CFALE Chapter 1

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Xia Heng looked up at the scorching sun and whispered to System 015, “Xiao Wu, how much longer do we have to wait here?”

“Until the protagonist shou appears, Host. Don’t forget, you’re just a little cannon fodder~~”

“So, I just need to make sure that the protagonist shou gets hit by the protagonist gong’s car while trying to save me, right?”

“Yes, Host. Our mission is that simple, but the points are quite generous. Mainly because too few people are willing to make sacrifices these days! Sigh…”

Xia Heng knew that 015 was about to start rambling again, so he quickly interrupted, “Hey, is that person over there the protagonist shou?”

“Yes, yes, yes!! Get into position! 3, 2, 1!”

“What’s wrong with you? Don’t you watch where you’re walking?”

A luxury car, brand unknown but clearly expensive, screeched to a sudden stop by the roadside.

Xia Heng stood there, dumbfounded, watching as the protagonist shou walked away, leaving only the angry luxury car driver still cursing. He couldn’t help but think, System… did we… just fail the mission?

015 was equally bewildered. It took a long pause before hesitantly saying, “That can’t be… This isn’t how fate was written! Hold on, let me check again!”

Xia Heng felt utterly dejected. His beautiful peach blossom eyes turned slightly red, and the usual faint smile at the corners of his lips had completely disappeared. He repeatedly apologized to the driver before clutching his injured arm and leaving.

What he didn’t know was that the man sitting in the backseat of the luxury car was watching him with great interest. I thought he was just a scammer, but it turned out to be a misunderstanding? Tsk, that pitiful, teary look is actually quite cute.

As he reached the side of the road, Xia Heng felt like his luck was truly terrible. His first mission had ended in utter failure—completely unsalvageable. But after some thought, he reminded himself that there would be more missions ahead. He couldn’t get discouraged now. There would always be another chance to complete a cannon fodder’s task.

Feeling reenergized, Xia Heng bravely asked 015, “Xiao Wu, what’s our next mission?”

There was no response.

This unexpected silence made Xia Heng anxious. He called for 015 several times, but there was still no reply.

Just as he was beginning to worry that System 015 had abandoned him, a familiar electronic voice rang out, “Hello, I am System 014. Since you failed your previous mission, I will now be overseeing your future tasks.”

Xia Heng hesitantly asked, “What… about 015?”

“Oh, it’s been assigned to another host. You don’t need to worry about it.”

Xia Heng instantly relaxed upon hearing that. He let out a long sigh of relief and asked, “So, what’s our next mission?”

014 answered responsibly, “In thirty days, you must apply for an interview at the protagonist gong’s company. Please ensure that you pass the first two rounds of interviews.”

Xia Heng was momentarily stunned. “Wait… aren’t we supposed to be matchmaking the protagonist gong and protagonist shou?”

“Oh, we still are. The interview has three rounds. You need to pass the first two written tests, and then in the third round, when you meet the protagonist shou—”

“Oh, I get it! My job is to make the protagonist shou look smart!” Xia Heng proudly interrupted, thinking himself quite clever.

“Er… not exactly…” 014 hesitated. “You need to both highlight the protagonist shou’s intelligence and also make the protagonist gong notice what’s special about him.”

Xia Heng was confused. He wasn’t sure how to both emphasize the protagonist shou’s brilliance and simultaneously attract the protagonist gong’s attention to him. He thought hard and cautiously asked, “Is there… any hint or guidance for this mission?”

014 sounded a little apologetic. “We can only predict general scenarios and fate trajectories, but we still can’t analyze specific actions in advance.”

Xia Heng rubbed his nose in distress, the slight redness making him look both aggrieved and pitiful.

Just then, a hand holding a small bottled tea suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Here, drink this.”

Xia Heng looked up in surprise and saw that it was none other than the protagonist shou—the same person who had ignored his fall earlier!

He stammered, “T-thank you for the drink.”

The protagonist shou chuckled at his flustered reaction and said, “At first, I thought you fell on purpose to scam someone, so I didn’t bother helping. Who knew you weren’t actually faking it?”

I was actually faking it… Xia Heng thought to himself. Just not for money—I was trying to set you up with the protagonist gong.

That realization only made him more embarrassed. His face turned even redder as he fumbled for words.

The protagonist shou lowered his head slightly, reached out, and gently ruffled Xia Heng’s hair.

“A chance meeting like this doesn’t give me much time to comfort you, but try not to dwell on it too much. There’s nothing in life that you can’t get through.”

Xia Heng felt that something was off about this development… but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. So, he quickly summoned 014 and asked, "Why is the protagonist shou suddenly being so nice to me?"

014 also seemed a bit out of it. "Uh… maybe it's because he has the 'nice guy' trait?"

