C1 The Beginning of Everything(1)

"Great job, take a little break," Shi Qianjin said, standing nearby and clapping her hands to signal Ruan Shiyu to pause her intense workout on the stationary bike.

Ruan Shiyu hit the brake and stopped pedaling. As she got off the bike, her back was drenched in sweat. She walked over to the side, did a few stretches, and picked up her water bottle, taking small sips.

Shi Qianjin joined her, sitting down beside her. "In a good mood today?"

Ruan Shiyu had just taken a couple of sips when her phone rang. Seeing an unknown number, she felt a bit uneasy. She waved to Shi Qianjin and stepped outside.

"What's going on? Why so many calls today?" Ruan Shiyu asked impatiently. Since morning, she'd already received at least five calls from this system.

"Congratulations on completing the first phase of your exercise task. Now, initiating the second phase mandatory task..." The system's electronic voice ignored her complaints, remaining steady and unchanging.

Ruan Shiyu, however, was alarmed. "Another phase? You never mentioned this before."

The system continued unfazed. "Starting today, all meals will follow the system's diet plan, tentatively for two weeks."

"Wait a minute," Ruan Shiyu exclaimed, frustrated. "You said you wouldn't control my diet as long as I didn't fall below the minimum. Why are you now forcing me to follow a meal plan?"

The electronic voice finally showed a hint of emotion. "Are you really asking that? Have you checked your weight on the scale recently?"

Ruan Shiyu, always quick to catch on, felt a bit guilty even though she wasn't sure why. "W-what's wrong? My coach said I look healthier than before."

"Your weight has increased by ten pounds since last month!"

"That's impossible!" Ruan Shiyu's first reaction was denial, then she tried to explain, "You must be mistaken. Besides, I'm in a muscle-building phase. If I've gained weight, it's definitely muscle."

"Heh." After spending so much time with Ruan Shiyu, the system had also learned to scoff. "You know whether it's muscle or not. Anyway, the mandatory task is what it is, so figure it out."

"Hey, wait," Ruan Shiyu quietly touched her little belly, softening her voice in a bid to win back the system's favor. "System, come on~"

"..." The system remained silent.

Ruan Shiyu gritted her teeth, trying to negotiate. "You know I hate eating those salads and stuff. Could the time for this mandatory task be... just a little shorter? Like, how about a week?"

"A week?" The system's voice came through, and Ruan Shiyu thought she detected a hint of hesitation. She nodded eagerly, already planning her post-week treat.

"Ruan Shiyu." The system rarely called her by name. "Your mandatory task time is extended by a week."

"Okay~ Wait!" Ruan Shiyu was about to happily agree when she realized what the system had said. She panicked. "I was wrong! Can we stick to the original two weeks? Hey, you haven't even given me the reward from before. I don't need the reward, just the two weeks, okay?"

All she got in response was the busy signal of a disconnected call.

Frustrated, Ruan Shiyu pulled the phone away from her ear, only to receive a text message.

Curious, she opened it, and her face turned pale as she read.

"Forgot to give the host a reward earlier. Congratulations on successfully completing the task. This task's reward: a system-customized dinner recipe. First stage completion reward: system-customized meal recipes for two weeks. Keep up the good work~"

Looking at the strange wave symbol at the end of the message, Ruan Shiyu could almost see the system's smug face hiding behind it.

But there was nothing she could do about the system. She couldn't beat it, couldn't delete it, and after all, it was looking out for her.

With that thought, no matter how unwilling she was, Ruan Shiyu could only sigh about how tough life was, turn around, and head back to the gym to continue her workout with gritted teeth.

To understand the unique bond between a person and their system, we have to go back a few months.

It was ten in the morning, and the sun was already shining brightly. Thick curtains blocked out all the light, leaving the small room in complete darkness. The place was a mess, with clothes scattered everywhere, clearly showing that the owner hadn't tidied up in a while.

The bed, which took up half the room, had a digital panel on the left side. On the right, the blanket was tightly wrapped into a bundle, with only a head of dry, frizzy hair peeking out. The owner of this room was Ruan Shiyu, a freelance illustrator who made a living drawing comics and had a million followers on social media. Just a couple of days ago, this "Great Master" had turned her current boyfriend into an ex, commonly known as a breakup.

"Ding dong~" A cheerful ringtone sounded. The person buried under the blanket tried to burrow even deeper, attempting to escape the annoying sound. After a while, the ringing finally stopped, and the tightly wrapped blanket loosened a bit. Ruan Shiyu frowned and turned over, planning to meet the Sandman for a little longer.

However, the caller was persistent. Within seconds, the phone rang again. Annoyed, Ruan Shiyu grumbled and yanked the blanket over her head, but it couldn't block the sound from reaching her ears. She lay there for a moment, then squinted as she stretched a pale hand out from under the covers, fumbling around the nightstand.

"Hello, who is this?" she answered the phone with a swipe, her voice full of impatience.

A voice came through the line, initially sounding angry but with a hint of schadenfreude: "Shiyu, do you know who I just saw?"

Ruan Shiyu, still groggy and unsure who was on the other end, mumbled along, "Who?"

"Zhan Ann!" The voice from across the room suddenly rose, "Your boyfriend, Zhan Ann!"