The First Male Lead Who Would Not Eat (01)

Dizziness, fatigue, nasal congestion, and nausea.

The system kept calling out to her in her mind, and finally managed to rouse Si Jiu from her groggy stupor.

The dim light in the room made her instinctively reach for the switch on the wall.

"Don’t turn on the light," the system pleaded.

Si Jiu paused, her fingertips hovering over the antelope lamp switch. "What a strong stench."

"It’s a gas leak, Host. Hurry, open the window. I’ve already called emergency services for you."

Struggling to get up, Si Jiu dragged herself to the window and pushed it open with all her strength. The momentum sent her sprawling across the windowsill, nearly tumbling out headfirst.

She gulped down several breaths of fresh air, feeling herself come back to life. After a moment, she began to move again.

Leaving the bedroom, she made her way to the kitchen, found the gas valve, and twisted it shut. She opened all doors and windows, then collapsed onto the lazy sofa on the balcony, inhaling deeply.

"Are you alright? The ambulance will arrive in two minutes," the system said.

As the system’s voice faded, Si Jiu heard the distant wail of sirens approaching downstairs.

Soon, paramedics and firefighters rushed in. After a flurry of efficient activity, Si Jiu was placed in the ambulance.

Her consciousness faded in and out, sometimes hazy, sometimes clear. When she finally regained full awareness, she found herself lying in a hospital bed, an IV drip attached.

It was a double room, with a tightly drawn curtain separating the two beds. The ward was silent, not a sound to be heard.

"Now transmitting basic information of the host body," the system said.

This time, the transmission wasn’t in text form; instead, vast stretches of memory were crammed directly into Si Jiu’s mind.

"This method is more likely to evoke empathy and immersion from the host. Maintaining the character's persona is also one of the factors in evaluating your performance. Host, have I told you this before? The higher your employee rank, the more points you accumulate, and eventually you can enter Central City and have your own home. There are all sorts of benefits, and even if you want to transfer departments or get promoted, it all depends on your points."

She really hadn’t heard this before.

The memories of her original world had been deliberately blurred at the moment of signing the contract; what she remembered most vividly was her own cramped and shabby break room.

No peers to converse with, no entertainments. That was why she preferred not to linger there, always rushing to enter task worlds.

Now the system was actually telling her she could leave the transit station and enter Central City, have her own home.

Wait… "Central City? So not all taskers live in those pigeonhole rooms like me?"

"This is the rookie employee transit station, not a pigeonhole," the system corrected.

"So how much is the company hiding from me? Am I just cheap labor to them? The quintessential wage slave?"

"You normally wouldn’t know any of this without sufficient experience. It’s company policy, Host, please don’t take it out on me," the system whimpered.

Si Jiu, both irritated and amused, laughed. "This is too real."

"So, Host, please don’t cause trouble. Just complete your tasks, build your performance, and head toward a brand-new life!"

So all this buildup, both incentives and motivational speeches, was just for this?

Si Jiu curled her lips. "Rest assured. I’ll definitely do my tasks—very well."

The system sighed. "Let me know if you need anything. I’m going offline."

Her host had feelings about all this, and the system felt bitter inside.

Si Jiu composed herself and sorted through the memories of her host body.

As she did so, she couldn’t help but smile again.

The host was named Xu Weiwan, twenty-three years old, from Haishi. Last night, she received a call from her younger sister, and suddenly lost control of her emotions. She closed all doors and windows, opened the gas, took sleeping pills, and intended to end her life.

The reason she chose suicide was the conversation with her sister: "Tomorrow I’m getting engaged to Brother Lin Yang. Mom wants you to bring the keys to your new house over tonight, and the living expenses for this month as well. You’re so inconsiderate, sis; Dad’s health is bad, Mom has to take care of him and prepare for my engagement. If you won’t help, at least pay up. Don’t forget how hard Mom and Dad worked to raise you, how much effort they spent. Oh, and Lin Yang wants you to take your dog away. He doesn’t like animals—didn’t you know?"

After this barrage, the other side hung up. Xu Weiwan felt as if she’d been plunged into a winter river, chilled from her head to her heart.

Her sister Xu Weilai’s soon-to-be fiancé, Lin Yang, had originally been Xu Weiwan’s own betrothed.

The new house was one Xu Weiwan had scrimped and saved to buy, working hard so she could have a home for her marriage.

As for the dog Lin Yang disliked, it was because they’d saved that dying dog together that they first met and fell in love.