The bad value system is measuring values.

Chapter 103 Neighbor Bieber

Qiao Xiao: "It didn't rain."

She slowly raised her head, looked up at the sky, and her eyes showed an expression of disbelief.

The rain, which was expected to pour down, miraculously stopped as if by magic.

Just then, a soft knock on the door broke the silence.

Qiao Xiao's heart tightened, and her gaze turned to the doorway. Standing there was a slightly weathered, middle-aged man with a light beard. His appearance was considered above average in this country, but compared to the handsome and dashing Gu Jinghe, the difference was not small.

Suddenly, a mysterious voice rang in Qiao Xiao's mind: "Host, the custom auto-trigger option has appeared. Please make a selection."

Option 1: Open the door;

Option 2: Do not open the door.

Please note that making unreasonable choices may result in your death; please choose carefully. We will also omit parts of your death process, and this world supports a rewind function, so please choose with confidence.

Qiao Xiao answered without hesitation, "I won't open the door."

Suddenly, her heart clenched, and a question arose in her mind: Could the process of death be omitted? In what way could it be omitted?

Just as she was lost in thought, Gu Jinghe seemed to understand her intention and stood quietly to the side without touching the closed door.

Since then, strange things have been happening one after another.

Their door was frequently knocked on, as if it were some kind of tacit agreement or plan among these people.

Every knock on the door made her uneasy, wondering what dangers were lurking outside.

Even though Qiao Xiao could easily sense that something was wrong, she had no clue about what these people were doing or what their hidden motives were.

In the following days, Qiao Xiao successfully joined the membership and began actively registering for various charitable organizations, taking advantage of her special membership status.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of her other members, their lives gradually returned to peace, and no strangers came knocking on their doors to disturb their lives anymore.

At a particularly unique twilight hour, after weeks of arduous struggle, Qiao Xiao finally obtained the qualification certificate she had always dreamed of—a certificate that would allow her to work in a charity.

So, if we take the fastest possible time, she could be officially hired as a local area-level security guard the very next day.

At this moment, she was leisurely strolling home, imagining Gu Jinghe sitting at the dinner table, waiting for her good news.

With both the food business and the food business thriving, she couldn't even imagine how wonderful it would be.

Qiao Xiao clearly did not regard Gu Jinghe as her lover, but undeniably, she regarded him as a brother in most cases.

In her eyes, Gu Jinghe was not only gentle and understanding, but also meticulous and caring, making him an absolutely well-behaved child.

Of course, she knew that the other person harbored deep love for her.

After all, according to the system's established strategy, once the affection level reaches a certain standard, signs of love will naturally emerge.

But she always hoped that Gu Jinghe could remain silent and not break the unspoken understanding between them, so as to avoid damaging the tacit understanding between them. That would be the best way.

When she returned home full of joy, she was not greeted by a steaming, fragrant feast, but by a raging inferno.

When she arrived at the scene, the sight before her was astonishing—the area was packed with police, onlookers, and fire trucks and ambulances with flashing lights.

Amid the chaos, she vaguely heard someone in the crowd say with regret, "What a pity! Such a promising young man, gone so unexpectedly..."

"Who says otherwise? Probably not even bones will be left..."

Just then, the system suddenly popped up a prompt box: "Incorrect option, a bad ending has been triggered - The Burning Door. Do you want to rewind the timeline and start over?"

Faced with this sudden turn of events, Qiao Xiao stood there indifferently, neither moving forward nor retreating.

Her once beautiful face was now completely bloodless, as if all life had been drained from it.

She parted her lips slightly and uttered two words in an almost icy tone: "Rewind."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a familiar and urgent knocking sound came from outside the door again.

Qiao Xiao's eyes narrowed instantly, revealing a chilling glint as she stared intently at the tightly closed door.

She gritted her teeth and said resolutely, "Them!"

Qiao Xiao was convinced that the bad outcome caused by her wrong choice was inevitably connected to the fire and to "them".

"I'm sorry, Gu Jinghe made you die once..."

She looked up at Gu Jinghe, who was standing beside her unharmed, and felt a pang of heartache.

She's raised this person with so much effort, she can't let him be ruined like this!

System: "Host, please note that there is only one timeline here, and there are no other side stories. Therefore, there will be no ending where Gu Jinghe dies. However, please remember that what I am describing is limited to the current dimensional space, not the previously destroyed world that you are trying to conquer."

Indeed, restarting a source root and adding another branch are not the same thing.

But the intense guilt that welled up in Qiao Xiao's heart did not diminish in the slightest. She still stubbornly believed that it was because of her that Gu Jinghe died tragically—even though that ending no longer existed, it had happened.

