Still Have This Side – Chapter 37

Of course, I feel happy for you.

Qiu Baiyu sat in her original place, and for a moment, she really didn’t know what to say.

The fact that the female lead has a system on her body was already surprising enough for her, and she didn’t expect it to have been there since she was young.

How young is this “since young”?

“At what age did you have the system?”

“Eight years old.”

Yi Wanyue did not hide anything from her.

“So young? Then how did you discover this system?”

“She talked to me.”

“?”

Yi Wanyue smiled calmly.

The system appeared on a certain night when she was eight years old.

She clearly remembered that night she couldn’t sleep and tugged at her mother to tell her a bedtime story.

Only a gentle little night lamp was on at the bedside, and her mother sat beside her bed, using the gentlest voice in the world to tell her stories of princesses, princes, and evil dragons.

Very old-fashioned, it seems like every child who likes bedtime stories has heard it before.

She had listened to it more than once.

But as she grew older, she no longer liked that story.

She also began to have her own thoughts.

“Why is the princess always the one who gets caught?

“Can’t the evil dragon catch someone else, like the prince, for example?”

Her mother listened and then smiled, helping her tuck in the quilt: “Very good question, mother believes there should be an evil dragon that goes to catch the prince, right?”

Affirmed by her mother, she was very happy and continued, “So the princess who is taken away can also save herself and doesn’t always need to wait for the prince to save her, right?”

She didn’t like listening to stories where the princess is always waiting.

She felt that the princess can also save herself—after all, both the princess and prince are the king’s children, so what difference is there?

“Of course,” her mother said, “there are certainly brave and strong princesses who can save themselves.”

She was very happy at that time.

“Then, mother, next time tell me a story about a brave and strong princess.”

“Okay～”

“I will also become this kind of princess. When I encounter danger, I will save myself!”

Her mother was also very happy after hearing her words, leaned down, and kissed her forehead.

Mother said, “Mother believes you can do it, because you and your sister are both mother’s most wonderful little princesses.”

The story was finished, and the little princess needed to sleep.

Mother kissed her hair, helped her tuck in the quilt, and said goodnight to her.

After mother left, only she was left alone in the room.

She hugged her teddy bear happily, nestled in the quilt, and repeated in her heart the words she had just said to her mother: I will also become this kind of princess, saving myself when encountering danger, not needing any prince.

As if a keyword was triggered, at that instant, a crisp bell sound suddenly rang in her ear, very light and short.

Then a gentle female voice came:

【Hello, little princess.】

She suddenly opened her eyes—

Qiu Baiyu listened and couldn’t help but wrinkle her brows: “In the middle of the night, this way of appearing is a bit scary for a child, right?”

Yi Wanyue agreed: “It is very scary.”

At that time, after confirming there was no one in the room, she was quite scared.

Later, the system also apologized to her for its abrupt ghost-like appearance.

Qiu Baiyu was curious: “Did your system require you to do anything? For example… follow the plot?”

Yi Wanyue shook her head: “She wouldn’t make me do those things. She appeared to give me the opportunity to choose my own life’s direction. At most, she wants me to play the role of the ‘white moonlight’ well.”

“Play the role of ‘white moonlight’ well?”

“Yes, just conform to this character setting.”

“What do you want to do? Could it be that you really want to be with the male lead?”

Yi Wanyue smiled calmly: “No need to go that far, I have my own way.”

Then she asked her in return: “What about yours?”

“…”

Qiu Baiyu sighed.

She was too lazy to deny it any longer; both of them knew very well that she had a system.

Since Yi Wanyue didn’t hide anything from her, she had nothing to hide either.

So she honestly said, “My system wants me to lead Xiaomin astray, to cultivate her into the second generation of a vicious female supporting role, to become a stumbling block for you and Jiang Shen’s future child.”

“?” Yi Wanyue squinted her eyes.

This is a system that isn’t very friendly to her…

Qiu Baiyu said, “You don’t need to worry; I won’t follow its intentions. That’s why I took Xiaomin away after divorcing Jiang Shen. That child is now living very well and happily, and she won’t cause you any trouble in the future.

“She will have a life of her own.”

Yi Wanyue quietly gazed at her and smiled.

The system was not friendly to her, but fortunately, the host is a kind person.

Qiu Baiyu belatedly caught onto a key point: “Your system is human-operated online?”

Her system wouldn’t say the words “little princess,” nor does it have tone particles; its tone is cold and stiff, and it certainly wouldn’t capture context to analyze the situation.

