novelraw Chapter 75 : Side Story 5. Kiss for Five Minutes
Chapter 75 : Side Story 5. Kiss for Five Minutes
Su Huan's smile immediately disappeared from her face.
She didn't know what she had done to make Shen Xiaoyu unhappy, but keeping a low profile couldn't hurt.
But unexpectedly, this made Shen Xiaoyu even more displeased.
[Target affection level decreased to: -30%]
Su Huan: ...
She closed her eyes. Fine, so be it.
Shen Xiaoyu withdrew her gaze and stopped looking at her, instead asking Shen Nian'an if she had packed everything.
Shen Nian'an nodded, then asked again, "Can Mama go play with us this afternoon? I've never gone out to play with both mommies together."
She looked at Shen Xiaoyu with hopeful eyes, full of anticipation.
[Target affection level decreased to: -40%]
Shen Xiaoyu wouldn't refuse her daughter's request and nodded, "Of course!"
"Yay!" Shen Nian'an cheered and happily went to add more snacks to her bag.
Shen Xiaoyu's eyes followed Shen Nian'an with indulgence, feeling increasingly uneasy, and naturally had no good expression for Su Huan.
[Target affection level decreased to: -50%]
[Target affection level decreased to: -60%]
Su Huan listened with growing alarm. At this rate, she might as well not participate in this outing.
She was about to speak when she noticed Shen Xiaoyu's expression was clearly wrong. If she spoke now, the affection level would definitely drop even faster.
So why did the damn system have to bring her over at this exact moment? Couldn't it have waited two more days?
If she didn't participate in the outing, the affection level wouldn't drop so quickly!
Now great—not only had the affection level not risen, it was dropping even faster.
She was in a bad mood, and her attitude toward the system suffered as well, cursing it countless times in her heart.
The system was indignant and argued with her.
This argument continued until the afternoon outing.
The system mission reminder sounded.
[Conquest mission issued: Hug for 1 minute. Mission completion reward: Seven additional days of survival in another world.]
[If mission fails, host will be immediately transported back to original world.]
[Mission countdown: Five hours]
At that moment, Su Huan was struggling with setting up a tent with Shen Xiaoyu, while Mother Shen was being pulled around by Shen Nian'an to explore.
After hearing the mission, Su Huan looked up at Shen Xiaoyu not far away and couldn't help frowning.
[System, are you sick? Xiaoyu's affection level just dropped, and now you want me to hug her? Can't you issue some useful missions?]
[Mission establishment complete, cannot be changed. If you can't complete it, just say so.] The system was cold and merciless, [That's what you get for cursing me just now! If I don't show you some consequences, you'll really think I'm useless!]
The system was condescending, with no intention of helping.
[If it weren't for Xiaoyu and An'an's sake, I wouldn't let you succeed in conquest! Pulling you out of that dimension cost me quite a few points. It breaks my heart.]
When you eat someone's food, your mouth is shortened; when you take someone's things, your hands are softened.
Su Huan couldn't argue with the system anymore and could only silently listen to its complaints.
Su Huan seemed to be ignoring the system, and her tent-setting technique wasn't good. The areas she worked on were crooked and twisted, forming a stark contrast with Shen Xiaoyu's technique.
Shen Xiaoyu put one hand on her hip and sighed helplessly, simply pulling her aside, "Forget it, don't move. I'll do it myself."
She quickly went forward to start over.
Su Huan stood aside watching for a while, then began doing small tasks within her ability while looking for conversation topics.
"By the way, how do you handle the filming you mentioned before?" she said. "I also want to manage an account, whether I become an actress or not, it would be useful."
"Depends on what type you want to film," Shen Xiaoyu didn't look back. "Choose your own subject matter and content. You can edit yourself or find someone to edit... forget it, I'll find someone to help with editing first. You just need to wait for your documents to come through, apply for an account, and start posting."
Su Huan made a sound of acknowledgment and began making conversation for the sake of talking, "Was it very difficult when you first started filming?"
"It was okay, I got used to it."
Shen Xiaoyu had previously been Su Huan's manager and had helped manage her accounts on various platforms, so she was familiar with the process. When she started managing her own account, it didn't take long.
