Hey! The Criminal Assistance System Can Even Be Used Like This? 146

【Stealing Skill in Progress… Task duration is 10 days. Please complete 30 thefts within 10 days.】

【Stealing must occur before discovery; the stolen money and items are not limited. Complete the task within 10 days for a reward of stealing skills. If the task fails, 20 million of the host’s liquid assets will be deducted.】

【Countdown: 239:59:57】.

The panel appearing in front of Xu Zhizhi had the time ticking away. After listening, she glanced back at the light screen flashing a soft blue light.

What a vicious system.

Xu Zhizhi couldn’t shake off that thought after hearing it for the first time.

Twenty million!

She had worked hard for a whole year to earn that two years ago, and last year, she had struggled for half a year to get it! How could there be a system that threatens her with her own money, this damn system!

For the first time, Xu Zhizhi felt compelled to curse in her heart. If the system had a physical form right now, she would definitely tear it to shreds.

Then she would burn it, scattering its ashes everywhere, especially in all the stinky ditches!

Ten days to steal thirty times, averaging stealing three times a day.

In less than three days, she would become the first person in the entertainment industry to be blacklisted by everyone, including fans and the audience, becoming a second-line star scorned forever!

It hurt so much; she really felt pained.

Xu Zhizhi decided to lie flat, quite literally, lying on the bed, gazing at the beautiful ceiling, feeling the soft, two-meter-wide bed.

“Come on, twenty million! I’ll take two endorsements to support my studio!” After saying this, Xu Zhizhi closed her eyes, starting to doze off again.

In reality, she was hurting so badly inside that she was almost in tears; twenty million! The damn system really wanted to deduct her twenty million!

Xu Zhizhi was angry, but she managed to use her acting skills to not show even the slightest sign of it.

In her earlier confrontation with the Criminal Assistance System, Xu Zhizhi clearly knew that it was acutely aware that her Achilles’ heel was money.

This was very unfavorable for Xu Zhizhi because she had no idea what the system was afraid of.

In fact, she was completely in the dark about the system’s background.

Once her weakness was discovered, the first thing was not to break down or explode with anger.

She should learn to disguise her emotions, cool down, and think more logically.

With her eyes closed, Xu Zhizhi pondered over ways to break the deadlock.

Get thirty people to help her steal?

That would only treat the symptoms and not the root cause; the system would probably find a way to declare it a failure.

Moreover, if she got away with it this time, what would happen next? This system had been upgraded and integrated with a task system.

This meant that there would surely not be just one mission in the future; if she managed to bluff it this time, there would be another task, maybe one requiring her to kill someone someday!?

Xu Zhizhi didn’t dare to take that risk.

She opened her eyes, looking at the ceiling. This was her house.

Squinting her eyes, she fluttered her long lashes.

This system seemed unable to affect tangible things, things with a physical form.

For instance, instead of threatening her with twenty million, a clear threat using her house would be much more effective.

If it were her, she would definitely issue a task like that.

But the system didn’t do that; it chose to threaten her with twenty million, which proved it could only manipulate virtual things and couldn’t interfere with things backed up by paper proof.

What if she just got rid of that money?

Xu Zhizhi took out her phone to attempt a transfer.

This was the best way to test whether her money could be moved and also gauge the system’s level of control.

It turned out Xu Zhizhi was overly naive. She found that she couldn’t transfer her money; it showed currently unable to transfer or cash out.

Xu Zhizhi’s face darkened for a moment; as expected of the system, its defenses were deep.

【Host, please complete the task as soon as possible; if not completed, those funds will really be deducted!】

Xu Zhizhi swore she could hear a hint of derision in the system’s voice, as if it were telling her that escaping the clutches of the Criminal Assistance System was impossible.

This meant that the twenty million would really be gone if she didn’t act.

She took out her phone and called her all-round agent after half a month, “Sister Yun, are there any films or TV dramas? Any endorsements, I’m up for anything.”

