ASPWL Ch94: The Main Plot Begins

Twenty minutes later, Papa Huo, Mama Huo, and Huo Jing also arrived at the Qin family’s home.

Seeing that L1 was safe and sound, Mama Huo’s eyes instantly reddened with emotion.

L1, not knowing how to react in such a situation, could only stand there awkwardly, letting Mama Huo pull him into her embrace.

Qin Yao stood a short distance away, watching the scene unfold with a smile in his eyes, but he didn’t step forward to intervene.

Since he had promised the little system he would help, every similar situation L1 encountered would be a precious experience. He would have to learn to handle it on his own.

Once Mama Huo calmed down, the group finally took their seats.

Mama Huo spoke up right away: “We really must thank you this time, Xiao Qin. Now, we’ll go ahead and take L1 back with us…”

“Wait a minute,” L1 finally spoke up. He was seated between Papa Huo and Mama Huo, with Huo Yan and Huo Ze on the sofa beside him, while Huo Jing and Qin Yao sat across from him. He instinctively glanced at Qin Yao before speaking to Mama Huo, “I… I don’t want to go back with you.”

L1 was used to expressing himself directly, yet he hadn’t expected the look of shock and confusion that appeared on the faces of Papa Huo, Mama Huo, and Huo Jing—similar to the expressions he’d seen earlier on Huo Yan and Huo Ze’s faces.

The three were utterly stunned and at a loss.

Even Huo Yan and Huo Ze, who had already heard this once, still showed a flicker of emotion.

Huo Yan turned away in anger.

Huo Ze let out a heavy “hmph.”

Huo Jing furrowed his brow.

L1, meanwhile, was unsure what to do, not understanding why the Huo family was reacting so strongly. All he could do was look to Qin Yao for guidance.

Qin Yao gave him a reassuring glance.

At that moment, Papa Huo finally spoke, asking, “Why?”

Mama Huo glanced at Qin Yao and then back at L1 beside her, speaking in a gentle tone, “What happened? Why don’t you want to come back with us? Did we do something wrong?”

L1 opened his mouth. He wanted to say that they hadn’t done anything wrong.

There were two reasons he had left the Huo family: first, because his observations of them were complete, and second, because he didn’t want to go back to drinking medicine.

But even as the words reached his lips, L1 couldn’t bring himself to say them aloud.

Perhaps it was the hurt look in Mama Huo’s eyes. It made L1 realize that speaking so bluntly might hurt them, so he turned to look at Qin Yao.

A faint smile appeared in Qin Yao’s eyes, understanding that L1 could not handle the situation alone. He then spoke up, “There’s a long story behind this. Allow me to explain.”

Papa and Mama Huo turned to look at Qin Yao.

Qin Yao thought briefly and decided to explain L1’s situation as concisely as possible.

After a moment of organizing his thoughts, he revealed L1’s true identity.

Explaining L1’s identity was actually simple.

The only issue was that after Qin Yao finished, the story didn’t sound very believable.

Sure enough, after hearing Qin Yao’s explanation that L1 was actually a system sent to the human world to learn about human emotions, Huo Yan and Huo Ze both scoffed.

Huo Ze said, “I never thought there was anyone more delusional than me. This is ridiculous.”

Huo Yan, not holding back, remarked, “Qin Yao, did you make up this story to fool Yaoyao?”

Papa Huo looked puzzled, “Yaoyao?”

Huo Ze replied, “That’s his name.”

Mama Huo looked heartbroken as she gazed at L1, “You never told us your name.”

For some reason, L1 found it especially hard to meet Mama Huo’s gaze. Though she wasn’t angry with him, he felt an inexplicable sense of unease, causing him to lower his head and quietly protest, “Yaoyao isn’t my name.”

It was just what Qin Yao thought sounded nice, so he called him that.

Huo Jing withdrew his gaze from L1 and looked back at Qin Yao. “So was that explanation you just gave really just a story to deceive us?”

Qin Yao smiled and posed a pointed question, “Uncle Huo, Aunt Lin, when Yaoyao went missing, you checked the surveillance footage, didn’t you?”

At his words, Papa and Mama Huo froze.

Papa Huo looked at Qin Yao. “You…”

Qin Yao said, “The day Yaoyao arrived at my home, I had the surveillance checked. I can say for certain that none of the cameras around the Qin family’s old residence captured him on video, yet he appeared on my balcony.”

Qin Yao asked, “So how did Yaoyao appear at your home?”

Not only did Father and Mama Huo freeze at this, but the three Huo brothers were also taken aback.

Yes.

How had L1 appeared at their home?

Initially, the Huo family had wondered about this too.

They’d checked the surveillance footage around their villa and saw no trace of L1.

It was as if he had appeared out of thin air, suddenly in the Huo family garden, only to be brought inside by Papa Huo.