After a moment of silence, Qiao Xiao said, "I'll go open the door."

Before she could finish speaking, Gu Jinghe hurriedly reached out to stop her, saying with a worried expression, "But I still feel uneasy. Can we not open the door? What if they have ulterior motives?"

Qiao Xiao gazed silently into his eyes, her gaze deep and strangely filled with a profound sense of death.

She slowly began to speak: "Even if the other party is truly an evil person, they will surely come up with all sorts of ways to torture us. No matter how we try to escape, we cannot escape this fate. We must confront this person now."

After saying that, she gently pulled her hand away from Gu Jinghe's and walked towards the door.

Gu Jinghe's gaze, through which he could perceive the complex emotions conveyed in her eyes, as if she were revealing something she had experienced.

With a slight creaking sound, Qiao Xiao slowly opened the door.

When her gaze met that of the man standing outside the door, she met his eyes without flinching, her eyes flashing with a firm yet slightly wary light.

Qiao Xiao forced a smile and said softly, "I'm so sorry we're late. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Her frankness revealed a hint of detachment.

The man maintained a polite smile throughout, while handing forward a basket of delicate desserts he was carrying.

He explained, “Hello! I’m your neighbor next door, my name is Bieber. My wife specifically asked me to bring you this box of homemade cookies so you can have a taste. She’s in a rush to pick up the kids from school right now and can’t come over in person.”

This argument sounds utterly absurd and ridiculous—who would choose to bake cookies in such terrible, torrential rain?

It seems illogical no matter what.

Gu Jinghe and Qiao Xiao had the same idea. He muttered to himself, but didn't show it on his face.

Instead, he began to carefully examine the man in front of him, and couldn't help but feel relieved.

Bieber is slightly shorter than Gu Jinghe, and his physique doesn't seem to indicate that he has a habit of exercising. With Qiao Xiao's strength, she is more than capable of defeating him.

However, Gu Jinghe did not let his guard down. He had an inexplicable feeling deep down and decided to talk to Qiao Xiao after the man left.

At this moment, Qiao Xiao said with a big smile, "Haha, I am so grateful, my dear neighbors! I will definitely visit you in person another day to express my gratitude."

Bieber responded just as enthusiastically: "Really? That's fantastic! When my wife gets back, I'll definitely invite you all to come over for a visit."

Qiao Xiao nodded in agreement: "Definitely, definitely. I'll bother you again then."

As soon as she finished speaking, she reached out and took the bread basket from Bieber's hand.

Immediately afterwards, Qiao Xiao took the initiative to ask, "Is there anything else, Mr. Bieber?"

Faced with this unexpected question, Bieber still smiled and replied in a relaxed tone, "No, in that case, I'll go first."

Qiao Xiao politely said goodbye, "Okay, thank you again." After saying that, she slowly closed the door.

Once the door was closed, Gu Jinghe, who had been standing to the side, remained silent. He keenly noticed that Qiao Xiao's face had become unusually gloomy, as if shrouded in a thick layer of gloom.

Gu Jinghe couldn't help but feel worried and quickly stepped forward to ask, "What's wrong? Why do you look so pale?"

Qiao Xiao bit her lip, a hint of wariness and unease in her eyes, and said in a low voice, "This guy is definitely not a good person."

She gripped the basket tightly while glancing around warily, afraid that Bieber might turn around and kill her. She added in a low voice, "Unfortunately, given the current situation, we probably can't afford to mess with him."

Damn it! I naively thought they were just there to harass people, but I never imagined they would set fire to people and kill them!

Qiao Xiao: Why are they targeting us? Did I offend some difficult people? Or did something happen at Gu Jinghe's school or something unexpected happen that affected us?

She stared intently at Gu Jinghe, rubbing her temples vigorously as she asked, "Did you notice anyone at your school behaving strangely or acting oddly?"

Gu Jinghe complained unhappily, "There isn't a single normal person here. Everywhere I go in this school, it's packed with people, and without exception, they are all people I hate."

His words revealed deep resentment and disdain. Clearly, rudeness and arrogance had become his most profound and negative impression of the school.

His words revealed utter contempt for the school. In his eyes, "rudeness and arrogance" had become synonymous with the students there; they always liked to make sarcastic and mocking remarks. He was truly fed up with this environment, where everyone looked down on each other.

After listening, Qiao Xiao thought for a moment and then said, "When I have some free time, I'll go to your school in person to take a look."

Upon hearing this, Gu Jinghe's tense face instantly relaxed. He narrowed his pearly eyes slightly, and the corners of his mouth turned up, revealing a bright, sunny smile.

