Chapter Fifty-Three: What Exactly Draws the Audience

Despite claiming she would stay to win over Sheng Ming, Xu Nuo showed no sign of urgency, spending several leisurely days at the old camp. To be precise, she spent her time both clearing out wandering zombies nearby and tending to the vegetable garden. With all the young men at the camp having departed with the army, only the three of them remained, and after some time without care, the weeds had run wild in the fields.

Lin Qisheng couldn’t fathom what Xu Nuo was thinking, nor could 007. How could she be so relaxed? Wasn’t she afraid Sheng Ming would slip away? That’s what 007 wondered, yet deep inside, the system still had an inexplicable confidence in its host.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Sheng Ming appeared before its host, visibly agitated and flustered. The scene struck 007 as oddly familiar. A quick search through its memory reminded it: hadn’t this happened before, when they were pursuing Lin Qisheng?

“Well, Young Master Sheng, I hope you’ve been well.” At that moment, Xu Nuo was lounging comfortably on a swing woven from vines, basking in the gentle sunlight, her eyes half-closed with a lazy, feline air, and her words drawn out in a languid tone.

This time, Sheng Ming didn’t come alone; he brought an impressive entourage and a stack of supplies, clearly prepared for the occasion. The old butler, all courtesy and smiles, negotiated with Gu Xingze, the nominal master of the camp, hoping they could stay for a while.

Lin Qisheng, yanking up weeds with growing frustration, muttered, “Stay? What for? Get lost already!”

Gu Xingze looked to Xu Nuo for guidance. Xu Nuo, as magnanimous as ever, said they could stay, free of charge; after all, she had lived at Sheng’s base before—this was only fair.

“Xu Nuo, how could you...?”

The camp’s main buildings were the wooden cabins that had been added later. Realizing there was no stopping them from moving in, Lin Qisheng gritted his teeth and “enthusiastically” led the butler and servants to the cabin farthest from the rest.

“Heh,” Sheng Ming sneered, “Just a brat still wet behind the ears.”

Lin Qisheng retorted, “Who are you calling a brat? Got the guts to settle this with me?”

Xu Nuo let out a lazy whistle. “The first day new members move in, and it starts with a fight.”

007 chimed in: [Host, aren’t you going to stop them? They’ll ruin the vegetable patch!]

Xu Nuo replied, “Who says so?”

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Gu Xingze darted over like the wind, saving the vegetable garden from imminent disaster.

—

With Sheng Ming’s arrival, the once-quiet camp was lively once more—mostly with Lin Qisheng and Sheng Ming bickering or coming to blows, while Gu Xingze played the silent peacemaker, and Xu Nuo watched the drama from the sidelines in idle amusement.

After what felt like the umpteenth time Gu Xingze had rescued the vegetable patch from the two sparring men, 007 couldn’t hold back any longer. [Host, don’t you think this plot is a bit off?]

The comment section chimed in: [When has the plot ever been on track?]

007 felt aggrieved: [Maybe so, but my main point is—aren’t you supposed to be doing something? Sheng Ming’s affection score hasn’t budged in days.]

Xu Nuo replied, “That may be, but there’s no need to rush.”

Such a host often sent the system’s blood pressure soaring, but as a kind, adorable system eager to help its host, 007 could only swallow its frustration. [But if the plot keeps going astray, I’m worried things will drag out and the affection score might even drop. What if I have to risk everything to cheat for you again?]

The audience protested: [Our Empress Xu is moving the plot forward by her own strength—who says it’s off-track just because it’s unconventional?]

007 was equally baffled by these viewers. This was supposed to be a romance game livestream, yet somehow, it had attracted a crowd utterly uninterested in romance. At first, it thought they’d lose interest and leave, but after a while, the audience numbers had soared to a hundred thousand.

A bizarre host who refused to follow the script, a storyline twisted by her actions, characters whose personalities she had warped, and a romance game with no actual romance—what on earth was drawing these people in?