On the sixth floor of the convalescent hospital, Ye Qianying sat by the window, where golden light streamed through the smooth, mirror-like glass, spilling generously over the layers of gauze wrapped around her face.
After a long silence, she slowly raised her hand to shield her eyes from the glaring sunlight.
The scenery before her, the warmth on her palms, everything her fingers touched—even her disfigured face and paralyzed legs—all felt unbearably real.
Three days had passed, yet Ye Qianying still found it hard to believe she had returned to the age of fifteen.
As for the reason behind her rebirth…
Ye Qianying murmured inwardly, "Just what… are you?"
This was the first time since her rebirth that she had actively tried to communicate with the voice in her head.
A synthesized electronic tone echoed in her mind: "Greetings, Host. The Learning System has completed its highest-level binding with you and is fully dedicated to serving your needs."
"Learning System?" A trace of confusion finally flickered in Ye Qianying's eyes. "Since when do language tutors offer resurrection and rebirth services? Is the market so tough these days?"
The Learning System: "…Not a language tutor, thank you."
If Ye Qianying hadn’t brought it up, the system might have let it slide. But now that she mentioned "resurrection and rebirth," it couldn’t help but ask.
"Host, why did you choose to end your life before?"
At the question, Ye Qianying’s brows furrowed as the memory surfaced—her pushing her wheelchair, inch by inch, into the sea.
She remembered the icy chill as the water rose past her chest, the bitter saltiness stinging her throat, and the last glimpse of the world she took before sinking beneath the waves.
—The golden-red dawn had broken in the east, painting the sea in brilliant vermilion, while seagulls traced white arcs across the red-and-blue streaked sky.
She had thought it was her final farewell.
Who could have guessed…
The system seemed to realize it had touched a nerve and quickly backtracked. "But fortunately, the Learning System had already bound itself to you and activated the reset function, bringing you back ten years!"
Its electronic voice even took on a cheerful lilt. "With the Learning System by your side, no one has to worry about you accidentally offing yourself again~"
Ye Qianying: "…" So it had slapped an invincibility buff on her without asking, and now it was proud of itself?
The system, ever the empath, continued, "I understand that your decision must have stemmed from deep emotional wounds. But don’t worry—now that you’re bound to the Learning System, as long as you’re willing to study hard, you’ll undoubtedly reach the pinnacle of success."
Despite being synthetic, its voice wasn’t grating—more like the pleasant chime of wind chimes.
Ye Qianying let out a self-deprecating laugh and glanced down at her motionless, useless legs, her tone laced with something unreadable.
"You really think I can still 'walk' my way to the top?"
The system’s human-emulation programming fell short here. It answered honestly, sticking to its script.
"The Learning System can help you achieve fame and glory!"
"You might not fully grasp my situation," Ye Qianying drawled.
"Entertainment reporters were hounding my mother the moment she got pregnant. My birth made headlines, and my first-month celebration was the hottest business event of the year. In other words—I’ve been in the spotlight since the day I was born."
The system fell silent for three seconds, clearly unprepared for such an unconventional rebuttal.
"Er—" It stuttered before continuing robotically, "The Learning System can help you rise in rank, amass wealth, and live in splendor."
"Let’s be real—my parents set up trust funds and bought me properties and jewelry when I was three months old. By now, I’m already sitting on a mountain of riches."
She gestured lazily around. "Take this convalescent hospital, for example. Family property. Transferred to my name when I turned eighteen."
The Learning System: "…"
This wasn’t a failure on its part—this host was just too overpowered. What kind of backstory was this?!
Its voice turned solemn, as if preparing for a serious negotiation.
"In that case, I’ll be frank. By the time the system finished loading, you no longer had vital signs. I had no choice but to activate the reset function, bringing you back to this point in time."
"Technically speaking, you no longer exist in this era."
The system’s tone grew grave. "Therefore, you must periodically pay a certain amount of points to the system as a 'survival rent.' If you fail to pay…"
"What happens if I don’t?" Ye Qianying mused. "You’ll kill me?"
The system stayed silent, as if the answer was too cruel to voice.
Yes. If she couldn’t pay… she would…
It had expected some reaction from its unflappable host. Instead, Ye Qianying’s response once again defied expectations.
"Whew—" She exhaled deeply and leaned back into her wheelchair, utterly relaxed.
The system hesitated. "Host, you—"
Ye Qianying cheerfully declared, "No need for rent. Just take me away. Right now. Hurry up."
This series of god-tier moves left the poor system utterly dumbfounded. All it could manage was a stunned, "Huh?"
Ye Qianying sighed. "I wasn’t acting on impulse. I thought it through before making that decision."
