from the ceiling, and saw the scene below clearly.
An abandoned factory.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang in her ears.
[Xu Shuangrong: Where is this?]
[System: The abandoned factory where Xiao Jingxi was kidnapped and confined.]
[System: The current time is the third day of Xiao Jingxi’s kidnapping, 2:30 PM. The perverted murderer has gone out to hunt new victims and won’t be back until 9 PM. You have plenty of time to accomplish your task.]
[System: Do you remember what seven-year-old you was doing at this time?]
[Xu Shuangrong: Helping my stepfather wash clothes by the river in my hometown village.]
[System: Your hometown is twenty kilometers from this abandoned factory. If you walk five kilometers to the road, you can catch a ride. It’s still possible to get her here in time.]
The conversation ended abruptly—Xu Shuangrong must have started acting.
Sure enough, soon Xie Mi saw a familiar figure turning a corner below.
Having been inexplicably brought here with no information, following Xu Shuangrong seemed like the best choice.
Xie Mi swiftly dropped from the vent, stealthily following.
The abandoned factory had a complicated layout—crooked hallways, doors open or closed at random.
Guided by the system, Xu Shuangrong moved smoothly.
Xie Mi could also hear the system’s navigation and wasn’t in a hurry, following leisurely while curiously observing her surroundings.
It was hard to imagine she had traveled sixteen years into the past. The feeling was oddly surreal.
Suddenly, a faint knocking sound echoed from a room.
Knock knock knock, knock—knock—knock—, knock knock knock.
Three short, three long, three short—Morse code for “help.”
