Don’t Covet the Beautiful System!! - CH 1

Ji Tong woke up with a large number of stars.

The whole world was spinning and he seemed to be wrapped in a tornado. There was even a blurry meteor in front of him, just like the scene from a cartoon.

“Smart smart smart—Smart, are you still there, smart!”

Ji Tong called out to the intelligent customer service who was talking to him in an electronic voice just now.

The air was silent for a second before the electronic male voice full of a mechanical texture responded very politely, “Yes, dear.”

“What happened to the system you agreed I would transmigrate to?” The dizzy Ji Tong asked angrily. “Don’t tell me it is a washing machine system!”

“Please refer to Article 3 of Chapter 2 of the ‘System Work Guide’. This is the emotional area of the host’s brain and will accurately reflect the current psychological state of the host. You can choose to leave this area. Please refer to the specific operation method…”

Ji Tong hurriedly moved to a safe place while accompanied by the electronic sound.

In the abstract consciousness space of the host, Ji Tong had a robot form composed of a mass of green data streams emitting messy electrical light. He looked at the black door that separated the emotional zone and asked with lingering fear, “Is he riding a roller coaster?”

“The host is going through a crucial low point in his life. “The customer service urged him, “Now is a good time for you to show up and help.”

“I will remind you again. You need to follow the guidance of the main task and assist the host to complete the plot and gain the corresponding growth points. If the plot deviation is too large, the projected world will face collapse and disintegrate. Everything will disappear and the year-end bonus will be deducted as appropriate.”

Ji Tong was an ordinary college student before his death. Then he died in a car accident and transmigrated into a novel about Pei Qingyuan, a beautiful and strong cannon fodder who relied on the system to counterattack and reach the peak of his life, harvesting the love of a big shot.

He thought he would transmigrate as the protagonist in the book in an ordinary manner, but the intelligent customer service who received him told him that he hadn’t transmigrated as the counterattacking cannon fodder, a vicious villain or a supporting role. Rather, he was the system in the book that would help the protagonist grow.

As for the reason… it was due to polyphonic characters so he had the same name as a ‘system.’

It sounded reasonable but it was really nonsense.

Of course, the even more ridiculous thing was that he could have his year-end bonus deducted as a system.

Ji Tong, who was full of confused electric lights, tried to calm down and said solemnly, “I have a question.”

The intelligent customer service silently calculated the off-duty time. “Please speak.”

Ji Tong was only told the genre of the novel, but failed to see the specific content. He coughed lightly and wondered, “Is the host very handsome?”

“Of course, the protagonist will have an outstanding appearance.”

“Then I want to customize a more handsome face for myself. I just read the work guide and the first chapter says the system can freely change its form.” The more Ji Tong spoke, the more excited he became. “Say, will other characters fall in love with me if I am more handsome than the host? Can I understand that this is a hidden plotline arranged by you? This is why humans are allowed to act as the system!”

“…Please stop your unreasonable associations,” the customer service said coldly. “You can only choose some simpler forms right now. You will unlock more styles to choose from as the protagonist grows.”

Ji Tong sighed resentfully and was forced to temporarily dismiss his intention to usurp the throne. “I still have one more question.”

“…Speak.”

“The novel has already been written so why let the characters in the novel act out the plot again?” Ji Tong humbly asked. “Isn’t this taking off your pants and farting (doing something completely unnecessary)?”

“Please speak in a civilized way!” The intelligent customer service made a bunch of noises and it took a long time for him to calm down. “This question is more complicated to explain. You can get the answer at a system meeting later. Now please focus on the host who is extremely depressed and wait for the main task to be triggered at any time!”

The customer service lengthened every word and there was the feeling of gnashing his teeth.

Ji Tong was shocked when he heard this.

There was a work guide, a year-end bonus, regular meetings… Ji Tong had died before he could leave his ivory tower in his last life. He didn’t expect that he would be able to experience the taste of a working life after transmigrating into a book, although his colleagues might not be people.

The data processing ability of the system was very powerful. Ji Tong quickly became familiar with various operation methods so he quietly opened the black door to look inside.

The violent storm inside was still unabated and there was a trend of it getting darker and darker.

The little green robot stood by the door in a trembling manner to watch the storm. He dropped a few electron particles from time to time while nervously thinking about how to establish a relationship with the current host.

The host’s mood was already so bad. If another voice suddenly appeared in his mind, would he think he was crazy?

Ji Tong thought about it and decided to see with his own eyes where the plot had progressed to.

According to his own bad taste, he issued an order into the void. “Xiao Mei, I want to watch TV.”

The customer service worker who was about to go offline after the torturous reception work: “……”

He suddenly felt a bit of sympathy for the host he had never met before.

Ripples instantly appeared in the huge void and gradually reflected the image of the outside world.

In the opulent hall, the chandelier was dyed with a pale yellow hue. The French-style fried lamb chops on the trays of the walking waiters were steaming. The smell was appetizing.

Given the special form of the system parasitizing the host’s body, this was a ‘TV’ that allowed the fragrance to be smelled.

Ji Tong’s stomach data screamed a few times and he tried to take his eyes off the lamb chops, only to realize that almost all the guests in his line of sight were looking at him.

In other words, they were looking at the host.

The atmosphere was almost static and the countless eyes contained completely different emotions. Some were gloating, some were mocking, some were stunned and some couldn’t bear to look away.

The young man in the center of the picture looked like the stars and moon. He wore a well-tailored shirt and trousers and his short hair hung down over his forehead. He looked gentle and obedient. The stunned look in his amber eyes had just faded and he hurriedly put on a friendly and shy smile.

“Brother Qingyuan, you are here as well.”

His voice broke the stagnant air and whispers soon came from the crowd.

“Is this the original son? Why is he working as a waiter…?”

“Oh my god, why is he here?”

“Shh, you should whisper.”

Pei Yan heard these discussions and quickly took a few steps forward. He lowered his voice and said, “I’m sorry, Brother Qingyuan. I didn’t know you would be… working here.”

Pei Qingyuan was being watched by everyone present and didn’t actually hear clearly what Pei Yan was saying. The loud noises pierced his eardrums sharply and caused buzzing. His back was cold but his soul seemed to be drawn away. He couldn’t make any proper responses.

Pei Qingyuan’s eyes passed over Pei Yan, who looked exquisite and glamorous. He stared at the couple at the table behind Pei Yan in a trance. The woman was wearing a familiar burgundy satin dress. Pei Qingyuan knew that this dress had a special meaning to her and would only be taken out on the most important occasions. The long dress was gorgeous but the woman’s willow eyebrows were tightly furrowed. She waved her hand to summon the hotel’s head waiter and said something with a cold expression.

She never looked at her former son apart from the glance when they first met.

The hotel’s head waiter instinctively glanced at Pei Qingyuan in the distance while listening. His eyes showed anger and helplessness.

Therefore, Pei Qingyuan understood the woman’s instructions. Before he was driven away, he forced himself to take the initiative to leave this banquet hall that should be full of joy and liveliness.

The ignored Pei Yan stood in place and bit his lower lip. He looked at the back of his ‘brother’ while at a loss.

Someone soon comforted him. “Don’t think about it too much. It is just an accident.”

“You are the protagonist today. Be happy and ignore any outsiders.”

The words entered Pei Qingyuan’s ears. There were many familiar voices who were once his classmates or friends.

The boy’s footsteps trembled faintly. He was trying to restrain himself. Perhaps the tray in his hands was too heavy, so heavy that it almost crushed his entire body and all his soul.

He didn’t understand why he had to suffer all of this.

A month ago, he was from a wealthy family and he was born with a golden key in the eyes of others. He had a pair of superficially loving and glamorous parents and he had a bright and wide future.

Now he returned to the home that truly belonged to him. It was an ordinary home.

Pei Qingyuan originally thought that the impact of being exchanged since he was a child was just to adapt to a new life and to re-establish a relationship with a new pair of parents. He was only 17 years old and there might still be time.

Yet half a month after he moved back, the room that belonged to him was still full of the belongings of the original owner, Lin Yan. Lin Yan returned to his new home where he had no worries about food and clothing. Many old clothes weren’t taken away but his biological mother Luo Xiuyun didn’t throw them away. She allowed them to fill the not-so-large room and left only a perfunctory gap for Pei Qingyuan.

