The courtyard was still damp from the chaos at the pond, the moon laying a pale glow across the stone paths. Zhao Lian leaned against a pillar, grinning to herself. Her sister was still coughing up pond water, her parents still glaring holes into her soul, but for the first time in her life, she didn't feel small.
She felt alive.
[Quest Completed: Put Zhao Yue in her place.]
[Reward: +10 Silver, +1 Mischief Stat.]
[Hidden Penalty: Family Affection -10.]
"Family affection," Zhao Lian snorted under her breath. "As if there was any to lose."
The glowing words above her head shimmered, and then new lines scrolled into view.
[Random Quest Generated.]
[Steal Zhao Yue's jade hairpin without being caught.]
[Reward: +5 Agility.]
[Penalty: -1 Life if caught.]
"What the—?!" Zhao Lian nearly choked on her own spit. "For a hairpin? Are you insane?"
[System: Difficulty: Low. You can do this, Player fit@up.]
"Low my foot. This is basically telling me to commit suicide."
She pressed her lips together, pacing. In her old world, she'd never dared to rebel against her family—every word, every glance had crushed her into silence. But here… she rubbed her hands together. "Maybe a little theft wouldn't hurt."
Zhao Yue's chamber was on the second floor, guarded by paper lanterns that swayed lazily in the night breeze. Zhao Lian tiptoed across the wooden floorboards, wincing at every creak.
The system chimed again.
[Stealth Mode Activated.]
[Agility Bonus: +0 (pending reward).]
[Tip: Don't step on the squeaky planks.]
"You could've told me that before I stepped on three of them!" Zhao Lian hissed.
Inside, Zhao Yue slept soundly, her hair spread across her pillow like ink. On the lacquered table by her bed sat the jade hairpin, gleaming faintly.
Zhao Lian crouched, whispering to herself, "Alright… easy does it. Grab the pin, get out, no drowning sisters this time."
She reached out—
And Zhao Yue stirred.
Zhao Lian froze, one hand hovering midair. Sweat trickled down her neck.
[Warning: If caught, penalty will be enforced.]
Zhao Yue mumbled in her sleep, turned over, and went still.
Zhao Lian exhaled, swiped the jade hairpin, and bolted out the window like a thief in the night. She landed in the courtyard grass, clutching the pin triumphantly.
"Ha! Take that, system. Too easy."
The glowing text confirmed:
[Quest Complete.]
[Reward: +5 Agility.]
[Bonus Reward: Zhao Yue suspects nothing.]
Zhao Lian twirled the pin between her fingers, a mischievous smile lighting her face. "Maybe this game won't be so bad after all."
But the system wasn't finished.
[Random Quest Generated.]
[Make Zhao Mei laugh within 24 hours.]
[Reward: +5 Charisma.]
[Penalty: -1 Life if failed.]
Zhao Lian's grin faltered. "Laugh? At what? That woman barely cracked a smile even when she was alive, let alone here!"
She rubbed her temple. These aren't quests. These are death wishes wrapped in pretty words.
Still, a spark of excitement flickered in her chest. She'd been powerless all her life. Now, even if the quests were cruel, at least the choices were hers.
Later that night, as Zhao Lian hid the hairpin beneath her pillow, she noticed a figure watching her from the rooftop. A boy, no older than she was, his white robe glowing faintly under the moon. He leaned on his elbows, chin resting on his palm, smiling as though he'd been entertained.
Zhao Lian narrowed her eyes. "What are you staring at?"
He chuckled softly, the sound like wind chimes. "Just watching the little sparrow test her wings."
Her skin prickled. "Stalker much?"
He tilted his head. "You're more fun than I expected." His smile widened, but his eyes glinted with something sharp, something dangerous. "Don't disappoint me."
Before she could reply, he vanished into the night.
Zhao Lian swallowed hard, clutching the jade pin. The system hovered silently above her, for once offering no guidance.
And she realized—
She might be the player, but she wasn't the only one watching the game.
Zhao Lian had thought she'd seen enough drama for one lifetime—her family's endless favoritism, the comparisons to Zhao Mei, the gossip at work that her own relatives had planted—but apparently, the "game" had other plans.
The system's neon letters blinked above her like an overeager stage director.
[Main Quest: Attend the family banquet. Outcome will determine your next stat increase.]
She groaned. "Why do these quests always sound like an unpaid internship?"
[Correction: Rewarding unpaid internship. Rewards include +10 charisma, +5 silver, and… potential rare item drop.]
"Potential?" Lian raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me I might go through hours of torture just for a pat on the back?"
[That's… correct.]
She rolled her eyes, tugged at the pale blue sash around her robe, and muttered, "Figures."
The Zhao ancestral hall was lit with lanterns strung along the carved beams, the scent of roasted duck, braised pork, and spiced wine floating through the air. Every relative in their flowing robes sat at round tables, laughter and chatter bouncing off the wooden walls.