Humans need to learn to adapt. Life now was good, and she didn’t want to end up in prison or a detention center.

Survival means cutting off the tail; twenty million was really not enough for her to commit a crime.

She was currently a second-line star, still holding a certain level of popularity and having almost no scandals.

Twenty million was a lot, but she didn’t need to obediently commit theft.

Stealing would only count as a crime if she considered it as such. If it came to that, she absolutely would not do it.

After thinking all this, Xu Zhizhi realized that Sister Yun had not replied yet.

Yun Ziwei, hearing what Xu Zhizhi said, looked out at the sun through the glass window. Wasn’t it supposed to rise the right way this morning?

“I thought you had completely forgotten about your star career.” Yun Ziwei chuckled, joking with Xu Zhizhi like a friend would.

Since its establishment, the studio had only taken on a few of Xu Zhizhi’s personal jobs, interviews, or endorsements.

There hadn’t been any films or dramas yet, and she thought Xu Zhizhi would never be in a hurry, but unexpectedly, she couldn’t sit still after just two months.

Xu Zhizhi laughed awkwardly, “I mean, I’ll get moldy if I don’t do something! At our age, we should be building our careers!”

Xu Zhizhi began desperately trying to salvage her reputation, breaking the image of a laid-back slacker, adopting a persona of a career-driven woman, hoping to convince her agent that she had “reformed.”

“Hehe…” Yun Ziwei smiled, to prove that she didn’t believe Xu Zhizhi’s words.

However, regardless of Xu Zhizhi’s motives, as long as she was willing to act and take endorsements, she must be hastily led to a project.

Yun Ziwei thought that Xu Zhizhi was just having a moment of enthusiasm, wanting to avoid extended delays, in case Xu Zhizhi changed her mind and wanted to go back to lying flat.

Not knowing Yun Ziwei’s thoughts, Xu Zhizhi immediately sat up from the bed, went to wash up, and then put on some skincare and makeup.

Then she walked out the door.

Ms. Shen was at Xu Zhizhi’s house today; she had said so yesterday.

Seeing Xu Zhizhi come out, she quickly said, “I made steamed buns and century egg pig porridge. Want some?”

“Sure, let’s eat, then I’ll go to the company!” Xu Zhizhi nodded in agreement.

Shen Junyu was pleased, serving Xu Zhizhi the porridge and buns.

Xu Zhizhi sat down, thanked her, and began to eat.

Ms. Shen’s cooking was quite good; Xu Zhizhi really saved a lot by not needing takeout.

Originally, Ms. Shen didn’t come very often, only about twice a week, fearing that young people might find her and her husband annoying, making Xu Zhizhi uncomfortable for having her private space encroached upon.

Later she saw rumors online about Xu Zhizhi’s takeout complaints, worrying tremendously, so it turned into three or four times a week. Whenever Xu Zhizhi was home, she would come to cook or invite her to eat at her neighbors’ home.

The nanny that Xu Zhizhi hired just needed to cook, which wasn’t very tiring.

Li Fengqing was busy teaching students in the morning, which was why he hadn’t come.

Otherwise, he would have come too. Previously, their marriage had been fleeting, often spending time apart and unable to gather.

Now they finally got their wish, even sweeter than newlyweds.

Xu Zhizhi felt a bit envious, but she also knew that their relationship was quite precious, and even if she entered a relationship, it would be hard to reach such a level.

Xu Zhizhi was thinking about the couple when Shen Junyu looked at her daughter, noticing she was dressed to go out. She inquired, “Are you going out?”

“Yes, I have to pick up some work and go to the studio to look at scripts.” Xu Zhizhi replied honestly.

Shen Junyu nodded, “You’ve rested for more than two months, it’s time to get back to work.”

“Uh-huh, I just hope the suitable script isn’t too far for shooting.” Xu Zhizhi expressed.

She somewhat understood the feelings of someone spoiled by family; being surrounded by understanding and love felt incredibly rare.

