CHAPTER 7

A few days later, Aaron began to pack up, preparing to move into the newly purchased apartment.

He specifically hired a moving company to transport his beloved piano from Brain's home.

After the piano was taken away, the living room appeared much more spacious.

Although Aaron had added foot pads to the piano legs, the places where it had been placed still left white marks different from the surrounding floor color.

Aaron took a bucket of water and, humming a song, began to scrub the floor.

Brain was also busy cleaning, preparing to welcome his parents.

Eric hummed the song he played in the car that day, swaying and enjoying himself.

This joy, in Brain's eyes, added a touch of annoyance.

When Eric was studying at the academy, he was fervently obsessed with avant-garde music that "vocalized instruments," extremely niche and demanding in terms of professional standards. Therefore, Eric's small band, formed over four years, never had more than five members.

Brain had once gone to Eric's school to watch their performance. Those kids played drums, pulled violins, sang and danced in a small music room, without lyrics, just improvisational singing, harmonizing with each other.

After the performance, Eric ran to Brain with a guitar in his arms.

Brain handed him a bottle of water, "Are you going to perform somewhere?"

Eric, holding the water bottle, replied, "No. We're just having fun."

He took a sip of water, "Do you like it?"

Brain smiled, asking him back, "Are you happy?"

Eric smiled, revealing a row of small white teeth, "Happy."

Brain helped him tidy his hair, "If you're happy, then I like it."

At that time, Eric was still young, just a sophomore, and he was pampered in a cocoon. What did he understand? He only knew how to play, which was normal.

...But why hasn't he grown up until now?

In four years of college, he was only concerned with "playing," and now he had no skills and still hoped to make a living with music. Did he plan to "play" for a lifetime?

Aaron didn't bother to guess Brain's complex thoughts at the moment; he just continued humming his song.

Brain placed the rinsed mop on the balcony to dry, wiped his hands, and tousled Aaron's hair, saying with a helpless tone, "Why does it seem like you're quite happy to move out?"

Aaron was indeed happy; he even wanted to set off fireworks at 3 a.m. to celebrate. After all, he didn't want to spend extra points every day to ensure the integrity of his virtue with Brain.

Aaron ran his mouth, "No, no. I haven't seen my friend for a long time. Staying at his place this time, we had a lot to talk about."

Brain subtly frowned, "What friend?"

Aaron said, "Childhood friend."

"...What's his name?"

Aaron whispered, "Lou."

Whether it was his own illusion or not, Brain found that when the words "Lou" were mentioned, Eric's expression and tone softened for a moment. It seemed like this name was a treasure hidden on the tip of his heart, not easily revealed, only occasionally brought out and polished in the light.

Brain became alert, "Why have I never heard you mention him before?"

Aaron dipped the cloth into the water bucket, wrung it out, and then replied, "He went abroad very early."

Only then did Brain realize that he hadn't asked an important question, "You told me you found a place to live, but you didn't tell me where."

Aaron reported the name of the community and began to enjoy the change in Brain's expression.

The monthly property fees there were higher than Brain's salary.

The system said, "That's not Kris..."

Aaron said, "Shh, don't talk, feel it with your heart."

The system said, "...Feel what?"

Aaron said, "The satisfaction of beating the pay-to-win players."

The system said, "..."

Brain snapped back to reality and asked, "How is he doing?"

Aaron answered, "Very well. He's my best friend since childhood."

Brain pursed his lips, "Little Cheng, how long has it been since you last met him?"

Aaron shrugged, indifferent, "12 years."

Hearing this, Brain breathed a sigh of relief, speaking in a gentle and soothing tone, "12 years, it's been so long. He must be different now."

Aaron shrugged again, seemingly unconcerned, "Probably."

"People change over time. When he invites you to stay at his place, do you know what he's thinking?"

Aaron looked back at Brain with innocent eyes, as if he didn't understand what Brain was talking about.

Some people spend their days together, yet their hearts remain mysterious.

Seeing that Eric didn't seem to take his straightforward advice to heart, Brain felt even more confused.

Although Eric had a gentle and soft personality, his family background determined that Eric's circle of friends would never be on the same level as Brain's.

Every time Eric's friends appeared, they served as a constant reminder to Brain that Eric and he were not from the same world.

Brain needed to pull him into his own circle.

Therefore, under his planning and persuasion, he had already set clear boundaries between Eric and many people in his original circle of friends whom he deemed unworthy.

But who would have thought that now another person named Lou would emerge?

This conversation made the atmosphere between the two somewhat unpleasant.

To be precise, it was only Brain who felt uneasy.

That night, he texted Eric, informing him that the manager had asked him to work overtime, so he wouldn't be coming home that night.

Soon, Eric replied, "Good luck," accompanied by three heart emojis.

Brain: "..."

After replying to Brain's message, Aaron lay on the soft bed in the apartment and said to the system, "If he comes home and finds that I've already moved out, I wonder what expression he'll have."

The system thought, probably an expression with a -20 favorability rating.

Stretching lazily, Aaron said, "He must be busy with his parents coming in two days. He asked me to move out before they arrive, and now he's not happy that I've actually moved."

"Men are all big boors."

The system reminded, "Mr. Aaron, please pay attention to the progress of the mission."

These days, Aaron had been teetering on the edge of Brain's passing favorability, and as for the sole standard of completing the mission, the repentance value, Aaron completely ignored it.

Aaron replied to the system, "Aren't you tired? You've been calling me Mr. Aaron for days. Aren't we familiar enough?"

The system remained silent.

