Yi Qingju jolted in fright at the sharp, childish bark.
The next second, her previously limp body abruptly regained its strength.
Before she could figure out what was going on, Aunt Zhang entered the room with a strange expression. When she saw Yi Qingju, she quickly called out:
“Madam.”
No sooner had she spoken than a tiny figure peeked out from behind her legs.
Black grape-like eyes were set into a small, pale face. His hair looked soft and a bit curly. He wore a miniature black suit with suspender pants and crisp white socks that hugged his ankles. He looked like a character straight out of a manga.
The little boy stared at Yi Qingju for a long time before wrinkling his nose in disdain.
“Why did Uncle marry such a dried-up woman?”
His voice was milky and petulant.
Aunt Zhang rushed to scold him:
“Young Master, you can’t say that! Even if Madam’s figure isn’t… full, she’s still your uncle’s legally wedded wife!”
The little guy snorted and puckered his lips in disbelief.
“Don’t think I don’t know. Uncle doesn’t even like her.”
Yi Qingju looked at the tiny child whose head barely reached her kneecaps, then craned her neck to peek behind Aunt Zhang again.
【Where’s the male lead?】
The system answered sweetly:
【He’s right there~ Look down.】
Yi Qingju’s gaze lowered.
The child was standing right in front of her, chin tilted up, speaking in that soft, childish tone:
“Hey, woman.”
“Are you mute or something? Why won’t you talk? Are you trying to play hard-to-get with my uncle?”
Yi Qingju raised an eyebrow.
【This little thing is the male lead!?】
【Yup! Isn’t he handsome~?】 the system replied shyly.
【Sure, he’s got a kind of... dumb charm.】
【…】
(T/N: "愚蠢的帥氣" is a deliberately mocking twist on a compliment—implying he’s handsome in a silly, almost clueless way.)
Yi Qingju withdrew her gaze and said calmly to Aunt Zhang:
“Auntie, I’m going to bed.”
Then she turned and went upstairs.
Little Bun: stunned
“She… she just ignored me?” the boy looked up at Aunt Zhang, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears, utterly shocked.
Could this be… the wicked stepmother coldly abusing the child, like in those TV dramas?
Tiga, my light—where are you!?
(T/N: “Tiga” refers to Ultraman Tiga, a Japanese superhero popular among children.)
Unaware of the melodrama unraveling in the little boy’s mind, Yi Qingju shut the door to her room and flopped down on the floor.
Qi Weiran did have a son—on paper, anyway. The child had been born to his older brother shortly before his death. Since the boy was orphaned at birth, Qi Weiran adopted him and raised him under his own name.
Though technically his son, he was really his nephew.
The boy had been living elsewhere up until now, so Yi Qingju didn’t know why Qi Weiran had suddenly brought him back home.
【Qi Xinian—the male lead—grew up with only a cold, emotionally distant uncle who provided for him materially but never gave him affection. Because of this, he became psychologically twisted later in life—a paranoid control freak.】
【If someone transmigrated into the story and deliberately approached him as a child, it would definitely warp his feelings toward the real female lead.】
【You’ve probably read those novels where evil transmigrators make the male lead fall for them when he’s a child. We have to stop that from happening.】
The system clenched its metaphorical fists.
Yi Qingju yawned and nearly dozed off as she listened.
【So where do I find this transmigrator? I don’t even know the original plot.】
【Don’t worry! The transmigrator will make the first move. I’ve read the entire novel—they’re in the body of a local in this world. As long as someone’s behavior doesn’t match their supposed personality, I’ll spot them.】
Yi Qingju squinted suspiciously.
Is it really that simple?
She hiked up her dress and yanked off the tights bunched around her knees, then stripped out of the white dress with obvious distaste. In three swift motions, she pulled on her hoodie and collapsed onto the bed.
“Since you’re in my body, does that mean the original system is gone?” she asked, voice tinged with excitement.
Unfortunately, the system sounded a bit sheepish.
【It’s still there.】
【I don’t have enough energy to fully expel it. All I can do is suppress it so it won’t electrocute you. But you still have to keep up the good-girl act around Qi Weiran—otherwise, the transmigrator will notice something’s off.】
【Only when we drive the transmigrator out and gather enough energy will I be able to eliminate that other system. That’s when you’ll finally be free in this world.】
Yi Qingju’s eyes flickered with determination.
She’d been suppressed by that system for so long, she’d nearly forgotten her original personality wasn’t the type to sit and wait for death.
She preferred to strike first—and fast.
With that, she climbed off the bed.
“What do I call you? ‘System’ is too generic,” she muttered.
The system perked up.
【Then… can you name me? Something cute and cuddly?】
Yi Qingju smiled confidently.
“I’m great at this.”
“From now on, your name is—”
“Xiao Jiji.”
(T/N: “Jiji” (嘰嘰) sounds innocuous on its own, but when spoken aloud, it’s a childish euphemism for “penis” in Mandarin. She knows exactly what she’s doing.)
【...】
【Isn’t that name a little… inappropriate?】 The system’s voice trembled with tears.
Yi Qingju’s reply was stone-cold:
“Only the dirty-minded will hear it that way.”
As she got out of bed, Xiao Jiji asked hesitantly:
【Where are you going?】
Yi Qingju, hair tie between her lips, swept up her long black hair into a ponytail.
“I’m not just going to sit around waiting for that transmigrator to show up. I’m gonna drag that little milkball over here and ask if he’s met anyone suspicious lately.”
【…】
**You’re the most suspicious one around here.
Just as Xiao Jiji was about to beg her not to be so reckless, a sudden noise cut through the quiet room.
Yi Qingju’s phone, casually tossed on the floor, began to buzz.
In this big, empty space, the sound was jarringly loud.
Yi Qingju blinked.
Because of her unique situation, her phone was a Qi Corporation exclusive model—top of the line in privacy and security. She didn’t have friends, so she never got spam texts, let alone messages like this.
And it definitely wasn’t streamer time for any of the guys she followed.
With a puzzled frown, she picked up the screen-shattered phone and unlocked it.
A message flashed onto the screen.
[Unknown Number: Miss you, baby. Are you doing okay lately?]
Xiao Jiji’s voice rose in alarm.
【That’s it! That’s definitely the transmigrator!】
Yi Qingju calmly began to type.
Yi Qingju: If you miss me, send money. The more you send, the more you miss me.
Unknown Number: o
Yi Qingju: Don’t lay eggs. Send the money.
【…】 said Xiao Jiji.
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