Xie Ji was furious that the system had activated affection tracking without his permission.
"I'm an employee, not a beast of burden. Lu Xunji's affection is still stuck in the negatives, and now you've randomly added Ji Shi's affection too? What is this, a supermarket promotion where you get more for the same price?"
Little Black glanced at him. "That's what you get for changing the plot without permission. The system detected that one of the protagonists who was originally supposed to treat you as cannon fodder had developed more than fifty percent affection for you. That was what allowed the anomalous values to intrude."
Looking at the completely maxed-out affection for [Ji Shi], Xie Ji didn't know what to say for a moment.
Seriously, could he be any more in love? Starting at max affection, really?
If only Lu Xunji's affection were as easy to farm as Ji Shi's.
Little Black flicked his tail and sneered. "To repair the plot's trajectory, you must ensure that Ji Shi's feelings for you return to normal before this worldline ends-in other words, an affection value of zero or even lower."
Xie Ji said expressionlessly, "When I called myself a beast of burden earlier, I admit my wording was a little inaccurate. I'm worse off than a beast of burden. At least no one drags an ox up and makes it plow a field it's already plowed."
Little Black said, "Actually, host, you could try looking on the bright side."
"Such as?"
"For example, not only have you earned Lu Xunji's loathing, you've also earned Ji Shi's love!"
Xie Ji stood up. "Good heavens, you're really great at comforting people. Wait here. I'll go get you some American dollars from the kitchen-a few nice knives."
Little Black: "..."
Ever since Ji Shi's affection tracking had been activated, Xie Ji had found it rather difficult to look him in the eye.
He felt that even the way Ji Shi looked at him had a distinctly gay flavor to it.
I thought of you as a bro, and you were eyeing my ass. Nice.
Not long after Ji Shi went into the inner room to change out of his work clothes, the guests who had spent the day working outside returned to the little courtyard one after another.
The moment Mu Yao, who was in charge of the fishpond, came in, he changed out of his fishy-smelling work clothes and rushed into the bathroom. Only after scrubbing himself all over three or four times did he emerge, pale-faced.
He had always liked being clean, and the work at the fishpond was simply inhuman. Cleaning it was filthy and messy enough, but pumping out the water raised an unbearable stench.
Zhou Heyu was the last to return. Once everyone had cleaned up, it was time for the supermarket next door to open.
Those who hadn't bought mattresses last time bought them this time. Everyone carefully budgeted their starting funds, setting aside a portion for daily necessities and allocating the rest to the initial expenses of their respective areas.
Ji Shi, however, went against his usual ways and spent all his starting funds on daily necessities and bedroom furnishings.
Seeing this, Zhou Heyu stepped in to stop him. "According to the plan, we'll be planting seedlings in the paddy fields in a few days. Our expenses will be high then. I suggest you save some money instead of holding us back."
Ji Shi clicked his tongue impatiently. "Mind your own business. I can handle my own work."
Seeing how stubborn he was, Zhou Heyu stopped trying to persuade him. He glanced at the food section next door and left without redeeming anything.
When the shopping period ended, everyone, exhausted from a day's work, prepared to return to their rooms to rest.
At this point, they were allowed two hours with their phones.
However, the phones' functions were very limited. Aside from livestreaming and an app for the guests to communicate with one another, they had no other uses.
Shang Yan had created a group on the first day. Its name was very proper: [Young Field Project Work Group (6)].
When Xie Ji opened it, he almost thought he had landed in DingTalk.
Group chat messages:
Xie Buji changed the group name to [Making 10,000 a Month? No Can Do (6)].
Shang Yan: ?
Ten thousand a month. What a vicious curse.
Shang Yan changed the group name to [Young Field Project Work Group (6)].
Xie Buji changed the group name to [You Absolute Goof (6)].
Shang Yan: ...
Ji Shi Is Very Punctual: Hahahahahaha.
Love Wound: What's that dumbass above laughing at?
Group owner [Shang Yan] changed group member [Love Wound]'s nickname to [Mu Yao].
Ji Shi Is Very Punctual: What edgy internet heartthrob snuck in here?
Group member [Mu Yao] changed his nickname to [Mu Yao (Love Wound Version)].
Shang Yan: ...
With everything he had accomplished in his life, why was he in the same group as these idiots?
Mu Yao (Love Wound Version): @Xie Buji, baby, you're so good at naming things.
Ji Shi Is Very Punctual: Who are you calling baby? Who gave you the right to call him that? You disgusting scumbag!
Group member [Mu Yao (Love Wound Version)] has blocked group member [Ji Shi Is Very Punctual].
Zhou: ...
.: @Xie Buji, come here and go to bed.
Ji Shi Is Very Punctual: @., he's not going, thanks.
Xie Buji: Open up, big brother. I'm your sister-in-law. ^-^
Ji Shi Is Very Punctual: ￥%...&*()!!!!
Zhou Heyu: @Shang Yan, group owner, I think my teammate's phone electrocuted him to death. Can I switch teammates now?
Shang Yan: ...
Enough. Someone put an end to this farce.