ReadNovel Chapter 199: Knocked Out
Chapter 199: Knocked Out
The Resentment System grew even more resentful, its voice dripping with sarcasm. [So I’m useless now? When you were opening the store categories, I reminded you. You’re a child, stop obsessing over beauty. I told you to open the Skill Store first. Skills are the foundation for survival. It wouldn’t have been too late to work on your looks after you had some skills.
But what did you do? You just had to open the Beauty Store to boost your looks. And now you’re Dragonspire’s number one socialite. Isn’t that great! All you have to do is put up with a little nagging. Just bear with it and it’ll be over!]
Whitney Valentine: ’Didn’t I just think it would be better to upgrade my appearance when I was young, to avoid people accusing me of getting plastic surgery when I grew up and my looks changed too drastically? Was that so wrong?’
[You’re not wrong! How could you ever be wrong! Well, look where that got you. The female lead doesn’t feel the slightest bit of resentment over your actions, your points haven’t gone up at all in ages, and you can’t even unlock another store category. Are you satisfied now?] The system naturally shielded the last two words—"useless trash"—from its host.
Whitney Valentine stared at the paltry 800-some resentment value on the system panel, grinding her teeth in frustration. She couldn’t understand why the store had to be split into so many categories. Why couldn’t it just unlock everything for her at once?
She had thought that by deliberately acting close with her cousin, this newly returned little bitch would surely get jealous. But she had no reaction at all.
No, that wasn’t right. There *was* a reaction. Because Warren Valentine was treating Dawn even better now, she was just feeling smug. Why would she feel any resentment?!
Listening to their exchange, Riley Perry couldn’t help but feel a little nervous for her friend Dawn. If Whitney Valentine were just a little more competent and her system unlocked all its store functions, Dawn might have actually been rendered mute!
’Still, watching Dawn teach someone a lesson is so satisfying,’ Riley thought. ’I love to see it. More, please!’
Dawn York wanted to berate Whitney Valentine a little longer, but alas, the girl couldn’t take it. She couldn’t stand being scolded and actually ran away!
Riley Perry gave Dawn York a huge thumbs-up.
Dawn York grinned smugly and reached out to put an arm around Riley Perry’s shoulders. Unfortunately, she was a bit shorter than Riley, making the gesture a little awkward. "Don’t worry, I would never treat you like that. I was just doing it to mess with her. You and I are the best of friends."
Riley: ’...Sis, don’t you think you’re being a little childish?’
’But it’s a cute kind of childish.’
So, as soon as they got downstairs, Riley Perry personally poured Dawn a glass of warm water. "Here, have some water."
Warren Valentine laughed. "How much talking did you two do to get so thirsty? Come on, lunch is ready. Let’s eat."
Whitney Valentine was already in the dining room. She had truly been scared by the scolding, so after running downstairs, she had hidden in the kitchen, cozying up to Iris Weldon to act cute and curry favor.
Once Iris Weldon was at the table, Dawn York said with a grin, "Mom, today’s a happy occasion, and you even made so much delicious food. Why don’t we all have a couple of drinks? Didn’t Dad bring back a bottle of thirty-year-old Maotai the other day? Let’s give it a taste test for him."
Upon hearing this, Iris Weldon’s first reaction was to look at her daughter. Seeing that Riley Perry was also looking at her with a smile, she immediately agreed. "Zane, go get your father’s liquor."
Warren Valentine quickly came back down with the liquor. A servant set out glasses, and soon the transparent cups were filled. The liquid looked somewhat viscous, its color was a little different, and the aroma was rich.
Of course, this was only when compared to ordinary liquor from the mortal world. It was a cut above, but it wasn’t even in the same league as the wine she could produce.
The lunch was relatively harmonious, mainly because Whitney Valentine didn’t cause any trouble. Moreover, Riley Perry intentionally coaxed her into having a few extra drinks and actually managed to get her tipsy.
"Whitney has had too much to drink. She should go rest in the upstairs guest room for a while."
Riley Perry immediately raised her hand. "I’ll help my cousin. I’m strong!" After speaking, she winked at Dawn York.
Iris Weldon: ’...Aren’t there servants for that? Why would we need you?’
Dawn understood. Earlier in the room, she had offered to let Riley take Whitney’s system to study it, but Riley hadn’t agreed. Now, it was clear she was going to mess with Whitney.
"I’ll go help too. My cousin is really drunk." ’I need to see this drama unfold. Mom, please don’t stop me,’ she thought.
Of course, Iris Weldon wouldn’t stop them. The two young ladies had just spent half an hour talking in the room, and now they were helping someone together. It was clear they were getting along well. "Go on, go on. Oh, this liquor is delicious, but it really goes to your head. I’m going back to my room to rest as well."
Riley Perry supported one of Whitney Valentine’s arms, and Dawn York took the other. It was less supporting and more dragging. They didn’t even go to the second floor, instead hauling her directly into a guest room on the first floor.
At this point, Whitney Valentine could barely recognize anyone. Riley Perry "kindly" poured her a glass of spiked water. "Here, drink this before you sleep." Then she practically forced Whitney to drink it all.
The Resentment System detected the knockout drug in the water but didn’t say a word. ’It’d be better if the idiot host just died,’ it thought. ’It would save me the thankless trouble of worrying about her. Tying my life to some brain-dead person, there’s just no future in it.’
’Unfortunately, she definitely won’t die. But watching her suffer a little will be satisfying enough.’
Soon, Whitney Valentine fell into a deep sleep. Riley Perry directly released her Divine Sense to find the system. She thought it might be difficult, but the moment her Divine Sense entered Whitney’s brain, she located a small, black object.
’Heh, so this is what a system looks like,’ she mused. ’Anyone who didn’t know better would think Whitney Valentine had a brain tumor.’
She then split off two more strands of her Divine Sense to envelop the system...
As Riley’s Divine Sense entered, the unconscious Whitney Valentine furrowed her brow in discomfort. But who cared?
The Resentment System had been watching the drama unfold as if it had nothing to do with it, but the moment it was enveloped, it froze!
’Hey, deal with the host if you want, but you don’t get to attack me directly!’
’If this female lead, Riley Perry, was willing to take me in, that’d be great. My future would be bright. What I’m terrified of is that someone this powerful will just rip me out, tear me to pieces, and put me down for good!’
But no matter how scared it was, the next second, it was ripped out. The Resentment System, pitiful, small, and helpless, hugged itself tightly.
Dawn York’s eyes lit up. This was the first time she had seen a system’s true form. It was ethereal, about the size of a glass marble, dark black, and seemed to be surrounded by some kind of energy that made it hard to see clearly.
"Don’t play dead. I can hear you talking. So, tell me, what kind of system are you, and who’s your boss?"
The Resentment System screamed internally that it was going to die, but it didn’t dare ignore the powerful being’s question. "I’ll-I’ll talk! Please don’t kill me, Great One! I’m fresh from the factory, this woman is the first host I’ve ever had, and I haven’t lived long enough!"
"If you don’t want to die, then answer my questions honestly."
"Okay, okay! I’ll be completely honest.
I’m the Resentment System. I was created to change the tragic fate of the original owner.
In her previous life, the original Whitney Valentine of this world was stolen from the hospital by human traffickers. She was hit on the head while being sold, which left her simple-minded. When the traffickers saw their ’product’ was ruined, they broke her legs, threw her on the side of the road, and left her to beg. She spent more than ten years as a beggar. Then, when she turned eighteen, she had a fall and suddenly regained her senses."