Plus her content selection was decent, so she quickly gained a fan base. After these few years, she had established her own studio, and her career was going quite smoothly.
There was no need to tell Su Huan about these things.
Shen Xiaoyu quickly finished setting up everything else, and soon a neat tent stood on the grass.
[So efficient!] The system sighed, while also showing disappointment, [Hurry up and help! Take the things from the car and help spread them inside. If you keep being this useless, the mission won't be completed!]
The system spoke lightly, but when Su Huan actually started helping, she was only met with disdain.
She had suffered in childhood, working part-time to earn money during school breaks. After becoming famous young, she was busy rushing between various film crews. Even when traveling, it was under the lens.
She had very little time to herself, let alone going on self-driving trips like this.
Regarding tent setup, she had only seen others do it online. This was her first time doing it herself.
After being disdained, Su Huan found herself another job of laying out the mat, crawling inside the tent to slowly tuck the edges of the carpet in to make the tent more comfortable.
"Are you done?" The tent flap was lifted, and Shen Xiaoyu stood at the entrance looking in, unable to help but laugh, "Didn't you look while laying it out?"
"What?" Su Huan turned around in confusion.
Shen Xiaoyu pointed to a section of the mat behind her, "You got the wrong one. This is supposed to be laid outside as the living room area."
Su Huan looked completely confused, "What's the difference?"
They were both mats—what difference did it make whether they were laid inside or outside?
Shen Xiaoyu was somewhat speechless, "Because it's too big, it's not suitable inside! Hurry and take it out, and put this one inside instead."
Su Huan made a sound of acknowledgment and began removing the mat.
The mat had gone in smoothly, but taking it out wasn't as easy. It seemed to be caught on something, and when she pulled, the tent deformed along with it. After several attempts, Shen Xiaoyu couldn't stand it anymore and took off her shoes to enter the tent.
"Forget it, stop fussing. I'll do it myself."
She took over from Su Huan, crouching in the corner to see where the problem was.
The system criticized, [Useless at everything, no wonder you can't catch your wife.]
Su Huan was a bit angry and stood behind her without moving, watching as she pulled out a pin from under the mat and freed the caught carpet.
"Now go pull up the mat," Shen Xiaoyu instructed.
She responded and turned to pull up the mat.
Su Huan finally gathered her spirits, but forgot that Shen Xiaoyu was still standing on the mat. When she exerted force, the mat moved with her strength, and Shen Xiaoyu lost her balance and fell backward.
"Xiaoyu!"
Su Huan cried out and rushed forward to grab Shen Xiaoyu's hand, trying to pull her up, but her foot got caught in the pile of mats. She stumbled forward, her ankle hitting something hard, the pain making her face pale as her unsupported body fell down with Shen Xiaoyu.
Thud.
Su Huan heavily pressed down on Shen Xiaoyu, and the person beneath her let out a muffled grunt, her face scrunching up in pain.
Shen Xiaoyu wore a pained expression, "Get, get up!"
Su Huan endured the pain from her ankle and hurriedly tried to get up, when she heard the system's voice.
[Second conquest mission: Hug countdown remaining 00:59]
Her movement paused slightly, then she crawled back down, half-pulling the person into her arms, saying softly, "Can you let me hold you for a bit?"
Shen Xiaoyu's struggling stopped, her face immediately becoming cold and hard as she emphasized, "Su Huan! Get up right now!"
Su Huan buried her head in her neck pitifully, "I twisted my ankle, I can't get up."
"Get up!"
"I don't want to!" Su Huan shamelessly threw a tantrum, clinging to her without letting go.
"Just for a moment, let me hold you, okay?"
Shen Xiaoyu's face grew longer and longer as she was held tighter, her tone stern, "Su Huan, let go of me!"
Her hands pressed against Su Huan's shoulders, her expression becoming more rigid with each passing second. Just as she was about to be ruthless and push her away, she heard her aggrieved voice.
"Xiaoyu, it hurts so much."
Shen Xiaoyu's pushing motion suddenly stopped. She felt herself being held tightly, like a wronged child coming home to act spoiled with adults, her whole body radiating grievance, seeking that bit of comfort.
