The sweet potato porridge was surprisingly good.
Lin Tao sat on a small wooden stool in the courtyard, slowly finishing the last spoonful from the chipped bowl. Warm sunlight filtered in through the leaves of the large orchid tree beside the house, and a cool breeze carried the distant sounds of villagers working in the fields.
It was peaceful
Lin Tao liked it immediately.
She leaned back lazily and sighed in satisfaction.
"Not bad."
The Ambition Cultivation System could no longer remain silent.
[Host.]
Lin Tao ignored it.
She placed the empty bowl aside and stretched comfortably.
[Host, please focus.]
Still ignored.
The system felt something very unfamiliar.
Frustration.
[Host Lin Tao, your current situation is extremely dangerous.]
Lin Tao finally responded in her mind.
"…Did someone poison my porridge?"
[No.]
"Is the house on fire?"
[No.]
"Then it doesn't sound very.....dangerous."
The system nearly short-circuited.
[Host! According to the original plot, you will soon begin pursuing the male lead Chen Guoqiang.]
Lin Tao frowned slightly.
"…That sounds like a strenuous exercise."
[You will also bully the female lead Su Mei out of jealousy.]
Lin Tao leaned her chin on her hand, thinking about it very seriously.
Then she asked,
"Does bullying people require standing up?"
The system paused.
[Yes.]
Lin Tao immediately shook her head.
"Nope, too troublesome."
[Host! The point is that your actions are necessary to advance the plot!]
Lin Tao's expression became thoughtful.
"The plot…"
She tapped the wooden table lightly with her finger.
"Explain it again."
The system was relieved.
Finally, the host seemed interested.
[Original storyline summary:]
[You will develop a one-sided love for Chen Guoqiang.]
[You bully Su Mei repeatedly.]
[Chen Guoqiang protects Su Mei.]
[The two fall in love.]
[Your schemes are eventually exposed.]
[You are publicly humiliated and your family loses everything.]
Lin Tao blinked slowly and hard.
"…That sounds like a very terrible life."
[Correct.]
"Then why would I want to do that?"
The system paused again.
This-this question… was not part of the script.
[Because that is your role in the story.]
Lin Tao nodded thoughtfully, as if reasoning what the system said.
Then she asked another question.
"What if I simply… don't?"
The system went silent.
Lin Tao leaned back lazily, looking up at the blueish-gray sky.
Her brain finally started working properly.
"System, let's think about this logically."
The system had a bad feeling.
Lin Tao raised one finger.
"First, the problem begins when I fall in love with that big idiot Chen Guoqiang."
[Correct. But host you shouldn't be calling heaven's darling an Idiot]
She raised a second finger.
"seemingly not paying heed to what the system said"
"Second, I start bullying the small idiot Su Mei."
["System 996 face palms"
Correct.]
Then Lin Tao clapped her hands lightly.
"So the solution is simple."
The system suddenly felt nervous.
Lin Tao spoke calmly and proudly.
"I will stay far away as possible from both of them."
The courtyard fell silent.
Even the system seemed stunned.
"…Host."
"Yes?"
[That is not how stories work.]
Lin Tao shrugged.
"That sounds likes the story's problem."
The system's mechanical voice became slightly strained.
[Host, fate cannot be avoided so easily.]
Lin Tao pointed toward the house.
"My mother seems very nice."
Then she pointed toward the nearby fields.
"My father works hard."
She thought for a moment before adding,
"My brother is probably studying somewhere."
The system did not understand.
[What does that have to do with the mission?]
Lin Tao rested her chin on her hand in a lazy posture.
"If I become cannon fodder, my family suffers too."
[Correct.]
"So my mission is actually very simple."
The system felt cautious.
"…What mission?"
Lin Tao spoke with complete sincerity.
"Stay alive."
Silence filled the system space.
[Host… that is not the official mission.]
Lin Tao waved her hand lazily.
"That's the only mission that matters."
At that moment, the courtyard gate creaked open.
A skinny teenage boy walked in carrying a bundle of firewood on his back. Sweat covered his forehead, but his eyes lit up when he saw Lin Tao sitting outside.
"Sister, you're awake?"
Lin Tao looked at him.
Her younger brother.
He looked thin but very energetic, probably around fifteen or sixteen years old.
Before she could respond, a loud voice came from the kitchen.
"Lin Hao! Put the firewood down and wash your hands!"
Their mother walked out with another bowl of porridge.
Then she looked sweetly at Lin Tao.
"You didn't even finish the pickled vegetables."
Lin Tao looked at the bowl again with a puzzled expression.
"…There were vegetables?"
Her mother sighed helplessly.
"Lazy child."
But she still placed the bowl gently in front of her.
The system watched this scene quietly.
The host's life here was actually… quite comfortable.
Too....comfortable.
[Host.]
Lin Tao took another bite of food.
"Yes?"
[If you avoid the plot, unexpected consequences may occur.]
Lin Tao nodded calmly and absentmindedly while stuffing vegetables into her mouth.
"That sounds like tomorrow's problem."
The system was speechless.
Lin Tao leaned back in her chair again, satisfied.
Her life plan for this world was very simple.
Step one: Eat well.
Step two: Sleep well.
Step three: Stay far away from the idiot male and female leads.
As long as she avoided them completely…
Nothing bad should....happen.
Lin Tao closed her eyes lazily.
Unfortunately for her, someone at the village well was speaking at that very moment.
Two girls were chatting while drawing water.
One of them lowered her voice.
"Have you heard?"
"Heard what?"
"Chen Guoqiang is coming back from town today."
The second girl gasped.
"Really?"
Then she added quietly,
"I heard Lin Tao likes him."
The first girl snorted.
"She's probably already planning how to chase him."
Far away in the Lin family courtyard, Lin Tao was peacefully planning her afternoon nap.
The male lead of this story was about to return to the village.
And the plot…
Was about to begin.
Unfortunately for fate itself—
This lazy unambitious cannon fodder had no intention of cooperating.