Mygo, you guys seem to be getting a bit heavy-hearted.

Yes, I'm sending it now!

No, no, wait a minute, it seems like the host can't do anything about me.

Then I guess I don't need to be so afraid of him...

“From now on, for the next week, no matter what you say or do, I will ignore you.”

【…? 】

I didn't quite catch that, Host, what he said was...

Hey hey hey—

What?! What?!

【No to that kind of thing!!! ! (?д?;)】

For the system, this punishment was ten thousand times worse than four burly men dressed in very little clothing taking turns stirring their dendrobium orchids with weapons nonstop.

[Host? Host, please think twice!!!]

Yanming shifted his position on the sofa, remaining completely silent throughout: "..."

Wait a minute? Are you serious? You're really ignoring me?!

Chapter Fourteen: Me and My Simp System

Once the system realized that Yanming was truly serious, it immediately launched a barrage of caring inquiries and concern.

This shows how accurate Yanming's description of it was, and that it was not just a dog system, but also a sycophant.

[I was wrong, host. I promise I won't do it again. From now on, whatever you say will be done. I won't act on my own initiative anymore.]

It was wrong of me to ignore your feelings. I know I was wrong, please forgive me, okay? —Host? —Hello?

"..."

No!

[If I can't speak to my host for a whole week, oh dear!]

"..."

[Host, say something! Don't ignore me! Hey—hey!]

No matter how persistent the system was, Yanming completely ignored it and did not react to its words at all.

Although it's said that a simp who keeps licking his boots will end up with nothing.

But there's nothing we can do. After spending this time together, the system has completely transformed into Yanming's shape. If we don't talk to him a few times a day, the hard drive gets itchy. It's like it's been infected with a virus and is hopelessly addicted. Even if we give the system a different host, it will never accept it.

The current host is eloquent, wealthy, and possesses various unique skills. Aside from his somewhat negative attitude towards assigned tasks, he is practically perfect. Whether as a partner (crossed out) companion or host, he is a top-tier option. The strategy system (exaggerated) loves him.

【…】

【Kumumum——】

The system emitted a sound of frustration.

How could this be?

How can we ignore it!

This is outrageous... This is absolutely outrageous!

Heh...hehe—

The system gave a sinister laugh.

[Does the host think this will make me submit?]

Even a creature like it has a temper when treated so coldly!

Are you kidding me? I'm the system!

Although it's from the cat station and not very useful, unlike those from other places, it still has its own dignity.

Its system is definitely not some functional tool that a host can manipulate at will!

Even if my dear host doesn't want to talk to me, I will still wake you up on time every day, remind you to take your medicine, drink more hot water, not stay up late, pay attention to traffic lights, and eat less takeout... (two thousand words omitted here), so you must be happy during this time when you don't talk to me, waaaaah—(?д?; )

All I can say is, simps are truly despicable.

Even so, Yanming showed no sign of changing his mind, and in the end, the strategy system could only slink away and go into standby mode.

The price of witnessing a bloodbath is being ignored for a week, or a full 604800 seconds. The system, having learned its lesson, has firmly remembered this.

This will definitely be useful next time!

Yanming: "..."

His system is truly sick, and seriously so.

"Sigh..." Yanming sighed helplessly and pounded his still sore back with his other hand.

Why don't we invite Xiaoxiang to stay for dinner? She doesn't seem too keen on going home.

……

"Oh? No, no, that's too kind. I'm already very grateful that you let me stay here. Besides, my bastard dad is still waiting for me to come back and cook..." As Xiangzi spoke, he thought of the mess at home and suddenly fell silent.

Yanming noticed her hesitation and immediately said, "That old good-for-nothing won't starve if he skips a meal, just consider it a way to lose weight."

After learning about Xiangzi's father's behavior at home, Yanming's way of addressing him became increasingly presumptuous, and even Xiangzi was influenced by Yanming's behavior.

From a father who was initially quite kind to a jerk now.

“…Okay, I’ll give him a call.” Xiangzi thought for a moment and finally agreed.

Yanming nodded, then subtly pricked up his ears and leaned closer.

