Chapter 3: Returning to Seize the Family Fortune

The entire family fortune was about to be snatched away by some nobody who’d appeared out of nowhere—how could anyone tolerate that? Absolutely not! Rolling up her sleeves, Chao Xu prodded the dazed ball of fluff on her shoulder, a hint of menace flickering between her brows. “Fluffball, get up. It’s time for us to go home.”

“Huh? Host, what did you just say?”

The little ball was still dizzy and had no idea what was happening. By the time it came to its senses, it felt a sudden loss of gravity. Chao Xu, taking it with her, vaulted over the wall in one leap, then stood in the middle of the road and forcibly flagged down a car.

The driver had been planning to head home after his shift, but was suddenly stopped in the street, irritation rising in his chest. As he rolled down the window, about to unleash a tirade, Chao Xu leaned in, her pitch-black, unreflective eyes gazing at him with grave sincerity.

“I was abandoned here and can’t get home. Uncle, could you take me back? I’ll pay for the ride, but… it’ll have to be an IOU,” she added, patting her flat pockets after a pause.

Swallowing hard, the driver, who’d been ready to curse, nearly bit his own tongue when he saw her clearly. At the same time, his legs, shrouded in shadow beneath him, began to tremble uncontrollably.

He’d heard stories—more than one person had died at Z Middle School, a place infamous for its heavy yin energy, but he’d never taken it seriously. Yet now, he realized he’d genuinely encountered a ghost.

The girl before him had mud smeared across her face, a dried blood hole in her chest, and an undeniable air of chilling coldness enveloping her whole being. If this wasn’t a ghost, what was?

Seeing the driver staring wide-eyed and speechless, Chao Xu knocked on the window again. “Can you take me home?” If not, she’d just find another car.

The man shivered for a long while. When Chao Xu spoke again, he thought she was about to get angry. Instantly jolted awake, he fumbled to open the door, stammering, “Please, get in the car. Where—no, ma’am, where do you want to go?”

Fastening her seatbelt obediently, Chao Xu sat in the back and pondered for a moment. “I want to go to the Chao family estate in the Imperial Capital.”

Chao family? Wasn’t that the family whose sole heir had just died a few days ago, whose funeral had been held only yesterday, and whose assets were about to change hands today?

Confused, but not daring to question further, the driver—never having dealt with a ghost before—decided the safest course was to comply, lest he anger a vengeful spirit and suffer the consequences.

Driving with unprecedented caution, he delivered Chao Xu to the Chao residence without incident, then hurriedly invited her out without even collecting the IOU, fleeing in terror.

Holding the IOU she’d just written, Chao Xu felt a bit stifled. “Why didn’t he take the IOU? Does he dislike my handwriting?”

Fluffball, which had watched the driver’s trembling legs throughout the journey, cast a silent glance at its host, who looked as intimidating as a specter from a horror film, and chose to hold its tongue.

“Maybe that uncle simply wanted to do a good deed anonymously,” it ventured.

Chao Xu took this at face value and sighed with heartfelt sincerity, “There really are good people in this world.”

“If you’re happy, that’s all that matters, miss.”

“Should we go in? I’m a bit hungry,” Chao Xu said, gazing at the brightly lit Chao residence and rubbing her stomach, which had been rumbling for days. Her expression was tinged with grievance. Damn it, no one ever told her that the dead could get hungry too.

“Wait, miss!” Fluffball suddenly spoke up. “I think I forgot to mention: before you enter the world and start your mission, you need to choose a basic route. Without choosing, you can’t proceed with the mission.”

Chao Xu tilted her head in confusion. “But didn’t you lose your connection to the main system? How do you still have this?”

Fluffball puffed out its tiny chest with pride. “I reconnected! Am I awesome or what, miss?”

Chao Xu: ...

Unwilling to humor this foolish creature, Chao Xu made to walk away.

But Fluffball clung to her again. “Host, listen! You must choose a mission route. One is the protagonist route: with the protagonist’s halo and the aura of a saint, you can inspire the world, attract followers, and ascend to the pinnacle of life.

The other is the villain route: you gain mission points by slapping faces and can build your own power, but this path is much harder than the first. The choice is entirely yours—I won’t interfere.”

Fluffball outlined the pros and cons, waiting for Chao Xu’s decision. Based on its first impression of its host—amnesiac and powerless—it figured she’d pick the first route. With the protagonist’s and saint’s auras, she’d be loved by all, idolized and exalted effortlessly. The villain’s path, by contrast, meant struggling alone; win and you rule the world, lose and you’re trampled underfoot—a pariah to all.

Any intelligent being would see which was easier.

This wasn’t just Fluffball’s opinion; nearly ninety-nine percent of hosts in the department chose the first route. It thought Chao Xu would be no exception.

But Chao Xu responded with a nonchalant “Oh,” and, without hesitation, tapped the villain route.

Decisive and swift, she showed no sign of reluctance. By the time Fluffball processed what had happened, the villain template was already loading in its backend.

“No, no, no—!” Fluffball wailed in despair. “Host, do you realize what you’ve done? The villain route is full of dangers! No one will protect you, and dying unnoticed along the way is entirely possible!”

Yes, it had said the choice was hers, but it never imagined Chao Xu would actually pick the path of self-destruction!

Gazing dumbfounded at the task board, Fluffball saw nothing but darkness ahead, already picturing a hundred ways the main system might kill it for this.

Chao Xu glanced at it, spreading her hands innocently. “You said the choice was mine. I happen to like a challenge.”

“Do you know what they say about curiosity killing the cat? This isn’t the kind of challenge you want—people really die from it!”

“So be it. I’m not afraid,” Chao Xu replied with a lazy shrug, her attitude both casual and infuriating.

But I am! Fluffball wanted to howl, but before it could, the villain tasks popped up.

“Mission One: Reclaim the Chao family estate and ruthlessly teach those scoundrels a lesson. Reward: 100 points.”

At last, Chao Xu’s face betrayed a hint of emotion. Simple and direct—this was just her style.

Hoisting the grey-faced Fluffball, she drawled, “Come on, let’s go have a nice ‘chat’ with those who think they can take the Chao family from me.”

Fluffball: ...

“If you’re happy, that’s all that matters, host.”

Meanwhile, in the grand hall of the Chao residence, the atmosphere was one of revelry and celebration. Nobles dressed in understated luxury mingled with fine wine and laughter, as if they’d already forgotten that the Chao family’s young lady had been laid to rest only yesterday.

Such is the way of the aristocracy—all manner of filth and decay carefully hidden beneath the ornate façade of prosperity.