In the past, it hadn't been like this; it had good relationships with all its hosts.

This situation continued until it was reported by the eighth host.

Starting from the ninth host, it began addressing hosts as "Mr. X."

"We're not that familiar." Aaron quickly understood the system's concerns from the silence, generously saying, "Let's not get too emotionally involved. I don't want you to cry when I leave, unable to find a good host like me who lets you watch movies in my head late at night."

The system said, "..."

Aaron continued, "Because you won't find another host like me who allows you to watch movies in their head."

The system apologized, "I'm sorry."

Aaron said, "It's okay. It's been a while since I watched that movie. Let's watch it together."

The system, feeling guilty, still had doubts, "Mr. Aaron, haven't you used hypnosis cards before?"

In these days, Aaron had used all the favorability points he gained to exchange for hypnosis cards, first hypnotizing Brain and then himself. This made the system feel like it had been demoted from a serious system to a seller of sleeping pills.

"I prefer it this way." Aaron said, "Besides, hypnosis cards aren't like dead pig cards."

The system apologized again, "I'm sorry."

Aaron asked, "Is my movie good?"

The system hesitated, then said, "Very good."

Aaron said, "Great. You can download the movies I acted in here. When I finish the mission and go back, you might still be able to watch me."

Hearing this, the system asked, "Is your wish to return to your original world?"

Aaron raised an eyebrow, "Of course."

The system sighed inwardly.

The " Ex-Boyfriend Revenge System" that 061 served was just one branch among many world systems. Without exception, all the hosts executing missions had experienced life-threatening accidents in their respective worlds. The system captured their dissipating brainwaves, extending them to various parallel worlds, and only then could the survey systems of those worlds extradite them.

The central system would sign a contract with the hosts, assigning them a system to carry out a specific task.

After completing ten worlds, the hosts could make a wish. Once the central system fulfilled this wish, the contract with the hosts would automatically be terminated.

As for their physical bodies in the real world, the system could only guarantee the minimum requirements for survival.

According to the systems' private discussions, almost all the hosts they had brought in initially held the wish to "go home."

However, the flow of time in the task world was the same as in the hosts' real world.

For an individual, lying motionless in bed for months or even years meant something beyond words.

Just this fact alone was enough for all hosts brought in by 061 to change their wishes in the latter part of the mission.

061 pursued efficiency in his work, partly to send the hosts home as quickly as possible, but so far, he had not succeeded even once.

—They all, without exception, chose to stay in a particular task world and let their original bodies perish.

The reason he urged Aaron to act quickly was also because he feared Aaron would linger in the task world for too long, forgetting his origin.

In recent days, 061 had read a lot of information about Aaron, who was a famous actor in his original world and had many acclaimed films, he had seen Aaron's true self.

He was even more stunning than the system had imagined.

His gaze was calm, with a perpetual sense of exhaustion after desire had been satisfied. His semi-long, thick black hair was casually tied at the back, highlighting his slender neck, and his body was lean with fine bones, yet he had a well-defined waist and muscles.

Even when playing the role of a village boy, he brought a unique noble temperament that vividly portrayed the lively essence of the character, despite the high aspirations and tragic fate.

In contrast to his somewhat noble appearance, Aaron's background was surprisingly ordinary.

His father was a toothbrush factory worker, his mother worked as a laborer in a local food workshop, and they inherited a small dilapidated apartment. His relationship with his parents was not good. After entering the entertainment industry, he didn't have particularly close friends and had zero dating experience. However, he gained favor from several seniors and industry leaders.

Based on various pieces of information and data, 061 believed that for Aaron, his career was probably the most important and cherished thing in his original world.

So, he subtly hinted to Aaron, "You were quite successful in your original world. It would be a pity not to go back."

Unexpectedly, Aaron said, "It's not a pity. I want to go back. Because, apart from me, there's no one else to visit his grave."

The system: "..."

He thought of Beimang Cemetery and then of Aaron mentioning "Lou" in front of Brain, pondering on it.

"Is Lou your friend?"

Aaron didn't answer, reaching for the bedside table.

There, he placed the sleeping pills he bought today.

This week, he couldn't interact with Brain and couldn't earn too many favorability points. He didn't want to exhaust his just-passing favorability points.

The critical event hadn't been triggered yet. If the favorability dropped too low, unexpected changes might occur. So, he decided to save them, using medication as a substitute for hypnosis cards, just like in the real world.

He took a pill, thought for a moment, then took another one without water, swallowing it directly.

After swallowing the pill, Aaron finally answered the system's question, "He's my best friend."

...The same as what he told Brain.

061 wanted to ask if his insomnia was related to him, but when the words were about to come out, he held back.

This wasn't something a system should worry about. As he said, they were each a system and a host, and there was no need to form too deep a relationship. In the end, they would have to part ways.

The system decided to be a ruthless and emotionless system.

It would be better to urge him to consider the task.

The effects of the medicine gradually began to take hold.

After listening to the system's urging, Aaron hugged the blanket tightly, lazily yawning, "...To break through, there are three strategies in total: the best, middle, and worst."

061: "...Huh?"

Aaron stretched out one hand, placing it behind his head, "Remember what I asked you to do when I first came here?"

Of course, 061 remembered but couldn't quite understand Aaron's intention.

He asked 061 to replay the entire timeline three times, looking at some parts more than three times.

He asked to immerse himself in Eric's despair before his suicide, asking about several details.

Later, he played with Eric's phone for a long time.

Aaron closed his eyes, "...Regret value starts at 9 points. Take it slow, no rush