Chapter 056: The Slacker Wants Something to Do
That night beneath the bridge, Ye Zhen slept soundly.
By the time she woke up, it was already noon.
The system had already delivered basic necessities tailored to her preferences—towels, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and such.
"Honestly, I never thought you'd be this reliable, you dog system."
Ye Zhen mumbled her praise through a mouthful of white foam.
Although it was still raining, the bridge provided ample shelter from the wind and rain. With all her necessities accounted for, Ye Zhen felt no urgency to rush onward.
She dared not turn on her phone, so she tentatively asked the system if it could provide her with another one.
[Host, don't push your luck! I can only request these basic necessities from my superiors, and they can't be too expensive. That tent and blanket were already a luxury—I had to beg and charm my senior to slip them out of the warehouse for me.]
Ye Zhen: "…"
It seemed not only humans were divided into tiers, but systems were too.
But right now, she had no other choice.
As a time traveler with a system, ending up sleeping under a bridge was utterly embarrassing to admit!
Both of us are deadbeats—why look down on each other?
"I think I'll go find something to do."
Ye Zhen finished washing up and took a bite of bread.
Her eyes sparkled brightly.
Clearly, her current poverty-stricken life hadn't fazed her in the slightest.
"Oh, right! When you drop off snacks and stuff for me, there's no limit, right?"
[In theory, yes… What are you planning to do, Host?]
"Give me extra, and I'll set up a street stall for a massive clearance sale! Supermarkets sell them for 4.9 yuan, but I'll sell them for two—every single one for two! How about it?"
[You're such a clever little thing.]
The system gave her a genuine compliment before sternly refusing her request, citing strict prohibitions against exploiting system bugs.
"Then let's go perform magic tricks on the street! You can airdrop stuff, right? If we work together, making some pocket money should be no problem."
[Host, you…]
The system felt utterly speechless.
This wasn't the life it had envisioned for itself.
At the very least, it shouldn't have devolved to busking on the streets.
Suddenly!
A bone-chilling screech of brakes echoed from above the bridge, followed immediately by a thunderous crash.
"Huh?!"
Ye Zhen sprang to her feet, clutching the small blanket in her arms with caution.
"What happened?"
Clatter, clatter—
Pebbles and rocks of all sizes tumbled down the slope above her head.
A sports car, already mangled beyond recognition, slid slowly down the slope and drove into the water right before Ye Zhen's eyes.
The river wasn't particularly deep; if it hadn't rained last night, you could even see the stones on the riverbed.
But now, after that downpour, the current had grown fierce.
Ye Zhen noticed the driver was a young woman with pink hair, now unconscious from the impact.
"Damn it, I gotta save her!"
[Host, you truly have a heart of gold.]
"Wait, if she dies here, won't it ruin the feng shui? How am I supposed to set up camp here then?"
Ye Zhen rolled up her sleeves and pant legs, plunging straight into the water.
The door was severely mangled from the crash. No matter how hard Ye Zhen pulled, she couldn't budge it!
The acrid smell of burning gasoline made Ye Zhen's heart sink.
Could it be like in the TV shows—was the car about to explode?
The thought sent a wave of overwhelming fear washing over her.
No!
She had to act fast!
"Damn system, give me some tools, hurry up! If this car blows up, I'm dead, and you'll lose your host. Hurry…"
The system felt like it had been cursed for eight generations.
But it still managed to conjure up tools powerful enough to break open the car door.
Ye Zhen mustered every ounce of strength and yanked the door open with all her might.
With the car about to explode, she ignored her injured palm and rushed to pull the pink-haired girl ashore. Fueled by sheer will to survive, she dragged her to safety.
But…
After waiting a full half hour, the car still hadn't exploded.
Instead, the rising water from upstream carried the vehicle downstream.
"Thankfully, she's just unconscious. Her leg and forehead are injured, but nothing too serious." Ye Zhen gave the pink-haired girl a quick check.
Only after confirming the girl was okay did Ye Zhen turn her attention to her own injuries.
Staring at her blood-soaked palm, Ye Zhen let out a bitter laugh. She thought to herself, being a good Samaritan just isn't worth it. She was clearly fleeing for her life—who had the time to worry about others' survival?
By nightfall, the pink-haired girl finally regained consciousness.
She looked around in confusion.
Her eyes widened abruptly when she saw Ye Zhen's face.
"You…!"
Ye Zhen startled. "You know me?"
But the other person didn't speak, only pursed her lips.
She vaguely recalled the moment her brakes suddenly failed, leading to the accident.
And half an hour before the crash, she had received a request from K1—Ye Fuli—asking her to do everything possible to find someone. That someone…
Well, the person standing right before her now.
Had it not been for this accident, and had Ye Zhen not saved her life, she would have immediately handed Ye Zhen over to Ye Fuli. After all, the terms Ye Fuli had offered were incredibly tempting!
Opportunities to get the upper hand over Ye Fuli were few and far between. The Ye Zhen standing before her was likely her only chance.
"Heh, I don't know you."
The pink-haired girl, He Ying, shrugged her shoulders.
"But judging by the situation, it seems like you saved my life."
Ye Zhen nodded. "Of course! Look, I cut my hand this badly saving you. Who knows if I'll ever be able to hold a pen again."
"I understand. I'll repay you."
Truthfully, He Ying wanted to say she’d already repaid her!
She didn't know what grudge Ye Fuli and Ye Zhen shared, but based on what He Ying knew of Ye Fuli, it was likely a deep-seated hatred—the kind fueled by "murdered father, stolen wife."
If she handed Ye Zhen over, wouldn't that little girl with her thin arms and legs be tortured to death?
Though He Ying wasn't exactly a saint, she understood the code of the underworld—repaying kindness.
She couldn't bring herself to trade her savior for money.
"Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am He Ying, the third young miss of the He family from Yuancheng Group."
He Ying smiled warmly as she extended her hand to Ye Zhen.
"From now on, I'll have your back."
Ye Zhen hesitated, then offered a perfunctory handshake: "I… I'm just an ordinary vagrant. My name isn't something I'm comfortable sharing…"
"Ha! No problem. I'll just call you Little Sister."
Tonight, the moon was dark and the wind howled.
He Ying woke up to find herself sleeping under a bridge for the first time in her life.
Ye Zhen boiled a bowl of instant noodles for her. As she handed it over, she asked if she wanted a boiled egg too.
He Ying cradled the bowl of noodles, stealing glances at Ye Zhen.
Could it be that this runaway heiress from the Ye family had grown so accustomed to life under the bridge?
What an interesting little sister.
The He family had only sons, leaving He Ying as their sole daughter. She'd longed for a little sister since childhood, but her parents just couldn't deliver… cough cough.
Now, at last, she could experience the joy of having a sister.
The more she thought about it, the more excited she became, her eyes welling up.
"This noodle soup smells amazing! Little sister, you're so talented!"
Ye Zhen blinked blankly, wondering to herself, Isn't this just ordinary instant noodles?
Is it really so delicious it brings tears to your eyes?