He replied softly, "Okay."

He couldn't contain his excitement, his heart pounding with joy: That's right, Joe, you should come with me, so those people who've been bothering me know that I have powerful backers too.

Qiao Xiao gently placed the basket she was carrying on the table.

Gu Jinghe warned, "Be very careful. There might be some poison hidden in this basket. Be careful and don't touch it directly."

As he spoke, he quickly reached out and tightly gripped Qiao Xiao's wrist, then said, "Don't worry, I will do my utmost to use my funds to invest in this crucial area. Only by involving a sufficient internal production chain and a fixed sales network can we gather greater information power to protect us."

Gu Jinghe knew very well that he could act weak and helpless, but only in front of Qiao Xiao.

Without Qiao Xiao, he would only be the lone wolf he presented at school, a heartless lone wolf who would always rely on himself.

His claws are aimed at others, but his softest spot is towards Qiao Xiao, even if she may not become his lover.

Qiao Xiao raised her hand and gently patted his shoulder, encouraging him, "Go for it bravely, you can do it!"

Then she broke free from Gu Jinghe's hand and walked slowly and steadily into her own room.

After the door closed, Qiao Xiao could no longer suppress her anger and involuntarily began to curse under her breath: "Damn it! All the effort and hard work I've put in these past few days has been wasted!"

To obtain that invaluable membership and the hard-won certificate, she worked tirelessly, getting up early and going to bed late every day, spending a great deal of time and energy.

She spent countless hours working to obtain the qualification certificate, trying every possible way to acquire relevant skills and experience from others. Finally, with her own excellent abilities and a little bit of personal connections, she managed to successfully obtain the certificate.

Now, everything seems to have vanished!

Qiao Xiao clenched her fists tightly, muttering repeatedly, "Just a little bit more! Just a tiny bit more!"

Her heart was filled with regret and self-blame. She was annoyed that she couldn't have been more careful and let things develop to that point.

Qiao Xiao complained indignantly, "Why is the ending only showing up now? I had no way of knowing beforehand! I have to go back to this time period to trace the cause, how awful! You're really getting 'better and better,' System! At this rate, I simply can't live anymore!"

System: "Ah? Host, please don't do anything rash! I originally thought you were fully capable of handling this situation..."

However, Qiao Xiao wasn't buying it and interrupted it directly: "Don't try to use this kind of reverse psychology on me, it won't work at all!"

Her face was gloomy, and her tone was extremely cold, as if one could feel a chill rising from the spine.

Faced with Qiao Xiao's accusation, the system responded somewhat aggrievedly, "This really has nothing to do with me, host. These difficulty levels were set by the central command station. The adults made mistakes; they can't just push all the blame onto our little system..."

Despite her displeasure, Qiao Xiao knew that arguing with the system was pointless, so she simply snorted to vent her frustration.

This "evil woman" system is such a headache! Couldn't it be like a fairy tale, with a general ending for me to complete? Why all the plot choices?! Before, the choices weren't too difficult, but this time…?

Faced with a suspicious man knocking on the door on a rainy day, the obvious and normal choice is not to open the door.

Now, the only way to avoid a bad ending is to open the door—what a joke! The only solution now is to pretend to be deceived, then seize the opportunity to turn the tables and win—a classic "playing dumb to fool the enemy" strategy.

Thinking of this, Qiao Xiao shook her head helplessly, grabbed a piece of clothing to change into, and collapsed onto the bed like a deflated balloon, staring blankly at the ceiling, her heart heavy.

Gu Jinghe gently raised his hand, curled his fingers, and rhythmically knocked on the tightly closed door.

He said softly, "Joe, I just heated up the soup. Drink some while it's hot to warm yourself up."

Qiao Xiao was still immersed in endless fatigue, but when she heard that gentle and soothing voice, her heart instantly felt a little less annoyed and tired.

She dragged her slightly heavy steps toward the door, reached out and grasped the doorknob, turned it gently, and then opened the door.

As the door opened, Gu Jinghe's handsome and charming face gradually came into Qiao Xiao's view.

For a moment, Qiao Xiao couldn't help but marvel at her appearance—she really looked like a work of art!

The slight restlessness that had been surging within her also quietly dissipated.

Indeed, as humans, we all love to appreciate beautiful things.

Qiao Xiao silently reached out her hands and took the steaming bowl of soup from Gu Jinghe's hands, then whispered her thanks to him: "Thank you."

In response to Qiao Xiao's gratitude, Gu Jinghe did not offer much of a reply. He simply gazed at her quietly, and seeing that Qiao Xiao was safe and sound, he instantly felt relieved and let out a long sigh of relief.