“System?”
Holding the bells, An Yu’s cold voice carried a hint of doubt.
Didn’t you say there was no reward?
Why suddenly give a pair of bells? Is her system not only a lazy dog but also laggy?
[Uh… I just checked the task list and found, in a dusty corner, there really is a ‘hatred over 1000’ achievement.]
The system explained, but its voice didn’t sound very confident.
“Is that so…”
Without much suspicion, An Yu examined the bells in her hand.
The pair was exquisitely crafted, engraved with strange yet sacred patterns. They clearly weren’t ordinary.
“What do they do?”
[So don’t misunderstand, okay? You really completed… ah, ah?]
Afraid An Yu wouldn’t believe her, the system seemed ready to explain more, but An Yu clearly wasn’t doubting the excuse.
She was asking about the bells’ function.
[Oh, oh… this pair of bells is called Soul-Repelling Bells. Literal meaning—they can dispel ghosts.]
“And…?”
An Yu tilted her head, her eyes nearly solid with confusion.
Is there something wrong with this system? Giving random stuff is one thing, but why give useless junk unrelated to her situation?
What does she need ghost-repelling bells for? Can’t it give one to repel An Qing?
Seeing An Yu already doubting its motives, the system hurriedly explained.
[Cough, cough. Be grateful. You know our goal is to reduce An Qing’s hatred value, so reverse achievements definitely won’t give good rewards.]
[These bells are from another world. In this world, they might… not be very useful?]
[But they still have some effect. They can boost your focus and give danger warnings when the Host faces a certain level of threat.]
An Yu: “…Oh.”
She nodded expressionlessly, pretending to listen.
What is this system blabbering about? Such a long string, afraid I’ll actually understand?
And for some reason, the system’s voice sounded panicky.
Really strange.
In short: trash achievement, trash reward. Danger warning and focus boost.
Got it.
An Yu calmly tied the bells to her waist and spun in front of the mirror.
Mhm. Looks good.
I’m so pretty. The bells are average.
Still, free stuff is free stuff. And it seemed to have some special ability.
Mhm. Pretty good. Useful, probably.
An Yu nodded in satisfaction. The system broke into a cold sweat, completely unable to read its host’s thoughts.
But An Yu had no intention of pondering the system’s behavior. She gripped the doorknob without hesitation, ready to execute yesterday’s plan.
Sneak out!
While everyone slept, she’d secretly go to school alone!
This made her happy and satisfied An Qing’s wish to not see her. Win-win.
An Yu nodded silently, then opened the door.
She slowly poked her small head out, looking left and right.
Good. No one today either.
An Yu, go!
An Yu tiptoed toward the villa exit, looking sneaky.
“Young Miss?”
A middle-aged woman’s voice came from behind. An Yu froze instinctively.
Ah. Caught again today.
Turning at the sound, An Yu saw Wang Man smiling gently.
“Aunt Wang, morning.”
She greeted calmly, showing no panic.
“Mhm, mhm. Good morning, Young Miss.” Wang Man nodded with a smile: “Here, Young Miss. Your breakfast.”
Before An Yu could react, two breads appeared in her hands.
An Yu was surprised. They looked specially made by Wang Man.
Wang Man’s next words confirmed it: “Young Miss, from now on, I’ll prepare breakfast for you every morning. Don’t worry!”
She finished, wiping the corner of her eye sadly.
Eye problem?
An Yu didn’t understand, but she knew she’d have breakfast daily now.
The corners of An Yu’s lips curved into a tiny arc. She spoke softly: “Yesterday’s sandwiches were delicious too. Thank you, Aunt Wang. You’ve worked hard.”
“It’s no trouble! Cooking for Young Miss is never hard. As long as you’re full, I’m satisfied!”
Wang Man bowed respectfully with a smile, clearly approving of this An family miss.
Even though she’s just a fake, right?
Whatever. Don’t think too much.
An Yu returned Wang Man’s smile, waved, and turned to leave.
Anyway, stay polite when unsure.
“Young Miss… good luck.”
Watching An Yu’s retreating back, Wang Man’s smile faded. She returned to work mode and left.
An Yu, unaware of Wang Man’s silent cheer, walked slowly to school.
“Ah woo.”
An Yu bit into the bread Wang Man gave her, eating breakfast comfortably on the way.
“Mmm, delicious!”
The sandwiches were already great, but this bread was even better.
Cool, crisp crust. Dense, fragrant, sweet cream filling.
“Ah woo… mmm~”
As expected, sweets are the best.
An Yu narrowed her eyes in pleasure, radiating happiness.
***
Today’s duty student was the green-haired girl, Cheng Shimumeng.
Though cleaning, her mind clearly wasn’t on it. She repeated actions mechanically.
She was thinking—about Ning Wanciu’s look when school ended yesterday.
Lips curving into a pleased arc, Cheng Shimumeng smelled something interesting.
Unlike the silly Huai Xiang, she saw at a glance that the odd one wasn’t just An Yu—Ning Wanciu too.
Something fun must have happened between them.
But clearly, Ning Wanciu wouldn’t tell her.
SWOOSH—
The classroom door suddenly slid open, startling Cheng Shimumeng out of her reverie.
She looked up instinctively. Shock turned to delight.
The one who could tell her what happened had arrived.
“Morning, little An Yu~” Cheng Shimumeng smiled lightly and greeted.
“Mhm.”
An Yu nodded, planning to head straight to her seat.
She wasn’t familiar with the green-haired girl and had nothing to say.
But that wouldn’t do. She needed An Yu to explain.
“Ah, wait, wait.”
Cheng Shimumeng walked over helplessly, pulled out a handkerchief, bent down, and gently wiped An Yu’s mouth.
“Got some on you~ Cream.”
She opened the handkerchief to show An Yu.