The Price of a Promise and a Genius Plan

‘What kind of brother would I be if I didn’t seize such an obvious opportunity?’ Seeing Zhao Lei’s anxious expression, the frustration Zhou Yi felt from the system’s sudden ‘girly voice’ immediately dissipated. He couldn’t afford to be too obvious.

He deliberately straightened his face, feigning seriousness. “I’m doing this for the honor of our class.”

Then, he deftly pulled out paper and a pen. “Come on, sign a letter of guarantee as a formality.”

Zhao Lei stared at the paper, his lips twitching. “Wait… this looks like a contract of servitude. Do I need to press my fingerprint too?”

“Even better!” Zhou Yi blurted out, then quickly pinched his throat to amend. “I mean… it would add more of a ceremonial feel.”

“Are you signing a labor contract?!”

“If you don’t sign, I’m leaving.”

“Sign! I’ll sign!” Zhao Lei hastily pressed down on the guarantee. “But it’s a deal, right? If I wear a skirt, you guys will compete!”

“Naturally.”

Watching Zhao Lei pick up the pen with a dejected slump, Zhou Yi’s heart practically bloomed with joy. He couldn’t help but laugh, but the clear, bright lilt that accidentally escaped his throat startled him into immediate silence.

He guiltily touched his throat.

However, it had already drawn Jiang Chen’s curious gaze.

“So happy?”

“Absolutely.”

“But… your voice sounds a bit…”

Zhou Yi immediately clutched his throat and coughed. “I just laughed too hard and choked…”

“No,” Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes. “It just sounds like…”

“You, you misheard,” Zhou Yi interrupted him, his whole body tensing.

Zhao Lei, looking utterly bewildered, interjected, “What riddle are you two playing? Am I signing this contract of servitude or not?”

“Sign it! You must sign it!” Zhou Yi turned to urge Zhao Lei. “Hurry up and submit the form! Don’t dawdle!”

As Zhao Lei walked away with a mournful expression, Zhou Yi’s lips couldn’t help but curve upwards. Yet, Jiang Chen’s light voice suddenly drifted from behind him:

“You’ve been acting a little strange lately. Has something happened?”

Zhou Yi flinched, hastily waving his hands. “No, nothing at all!” He quickly pointed out the window. “Chen Ge, if we don’t go play basketball soon, it’ll be dark!”

Jiang Chen gave him a thoughtful look. “Are you in such a hurry to get rid of me?”

“How could I be?” Zhou Yi forced a calm demeanor, patting Jiang Chen’s shoulder. “I’m thinking of your MVP title!”

“Alright, I’m off.” Jiang Chen chuckled softly, finally turning to leave.

He paused briefly as he passed by. “If your throat isn’t feeling well, go to the school infirmary and get some lozenges.”

****

Only when both figures had completely vanished down the corridor did Zhou Yi’s taut nerves finally relax. He then realized his back was drenched in sweat.

The crisis had been temporarily averted.

Now, it was time for reckoning.

“Xiao Qi! You almost killed me, you know that? Hurry up and change my voice back!” A clear female voice echoed through the classroom.

[Oh dearie me~ Don’t be so fierce! This is a rare trial version, let me see… there are only 23 hours and 34 minutes left~]

“Are you messing with me?! I have classes during this time! And a part-time job tonight! What if a teacher calls on me to answer a question?!”

[Friendly reminder: Players can experience various communication methods such as feigning a cold or using sign language! The full voice pack will also unlock free switching between loli and mature female voices~]

He felt his blood pressure skyrocketing. Who needed such useless features?

“No! This is truly too much! Didn’t we agree that punishment only happens if the mission fails?”

[Yes, but Li Yanze’s simp index is still in a high-risk state, so the player hasn’t actually achieved the mission objective yet~]

Ah, well… she had a point.

[The full voice pack is truly a steal! Use the mature female voice for business deals, and the loli voice to charm discounts – you can’t lose or be scammed~]

Still trying to act cute?

