Chapter 74: Daily Life (3)
After recovering from the initial shock, Shen Xiu spoke to the system in his mind: [Do you want to take a moment and think about what you’re actually saying?]
After his parents passed away, he didn’t even have a home in this world!
Right now, the only place he could stay was the school dormitory.
System: [!]
It’s happening! Finally, it’s happening! The moment it had waited for all this time! Wuwuwu—at last, it’s its turn to shine!
The system dramatically delivered the words it had practiced countless times: [Am I… not worthy of your trust?]
Shen Xiu had a blank expression: [Don’t dare to trust.]
What if he just barged in and the real owner came out and beat him up…?
No wait, according to Shang Yu, no one lived there.
Still, even if that’s true, he wouldn’t be able to get in. There’s no way he’d just—
The system interrupted Shen Xiu’s thoughts: [Tsk, small-minded thinking. Since I’m bound to you, your home is my home, and my home is your home. Got it?]
[First Xiang Yueting, now Shang Yu—both invited everyone to their homes with genuine warmth. And you? You don’t even invite them back? Don’t you think that’s a little rude?]
[Can you really live with yourself, ignoring their kindness like that?]
Shen Xiu instantly latched onto the most critical part: He understood!
[System, so that place is your home!]
The system nearly choked on itself. That’s what he focused on?
Afraid to confirm it outright, the system could only repeat its earlier line: [Anyway, like I said—what’s yours is mine, what’s mine is yours. No difference between us.]
Shen Xiu was deeply moved.
Not only had the system given him a phone, it even lent him its own house—he wouldn’t have to worry about how to persuade the dormitory auntie anymore.
The system… was just too good!
While Shen Xiu was speaking with the system in his mind, the other eight—Ning Sinian and the rest—were still chatting as they stared at the area not far away, where lush tree branches stretched out from behind high walls, forming a dense green curtain.
Xiang Yueting said, “Those trees poking out over the wall are trimmed so neatly—it’s obvious they’re maintained. How could no one be living there?”
“Exactly,” Song Chengwang agreed. “Shang Yu, are you sure you’re not mistaken because you don’t stay here often? It’s summer—if no one’s trimming those trees, they’d be overgrown and wild by now.”
Shang Yu firmly disagreed. “Impossible.”
“Even though I haven’t stayed here much since returning to the country, my neighbor’s lived here for years. He’s definitely never seen anyone go in or out of that area.”
Song Chengwang sighed. “It’s like someone carved out a private estate within this whole villa district—huge grounds, tall walls, and only the tallest building is visible from the outside. No one knows what it’s like inside. The crazy part is, they built something that grand and no one even lives there. What’s the point?”
Jiang Yanxi softly suggested, “Maybe… for aesthetics? Just the walls and those trees spilling out like a green ribbon, and the visible rooftop—it all does look really pretty.”
Shang Yu nodded in agreement. “It’s true—it is pretty. And now that I think about it, it’s not so strange. A lot of people buy property and leave it empty, waiting for it to appreciate.”
Xia Wenhao shook his head. “I’ll never understand you rich people’s obsession with collecting houses.”
Xiang Yueting proposed, “Why don’t we… go over and take a look?”
Mu Zhenchu immediately raised his hand. “I want to go too. After hearing you all talk about it so much, it feels incomplete not to check it out.”
Ning Sinian added, “To be honest, same here.”
Jiang Yanxi: “+1!”
As the saying goes—since we’re already here, not satisfying our curiosity would just waste all that admiration.
As the voices of his companions’ discussion reached his ears, Shen Xiu recalled what the system had said. Feeling uneasy, he spoke up: “Then… shall we go take a look?”
Hearing Shen Xiu’s cool voice behind them, Xiang Yueting’s eyes lit up. “Even Shen Xiu agrees! That makes five votes—total domination!”
Song Chengwang glanced at Shang Yu and replied to Xiang Yueting in a helpless tone, “Sure, we’ve got the majority, but don’t forget—we’re guests here because Shang Yu invited us. We should at least ask if he’s okay with going. Otherwise, we’d be pretty rude.”
Shang Yu was just as curious about what was over there. He believed the surrounding neighbors were too, but everyone kept their curiosity quietly to themselves.
At most, they would mention it casually in conversation, maybe throw in a few admiring comments. Aside from the patrolling security staff, no one ever got close.
