Chapter 210: Unfortunately, You Did Not Complete the Level 2 Mission
Chapter 210: Chapter 210: Unfortunately, You Did Not Complete the Level 2 Mission
Tears streamed down FriedIceCream’s face as she listened to what Renee Jennings had to say.
She looked at Renee Jennings on the screen and sobbed, "But my mom... how could she be so sure it would work out if I went on the blind date?"
Renee Jennings looked at her sorrowful expression, a flicker of sympathy in her eyes. "This is why Chocolate told me from the start to warn you not to go. Your stepmother plans to drug you and have you sleep with the man. Then she’ll bring your relatives to catch you in the act, forcing you to marry him."
[That’s so cruel!]
[What a vicious stepmother.]
[If it weren’t for Chocolate, FriedIceCream’s life would have been ruined...]
FriedIceCream’s red-rimmed eyes widened. She bit her lip, and her fingers subconsciously curled into tight fists.
’Is this all real?’
’How could this be...?’
’But she’s always been so good to me!’
Renee Jennings asked with concern, "Kiki, are you okay?"
Tears fell one by one. FriedIceCream raised a hand to wipe them away, sniffled, and said, "I understand. I’ll find an excuse not to go on the date tomorrow."
[Silly girl, why bother with an excuse? Just confront her and have it out!]
[Yeah, if it were me, I’d cause a huge scene. They wouldn’t get another cent from me!]
[That’s right. When there’s a stepmom, the dad changes too. You’re just an outsider in that house now.]
FriedIceCream lowered her head and mumbled, "I want to do what you all are saying, but when I think about how good she was to me..."
Renee Jennings said lightly, "After the amount of money you sent home dropped to two thousand, did your stepmom ever mention sending you anything again?"
FriedIceCream thought for a moment, then slowly shook her head. "No."
Renee Jennings: "So, isn’t it obvious?"
"I get it now." FriedIceCream tried hard to control her emotions and stop herself from crying again.
She looked at Renee Jennings and said gratefully, "Renee, thank you."
"Don’t thank me." Renee Jennings chuckled. "Thank Chocolate."
She glanced at the time. It was almost three in the morning.
Renee Jennings raised a hand to cover her mouth as she yawned. "I’m just so exhausted. That’s all for today. See you all next time."
With that, she ended the stream amid the audience’s reluctant pleas for her to stay.
Renee Jennings locked her phone screen and flopped onto the bed, falling right asleep.
At six in the morning, a system notification sounded: [Regrettably, you have failed to complete the Level 2 Mission: Collect the blessings of two pets. Initiating punishment protocol: Ten Thousand Needles to the Heart. Duration: ten minutes.]
Renee Jennings was woken by the pain.
A dim yellow wall lamp was lit in the room. The girl lay on the bed, faint halos of light cast on her pale face. Her smooth forehead was beaded with sweat, and her brows were tightly furrowed from the excruciating pain.
’It hurts! It hurts so much!’
It was as if her entire body was entangled in threads of agony, each one sinking deep into her organs, while her limbs felt like they were being pricked by a dense forest of steel needles.
Sharp, stabbing pain washed over her again and again, making it difficult to even breathe.
The pain was so intense it was suffocating.
It fucking hurt.
The pain lasted for ten minutes, but to Renee Jennings, it felt as long as ten years.
Every second was utter torment.
She lay weakly on the bed, her strength completely drained. Her clothes were soaked with cold sweat, clinging to her skin and bringing waves of damp chill.
"Haaa..." Renee Jennings let out a long breath. She rested for a good while before murmuring, "I clearly completed the mission. Why am I still being punished?"
[System 009: Apologies. You did not complete the mission within the specified time. You only collected the blessing of one small animal.]
"Impossible!" Renee Jennings’s tone was firm. "You’re doing this for revenge!"
[System 009: You only collected Oreo’s blessing. You did not collect Chocolate’s blessing.]
Renee Jennings’s brow furrowed. After thinking back carefully, she realized that seemed to be the case.
She had been so focused on talking about FriedIceCream’s wicked stepmother that she ended the stream without having Chocolate give her his blessing.
’I was just so out of it!’
’I’m so pissed!’
’I went through ten minutes of pain for nothing!’
Renee Jennings didn’t even dare to move. The trauma from the pain just now was simply too great.
She lay quietly on the bed, only falling asleep again about half an hour later.
**
At dawn, the sky quietly paled, and a ray of morning light pierced the clouds like a sharp sword.
FriedIceCream sat on her bed with her knees drawn up, hugging herself tightly. She stared blankly out the window with lifeless eyes, while Chocolate was curled up in a ball beside her.
She hadn’t slept all night, constantly replaying the memories of her life with her stepmother over the years.
When she was five, she finally had a mother like the other kids. She was so happy.
Relatives and neighbors all said she was lucky to have found such a good stepmother.
FriedIceCream had always thought so too—that her stepmother was an angel sent by God.
But after hearing what Renee Jennings said last night, when she tried to recall her stepmother’s kindness, it all felt tainted.
Her stepmother always praised her in front of others, calling her a diligent, sensible, good daughter, and a great, selfless older sister.
’Thinking about it now, it was all her stepmother’s scheme.’
Chocolate woke up from a nap to find his owner still in the same position as when he had fallen asleep.
"Meow~" Kiki!
He sensed his owner’s sadness and moved closer, rubbing his furry head against her.
"Meow~" Don’t be sad.
FriedIceCream slowly lowered her gaze, reached out to pet Chocolate, and murmured, "Did you know? She praised me for being diligent so I would do all the chores. She praised me for being sensible so I wouldn’t cry or make a fuss. She praised me for being great and selfless so I would give in to my little brother in everything..."
"Meow~" I know. She’s a villain!
FriedIceCream smiled, pulled Chocolate into her arms, and rubbed her cheek against his soft fur. "Chocolate, I’m so glad I have you. You’re all I have now."
Half an hour later, a knock came from outside the door, followed by a gentle voice. "Kiki, time to get up and eat breakfast."
She used to think her stepmother was just being caring. Now she realized the truth: her stepmother didn’t want her to sleep late. "Breakfast" was just an excuse to get her out of bed. Then, the stepmother would act busy, and she, feeling sorry for her, would take on all the chores herself.
FriedIceCream stared coldly at the door.
The knocking and the voice came again. "Kiki, breakfast is ready!"
FriedIceCream got out of bed, pulled open the door, and said indifferently, "I’m not eating."
"Skipping breakfast is bad for your stomach. You have to eat, be good now," the stepmother said with a smile. "I made the red bean buns you like. After breakfast, you still have to go meet that young man. Dress up nicely, so he won’t dare to take you lightly."
"I’m not eating the red bean buns, and I’m not meeting that man." FriedIceCream stared at her stepmother, thinking how utterly hypocritical she was.
"Kiki, what’s wrong?" A flash of displeasure crossed the stepmother’s eyes, but she asked with concern, "Quick, tell Mom what’s on your mind."