Liz's POV
When I heard this, I couldn't help but feel sad, but at least my parents had someone to take care of them in their old age. They wouldn't have to suffer the pain of white-haired people burying black-haired ones.
"What's going on? Am I really from this world?"
"Yes, you are from this world."
"When you were bound to me, your soul was scattered, so our childbearing mission never worked. Later I asked the main system to investigate and found out you didn't belong there. Your soul stayed in that world for 28 years. Any longer and it would have completely vanished. So, I brought you back here."
I finally understood. Things had reached this point, and I couldn't go back. I could only accept reality.
"System Chlo.8, how can I live in this time period?"
In my past life, I was a pampered rich daughter. I never lifted a finger, and my life was full of comfort. My grandparents and parents were all famous psychologists, and as the only daughter, I was deeply loved.
But now that I was back in this world, I really didn't know how to live well.
"Host, this body is also you. Do you think you'll be hardworking? No matter what world you're in, you're always lazy. You don't have to worry about being exposed."
"....."
When I heard that this body had also never worked, I immediately felt relieved. Then I suddenly thought of something and quickly sat up.
"System Chlo.8, did you bring the things from my past life?"
This was a childbearing system that bonded with me when I was twenty. But even after eight years, I had never even held a man's hand, let alone had a child. Luckily, the main system was lenient, or else my system would have been punished long ago.
"I brought them. I knew you couldn't handle any hardship."
For the first time, the mechanical voice of System Chlo.8 carried some resentment. It was a childbearing system, yet I used it like a storage warehouse. From the start, I learned it could store things, so I loved to hoard and dump them inside. Bringing over more than twenty storage units of goods took a lot of effort.
"That's good, that's good."
I finally felt reassured. Thanks to my love of hoarding and my family's wealth in my past life, I had stocked up for eight years. With all those supplies, I could live without worrying about food or clothing for decades in this world.
"Host, don't forget your mission."
I immediately closed my eyes, pretending to rest and ignoring it. System Chlo.8 instantly grew restless.
"If you don't have children soon, I'll be laughed at by the Pooping System next door!"
"You even have a Pooping System?"
"Yes. Whenever the host poops, there's a reward."
I felt jealous. Why didn't I get such a good system? If pooping gave rewards, I could get them every day.
"Host, as long as you get pregnant, you'll also get daily rewards during pregnancy. They're much better than the Pooping System's. After you give birth, there's even a grand prize. You just need to give birth. I'll take care of the rest."
I immediately stopped pretending, sat up, and hurriedly asked, "Why didn't you say this earlier?"
"Didn't I?"
"When did you ever say that?"
System Chlo.8 blinked mechanically in its system space, then casually replied, "Oh, you're my first host. I'm not very skilled yet. I'll go read the childbearing system manual later."
"....."
So my system was inexperienced?
"Besides, in your past life you couldn't give birth anyway, so why would I say anything?"
"You're back in your body now, so you can have children."
I didn't bother arguing with it. System Chlo.8 quickly reminded me of the mission: "Host, the targets have already appeared."
"Who?" I asked.
"Two men."
"Huh???"
My eyes widened in disbelief. Wait… isn't this kind of bad?
But since it was a mission, I could accept it. After all, life is short, why not enjoy it? If I enjoyed two men instead of one, was that really a problem?
"Host, I am a moral system."
"It's about choosing one of the two to marry and have children with, not both."
The smile on my face instantly faded. Why didn't it say so earlier? I wouldn't have gotten so excited.
"I know that…"
"Then why are you blushing?"
"I'm not."
System Chlo.8 silently rolled its eyes at my flushed face. Not blushing? I looked as red as a monkey's backside.
"So, who are they?" I asked again.
"You'll know when they arrive."
"Right now, your main task is to avoid being sent to the countryside."
Once I heard that, I forgot about the men completely. My situation was dangerous. In this era, going to the countryside might mean not surviving long enough to return.
"Is this world's history the same as the last one?"
"Almost the same."
I understood immediately. I could not go. Even if I hadn't lived through this time myself, my parents and elders had often told me stories about it.
People who were sent away rarely had the chance to return. Even those who earned their way back by getting into a university often had their acceptance letters stolen.
Many who had already married in the countryside had their letters destroyed by in-laws who feared they'd leave and never come back.
Such cases were common. Many people either died or went insane because of it.
I knew myself well. I was educated and understood psychology, but I lacked real-life experience.
If I was sent away, wouldn't I be torn apart alive?
I was lost in thought when my mother came upstairs with a bowl of millet porridge, knocking on my door. That pulled me back to reality.
"Liz, are you awake?"
"I'm awake."
My mother opened the door after hearing my voice. Seeing my face looking a little better than before, she finally felt some relief.
"Liz, you just recovered from a fever. Eat some millet porridge to build your strength."
"Are you still feeling unwell anywhere?"
Her voice was full of care and love. It was the first time I carefully looked at my family.
Maybe it was because of blood ties or my soul merging with the body, but I felt a natural sense of dependence on her.
"Mom, I'm fine now."
"You were burning up all night. Your father and I were so worried."
Her eyes turned red as she spoke. At work, she was a tough, decisive woman, but in front of her children, she was just a mother.
Seeing her like that, I quickly tried to comfort her: "Mom, I'm really fine. Don't cry."
"I'm not crying. You must be seeing things."
She turned her head, pressing lightly at the corner of her eyes before quickly regaining her usual expression.
"You've always been weak since you were little."