But as Zhao Lian walked in, conversations dipped. Heads turned. Whispers slithered.
"There she is… the useless one."
"Can't believe they let her sit here again."
"Compared to Zhao Mei and Yue? She's practically a shadow."
Lian smirked, tossing her hair back as though their words were compliments. Ah, yes. The supporting cast enters.
Her sister Zhao Yue sat at the front, draped in silks embroidered with golden peonies. A perfect daughter's smile curved on her lips as she accepted praises from uncles and aunts.
And then, as if on cue, their mother's voice cut through the chatter.
"Lian, you're late. Again."
The hall went quiet.
Lian clasped her hands behind her back. "Yes, Mother. I was too busy trying to measure up to perfection. Turns out it takes more than just a silk robe and a smile."
A few cousins stifled laughter. Yue's smile stiffened.
"Don't speak nonsense," her father scolded. "Your sister works hard. Unlike you."
"Works hard?" Lian tilted her head. "You mean sitting around and looking pretty while the rest of us get trampled? If that's work, I've been underqualified my whole life."
Aunt Qiao gasped. "How disrespectful!"
Lian leaned forward across the table, voice sweet but sharp. "Funny, Aunt. Last year when your son failed his exams, didn't Yue 'accidentally' spread it across the neighborhood? And you still think she's the golden child?"
The air thickened. A hush fell, and Zhao Yue's face drained of color.
"You—!" Yue's voice cracked, but she quickly masked it with a demure smile. "You're imagining things, little sister. Jealousy makes you say strange things."
"Jealous?" Lian laughed, tossing back her wine cup in one gulp. "You're right. I'm jealous I don't have the patience to pretend all day, nodding and smiling until my neck hurts."
[+5 Wit. Audience Effect: Confusion.]
The system's glowing words flickered just above her, visible only to her eyes. She almost choked on her wine suppressing a laugh.
The Clash
Yue's fists clenched beneath the table. "At least I make the family proud. What do you contribute, Lian?"
"Oh, I contribute plenty," Lian said brightly. "I'm the reason you shine so brightly—after all, a jewel looks best when set next to coal."
Gasps rippled around the room. Someone dropped chopsticks.
[+10 Charisma. Critical Hit.]
Yue's composure cracked for real this time. Her lips trembled, and her eyes darted toward their parents for rescue.
Father slammed his cup on the table. "Enough! Lian, apologize this instant."
"Apologize?" Lian smiled, the grin sharp as a blade. "For existing? For breathing air you'd rather save for Yue? If that's the apology you want, Father, you'll be waiting a long time."
Her mother's eyes blazed. "Ungrateful child!"
But before she could launch into another tirade, the system chimed again.
[Quest Update: Maintain dominance for 10 more exchanges. Bonus reward if you make Zhao Yue cry.]
"Make her cry?" Lian whispered, smirking into her wine. "Well, that's practically a side hobby."
System Banter
As voices around her rose, the system flickered with glitchy text.
[Warning: Interference detected.]
[A present awaits. Just outside the door]
"What the hell," Lian muttered under her breath.
"Something wrong, dear sister?" Yue's voice cut through her thoughts, sharp and triumphant, like she'd caught Lian faltering.
Lian leaned back, grin returning in full force. "Nothing at all. Just noticed how easily a mask can slip when someone's desperate. You should fix yours—it's cracking."
Yue's composure shattered. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she shoved back from the table, storming out of the hall.
The silence that followed was heavy, stunned.
The system flickered back into view.
[Quest Complete: Humiliate Zhao Yue.]
[Reward: +10 Charisma, +5 Silver, +1 Rare Item – Silver-Threaded Fan.]
"Perfect," Lian muttered with a victorious smirk, raising her cup once more. But her eyes drifted back to the corner—only to find the boy gone.
[System Alert: Quest chain unlocked – The Demon's Shadow.]
Her blood ran cold.
"What demon?" she whispered.
[Data not found.]
For once, the system sounded almost… afraid.
********
The Zhao family's dining hall gleamed under the midmorning sun, light spilling across the polished table set with porcelain bowls, bamboo steamers, and dishes fragrant with spices. The air smelled of lotus root soup, spiced duck, and sesame cakes, but tension wove more strongly than any aroma.
At the head of the table sat Father Zhao, stern-faced, his eyes shadowed with the weight of business and tradition. Beside him, Madam Zhao, ever elegant, her lips curved into that tight, practiced smile she often wore when presenting their family to the world.
To their right sat Zhao Mei, the first daughter. Silent, calm, and poised, she wore her usual faint detachment, as if her mind were already among books and scrolls instead of family chatter. Her dark eyes rarely flickered toward her younger sisters. Mei had been told, since childhood, that she was to carry the honor of the Zhao family. That duty weighed heavily, though she bore it without complaint.
Across from her sat Zhao Yue, the perfect second sister. A gleaming pearl in the family's eyes, Yue's smile was quick, her compliments smoother than honey. She played her role well, always sweet in front of their parents, always obedient.