That old coward had better be sensible, or I'll go to his house right now and have a heart-to-heart talk with him.

After a busy tone, the call connected, followed by a long silence. "...Hello, Xiao Xiang..."

Xiangzi frowned, knowing his father was drunk again, but he still tried to soften his tone as he spoke into the phone:

"I won't be home for dinner tonight."

"Then what will Daddy do at night...?"

Xiangzi interrupted him: "You figure out how to solve it yourself."

There was another moment of silence on the other end. In Yanming's opinion, the best option would be to hang up the phone during this gap. However, Xiangzi didn't seem to have that intention. His fingers were clenched so tightly on the phone that they turned red, and his eyes also started to redden.

"Xiao Xiang, you know... Dad can't live by himself anymore. I need you, sweetie... don't be so willful, okay? Let's go home to eat... if you can, bring Dad two more beers. I'll transfer the money to you later."

Sure enough, even though Xiangzi had already made such an attitude, the man on the other end of the phone still shamelessly spoke up.

Yanming glanced at Xiangzi's expression and noticed that tears had unknowingly filled the girl's eyes.

After experiencing a major blow, Toyokawa Shoko, who hadn't shed a single tear while walking alone in the heavy rain, revealed this expression because of a few words from her family.

For children, their father is not only a guide but also a role model. This concept is formed when they are very young and gradually becomes deeply ingrained as they grow up.

But when the image of a father in his child's eyes... or rather, the filter is shattered, his figure will quickly become hunched and insignificant, until he reverts to his original appearance.

Xiangzi still held onto hope for his father, hoping that one day his father could become a pillar of strength again, like a hero, and lead him back to his former life. Yanming was aware of this.

But he didn't expose her directly, telling Xiangzi that her father had become a vile and despicable man who only knew how to numb his brain with alcohol all day long.

Because it's too direct, it's also a kind of cruelty.

Yanming didn't want to do such a cruel thing.

Therefore, Xiangzi could only rely on himself to realize the truth, while he tried his best to reduce costs and subtly minimize the psychological impact of exposing this matter on Xiangzi.

"You have no way... If you say that, do you think I have a way?" Xiangzi trembled, expressing his strong dissatisfaction with his father for the first time.

She could never do this when facing someone directly, but here, with Yanming, who understood her, she felt at ease. In addition, she didn't have to see her father's familiar face, which was only in her memory. Xiangzi stopped lingering in her childhood memories and spoke her true thoughts.

"Have you ever thought that I am the daughter, and that I am the one who needs to be taken care of more?"

Chapter Fifteen: Old Deng, your daughter is mine now!

“I’m either working or running around for other things every day. I keep telling myself that you just need some time to get over your regrets and then you’ll go back to being the father you used to be. I think about this all the time, and then I grit my teeth and clean up the bottles you’ve left on the floor. But what about you?”

"You drink, smoke, sleep in late, and do nothing! You don't care about this family at all, and you dump everything on me without taking responsibility. You...you!" Xiangzi was speechless for a moment. After all, the other party was his father, and he couldn't scold him too much.

Yanming whispered a reminder: "You're only thinking about yourself."

Xiangzi pointed the microphone at the microphone and roared angrily and without restraint, "You really only think about yourself!"

After shouting those words, Toyokawa Shoko collapsed onto the sofa as if all her strength had left her, her chest heaving from the exertion. But the expression on her face, more than exhaustion, was one of relief and liberation.

She finally said what she wanted to say.

The memory of her father, filtered through the lens of childhood, blurred with his venting roar, replaced by a decadent alcoholic who drank heavily all day.

"Xiao Xiang... Dad knows about your grievances..." Upon hearing this, Yanming knew his plan was now in place.

But Yanming wasn't happy, because the other person was Xiangzi's father, her only family. If possible, she still hoped that the man would show remorse because of Xiaoxiang's words.

But clearly, the other party was not up to par at all.

so……

You damn old piece of trash! I've kidnapped your daughter, Toyokawa Shoko, without any hesitation. Blame yourself for being such a damn bastard!

"Click." Yanming reached out and effortlessly took the phone from Xiangzi's hand, then casually spoke into the other end, "Hello, is this Mr. Toyokawa?"

