[Host, are you really not planning to do the Daily Tasks anymore?] The System asked worriedly.
“Yes, the situation has changed. Continuing to grind Daily Tasks might increase Lu Zhou’s Blackening Value.”
[But, clearing the Protagonist’s Blackening Value to zero first, then filling it up again—is that really feasible?]
Ever since Another Tasker had revealed himself to the Host, the Host had been determined to help him complete the Redemption Task first and send him to the next world. No matter how the System tried to persuade him, it was useless.
“I don’t want things to be this troublesome either, but this is the only way for both of us to come out ahead.” Xun Ji hadn’t had an easy time this past month either. Besides dealing with the increasingly clingy Lin Yule, he also had to figure out how to ensure both of them could complete their Tasks and survive.
To that end, he had Lin Yule recount the original plot in detail. After learning about it, Xun Ji could only say that, as expected of a dark novel’s Protagonist, he had thought Lu Zhou was miserable enough already, but the future held even worse for him.
But this did open up ideas for completing both of their Tasks.
After the first Key Plot Point Task, Lu Zhou’s Blackening Value had once soared to 60%, though it later dropped. But after completing the second Key Plot Point Task, it rose back to 60%. This showed that as long as there were Key Plot Point Tasks, raising the Blackening Value was still easy. Even if it was cleared to zero first, doing about three or four more Key Plot Point Tasks would fill it right back up without issue.
The current difficulty lay instead in how to clear the Blackening Value to zero first.
Xun Ji carefully compared the original plot with Lu Zhou’s actual experiences and summarized the reasons why the Blackening Value had dropped from 60% to 30% before the Winter Sports Meet.
First was himself. In the original plot, after the School Bully Xun Ji returned to school, Lu Zhou suffered even more severe bullying and lived in pain every day.
Second was Luo Xunan. In the original, Luo Xunan was a cannon fodder who only appeared a few times. He was genuinely willing to befriend the Protagonist but was made an example of by Xun Ji—beaten crippled and chased out of Yao Xing.
Third was Lu Ting. In the original, Lu Zhou failed to bring Lu Ting to live in school Dormitory, so she lived long-term in fear of debt collectors showing up at the door, which caused mental issues.
Compared to the original, Lu Zhou now had to work from dawn till dusk, but his life was relatively stable. He had friends who cared for him, and his most cherished little sister was safe and sound, so it was normal for his Blackening Value to drop.
Therefore, if he wanted to empty the Blackening Value, he had to start from these three aspects.
First, he had to ensure Lu Ting’s safety. Second, maintain Luo Xunan and Lu Zhou’s friendship. Finally, he himself had to treat Lu Zhou a bit better.
He definitely couldn’t grind Daily Tasks anymore—after all, no one would want to act like a Little Dog every day. Beyond that, Xun Ji couldn’t think of any other way to treat Lu Zhou better for the moment.
[The Host has already been good enough to the Protagonist, helping him so many times.] Seeing that it was impossible to persuade Xun Ji to change his mind, the System simply started helping to brainstorm. [I think as long as the Host does good deeds like before, the Protagonist will whitewash himself.]
“That was before the Winter Sports Meet.” Xun Ji shook his head. “Now that I’ve caused him to get injured, he’s on guard against me.”
[Then what does the Host plan to do?]
“Take it one step at a time.”
The Tasks that needed doing still had to be done, but when it was time to slack, he would slack. Now that Lu Zhou had gone back to his hometown and Lin Yule had been sent abroad, Xun Ji felt thoroughly relaxed. It was time to start his pleasant winter break life.
“I hope this winter break stays peaceful, with nothing to disturb me from being a salted fish.” Xun Ji prayed sincerely.
It was the fifth day since Lu Zhou had returned to his hometown.
This was a coastal small county town, backward and rundown. Lu Zhou had often come here as a child to visit his grandparents, but after Lu Jianming got hooked on gambling and his mother’s health worsened, he rarely came anymore.
Lu Jianming seemed like he had truly turned over a new leaf. He no longer gambled, even refusing when neighbors called him to play cards. He took Lu Zhou and Lu Ting to live at his grandparents’ house, helping out with work at the docks during the day and cooking for the two elders at night. He even bought Lu Ting pretty new clothes, and she was very happy.
It was a Lu family tradition for all the siblings to return home to keep the two elders company for New Year’s, and this year was no exception. Over these past few days, family members had trickled in one after another. Lu Zhou led Lu Ting around to greet relatives he hadn’t seen in a long time.
Good-looking children always easily won the favor of the elders. The relatives enthusiastically stuffed red envelopes into the hands of the two somewhat shy youngsters. Lu Ting hadn’t enjoyed this kind of warmth in a long time; her eyes sparkled as she looked at Lu Zhou, only accepting the red envelopes after he nodded, then sweetly said thank you.
![No Redemption for Dark Protagonists [Quick Transmigration]](https://i0.wp.com/dobynovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/quickkk.jpg?resize=151,215 "No Redemption for Dark Protagonists [Quick Transmigration]")
![Bunny is Delicate, But He’s Everyone’s Crush! [Infinite]](https://i3.wp.com/dobynovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/bunn.jpg?resize=151,215 "Bunny is Delicate, But He’s Everyone’s Crush! [Infinite]")