Chapter 4

When Su Louzhi arrived at the task location, her phone clearly displayed 【14:00】.

There was still an hour to go. Su Louzhi stood at the mouth of the alley for two seconds, then turned and pushed open the door of the Tasty Milk Tea Shop next door.

"Welcome! What can I get for you today?" The girl behind the counter smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.

Su Louzhi pointed at the jasmine milk green tea on the menu, scanned the code to pay, and, carrying the cup still radiating cold air, found a seat by the window.

The sunlight outside was just right, and the late September breeze rustled the leaves along the roadside. Occasionally, students dragging suitcases walked by, their footsteps hurried.

Su Louzhi bit the straw, her gaze fixed on the narrow mouth of the alley outside the window.

Right there—she'd stand there for half an hour.

She racked her brain but couldn't figure out how standing in a completely empty alley for thirty minutes could have anything to do with the plot. It wasn't like the alley was secretly a portal, and standing there long enough would send her to another world.

She couldn't help poking the System in her mind: System.

【Hmm?】

Can I really not know in advance what's going to happen in those thirty minutes?

The System was silent for two seconds. 【Host, this is a real and living world. The extra you're playing truly is indispensable in the original book, but precisely because the original novel gave her very little attention, you're able to directly take over this identity with your own body.】

Su Louzhi blinked. So?

【So you can't read the original book in advance, nor can you obtain more information from me.】The System's tone was businesslike. 【Because we need to ensure all your reactions are genuine and natural—an immersive experience, understand?】

Su Louzhi: "..." Understood. She was just a lab mouse fumbling her way across a dark river.

She lowered her head and took a big slurp of milk tea, chewing the straw flat. But then she thought about it—it made sense. If she knew the script in advance, she wouldn't be an extra; she'd be an undercover spy.

The sunlight outside slowly shifted, crawling from her wrist onto her phone screen.

【14:45】

Su Louzhi stood up, tossed the empty milk tea cup into the trash can, and pushed open the shop door. The alley was just two steps away.

She took a deep breath and turned into it.

The alley was quieter than she'd imagined. On either side were the back walls of Qinghe Bar and the Tasty Milk Tea Shop—gray, dusty walls above uneven cement flooring, cracked in places with thin tufts of weeds sprouting from the gaps.

Su Louzhi stood in the middle of the alley, looking around.

Nothing.

No portal, no other world, no glowing plot item.

She looked down at her phone.

【14:50】

Ten more minutes.

Su Louzhi leaned against the wall, her mind starting to run wild. It couldn't be one of those infinite-flow novels, could it? Stand here until exactly three o'clock, and suddenly her vision blurs, she gets pulled into some horror dungeon, and then a battle royale begins?

She shuddered and quickly shook the thought out of her head. No, no. She was just a minor extra—how could she—

"Yo—" A voice came from the mouth of the alley.

Su Louzhi froze. She turned her head. Four people stood at the entrance.

Bleached blond hair, tattooed arms, slip-on shoes, smiles full of ill intent—a textbook villain starter pack.

The leader had a pair of upturned, slanted eyes, sizing her up at an angle, the corner of his mouth curling. "Hey, pretty girl, what's a little thing like you doing here all alone? How about coming over to keep us company for a chat?"

Su Louzhi's fingers stiffened on her phone screen. She instinctively pressed the screen to light it up.

【September 30, 2026, 15:00】

Exactly three o'clock.

Su Louzhi's mind went blank.

This was her task?

Four thugs?

She rapidly ran through everything she knew how to do. She couldn't fight, had no martial arts training, was so weak she struggled to unscrew bottle caps. The only thing she was good at was typing fast on her phone.

But these four obviously didn't want to chat with her on WeChat.

Run?

Could she even outrun them?

She glanced at both ends of the alley, then at the four blond men who'd already blocked the exit.

The System had said: stay for half an hour.

Not run, not hide—stay here, for thirty minutes.

Su Louzhi clenched her phone.

The man with the slanted eyes saw her standing there frozen, thought she was scared stiff, and his smile deepened. He stepped forward, strolling slowly toward her.

Su Louzhi had to admit—she was terrified.

Not the "oh, a little nervous" kind of fear, but the kind where her legs went weak, her hands trembled, her head buzzed with static, and her breathing turned shallow and rapid.

Four men across from her—bleached hair, tattoos, slip-on shoes—screaming "I'm not a good person" from every inch of their being. Who knew if they had knives on them? Wasn't that how those old gangster movies always went—street thugs, quick to pull a weapon?

She was afraid of their eyes, and even more afraid that this life she'd fought so hard to get back would be lost right here.

Su Louzhi took a step back.

Another step back.

