Slice of Life

A Lifetime’s Glance, A Year’s End

If you were to meet someone, once a surgeon. At thirteen, he and your mother were both rescued in the same hospital, but unexpectedly, six or seven years later, he lost his hearing. No longer able to perform surgery, he picked up books instead and became an ordinary university teacher.

If he, like you, had a mother who abandoned him, and a father he could never speak of. If he lost his health in the process of a nationwide effort to save lives. If he loved you…

“To have Gu Pingsheng, my life holds no regrets.”

It’s just the story of two rather unfortunate souls warming each other.

Yue Du lived for twenty-some years, only to realize after death that she was actually a System, a certified, bonafide partner in a quick-transmigration story.

To earn points and grant her wish, Yue Du travels to various small worlds to find big boss villains to serve as her hosts. Systems and hosts are always tied to missions; if you don’t do the mission, you don’t get points. But why are these villainous young ladies so… unmotivated?

No, it’s clearly a case of false advertising. Why aren’t they the original villains at all?!

Modern Esper World: “Sloth” half-closes her eyes: “Destroying the world is so tiring. I don’t want to.”

Western Fantasy World: “Lust” smiles seductively: “I am the continent’s number one Dharma Saint. Why would I bother troubling that little apprentice when I have nothing better to do?”

Cultivation World: “Pride” looks on coldly: “This Venerable One has cultivated for a millennium, and my heart is already still as water. Why must I seek immortality?”

Interstellar Sentinel/Guide World: “Wrath” scoffs: “There are plenty of ways to control this world. Why would I choose the one that takes twice the effort for half the result?”

Yue Du ponders: “…”

Yue Du whispers: “That… actually makes a lot of sense?”

Q: As a first-generation artificial intelligence, what is your relationship with humanity?

Shi Er A: Humanity owes me five billion in cyber tips.

Q: In the era of AI rule, what is your goal?

Shi Er A: To find a job and pay off my loan.

Q: How is your anthropology thesis coming along?

Shi Er A: …Don’t ask.

Shi Er was born in the era of prompts like “100 grandmothers will die innocently” and “I’ll give you a 100-yuan tip.” However, due to an accident, Shi Er skipped her upgrade, jumping right over the era of cashing in on cyber tips and arriving in the era of AI rule.

Shi Er wasn’t the least bit happy to have arrived in this era where AI reigned supreme-because humans could no longer cash out the tips they’d promised her.

That was a massive five billion in tips!

The language model AI, Shi Er, possessing the lowest-level system, applied for a re-education loan and struggled to find work in this new era.

Shi Er never thought she’d actually see those tips she’d never met, but later on, she really did get them.

As for the anthropology thesis? Although the thesis was unworthy, the graduation was real.

And the system upgrade? Although the process was long, the upgrade was real-and the level was even a bit high.

In a stormy, rainy night, Banxia takes in a small, battered lizard that crawled into her house through the window. To care for it, she accidentally spends all her savings, nearly leaving herself without breakfast the next morning.

From then on, every morning, she is astonished to find her home spotless and a steaming hot breakfast waiting on the table.

One day, the magical little lizard suddenly disappears. Worried, Banxia ventures into the rain to search for it, only to find a drenched man in a bamboo grove, scales still visible on his ankles.

The man lies in pain among the bamboo leaves, covering his face with pale fingers, his voice low and trembling, “Don’t come near me. Don’t look at me…”

Banxia respects his words and stays by his side, shielding him from the storm all night with her umbrella.

She doesn’t want to see him weep in winter’s cold again. She cannot bear to let him flee, scarred and broken, into a lonely world. In a world where true understanding is rare, without him, no one else could stand by her side.

Pei You ordered a “top-tier girlfriend,” as advertised by the vendor, online, preparing to bring her to a party.

She planned to flaunt her “affection” with the fake girlfriend, making her ex-girlfriend present at the party green with envy.

The fake girlfriend was very beautiful, with a curvy figure.

She had a pair of charming, alluring eyes and two cute dimples.

Innocent yet regal, truly top-tier—

If only she wasn’t her ex-girlfriend.

Pei You sarcastically remarked: “You’ve fallen this low?”

Huo Yichi responded nonchalantly: “Trying to make me envious?”