Stopping the Archvillain from Turning Evil

After the meal, Ning Sang-sang and the others returned to the Duke of Ning's Residence. Just as they reached the gates, Ning Xiaotian and his wife's carriage arrived as well. The couple stepped out and headed straight for Ning Sang-sang.

"Sang-sang, no one bullied you at the Flower-Viewing Banquet today, did they?" Madam Jiang asked gently, taking Ning Sang-sang's hand.

Ning Xiaotian watched her with fatherly affection, waiting for her answer, looking ready to settle accounts with anyone who had bullied her.

Ning Sang-sang shook her head and said softly, "Mother, no one bullied me."

"That's good." Madam Jiang sighed in relief. Everyone could hear her daughter's thoughts, and her daughter loved muttering to herself inwardly. She had been terribly afraid that someone of high standing would hear those thoughts and make trouble for her.

"Sang-sang, let's go inside," Ning Xiaotian said gently.

Ning Sang-sang smiled and nodded, linking arms with Duke Ning and his wife as they walked inside.

With his daughter holding his arm, Ning Xiaotian's steps grew lighter, his face filled with joy.

The brothers, Ning Chengxiao and Ning Hui, followed quietly behind. Looking at his parents and sister ahead of them, Ning Hui said wistfully, "Now that our sister's back, our family finally looks happy."

Ning Chengxiao said nothing, but the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. Now that his younger sister was back, things would only get better for their family.

Ning Sang-sang had stayed up late enjoying gossip the night before and felt a little sleepy, so after chatting with Ning Xiaotian and Madam Jiang for a while, she returned to her room to rest.

Back in her room, Ning Sang-sang flopped onto the cushioned couch with a thump, sprawling like a puddle of mud. She sighed. "I bonded with the Gossip System too late! If I'd bonded with it in the Twenty-First Century, just imagine how happy I'd have been!"

As soon as she finished lamenting, Little Melon's voice sounded in her mind: [Dear host, you need to stop the archvillain from turning evil.]

Ning Sang-sang raised an eyebrow at that and replied, [Little Melon, didn't you say I wasn't allowed to interfere with the plot? Why are you asking me to stop the villain from turning evil now? Besides, you're a Gossip System. Why do you care whether a villain turns evil?]

Little Melon explained within her sea of consciousness: [Dear host, this is an assignment I just received. The higher-ups assigned it.]

Ning Sang-sang looked utterly unwilling. She just wanted to enjoy gossip in peace, not worry about whether some villain turned evil. She was just about to refuse when Little Melon's voice sounded again: [Dear host, if you don't stop the villain from turning evil, this world will be destroyed, and we'll disappear along with it.]

[Little Melon, do your bosses have lumps for brains? You're a Gossip System! Why would they assign you a mission to stop the archvillain from turning evil?]

The thought of having to stop Yan Xuanjing, an archvillain whose heart would be harder than bedrock once he turned evil, made Ning Sang-sang complain angrily.

Little Melon said helplessly: [Dear host, the bosses had no choice either. The System Bureau is at its busiest right now. They really couldn't find anyone else, so they assigned this mission to me at the last minute. Dear host, please just do this mission. Once it's completed, I'll apply to the higher-ups for a generous reward package for you.]

Ning Sang-sang remained unmoved. [I'm not interested in any generous reward package. I just want to be a salted fish who enjoys gossip and does nothing.]

She had worked herself to death in her previous life. After transmigrating here in this life, she had planned to lie flat and live as a salted fish, enjoying gossip.

Little Melon reminded her: [But dear host, if you don't do this mission and let the villain turn evil, he'll destroy this world, and we'll disappear.]

Ning Sang-sang sighed. Her days as a salted fish were over.

[It's just stopping the archvillain from turning evil, right? No hidden missions?]

Little Melon replied: [Dear host, I'll send you the missions assigned by the higher-ups so you can see for yourself.]

As Little Melon finished speaking, a system panel rapidly unfolded in her sea of consciousness, and Ning Sang-sang saw the missions.

[Mission one: Stop the archvillain from turning evil. Mission two: Rewrite the original novel's ending in which both the male and female leads die, allowing them to survive. Mission three: Rewrite the novel's tragic ending for the entire cast.]

[Damn it! Wasn't I only supposed to stop the archvillain from turning evil? Why are there so many missions?] Ning Sang-sang demanded angrily.

Little Melon soothed her: [Dear host, don't be angry. It may look like a long list, but once you stop the archvillain from turning evil, the other two missions will be resolved along with it.]

Ning Sang-sang frowned deeply without speaking.

Little Melon continued: [Dear host, these three missions are connected. As long as you stop the villain from turning evil and persuade him not to wage war against Great Chu, the male and female leads won't die. Then you just need to persuade the archvillain to become a wise ruler, and you'll have rewritten the tragic ending for the entire cast.]

Ning Sang-sang replied, [...I'm too exhausted to love anymore.]

Little Melon said: [Dear host, don't worry. I'll help you complete the missions.]

Ning Sang-sang sighed. [I just want to be a salted fish.]

Little Melon replied: [...Dear host, do your best to complete the missions. Once you're finished, I'll give you a gossip collection from your world, so you can learn everyone's juicy secrets there.]

Ning Sang-sang's eyes lit up at that. Suddenly energized, she sat up on the couch. She was just about to agree when something occurred to her, and she asked, [It's just these missions, right? I don't have to win over the archvillain or get forcibly paired with him in some romantic storyline, do I?]

[No, dear host. You only need to stop the archvillain from turning evil. You don't have to win him over or be paired with him in a romantic storyline.]

Hearing that, Ning Sang-sang immediately agreed with enthusiasm. [All right, I'll take the missions.]

Heaven knew how tempting it was to be able to dig into the gossip about everyone in her world. With that collection, she could finally enjoy all the gossip about the people she had wanted to hear about in her previous life.

Of course, the most important thing was that these missions weren't too revolting. She could just about accept them.

If the mission required her to win over Yan Xuanjing and earn his affection, she wouldn't do it even if they beat her to death. She couldn't stomach being a groveling lapdog for even a moment.