Lin Muci returned home, and the heat seemed to linger within her, difficult to shake off.
Lin Cuiping rushed to hug her.
"My baby, you were amazing!"
"Little Ci, hurry and rest. Mommy is so proud of you!"
Lin Muci nodded and went upstairs to take a hot bath. As her body sank into the warm water, she let out a comfortable sigh. Her ears were filled with the system's excited prompts.
"Host, your world fame is increasing!"
"This is inevitable."
"And it's growing rapidly."
"Four point seven percent, four point eight percent..."
Lin Muci couldn't even enjoy a simple hot bath in peace. The system's incessant chatter filled her ears, and then the system trembled with excitement!
"Four point nine percent... Ding!"
The system's voice suddenly turned serious.
"Congratulations, Host. Your world fame has reached five percent, completing the initial milestone, 'First Glimpse of Brilliance.'"
"You have received an additional reward: Ms. Lin Cuiping's Awakening."
Lin Muci pursed her lips, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
"Is it the one you mentioned before?"
The system hummed in affirmation.
"Yes, it's the one I mentioned to you before. Ms. Lin Cuiping, after falling asleep tonight, will dream of the previous plotline: you dying from depression, her being cheated out of her family fortune by a scumbag, her father dying from post-operative complications, Zhao Jingjing causing her to be trafficked to a small village, and finally, her desperate suicide. She will experience all of these events in her dream."
Lin Muci suddenly found herself looking forward to seeing what Ms. Lin Cuiping would be like after her awakening.
"But won't she suspect me?"
The system's tone remained cheerful, likely due to Lin Muci's world fame reaching five percent, so it happily explained.
"No, of course not. In fact, Host, you don't need to worry about this at all, because you are this body'sā"
Suddenly, crackling static erupted, accompanied by strange groaning sounds.
Then, the system reappeared, its attitude instantly becoming docile.
"Anyway, she won't suspect you."
"Host, you don't need to worry."
The more Lin Muci listened, the stranger it became. However, the phone rang, and she couldn't press further.
The phone kept ringing.
She stepped out of the bathroom, put on her clothes, and answered the call.
On the other end was a voice that sounded somewhat familiar yet incredibly annoying.
"Little Ci? Congratulations on winning first place in the talent show! I'm so proud of you, Little Ci. I want to host a celebration banquet for you. Can you and your mother come?"
The voice held a hint of caution and deliberate flattery.
Lin Muci immediately recognized the voice.
"Is this Lu Yuanhang? But of course, I won't give this scumbag any pleasantries!"
"There's no need. Is there anything else? If not, I'm hanging up."
Lu Yuanhang's voice on the other end became urgent.
"Wait, Little Ci..."
Lin Muci grew impatient.
"What exactly do you want?"
Lu Yuanhang's voice was hoarse.
"Can you let your mother answer the phone? I really regret not treating your mommy well before, which led to your mommy wanting a divorce from me. I was simply blinded by lust back then. For so many years, it was because of Lin Miaoyu and Lin Yangbin, those two siblings, that I paid a little more attention to Zhao Jingjing. But my heart has always been with Little Ci, with your mother!"
Scumbag quotes were always nauseating to listen to.
Lin Muci couldn't be bothered to waste more words on him and retorted coldly.
"Stop talking. It makes me want to vomit. If you have anything to say, tell it to the lawyer. I've blocked your number, so don't call again."
She directly hung up the phone.
"System, that felt great!"
"Hahaha! He had a huge fight with Zhao Jingjing! According to the prenuptial agreement between him and your mother, he has to leave empty-handed. The contract for transferring equity that was signed back then was irregular. The uncle your mother knows who works in finance, with law as his side hustle, directly sued him. Not only did he leave empty-handed, but he also had to pay a large sum of money."
"He's so desperate he's about to jump off a building. Host, you need to be careful of this man when he's cornered."
"But you have Uncle Li to protect you."
"We've thought this through very thoroughly. See? The benefit of having a retired special forces soldier as your driver is now evident."
Lin Muci was quite curious about the situation with Zhao Jingjing and Lu Yuanhang. She figured Lin Miaoyu and Lin Yangbin wouldn't have good days either. Just as she was about to pay more attention, the phone rang again.
Little Ci was very annoyed.
"Didn't I tell you I blocked your number? Stop calling!"
"Is Little Ci in a bad mood? You just won the championship, yet you're still so fiery?"
The man on the other end of the phone sounded amused.
But Lin Muci shivered. She was silent for a moment, then her voice became much colder.
"You..."
"Is there something you need by calling?"
The man on the other end patiently arranged a time with her.
"You said before that if Mrs. Ling invited me for psychological therapy, you would choose the time slot after Mrs. Ling's appointment, right?"
"She called to schedule a time with me, three days later, from one to three in the afternoon."
"If you want to come, you can choose after three. I'll be free."
Lin Muci immediately agreed.
"Okay, I'll definitely be there!"
"I'll definitely be proactive and enthusiastic about dealing with Mrs. Ling!"
"Not being active in dealing with scumbags is a problematic mindset."
The system's eyes lit up.
"Host, take it easy. That old hag is not easy to deal with."
"However, your mother, Ms. Lu Cuiping's points will be credited tomorrow. Let me calculate your points for you."
"Initial one thousand, minus five hundred for redeeming medical skills. Minus two hundred for redeeming acting space. Beauty Pill, ten points. Uncle Li's information, ten points. Fifteen points on the cruise ship. Five points for making the screens display your footage on the fourth public stage..."
Lin Muci felt a headache coming on. She was generous when spending, but now it was a painful sting!
"I should have squeezed more points out of the system!"
"Just tell me, is it enough for a thousand points now?"
The system calculated for her.
"Ms. Lin Cuiping contributed two hundred points. Her own destiny-altering plus exceeding one hundred percent familial affection, these two stacked, each adding one hundred points."
"You altering the destinies of your maternal grandfather and Lin Weiyang also earned two hundred points."
"Next, you can complete the red carpet mission to earn points."
"Hmm, there's still a shortfall of several hundred points."
Lin Muci's face was cold.
"Didn't I change the fate of several people by forming the group? Why did only Yang Weiyang get points?"
The system seemed troubled.
"Because only she was rated as a Star Figure in this world. Host, please don't be unreasonable. It was already very difficult to get points calculated for your grandfather. I had to argue my case to the main system until my mouth was raw and my legs were worn out before it agreed."
Lin Muci reluctantly accepted the explanation.
She lay on the bed. The stage was as fervent as burning flames, but her heart was as calm as still water.
She lay on the bed, her mind replaying Ling Qianhe's cool yet obsessive eyes, and his low whimpers in her dream.
"Don't go, Sister Muci, please, don't go..."
Lin Muci pursed her lips.
"How can I enter his dream again?"
The system let out a "wow."
"You feel sorry for him?"
Lin Muci snorted coldly.
"Sorry my foot! I won't feel sorry for him at all. I just want to see him crying!"
But the system spoke with an air of seeing through everything.
"Once you enter his dream, I'm afraid the one crying won't be Ling Qianhe."
Lin Muci was so angry she cursed the system for talking nonsense. The system chuckled, "Of course, there's a chance. Hmm, Host, don't worry, I'll report this to the main system right away!"
Lin Muci, however, seized its weakness.
"Is there something between you and the main system?"
Her tone was full of suspicion.
The system flatly denied it.
"I would never have anything with that arrogant, irritable, emotionless bastard. A cute, obedient, and considerate little system like me is not a plaything of the cold, heartless big bad wolf like the main system!"