They hadn’t dismissed the question but had never found an answer to confirm their suspicions.

And since they reported the incident immediately, assuming they’d eventually find L1’s family, or, if not, that the Huo family would simply adopt him, they didn’t dwell on it.

Then yesterday, when L1 vanished from the Huo home, they found no surveillance footage of him either. Even when they mentioned L1’s arrival to the police, they were met with a response: “What child? Did you report this half a month ago?”

Several questions lay before them, forcing them to face the reality—

Papa Huo still couldn’t believe it. “So Yaoyao is really…”

“Yaoyao, can you fly?” Qin Yao suddenly smiled and looked at L1.

L1 thought for a moment and nodded.

And so, in front of everyone, L1 rose into the air.

His figure floated gracefully, circling the first-floor living room.

Watching him, Qin Yao’s eyes showed a hint of nostalgia. “They don’t belong to our world, and so our world leaves no trace of their existence. In fact—”

Qin Yao withdrew his gaze, looking at the utterly astonished Father and Mama Huo. “If he didn’t want to, we wouldn’t even be able to sit here discussing him. They are free systems, unhindered by the rules of our world.”

They were like the freest wind in the wild, unbound and unfettered.

Perhaps no matter how hard humans tried, they could never find a way to keep them by their side.

So why not let them roam free from the start?

For that reason, Qin Yao had never expected to meet that system again, the one who had once helped him.

Though the truth was strange and unbelievable, when faced with L1’s ability to float in midair, the Huo family ultimately chose to believe.

They no longer insisted that L1 had to return to the Huo family; instead, they simply told him that he could come back whenever he wanted to see them. The Huo family would always be his home.

When Mama Huo left, she even held L1’s hand and earnestly reminded him that, while learning human emotions was all well and good, he must be careful not to be deceived.

After all, there were countless people in this world, and not all of them were kind. Some might even pose a threat to L1, so he needed to learn to distinguish them carefully.

If he was ever truly uncertain, he could ask them—or he could ask Qin Yao.

Because they would never harm L1.

Both Papa Huo and Huo Jing echoed Mama Huo’s words to L1, and even the reluctant Huo Yan and Huo Ze said similar things.

But what they didn’t know was that L1 had already understood this truth well before meeting them.

Still, L1 didn’t intend to tell them this; he only nodded to show he understood.

Before they left, L1 also solemnly thanked them.

From that day onward, L1 stayed at Qin Yao’s house.

Though, to be exact, he was only at Qin Yao’s place at night. During the day, he would either go to the Huo family for meals or observe other side characters elsewhere.

As the best system in the regulatory department, even though he hadn’t studied human social interactions before, L1 was learning quickly.

In just half a month, L1 observed many side characters.

He soon realized that each character’s personality actually differed from the brief descriptions in his scripts.

Humans, by nature, were complex beings.

A few lines of text could hardly capture a person’s character accurately.

To truly understand someone required time, interaction, and observation.

In short, it took time.

And what delighted L1 most during this half-month period was returning to Qin Yao’s place each evening.

Though he didn’t yet know much about the other side and main characters, he knew Qin Yao’s return schedule perfectly.

Every time Qin Yao returned home, L1 would be there, precisely on his balcony.

Sometimes, he arrived a few minutes early, but more often, he was right on time.

One time, after Qin Yao arrived late, he told L1 that if he ever got there early, he didn’t need to wait outside and could open the window himself to come in.

But polite as he was, L1 replied that he couldn’t just enter Qin Yao’s home uninvited, so he continued to wait on the balcony, stubbornly insisting that Qin Yao let him in.

Qin Yao mentioned it once more but, seeing L1’s insistence, didn’t bring it up again.

L1 eventually noticed that Qin Yao’s arrival times became more and more precise. Sometimes, Qin Yao would even arrive a bit earlier than usual; on several occasions, L1 found the balcony window already open when he arrived, and the room filled with the sweet aroma of oat milk.

After discovering L1’s fondness for oat milk, Qin Yao made him a glass each night he came by.

This made L1 very happy.

As spring approached, the balcony window was never closed again.

One evening, when L1 landed on the balcony, preparing to go straight in to find Qin Yao, he noticed the balcony layout had changed.

The snowman from winter had long since melted, and now, in its place, there was a small table with a rocking chair beside it. The best sunlit spot on the balcony was covered in flowers.

L1 recognized these flowers—humans called them roses, though they were actually a type of Chinese rose.

The fleeting flowers of early April were gone, and it was the perfect time for roses to bloom in all their glory.

Hearing movement on the balcony, Qin Yao brought out a cup of oat milk and a small chocolate cake, setting them on the little table. He asked L1, “What do you think of this setup?”

L1’s eyes widened slightly. “Is this for me?”

Qin Yao nodded with a smile, “Yes.”