“Yours isn’t?” Yi Wanyue asked curiously.

“…Mine is an artificial idiot.

“No, you have a system, so why didn’t my system detect it on the day of the competition—you activated a shield.”

Qiu Baiyu suddenly realized.

She remembered that when the system was detecting the second system, there was indeed a subtle electric current sound, but she didn’t pay attention to it at the time.

Yi Wanyue’s system could even bypass her punishment, so what difficulty would there be in avoiding detection by a second system?

“Your system should be more advanced than mine,” she concluded.

Just having a human interface makes it different.

But she didn’t have the mind to compare systems.

With this broken system of hers, what’s there to compare? Anyone would be better than it.

Yi Wanyue blinked: “Yours isn’t human-operated, ah, no wonder my side interferes so easily; the level isn’t as high as mine.

“Then in the future, when we talk, we don’t need to activate the shield every time, just pay attention to the words we use.”

“What do you mean?”

“My system told me that non-human systems aren’t as flexible or advanced as human ones; their processing is very rigid, requiring the system to hear or see to make relative analysis.

“For example, if I directly say I have a system, they will react upon hearing it, but if I say I have a ‘friend,’ they have no reaction because they cannot distinguish what the ‘friend’ refers to.

“So, in the future, I can use other words to refer to my system in front of you, without worrying about being discovered. Similarly, you can use other words to refer to your system.”

After Yi Wanyue finished speaking, she tried it out by first turning off the interference.

The interference sound by Qiu Baiyu’s ear was gone, and she heard Yi Wanyue say, “You know, I have a friend, and she has helped me a lot.”

It was quiet, so quiet.

Her system had no reaction.

【Zizi…】

The interference was turned on again.

Qiu Baiyu suddenly realized.

Her system was indeed a fool.

But being a fool has its benefits; at least their communication would be much easier.

“So, are you a person from this world?”

Yi Wanyue propped her cheek, her eyes unblinkingly looking at Qiu Baiyu, her gaze already like she was looking at an alien.

The conversation had reached this point, and Qiu Baiyu knew there was no meaning in hiding it any longer, so she honestly shook her head: “No.

“I belong to the world of the people who created this world.”

“Ah… the real world,” Yi Wanyue said.

“Mm? You know?”

“I heard my system friend say it.”

“Oh?”

Yi Wanyue’s smile was as gentle and calm as ever: “I should understand a bit about the people who created our world, including the world she lives in.”

Then she changed the subject: “So your original appearance doesn’t have horns on your head, nor a tail behind.”

Qiu Baiyu was somewhat speechless: “You’re talking about unknown alien species, right…”

Yi Wanyue smiled: “To me, you are an alien.”

Qiu Baiyu: “…”

That’s true, can’t argue with that.

Qiu Baiyu slowly turned her head to look into Yi Wanyue’s eyes: “Then how did you discover that I, this alien, have a system?”

She didn’t expect Yi Wanyue to guess her secret.

Even more unexpected was that Yi Wanyue guessed right this time.

Yi Wanyue honestly said: “Actually, when I first met you, I became curious about you.”

She has a system, she knows this world is a novel, and she also knows that beside the so-called male lead, there is a woman who, due to her crazy infatuation with the male lead, sees her as a thorn in her side.

But after she personally saw this woman, she discovered she was completely different.

Different from what friends described.

And different from the novel’s setting.

She seemed to have completely become another person—becoming very interesting.

At that time, she couldn’t quite say if it was Qiu Baiyu’s self-awareness, or if she had really changed into another person, or if it was some other situation.

But regardless of the situation, they became friends.

She gradually dispelled her doubts.

Then came the events of the competition day.

“On that day, you were very strange, unexpectedly nervous about me, and you also noticed Lan Xin,” Yi Wanyue said, “You didn’t know her at all, but you looked at her many times.

“When I reminded you that you could go to the audience seats, you looked at her again, seeming not to want me and her to be alone together, almost as if… you knew what would happen next.”

Even though Qiu Baiyu’s reasons that day were all very reasonable, she still noticed her different gaze, which led her to be suspicious.

She has a system to know the upcoming plot; could it be that Qiu Baiyu also knew?

Until today, everything was confirmed.

Yi Wanyue carefully analyzed: “When you fell in the room, your first reaction was not to call for help but to close the door, which was very strange.

“When I asked you how you fell, your answer was also very strange, like it was made up on the spot. And you said you hit your knee, but you were rubbing your thigh and calf, and you were anxious to have me and Xiaomin leave the room, as if you were worried there would be another unexpected situation…”

Qiu Baiyu: “…”

What kind of detective female lead is this?

