Little Sister’s Secrets and System Shenanigans

“Come on, big sis~” Bai Ruoruo began, her tone brimming with righteous indignation. “I’m a blossoming young girl, you know! What’s with spending all day with that blockhead?”

“Is that something a normal girl would do?” she pressed. “Girls should play with other girls their age, shouldn’t they?”

Indeed, she was the true head of this household. Without her, her sister wouldn’t even get dinner.

“Uh… you’d better not say that in front of Mr. Su,” Bai Ruoli replied, a hint of exasperation in her voice. “He’s a very good person. Why are you being so critical of him? Besides, you were the one who went to play with him in the first place~”

“Hehe~ the blockhead won’t mind,” Bai Ruoruo chirped, undeterred. “Oh right, big sis, you seem to have a good impression of the blockhead. Do you like him? Is the blockhead going to become my brother-in-law?”

Bai Ruoli was speechless. She gazed at her little sister, wondering what bizarre thoughts filled that tiny head all day.

‘She hasn’t said anything strange about me to Mr. Su, has she? Surely not!’ she thought. ‘Otherwise, I’d be so mortified I’d dig a three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment with my toes, completely losing the courage to face him~’

“Ruoruo, you don’t need to worry about your sister’s love life. I’m still young,” Bai Ruoli said helplessly.

“You always say that!” Bai Ruoruo retorted. “If I don’t give you a push, you’ll never get anywhere! A silly big sister like you has zero initiative!”

“Ah…” Bai Ruoli looked at the precocious Bai Ruoruo, finally snapping back to reality. “Don’t change the subject. Shall we discuss your matters again?”

“Hmm? What matters?” Little Ruoruo rolled her small eyes, smiling cutely and innocently. “Haven’t my matters already been concluded? Besides, I only said I was going out to play; I never said I was going with the blockhead~ Sister, think about it, isn’t that right?”

“Hmm… it seems so…” Bai Ruoli mused.

“So then…”

“Bai Ruoruo.”

“What?!” Bai Ruoruo exclaimed, pointing at Bai Ruoli with an imposing aura. “You usually call me ‘Little Ruoruo, my darling,’ but now for a man, you’re calling me by my full name! Tell me, do you like him?”

“I…” Bai Ruoli’s lips parted slightly, then she burst out laughing in exasperation. “Where did you learn to twist the facts like that? You’ve even perfected it~”

“Hehe~ not really~ just average~” Bai Ruoruo scratched her head, looking very embarrassed.

Bai Ruoli sighed, then looked at Ruoruo with a serious expression. “Ruoruo, do you think I would truly get angry if you simply played with your friends?”

“Hmm…”

“What angered me was that you had Mr. Su cover for you, and you didn’t even let me know. How could I not worry when you’re acting so guilty?”

“Ruoruo, please tell your sister the truth, okay? What did you do? Did someone bully you?”

“Uh…” Seeing her sister’s worried expression, Bai Ruoruo’s initial timidness turned into even deeper guilt, adding a significant burden of remorse.

“I… Big sis, don’t worry, I’m fine. Who could bully me? I’m super strong!” Bai Ruoruo declared, waving her small fists. “I just went on a small adventure with a new friend. I was afraid you’d worry, so I lied.”

“An adventure?”

“Actually, we just watched a movie at the cinema near the subway station.”

“If that’s all it was…” Bai Ruoli breathed a sigh of relief. “Honestly, I thought you’d done something bad.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t do anything bad!” Bai Ruoruo pouted. “I actually thought ‘Su Su’s big adventure’ meant something else. Like, would a mysterious passage appear in the cinema? But nothing like that happened after the movie! Still, the aliens fighting the disaster beasts was pretty cool!”

“Su Su?” Bai Ruoli knew how to grasp the key points.

“Ah, Su Su…” Bai Ruoruo stammered, her words tumbling out in a rush. “Um, she’s my new friend. She has the same surname as the blockhead, Su. No, wait, her name is Su… Ah… that… Su Su is just Su Su, and she’s definitely not a bad person!”

Bai Ruoli watched Bai Ruoruo’s flustered explanation, her initial doubt instantly turning into certainty. Yet, she merely smiled, for Bai Ruoli was unaware of the deeper connection.

“Honestly, why are you so nervous?” Bai Ruoli chuckled. “Su Su, her given name is Su, and her surname is also Su, correct?”

“Eh?”

“Mm-hmm! Big sis is so smart! As expected of a great novelist! Oh~ a cultured person!” Bai Ruoruo praised, trying to deflect.

“Honestly, stop flattering me,” Bai Ruoli said, shaking her head. “Tell me about Su Su! How did you two meet? What did you do today?”

“Eh?”

“My little sister suddenly has a new friend. Can’t a big sister be concerned?” Bai Ruoli gazed at her meaningfully.

“Ah… yes, of course you can!”

“Big sis, let me tell you, Su Su is super nice! And she’s amazing, and…”

****

‘A large-scale dungeon is about to appear in Hehe City.’

An Lan read the message she received, then hummed thoughtfully, her eyes brightening.

“A large-scale dungeon~” she murmured.

She chuckled softly. “It seems I came to the right place this time.”

However, her joy was short-lived. Soon after, she received a new message; the content was largely the same, but this time the source was the city hall.

“Hmm? The news leaked?” She furrowed her brow.

****

“Little Qian’er, how is it?” Su Mu inquired.

“Don’t worry, Host! I am a system, after all; anything on the network is a breeze for me~” Su Xiaoqian proudly patted her small chest.

“But Host, hehe~”

“What?” Su Mu raised an eyebrow. What’s with that smug, mischievous grin, like a little imp just begging for a smack?

“As expected of the Host I chose! You say no with your mouth, but your heart is very honest!” Su Xiaoqian declared, giving a thumbs-up.

“…I just asked you to send a message. How it’s handled isn’t up to me.” Su Mu turned his head away.

“Hehe~ Host is a tsundere~”

Su Mu ignored her. Anything he said at this point would only make the little rascal even more excited.

However, the message had been sent, but Su Mu still felt uncertain. To them, it was just an unsubstantiated rumor.

Yet, the fact that they had the technology to hack into the government network, he figured, would garner some attention… right?

“Host, don’t worry!” Su Xiaoqian chirped. “We’ll cover everything, no matter what! My Host is a super amazing Savior!”

“Uh… Little Qian’er, don’t exaggerate so much!” Su Mu said, speechless. “Whoever wants to deal with this troublesome matter can do it!”

Su Xiaoqian merely smiled, easily changing the subject.

“Host, for your date with Miss Lily later, do you want to dress up a bit?” Su Xiaoqian asked. “I’ve read quite a few fashion magazines recently, so I’m super confident in this area!”

“Dress up? Hmm…” Su Mu bent his fingers, seriously considering it for a few moments before realizing. “Wait, this isn’t a date; we have something important to do!”

“So?~” Su Xiaoqian asked, drawing out the word.

“If we have something to do, then it definitely needs to be an outfit suitable for movement,” Su Mu said, looking perfectly serious. “Well, anything else is fine, but if it can exude a bit of charm, that’s not unacceptable either~ After all, it’s an active invitation, so dressing too casually would seem disrespectful, wouldn’t it?”

“Mm-hmm, Host makes a good point!”

“Then leave it to the genius fashion prodigy, the rising star of the fashion world, the darling of the era, the master of inspiration, Salvation System V1.0.32—that is, me, Su Xiaoqian!”

“Oh, how reliable! As expected of Little Qian’er~” Su Mu said, clapping his hands.