"When you got sick this time, your dad and I were scared to death."
My mother's voice was full of worry. Since I was little, my body had always been weaker than other children. At first, my parents had planned to take me with them to M country, since medical care there was better.
But my grandparents didn't agree. They couldn't bear to let me go far away.
Besides, my parents were busy with work and might not take good care of me. And since my grandmother was a surgeon, staying with them meant I could still receive proper care.
So after some discussion, the family decided to keep me at home.
Over the years, with my grandparents' careful attention, my health improved a lot. But the weakness I was born with still affected me.
If I didn't get sick, I was fine. But once I fell ill, it could easily become serious.
Listening to my mother's words, I understood. It must have been because a part of my soul had been outside before, which made my body weaker than normal.
But now that my soul had returned, my health would not be as fragile as before.
"Mom, I'm really fine."
"See? I'm doing well, aren't I?"
"If Dad sees you crying, he'll think I bullied you."
My mother glared at me when she heard this. She was a classic beauty with elegant features, gentle and dignified.
From her clothes, it was clear she valued quality in life. Even though she only wore a simple white dress, on her wrist she wore a watch with a brown leather strap that completed her outfit perfectly.
Although she was already middle-aged, time had only added more charm to her and had not taken away her beauty.
"You and your sharp tongue."
She picked up the millet porridge and fed me. While eating, I looked around the room.
The layout was simple. Against the wall stood a wardrobe and a dressing table, with two jars of snow cream and lip balm on it.
The bed I was lying on had a soft mattress, and there was a nightstand beside it.
By the window stood another dressing table. When the window was opened, I could see the tall trees outside. Each season, the view was like a painting.
Haishi was full of narrow alleys and small Western-style houses. The architecture looked European.
In the past, Haishi had been famous for foreign trade. Banks, securities, and trading companies were its main industries.
My family lived in a government compound. Because of my parents' high positions, they were assigned their own small Western-style house.
The first floor had the living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, and guest room. The second floor had four bedrooms and another bathroom.
Those four rooms belonged to me, my two brothers, and my parents. But since my brothers were busy with their own work, it was usually just me and my parents at home.
I was the only granddaughter in my generation of the Xu family, so my life had always been very comfortable.
My parents never neglected me because I was a girl. On the contrary, they often felt guilty for missing parts of my childhood because of work.
From my grandparents down to the younger cousins, everyone was patient and kind toward me, their fragile and spoiled little one.
"Rest well for now. I'll call you when dinner is ready."
"Okay."
My mother helped me lie down again. After she left, I finally had the chance to go to the dressing table and look at myself.
The girl in the mirror had a classic oval face, inheriting my mother's elegant beauty.
My skin was fair, my hair black and shiny, and my eyes clear and full of spirit. They showed purity and kindness.
My whole appearance gave off an air of innocence, softness, and grace, untouched by the world.
I was a girl who had been pampered and cared for since childhood, never experiencing real hardships.
"Host, you really are lucky."
System Chlo.8 suddenly said this, and I had to admit it was true.
Whether in this world or in my past life, I was born into a good family. My family was harmonious, my parents loved each other, and I never had to worry about food or clothing.
"Of course, I'm your host."
"Yes, yes, but my host, you must solve the problem of being sent to the countryside. Otherwise, I'll die of embarrassment!"
It had never seen any other system that had been bound to a host for eight years without the mission being completed. Not only was it incomplete, but even starting it seemed like a problem.
"Don't worry. I definitely won't go to the countryside."
System Chlo.8 had no doubt in trusting me. After all, half of my spoiled and delicate nature was the result of its own indulgence.
I opened the drawer of the desk and looked inside. There were two psychology books, some envelopes, writing paper, and a fountain pen.
There was also a metal box. Inside it was money and ration tickets. I counted and found there was actually 200 yuan.
In the wardrobe, the clothes hanging were the newest styles of dresses and outfits. Of course, there were also a few plain sets meant for wearing at home.
On the nightstand beside the bed was a wristwatch. The style was the same as the one my mother wore, likely bought as a pair.
After checking everything in the room, I lay down and slept for a while. When it was dinnertime, my mother knocked on my door.
"Liz, it's time to eat."
I woke up groggily, put on my shoes, and opened the door. Then I leaned against my mother.
"Mom, I'm so sleepy."
Hearing my soft, sweet voice, my mother's heart instantly melted. She reached out and poked me on the forehead.
"Sleepy or not, you still need to eat. You can sleep after dinner."
"Okay."
I obediently followed my mother downstairs. She held my arm with a smile, and such gestures between us happened often in daily life.
When my father saw me and my mother coming downstairs, he went to the kitchen to bring out the dishes.
"Dad."
"Mm, you're awake?"
My father had a refined appearance. Although he was usually strict and valued discipline, he doted endlessly on me.
My father and mother had been each other's first loves. Both had studied abroad and were university classmates.
Later, they fell in love freely, both of them being romantics. I resembled my mother by about sixty percent.
I was also the only girl of my generation in the Xu family, so naturally my father spoiled me.
Compared to me, who looked like my mother, my two brothers who resembled my father were not so fortunate.
My father had always been strict with his sons, though he was fair with rewards and punishments. Even now that both my brothers had their own families, his authority remained strong.
"You're awake. Dad cooked something delicious."
"What did you make?"
"Your favorite soup dumplings, the ones you and your mom like."
I went to help carry the dishes, but my mother quickly stopped me and told me to sit down and rest.
"You sit here and rest properly."