Zhang Lian was still mesmerizing Chen Gou. He couldn't take his eyes off her as she tied her robe, watching her each movement.
Recognizing Zhang Lian's growing annoyance, Cat quiqly opened the system interface. It browsed through the selections & tiny paws tapped on the screen.
/[System: Baby-Making System
Shop;
Protection against Heavenly Luck (!)
Price: 5 SP ]\
In a quick motion, Cat clicked the purchase button. A notification appeared glowing softly on the clearly on the screen:
[Ding! ding! Protection against Heavenly Luck purchased for 5 SP. Valid up to the stage of Qi Refining.]
After the message vanished, Zhang Lian was left silent. She experienced a wave of clarity almost immediately.
It was as though a dense mist parted ways, allowing her regular icy, sharp thoughts to become visible. Her eyes, which had been softer for some reason, were cold again.
Something inside Chen Gou suddenly changed too. There was a horrible emptiness left behind, like if something had been cut deep within his heart.
The close relationship he had with Zhang Lian vanished, leaving confusion in his eyes. He felt sad as if he had lost something important, a tear falling from his eyes.
His rod, once standing, now calms down too.
Zhang Lian looked at him, her face now lacking the softness it had before. Instead, irritation flashed in her eyes. This boy, this had made her spend 5 SP.
She crossed her arms tightly. "Why are you still staring at me?" she said, her tone cold. "Get ready. You're going back."
Chen Gou blinked, rubbed his eyes for some reason. With a small nod, he got up quickly, and started putting on his robe.
Zhang Lian looked at him with increasing disgust. He was awkward and clumsy, his hair messy.
Once, he had influenced feelings in her that she didn't want to face, but now, with the system protection, she saw him as just a ugly boy.
When he finally tied his robe, the knot was loose and uneven, and her lip twisted with disgust. She was irritated by his struggle to dress appropriately. She turned to look at the bed and noticed the dirty bedsheet.
"Great," she murmured, rolling her hands. "Where am I supposed to rest now?" She got frustrated and gave Chen Gou, the source of the mess, a glare.
With an icy tone, Zhang Lian said, "Hey, boy."
Still lost in his emotions, Chen Gou gave her a confused glance. He was briefly taken aback by her icy glare when their eyes met.
Just a few seconds ago, she seemed to be linked to him, but now she was clearly disliking him, and he had no idea why. There was no kindness, only a queen speaking to someone beneath her.
"What do you want, Your Highness?" he asked quietly, almost whispering.
"When you go out, tell the guards to send the maids to clean this room and let them know you need to return to Minister Hu right away."
Chen Gou, now dressed in his clothes, nodded stiffly, moving toward the door with his head down, feeling the queen's icy stare on his back.
There was a deep emptiness in place of the joy he had felt moments before. Nevertheless, he held onto the memory of their times together.
He cautiously opened the door and left the room. The guards were standing outside, paying close attention in their yellow robes, eyes alert and cautious. Their attention was drawn as the door swung open.
When they saw Chen Gou emerge from the queen's room, they all turned to face each other and looked. His robe hung loosely off one shoulder, making him appear messy and tired.
A guard even wondered whether the queen actually had really slept with this ugly boy.
But he quickly shook his head thinking it's impossible, how can a ugly boy sleep with a beautiful queen.
The other guard, positioned by the door, shared a look with his partner. They both understood it was best not to speak even if the incident really happened.
Shaky-voiced, Chen Gou cleared his throat. "The queen ordered me to tell you to send me back to Minister Hu," he replied with a innocent eyes. "And also… to call the maids for cleaning."
The left guard nodded, remaining calm. "Got it," he replied. Without saying more, he motioned for Chen Gou to follow him.
The guards didn't need to discuss who would stay or go; their duties were clear. The guard on the right stayed at his post while the other led Chen Gou away, closing the queen's room door.
In the room, Zhang Lian paused by the bed, staring at it. Her face showed disgust. She turned away from the bed, not wanting to touch the dirty sheets, and walked to the chair where Lan used to sit and sat on that chair.
Cat flew near by Zhang Lian.
Zhang Lian's face took on seriousness. She said coldly, "Why does the system have things like this?" "And why didn't you tell me about it earlier?"
It responded with its head moving as it floated higher. "Nyaa, the system has many features, and you need to discover them yourself," it said plainly.
"You should ask me about specific items, so that in future you can just instruct me to buy it, I don't need to remind you all the time & The system can offer many things, but I can't know everything until they come up."
Zhang Lian nodded, but her eyes were still full of annoyance. She let out a sigh and tried to ignore her annoyance as her mind wandered.
She glanced at Cat as a thought suddenly a thought flashed in her mind. She said "Oh, yeah," with a curious tone in her voice. "Can you clarify more on how you can interact with system items, like you did with that worm?"
Cat's tail flicked slowly as it blinked innocently. "Yes, nya," it said with a nod. "Only the first time I can touch system items."
"Until you take them from me and also till then no one else can see them or touch them."
"After you touch them, they appear and become untouchable. They cannot be returned to the system after you have taken them."
Zhang Lian asked in a chilly tone, her eyes narrowing as she listened. "So, the system doesn't really offer free storage after I take something out?"
Cat showed slight fear and said in a convincing way. "Yeah, but only for things you haven't yet touched, nya."
They become real as soon as you take them and they have to remain in the real world."
Zhang Lian became angry . Her fist tightened. She had assumed that she could always put the system item back into its storage. She raised her voice and said, "You should have told me this earlier." With these words she struck Cat in the head with her fist in anger.
Boom cat falls to the floor, It floats back, rubbing its head with its paws as it lets out a cry. "Nyaa, that hurt!"