The protagonist lying on the bed appeared completely harmless. After sizing up the protagonist's appearance, he activated the system scanning function.
[Scan complete. Body and soul compatibility at 50%. Soul shows signs of fragmentation. Recommended elixirs: Resurrection Pill, Element Cultivation Pill.]
50% compatibility? Does that mean the protagonist and the little cat swapped souls? Or did the protagonist split their own soul and send half of it into the cat's body?
Thoughts raced through his mind as his hands moved swiftly. Without gentleness, he pried open the protagonist's mouth and fed them the Resurrection Pill. Then, he transformed back into a little puppy and tidied up the scattered clothes. With the system's scanning function activated, he hid under the bed to observe the situation.
[Detecting fluctuations in the protagonist's soul... Fluctuation complete, no abnormalities.]
[Scanning the protagonist's soul status... Scan complete. Body and soul compatibility at 100%, no abnormalities.]
[Xiao Rui, Wen Jia, and the probability of falling in love with the protagonist have decreased to 50%. Please work harder, host.]
Ye Zhizhou was baffled while trying to figure out what was happening with the protagonist's soul. A 50% reduction in the probability of falling in love? Does this mean the protagonist won't encounter the other two male leads in the cat's body again?
There was a slight movement on the bed, followed by a melodious voice asking softly, "What's going on? Why am I back again?"
Ye Zhizhou held his breath and focused his mental energy, obediently staying still under the bed.
[Detecting abnormal energy fluctuations... Fluctuation disappeared.]
"Darn it! Why can't I change back!" The mattress was forcefully patted, and a pair of bare feet landed on the floor, gradually moving away until they disappeared behind the room's door.
...A newly awakened vegetable-like person could move so agilely. Impressive.
Amidst all the confusion, Ye Zhizhou carefully crawled out from under the bed and peeked out of the door. He saw the protagonist dialing a number on the living room's landline phone. After waiting a few seconds, it seemed like the call was answered. He then placed the receiver to his ear and, after a few words, cursed fluently in Arabic, "What's going on with you guys? Weren't you sure everything was fine? The soul-switching ritual has failed twice already. If you don't solve the problem, the plan can't proceed! Don't bother explaining, and don't pretend you didn't know. Failure is failure!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Zhizhou's spirit trembled. He was grateful he had learned Arabic out of boredom once, and he pricked up his ears to eavesdrop. Soul-switching ritual, plan, Arabic language—it was undoubtedly a grand conspiracy! If he hadn't heard this phone call, he might never have known that the protagonist could speak Arabic.
"Shut up! It's definitely not my fault. My predictions and soul vision were absolutely correct... The plan cannot be canceled! The souls of those few individuals possess unique powers that are vital to our development; we must steal them! I understand... So, you better proceed with the third attempt quickly, and this time, no failures allowed!"
Steal? Ye Zhizhou's heart skipped a beat. Did this mean that the protagonist was approaching the male leads to steal their soul powers? But how do you steal soul powers? And the term "soul vision"... Did this mean that the cases of Gu Yi and Shi Jianwen having awakening signs in their spiritual power, despite having no extraordinary abilities, weren't isolated incidents, but rather something that happened to all male leads? And the protagonist could discern these differences, so he deliberately got close to them?
Assuming his speculations are correct, could it be that in the original storyline, the protagonist taught the male leads to practice their abilities, and after their abilities leveled up, they all went on a holiday together? But unfortunately, they were targeted by an organization with abilities, and the ambush at sea was all part of a conspiracy? Is the person the protagonist is talking to on the phone now the member of that organization? And could the so-called "going down together" in the original plot be about the organization stealing the powers of the male leads? What about Gu Yi's behavior of uploading a video before he died... If all of this is part of a conspiracy, then maybe the protagonist never really died in the "going down together" scene, and the subsequent increase in people with abilities and the rapid expansion of the organization might all be orchestrated by the protagonist...
The more he thought about it, the more astonished he became, and the more he guessed, the more his spine tingled. He suppressed his restless mental energy and, just before the protagonist hung up the phone, slipped back under the bed.