"And just when I was halfway to death, you had to go and revive me."
"Now that we’ve had this heart-to-heart, hurry up and let me die."
The system finally cracked under the sheer audacity, its flawless electronic voice fraying at the edges.
"A host like you—a request like this—I’ve never heard of such a thing!"
A shut-in girl, actively seeking death. How was it supposed to respond to that?!
At this point, the system fully understood why Ye Qianying had been so eager to throw herself into the sea.
Usually, once humans accepted its existence, they’d at least cooperate or follow its guidance.
But who knew there’d be a wildcard like Ye Qianying among them?
"Wait, Host, don’t be so quick to give up on life," the system muttered. "This is too much. Let me sort this out."
Ye Qianying was patient. "Sure. Take your time. I’ll wait."
The system silently opened its backend interface and first conducted a thorough check on the host's condition.
Generally speaking, to avoid infringing on the host's privacy, it typically only activated two functions: communication and rewards.
As for the host's physical health, mental state, brain activity, and the like, unless absolutely necessary, the learning system would never overstep its boundaries.
After all, its existence was meant to uplift the host, improve humanity, and light up more technological advancements in the world—not to become a peeping Tom.
The reason it used fame, wealth, and power to persuade the host was because humans cared most about these three things.
But since Ye Qianying didn’t care about those...
The learning system scanned Ye Qianying’s freshly generated medical report and finally found an opening.
"Host, as a cosmic-level black technology, the learning system also possesses healing and beauty-enhancing functions... Would you like to give them a try?"
At these words, Ye Qianying froze.
She instinctively pinched her thigh, but the layers of bandages muffled any sensation.
For the first time in her life, Ye Qianying felt her own voice sound strangely foreign, as if echoing from another dimension.
"Healing and... beauty enhancement?"
"Correct!" The learning system’s tone brightened instantly. "There’s a 60-second trial version. Would you like to try it?"
"Absolutely!"
The system responded cheerfully: "Great. Below, three random practice questions will be selected for you. As long as you complete them, you’ll receive the trial version!"
Ye Qianying: "???"
Hearing that she still had to solve problems, Ye Qianying snapped back to reality.
What could she say? Ever since learning of the system’s existence, this was the first time she’d been so starkly reminded that it was, indeed, a learning system—no compromises.
The next second, a glowing screen unfolded before Ye Qianying’s eyes. Under normal circumstances, she might have marveled at it, but right now, all she felt was urgent excitement.
The screen promptly displayed the first question: recite "My Cottage Unroofed by Autumn Gales." Without hesitation, Ye Qianying began writing.
The second question was even simpler—a sentence to translate from Chinese to English.
For Ye Qianying, this was child’s play. She could’ve translated it not just into English, but also French, German, Italian, or even Greek.
"Third question," the screen updated, accompanied by an image.
"In △ABC, point E lies on median BD, and ∠DAE=∠ABD. Prove: (1) AD²=DE·DB (2) ∠DEC=∠ACB."
"......"
Staring at the math problem, Ye Qianying fell into prolonged silence.
Sensing her hesitation, the learning system quickly explained, "Host, all questions are drawn from pre-high school material, matching your current age. Nothing beyond the syllabus."
Ye Qianying’s mood was complicated: "Thank you... though I’d be even more grateful if you hadn’t specified the question range."
Mathematics, how should she put it...
Never mind that Ye Qianying leaned toward the humanities—geometry alone was tricky. If it were truly everyday knowledge, the national college entrance exam wouldn’t be jokingly called the peak of many people’s intellectual lives.
Ye Qianying and the math problem engaged in a three-minute staring contest.
Finally, she decisively raised her hand... and rang the call bell by her bed.
In under thirty seconds, a gentle nurse knocked on Ye Qianying’s door.
"Miss, how may I assist you?"
Ye Qianying cut straight to the point: "What’s your highest level of education?"
The nurse answered calmly, "I hold a master’s degree in Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy from RUB University."
Ye Qianying nodded. "Are you paid daily or monthly for taking care of me?"
"Daily, miss."
"Good. There’s a math problem here. Solve it for me, and I’ll double your pay today."
The nurse immediately agreed.
In Ye Qianying’s mind, the learning system was utterly stunned.
"Host," it murmured, "generally speaking, such tasks are meant to be completed using your own abilities..."
Even if you hired a tutor to walk you through it step by step, that’d still be better than outsourcing the work!
Without batting an eye, Ye Qianying replied, "This is my ability—my superpower of wealth."
The learning system: "!!!"
This host! Not to criticize, but her methods were truly unorthodox!
