Hajitong, are you leaving just like that

Today's dinner gathering was not just about meeting up with a few friends and buying a gold bracelet; the system's epilogue quest was also completed.

Shen Nian only now began to check the system's notifications.

[Epilogue (2) (Completed)]

[Reward: 1000 Gold Coins]

His phone vibrated, and a bank receipt notification popped up. Just like before, it didn't have any remarks.

But—

Shen Nian waited and waited, yet no new system prompt appeared.

All that came was an empty system window.

[Epilogue, End.]

The system, which had always been hiding in a hidden corner of his vision, began to turn transparent until it vanished completely.

The main quest was over, the epilogue quest was over, and the system had fulfilled its purpose and disappeared.

Just like in a game, after completing all the quests and before any version update, the system framework was just a blank slate, an empty space with no function whatsoever.

"..."

Shen Nian rested his head on his hands, lying blankly on the bed. His gaze was unfocused, and his mind was a bit of a mess.

The Haki-system that had accompanied him for so long... was gone.

Shen Nian realized this belatedly and closed his eyes.

Hearing, smell, skin perception... his various attributes could still be improved. Even though the system had disappeared, he could still enter the [Focus] state.

He tried doing some sit-ups on the bed. His body didn't feel tired or weak from it; the bonuses brought by the [High Spirits] passive and the [Hero] title were all still there.

Whether it was the passives or the titles, they had all become a part of his body and wouldn't disappear just because the system did.

Shen Nian felt depressed.

Haki-system, why did you have to leave?

Have you forgotten all the bonds between us?!

Could it be that I was the most beautiful boy you've ever seen in Cinan, and you saw the stars and the moon in my eyes, so this was your parting gift to me?

You are my, Shen Nian's, best friend for life. Next Tomb-Sweeping Day, your bro will secretly build you a little tombstone out of pebbles with "Haki-system" engraved on it, and I'll come sweep your tomb every year.

His best friend had vanished.

Shen Nian felt like he had caught the emo disease. He planned to skip teaching in tomorrow's live stream and switch to doing a try-not-to-laugh challenge instead.

...

Another two days passed.

Having played in Cinan for too long, Xia Yanchun was already urging Shen Nian to pack up and head back to their hometown.

One of the great benefits of buying a car was that they didn't have to specifically set a time to wake up early; they could leave whenever they wanted.

Since they were returning to their hometown, a major spring cleaning was essential, not to mention they were going home for the New Year.

Bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new naturally included a thorough cleaning.

Especially for a cleanliness-loving girl like Xia Yanchun, she wouldn't feel comfortable leaving without cleaning the house completely.

"Heave-ho..." Xia Yanchun held a rag, standing barefoot on a low stool as she tried to clean the range hood.

Even though it hadn't been used much, the range hood had still accumulated a lot of dirt over the past year, and the oil tank needed a careful wash.

"Are you done yet?" Shen Nian appeared out of nowhere.

"Not yet. After cleaning the kitchen, I just need to mop the floor and I'll be done. What about your side?"

"I just did a simple tidy-up. My sister hasn't gone back yet anyway, so it'll be fine once she sweeps and mops later."

"When does Sister Shen Yue get off for the holidays?"

"Hmm... I asked her. It'll be in five days."

"Isn't that the day before New Year's Eve? That's so late..."

"That's just how working is," Shen Nian smiled faintly. "So I'm going to be a boss in the future. I absolutely refuse to work for others. If you make me work a regular job, I might as well go back to the town and open a small convenience store for my retirement."

"You're always thinking about that convenience store of yours."

"So what? That's what I'll do when I'm old."

"I'll definitely be a big boss in the future," Xia Yanchun hummed.

"Great, then I can focus on being your kept man!"

"You're overthinking it. I'll kick you out of the house when the time comes."

"Oh, you."

Now Shen Nian had found an excuse. He didn't care whether Xia Yanchun was cleaning the kitchen right now and simply went right up to her.

Xia Yanchun wasn't afraid of a certain someone's sudden closeness at all. She even wanted to laugh a little. Putting down the rag, she poked his shoulder hard. "Stay away, can't you see I'm cleaning?"

"What are you mumbling about?"

Shen Nian bared his teeth, smiling a bit weirdly. Immediately after, Xia Yanchun only felt herself being hugged. Her lower back and bottom were suddenly lifted by Shen Nian, and her feet left the ground. Just as she felt a little panicked, Shen Nian placed her onto the kitchen counter.

The stone surface of the counter was chilly.

Even sitting on the counter, Xia Yanchun wasn't necessarily taller than Shen Nian.

She was placed on the edge of the counter. Shen Nian was only an inch away from her, pressed very close. Her hands were still hooked around the back of Shen Nian's neck, and she was securely held in front of him.

Shen Nian supported her waist with one hand and leaned forward slightly, resting his forehead against Xia Yanchun's.

What a terrible posture!!! After realizing what Shen Nian wanted to do, she immediately blushed red with embarrassment. She covered her face with her two small hands, feeling panicked and flustered.

"W-what are you doing!"

"Are you still going to kick me out?"

"I won't, I won't!" Xia Yanchun yielded.

At the very least, not in the kitchen! The kitchen is a place for cooking and eating!

Shen Nian smiled foolishly, gave Chunbao a peck on the ear, and gently put her down.

Because of the terrible posture just now, one of Xia Yanchun's slippers had fallen off. Only when her bare foot touched the ground did Xia Yanchun feel much more relieved. She immediately punched Shen Nian in the arm and gave him two middle fingers.

"You're still hitting me."

"I'll beat you to death. Get lost, I still have to clean up."

"I'll wait for you on the sofa. Good luck, Haki-chun. We'll go home once you're done cleaning."

Shen Nian immediately ran away.

Leaving Xia Yanchun alone in the kitchen to sulk.

That damn Shen Nian, he was too much, actually daring to tease her like that!

So Xia Yanchun cleaned the kitchen spotless while sulking.

Next, she had to mop the floor. She carried the mop over to the sofa and mopped back and forth. "Excuse me, tuck your feet in."

"Ah, your shoes are so dirty, I just mopped it clean!"

"Come on sis, I didn't even step on it."

"Does it mean it won't get dirty just because you didn't step on it? You're really in the way!"

Shen Nian: "..."

It seemed that Haki-chun had been teased to the point of losing her composure just now, and was now extremely annoyed.

Hehe.

That's how rivals are. Today he won big, and Haki-chun lost big.

Mopping the floor didn't take much effort. In no time at all, Xia Yanchun had the house mopped clean.

"Other people's boyfriends are always at their girlfriends' beck and call, yet you just watch me do chores." Xia Yanchun was displeased with Shen Nian and started picking a fight.

"I don't understand. Hurry up and change your clothes, we're heading out."

"..."

Shen Nian didn't take the bait. Xia Yanchun felt stifled, gave a cold snort, and ran back to her room to change.

Even if they were just going back to the town, Xia Yanchun still had to wear proper clothes for going out: a dark gray coat with some white fluff on top, a small satchel around her waist, paired with white cotton socks and small black leather shoes. The sweetest beautiful girl in all of Cinan made her grand return.

She had learned this outfit combination from Teacher Yan Yuzhu.

"Let's go home!" Xia Yanchun came out dragging her suitcase.

"You're bringing so much stuff."

"Because I have my computer, and some clothes I won't wear anymore."

"True."

Shen Nian didn't have much to pack on his end. He had already taken apart the computer he needed to bring back and loaded it into the car's trunk by himself. All he had to do was throw on his shoes, and he was ready to leave.