After all… wandering up to someone else’s front gate and craning your neck to peek inside like some nosy onlooker?
That kind of behavior wasn’t just weird—it was also embarrassing, especially if you got spotted by the patrol guards around the villa complex.
But now, seeing that everyone genuinely wanted to go, Shang Yu suddenly felt that satisfying one’s curiosity… really wasn’t such a big deal.
People are curious by nature—so what?
After thinking it through, Shang Yu nodded. “Alright, let’s go take a look.”
Just as he finished speaking, something seemed to occur to him, and he quickly added, “But wait—you’re not hungry?”
“If you’re hungry, we can eat first and go afterward.”
Xiang Yueting shook his head. “My curiosity is hungrier than my stomach!”
“I’m good.”
“Same here. We’re just taking a quick look—it shouldn’t take too long anyway.”
“Same difference if we eat after we check it out.”
Since everyone said they weren’t hungry, Shang Yu nodded. “Alright then, let’s go.”
This was a private residential area, and everyone understood that the vlogs they were filming would eventually be posted online.
Because of that, along the way, they all tacitly agreed not to take out their phones to film—none of them wanted to expose someone else’s privacy without permission. The production crew shared the same consideration.
…
After walking for an unknown amount of time, the nine participants and two staff members from the production team finally stopped.
Looking at the intricately carved white gate in front of them—which clearly looked expensive—and the view through the ornate cut-out design of the gate, everyone couldn’t help but exclaim in awe.
“Even though we can only see the outside and not what it’s like inside, the tree-lined grassy path and flower beds that stretch as far as the eye can see are full of design flair. The scenery inside must be beautiful!”
“I don’t know why, but four words just came to mind.”
“‘The Wizard of Oz,’ right?”
“Exactly! I wish we could go in and take a look.”
“+1111, I really want to know what it looks like inside.”
“Me too. When I moved into this area, the neighbors told me that this place had already been renovated and locked up when someone moved in. It really makes people curious.”
Shen Xiu stood behind everyone, looking inside. While he agreed with what they were saying, he felt even more nervous.
This… is really the system’s home?
From what he understood, wasn’t a system just a program? Why would it have a place like this?
Before Shen Xiu could figure it out, the system’s voice suddenly rang in his head: [Walk over to the black panel on the side. Look at the black panel. This is a task issued by the system. If you don’t complete it, you’re dead.]
Shen Xiu: “!”
Not daring to waste a second, Shen Xiu turned his head to look at both sides of the gate as the system instructed. It didn’t take long for him to spot a black display panel.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to him, Shen Xiu quietly walked over to stand in front of the panel.
The next second, the display lit up, and Shen Xiu saw his own face on the screen.
[Iris scan complete. Welcome home, Master.]
As the mechanical voice finished, the elegant and luxurious white gate slowly opened to both sides.
Shen Xiu: “!”
Standing in front of the black display screen, Shen Xiu blinked, his mind a bit dazed.
“!!!” In an instant, everyone’s eyes locked onto Shen Xiu.
“Welcome home, Master”? Wasn’t that more than enough to explain everything?
At that moment, everyone suddenly understood—the man someone had seen standing on the rooftop, the supposedly very tall one, was none other than Shen Xiu himself!
Thinking about it, Shen Xiu was 189 cm tall. That was pretty tall.
As they had suspected all along, from his mind to his background, there wasn’t a single thing about Shen Xiu that was ordinary.
Shen Xiu, finally coming back to his senses: It really opened?!
In that moment, Shen Xiu finally believed what the system had said. The system hadn’t lied—this really was its home.
As for why his iris scan could unlock the door, it must’ve been the system’s doing!
[System, I apologize for doubting you earlier and thinking you were lying!]
He had been wrong!
System: [Hmph!]
That feeling—damn, it was wonderful!
“Shen Xiu! As expected of you!”
“I knew I wasn’t wrong!”
Back when they said they wanted to come check this place out, Shen Xiu also agreed to come take a look. Turns out his version of “take a look” was completely different from theirs!
“Shen Xiu, can we go in?”
Overflowing with curiosity and the urge to explore, they wanted to dash inside the moment the gates opened—but still, they had to ask Shen Xiu first.
Shen Xiu hadn’t even processed what his friends were saying before he heard Xiang Yueting asking if they could go in. Remembering what the system had told him, he nodded. “Yes, you can.”