The bed moved slightly as the protagonist lay down again. Ten minutes later, the landline phone rang, and the protagonist got up and walked to the living room to answer it, yelling directly, "What's going on? The soul-switching happened quickly the last two times, why is it taking so long this time?"
Ye Zhizhou cautiously peeked his head out and began eavesdropping once more.
"What? It can't be switched back? Charlie, that useless... You're saying Charlie was backlashed? I... nonsense! There couldn't be anything wrong with my soul! Clearly, it worked perfectly the first two times... The first time I returned after falling asleep, and the second time was even more bizarre. I saw the target one second, and the next second, I was back! I—"
The sound of the door opening suddenly interrupted the protagonist's words, and Ye Zhizhou quickly pulled back his head.
"Xiaobo?" A deep, masculine voice rang out, followed by the sound of keys dropping and footsteps. "Xiaobo, are you awake? When did you wake up? Are you hungry... No, do you feel unwell anywhere? Why aren't you wearing shoes? Sit on the couch, I'll call a taxi, and we'll go to the hospital!"
"Chang Yao, don't worry. I just woke up, and there's nothing wrong with my body. Let's not rush to the hospital."
Chang Yao? Ye Zhizhou's eyes lit up. He quickly activated the system's scanning function again and aimed it through the gap in the door at the tall man in the living room.
[Scanning Chang Yao's physical condition... Scan complete. He's healthy with no hidden ailments. No energy fluctuations of abilities in the brain, but there are signs of awakening in his spiritual power. Recommended elixir: Tranquilizing Pill.]
Another male lead with awakened spiritual power but no abilities! His suspicions were further confirmed. Ye Zhizhou closed the system, transformed back into his human form, put on his clothes, and turned on the protagonist's computer, closing his eyes as he dove into the sea of information. A massive amount of hidden, deleted, and accidentally left behind data surged into his brain. He diligently recorded this information and then proceeded to hack into the protagonist's university network, making minor alterations to Chang Yao's records—a small issue that looked wrong but would take some time to correct.
The protagonist had awakened, and there was an error in the records. Chang Yao, who had never been keen on leaving his family to study abroad, probably wouldn't become an exchange student again. Without the excitement of a brief separation, Chang Yao's feelings for the protagonist were likely to change as well.
After completing these tasks, he checked the protagonist's call records and noted down all the suspicious numbers. He decided to study them further once he returned home.
[The probability of Chang Yao falling in love with the protagonist has decreased to 80%. Please work harder, host.]
Ye Zhizhou, who had just left the protagonist's neighborhood, was puzzled by the system's prompt. How did it decrease so quickly? Had the exchange student slots already been confirmed? It hadn't been that long.
Unable to figure it out, he stopped thinking about it and hailed a taxi to the place where the protagonist had first met Xiao Rui. There, he found the second cat whose body the protagonist had possessed, fed it a Soul Stabilizing Pill to secure its soul, and said, "Go have fun, but don't let bad people use you again." He patted the cat's head, stood up, stretched lazily, and noticed a roasted sweet potato stall across the street. After reviewing the information from both the old and new versions of the plot, he was extremely curious about this roasted sweet potato stall that had captivated one of the male leads, Xiao Rui. Now that he saw it, he had to try it!
The stall owner was an elderly man who was very warm-hearted. Ye Zhizhou paid for one sweet potato, and the old man unexpectedly gave him another.
"It's clear that you have someone special. Take this home and share it with your loved one."
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Ye Zhizhou accepted the roasted sweet potato that the old man insisted on giving him. He insisted on paying for both and then sat down on a nearby bench with a silly smile on his face. He opened up the roasted sweet potato and started to eat it.
"Tsk tsk, another one fooled."
A foreign voice mixed with unfamiliar sounds reached him, and the smile on his face froze. He turned to look in the direction of the voice.
Xiao Rui flicked the cigarette butt into the trash can, ruffled his messy hair, and sat down next to him, letting out a sigh. "Work piling up, a mouse infestation at home, and now, when I go out to buy food, I see a kind-hearted young man being swindled. Life is so bleak..."
Ye Zhizhou silently activated the system's scanning function. Casual attire, casual demeanor, handsome appearance, kind-hearted but not good with words, and living nearby—there was no doubt that this was one of the male leads, Xiao Rui.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Xiao Rui turned to look at him, pointing at the roasted sweet potato in his hand. "Go ahead and eat; it smells really good."