She had rarely seen Su Huan like this. The only other time was when she was injured on set and brought home, ignoring her wounds to pin her down on the bed.
That night, Su Huan had desperately taken from her body, but tears kept stubbornly falling. After the pleasure ended, Su Huan lay on her body just like today, burying her face in her neck, saying lightly, 'Xiaoyu, it hurts so much.'
She seemed to be talking about the wound, but Shen Xiaoyu knew it wasn't.
That was the thirtieth day after her sister's death.
The memory quickly faded. Shen Xiaoyu's pushing motion seemed to lose its strength, just letting Su Huan hold her, motionless.
[Second conquest mission: Hug countdown remaining 00:40]
[Target affection level rose to: -55%]
[Target affection level rose to: -50%]
...
Su Huan had originally just wanted to delay time to complete the hugging mission, but after hearing the system's announcements, her nose became sour and she buried her face deeper into her neck.
"The day the world reset, Tang Tang seized control of her body back from the system and chose suicide after killing Ning Yu at the wedding." Her voice was low, only audible to Shen Xiaoyu who was closest to her.
Shen Xiaoyu's pupils trembled rapidly, her throat hoarse and uncomfortable.
"With the female protagonist's death, the entire world began to collapse, everything became a white void." She said, "Do you know what it feels like to watch everything disappear? Only then did I truly feel that I was just a paper character in a book with a predetermined ending."
Shen Xiaoyu completely stopped moving, lying on the mat listening to Su Huan's voice.
"Shi Qiubai also died. All her memories disappeared, and after entering the entertainment industry, she began targeting Tang Tang and was blacklisted by Ning Yu."
Su Huan's voice was bitter, "Perhaps because I retained all my memories but had no ability to change anything, I could only watch everyone walk toward their endings."
Shen Xiaoyu's heart also clenched, tight and uncomfortable, "What happened after that?"
"In repeated plot restarts, I had people save Shi Qiubai and sent her out of the country, wanting her to completely escape the plot." Thinking of that ending, Su Huan couldn't help but smile bitterly, "But I underestimated the plot's power. The plane Shi Qiubai was on crashed out of control."
Shen Xiaoyu's heart trembled with her voice, the pain making it hard to breathe.
"Later, I tried other methods, but without exception, they all failed." Su Huan took a deep breath, swallowing the sorrow in her heart, "The plot was truly powerful, impossible to resist."
[Target affection level rose to: -40%]
[Target affection level rose to: -35%]
[Target affection level rose to: -30%]
[Second conquest mission: Hug countdown remaining 00:20]
Shen Xiaoyu was immersed in her emotions, forgetting their current position, and continued asking, "What happened after that? What happened next?"
"After that..." Su Huan fell into thought, then shook her head, "I don't know. I put Shi Qiubai's whole family on a plane abroad, and this time her confrontation with Tang Tang and Ning Yu wasn't deep, so there shouldn't be any more danger."
Speaking of this, she quickly added, "Though this is just my guess. But don't worry, I've arranged everything abroad. They can do some small business there. As long as they're not noticed, there won't be danger."
Shen Xiaoyu said nothing, lowering her eyes without looking at her, her heart churning from her words.
The tent suddenly became quiet, so quiet that only their heartbeats could be heard.
[Second conquest mission: Hug countdown remaining 00:5]
[Second conquest mission: Hug countdown remaining 00:4]
[3]
[2]
[1]
[Congratulations host on completing the second conquest mission: Hug for one minute. Reward: Seven days.]
[Total remaining days: Eight days. Please host keep working hard!]
The mission was finally complete. Su Huan finally relaxed, but she didn't let go of the person in her arms, instead holding her even tighter.
The two maintained this position, neither speaking, until—
"Mama, Mommy!"
Shen Nian'an's cheerful voice rang out outside the tent.
Only then did Shen Xiaoyu react, forcefully pushing away the person on top of her.
Su Huan was unprepared and rolled to the side, her foot hitting something unknown, making her gasp in pain.
The tent flap was thrown open, and Shen Nian'an crouched at the entrance looking at them, her big watery eyes full of curiosity, "Mama, Mommy, what were you doing inside?"
