Zhong Li burst into the side room, slammed the door shut, and only then dared to let go of the hand clutching his stomach. In truth, his stomachache wasn't from eating the spoiled rice at all—he'd long since poured Eunuch Liu's "spiked spoiled rice" into the dog hole in the backyard. What he'd eaten earlier was just ordinary spoiled rice, slightly rotten at worst, nothing that would cause such agony. He was just faking illness, desperate to hide in the side room and confront the system.
"System, can you check Ying Zheng's trust level in me?" Zhong Li asked mentally, a hint of anticipation in his tone. Today, he'd brought hot meals, eaten spoiled rice, and endured Eunuch Liu's harassment—surely that deserved some increase in trust?
[Host, this system does not provide data such as trust levels or favorability scores~ You'll have to judge those for yourself~] The system's mechanical voice carried a rather annoying lilt.
"Garbage system! What's the point of you?" Zhong Li couldn't help but curse inwardly. Right now, the thing he needed most was to know if his efforts were paying off, but this system was utterly useless when it came to any real help.
[Host, that's not a fair thing to say~] The system's voice suddenly turned cheerful. [This system's primary function is to help you restore your body. Isn't regaining your vitality important? Have you forgotten about your 19 centimeters in your past life?]
Listening to this, Zhong Li could swear he detected a hint of disdainful mockery in the mechanical tone. His face darkened instantly: "I don't need you to remind me of that!"
[Host, don't you want to know how much your body has recovered after half a day of effort today?] The system deliberately paused, its tone laced with temptation. [If you don't want to know, I'll just not record the growth value, you know~]
Zhong Li's anger vanished in an instant. His tone softened immediately, even taking on a conciliatory note: "Good system, I was wrong, okay? You're the best system in the world—hurry up and tell me how much it grew!"
[Hmph, that's more like it.] The system let out a haughty huff. The next second, a soft "beep" sounded in Zhong Li's mind. [[Body Recovery Value: +3mm]. Enjoy your progress, Host~]
"What? 3mm?" Zhong Li was stunned, almost jumping to his feet. "After all that trouble, it only grew 3mm? How big is that even? Barely the width of a mung bean!" In his past life, he'd been proud of his 19 centimeters—this 3mm was practically nonexistent in comparison.
[Host, you should look on the bright side~] The system's voice dripped with schadenfreude. [At least it's starting to grow now, which is better than staying at 0 forever, right? Isn't that something to celebrate?]
"Celebrate my ass!" Zhong Li was so angry he nearly kicked the door. "What kind of sin did I commit to deserve this punishment? In my past life, I was a law-abiding young man—I didn't steal, I didn't rob, and my business even created jobs. Why did I have to transmigrate into a eunuch?"
He ranted for a while before gradually calming down. It was what it was—3mm was better than nothing. He bent down, craning his neck to check his "progress." Curiosity got the better of him, and he couldn't help but reach down with his right hand to adjust it, wanting a clearer look.
But just then, the door to the side room creaked open. Zhong Li's head snapped up, and there stood Ying Zheng, his eyes wide as saucers, his face frozen in shock, his gaze fixed straight on Zhong Li's hand.
"Y-Y-Your Highness?" Zhong Li's mind went completely blank. His hand froze mid-movement, and he stood there, dumbfounded.
Ying Zheng finally snapped back to his senses. His face flushed bright red, even the tips of his ears tinged crimson. He spun around abruptly, slamming the door shut with a "bang," his voice trembling: "I-I thought you'd fainted and wanted to check on you… I never thought you'd have… have that kind of hobby! Y-You take your time, I'll wait outside!"
"Hobby? What hobby?" Zhong Li froze for a few seconds before realizing what Ying Zheng had seen. He glanced down at his hand, then recalled Ying Zheng's gaze—his face exploded into a shade of red like a boiled shrimp. He quickly pulled his hand back, fumbling to straighten his clothes, but his fingers were shaking so much he even tied his belt incorrectly.
Outside the door, Ying Zheng leaned against the wall, his heart thudding wildly. His mind was flooded with the image he'd just seen. He'd never imagined that this seemingly honest young eunuch would have such… such a private hobby. The phrase "you can't judge a book by its cover" repeated over and over in his mind, making his face redden even more.
Inside the side room, Zhong Li wanted to cry but had no tears. Why was he so unlucky? He'd finally managed to ease the tension between himself and Ying Zheng, and now this embarrassing fiasco had happened. Should he go out, or stay hidden inside forever?
[Hahaha! Host, this embarrassing moment is absolutely priceless!] The system's laughter exploded in his mind. [It's only 3mm—what's there to "play" with? Want me to add another 1mm so you can make it 4mm?]
"Shut up!" Zhong Li was so angry he wanted to yank the system out of his head and beat it up. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to compose his emotions, then mustered up the courage to reach for the door—you can run from one disaster, but not the next; he couldn't hide in the side room forever.
As soon as he pulled the door open a crack, he locked eyes with Ying Zheng, who hadn't had time to look away. Their gazes met, and the air froze instantly. Zhong Li's face turned red again, and he quickly lowered his head: "Y-Your Highness, I…"
Ying Zheng cleared his throat awkwardly, looking away. His voice sounded unnatural: "I-It's nothing. N-Now that you're better, let's go. I-I'll go check the courtyard." With that, he turned and walked away, his steps so fast it looked like he was fleeing.
Zhong Li watched his retreating figure, feeling a mix of embarrassment and helplessness. He'd never imagined that his "journey of self-rescue" would be filled with such absurd twists and turns.