“Ahhh, see you!” Xiang Yueting was the first to dash inside.
But within three seconds of rushing in, Xiang Yueting came back: “Uh, can I take photos?”
Before Shen Xiu could answer, Xiang Yueting hurriedly explained, afraid of being misunderstood: “Don’t worry, I’m not going to put it in my vlog. It’s just that this place is so beautiful—I just want to take some pictures.”
It was like when you travel somewhere and see stunning scenery—you just can’t help wanting to capture it.
[Take as many as you want! You can even share them! In this villa, your friends have full access—go wherever they like!]
No one understands Shen Xiu better than it does. It is the true scholar of “Xiuology”!
Shen Xiu had wanted to ask the system first, but before he could, it had already spoken up. Since this was the system’s home and the system didn’t mind, Shen Xiu—who saw himself as an outsider—felt he had no place to intervene.
So he relayed the message: “My friend said you can take pictures, and you can even share them. It doesn’t mind.”
Shang Yu, quick to pick up on the key word, asked, “Friend?”
Shen Xiu nodded. “Yeah, this is my friend’s house. It lent it to me. The place I actually live in is the dormitory.”
Then Shen Xiu finally voiced something he’d been holding in for a while, with a tone of apology: “Sorry, I didn’t plan to go back during summer break, so I didn’t apply to stay on campus. That’s why I couldn’t invite you to my dorm right away.”
Watching Shen Xiu say all of this with a completely straight face—
The eight others: “……”
The staff: “……”
‘Haha. Hilarious. Shen Xiu is seriously funny.’
‘Yup, he’s telling them another deadpan joke.’
“Hahaha, he really made me laugh.”
“Me too, haha…”
“You guys go ahead and laugh. I don’t really get you,” Xiang Yueting said as he darted off again. “I’ll head in first to pay my respects~”
The rest quickly followed behind, and even the production staff couldn’t wait to rush inside.
Only Shen Xiu was left standing in place.
Watching everyone’s backs, Shen Xiu was full of confusion.
‘Just now… why did everyone suddenly start laughing?’
Before he had time to dwell on it, Shen Xiu, worried about losing track of them and getting lost alone in this unfamiliar place, quickly stepped forward to catch up.
—
After passing through a beautifully designed garden, they arrived at the main villa—the one they had seen from outside.
The main villa was three stories tall, styled in minimalist modern design. Though simple, it radiated calm elegance and grandeur.
Beside it stood a secondary villa, two stories high and designed in the same style. The only difference was that in front of the secondary villa was a clear, sparkling blue swimming pool.
“So this is Shen Xiu’s kind of happiness!”
“Wuwuwu I don’t care—since I’ve seen it with my own eyes, I’m rounding up and saying I’ve experienced it too!”
“It’s midday right now… is there any chance we could take a quick dip?”
Staring longingly at the water, Xiang Yueting cried, “Damn it, why am I a landlubber?!”
After examining the villa’s design and surrounding environment, Shang Yu made a mental note: when it came time to remodel his own place, he had to get Shen Xiu to refer him to whoever designed this.
Song Chengwang suddenly remembered something and voiced his confusion: “The pool water is super clear, it looks like it’s cleaned and changed often. Shang Yu, didn’t you say you’ve never seen anyone enter or leave this area? How is it all so clean?”
Shang Yu shrugged. “You’ll have to ask Shen Xiu.”
Shen Xiu: “…Sorry, I’m not really sure either.”
Shen Xiu couldn’t say the word “system”, so he continued his guilty-sounding explanation: “This is my friend’s house.”
The eight others gave him a long, knowing look: “……”
At that moment, they really wanted to quote a classic internet line: “Is your friend… you?”
But Shen Xiu’s explanation was so half-hearted, and his indifferent expression made it clear he didn’t expect them to believe him anyway. It wasn’t that he wanted to lie—they could tell he just didn’t want them to know too much.
They exchanged glances and, with unspoken understanding, chose not to press further.
The standard traits of a true big shot: quiet, reserved, and shrouded in mystery. Shen Xiu fit the profile perfectly.
Back when the production crew dropped them off at Shang Yu’s house, Shen Xiu’s place had clearly been nearby. Yet he hadn’t said a word about it—meaning he never intended to let them know in the first place.
And according to Shang Yu, even the people who had lived in the area for a long time had only seen Shen Xiu once, standing on the rooftop. The rest of the time, he’d never been seen at all.