Ye Zhizhou took a bite reflexively and handed over half of it.
"But it tastes especially terrible," Xiao Rui added, then firmly declined the sweet potato Ye Zhizhou offered him. "Thanks for the kind gesture, but I don't want to end up with a stomachache later. I advise you not to eat it either; this sweet potato is a culinary disaster."
A burnt, bitter taste filled his mouth, and Ye Zhizhou looked down at the fragrant, soft roasted sweet potato in his hand with a puzzled expression. It looked so normal, smelled great, but why was it so hard to describe when eaten?
"I was just as puzzled the first time I ate this," Xiao Rui said, lighting another cigarette and taking a shallow drag. He looked worldly-wise. "Later, I figured it out. It's not the fault of the technique or the ingredients; that old man's taste buds are just off. He thinks it's delicious, so he keeps roasting them like this."
"To the old man, these sweet potatoes are a feast for the senses, but by the time they reach us, only the visual and olfactory aspects remain."
[Scan complete. Healthy body with no hidden ailments. No abnormal energy fluctuations in the brain, signs of awakened spiritual power. Suitable elixir: Tranquilizing Pill.]
"However, the old man has a tough life, and he's a good person. Buying his sweet potatoes can be considered an act of kindness."
Ye Zhizhou put down the sweet potato and reached for the space on his wrist.
Xiao Rui stood up, holding his cigarette, and stretched lazily. "Just a few words with you, and my head feels clearer. Thanks, young man. We'll chat again if we happen to meet next time. I'm off to buy some food."
"Um..." Ye Zhizhou called out to him and shook the small handkerchief in his hand. "I heard there's a master here who's excellent at repairing antiques. I want to ask him to mend this handkerchief my grandmother left behind. Could you..."
A breeze, tainted with the smell of smoke, quickly blew by. The tendons on the back of his hand were lightly tapped, causing the handkerchief to slip and then be gently caught by a pair of long and powerful hands.
"It is indeed an old item, and it has been preserved well." Xiao Rui straightened up and carefully unfolded the handkerchief in the sunlight. Regrettably, he shook his head. "New embroidery method, new fabric, and it's embroidered with never-before-seen poetry and a miniature landscape. It's a good piece. However, the edges are damaged, and repairing it will be a bit challenging. I'll need to find the right fabric first, then study the embroidery method, and adjust the fabric texture..."
Ye Zhizhou intentionally pretended to look nervous and said, "Please be careful; this is the token of love my grandfather gave to my grandmother... Um, big brother, you seem to know a lot about this. Are you also skilled in antique restoration?"
Xiao Rui looked him up and down, nodded with depth, and said, "Since you called me big brother... I'm Xiao Rui."
"So?" Ye Zhizhou asked.
"I've repaired this handkerchief. That's right, I'm the expert you wanted to find!" [This part of the text has been modified to ensure compliance with content policies.]
"...Although that was indeed my intention, why does it seem like you, the male lead, have no shame?"
Xiao Rui patted him on the shoulder affectionately and smiled. "Don't worry, brother's skills are top-notch, and as for the price... I'll give you an 80% discount! No, 50%! How about a 50% discount, a special friendship price!"
Ye Zhizhou suppressed his urge to comment and continued leading the conversation. "But I heard you're not good at repairing landscapes..."
"No problem with that! I have a buddy who's an expert in landscape painting. I'll call him over for some free labor!" As if afraid that Ye Zhizhou wouldn't believe him, Xiao Rui hastily took out his phone from his pocket and made a call. He shouted enthusiastically, "Jiahe, it's business time... New landscape painting, come and take a look." After hanging up, he smiled at Ye Zhizhou, showing his white teeth. "See, I'm so hungry I can't even speak properly. Brother, care for a meal? I'll treat!"
Ye Zhizhou pretended not to see him hiding the handkerchief in his pocket and smirked. He suddenly admired the protagonist a bit. These male leads had such contrasting personalities, yet the protagonist managed to understand them thoroughly and collect them all into his harem. Truly remarkable!