L1 responded honestly, “I like it. It looks nice.”

Qin Yao smiled, “That’s good.”

Then he asked, “By the way, have you been busy lately?”

L1 nodded. He had been observing a main character overseas recently, which took some time with all the traveling.

He had been in the human world for almost two months now and had gained further insight into the subtleties of human conversation.

So, understanding the hint in Qin Yao’s words, he asked with a smile, “Is there something you want to ask me?”

Qin Yao laughed, “Looks like you’re getting to know me better.”

L1 chuckled and climbed onto the rocking chair, which was just the right height. While sipping his milk, he asked, “Go ahead—what do you want to know?”

Qin Yao replied, “Actually, it’s not that I want to know something. I just happened to run into Huo Yan today, and he mentioned you hadn’t been back to the Huo house for a few days.”

L1 took a bite of the cake, cheeks puffed up. “I’ve been flying overseas lately.”

Qin Yao looked surprised, “You’re observing foreigners too?”

L1 thought, of course not, but he couldn’t tell Qin Yao that.

After all, the character he had been observing recently seemed to be Qin Yao’s cousin.

So, L1 said, “How about I visit Huo Yan tomorrow? Is he filming recently?”

Qin Yao nodded, “I have to go to the set tomorrow as well. I’ll take you with me.”

L1 nodded and agreed without hesitation.

After finishing his cake and milk, he went to his room.

Well, back to his room, which was actually the guest room in Qin Yao’s suite.

Since deciding to stay at Qin Yao’s house, Qin Yao had prepared a bedroom for him next to his own.

The room was spacious; though it didn’t have a large balcony, it had a bay window, and with L1’s small size, he liked to sleep curled up there.

But tonight, he preferred the rocking chair out on the balcony.

When Qin Yao stepped out of the study, he found L1 lying on the rocking chair, gently swaying.

A hint of amusement flashed in Qin Yao’s eyes, and he suddenly thought of something, stepping closer quickly, “Did you take a bath today?”

L1’s brows immediately furrowed. “I’m a system; I don’t need to bathe.”

Besides, he really, really hated water!

Back when he stayed with the Huo family, he would never have bathed on his own if the housekeeper hadn’t helped him with it every day.

Qin Yao chuckled with a hint of helplessness, “But you also said that your current body is human. Human bodies need food, rest, and, of course, baths.”

L1 pursed his lips, “But I can redeem a cleaning solution from the points store.”

Qin Yao knew about this cleaning solution—it had a one-click cleaning function.

L1 had been using it this entire time.

But back in the Huo household?

Qin Yao suddenly asked, “Are you afraid to bathe by yourself?”

L1 immediately countered, “Of course not! I am an all-capable system; how could I possibly be afraid of bathing?”

“Then why don’t you go bathe?” Qin Yao said.

L1 shook his head, “No.”

Qin Yao smiled, “I’ll help you.”

L1 hesitated.

Though he really didn’t like water and felt a bit uneasy, the feeling of warm water running over his body was actually quite pleasant. Letting Qin Yao help him bathe…

It might be okay?

L1 nodded.

Qin Yao smiled, turning around to run a hot bath for L1 in the bathroom.

As it turned out, “helping L1 bathe” just meant that Qin Yao filled the tub, handing him towels and clothes nearby.

L1 was a very independent system and could bathe on his own.

But maybe because he was a system, he had a natural resistance to water from the moment he was created.

It wasn’t that L1 was afraid of water; he just didn’t like it. So, he found Qin Yao’s presence beside him comforting.

Relaxing in the warm bath, L1 soaked until his entire system felt hazy, and, in the end, Qin Yao had to lift him out of the tub.

Half-asleep, L1 noticed that it was Qin Yao and didn’t struggle; he just mumbled softly, “I didn’t… didn’t get water in me.”

Qin Yao chuckled lightly.

His voice was gentle, like a whisper beside L1’s ear, making L1 feel especially safe. He said, “No water got in. Go to sleep.”

And L1 fell asleep just like that.

The next morning, after finishing the oat milk Qin Yao prepared, L1 followed Qin Yao to the set.

L1 had visited this set before, so when they arrived, if he remembered correctly, this was the set where there was also a supporting character.

Taking advantage of the fact that Huo Yan hadn’t arrived yet, L1 told Qin Yao he wanted to look around on his own.

Qin Yao nodded and didn’t stop him.

But his assistant, looking worried, kept asking Qin Yao, “Are you sure we shouldn’t assign someone to watch him?”

Qin Yao smiled.

He knew that L1 was a system, so he wasn’t worried.

But the others didn’t know that; to them, L1 was just a five-year-old child. How could they allow him to roam the set alone?

But Qin Yao still told the assistant, “No need. Let him explore on his own; he’ll come back when he’s ready.”

