“System booting. Yuanyuan Intelligent Housekeeper at your service!”
“System energy remaining: 2%. Please recharge as soon as possible!”
The furnishings in the room were very simple, full of an old-era feel—a red paper wall calendar, a black-and-white imported television, some books on a shelf, and even an antenna cash register. On the bed lay a young woman wearing a plaid shirt, her hair in two braids.
Amid the urgent alarm, she slowly opened her eyes. She looked to be in her early twenties. Her willow-shaped brows and phoenix eyes were strikingly alluring, her skin fair and delicate, her face small and refined, with a red beauty mark beneath her tear-filled eyes.
Her thick eyelashes trembled slightly before her eyes snapped open. A faint blue glow flickered in her pupils. Her body moved stiffly as she attempted some simple motions, as if still retaining a trace of mechanical rigidity—clearly not yet accustomed to this “new body.”
Yuanyuan learned extremely quickly. After several days of integration and repair, she had already grasped all of the original host’s memories and could imitate most of her habits—about eighty to ninety percent. The only problem now was energy. If the little energy she had left ran out, she would simply shut down on the bed, unable to do anything.
Energy stones were the primary fuel for system robots in the future era and were also one of the Federation’s exclusive mineral industries. She used to work for various employers, and they would pay her with energy materials, usually in abundant amounts. A shortage like this was extremely rare.
She came from the year 5023, an SS-grade domestic intelligent system produced by a system factory. Due to technological advancement, humanity had become fully mechanised and no longer needed semi-mechanical systems like hers. As a result, they were deemed obsolete and scheduled for destruction. It was only after being destroyed that she realised she had somehow transmigrated into this novel.
Memories from this body surfaced in her mind. The original owner, Chen Yuan, was a vicious cannon-fodder character in the childhood side story of the male-oriented novel *Entrepreneurial Life*. The novel followed the male protagonist Shen Qingxuan as he built a company from nothing, eventually becoming a powerful business tycoon and marrying his childhood sweetheart.
But few knew of the tragic experiences Shen Qingxuan had endured as a child. In many interviews, he repeatedly mentioned that his greatest regret in life was never finding his missing younger sister. Her disappearance also caused a rift between him and his own younger brother, leaving them estranged for half a lifetime without reconciliation.
Chen Yuan, the original owner of this body, was the newly married wife of Shen Qingxuan’s second uncle, Shen Huai, who was a military officer. She had schemed her way into the marriage and became a cruel second aunt who abused the young protagonist and his siblings, and even mistreated their third uncle who suffered from cerebral palsy. She was the nightmare of their childhood—and the beginning of all their misfortune.
After her abuse of the children was exposed, she was divorced and thrown out of the house. Penniless, she went to work, only to be trafficked into the mountains and forced to marry an old man, eventually dying in childbirth. Though she appeared only briefly in the story, every description painted her as extremely selfish.
Chen Yuan, as a system, already possessed advanced cognition and self-awareness. Her intelligence was no worse than that of an ordinary human—perhaps even superior. After analysing the original host’s fate, she concluded that it was entirely self-inflicted.
In the Federation, children and the disabled were vulnerable groups who were protected at all costs. Those who abused children would face severe punishment—even the death penalty in extreme cases.
The last memory she had before taking over this body was of the original owner arguing fiercely with her husband Shen Huai at an inn while returning to the city. In the argument, she had smashed a military thermos over his head, leaving him bleeding.
The cause of the fight was her demand that Shen Huai arrange her a job in the provincial capital—one of the main reasons she had married him in the first place. However, during their return, Shen Huai received an urgent order to go south for disaster relief. The mission was pressing, and his return date uncertain. Their plans were postponed indefinitely, and the original host, feeling that her husband had broken his promise, caused a huge scene.
With no choice, Shen Huai left with a head injury, asking a comrade to escort her home. When the soldier left, he looked at her with clear disgust, as if he couldn’t believe that a capable leader like Commander Shen had married such a woman.
Today was her second day back, staying at the Shen household. Naturally, she treated Shen Huai’s nephews and niece poorly. The moment she returned, she threw their bedding into a cold, damp room and occupied the largest bedroom for herself. Unexpectedly, she caught a chill—and when she woke up, it was the consciousness of a 5023-era life system.
As her memories settled, she suddenly heard a commotion at the front gate.