Tears welled up uncontrollably, dripping drop by drop onto her phone screen.

And her cowardly crying-and-backing-away act seemed to excite the man with slanted eyes even more. "Third, fourth," he raised his chin, "block the back end. Don't let her run."

Su Louzhi's mind went "buzz." She turned and ran.

But she stopped after two steps.

The two blonds called Third and Fourth had already slipped past her somehow, blocking the other end of the alley tightly.

Four people. Four directions.

She was like a rabbit surrounded in the middle, with nowhere to run.

Su Louzhi turned back, watching the slanted-eyed man approach slowly. Her tears flowed harder. She shook her head desperately, her lips moving, but no sound came out. All she could do was fix her pleading eyes on his face.

But it was useless.

The slanted-eyed man sped up.

All Su Louzhi could do was back away—back, back, until she couldn't back up anymore, her back pressed against the cold wall.

It was over.

She closed her eyes, her fists clenching and unclenching at her sides.

When the time came, she'd fight for her life.

"What are you doing!" A familiar voice rang out.

Su Louzhi's eyes flew open.

It was Qin Qingyan!

She charged in from the mouth of the alley, fast as the wind. When she reached them, she raised her hand and shoved hard. The slanted-eyed man hadn't expected anyone to show up; he stumbled back two steps and landed on the ground with a thud.

Qin Qingyan immediately turned, shielding Su Louzhi behind her like a mother hen protecting her chick. "I saw you!" She glared at the man on the ground, her chest heaving violently. "You were bullying her!"

The slanted-eyed man climbed to his feet, angrier to the point of laughing.

"Oh ho, another one?" He brushed the dust off his pants, his gaze wandering over Qin Qingyan's face. "Not bad looking either. Alright—today's our lucky day, boys—"

He waved his hand, and the other three blonds slowly closed in.

Su Louzhi's mind went "buzz."

No.

Qin Qingyan was the heiress of the Qin Group, a young lady who'd never lifted a finger in her life. How could she possibly fight off four thugs? She'd come because of her—if anything happened to her—

Without a second thought, Su Louzhi grabbed Qin Qingyan's wrist and yanked hard, pulling her behind her own back.

"Zhizhi!" Qin Qingyan panicked. "What are you doing! Get behind me!"

Su Louzhi shook her head. She was trembling violently, tears streaming down her face, her legs heavy as lead, but she stood firmly in front of Qin Qingyan, not budging an inch.

Qin Qingyan tried to pull her back, but couldn't move her. She had no idea where this mute girl had found such strength.

Su Louzhi stared at the four blonds getting closer and closer, only one thought left in her mind: when they make a move, she'd lunge at them and bite, scratch, kick, stomp! Buy every second she could, give Qin Qingyan one more step of distance to escape.

The slanted-eyed man had already reached her, grinning as he reached out his hand—

Then he flew.

Really flew.

Su Louzhi only saw a dark shadow flash past the corner of her eye, fast as lightning. The next second, the slanted-eyed man in front of her flew horizontally like a broken ragdoll, slammed into the alley wall with a dull thud.

The other three blonds froze.

Su Louzhi froze.

Qin Qingyan behind her froze too.

Qin Qingyan was the first to react. "Shen Boyang!" She called out urgently. "Be careful—there are four of them!"

The moment her words landed, the remaining three blonds finally snapped out of their daze, cursing as they moved to charge.

But they stopped.

Because from deep in the alley, unhurried footsteps approached.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Everyone turned to look at the source of the sound.

The sunlight happened to fall right behind that person, enveloping him in a blinding halo. Su Louzhi squinted, barely making out a silhouette—

Very tall.

Easily over six foot two.

Broad shoulders, long legs. The moment he stood there, the alley seemed to shrink.

He walked over step by step, unhurried. When he reached the middle of the alley, the sunlight finally shifted off his back, and his face came clearly into everyone's view.

Sharp brows, bright eyes. A nose bridge so straight it looked measured by a ruler. Thin lips pressed lightly together, their expression unreadable.

A strange thought suddenly popped into Su Louzhi's head: when Nuwa molded humans, did she make a custom mold just for him?

The three blonds unconsciously stepped back half a step.

The slanted-eyed man who'd been punched into the corner was still howling in pain, but no one had time for him anymore.

The newcomer stopped, his gaze slowly sweeping across the three blonds' faces before finally landing on Su Louzhi.

Just one look.

Then he tilted his head slightly, his voice low, like the deepest string of a cello:

"Whose is she?"

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Author's Note:

Our girl struggles to unscrew bottle caps because ABO people are naturally much stronger than her, so the caps are unconsciously made tighter. In modern society, she's actually a perfectly normal person.