The assistant was exasperated. If Qin Yao said so, what could he do?

Meanwhile, L1 was weaving through the crowd on the set.

With a five-year-old’s small frame, surrounded by the busy crew members rushing about, he narrowly avoided bumping into people multiple times, quickly dodging each time.

Soon, L1 slipped past the crowd. He could sense that the supporting character he wanted to see was nearby, just around the corner—

After a dull thud, L1’s brows furrowed. He realized he had bumped his forehead into someone, and, in the next instant, a sharp voice rang out, “Where did this kid come from? Do you know that—”

L1 felt himself lifted off the ground, though this time, he wasn’t flying by himself; he was being picked up.

L1’s brows instantly knitted, but before he could struggle, another male voice interrupted, “Yu Bai, put him down.”

Yu Bai?

L1 glanced up at the man in front of him, his brows tightly furrowing. He knew Yu Bai—he hadn’t expected to encounter him on the way to find Song Zhehan, another supporting character.

Yu Bai wasn’t an easy person to deal with.

He was even responsible for some heavy losses that Qin Yao had suffered.

Yu Bai glared at the person behind L1, huffing, “Song Zhehan, you really enjoy playing the nice guy wherever you go, don’t you?”

Song Zhehan?

L1 wanted to look back at him, but being hoisted up by his collar by Yu Bai, he couldn’t manage it.

Song Zhehan’s voice came from behind, with a hint of laughter and a gentle tone, “Yu Bai, he’s just a kid. There’s no need to make a fuss.”

Yu Bai scoffed, “Which eye of yours saw me making a fuss?”

And with that, L1 felt himself released.

But instead of being set gently on the ground, Yu Bai let go of him midair.

L1 reacted quickly; he could fully protect himself from injury. But someone else’s hand was even faster.

Song Zhehan caught him from behind.

“Hey, little guy, are you alright?” After catching L1, Song Zhehan set him back on the ground.

L1 turned to look at him.

Song Zhehan raised his eyebrows, then, realizing something, his eyes flashed with a hint of surprise. He then gave a gentle smile. “Why are you looking at big brother like that? Do you know me?”

L1 nodded.

Song Zhehan’s smile grew wider, “So you’re my little fan?”

L1 shook his head.

The smile on Song Zhehan’s face immediately faded, his expression changing abruptly. “Then I guess I don’t need to keep up appearances in front of you, do I?”

L1 watched his face turn cold quickly, thinking that this was the real Song Zhehan.

However, L1 didn’t find his personality particularly annoying.

So he said, “You don’t have to pretend.”

Song Zhehan tugged at the corners of his mouth, clearly not planning to chat much with a child. Instead, he reached out to ruffle his hair, “Why do you care if I’m putting on an act or not? You little punk, I just saved you some trouble, and you’re not even going to thank me?”

L1 replied, “Thank you.”

Song Zhehan gave another smile.

This time, L1 could tell that this smile was genuine.

Song Zhehan then asked, “Whose kid are you? Came to our set as an extra? Why are you running around?”

Before L1 could respond, Song Zhehan continued, “I don’t really want to deal with you. Kids are a real hassle, but if I don’t look after you and someone else sees, they’ll say I’m two-faced. What a pain.”

“If I’d known, I’d never have taken on this fake persona. Why did I agree to my manager’s idea in the first place?”

Even as an emotionally distant system, L1 could tell that Song Zhehan was in a particularly bad mood at that moment.

Yet, despite this, he kept a cheerful expression as he crouched down and lifted L1 up again, “Let’s go, I’ll help you find your parents.”

L1 frowned slightly; he didn’t like Song Zhehan’s smile.

He opened his mouth to say something, but the restriction program he’d set for himself prevented him from speaking.

In this world, every character in each storyline had a predetermined ending.

L1, as a supervisory system, was forbidden from interfering in anyone’s fate.

So even though he knew that the Song Zhehan holding him was not a bad person, L1 couldn’t interfere in his life.

Over the next half year, L1 observed many more main and supporting characters.

Among the supporting characters were Zhou Zijian and Wen Xiangyue, and the main characters Liu Yan and Shen Chong.

These four were genuinely good people and behaved almost exactly as described in the storyline he knew.

Of course, there were also main and supporting characters who differed significantly.

For instance, Zhao Wei, one of the main leads, didn’t deserve Ning Xu at all.

And Lu Bai… in human terms, he was a total scumbag.

As L1 continued observing more and more people, he gradually came to understand what Qiu had meant by “humans.”

Humans were truly complicated.

But among all these complex individuals, there were a few who were especially endearing.

Soon, autumn passed, and winter arrived.

L1 welcomed his second Spring Festival in the human world.

And the main storyline of World A20231007 was about to begin.

L1 suddenly realized that he really disliked the impending main storyline.