Chapter 2: A Little Bit of the System

Back home, Hu Mei'er couldn't wait to open her takeout bag. An intense, savory aroma of roasted chicken instantly filled the room.

"Hiss... This roasted chicken smells even better than what Grandpa Hu Liu makes!" Hu Mei'er had intended to dig in with her bare hands, but after a quick glance at her delicate fingers and the disposable gloves nearby, she decisively put the gloves on and impatiently tore off a drumstick.

"Mmm~ crispy on the outside and tender on the inside—this is absolutely delicious!" Just as Hu Mei'er finished the first drumstick and was about to reach for the second, a knock echoed at the door.

"Mei'er, Mei'er, open up!" It was her close friend’s voice.

Hu Mei'er took one last look at the chicken on the table, then got up to open the door. The moment she did, however, she immediately regretted it—there were five or six people standing outside!

"Mei'er, you were actually keeping this all to yourself!" her friend huffed indignantly.

"Don't just stand there! If we don't finish this chicken soon, every fox in Qingqiu will be here before you know it!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Mei'er hurriedly ushered them in: "Quick, get inside!"

Once they were all in, Hu Mei'er promptly cast a barrier to seal off the intoxicating scent. A fox's sense of smell is incredibly sharp; without the barrier, those other foxes might truly have been drawn to the scent.

Seeing the roasted chicken radiating such an alluring aroma on the table, they all gathered around.

"Mei'er, is this chicken some new invention of Grandpa Hu Liu's?"

"No. I was hungry today and suddenly heard a strange voice asking what I wanted to eat and telling me I could place an order. The payment was just a small ball of spiritual energy, plus an extra tip for the delivery person—er, the rider, yes, the rider. Anything would do as a tip. I thought it sounded novel, so I placed an order!" Hu Mei'er explained while dividing the chicken for her friends.

"And that’s how you got this?"

"Yeah, I gave the rider a Nine-Nether Grass and a spirit stone. But I found that rider a bit strange. She seemed like an ordinary mortal; how could she have made it to Qingqiu?" Hu Mei'er’s face held a trace of confusion.

"If you could hear that strange voice, maybe she’s just an envoy for it!" her best friend said, swallowing a mouthful of chicken. "But you have to admit, this really does taste better than Grandpa Hu Liu's!"

Hu Mei'er sighed inwardly. Perhaps it really was just a strange encounter.

***

On the other side, back in the city, Mo Qianxun finally began to recover. She had been running deliveries all day; aside from that one bizarre order, the rest had been perfectly normal.

Because of what happened that morning, Mo Qianxun didn't dare take any night shifts. Seeing the sun beginning to set, she finished her last delivery and closed the ordering system, heading back to her rented room.

She had tried keeping plants before, but they always died under her care. Nevertheless, she followed the ghost girl's instructions and planted the grass in a flowerpot.

Once everything was tidied up, Mo Qianxun lay on her bed and checked her phone balance. She smiled. "Great, next month's rent is covered!"

As she was scrolling through her phone, she suddenly noticed an unfamiliar app.

" 'Order a Little'? Did I download this? When did that happen? I don't remember doing that." Mo Qianxun opened the app and saw that one order was already marked as completed.

"Damn, so that Qingqiu order was from this app?" Seeing the word "Qingqiu" in the order details made her blood boil. This stupid app had nearly scared her to death!

She carefully reviewed the order and saw a five-star rating from the customer. It seemed the ghost girl was quite obedient after all.

Exiting the app, her first thought was to delete it immediately. However, no matter how many times she tried, it felt as if the app were welded to her phone—it simply wouldn't budge.

"Is this some kind of virus?" Hesitantly, she checked the settings, but there was nothing there.

"If there’s nothing there, why even include a settings page? What a waste of effort!"

The System: ...Every app has a settings page. If you have it, I must have it too!

"I can't delete it, but I just won't accept any more orders, simple as that!" Mo Qianxun muttered, preparing to shut the system down.

At that moment, a new unread push notification appeared.

[Respected Ms. Mo Qianxun, welcome to the 'Order a Little' delivery system. Our system is created by the Myriad Worlds Group and allows for deliveries across all realms. You can earn points by completing delivery orders, which can be exchanged for local currency, used for trading between system users, or spent in the system store. Note: The system is currently at Level 1. One fixed order will be issued randomly each day. Completing the order earns points, but if the host abandons an order, a penalty of 1,000 yuan will be deducted from your real-world currency!]

"......#&%*" Mo Qianxun unleashed a string of colorful curses.

After ten minutes of venting, she continued reading: [This system was bound to you with your consent on July 14th at 6:00 PM. The internship period is one year. After one year, if you wish to continue using the system, you must sign a formal contract!]

"When did I consent? When?!" Mo Qianxun racked her brain, recalling yesterday at 6:00 PM.

It had been pouring rain. She had just finished an urgent delivery and was on her way back when a bolt of lightning struck her. She did remember hearing some strange voice at the time.

But she hadn't responded to it!

Another message popped up: [Default counts as consent! Once bound, you cannot unbind until the internship period expires!]

"......*%**"

"This is a predatory contract!"

But beyond cursing, what else could she do? She would have to finish the tasks obediently, or she would lose a fortune at 1,000 yuan per order!

Mo Qianxun looked at the grass on her windowsill. "So, did I really go to Qingqiu? Is this plant really a spiritual herb from Qingqiu?"

The system gave no response.

...

Fine. Not only was she bound to a system, but the system was also incredibly cold.

The cold, cold System: It’s not that I’m cold; I just don't have any extra energy.

The energy it spent sending those messages came entirely from the profit of the order she completed today! Hu Mei'er's spiritual energy was far too weak; once compressed, it barely provided any energy at all.