On top of that, Shen Xiu didn’t show the slightest trace of pride on his face. His demeanor remained detached, as if none of this had anything to do with him.
Every sign pointed to one conclusion: Shen Xiu just had a strong sense of territory.
If they hadn’t shown genuine curiosity and desire to see the place, he would’ve never brought it up.
And yet, for someone with such a strong territorial instinct, Shen Xiu had made repeated concessions once he decided to bring them in—he’d even allowed them to take pictures and share them publicly.
What did that mean?
At that moment, a single shared thought arose in everyone’s heart: ‘This absolutely means Shen Xiu genuinely cares about us. He sincerely sees us as friends.’
Even if he didn’t say anything sentimental aloud, all the signs showed that Shen Xiu had already accepted them as close, trusted companions.
While they were touched, they also felt ashamed of their previous doubts. Deep down, they silently promised themselves: ‘If we ever get the chance after the group is formed, I’ll definitely invite everyone over to my place!’
After looking around the outside and realizing that Shen Xiu genuinely cared about them, they were now even more curious about what the inside of the villa might be like.
No more fake pleasantries—they asked outright.
“Shen Xiu, can we go inside and take a look?”
“Yeah, we want to check it out~”
They were genuinely curious. What would a home be like for someone like Shen Xiu, who seemed indifferent to everything and aloof about it all?
Shang Yu, hearing what Xiang Yueting and the others said, also became intrigued.
After all, a person’s private space and the personal items they choose to surround themselves with reveal a lot about their inner world.
Shen Xiu thought about the system’s words and replied, “Of course.”
The eight of them wore expressions that clearly said: ‘Knew it! This is what happens when someone genuinely cares about us!’
No one understood Shen Xiu better than they did!
Under their curious and eager gazes, Shen Xiu stiffly turned around and walked toward the main villa’s front door.
As he neared the door, Shen Xiu couldn’t help but wonder to himself: [How is this door…]
Click…
[Iris scan complete. All locks on the house are now unlocked. Welcome home, Master.]
Shen Xiu: “…”
Why did it always have to sound so cheesy and dramatic?
Embarrassed to the point where his scalp tingled, Shen Xiu couldn’t bring himself to look back at his friends’ expressions. He could only try to numb himself mentally: ‘As long as I don’t look at their weird looks, the awkwardness won’t exist!’
As they followed Shen Xiu inside, everyone couldn’t help but murmur in awe.
“Fully smart-controlled, everything unlocked with an iris scan—so cool!”
“It feels so futuristic!”
“So this is what they mean by ‘smart home’—with facilities like this, it seems like it’d be so convenient for retirement.”
“Such a big dining table! How many dishes can fit on this?”
“Is it possible… you don’t have to fill it completely?”
“Haha, that’s true…”
“Wait, I don’t see the kitchen. Where’s the kitchen?”
“There’s a dining table but no kitchen. That’s not right. Where’s the kitchen?”
Hearing his friends’ attention shift to the kitchen, Shen Xiu also began searching for it.
After looking around, Shen Xiu sadly realized he didn’t know where the kitchen was either.
[System, where’s the kitchen?] Shen Xiu had no choice but to ask the system for help.
[System?]
But no matter how many times Shen Xiu called, the system didn’t respond.
Shen Xiu thought to himself, ‘The system must’ve gone offline again.’
“Sorry.” Meeting his friends’ puzzled gazes, Shen Xiu felt his scalp tingle with embarrassment. “This is my friend’s house, and I’m not really familiar with it…”
To that, Shang Yu smiled and said, “No need to explain. I understand.”
There were so many houses, and he didn’t stay here often, so it made sense he wasn’t familiar with the layout. He understood perfectly.
The others quickly came to the same conclusion and didn’t find it strange.
Gurgle…
A very noticeable sound of hunger echoed through the room.
Hearing the noise, everyone instinctively looked toward the source.
Ning Sinian rubbed his stomach and, meeting everyone’s gaze, his ears turned red with embarrassment. “Um, I’m hungry…”
Shang Yu noticed that no one seemed eager to leave, so he said, “I’ll have food brought over from home.”
The coldness that permeated Shen Xiu’s place, with its gray and black minimalist style, matched his usual detached vibe. Judging by how familiar Shen Xiu was with the place, it was obvious that he didn’t come here often.
