TFRLTOP Chapter 68 Part 1

Chapter 68 – The Tyrant’s Beloved 

◎The Same Old Lovable Idiot◎

“Two female leads? How can there be two female leads…” Ming Ming muttered blankly, her whole world crashing down around her.

“When did Jiang Ruotian and Jiang Fuling even get together?” She was completely losing it. While she had been working so “diligently” to figure out who the emperor’s official match was—trying to play matchmaker or at least figure out whose thigh to hug—the two supposed heroines had already joined hands and eloped.

Eloped?!

Wait—then what about me? What am I supposed to do now? Can someone please tell me what I’m supposed to do???

“This can’t be real…” Ming Ming pressed her fingers to her temples. “Too much information… I think my brain just crashed.”

The system sneered mercilessly. “Admit it—you just don’t have a brain.”

Ming Ming shot back immediately, “Oh, and you do? Then how come you didn’t see this coming?”

“…” The system stammered. “We systems don’t rely on primitive control centers like brains.”

“Right,” Ming Ming said sweetly. “So you’re admitting you’re brainless.”

The system: “……”

Ming Ming kept going, all sarcastic innocence. “If you’d just figured out who the real heroine was at the start, I could’ve clung to the right one and avoided all this. Isn’t this your fault?”

The system shrieked, “How was I supposed to tell who the heroine was when you were overpowered in the last world?!”

“Don’t even try to gaslight me.” Ming Ming had leveled up—she wasn’t falling for that nonsense anymore. “You’re a system. Your job is to help me, your host. What do you mean by ‘too many cheats’? Don’t you want me to succeed? Doesn’t my performance affect your evaluation score? Don’t think you can fool me.”

God, she really was from Earth.

The system was nearly speechless. It couldn’t exactly explain that before arriving on Earth, systems didn’t even have performance reviews—no capitalist “metrics” nonsense. But once the main AI absorbed Earth’s corporate culture, every system’s rating got tied to its host’s results.

Worse, some systems had even picked up Earth’s toxic hustle culture and were now competing to the death with each other.

Absolutely outrageous.

But the system couldn’t let Ming Ming know that. It refused to be the first one bullied by its host.

It tried to sound menacing. “You… you still want to go to the modern world next time?”

Ming Ming froze.

Now that was a threat.

Her mind waged war with itself for a moment before she decided—if the system really could grant things that easily, there would definitely be a price to pay. Better to rely on herself… or maybe not.

“If I don’t end up in the modern world next time,” she declared dramatically, “then it’ll be proof that you retaliated against me! And when that happens, Niohulu Ming Ming will no longer obey you—I’ll rebel! Rise up! Go on strike! Overthrow the tyranny of the evil system!”

Two could play the threat game.

The system asked drily, “And what exactly would you do?”

“For example…” Ming Ming thought for a second. “I’ll become the final boss! I’ll punch the male lead, kick the female lead, and collapse the world line until I’m the only god left!”

The system sighed in relief. “Sure, sure. Go wash up and dream about it—it’s more realistic.”

Thank goodness. Still the same original, flavor-packed idiot. Probably caught Jiang Fuling’s dramatic energy or something.

Tch.

—

“Beloved, stay in the palace like a good girl. I’ll be back soon,” said the emperor.

Ming Ming nodded understandingly, her gaze full of sympathy. She really wanted to comfort him with something modern, like “Hey, life’s easier if you learn to live with a little green on your head,” but she decided that might just make things worse. The last thing she needed was the emperor taking his anger out on her to “reassert dominance.”

So she just smiled sweetly and waved. “Go on, then.”

Of course, in the emperor’s eyes, that looked like she was eagerly sending him away—no trace of reluctance or concern.

He came over, rubbed her cheek, and bent down to whisper darkly, “If I return and you’re not here… think carefully about the consequences.”

Ming Ming blinked wide-eyed. What did I even say? Why did it sound like she’d promised to escape?!

The emperor smirked, pinching her chin. “To be honest, I’ve been wanting to lock my beloved in bed. The chains are ready. Don’t tempt me to use them…”

Ming Ming held her breath, nodding frantically until he finally left.

Once he was gone, she exhaled sharply and muttered under her breath, “Pervert.”

“I get it, though,” she added. “Man’s got a harem full of beauties, and now one of his own got stolen away. That’s not just a green hat—it’s a double-layer one. I’d be mad too. But seriously, what’s that got to do with me? I wasn’t the one who cheated on him.”

The system thought to itself, If you had been, he’d probably have gone on a killing spree.
Out loud, it asked, “You’re sure that’s why he’s angry?”

“What else?” Ming Ming replied. “Oh, right, they didn’t just elope—they stole the phoenix seal too. That’s basically a slap to his imperial face.”

“But the phoenix seal isn’t even the imperial jade seal. Why’s he so tense about it?”

The system thought, Good, keep that oblivious energy. It might just save you.

With the tiger away, the monkey ruled the mountain. Ming Ming hummed a cheerful tune as she packed her things, ready to head out of the palace.

The system panicked. “Wait—you’re actually escaping?”

“Relax, I’m just going out to play. He’s not here, the emperor’s far away—who’s gonna stop me?”

Her logic was flawless. He’d only said, ‘I expect to see you when I return’—not that she couldn’t leave in the meantime.

Naturally… she got stopped anyway.