After finishing their meal, Xu Zhizhi drove to the studio, putting on her mask and hat as she stepped out of the car.

After greeting her team members, she entered Yun Ziwei’s office.

Yun Ziwei, holding the organized documents, sighed, “I thought you would really give up on reaching for the peak and becoming a leading actress…”

“I just wanted to rest a bit more; I had auditions and practiced my acting during my break!” Xu Zhizhi forcibly defended herself.

Yun Ziwei didn’t expose her; she knew that Xu Zhizhi’s audition roles tended to be marginal, always leaning toward something that suggested lying flat.

Yun Ziwei sat down in front of Xu Zhizhi, placing a stack of scripts in front of her.

Although Xu Zhizhi was still nominally a second-line star, she was already considered a hot little flower in the entertainment circle.

With her skills, ability to draw box office, and good looks, she was involved in both TV shows and films, both of which had remarkable results.

Such a person was quite rare in the entertainment industry.

That’s why she had a gap period; all sorts of movie and television scripts came pouring in.

As for the rumors circulating, saying that the crews she had worked with were a bit strange, those producers and directors didn’t care.

Because it’s also rumored that even a bizarre crew can still become popular.

In the words of some people in the industry, the bigger the storm, the pricier the fish.

For those capitalists, profit is always the main theme. Moreover, Xu Zhizhi had never harmed the crew or the shows’ broadcasts.

With this rumor, Xu Zhizhi’s offers increased even more.

If not for the fact that Xu Zhizhi was just slacking off recently, she would have already entered a project, not leaving the auditions to play around with Chen Han.

The scripts were divided into film and television projects and placed before Xu Zhizhi.

Once organized, Yun Ziwei emphasized, “These scripts only have a leading female role and a supporting female role!”

“… I understand,” Xu Zhizhi replied weakly.

Yun Ziwei sat beside Xu Zhizhi watching her pick, not needing to remind her to take it seriously.

Because even if she didn’t say it, Xu Zhizhi would take it seriously; she had always put her full effort into auditions.

It was just that the roles she had chosen previously were really unsuitable, hence being filtered out.

Xu Zhizhi looked at the film; the production schedule was relatively shorter.

Normally, they wouldn’t invite Xu Zhizhi for such roles, primarily because she’d worked with Director Zhou.

Once Director Zhou acknowledged her suitability for a role change, opportunities to come looking for Xu Zhizhi would follow.

Relying solely on Xu Zhizhi’s name would allow them to earn a lot as well.

Xu Zhizhi leafed through a few pages, feeling that her heart twisted painfully, and even fell in love with a bully character wanting to force the bully to get an abortion…

Xu Zhizhi closed the script at this point; no matter how artistic or high the pay was, she would never take a role like that, even if she starved.

Her intellect was still quite keen; she knew filming it would leave the audience bewildered.

Without hesitation, Xu Zhizhi decided to give up; she didn’t like stories that were smarter than her, and if she couldn’t understand it, she couldn’t act it.

The last script she glanced at was an alternative genre.

It was a thief-type revenge popcorn flick, with a few released in the country years ago, but now it was rarely seen.

It tells the story of the female protagonist, Wen Shui, who, due to a disastrous accident, was framed by an international thief and imprisoned for five years.

In prison, Wen Shui was bullied and unexpectedly met the master of the international thief.

She worked hard to apprentice herself to the master, learning the arts of theft.

Thanks to a reduction in sentence, she was released four years later and began her revenge.

To get revenge, she found teammates abandoned by this thief king, initiating a series of revenge antics.

This is the storyline, but actually showcases various thrilling and fantastical stealing techniques.

Xu Zhizhi picked up the script and leaned back on the sofa, her eyes sparkling with interest.

Because it was genuinely captivating, with various training in thief techniques and exquisite revenge.

The final outcome had the female lead clearing her frame-up with impressive maneuvers, capturing the thief king and sending him to prison.

But after this revenge arc, Wen Shui obtained a job protecting precious items, indicating she was ready for new challenges.