And then, at the far corner, sat Zhao Lian. Quiet, observant, her chopsticks hesitated over the dishes. She knew her place — the overlooked one, the shadow that existed merely to be compared.
"Mei," Father Zhao's voice broke the silence, warm and approving, "your tutor has spoken highly of your progress. He says you have surpassed even the older students in rhetoric and philosophy."
A small, polite nod from Mei. "I am only doing what I should, Father."
"Humility," Madam Zhao chimed in approvingly, her eyes softening. "It suits you. Not like some others who think childish antics are achievement."
Her gaze slid sharply to Lian.
Lian lowered her head, biting the inside of her lip.
Then Yue, with her usual sugar-coated cruelty, leaned toward Mei. "Elder Sister, you really are amazing. I cannot imagine how anyone could ever reach your level. Truly, you are the pride of the family." She paused, a sly smile tugging her lips. "Some of us," her glance darted at Lian, "cannot even hold a book properly."
A laugh fluttered from Madam Zhao. Father Zhao did not correct Yue.
For a moment, silence stretched. Lian's fists curled beneath the table.
But then, something stirred inside her — a stubborn spark. If the system had taught her anything already, it was that every quest had a reward. And her latest quest… was to make Zhao Mei laugh.
Impossible, they had said. Mei, who lived like a carved statue, too burdened with principles to find mirth in anything.
But Lian had been watching her elder sister for years. She knew the smallest flickers of her expression, the tiny cracks beneath the marble. And she had a plan.
"Elder Sister Mei," Lian said suddenly, her voice cutting into the table's rhythm.
The family's eyes shifted to her. Father frowned, Yue smirked, Madam Zhao sighed impatiently.
"What is it now?" Madam Zhao asked.
Lian lifted her bowl. "I was just wondering something."
Mei looked at her, slightly curious.
"What would happen," Lian tilted her head innocently, "if our soup duck suddenly stood up and marched out of the bowl? Would you still quote Confucius, or would you run after it with a chopstick army?"
For a heartbeat, silence. Yue scoffed. Madam Zhao rolled her eyes.
But Mei — Mei blinked, her lips twitching.
Lian wasn't finished. "Or imagine Father Zhao giving a lecture on filial piety, but halfway through his beard falls off and hops away like a rabbit."
That did it. Mei's lips parted, and the smallest sound escaped — not quite a laugh, but close.
Lian leaned in with mock seriousness. "Elder Sister, you would have to chase the beard! How would the books explain that?"
A sound broke — sharp, sudden, beautiful. Zhao Mei laughed.
It rang like a bell across the hall.
For the first time in years, perhaps the first time ever, the unshakable Zhao Mei was laughing. Not a polite smile, not a hidden curve of lips, but a genuine, uncontrolled laugh that lit her face in a way no one had ever seen.
The family froze. Chopsticks hung midair. Father Zhao's brows rose in disbelief. Madam Zhao's fan slipped from her hand. Yue's eyes widened, her perfect composure faltering.
And Zhao Lian, though her heart pounded, allowed herself the smallest, secret smile.
Quest complete, the system's voice whispered faintly in her mind. Reward pending.
But she ignored it. For now, the reward was simply this: Mei laughing, Mei alive.
That night, whispers rustled through the halls. The miracle of Zhao Mei's laughter spread quickly among the servants, who had never heard such a sound. Some said Zhao Lian had bewitched her sister. Others murmured that perhaps the youngest daughter was not as worthless as believed.
The next day, the garden.
The morning sun warmed the dew-laden grass as Zhao Lian knelt among the blossoms, running her fingers across the petals of chrysanthemums. She liked the garden — it was the only place she could be herself, even if only in solitude.
A shadow fell across her.
"Still pretending you belong here, little weed?"
Zhao Yue's voice was sweet, but the venom dripped between her words. She stepped closer, her silken dress swaying.
Lian did not look up. "Good morning, Second Sister."
"Don't 'good morning' me." Yue crouched beside her, lowering her voice to a hiss. "Don't think I didn't see what you did yesterday. Making Elder Sister laugh? As if you could win her over. She doesn't need you."
Lian's hand stilled on the flower.
Yue smirked. "You're nothing but a burden. And I won't let you steal even a sliver of the light meant for me."
She pushed a little too close, brushing against Lian's arm.
And that was when a rustle came from the path.
Zhao Mei stood there.
Her expression was unreadable, her eyes sharp, but something flickered — confusion, doubt. She had heard.
Yue straightened quickly, mask snapping back on. "Elder Sister! We were only playing—"
But Mei's gaze lingered, not on Yue, but on Lian. A question had already begun forming inside her.
Were the teachings of her parents — that Yue was kind, that Lian was worthless — truly the truth?
For the first time, Zhao Mei doubted.
And Zhao Lian, brushing dirt from her dress, hid her small smile.
Because this too… had been part of her plan.