Accidentally Sold Myself (Rebirth) - Chapter 19

19: System Update Complete

Gu Xi entered the room and saw Luo Ningshuang lying on her back on the bed, scrolling through her phone, looking not the least bit angry.

“You’re not mad anymore?” Gu Xi approached slowly, asking casually.

Luo Ningshuang glanced up at her. She wasn’t exactly angry, but after seeing Gu Xi’s Weibo post earlier, she had replied with a comment that instantly put her in a great mood. Still, she put on a stern face and said coldly, “What do you think?”

Oof, so cold. Gu Xi, chilled by her tone, didn’t know how to console her. If that was the case, it was better to just leave. “Oh, well, keep being mad then. I’ll come back when you’re over it.”

Luo Ningshuang: “…” Come back for what? To console her? If she was already over it, what was there to console?

“Come back here. Weren’t you going to comfort me? You’re just leaving like that?” Luo Ningshuang called out to stop her.

“How did you know I was here to comfort you?”

Luo Ningshuang raised an eyebrow, saying seriously, “The room’s soundproofing isn’t great.”

Gu Xi: “…”

“You don’t even seem that mad, so I’ll skip the comforting.” Gu Xi changed her mind, walking over to Luo Ningshuang’s wardrobe and pulling out an air-conditioned blanket.

As she turned around, she found Luo Ningshuang already standing at the door, leaning lazily against the frame with a sly smile. “What, do you think I’m some kind of ferocious beast? Afraid I’ll eat you?”

“No, it’s just that my sleeping habits are bad, so I’ll sleep on the couch to avoid crowding you on the bed.” Gu Xi flashed her a charming smile.

A ferocious beast? Not quite, but Gu Xi knew she herself was the real “wolf.” Since their marriage wasn’t destined to last long, it was better to keep some distance—she wanted to walk away unscathed!

Luo Ningshuang went quiet for a moment, then raised an eyebrow at Gu Xi, her tone unreadable. “It’s fine, I don’t mind. Besides, you’re my wife now. If I let you sleep on the couch alone, what would Mo Yuze and Lan Qingxue think of me, hmm?”

That made sense. To outsiders, it might look like Luo Ningshuang was cold and uncaring.

Ever-considerate, Gu Xi relented. “Alright, I won’t sleep on the couch.”

She tossed the air-conditioned blanket onto the bed, then rummaged through the wardrobe again, pulling out the only quilt available and spreading it on the floor. “Ugh, how come a big-shot CEO like you has so few blankets?”

Luo Ningshuang’s eyes narrowed coldly. Oh, great—she was making a bed on the floor right in front of her. With a cold laugh, she said, “Hmph, it’s just me here. Why would I need so many blankets?”

“Fine, this’ll do. I’m going to shower.” Gu Xi ignored her icy tone, grabbed some clean clothes, and headed to the bathroom.

Gu Xi wasn’t about to let herself get tangled up with Luo Ningshuang again. She knew her own sleeping habits were a disaster—downright embarrassing. Sleeping on the floor kept her at a safe distance from Luo Ningshuang while ensuring her own safety. Two birds, one stone.

Humming happily to herself, Gu Xi’s cheerful tune was crystal clear to Luo Ningshuang outside. Her face turned frosty, and she muttered coldly, “Oh, you’re in a great mood, huh, Gu Xi? Not only do you leave me out of your plans, but you also refuse to share a bed with me. Bet you’re thrilled!”

Luo Ningshuang’s eyes flickered with a cold smile before she turned and left the room.

Gu Xi showered quickly. As she stepped out of the bathroom, she glanced at the skincare products on the counter and, without hesitation, grabbed the toner, splashing a generous amount onto her face with a couple of loud slaps.

Her face looked a bit greasy, and she wasn’t pleased. Fanning her face with her hand, she waited a while, but it still felt oily. “Ugh, whatever. It’s probably absorbed enough. I’ll wash it off.”

When Gu Xi came out, Luo Ningshuang said innocently, “Sorry, I accidentally got your floor bedding all wet.”

What? Gu Xi rushed over and saw that the quilt was indeed soaked and unusable. She glared at Luo Ningshuang. “How did this happen? You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Hmph, why would I do that on purpose? I was thirsty and went downstairs to get a glass of water. I didn’t notice your little floor setup and tripped over it. It’s not my fault—my room’s never had a floor bed before.” Luo Ningshuang’s innocent expression, paired with her striking features, was disarming, making it hard to stay mad.

Gu Xi sighed in defeat. “Fine, what about the quilt now?”

“Just leave it there. Aunt Lan will take care of it.” Seeing Gu Xi calm down and unlikely to cause more trouble, Luo Ningshuang turned and headed to the bathroom. In that fleeting moment, a triumphant glint flashed in her eyes.

Gu Xi logged into Weibo to see if Luo Ningshuang had responded to her post. As soon as she went online, her eyes widened.
LSBossShuang @LazyDog: We don’t know each other, our relationship is purely innocent.

—Whoa, the goddess who never goes online posted twice today and says it’s innocent? I’ll eat my keyboard if that’s true.
—Agreed, this is “innocent”? Who’re you kidding!
—Poor goddess’s wife. Wonder if she’s seen Boss Shuang’s Weibo.
—Hey, is something wrong with your morals? Boss Shuang is cheating again, and no one’s calling her out?
—…As if! Beauty is justice. Besides, I wouldn’t dare.
—Me neither…

Gu Xi couldn’t figure out what Luo Ningshuang was up to. Was she really planning to cheat and flirt with her, a small-time author?

