Ji Hanxing sat in the car, looking thoroughly satisfied.
[Congratulations, host, on completing the mission.]
The system's voice rang out without warning. Ji Hanxing was already used to it and had fully adjusted.
[This system did not expect the host to show such promise in business.]
Ji Hanxing actually detected a trace of gratification in its tone, which felt a little surreal.
System 004 was clearly rather excited:
[The host used retrieving the surveillance footage as an opening, then identified the Grand Prosperity Hotel's problems based on customer needs, thereby making Jiang Yuzhuo compromise. Excellent!]
The system's sudden mention of the surveillance footage made Ji Hanxing's heart tremble. His hand instinctively tightened around the USB drive, and his throat felt tight. "System, do you know what's on the surveillance footage USB drive?"
Ji Hanxing felt as though an invisible hand had gripped his heart. The noise around him faded, leaving only the thumping of his own heartbeat.
If the system knew what was on the USB drive...
[Please do not make baseless remarks, host! This system is a legitimate system under the System Alliance!] [This system has undergone formal system training and strictly abides by the information security and privacy protection requirements of small worlds. Breaking into someone else's system to view their information is a violation.]
Brimming with righteous indignation, the system lectured Ji Hanxing on the System Alliance's code of conduct for systems.
Ji Hanxing: (;ﾟДﾟ)!
He had learned something new. This was even a law-abiding system.
The pressure on Ji Hanxing's heart instantly eased, and he was completely reassured.
It seemed that as long as this surveillance footage was not made public, the system would not discover what had happened that night.
[However, according to this system's analysis, it should be the footage of this system's appearance.] [You are quite attentive.]
Ji Hanxing nodded in agreement. "Of course we can't let these people discover your existence, right?"
But he had other thoughts. Why does this system seem a little dodgy?
It's unreliable.
Then is the truth of what the system told me-that I have to follow the plot and complete missions in exchange for life points-also open to question?
Ji Hanxing lowered his eyelids, his gaze dark.
"Mr. Ji, are we returning to the family home or going to the Star and Moon Grand Residence?"
The driver up front asked, and Ji Hanxing raised his wrist to check the time on his watch. "It's getting late. Let's go to the Star and Moon Grand Residence."
That was the original owner's private residence, a small villa. According to his memories, the original owner had spent most of his time living there.
The car stopped at the villa's entrance. Ji Hanxing got out and stopped Xue Hui from doing the same. "It's late. You should head home too."
"Count today as overtime. Talk to HR about it yourself tomorrow."
Xue Hui tried hard to suppress the upward curl of his lips. "All right, Mr. Ji. Take care on your way in."
Ji Hanxing nodded, then walked inside beneath the starlight and lamplight.
The original owner had been rather withdrawn and aloof. Only a part-time cleaner came to clean this villa at regular intervals, and he usually lived here alone.
With a click, the lights came on. Cool white light immediately illuminated the house. Looking at the enormous luxury home, Ji Hanxing felt a little dazed.
"This is where I'm going to live?"
[Yes, host. All of this is yours. You are Ji Hanxing.]
Standing at the entrance, Ji Hanxing changed his shoes. Even his first few steps were somewhat tentative, and only as he kept walking did his footsteps gradually grow firmer. His hand slowly stroked the sofa, then he relaxed his body and lay down on it.
"Heh."
He suddenly gave a soft laugh, resting the back of his hand lightly against his forehead to block the light from above.
"Hahahaha..."
"Hahahahaha, is this what getting rich overnight feels like?"
"This is my home now? I have a home! Hahahahaha, this feels amazing!"
Ji Hanxing burst out laughing and even started rolling around on the sofa, startling the system.
[Host! How can you laugh like that! Mind your persona! You are an aloof, distinguished, unsmiling domineering CEO!] [Not a brainless, silly dog rolling around on the sofa!]
Ji Hanxing did not take offense at the system's words. He lay there lazily, his long, narrow phoenix eyes half closed. "System, I remember you said the persona only needs to be maintained in front of other people. There's no one else here now."