From the script’s angle, the entire film was thrilling; aside from the theme being slightly dated, it had no other faults.

Though old themes can still pave the way for innovation; the film revamped various stealing methods with a degree of technological innovation and visual appeal.

Seeing Xu Zhizhi’s expression, Yun Ziwei knew she had chosen this film.

Having briefly read it, she found the script to indeed be good, belonging to a commendable category of popcorn cinema.

Given the current dull film market, if it was truly well-made, it would surely yield great results.

But it was a big gamble.

Fortunately, the pay was high—up to nine million.

There were also action scenes, which would count as a new challenge for Xu Zhizhi.

Xu Zhizhi turned to Yun Ziwei, “I want to choose this one!”

Since the system had equipped her with stealing skills, it would be a waste not to use them.

Of course, Xu Zhizhi didn’t choose this film just because it was about thieves; it was genuinely interesting to her.

For her, it counted as another type of challenge.

As Xu Zhizhi spoke, Yun Ziwei pulled out her phone, and by the time she finished, Yun Ziwei had already dialed and was communicating with the other party.

“If arrangements for the audition can be made, I hope it’s soon,” Xu Zhizhi whispered to Yun Ziwei.

Yun Ziwei didn’t know why Xu Zhizhi was so eager, but she still promised.

If her memory served correctly, the invitation had been sent half a month ago; the audition would last three days, starting within these two days.

However, she was unsure if the leading role had already been finalized; if so, that would be unfortunate.

If not, Xu Zhizhi would need to select from something else.

The call went through quickly, and the other side answered shortly after. Yun Ziwei began negotiating.

Xu Zhizhi was no longer the small-time nobody she used to be; she didn’t need to shyly approach, and they could now communicate better.

Xu Zhizhi sat to the side, continuing to read, not focusing on Yun Ziwei’s exchange with the other party.

After the call ended, Yun Ziwei turned to Xu Zhizhi.

Yun Ziwei put down her phone, looking at Xu Zhizhi, “I have two pieces of news, one good and one bad.”

“Let’s hear the bad news first,” Xu Zhizhi unhesitatingly opted to hear the bad news first, hoping for a surprise in the good news later.

Yun Ziwei looked at Xu Zhizhi, her expression serious, “The bad news is that there’s a leading lady already.”

Xu Zhizhi froze for a moment, but it wasn’t that disappointing; if there was one, there was one!

“So what’s the good news?” Xu Zhizhi thought of checking other scripts, still curious about what good news might be coming.

Could there be other decent roles?

Yun Ziwei chuckled lightly, not teasing her but directly sharing, “The good news is that the other leading lady has resigned, failing to meet the requirements. They are inviting you for an audition if you’re available.”

Xu Zhizhi was puzzled; the leading role had been selected, and yet it turned out they didn’t meet the requirements?

Were the standards that high?

“Well then, I’ll go audition tomorrow morning. I’ll prep today.” Xu Zhizhi said with the script in hand, smiling.

Yun Ziwei nodded, suggesting Xu Zhizhi ponder it properly.

Just as Xu Zhizhi was about to stand, Yun Ziwei suddenly remembered something and said, “It’s almost time for the promotion of ‘Defensive Against Deception’. If you start shooting, you’ll be quite busy; remember to take care of yourself.”

“Okay!” Xu Zhizhi prompted in immediate response.

If it hadn’t been for Yun Ziwei’s reminder, she would have forgotten that ‘Defensive Against Deception’ was about to hit the screens.

Thinking about how busy she would be then, Xu Zhizhi sighed and turned back.

Feng Jie was nearing the end of her annual leave; just in time, she would rejoin work.

Xu Zhizhi paused at the entrance of her apartment complex, opened the door, and drove into her building’s parking space.

Following closely behind, a car also pulled up, tracking Xu Zhizhi’s path.

Xu Zhizhi had no tracking skills, plus the privacy of the apartment complex was pretty good, with only one apartment per floor; she completely didn’t notice the car behind her.

