5 1.2

The System's tone was off. Xu Jiaqi wondered just to what extent the missions' severity went to.

A bad omen?

She gulped a mouthful of saliva as she nodded, allowing the System to relay the information to her.

In a few seconds, several pop ups graced Xu Jiaqi's vision.

[Main Quest: Giving Solace to A Pitiful, Unloved Woman.]

[Details: Xu Jiaqi loved Zhou Yuan for so many years, and yet her love was never reciprocated. She ended up dying with her contributions unannounced, and her wishes left unfulfilled. She never loved another person, and no one loved her in a romantic way. To change this, find someone who fully loves Xu Jiaqi and spend a lifetime with them.]

[Side Quest: A Thousand Years Worth of Love.]

[Details: ???]

Two quests were issued. Just by looking at the first one, Xu Jiaqi was frightened to death. Her fears had come true.

Romance! Isn't this a romance quest?!

Romance! Her nemesis, the hateful trope she never wanted to cross!

"...System?" Xu Jiaqi gritted her teeth as she consoled herself, bearing the injustice that happened to her.

[Yes, Host?] The System adopted a pitiful, innocent tone as he spoke in her mind.

Oh, how she wanted to hug this little baby to death. How cute ah~

"What is this?" Xu Jiaqi pointed to the mission window in front of her.

[Your quests, Host.] He answered dutifully, still using the same annoying tone.

"I know, I have eyes." Xu Jiaqi cracked her knuckles, her emotions fluctuating internally. "But a romance genre as the Main Quest, right off the bat? What will happen if I don't fulfill this quest?"

[Well.. Obviously, the world will be declared as failed, and your soul will be returned to the space you were in last time. However, that does not end your journey because your soul won't be erased unless a large mishap happens in between transmigrations, which it won't.]

"Failure.. Haah, I, Xu Jiaqi, have never failed in my entire life." Xu Jiaqi crossed her arms domineeringly, a piercing glare decorating her beautiful pair of eyes.

[Hehe. Does that mean.. Host really will look for a partner to love? Man, woman, it doesn't matter.] The System acted coy, infuriating Xu Jiaqi even more.

"A partner to love? You mean, a partner that will love me? Going with your previous suggestion, I will just act my way out of this mission. There's no helping it." Xu Jiaqi sighed, contemplating who could she rope in to become her partner.

She had just gone through a scheme where one of the perpetrators' motive was unbridled love, how could she have a good feeling towards that pesky emotion?

[Eii, that's no fun..] The System lamented.

Xu Jiaqi glared at the System, who possessed the form of a floating light ball that roamed the air freely. Her eyes conveyed her intense killing intent.

"..Do you want to be beaten up? Listen up, avoid romance quests as much as possible in the future, I don't want to be tied down by these love farces."

[I have no control over the world, character, or mission generator, Host. Everything is done automatically, I am just a transmitter for the set up. If we get stronger together, however, I believe that it would be possible to tweak some things, but grand changes would be impossible if the generator already declared a decision as final.]

"Logical." Xu Jiaqi accepted the System's explanation. Although she was still somewhat unwilling, she wasn't unreasonable.

She was currently in the status of a worker, as opposed to the past where she was always the leader. In order to get her wish fulfilled, she had to bear with this line of work.

Suddenly, the System, who had been playful ever since they got inside this world, became still.

Xu Jiaqi raised a brow at the light ball.

[Host, please pull yourself together. A vital character is approaching right now. Detecting: Male Lead, Zhou Yuan's incoming presence.] The System's tone turned deeper and much more serious, making Xu Jiaqi be affected too.

[Please remember the storyline and act accordingly.] He reminded.

Her brows knitted as she checked herself from head to toe once more, making sure that nothing was out of the place.

It was time to work. This would be her first task!

She immersed herself, preparing for the upcoming encounter. She repeated words of self praise, intending to brainwash herself and condition her mind to work the way she wished for it to.

Xu Jiaqi: Hmp. My acting is flawless, just like me. Just watch me, these romance tasks will be swept clean in no time.

System: Hehe, I hope that's the truth. Counting on the peerless Host.

In a few seconds, the door was harshly opened, creating a large banging sound. It revealed the figure of a tall man who had a scary glint in his eyes as he strode over to Xu Jiaqi.

Xu Jiaqi flinched as she shielded herself.

"Xu Jiaqi, what on Earth did you do to Mengxue?!" His voice was as loud as thunder. Being in close proximity with him, Xu Jiaqi felt her ears ring.

She was confused. Wasn't the original Xu Jiaqi supposed to be a meek, silent supporter from the dark? How come she got involved with Bai Mengxue? Clearly the storyline depicted her giving up easily after realizing that Zhou Yuan's happiness lied on Bai Mengxue, ah.

Xu Jiaqi sucked in an array of sharp breaths as her expression softened, looking at the angry Zhou Yuan with tender eyes. "What happened, Zhou Yuan? Calm down, ba. It's not good to be this agitated." She said with a bitter voice.

"Mengxue told me everything. I don't need to waste my time, I just came here to remind you.. don't dare touch Mengxue! She is innocent, she hasn't done anything. Your devious schemes should be directed towards me instead!" Zhou Yuan declared.

Xu Jiaqi displayed a tired expression, as if heartache was consuming her from inside out and yet she could only suppress it.