The system very seriously stated that the onlookers were an extremely important thread running throughout the entire story, having a significant influence on the emotional development and direction of the male and female leads.
"Really?"
"Really!" The system spoke with deep sincerity. "So, you must complete your tasks properly."
"Forget it, forget it. Onlooker it is then," Zhu Yaya casually waved her hand. "Then what's the deal with the aunt watching dramas in the living room? Is she my mom? Why doesn't she look like my real mom?"
"It's like this. To provide you with the best transmigration experience and for the reasonable development of the plot, our company has perfected your family and other information in this derivative world based on your personal circumstances. Would you like to open your information panel?"
"Open it."
"Okay."
After a moment, a transparent information panel materialized in front of Zhu Yaya. It read:
Name: Zhu Yaya
Gender: Female
Age: 15 years old (a freshman who just entered high school)
Identity: Onlooker
Family: Moderately well-off family. Father: Zhu Jianjun, 40, Chinese, ordinary police officer at the West District Police Station in the Imperial Capital. Mother: Zhao Yan, 38, Chinese, Head Nurse at the Imperial Capital Third People's Hospital. Home address: Room 401, Jinlai Garden Community, South District, Imperial Capital.
School: Previously attended Red Scarf Elementary School and Hongxing Middle School Junior Division. Later, with excellent grades, tested into the Imperial Capital's top-ranked public-private partnership high school — Scott Advanced High School, Class 1-1 (same school as the male and female leads).
………
The information on the panel was very detailed, with a one-inch photo pasted in the upper left corner. It was a picture of Zhu Yaya being struck by a flowerpot and falling to the ground.
Zhu Yaya: Hmph, this damn system.
Zhu Yaya, who had lived alone since her parents' divorce, remarked: "Why not give me a character setting with both parents deceased? Wouldn't that be more convenient?"
"Please face your identity squarely. Having both parents deceased is standard for protagonists."
Zhu Yaya: ……… Hmph hmph hmph.
So, following novel tropes, her previous life with divorced parents also made her a protagonist?
Just as Zhu Yaya was carefully reading the information panel, the door to her room was suddenly pushed open. A slightly overweight middle-aged man, wearing a pink apron, holding a kitchen knife, and carrying a bloody plastic bag, stood there with a sweet-to-the-point-of-horrifying smile on his face.
Zhu Yaya: !!!
Who is this?!
"Yabao, sorry, Dad got back late. You must be starving, right? Hold on a little longer, wait for Dad, okay? I bought a chicken. I'm going to make your favorite crispy fried chicken nuggets and sour-spicy shredded chicken."
Zhu Yaya silently wiped away a cold sweat. That scared her to death. So it was her never-before-seen old father. She replied with a trembling "Okay."
"Oh, right," Zhu Yaya pointed at the information panel in front of her and tentatively asked, "Dad, do you see anything?"
"Nothing at all," Zhu Jianjun was puzzled for a moment before having a sudden realization. He cleared his throat and said softly, "I see an even more beautiful and moving Yabao."
Zhu Yaya: ………
This dad is really an honest, good man!
"Then Dad will go cook now." Zhu Jianjun casually closed the door and left.
"Please rest assured. In this world, aside from you, no one can see your personal information panel, and no one can discover my existence," the system added.
"That puts my mind at ease. So, no one will notice this body has been swapped for a different person?"
"You're just an onlooker. No one will pay attention to you."
Zhu Yaya: Pfft →_→
Zhu Yaya lay on her bed, flipping through her phone to learn about this world. It wasn't too different from her previous world, except the richest person had changed. However, the Imperial Capital was divided into four districts based on economic level and environmental conditions. The North and East Districts were where big shots from all walks of life gathered. The Scott Advanced High School she and the male/female leads attended was in the East District. The South District was where ordinary, moderately well-off citizens lived. The West District was the old city area, home to out-of-towners, older generations unwilling to relocate, and people from poor families. Therefore, the environment and public safety there weren't very good.
The female lead, Xu Chun, followed the Cinderella trope with both parents deceased. She lived with her uncle's family in the West District. Because she saved the grandfather of the male supporting character, Ling Yiming. Grandpa Hua was moved by Xu Chun's excellent grades and kind character and, at her earnest request, arranged for her to transfer into Scott Advanced High School, Class 17-2. The male lead, Murong Beichen, and the male supporting character, Ling Yiming, were in that class.
Don't ask why a wealthy old man in poor health would go alone to the chaotic West District, and just happen to be knocked down by a motorcycle and discovered by the female lead, or how the frail female lead could carry him to a hospital in the South District. That's the power of plot and protagonist halo.
"Wait," Zhu Yaya suddenly sat up from the bed.
She still remembered the beginning of the novel—
"Carrying a pursuit of love and a longing for dreams, at 8 AM on October 9th, Xu Chun stepped through the gates of Scott Advanced High School, treading on a ground covered in golden fallen leaves."
October 9th? Wasn't that the day she started school the day after tomorrow?
"Congratulations on successfully discovering your first onlooker task. Please proceed to Scott Advanced High School, Class 17-2, at 9:10 AM on October 9th. When the female lead introduces herself, exclaim 'This girl is so pretty!' to startle the male lead who is sleeping with his head down. Witness the first meeting of the male and female leads and be an onlooker." The system, silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up.
After hearing this, Zhu Yaya's first reaction was actually touched. She, a mere onlooker, actually had a line.
"Why give me a line with a speaking part?"
"Because the original text didn't specify which character said it, so it was automatically assigned to the onlookers."
Zhu Yaya rolled her eyes in an adorable way. She complained discontentedly, "Why aren't you like other systems, proactively telling me about tasks?"
"Because the time divisions in the novel 'The Domineering Him, The Pure Love' aren't very clear. Therefore, subsequent tasks require you to personally explore and trigger onlooker missions."
"What happens if I don't complete the tasks?"
"Ah, right. I forgot to notify you," the system's voice changed from a deep Li Zeyan tone to a cold, mechanical one. "Your lifespan in this world is only three years. If you do not actively complete tasks, you will die three years from now. If you successfully complete a task, you will not only be rewarded with 20,000 RMB but will also be gifted a certain amount of additional lifespan."
Zhu Yaya was stunned for a moment.
Death. People are always afraid of death. She was no exception. She had just escaped the shackles of the college entrance exam and was looking forward to her future life with anticipation when she was unexpectedly taken from the world. How unfair. She hadn't even eaten her way through all of China's delicacies yet! She hadn't seen the "Mirror of the Sky" she had been longing for!
"I will complete the tasks," she said firmly, her eyes slightly closing.
As soon as the words left her mouth, she heard Zhu Jianjun calling out: "Honey, Yabao, dinner's ready!"
"Coming right away!" she responded loudly.
She placed 'The Domineering Him, The Pure Love' and her phone under her pillow, took a moment to recompose herself, and walked out of the room.
