Chapter 463 Chapter 461 The Influenced Si Chen
Chapter 461 The Influenced Si Chen
The System was momentarily stunned by Ji Xiaocheng's question.
The essence of emotional value was indeed the energy generated by the world's most important and highly weighted characters. Ji Xiaocheng stirred these people's emotions, and the System, through its authority, manipulated the energy thus produced. This created a cycle: emotional value was used to manufacture items, and Ji Xiaocheng in turn shopped in the System's store.
And when the World Will had previously become agitated, the System had indeed sensed that everything it had created through the store and the lottery had completely lost control. Nutrient-enhanced instant noodles reverted to ordinary instant noodles. Candies that could induce instant sleep became ordinary candies. Because the World Will had become agitated, all the special effects imbued in the System's items vanished. Among them, the status-displaying glasses also lost their power. It had mentioned this to Xiao Hei at the time, but hadn't told Ji Xiaocheng. It hadn't expected her to deduce it on her own now.
Prompted by the question, the System quickly responded.
Yes, Host, is there a problem?
"A huge problem!" Ji Xiaocheng slapped her thigh, the sharp sound making the taxi driver in the front seat glance back involuntarily. But Ji Xiaocheng was no longer concerned about the driver's gaze. She quickly said in her mind, "Those things you created are stolen energy, and at their core, the World Will can manipulate them, right? Through those items, it's possible for Taotao to be influenced!"
And now, what might Taotao be carrying with her?
A sachet!
Status-displaying glasses!
In the coffee shop, Su Tao definitely had one of these two items on her. Ji Xiaocheng couldn't be sure about the glasses; she had never seen Su Tao secretly wear them. However, the sachet she had recently given Su Tao was the most likely candidate. Ji Xiaocheng took a deep breath, then thought of something else. "Then, System, if the World Will steals control of those items, could the status-displaying glasses also have their values altered by it?"
The System was silent for a moment.
If the World Will has the intelligence to do so, then theoretically, yes.
A sharp intake of breath. This time, it truly might be a major problem!
Fortunately, aside from that fleeting change just now, Taotao had appeared normal for a long time prior. Ji Xiaocheng tried her best not to imagine the worst, and soon arrived outside Si Chen's small villa. Having called ahead, Si Chen himself was already waiting at the villa entrance with Doctor Lin.
As soon as Ji Xiaocheng stepped out of the car, Si Chen, looking bewildered, asked, "Ji Xiaocheng, what exactly did your earlier message mean, and why on earth did you want me to prepare ten beautiful women?"
Ji Xiaocheng looked at Si Chen with a serious expression, then glanced at the ten tall, beautiful women waiting beside him. She beckoned him closer. "It's about *that* sort of thing. Let's go inside to discuss it in detail; there are too many people here to talk freely."
Si Chen raised an eyebrow. "*That* sort of thing? Did you ask me to bring so many beautiful women because you plan to practice your skills before dealing with Su Tao?"
Ji Xiaocheng was speechless. She had originally been walking briskly ahead, but suddenly stopped and looked at Si Chen with a speechless expression. Sometimes, even 'never loving Taotao' might not save you.
Ji Xiaocheng averted her speechless gaze and waved her hand. "These ten beautiful women are for *you*. Now, let's go inside and talk."
Si Chen wasn't an automaton like Dongfang Yang. The moment Ji Xiaocheng indicated that even Doctor Lin needed to be excused, Si Chen knew precisely what the matter was. He asked, "It's *that* matter, isn't it? Is Su Tao in trouble, or is Dongfang Yang?" As he spoke, Si Chen pointed to the sky.
Ji Xiaocheng nodded gently. "Taotao has a minor issue, but it's not something you can resolve. I came to you because I intend to completely solve your problem, to prevent you from encountering issues too."
Upon hearing this, Si Chen's pupils contracted. He rarely displayed shock. But he gathered from Ji Xiaocheng's words that if his own problem wasn't resolved, there was a strong possibility he might not be himself in the future. Su Tao... was she being controlled? He took a deep breath. "I don't have a problem. What do you intend to do?"
It wasn't that he hadn't secretly investigated the matter himself, but trying to escape that kind of constraint on his own was simply too difficult. He only remembered Ji Xiaocheng telling him to try to do things that didn't fit his established character. Si Chen had indeed been trying hard to do so, but he wasn't sure what the effect was now.
Meanwhile, Ji Xiaocheng also inquired with the System about Si Chen's current character weight.
"Fifty-five percent."
A number emerged from her lips, and Si Chen frowned. "What does that mean?"
"It's a decent figure. If it were one hundred percent, you'd have no power to resist at all. The lower this value, the more freedom you'll gain." Ji Xiaocheng narrowed her eyes. "And once it drops below fifty percent, even if you are affected, you will still retain your sense of self."
Previously, Si Chen's character weight was sixty-five percent. Through his own efforts during this period, he had managed to lower it to fifty-five percent. As expected, this type of intelligent character truly is reassuring.
Ji Xiaocheng first asked, "Recently, have you experienced any more of those thoughts that didn't feel entirely your own, like last time?"
Si Chen frowned. "I... don't think so?"
Ji Xiaocheng prompted, "What about those glasses?"
At her words, Si Chen froze instantly, then quickly clutched his head. "Wait, the glasses... the glasses..." He spoke, then stood up again. "That's right, how could I forget about those glasses? Just recently, Su Tao even asked me about them two or three times, and I... I actually intended to tell you about it then." A sharp intake of breath. "I actually forgot about something like that!"
Sure enough. The World Will was already using the sachet and the glasses to influence Taotao.
Ji Xiaocheng said, "It's not that you forgot this. Rather, you were influenced into thinking it was a minor thing, like eating or drinking, and thus you overlooked it." If she hadn't brought it up, he likely still wouldn't have realized. And if Si Chen had told her about Su Tao and the glasses earlier, then with precautions in place, the World Will truly wouldn't have been able to easily influence him.
Life had become too comfortable. After everything had seemed normal recently, she had grown complacent. Ji Xiaocheng hadn't felt that sense of crisis for quite some time. She had thought the World Will was focusing its energy on the suddenly-appearing rich female supporting character. But she never imagined that the entity was secretly making moves.
Si Chen also understood his predicament and took a deep breath. "So, what should I do next? Is the solution to this problem somehow related to those ten beautiful women you asked me to prepare?"
"Mmm." Ji Xiaocheng nodded vigorously, then asked, "Si Chen, you're still a virgin, aren't you?"
Si Chen stared blankly. "What does that have to do with my character persona?"
Ji Xiaocheng explained, "To lower that value, to get you below fifty percent, you absolutely must do something very drastic, something completely out of character." If Ji Xiaocheng remembered correctly, the original novel's Si Chen was established as having a slight aversion to women. Only Su Tao, the 'white moonlight' with a full halo of charisma, could make him fall for her. As for others...
Well, assuming he wasn't entirely himself and had abandoned all sense of shame, simply breaking his character persona seemed quite simple. Ji Xiaocheng cleared her throat, meeting Si Chen's expression, which looked as though he had just eaten something truly repulsive.
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