Therefore, there was no way there would be food here.
Shang Yu turned to Shen Xiu. “You don’t mind eating here, do you?”
Shen Xiu quickly responded, “Of course not!”
He didn’t even know where the kitchen was, and he certainly didn’t know how to prevent his friends from going hungry. Shang Yu’s offer was practically a lifesaver. Shen Xiu was so relieved he didn’t even have time to be upset—how could he possibly mind?
One hour later, the nine people and the staff had eaten and were satisfied, while Shang Yu’s household staff cleaned up the dining table downstairs.
Xiang Yueting rubbed his stomach and kept glancing at the elevator.
Shen Xiu couldn’t help but notice and hesitated before asking, “Want to go up and take a look?”
“Sure!” Xiang Yueting quickly stood up.
The eleven of them took the elevator, and after Shen Xiu asked for everyone’s opinion, they headed straight to the third floor.
When the elevator doors opened, the first thing they saw was the black wooden door not far away with the words “Holographic Game Room” embossed in gold.
“Holographic… does that mean what I think it does?”
“Holographic games? If it’s real, that’s so cool!”
Except for Shang Yu, Song Chengwang, and Shen Xiu, the others were very interested in the idea of a holographic game room.
With the system offline, as the “owner,” Shen Xiu, out of politeness, had no choice but to grit his teeth and ask, “Do you want to go in and check it out?”
“Yeah!”
Shen Xiu: “…”
The system had said it was fine to go in, so… it should be okay, right?
Shang Yu said, “I won’t go in. I’ll just look around outside.”
Song Chengwang also said, “Same here.”
With a nervous heart, Shen Xiu steeled himself and pushed open the door to the holographic game room.
The moment Shen Xiu opened the door, the entire game room, from floor to ceiling, suddenly lit up with an electric current-like flash.
Caught off guard and almost blinded by the light, Shen Xiu: “…”
Very well, confirmed, the system is definitely a teenage delinquent!
…
For the game effect, the holographic game room closed.
Song Chengwang and Shang Yu each looked at whatever caught their interest outside.
Shang Yu, after looking at the paintings on the hallway wall, turned his gaze to the door beside them.
There was no sign or label on the door, so out of curiosity, Shang Yu opened the black wooden door.
The moment the door opened, Shang Yu’s pupils widened as he saw what was inside.
Song Chengwang saw Shang Yu grip the doorknob and push the door open but then stand at the doorway without moving. Confused, he walked over to Shang Yu. “What’s wrong?”
Hearing Song Chengwang’s voice, Shang Yu snapped back to reality in an instant.
He quickly pulled his foot back from the room, and with a loud bang, he hurriedly slammed the door shut.
Because he was nervous, his movements were a bit too fast and forceful, making the black wooden door, with its wood grain, slam with a dull thud.
Song Chengwang walked up behind Shang Yu, still not knowing what was inside, but seeing Shang Yu quickly close the door. He asked in confusion, “Why did you close it?”
Shang Yu adjusted his mood, and as he turned around, his face regained its calm expression. He gave Song Chengwang a slight smile. “It’s just the study, there’s nothing interesting to see.”
After spending so much time together in the training camp, Song Chengwang was very familiar with Shang Yu’s smile, the kind that was a classic example of a fake smile.
He sensed something was off and his gaze shifted to the closed black wooden door. “Is that so?”
As he spoke, Song Chengwang placed his hand on the doorknob that Shang Yu had been holding earlier.
Shang Yu’s hand followed, resting on Song Chengwang’s arm with a little force, smiling. “I think Shen Xiu wouldn’t want us to know.”
The two men, of the same height, locked eyes for a while. After a moment, Song Chengwang admitted defeat and pointed out the obvious. “But you saw it.”
Hearing the relaxation in Song Chengwang’s tone, Shang Yu’s body, which had been tense, relaxed. “I can pretend I didn’t see anything.”
…
Inside the holographic game room, Shen Xiu was overwhelmed by a rapid fire of questions from Xiang Yueting, his head buzzing. After half an hour of answering all of Xiang Yueting’s questions, Shen Xiu quickly fled the room.
As soon as Shen Xiu stepped out, closed the door, and turned around, he saw Shang Yu’s hand on Song Chengwang’s arm. The two of them were looking at him in unison.
♥️
Thanks for translation.