The tall figure in the black shirt stood with his back facing Chi Zhan, looking remarkably like Zhou Yanxing.
But honestly, why would a CEO like Zhou Yanxing be picking jelly at the supermarket at this hour?
The thought alone seemed utterly ridiculous.
Chi Zhan shook his head, dismissed the thought, and pushed his cart toward the checkout. The path from the snack aisle to the checkout passed through the electronics section, an area he usually ignored. Today, though, an audio advertisement was playing loudly:
“Robotic vacuum cleaners! Today only, an incredible 90% discount! Get yours now—clean your floors, walk your dog, water your plants, even chat with you! Just 10% of the price!”
Chi Zhan halted and gave it a serious look.
It wasn’t the massive discount or the promises of dog-walking and plant-watering that drew him. His own vacuum had conveniently died yesterday, and repairing it would cost almost as much as buying a new one.
While waiting for the cashier to scan his groceries, Chi Zhan’s right eyelid twitched inexplicably.
Bored, he glanced back at the jelly aisle—the man was still there, choosing jelly.
The resemblance grew more uncanny each time he looked.
After arriving home, Chi Zhan unpacked the robot without a second glance, then sat down with Tao Ran to enjoy roast duck. They spent the meal complaining about their respective bosses, immediately easing their stress.
“At least your boss is tall, rich, and handsome,” Tao Ran lamented. “Mine is a bald guy. Seeing him every day has completely destroyed my will to live.”
“Who cares if he’s handsome?” Chi Zhan scoffed. “He’s not dating me. What does his appearance have to do with me?”
“Wait,” Tao Ran teased, eyes sparkling mischievously, “does that mean you want to date someone? Even if our scripts don’t include romance, you can still pursue love. So, do you like guys?”
“Honestly, I have no idea,” Chi Zhan admitted, shrugging helplessly. “The company is full of guys, except for the receptionist. Even if I wanted to date a girl, where would I find one?”
Tao Ran nearly choked on his juice.
“Right, I forgot—this is a BL game,” Tao Ran laughed. “Girls are rare here, and the players wouldn’t appreciate any BG plots anyway.”
Both sighed deeply. The alcohol made Chi Zhan sleepy, and soon he was yawning. Tao Ran cleaned up the mess, said goodbye, and left.
Feeling pleasantly drunk, Chi Zhan grabbed a pillow and drifted off.
“NPC 013, please respond.”
“NPC 013, please respond!”
……
What was that annoying noise? Irritated, Chi Zhan blindly hurled another pillow toward the sound.
“You—you hit me!” The mechanical voice grew indignant. Chi Zhan cracked open one eye. Wait, was this not a dream?
The newly purchased robotic vacuum stood right in front of him.
Chi Zhan stared blankly for a few seconds before jolting awake in terror. He hadn’t charged the robot yet—how had it moved?
“A ghost!”
“I’m not a ghost! I’m the system!” The vacuum spun its little round eyes, speaking in a childish robotic voice that utterly failed to sound authoritative. “I’m the main system overseeing this game. Show some respect!”
Half an hour later, Chi Zhan finally understood the situation.
“So, you knew I always visit the supermarket each week, hid in a vacuum cleaner, and waited for me to take you home?” Chi Zhan paused thoughtfully. “Then why couldn’t you give me orders directly?”
“I can’t directly connect with your kind,” the system explained solemnly, its robotic baby voice lacking any threat. “Your programming is too basic—you only accept fixed panel inputs. Direct instructions from me would cause your main system to explode.”
Chi Zhan nodded slowly. “Then why are you here?”
The vacuum fell silent for a moment, its large round eyes studying Chi Zhan with profound intent. Finally, it spoke. “Have you been neglecting your duties? I’ve received at least ten complaints. The players can’t even meet Zhou Yanxing, one of the targets, let alone build intimacy.”
Chi Zhan stared blankly. A strange relief washed over him, as if a long-awaited moment had finally arrived.
“I’ve tried my best,” Chi Zhan insisted earnestly. “I’ve tried so hard that Zhou Yanxing nearly fired me today—just because I was stubbornly trying to matchmake him with a player.”
“Really?”
“You’re the system. You can check if I’m lying.”
The system fell silent, finally conceding reluctantly. “Then, if the issue isn’t you, it must be Zhou Yanxing himself.”
“Exactly. Go tell Zhou Yanxing if he’s unwell, he should seek treatment immediately, instead of avoiding the issue.”
“Impossible,” the system said, spinning anxiously in place. “All romance targets have the highest-level configurations. Physical malfunction is impossible. And besides, I can’t directly communicate with them.”
“Why not?”
“Because none of the targets are aware they’re inside a game,” the system explained gravely. “If they realize they’re being pursued by players, their world would collapse. Their programming is entirely independent. Therefore, I can’t interact with them.”
“What?!” Chi Zhan felt utterly stunned.
He’d assumed Zhou Yanxing was deliberately ignoring his responsibilities to spite him. How was he supposed to know Zhou Yanxing didn’t even realize he was supposed to date the players?
No wonder Zhou Yanxing disliked him so intensely—anyone would get annoyed by constant, unwanted matchmaking.
“But… why can’t they know?” Chi Zhan struggled to grasp this revelation.
“Programming rules,” the system replied mechanically. “It seems I’ll need further observation to determine if Zhou Yanxing has a bug.”
Chi Zhan exchanged a bewildered stare with the system before finally asking, “How are you going to observe him?”
“I’m counting on you, NPC 013.”
“My name is Chi Zhan,” he corrected numbly. “Can’t you observe secretly? Why does it have to be me?”