Zhou Yi suppressed the urge to punch the system, telling himself to remain calm. Getting serious with this artificial idiot would only mean losing.

He irritably ran a hand through his hair, when a flash of inspiration suddenly struck him!

Since it was a 24-hour trial, couldn’t he just hide in the simulator and wait it out, perfectly avoiding all risks?

This way, he wouldn’t have to fear facing Jiang Chen’s probing gaze back in the dorm, nor would he worry about being exposed in class! He could even advance the mission progress at the same time! Perhaps he might even complete the mission directly.

The more he thought about it, the more reliable the plan seemed. He couldn’t help but break into a knowing smile.

Without further ado, Zhou Yi grabbed his backpack and rushed to the dorm. The moment he entered, he summoned Xiao Qi to activate the simulator!

The familiar white light gradually receded, and Zhou Yi found herself standing on the familiar campus path, warm yellow streetlights casting a soft glow.

“I’m truly a genius!” She excitedly slapped a streetlight pole, instantly feeling alive again.

She decided to lay low here until the mission succeeded!

Tonight… without a doubt, it could only be the girls’ dorm.

Indeed, the girls’ dorm!

She snapped her fingers excitedly, humming a cheerful tune as she strolled towards the female dormitory.

The last time she had come here was to find Lin Yating to solve Chen Hao’s problem.

Back then, she had been so consumed by nervousness and embarrassment that she hadn’t dared to truly take it all in. Moreover, in her over-excitement, she had accidentally bumped into a fire cabinet, and that loud bang remained a stain on her life to this day.

This time, however, the situation was different. She was here to enjoy the experience of girls’ dorm life, and frankly, it would be a disservice to herself not to fully appreciate it now.

She walked to the base of the girls’ dorm building with a silly grin, her mind uncontrollably flashing with some very wholesome and educational scenes.

“Senior! Please wait a moment!”

Zhou Yi’s half-hummed tune caught in her throat.

She turned her head in confusion, seeing a shy-looking boy wearing glasses walking towards her.

“Are you calling me?” She pointed to herself uncertainly.

The boy pushed up his glasses, the tips of his ears turning red. “Hello, Senior…” He suddenly pulled out a gold-embossed letter from his pocket. “This… please accept it!”

Zhou Yi stared at the letter, dumbfounded, as countless possibilities flashed through her mind in an instant…

A scam letter? A love letter? A challenge? Or…

She suddenly understood. “Buddy, I get it. Don’t be shy, just say it directly. You want me to pass it on for you, right? Which floor? Consider it done!”

As a fellow male, she completely understood the anxiety of waiting outside a girls’ dorm.

The boy, his face flushed, lowered his head, not daring to look at her. He stammered, “No… it’s, it’s for you, Senior!”

“Huh?” Zhou Yi froze. “For me?!”

She was so shocked she almost dropped the envelope. What was going on?!

The boy quickly explained, “Se-Senior, don’t misunderstand! I, I’m Wu Junzhe, a sophomore from the Mathematics Department! Th-this is an invitation to a campus entrepreneurship competition we’re preparing for! We, we’d like… to invite you, Senior, to team up with us!”

Only then did Zhou Yi pick up the envelope and examine it closely.

The elegant fountain pen script on the envelope read ‘Entrepreneurship Competition Invitation.’ Inside, the contents sincerely invited the Senior to join their team, stating that the team needed an excellent member like her, and so on.

Oh, so that was it. However…

“Tell me, why me?” She narrowed her eyes warily. “There are many people more capable than me in the Business School, aren’t there?”

“Be-because your performance in the Business Case Analysis class was ex-extremely outstanding, Senior! The shared economy model optimization plan you presented last time was truly remarkable! So, so I think… if it’s you, Senior, we’re sure to succeed!”

Listening to his sincere praise, Zhou Yi couldn’t help but feel a little flattered.

Although this appreciation was directed at the identity of ‘Senior Zhou Yi,’ the feeling of being recognized was certainly not bad.