Then, he gave Xiangzi a reassuring look.

'You've done a great job. Leave the rest to me.'

Toyokawa Shoko easily understood the meaning in those eyes, just as bluntly as Yanming himself had said.

“Generally speaking, I’m not keen on meddling in other people’s family affairs, but… Old Deng, aren’t you going a bit too far?” Yanming coldly questioned, and without giving the other party any chance to answer, he immediately continued, “Bullying your own daughter isn’t a real skill. Please wait at home for a while, and let the two of us men have a chat.”

After saying that, Yanming hung up the phone decisively, and from beginning to end, he didn't let Xiangzi's father say another word of nonsense.

"Ten minutes to take care of him. Xiao Xiang, if you're bored, watch some TV. I'll cook for you when I get back." Yanming stood up decisively, hoisted the long-handled umbrella over his shoulder, and prepared to storm out of the house and head straight for the enemy camp.

Things progressed much faster than Xiangzi had imagined. After a brief period of CPU burn-out, he hurriedly chased after Yanming and grabbed his sleeve just a second before Yanming stepped out of the house.

"Wait a minute, Yanming!"

Yanming paused for a moment, then turned back helplessly and said, "Don't worry, I won't beat up your dad. We're really just having a chat."

He is a civilized man. Although he is full of martial virtue, he only uses it to protect himself. Yanming would never do something like threatening someone's personal safety.

Moreover, if it escalates into a disturbance, it won't benefit him at all, even though he still holds the moral high ground. Although he really wanted to slap that old man a few times with his slippers, the current situation doesn't allow him to do so.

But Xiangzi simply shook his head and said, "It's not that I'm afraid of..."

"What? Does that drunkard usually hit you on the head with a bottle?" Yanming began to clench his fists.

Suddenly I got excited.

Now he's a pure righteous person, rescuing his underage daughter from domestic violence by her alcoholic father. The police station will give him a banner, which can be displayed on his coffin after he's gone. How impressive that would be!

“Father wouldn’t go that far! ... I just want you to be careful. Compared to when I was a child, Father has become quite shameless. I’m afraid he’ll use me to threaten you…”

Toyokawa Shoko knew that everything Yanming had done to help her so far was out of kindness, because he had never shown any intention to scheme against her, but treated her like a younger sister, though Yanming just hadn't said it outright.

Xiangzi realized from their first meeting that Yanming was most likely the kind of person who was tough on the outside but soft on the inside.

That's why Xiangzi was worried that if her father was really shameless enough to use his daughter as a bargaining chip and accidentally angered Yanming... she might never see this only person who understood her heart again.

"Threatening me?" Yanming scoffed. "I'm not a vegetarian. Those guys who just use alcohol to numb their brains all day are far from threatening me... And don't worry, no matter what your father says, it won't affect our relationship. I promise."

"Bang." The door closed softly, leaving Xiangzi alone in the unfamiliar room.

The rain outside was still pouring down like a spectacular downpour. It was getting dark, and looking out the window, all you could see was a blurry figure with an umbrella, walking steadily step by step toward the rented house.

"Why are you taking such good care of me..." Xiangzi murmured, pressing his palm against the cold glass. "Won't this just make it harder to pay back the debt?"

Thinking this, Xiangzi still couldn't stop the restlessness in his chest, so he could only glance blankly at the furnishings in Yanming's room, trying to distract himself.

Compared to Xiangzi's rented apartment, Yanming's apartment is much larger, but because he lives alone, it looks quite empty. Even with all the furniture, it's easy for anyone who steps into the apartment to wonder if they've accidentally drunk the shrinking potion from Alice in Wonderland.

Lifeless—that was Toyokawa Shoko's first impression of the house. It wasn't so obvious when Hiko was still there, but now that she was all alone, a feeling of loneliness suddenly welled up uncontrollably in her mind...

Even though Xiangzi himself used to live in a large house, even one far larger in size, that house didn't give people this feeling of falling into an empty void. Instead, it felt very warm and cozy because of the abundant sunlight streaming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows.