Breaking Off

"Damn it, I almost fell for that dead woman's tricks again!"

Qian Renxue realized it too; Bibi Dong had used reverse psychology on her once more.

She had lost count of how many times she had fallen into this trap.

Whenever she heard someone speak ill of her, Qian Renxue would feel deeply indignant, and in a fit of hot-headedness, she would agree to whatever was proposed.

Bibi Dong had mastered this tactic to perfection, and from childhood to adulthood, she had been manipulating Qian Renxue this way.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the mission. The System Shop has been unlocked!"

The electronic voice echoed in Chen Qi's mind. He was stunned for a moment, and suddenly, a shopping cart icon appeared out of thin air before his eyes.

With a thought, the shopping cart opened, and a dazzling array of goods poured out like a fountain.

Mysterious Heaven Technique: 10 Affection Points.

Various hidden weapons: 100 Affection Points.

Heaven-Defying Marrow Cleansing Pill: 1,000 Affection Points.

100,000-year Spirit Ring: 1,000 Affection Points.

Unlimited Martial Souls: 10,000 Affection Points.

All kinds of goods emerged one after another. Any one of them, if brought out, would be a treasure capable of shaking the world and inciting blood-soaked battles.

Then again.

Actually, staying by Qian Renxue's side wasn't so bad. Chen Qi loved listening to her bicker with Bibi Dong; it was even better when they started fighting.

Having witnessed the terrifying nature of the System Shop, Chen Qi's attitude underwent a 180-degree turn.

Anything in here could change one's fate against the heavens, and you could even add an infinite number of Martial Souls.

As long as you had enough points, having ten thousand Martial Souls would be a breeze.

Imagine it: others would arrogantly reveal their single Martial Soul, while you would smile slightly as ten thousand different Martial Souls appeared behind you, each equipped with nine 100,000-year Spirit Rings. How satisfying would that be?

"So, System, how do I obtain Affection Points?"

"As long as the favorability rating increases, you will receive a corresponding number of Affection Points."

Hearing this, Chen Qi felt a bit disappointed. This was too difficult; raising Qian Renxue's favorability was harder than ascending to heaven.

A Qian Renxue who couldn't provide Affection Points was essentially a piece of trash.

Qian Renxue noticed that the way Chen Qi looked at her had suddenly changed. At the very least, he used to look at her like a person.

Why did he look at her like trash now?

"Chen Qi, what are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking about why I am such a trashy Martial Soul."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Qi froze. How did he let his inner thoughts slip out!

Veins bulged on Qian Renxue's forehead, and she wanted to tear Chen Qi to shreds right then and there.

"Chen Qi! Have you grown bold? Do you think that because you gods are noble, you can treat us mortals like trash? You make me so angry!"

Her eyes turned red. This was the only time Qian Renxue had cried since she was a child, and it was for a Martial Soul she had only known for two days.

"Master, listen to my explanation. It's not what you think."

"Enough! Don't try to cover it up anymore. From now on, you are your god, and I am still that shackled Qian Renxue! No one understands me."

After saying this, Qian Renxue walked toward the bedroom without looking back, while Chen Qi silently followed behind her.

Chen Qi looked at Qian Renxue, who was curled up under the covers, and a wave of discomfort surged in his heart.

When it came down to it, Qian Renxue was just a child—a rather special child.

But wasn't Chen Qi also a child who lacked love?

His original family life was very unfortunate. His parents divorced when he was young, and Chen Qi lived with his alcoholic father, who would use him as a punching bag every night when he got drunk.

At school, he was always mocked and bullied by classmates because of his poverty and loneliness.

This once led him into a state of severe depression, but eventually, he discovered computers, and the various games on them saved him.

This was the ultimate reason Chen Qi stayed at home; at the end of the day, he was afraid of being bullied by the outside world.

Only by immersing himself in his own world could he find a shred of peace.

Perhaps Qian Renxue was the same.

Although Chen Qi hadn't paid much attention to Qian Renxue when he read the novel back then, and he had barely even read fan fiction, he still knew some of her circumstances.

As the sinful product of Bibi Dong and Qian Xunji, her birth was never meant to be.

Despite the love of her father and grandfather, the missing piece of maternal love left Qian Renxue deeply troubled.

She had once tried to approach Bibi Dong, but the result was naturally not good.

Because of this, Qian Renxue's love turned into hatred, and she began to set herself against Bibi Dong.

The passing of her father and the inheritance of Spirit Hall all weighed heavily upon Qian Renxue.

Yet, she was only six years old!

Perhaps going to the Heaven Dou Empire to impersonate Xue Qinghe would be beneficial for Qian Renxue after all.

"I know the grievances in your heart; it's because of the heavy burden of the family, and despite working so hard, you're still called trash, right?"

Under the covers, Qian Renxue paused, revealing her tear-stained face as she spoke.

"You gods will never understand what I want; no one will ever understand."

"Companionship, is it?"

Chen Qi hit the nail on the head. He had been through this phase and understood just how lonely it truly was.

The layers of pressure, her grandfather's expectations, her mother's coldness, and not even being worthy of an identity of her own.

That was why she read novels to alleviate this loneliness.

Qian Renxue was stunned by his words; she did not understand how Chen Qi had pinpointed exactly what she wanted most.

Was it because he was a god, and therefore possessed mind-reading abilities?

"So what if you do? No one will ever understand me."

"I can. Actually, we are the same kind of people; I can understand how you feel."

"No, you can't, because you are a god."

Qian Renxue killed the conversation. In her view, as long as one was a god, they could never understand mortals.

They had never interfered in any affairs of the mortal world, treating the life and death of mortals like a child's game.

How could such gods ever understand mortals like them?

However, Qian Renxue did not know that the reason gods did not interfere in the mortal realm was due to the restrictions of that heaven-defying thing called the God Realm Committee.

"Actually, I am not a god. I deceived you. I am just an ordinary person like you. As for why I became your spirit, I don't know either."

Since things had reached this point, Chen Qi simply stopped pretending. In any case, he was Qian Renxue's spirit; she would eventually find out his identity sooner or later.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Qian Renxue's expression froze. She had assumed Chen Qi was a god from a different class than her, but the reality was that she had overthought it.

"Now I should be able to understand you, right? Just as I said, we are the same kind of people. If you have anything that is bothering you, just let it all out."

"You lied to me!"

Qian Renxue's eyes turned even redder, not because she was angry at being deceived, but because she was happy to have received the answer she wanted.

Because her spirit, that special spirit named Chen Qi, was just like her—an ordinary person oppressed by life.

Qian Renxue honestly told Chen Qi about her experiences and grievances.

Her experiences were the same as in the original story: the lack of maternal love, a father who passed away early, and a family that held high expectations for her.

Every single thing weighed on Qian Renxue like a mountain.

That was why, when she first saw that her spirit was a human, she had been extremely excited.

Because she finally had someone to talk to.

But when Qian Renxue learned that Chen Qi was a subordinate of the Angel God, that excitement gradually faded.

Because in her eyes, gods were gods and humans were humans; it was impossible for them to understand each other.

Chen Qi was merely an instrument sent by the Angel God to monitor her, and all her privacy—even when she bathed or slept—had to be under surveillance.

When she learned that Chen Qi was not a god, that excitement returned. This was perhaps the only outlet she would have in her entire life.

The next morning, Chen Qi woke from his slumber and immediately saw the little girl in his arms, who was wearing an expression full of resentment.

"Morning, Master. What a coincidence that you just woke up too."

Qian Renxue looked at him, gave him a light slap, and said with a smile.

"Get lost!"