Su Huan lay on the ground, her face pale with pain, "Nothing, you're back from your walk? So soon?"
"There's nothing around except mountains, trees, and water. Grandma and I walked around once and came back." Shen Nian'an looked at them suspiciously, "Why do you both have these expressions? Did you do something behind my back?"
The little girl examined them both, then crawled in with hands and feet, feeling around everywhere, "What did you hide from me? Take it out quickly!"
"There's nothing. We were just organizing the mat," Shen Xiaoyu explained.
"If you were organizing the mat, then why does Mama have that expression?"
"Me?" The accused Shen Xiaoyu looked bewildered, "What's wrong with my expression?"
Shen Nian'an looked at her and commented, "Your face is very red, with some shame, and a bit sad, just like Mommy bullied you."
Shen Xiaoyu made a sound and touched her face, somewhat confused. Was her expression really like that?
Su Huan endured the waves of pain from her ankle and looked up at Shen Xiaoyu. Her face still had a lingering blush, her eyes held some moisture, and she indeed looked like she had been bullied.
Her heart couldn't help but flutter, even ignoring the ankle pain.
"Because laying out the mat was a bit hot, and you came back just in time to help us." Su Huan took a slight breath, "I accidentally twisted my ankle just now, it seems swollen."
One sentence drew both mother and daughter's attention.
"How did you twist it? Let me see quickly!" Shen Nian'an immediately went to examine her foot, pulling up her pants to reveal the red and swollen ankle, which looked quite serious.
Shen Nian'an frowned tightly, muttering about how this could happen while turning to shout outside, "Grandma, Mommy's foot is injured! Please bring the medicine!"
Shen Xiaoyu's gaze also fell on her ankle, her brow unconsciously furrowing. She didn't speak, but her expression didn't look good.
Su Huan saw her expression and felt a sinking feeling, suddenly having a bad premonition.
Sure enough, the next second the system's voice rang in her ear.
[Target affection level rose to: -25%]
After hearing clearly, Su Huan's eyes widened slightly. It actually rose?
[See, I told you Xiaoyu is stubborn but soft-hearted. As soon as you get injured, her affection for you rises. Keep this up and completing the mission is just around the corner!] The system was very happy, even setting off grand fireworks in her mind.
Clusters of fireworks exploded, giving Su Huan a headache as she rubbed her temples, [Can you be quiet for a while?]
Her action made Shen Xiaoyu misunderstand, and she quickly asked, "Does your head hurt too? No, I should take you back first."
"No need," Su Huan quickly said, "I was just a bit dizzy, I'm much better now. This trip is for An'an to play. Don't let me delay you all."
"But Mommy, your foot is also very important!" The little girl frowned, looking disapproving, "There will be plenty of time to play in the future, but if your foot injury becomes serious, it will affect your future!"
After speaking, she looked up at Shen Xiaoyu, "Mama, you take Mommy back to see a doctor. Grandma and Sister Aihan are here, we'll be fine."
Shen Xiaoyu frowned tightly, seeming to hesitate.
"No need, just apply some medicine later and it'll be fine. It's not very serious," Su Huan quickly said, afraid her actions would make Shen Xiaoyu's affection continue to drop.
"I'm taking you to the hospital!" Shen Xiaoyu made the final decision.
After speaking, she immediately stood up and walked out of the tent, "Mom, Su Huan twisted her ankle. I'm taking her to the hospital first. We'll be back quite late. I'll call Xiao Song and Xiao Rong to come accompany you all, and I'll come pick you up later."
Mother Shen had just heard Shen Nian'an's shout and was holding the medical kit brought from camp. Hearing Shen Xiaoyu's words, she frowned and said, "You two go quickly. I'll take good care of An'an. Be careful on the road."
"I know."
Shen Xiaoyu went to make phone calls, and when she returned, she shouted toward the tent, "An'an, help your Mommy come out."
"Okay." Shen Nian'an responded, then knelt on the mat looking intently at Su Huan, encouraging her in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Mommy! Fighting!"
"Mama hasn't said it, but I can tell she still cares about you." The little girl lowered her voice, "But whether Mama can forgive you depends on what you do. This time you absolutely cannot disappoint Mama."