After she stopped and turned around, she saw a vehicle come to a halt beside her in the two spaces next door. She paid no mind, stepping out of the car still wearing her mask and hat.

Just as she stepped out, a person wearing a mask and cap got out of the black car too.

Seeing Xu Zhizhi, he rushed forward, “Senior Zhizhi!”

Xu Zhizhi looked over, puzzled at how he recognized her.

Crucially, she didn’t know the person at all because he was dressed so tightly.

“Who are you?” Xu Zhizhi took two steps back, her hand resting inside her light green windbreaker, where she had a baton hidden.

Xu Zhizhi had previously exchanged for using cold weapons, and a baton was among them; she could knock him down easily if needed.

The man, who was half a head taller than Xu Zhizhi, pulled down his mask, “It’s me, senior! We met at the Magnolia Flower banquet before.”

“Who?” Xu Zhizhi didn’t relax her vigilance; she didn’t take off her mask or hat but stood a full meter away, asking.

The man seemed stuck for two seconds before preparing to introduce himself.

Xu Zhizhi stretched out a hand, halting him, “I remember now; no need to introduce yourself. I have things to do, goodbye.”

Xu Zhizhi finished talking, turning around to open the car door and sit inside.

Something felt off; instead of heading home, she decided to drive out again.

The man watched Xu Zhizhi quickly leave, gritting his teeth to follow closely.

Behind, a man wearing a mask and black baseball cap smiled in satisfaction as he tucked his phone away.

Driving to the exit of the apartment complex, Xu Zhizhi noticed the man’s car trailing her.

She frowned and looked back, unsure of what the other party was up to.

After a moment of thought, she turned into a large supermarket near the complex, looking for a hidden corner that was not easily noticed.

The man followed her in. After contemplating briefly, Xu Zhizhi raised her phone.

Because along with the man, another man holding a phone also entered.

The two exchanged glances, signaling to step further into the supermarket.

Xu Zhizhi understood; they were trying to create a tabloid scandal.

Watching the two men silently signaling each other, once they entered, she turned and walked out.

“Yun Jie, someone was deliberately following me just now…” Xu Zhizhi just called Yun Ziwei, explaining everything that had happened.

Yun Ziwei acknowledged it, saying she would check with the property management if that person was a resident, and have the PR team monitor the public opinion online.

They had experience with such matters; if anything arose, they’d simply clarify it directly.

Being famous came with much scandal, something Xu Zhizhi had grown accustomed to.

After all, it’s often just about rumors, giving oneself some fame and getting noticed for potential gg or web dramas.

Commonly known as: riding the wave.

This was very common in the entertainment industry; there were all kinds of extremes.

Unknowingly, Xu Zhizhi had gone from playing off the heat of Chen Han to being the one who was used for it.

The other party knew that Xu Zhizhi’s studio would never allow such things, so they were “taking a different route.”

After getting home, Xu Zhizhi told Shen Junyu to avoid chatting with strangers and set about reading the script.

Once Xu Zhizhi became familiar with the script and the stealing skill, Li Fengqing returned.

The three of them had dinner together, and Xu Zhizhi later took the couple back.

They didn’t want to interfere with each other’s lives, as the couple was very affectionate and preferred enjoying their two-person world.

Xu Zhizhi occasionally wanted to let loose and didn’t mind having no one noticing her at home.

On returning, Xu Zhizhi’s phone rang; it was the property manager calling her.

The other party apologized, explaining that the person was admitted under the pretense of being a guest of a friend. They had verified this and informed that resident.

That resident expressed regret, thinking it was a normal visit and wasn’t aware anything unusual had occurred.

If rumors arose, he would cooperate to clarify.

That individual was a singer in the entertainment industry, aware of the significance, and from the property manager’s report, seemed utterly distressed.

They were already lukewarm, offending Xu Zhizhi was tantamount to a calamity.

That incident of tracking and encountering the property owner was making the property manager believe that those people went mad for fame.

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