Xia Heng found 014's reasoning hard to accept. After all, this so-called "nice guy" hadn't even bothered to help when he was about to fall earlier. Instead, he had coldly commented that Xia Heng looked like he was trying to stage an accident.

But Xia Heng was obedient. Even though he had no memory of his past before arriving here, his personality remained unchanged.

So, he didn't express his internal complaints or dissatisfaction. Instead, he merely gave a vague smile that looked both shy and a little embarrassed.

Seeing his expression, the protagonist shou assumed that Xia Heng had figured things out and simply turned to leave.

Watching him go, both 014 and Xia Heng couldn't help but breathe a simultaneous sigh of relief. These unexpected situations were seriously stress-inducing. Could the protagonist shou and the protagonist gong please just stick to the script?

After sending off these two walking disasters, Xia Heng finally remembered to ask his system, "The company I'll be interviewing at in a month—what field is it in?"

014 still hadn't fully recovered from the earlier scare and absentmindedly replied, "Oh, it's in jewelry design."

Xia Heng thought for a moment but couldn't recall having any prior experience in this field. He hesitated before asking, "Should I start studying in advance? Otherwise, I’m afraid I might not even pass the first two written tests."

For some reason, 014's tone suddenly became somewhat listless. It weakly responded, "Yeah, you should study. I'll put together a study outline for you—just follow it."

Xia Heng didn't know whether he had ever been exposed to this field before, but looking at all the technical terms and specialized knowledge of jewelry design, he felt like his head had doubled in size.

For the next 30 days, Xia Heng stayed in the small rental apartment assigned by the system, studying day and night with great diligence.

Perhaps he worked too hard—on the day of the written test, he found that the suit selected by the system was a bit loose on him.

014 glanced at Xia Heng and said with dissatisfaction, "Your current appearance doesn't quite fit our pre-set cannon fodder character profile."

Xia Heng immediately became nervous and hurriedly asked, "If something’s off, I can change it."

014 huffed for a while before finally picking out a flashy white three-piece suit from the system shop.

Xia Heng hesitated as he looked at the fitted suit, uncertain. "Do I really have to wear this? But… isn’t it expensive?"

014 dismissed his concerns. "You have newbie points, so this suit is still within your affordable range. As long as you complete your tasks properly, buying things like this in the future will be easy."

Xia Heng blinked and responded with a noncommittal "Mm," while his determination to earn points grew even stronger.

After putting on the tailored white suit, Xia Heng's overall aura was elevated to a new level. Though his height remained a weakness, he had a well-proportioned physique with long legs and a well-defined waist. His face was also exceptionally attractive—lips red, teeth white, with a gaze full of natural charm.

White clothing was notoriously difficult to pull off, as it could make people with darker skin tones look aged. However, due to Xia Heng's continuous studying over the past few days, his complexion had taken on an almost translucent pallor. Paired with the suit, he exuded an air of refined elegance.

014 looked at him with satisfaction. "Wear this for your interview in a few days. But for now, change out of it—both the first and second rounds are written tests, and it'd be a waste to wear something this nice."

Hearing this, Xia Heng nodded in understanding, then changed into his usual casual outfit before heading off for the company’s written test.

The first round tested basic knowledge and professional etiquette, which didn’t worry Xia Heng too much. After all, he had studied for over a month—if he couldn't even pass this, it would make him look downright foolish.

The real challenge was the second round, where candidates had to submit a simple jewelry design sketch based on the given prompt and explain the inspiration behind their design.

If there was one thing Xia Heng had, it was determination. He had spent half a month mastering the design references provided by 014 and studying the finished pieces displayed in the system shop.

So when the company’s test required him to design a stylish pair of wedding rings, Xia Heng didn’t hesitate. He quickly came up with a heart-shaped puzzle ring—two small heart-shaped rings that could be joined together to form a complete heart.

While this design wasn’t particularly high-end, it was undeniably clever and charming.

014 had originally suggested that Xia Heng directly copy a sample from the system shop, but Xia Heng stubbornly insisted on creating his own design.

014 wasn’t pleased about this at first. However, in the end, Xia Heng’s design was selected, placing him as the second-best candidate. The top spot was taken by someone named Han Lang.

014 was ecstatic, exclaiming, "As expected of the protagonist shou—he really is talented!"

Xia Heng, feeling a bit confused, asked, "The protagonist shou's name is Han Lang?"

But 014 was still lost in its own world. "If I could become System 001, I’d probably get to guide hosts blessed with protagonist halos, wouldn’t I?"

Xia Heng expressionlessly rolled his eyes. "Xiao Shisi, have my points been credited?"

"Yes, yes! Task progress is now 50% complete, and you've earned 1,000 points."

T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi page, thank you....