Su Huan was stunned, then laughingly ruffled the little girl's hair, "Adults' affairs shouldn't involve children."
"I'm not a child! I'm already eight years old!" Shen Nian'an made a small gesture at her, "Besides, Mama told me everything about the past. I know what happened between you two."
"Alright, alright, you know everything," Su Huan said with mixed emotions, "But don't interfere in matters between your Mama and me. And rest assured, no matter how things end up between us, you'll always be our most beloved treasure."
"I know, but that doesn't stop me from hoping you two can make up." The little girl said, patting her shoulder like a little adult, "Don't worry, I'll create opportunities for you!"
Su Huan raised an eyebrow but didn't take her words to heart.
"An'an?" Shen Xiaoyu's call came from outside.
"Coming!" Shen Nian'an responded, then crawled over to Su Huan, "Let's go, Mommy. Make sure to see the doctor properly, and don't make Mama angry on the way, okay?"
She was really worried and didn't forget to remind her even after helping her into the car, "Mommy, remember what I said. Make sure to see the doctor properly!"
"I know, I know."
Shen Xiaoyu waved at her and exchanged a look with Mother Shen before driving away.
Su Huan sat in the passenger seat, enduring the pain from her ankle, her face pale as she apologized, "Sorry for troubling you again. After you drop me at the hospital, go back to accompany An'an."
"Don't worry about it, I've already arranged everything," Shen Xiaoyu said. "You just told me about Tang Tang, Ning Yu, and Shi Qiubai, but what about you? You said you retained your memories, so how did you get out of the book world?"
Su Huan's face stiffened, her mind going completely blank.
She had been so focused on delaying time that she forgot about this!
[Can't I really tell Xiaoyu about your existence?]
[No!] The system was cold and merciless, [According to conquest rules, once you reveal my existence, the conquest immediately fails!]
Su Huan pressed her lips together and secretly frowned, [Then can you give Xiaoyu a cheat, let her hear our conversation too? That wouldn't violate the rules, right?]
The system sneered, [Haha. Do you think I'm running a charity? Your mind-reading ability was a bug in the book world! This world has no bugs, how can I give her cheats?]
This won't work, that won't work—she couldn't just lie to Shen Xiaoyu, could she?
If Shen Xiaoyu found out about the conquest later, the situation would only get worse.
Su Huan bit her lip and stared ahead, not noticing Shen Xiaoyu's expression had changed.
Her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as she asked again about her confusion, "I asked the system before if it could bring you out, and the answer was that people from the book world couldn't leave. So how exactly did you get out of the book?"
She emphasized her tone, demanding, "What secrets are you hiding?"
Su Huan pressed her lips tightly together, saying nothing, not even looking at her.
After waiting a long time without getting an answer, Shen Xiaoyu's anger also rose, but thinking carefully, Su Huan wasn't someone who would conceal things, especially now when it concerned herself, so—
A deep meaning flashed in her eyes, "Do you not want to say, or can't you say?"
Su Huan shook her head, wanting to speak, but her voice was firmly blocked by the system.
[If you reveal even a hint, I'll send you back immediately!] The system's electronic voice was distorted, [During conquest, don't say anything. After conquest is complete, you can say whatever you want and it has nothing to do with me! But now, you cannot affect my performance!]
[I've already spent so many points. If you make me lose more points, I'll kill you!]
The system was also angry, the blue screen turning red.
Su Huan fell completely silent.
[I understand. I won't say anything.]
At worst, she'd explain to Shen Xiaoyu after the conquest was over. It wasn't much more time anyway.
Since she wouldn't speak, Shen Xiaoyu didn't continue asking, perhaps having gotten her answer, or perhaps too lazy to continue.
Su Huan definitely had secrets. Since she wouldn't say, it meant the secret was very important, perhaps like her own experience back then—she had encountered something special.
This way, it was also a good thing.
Neither of them spoke for the rest of the journey. At the hospital, Shen Xiaoyu took Su Huan for treatment.
Her ankle injury wasn't serious—just apply medicine and rest at home.
Just to be safe, Shen Xiaoyu still bought her a pair of crutches.
Su Huan had no objections. Having something in her hands to move around with was better than constantly troubling Shen Xiaoyu.
