Chapter 42: A Major Loss!

Within the space, a peculiar fluctuation appeared, as if his muttering had altered the structural composition of certain substances in the air.

“You want to force the contract?”

Xu Bancheng’s expression changed dramatically. Having read the contract seal, he naturally understood what was being recited.

Realizing this, he immediately turned and bolted for the door.

“Pick me! Pick me! I’m not picky at all!”

Liu Changfeng’s eyes shone brightly as he spread his arms, closed his eyes, and shouted loudly, as if declaring, “Come on, pitiful treasure, come ravage me!”

“Get lost!”

Lin Qiu, furious, continued his mysterious incantation. His body, submerged in the fish tank, dissolved into countless starlit sparks that soared upward.

To be able to alter his bodily structure and transform into starlight—this was truly beyond the realm of scientific explanation!

Witnessing Lin Qiu’s enigmatic transformation, Liu Changfeng stared in utter astonishment, his jaw dropping wide enough to swallow a pear.

And just as he stood there in shock, innumerable sparks of light brushed past him, shooting toward the back.

“Choose me!”

Even then, he was still muttering dumbly under his breath.

“No—!”

Xu Bancheng, sounding for the first time like a wronged girl, let out a piercing scream and lost all his usual composure, dashing away without looking back.

At that moment, the door creaked open.

“Brother, are you in there?”

A pleasant voice echoed, and a pretty face peeked through the crack.

“Xiao Bing!”

Xu Bancheng’s face instantly paled. In the middle of his mad dash, he ground to a sudden halt, yet his body, out of control, staggered forward.

“Ah!”

A shrill scream rang out.

Just as Lin Qiu’s starlight was about to reach Xu Bancheng, he stumbled in his abrupt stop and fell. The scream belonged to Xu Bing.

She had no idea what was happening—only that a torrent of starlight roared toward her, plunging straight into her eyes.

Her eyes blazed with light, then a stabbing pain assaulted her, and after that, darkness.

“My eyes!”

Xu Bing clutched her head and crouched down, shrieking in terror.

The inexplicable pain and sudden blindness shattered what little resolve she had left.

“This is a disaster!”

At that moment, Lin Qiu felt a strong urge to die. His final sprint had been intercepted by this woman—now he would be bound as her contract beast!

“Today is no auspicious day—clearly, I was blind!”

Cursing under his breath, Lin Qiu’s form, now pure starlight, uncontrollably surged through this woman’s meridians.

In his agony, the system’s cold voice sounded in his mind: “Ah, a physical constitution so useless it appears only once in a millennium. Truly, your luck is abysmal.”

“System, what do you mean by a useless constitution?”

Lin Qiu, as a speck of light, seeped out from her hair follicles and spun in the void, seizing the opportunity to ask quickly.

“When organisms begin to mutate, their constitutions differ,” the system replied. “Those with strong constitutions evolve quickly; the weak are doomed to mediocrity forever. Since you are now bonded as this woman’s contract beast, her constitution will limit your own evolution and upgrades.”

“What?!”

Lin Qiu was dumbfounded.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!”

He roared, his heart sinking into despair. A constitution so useless it appeared only once in a thousand years—he dared not even imagine what that meant.

“However, Host need not worry. If you wish to change her constitution, you may exchange for constitution-improving potions with me. Of course, the price is… rather steep.”

“That’s a relief.”

Hearing this, Lin Qiu’s heart eased a little. Stingy as he was—so tight-fisted that he’d nibble on spicy sticks a millimeter at a time—he could grit his teeth for the sake of his future growth.

But there’s no such thing as a loss in business—whatever he lost, he’d be sure to claim back from this little woman. Lost wages, emotional damages—he’d make a detailed list.

In his previous life, Lin Qiu was notorious for his stinginess. Though just an ordinary office worker earning about fifteen thousand a month (with overtime and voluntary overtime—no days off), he rented a room for two hundred on the outskirts of Wudu, commuting across twenty-three subway stops, while others paid more than two thousand a month for apartments.

Thankfully, his company provided breakfast and lunch, so he’d arrive early to catch mealtime, often packing leftovers for dinner.

Most days, he survived on instant noodles in his rental.

He saved money, yes! But his eight-hour workday plus weekends off was forcibly turned into year-round labor. To save on breakfast money, he rose early and came home late, stretching his day into more than a dozen hours, living on instant noodles, sleeping late, waking early, sometimes watching movies to numb himself—until he became an orca in spirit.

When he died, he calculated his savings from primary school through university (with scholarships and part-time jobs), plus five years of work—after subtracting living expenses, he still had 1.2 million in the bank. Yet as an orphan, he’d never enjoyed life, and the money reverted to the bank upon his death.

Such a miser, always scheming, never letting himself suffer a loss.

Yet now, he’d chosen Xu Bancheng: handsome, talented, and wealthy. Bonded with such a man, once he evolved into human form, he’d have a villa, nice bread—anything he wanted.

But what did this woman have? Apart from a pretty face, what else? Especially with such a useless body! He felt utterly shortchanged.

Everything in the system shop was exorbitantly expensive. Usually, he grudged spending upgrade points, always saving them for himself.

But for the system to call something “a bit expensive”—that meant it was truly astronomical.

Lin Qiu felt dizzy, as if the sky were collapsing. Suddenly, the world seemed to lose all color.

But the next moment, shouts of alarm in the room jolted his fragile mind.

“What… what’s happening?!”

Liu Changfeng’s incredulous voice sounded.

Still weeping, Xu Bing felt her body begin to rise uncontrollably, flailing in panic.

Once again, her cries of “Ah! Ah! Ah!” echoed through the room.

Countless points of starlight gathered on her skin, forming a halo like the Milky Way, spiraling upward from her feet.