It was just like the day he met his biological mother for the first time. The haggard and thin Luo Xiuyun hugged him and cried loudly, but he could clearly see that her reluctant eyes were cast on Lin Yan, standing helplessly to the side.

17 years ago, the pregnant Luo Xiuyun’s family was poor, and her husband’s cancer worsened the family. In order to provide a better life for her son, Luo Xiuyun gritted her teeth and admitted herself to the best hospital in the city. Then she boldly switched him and Lin Yan in the hospital. Ever since then, the two families embarked on completely different trajectories.

Then her husband died of a serious illness. Luo Xiuyun was always haunted by guilt and did her best to treat Lin Yan well. In the single parent family, the family love gradually crossed the barrier of blood relations. Her heart was still with Lin Yan even after meeting her biological son Pei Qingyuan, who she had been separated with for many years. She often contacted and met Lin Yan.

The Pei parents learned the truth and initially hated Luo Xiuyun to the bone. Fortunately, she had raised Lin Yan well. He was kind, simple and likable. He became very close to his biological parents after a few days of getting along. He had a deep affection for his adoptive mother and constantly interceded for him. This made Pei Minghong and his wife give up their plan to pursue responsibility and they even got along with Luo Xiuyun.

However, the hatred of being separated from their own son for over 10 years couldn’t be dissipated. It naturally spread to Pei Qingyuan, the fake son they had raised for 17 years.

Thus, Pei Qingyuan was quickly sent back to Luo Xiuyun’s side. His student status was quickly transferred from the prestigious high school he originally attended. It was because Lin Yan was going to transfer to this school and Pei Minghong and his wife didn’t want their son’s high school life to be affected.

This was even though Pei Qingyuan was also their son.

He obviously did nothing wrong but he suddenly became an unloved, abandoned child.

The most ridiculous thing was that Pei Qingyuan was the one who first discovered there was a problem with his background. Then he took the initiative to tell his parents for them to investigate. This led to what happened later. It was all because he was afraid he might occupy another person’s life, which was unfair.

In the end, no one considered that all of this was unfair to him.

His biological mother loved yet resented him. She resented him even more because he was the one who broke the peaceful life of the two families and let the hidden secret surface, causing Lin Yan to leave her.

Pei Qingyuan quickly read her complicated gaze and thought he might need to support himself in the future.

He didn’t use the money he had saved in the Pei family over the years and tried to work. It was because he knew that the money was for his identity as the Pei family’s son, not for him.

He had transferred to the 2nd High School that Lin Yan once attended. The story of the leopard cat replacing the prince hadn’t spread yet. The students of his new high school didn’t know about Pei Qingyuan’s past. They only thought he was from a poor family. A classmate asked him if he wanted a part-time weekend job as a hotel waiter. He said that the hourly salary was very high but the requirements were to be good-looking and tall. He didn’t meet the requirements so he simply introduced the job to Pei Qingyuan.

Pei Qingyuan came to the hotel as scheduled. After simple training, he changed into a decent uniform and there was a beautiful bow tie around his neck. He stared at himself in the glass mirror and thought about the salary he was about to receive. He felt that the future might slowly improve.

Then he pushed open the door of the banquet hall with a silver tray and was caught off guard by many familiar faces.

His former father and mother, his once familiar high school classmates, his rich second generation friends he once had a good relationship with… once they saw Pei Qingyuan, they all showed embarrassed and complicated expressions.

This was the party where the Pei family was going to officially introduce their biological son Pei Yan, who had just changed his surname, to their circle. They hoped that this child who had been in exile for many years would gain the most love and have the smoothest and happiest life in the future.

It was a pity that an uninvited guest came and almost ruined this beautiful evening.

Pei Qingyuan felt the gazes piercing his back and used all his strength to force himself not to look back. He wanted to walk out and get away from this hell that would shatter all the self-esteem of this 17 year old boy.

It was even though he had no idea where he would go next.

“Do you want to cry?”

A small voice was suddenly heard at his feet. At the same time, someone gently tugged on his trouser legs.