“No way, that’s ridiculous!” Gu Xi shook her head, laughing at herself. She logged into Jinjiang and saw that her article wasn’t getting many votes anymore, which was a relief.

But the comment section was still a mess, filled with people speculating about her and Luo Ningshuang. The more she scrolled, the more speechless she became. Not a single person criticized Luo Ningshuang—not even her own fans, who seemed to have jumped ship to support the “LazyDog x BossShuang” ship.

Her eyelids grew heavier…

By the time Luo Ningshuang came out of the shower, Gu Xi was already fast asleep. Seeing her sleeping posture, Luo Ningshuang grimaced. “Tch, your sleeping posture is something else.”

She took the phone from Gu Xi’s hand, adjusted the time, and placed it on the nightstand. Shaking her head, she pinched Gu Xi’s cheek. “Little money-grubber, are you just naive or plain careless? Your phone’s full of personal stuff, and you still haven’t set a password?”

She adjusted Gu Xi’s sleeping position, tucked her in, and, to avoid another blanket tug-of-war, hugged her from behind as they slept.

Leaning up slightly, Luo Ningshuang brushed Gu Xi’s hair behind her ear, gazing at her soft profile with a gentle look. “Goodnight, my little money-grubber.”

The Next Day!

Gu Xi was woken by a beep. Luo Ningshuang was already gone.

Yawning, Gu Xi lingered in bed, reluctant to get up.

Beep. Another sound. Thinking her ears were playing tricks, she rubbed them. “Weird, what’s that noise? Wait, how long did I sleep?”

As she reached for her phone to check the time, she heard: System rebooting… Update complete. Extracting Author Ji’s data. Task progress…

“Holy—! The system upgrade is this cool?” Gu Xi said excitedly.

Jinjiang system update complete. Now scanning Author Ji’s task progress and luck points.

Main Quest: “Increase Popularity”
Progress: Ongoing (Accumulated Reward: 11 points)

Side Quest: “Activate Weibo”
Progress: Completed (Reward: 1 point)

Side Quest: “Sign with an Actor”
Progress: Not Completed (Reward: 10 points)

Total Luck Points: 13/100

Scanning Author Ji’s character attributes:

Intelligence: Concerning (35/100)
Strength: ?? (Unknown)
Stamina: Passable (45/100)
Charisma: Decent (60/100)

Overall Evaluation: The revolution has not yet succeeded; Author Ji still needs to work hard.

Opening Store Interface: Items, Weapons, Special Skills, Special Techniques.

Gu Xi hadn’t expected the system upgrade to bring so many surprises. Looking at the character attributes and store interface floating before her, she muttered, “Stamina, fine, but why is my intelligence ‘concerning’? And what’s with this strength thing?”

Jinjiang system scanning Author Ji’s language… Scan complete. To ensure a friendly experience, the system will activate AI.

Ding~ Author Ji’s strength is unknown, so it cannot be scanned.

“Wait, you can answer my questions now? Awesome! Tell me, what’s the deal with my rebirth?” Gu Xi voiced her long-standing confusion.

Ding~ Replying to Author Ji: The Jinjiang system was created by the Main God. As it was newly developed, the first batch of testers was selected to ensure a better experience for future users.

“What? How many people were chosen for this first batch?” Gu Xi asked.

Ding~ Only Author Ji. The current Jinjiang system is version v.0.0.01, closed beta.

Gu Xi: “…” So, she was the first guinea pig? Fine, whatever. She should probably thank this Main God for her rebirth.

“Is the Main God an actual god? What do you guys gain from making people reborn?” Gu Xi pressed.

Ding~ System unknown. The Main God is entirely mysterious. Author Ji is lucky not to have been chosen for the Main God Space, where revival requires surviving brutal challenges. Out of tens of thousands, only a few have survived. As for benefits, the Main God gains Willpower Points.

The more Gu Xi heard, the less she understood. “Sounds like an infinite flow novel.”

Ding~ Author Ji can think of it that way.

Gu Xi continued, “Are those people in other spaces or worlds?”

Ding~ Yes, only the chosen can enter the Main God Space. Author Ji should focus on completing tasks.

Was that a hint to stop asking? Fine. “How do I open the store?”

Ding~ Author Ji can open it by focusing mentally. Friendly reminder: Don’t speak aloud when talking to the system; it can detect your thoughts.

Gu Xi nodded, focused, and opened the panel. But the store was empty. “System, where’s the stuff?”

Ding~ The system is still optimizing. The store isn’t fully online yet; this is just a preview. The next update will include the store.

“Alright, can I improve these character attributes?” If she could, she’d max them all out to 100 and be unstoppable.

Ding~ Unknown. The system will report this to the Main God.

Fine. Gu Xi was about to dig deeper into the system when she suddenly slapped her forehead. “Oh no, I’m going to be late!”

She jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom to get ready, but the system chimed again: Ding~ Friendly reminder: Author Ji’s intelligence is indeed concerning. Today is Saturday; you don’t have work.

Gu Xi: “…” Was the system mocking her? She was fuming!