Chen Yuan forced herself to move and walked out of the room. Looking outside, she saw two thin boys—one tall, one short—who looked somewhat alike, likely brothers. They were arguing heatedly with a chubby boy with a crew cut.
The chubby boy wore a smug expression and sneered, “Shen Erbao, you’re just a motherless brat. What did I say wrong?”
Hearing this, Shen Erbao’s most sensitive nerve was struck. His nose tingled, and tears poured out as he burst into loud sobs. “I have a mom! I do! Don’t talk nonsense!”
Shen Dabao stepped forward, grabbing the boy’s collar angrily. “Gao Wen, you’ve gone too far! How can you say something like that? Be careful you don’t get sores in your mouth!”
Gao Wen shoved Shen Qingxuan away, smugly believing he had hit their weak spot. “Am I wrong? Your mom ran off with someone else because you weren’t well-behaved. That’s why she didn’t want you anymore.”
Erbao kept shouting until his voice turned hoarse. “That’s not true! It’s not! We’re good and obedient. We don’t cause trouble. Mom didn’t abandon us—she just has something to do. She’ll come back when she’s done… sob…”
Hearing his brother cry, Dabao couldn’t hold back his tears either. The word “mom” was their deepest wound. Although the Shen family rarely mentioned it, it didn’t mean the boys didn’t understand. Gao Wen’s words were like dull knives, slowly stabbing into their hearts.
The two children stood there alone, trembling in the cold wind, their small bodies shaking. No matter how hard they tried to deny it, the harsh truth lay before them, suffocating them with pain.
The chubby boy arrogantly declared, “This is your lesson for today. Next time you see me, stay out of my way—or I’ll beat you every time I see you—”
Before he could finish, someone grabbed him tightly from behind.
A calm female voice sounded, “Whose child are you? Why are you so ill-mannered?”
“Let me go! Let me go! Who are you? Mind your own business!”
The chubby boy turned around and saw a stranger. Panic flashed across his face as he struggled, but despite her seemingly frail appearance, her grip was surprisingly strong.
Dabao and Erbao, their tear-streaked faces frozen in shock, stammered, “Second… Aunt.”
As Chen Yuan stepped forward, she suddenly noticed two data progress bars above the boys’ heads. At the same time, a “Happiness Panel” appeared before her.
Two names were displayed: [Shen Qingxuan] and [Shen Yaohui].
Shen Qingxuan—the older boy—had a happiness index of [-150], the bar completely black. The younger one, Shen Yaohui, had an even lower index of [-170].
Beneath Shen Yaohui’s name was a small label: [Extreme Suffering].
At the bottom of the interface, a red warning read: [If this character’s happiness index falls below -200, there is a risk of suicide.]
Green text stated: [For every 10 points increase in happiness, 2 energy can be exchanged.]
All functions of the life system—GPS, instant search, encyclopaedic knowledge—required energy. In power-saving mode, 2 energy units could last more than two days.
But if energy was severely depleted, it would lead to serious malfunctions and even shorten lifespan. Normally, a system only lasted about 30 years and required constant maintenance and updates to remain in peak condition.
Now, however, she had become a complete human. Unless something unexpected happened, she could live a normal life to old age—even into her eighties or nineties. For the first time, she was free.
But she still needed energy.
The only solution was to collect it—and the best way was to improve the happiness of the Shen brothers.
Seeing them being bullied, she immediately identified it as her top priority.
She looked coldly at the chubby boy. “So young, yet so ill-mannered. What will you become when you grow up? Bullying the Shen family’s children is unacceptable. I think you should experience what it feels like yourself.”
The boy’s face turned green as he struggled. “Do you know who my parents are? If you don’t let me go, I’ll have them teach you a lesson!”
Chen Yuan calmly replied, “Who your parents are doesn’t matter. Today, I’ll teach you a lesson on their behalf.”
Before he could react, she swiftly slapped his backside several times. It wasn’t too hard—just enough to shock him.
For spoiled brats like this, reasoning didn’t work. Intimidation did.
Feeling the sting, the chubby boy burst into loud cries. “Why do you get to control me?! Why?!”
At that moment, Chen Yuan noticed the brothers’ happiness bars increase ever so slightly.
She added, “That’s because you bullied them. If I see you do it again, I won’t let you off so easily.”
The boy, face streaked with tears, glared viciously. “You dared hit me? I’ll tell my parents! They won’t let you off—you’ll regret this!”
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