Pei Qingyuan was stunned for a moment. Then he lowered his head and saw a little boy who was around two or three years old. His pair of bright, big eyes stared at him but the boy’s hair was messy and his clothes wrinkled. He looked funny and cute.

Pei Qingyuan stared at this strange little boy who looked more embarrassed than himself and smiled instead of crying, his eyes slightly red.

For a moment, Pei Qingyuan seemed to have forgotten his current situation and he asked in a hoarse voice, “What’s wrong with you?”

The little boy froze when he heard this. “…Nothing. The wind is a bit strange.”

He immediately tidied himself up with his chubby little hands while muttering something that Pei Qingyuan couldn’t understand, “Why can my hair still explode when I change my form? Please don’t blow a tornado next time…”

Pei Qingyuan had stopped outside the banquet hall. At this moment, the atmosphere in the venue became lively again. There were still many people paying attention to his movements. A young man who had always followed Pei Yan walked toward him with bad intentions. This person wanted to taste the wonderful taste of making trouble.

“Young Master Pei, don’t be in a hurry to leave. I haven’t seen you in a long time. Why don’t we sit down and eat together?”

Pei Qingyuan turned his back to the person who had come. Before he could pay attention to the other person, he saw the little boy have a serious expression on his face that didn’t match his age.

“I can help change your destiny.” The little boy, who was only as tall as his knees, raised his head and looked at Pei Qingyuan in an imposing manner. “If you believe in miracles.”

This was Ji Tong’s well-designed opening line for himself. He originally wanted to match it with the appearance of a stern man in black clothes with a sharp face. Unfortunately, according to the growth of his host, his human form could only be around three years old. This resulted in the actual effect being a bit funny.

Pei Qingyuan naturally also found it ridiculous. However, the world around him squeezed him like a whirlpool. So, he was only stunned for a few seconds before asking back, “Then I… what price will I have to pay?”

He no longer believed in good luck favoring him for no reason.

The little boy looked at him with distinct black and white eyes, as if seriously considering the question.

Then his stomach suddenly grumbled, so he stood on tiptoe and pulled at the corner of Pei Qingyuan’s clothes. He stated with a straight face, “You can’t waste food. I will help you solve it while it is still hot.”

They looked at the heavy silver tray together. It was a fried lamb chop glistening with oil. The meat was tender and gave off a fragrant smell.

“It is just a piece of lamb chops.” The little boy’s smile brightened and he seemed to lighten up everything. “Then from now on, you will no longer be alone.”

The author has something to say:

Ji Tong: It is my long-term meal ticket!

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[Author’s Notice Before Reading]

1. Mutual love and sweet text, two way redemption, healing and silly. The background is made up. Please don’t substitute it with reality around you.

2. Since it is a setting of system shou x host gong, the plot line in the early stage must be developed around the host. There will be the host’s perspective but it definitely isn’t the main perspective. The shou is the group pet.

3. The background of the first four chapters are a bit more depressing, but the rest will be fine. There is integrity and redemption.

4. Have fun looking at the text. Don’t force yourself if it doesn’t suit your taste. I hope everyone can find a taste they like.

[Written for some readers who have opinions about the setting.]

1. The synopsis is very clear. The main plotline of this article is that the host will counterattack with the help of the system. Please don’t criticize this article as ‘everyone is evil.’ It is precisely because the host is an unlucky person in a miserable situation, or else the article won’t exist…

2. Each ‘villain’ has their own motive. It will be slowly revealed in the background of the gong and shou developing their relationship. It is impossible to spend a few chapters at the beginning to thoroughly tell the story of these supporting characters.

It is normal to hate these supporting characters and criticize their motives, but it isn’t necessary to say that ‘the author has no brains and reduced their intelligence.’

3. People are complex and diverse. There are all types of parents and a variety of high school students. Look at the social news. The good and evil of human nature can always exceed our imagination.

It is your personal freedom to dislike the setting of the article and to stop reading it, but it is too absolute to accuse the author of writing things that are too absolute like ‘It is impossible to have such parents’, ‘it is impossible for high school seniors to have the leisure to exclude people’…

5. If you are really angry and want to swear, I will put a SpongeBob SquarePants here. You can squeeze the sponge when you are angry o_0.