The System Finally Returns

Early in the morning. Su Xian'er seemed as if she was in a dream, her face showing a mix of delight and disbelief. She turned her head, quietly observing Su Chen beside her, who looked blissfully content. On seeing the lingering pleasure on Su Xian'er's face, 

Su Chen couldn't help but shiver. His first instinct was to reach for his wallet, but upon reflection, he realized it wasn't necessary.

The sun's rays pierced through the window, illuminating the villa's corridor as a weary Su Chen stepped out of Su Xian'er's room. His face displayed a range of emotions - confusion, incomprehension, and fear - none of which were particularly positive. 

Returning to his own room, Su Chen lay on his bed, awaiting the plot's resumption. Half an hour later, he was shocked to discover he was still immersed in the storyline, which was quite unbelievable.

Could it be? Were there no more constraints in the current system? 

[Host, please don't overthink. The system is always watching you. Avoid mistakes, or face the consequences!] 

After such a long absence, the system finally made its appearance, much to Su Chen's joy. All these days, no matter how much he called out to it, the system seemed to be on its period, completely unresponsive. 

Questions grew increasingly in his mind. Now that the system had reappeared, he had to get answers. "Why is it that after everything that happened with Su Xian'er, the plot hasn't collapsed? When it was with Chen Yuxin before, I was heavily punished." 

Su Chen wasn't a masochist; his inner turmoil was just overwhelming. If he didn't get clarity, he probably wouldn't have the energy to continue his character's portrayal.

[Please rest assured, Host. The situation this time is different from the last. Su Xian'er isn't the female lead recognized by the Heavenly Dao because her thoughts have been corrupted under your antagonist's influence.]

So, does that mean I can do whatever I want?

"Why didn't you say this earlier?" Su Chen felt as if he had missed out on billions.

[I only found out just now.]

"Heh, so you're telling me your system is really that incompetent, not knowing anything?" Su Chen was left speechless.

He originally thought he could freely traverse certain bright paths, but it seems he still can't. Yet the explanation that Su Xian'er isn't the destined female lead seems very plausible. Meaning, at least the upcoming days won't be so tedious.

"System, tell me honestly, are these female leads the reincarnations of each lifetime? I constantly sense something familiar about them." What Su Chen cared about most was that these female leads seemed off, especially after finding out last night that Su Xian'er knew in advance that he wasn't a member of the Su family.

He had initially just pondered this idea, but now his suspicion grew even more.

[Please be at ease, Host. They definitely won't pose a problem. You need to trust this system.]

"No way, I can't trust it that easily. You better run a check." Su Chen was aware of how unreliable this system could be, so he wasn't too inclined to believe its explanations.

"Your explanation doesn't hold. Do you know what I've been through these days?" "I, the antagonist's sidekick, have totally stolen the spotlight from the male lead." Su Chen was truly speechless. Nowadays, even being the antagonist's sidekick was this challenging.

[My energy is precious. I can only offer you one chance to investigate. Tell me, which female lead do you want to check?]

"Excellent!" Su Chen exclaimed with great joy. Having just one opportunity was enough, after all, each of these female leads had significant issues. After pondering for a brief moment, Su Chen declared, "Yang Yuxin!"

The reason he chose Yang Yuxin was because she was exceptionally abnormal, even more so than any other female lead. While the others changed within the bounds of the plot, Yang Yuxin was completely off-script: she'd been flirting, dining, and now even reconsidering an engagement. From any perspective, Yang Yuxin seemed to be the most problematic female lead.

Based on Su Chen's many years of experience, the word to describe her was "proactive." Indeed, Yang Yuxin was far more proactive compared to the other female leads, and her behavior was as if she, like Su Chen, knew what would happen in the future.

Ding

[Scan complete. Yang Yuxin is neither a reincarnated being nor a time-traveler.]

[Host, you can be at ease now!]

"So, what's really going on?" After receiving the answer, Su Chen was even more astonished. However, he decided, "No matter what, this is still good news." He chose to view it optimistically.