Although she thought this way, if she really kept calling for help, it would probably cause annoyance. Better not to do anything from the start.
They returned home in the evening. Shen Xiaoyu called Mother Shen to report the situation.
"No bone damage, but needs rest at home... Yes, we're back now and will rest soon." Shen Xiaoyu said, "Should I come pick you up tonight? The tent isn't that big, you can't all fit... No need?"
The person on the other end said something that made Shen Xiaoyu's expression soften, "Alright then, be safe tonight and call me anytime if something happens. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning."
Su Huan sat on the sofa listening to her finish the call and asked, "Auntie and An'an aren't coming back tonight? But didn't you call people over? Can they all fit?"
"Mm, my assistants Xiao Song and Xiao Rong went, and they brought tents too, so there's room." Shen Xiaoyu brought her a glass of water from the kitchen, "Besides, An'an said there's a meteor shower tonight and wants to stay to watch it. She'll come back tomorrow."
Su Huan made a sound of understanding and took a sip of water.
So this was what An'an meant by creating opportunities.
Shen Xiaoyu rubbed her sore shoulders, "The doctor said your foot can't get wet. Don't take a bath tonight. I'll order takeout - what do you want to eat?"
"Anything is fine." Su Huan came back to her senses and used her crutch to help herself up, "Don't order takeout. Let me cook for you."
Hearing this, Shen Xiaoyu looked up from her phone to glance at her, "Forget it, let's just order takeout. Having you drag a lame leg into the kitchen—people who don't know would think I'm abusing you."
She handed her phone to Su Huan, "Take a look, order whatever you want to eat."
Su Huan didn't take it, "No need, I'll eat whatever you order."
"Alright then, I'll order you some pig's foot soup to help recovery." Shen Xiaoyu quickly finished ordering takeout, "Stay here by yourself. I'm going to take a shower. Call me when the food arrives."
After speaking, she got up and went into her room.
Only Su Huan was left alone in the living room again.
She slumped against the sofa dejectedly, thinking about what to do next.
She had seen through it—the system's existence made it impossible for her to take things slowly. It would issue missions whenever it found an opportunity, regardless of whether the scenario was appropriate.
Missions for holding hands and hugging had already been issued. Who knew if the next mission would be even more excessive than these two.
Su Huan rubbed her temples with a headache, murmuring, "Can't you slow down a bit?"
The affection level was still negative. She needed to find a way to improve Xiaoyu's feelings toward her, but relying on the system's broken missions wasn't the answer.
But improving affection wasn't something that could be done overnight either.
The grievances between them ran too deep. It was already fortunate that Shen Xiaoyu didn't hate her—how could she pray for Xiaoyu to have good feelings toward her so quickly?
Su Huan couldn't figure it out and could only temporarily set these thoughts aside.
When Shen Xiaoyu came out, the takeout had just arrived.
After they ate dinner together, before Su Huan could move, Shen Xiaoyu quickly cleaned up everything on the table and left it by the door, planning to throw it away when going downstairs tomorrow.
Su Huan sat in the living room, her gaze following her. When she saw her coming back, she suddenly spoke, "Xiaoyu, want to watch together..."
Before she could finish, Shen Xiaoyu passed by her, put the remaining things in the refrigerator, and returned to her room without looking at her or speaking to her, treating her like air.
How could Su Huan not see her resentment toward her? Her heart was somewhat hurt, but she wasn't discouraged. She still had eight days of survival time left. There was still time, as long as the system didn't cause trouble...
Su Huan took a deep breath and used her crutch to stand up, slowly walking toward her room. Passing by Shen Xiaoyu's room, she paused, wanting to knock but not knowing what to say to her. She could only stare at her door as if she could see through it to Shen Xiaoyu resting inside.
After a long time, she sighed and comforted herself: Don't rush, take it slowly.
She gripped her crutches and was about to leave when she suddenly heard the system's electronic voice.
[Ding ding—]
[Conquest mission issued: Kiss for five minutes. Mission completion reward: Thirty additional days of survival in another world.]
[If mission fails, host will be immediately transported back to original world.]
[Mission countdown: Twenty-four hours]
Su Huan: ...