"Lalalala~" Lin Muyao hummed as she hopped her way home.
Ding!
A sudden sound echoed in Muyao's mind.
She froze in front of her family's front door, blinking in confusion. "Huh? What was that sound?"
"Congratulations, you are now bound to the Gossip Book," a robotic voice intoned inside her head.
"Huh? Gossip Book?" Muyao frowned, pushing the door open and stepping into the Lin family's villa. "What even is that…"
Before she could think further, a loud voice thundered from the staircase.
"LIN MUYAO! LOOK AT YOURSELF—WHY ARE YOU COVERED IN DIRT?!"
Her mother, Xia Xuexing, stood on the steps with her hands on her hips.
"Mom~ It was an accident, really! I'm telling the truth," Muyao said pitifully, eyes sparkling with forced sadness.
But before Xia Xuexing could scold her further, another voice suddenly echoed—
It's all Bai Yuemei's fault. If she hadn't tried to steal my hiding spot to secretly listen to Elder Xi's gossip, we wouldn't have argued. Great. Now we're both covered in dirt.
Xuexing stiffened. Huh? That… sounds like Yaoyao. But her mouth didn't move. Where is that voice coming from?
While Xia Xuexing remained frozen on the staircase, drowning in confusion, Muyao took the chance to quietly slip past her and hurry into her bedroom to wash up.
Back in Muyao's Bedroom
Muyao grabbed a clean set of clothes and went straight into the bathroom. She turned on the shower, the sound of rushing water quickly filling the space.
Warm steam rose, fogging the mirror.
She stepped under the spray with a relieved sigh. "Finally… I smell like soil."
She scrubbed at her arms, watching brown water spiral down the drain. Only then did her tense shoulders slowly relax.
Ding!
The sound rang out again.
Muyao stiffened. "It's you again?!"
'Congratulations, host. You are now successfully bound to the Gossip Book,' the emotionless voice announced.
Water continued to pour over Muyao's head. She frowned. "Didn't you already say that earlier? Are you broken or something?"
'The earlier binding was a preliminary step,' the voice replied evenly. 'For full activation, you must confirm that you would like to engage with this system.'
Muyao reached for the shampoo bottle, clearly unimpressed. "You need confirmation of what? I didn't sign any contract or anything."
'Host consent is assumed upon successful resonance,' the system said.
"...That sounds illegal."
Muyao squeezed some shampoo into her hand and started washing her hair. The bubbles formed by the shampoo flowed off her hands and down the drain.
"So what is this Gossip Book actually? If this is some type of joke on you, I'm warning you, I scream very loudly."
'There is no prank,' the system replied. 'The Gossip Book records information related to gossip, information that is hidden, overlooked, or casually spoken.'
Muyao laughed. "That's all? I was expecting something much more impressive than this."
As Muyao spoke, she remained completely unaware that she was essentially talking to herself. If anyone had peeked in at that moment, they might have thought she had just escaped from a mental hospital—fortunately, she was safely in her own bathroom, talking to herself.
Muyao froze, water dripping down her face. "I… like to gossip? That's… my whole qualification?"
'Correct,' the voice said evenly. 'You notice what others overlook. You remember what people say, even when it seems meaningless. You collect stories without realizing it.'
She blinked, then snorted through the water. "Wow. So basically… I'm a professional busybody. Fabulous. I've been training my whole life for this honor."
A pause, then the voice continued. 'Curiosity and awareness are your strengths. That is why you were chosen.'
Muyao leaned back against the wall, letting the warm water soak her hair. "Curiosity is a strength… right. Sure, I guess that explains all those times I accidentally overheard the juiciest cafeteria gossip…" She giggled to herself.
The voice hummed quietly. 'Live as you always have. The Gossip Book will appear when you need it.'
After that, the voice disappeared completely, leaving only the sound of water splashing against the tiles. No matter how much Muyao spoke, argued, or even shouted, there was no response.
When Muyao finally realized the voice had disappeared, she let out a small sigh. "Figures. It shows up, tells me I'm special because I gossip too much… and then disappears. Typical."
She shook her head and finished rinsing off, washing the last bits of dirt from her arms and legs. By the time she stepped out of the shower, wrapped in a towel, she felt almost normal again.
Her stomach growled loudly. "…Ugh, I'm so hungry. And it's already late afternoon. Breakfast is gone, lunch is gone… Guess I'll call this an early dinner."