“So,” Yi Wanyue looked at her again, “I decided to be reckless once.”

“?”

Qiu Baiyu was dumbfounded.

“So you were just purely guessing?”

“Half guessing, I wanted to gamble.”

“What if you lost the gamble?”

“If I lost, then I’d be honest with you.”

“?”

“I also wouldn’t mind letting you know my secret.”

Qiu Baiyu was stunned.

“Actually, there’s also something I care a lot about.”

Yi Wanyue looked at Qiu Baiyu, her eyes serious.

“You are too lonely, as if you’re drifting outside the world, unable to integrate.

“Even though we are friends, I can sense that there seems to be a wall between us.”

Qiu Baiyu is a very good friend, with nothing to criticize.

But it’s just not enough.

They haven’t truly and completely stood before each other.

What exactly is blocking them?

She didn’t know, but she wanted to find out.

After the competition ended that day, she stood under the corridor watching Qiu Baiyu’s departing figure, her mind full of these questions.

Until today, she finally understood.

Because Qiu Baiyu is a foreigner.

Unlike simply leaving her hometown, she has already reached another world and cannot go back.

She feels like an outsider, which is why she is cautious and lonely.

But now it doesn’t matter anymore—

“Baiyu,” Yi Wanyue said, “now this is our secret.”

She wants to cross over that wall; she wants to see her true self.

She wants to make sure she isn’t so lonely.

Qiu Baiyu listened to Yi Wanyue as she slowly dissected her, each sentence and word helping to peel away the heavy shell of loneliness she carried, ultimately helping her to completely set aside her concerns.

She breathed a sigh of relief, her whole body relaxing.

Yi Wanyue had pushed down that wall and come to her side.

Yi Wanyue looked at her and softly asked, “We are still friends, right?”

Qiu Baiyu replied with a smile, “Of course, you are my only friend here.”

“A very precious, unique friend.”

They looked at each other and shared a knowing smile.

With open hearts, calmly and relaxed, they would journey together in the future.

“Then how did you come here?” Yi Wanyue began to be curious, “Do you sometimes feel homesick?”

“Not homesick,” Qiu Baiyu said, “my grandmother, who I relied on, passed away when I was in university, and my relationship with my mom isn’t good, so I live alone.”

Yi Wanyue paused, gently patting the back of her hand: “My condolences.”

Qiu Baiyu smiled and said, “But I often miss my friends.”

Although she doesn’t have a warm home, she has friends who are better than family.

These are her few concerns.

Yi Wanyue instantly recalled the day they were drinking at Unique Dream.

That day, Qiu Baiyu said her friends were no longer there…

So she patted her hand again: “My condolences… if you’re sad, you can cry too, I have tissues in my car.”

Her closest family is gone, and her good friends are also gone, how can one not feel sad?

Their Baiyu, lonely and all alone, is really very pitiful…

“I can’t cry,” Qiu Baiyu said, “because the one who died is me.”

Yi Wanyue: “?”

Qiu Baiyu: “I died in a car accident and then traveled here.”

Yi Wanyue: “…?”

Qiu Baiyu couldn’t help but laugh: “So there’s no need to offer me condolences.”

Yi Wanyue immediately wanted to speak but stopped, her hand poised to pat but halted.

This was her knowledge blind spot.

No wonder Qiu Baiyu smiled that day and said she couldn’t cry.

“Hearing this news, I’m very sorry… I misunderstood that day, my apologies.”

Qiu Baiyu looked at Yi Wanyue’s guilty appearance, her eyes filled with even more laughter.

“No need to apologize, I’m fine.

“Since I’ve come, I’ll settle; my current life is also very good, with money and freedom. It’s a good new beginning, and I’m quite satisfied.

“My friends should be happy for me if they knew?”

She has no reason to be sad, because she can grow freely wherever she goes.

She’s just afraid her friends would be sad, and she hopes that knowing she lives well in another world would make them happy.

Everyone must move forward happily.

Yi Wanyue was silent for a moment, then extended her hand to gently hold hers, smiling with relief.

“Of course, I am happy for you.”

She spoke for herself, and also for Qiu Baiyu’s friends in her original world.

— Even in another world, our Qiu Baiyu is living well for herself, truly wonderful.

Qiu Baiyu unconsciously raised the corner of her lips, finally showing the most relaxed and comfortable smile since her crossing.

She no longer needed to hide.

In this world, she finally has a true friend with whom she can share her heart and have common secrets!

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