The system was left speechless. Put that way, there was nothing wrong with it.
"I've kept my face tense all day to maintain my persona in front of other people. My face is going stiff. I'm practically developing facial paralysis."
"What's wrong with laughing by myself in my house late at night? Holding it in was killing me!"
"If you won't let me laugh, I'll get depressed! If I get depressed, how am I supposed to do missions?"
[You can do missions while depressed too. A domineering CEO with depression is also a good option. It is more likely to awaken the innocent heroine's maternal instincts and tenderness. Have faith in the heroine. She can heal you!]
Ji Hanxing ignored the system's outrageous remarks and smoothed his disheveled hair.
[Go dormant. I'm going to shower.]
To protect the host's privacy, the system had to go dormant whenever the host engaged in private personal activities.
Ji Hanxing was quite satisfied with this. Although the system was unreliable in some respects, it did a very good job of abiding by laws and regulations.
This also gave Ji Hanxing a loophole to exploit. He took the USB drive into the bathroom.
Then Ji Hanxing forcibly smashed the USB drive.
He had never intended to keep the thing. What would he keep it for, New Year's?
Only by eliminating it completely could he feel at ease.
Ji Hanxing spent two days slacking off in his luxury home. The two days of life points he had previously earned as a mission reward were soon used up, leaving his balance at only five days again.
Only a dozen or so hours remained before the deadline for the system's assessment of his "overwhelmingly domineering, fear-inducing CEO aura."
Ji Hanxing was doing this deliberately. He wanted to test the system. If he kept refusing to complete missions, would he really die as the life points the system spoke of drained away?
At first, he had felt nothing wrong. But late on the third night, it felt as though something had covered his mouth and nose, leaving him unable to breathe. The lack of oxygen made his head hurt as though it were about to explode. His limbs felt immensely heavy, pinned to the bed and unable to move.
Ji Hanxing had a bad feeling.
"System! System! Wh-what's going on!"
[Host, please stop slacking off and approach your missions proactively. Your current physical condition is the result of the system detecting and analyzing your passive neglect of missions. Your life points are about to run out, and your bodily functions are automatically deteriorating.] [If the mission fails, your life points will fall to zero, the world will collapse, and the host will dissipate.]
Ji Hanxing clenched his teeth against the pain, his face deathly pale. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead and soaked the hair at his temples, leaving him looking utterly bedraggled.
"Don't I still have five days of life points?"
[Yes, but this reaction is a reminder issued by this system in view of your passive, negligent attitude. Please actively complete the current mission to escape your present dangerous condition.] [Punishment is not the goal. To help you complete the mission more effectively, your body will return to a healthy state in five minutes. If the mission fails, it will revert to its previous condition.]
Ji Hanxing clenched his fists so tightly that his nails left bloody marks in his palms. His narrow phoenix eyes stared fixedly at one spot before he closed them.
"I-I understand."
Five minutes later, the pain in Ji Hanxing's body did indeed disappear. But he looked as though he had been fished out of water, his face drenched in sweat and his entire back soaked through. His limbs were weak and limp.
Thinking of that mission that threatened something of his, Ji Hanxing could only climb out of bed, go to the bathroom to shower, change his clothes, and start handling work based on the information in the original owner's memories.
Ji Hanxing opened his personal inbox and clicked the top email to go through them in order. As he read, his unfocused gaze gradually grew attentive.
[Ding! Behind every successful domineering CEO is a successful career. Domineering CEO career side mission triggered: resolve the company's hidden problems. Mission completion reward: one day of life points. No penalty for mission failure.]
Looking at the contents of the email, Ji Hanxing sent Xue Hui a message. Presumably, Xue Hui would see it when he woke up in the morning.
An evil capitalist. I really don't want to disturb an employee late at night. Assistant Xue, I'm sorry.
First, let's get my life points back into the safe zone!
Assistant Xue, please save me!