What's in the past remains there. What's vital now is to face the future. Anyway, the system's conclusion was that Yang Yuxin had no issues. Since the most problematic female lead was deemed unproblematic, the other leads surely had no issues either, thus there was still hope for redemption.

The next step was to reveal his true colors as a prodigal young master to Yang Yuxin. However, this was challenging, mainly because Yang Yuxin was deeply infatuated with him. Due to this affection, any regular tactic probably wouldn't work; he needed something stronger.

"Su Xian'er, you wretch, you dare to sneak around behind my back!"

"Hehe, what do you mean 'behind your back'? Even if you were here, I would still do it. Chen Yuxin, don't think I don't understand what you're implying."

"..."

Suddenly, Su Chen heard the sounds of an argument from outside. He opened the door and glanced out, noticing it was Su Xian'er and Chen Yuxin quarreling. It's often said that when outstanding women are together, conflicts are more likely to arise. They had been living under the same roof for almost a month, and Su Chen felt it was overdue for a dispute to happen.

What Su Chen didn't know was that neither Chen Yuxin nor Su Xian'er had taken each other seriously initially, thinking they were reincarnated beings. However, as time went by, both began to sense that something was amiss, and they eventually realized they were both reincarnated. This realization heightened their caution. 

Usually, when Su Chen was around, they managed to control their tempers. But this morning, Chen Yuxin noticed that Su Chen had come out of Su Xian'er's room, and she couldn't hold back her anger any longer, confronting Su Xian'er directly. Given Su Xian'er's nature to assert herself and the mutual animosity between them, the argument was inevitable.

Su Chen, as an observer, looked visibly upset.

Why were these female leads always arguing over him? He could understand Su Xian'er, given that he had discovered she wasn't one of the so-called female leads. But Chen Yuxin was different; she was a lead character Su Chen had verified through his actions. Just thinking about the tormenting days he'd experienced made Su Chen shiver.

"Cough, cough." Su Chen cleared his throat, sending a clear message to the two women, indicating they should stop because he was about to intervene.

"What are you two arguing about? Quiet down!" Once he spoke, the previously quarreling pair instantly stopped, staring blankly at Su Chen. Admittedly, even Su Chen himself didn't expect his words to be so effective. After all, neither of these women was ordinary. He noticed that both were still angry, glaring at each other, their heaving chests almost tearing their clothes.

"Su Xian'er, why are you still at home? Hurry up and go to work, or who's going to support me in the future?" Su Chen blurted out, aiming to irritate Su Xian'er. But then he realized he might not need to goad her like this.

"Alright, I'll go now." Su Xian'er, pleased by Su Chen's words and seeing it as an acknowledgment, happily went to the door, put on her shoes, and headed out for work.

"Su Chen, I can also support you, you know." Not to be outdone, Chen Yuxin quickly wrapped her arms around Su Chen's, swaying coquettishly.

"Nevermind that. I have a weak stomach, can't handle too many handouts."

"Hmph!" Chen Yuxin let go of Su Chen's arm, a hint of something different flashing in her eyes.

"Whatever Su Xian'er can do, I can do it too!" With that, Chen Yuxin stomped off to her room in a huff.

She wouldn't dare to genuinely get angry at Su Chen, lest she gives him the opportunity to take advantage of her. Is Chen Yuxin upset? Su Chen found no joy in that. A female lead offering to support him and then getting mad when he declines? This didn't seem like a good situation at all. Who would willingly want to be kept? Who's he looking down upon?

But Su Chen couldn't be bothered with these musings. His primary concern now was figuring out how to make Yang Yuxin despise him. He silently recalled in his mind the plotlines involving Yang Yuxin. And it wasn't just about Yang Yuxin; Qin Yu had to be involved too. Otherwise, it wouldn't capture the drama of him, the villain, being publicly rebuked by the protagonist, Qin Yu. If he was going to do something, he'd make sure it was well-executed and beneficial for all involved.