Extra 2 Part 2
Qiao Yu x Lin Qing in the Parallel World
Her chaotic thoughts were fragmented. Lin Qing’s heart was engulfed in a silent storm, dispelling the lingering fog. In her daze, a thought suddenly emerged.
All along, was it Qiao Yu following her, or was she chasing after Qiao Yu?
Lin Qing lifted her head in a daze, her gaze scattering and then focusing again.
Qiao Yu, Qiao Yu.
Clearly, you were the one who said you loved me first.
Then I became happy yet uneasy. I went to great lengths to hold onto this love. I became apprehensive, sensitive, and my heart would beat like it was going to explode when you touched me. When you left, I felt like I was going to die from the pain. I no longer felt like myself, but as long as you looked back at me, I was willing.
Am I not in love with you by now?
And what was the Qiao Yu who was being thought of doing? She was chatting with someone.
“When Lin Qing over there fell in love with you, how did she act?”
“…If you have nothing better to do, why don’t you write my thesis for me?”
Hearing a voice exactly like hers speaking helplessly, Qiao Yu pouted disdainfully, “With your world’s undergraduate thesis, I’m afraid if I wrote it, your professor wouldn’t understand it.”
“Then if you won’t help, at least don’t say weird things to disturb me, okay?”
“Alright, alright. Young people are so irritable.”
After saying that, ignoring the irritated response from the other side, Qiao Yu waved her hand and unilaterally cut off their connection. She leaned back and sank into the soft cushion, lost in thought.
Yes, she was currently in the brain of the Qiao Yu from a parallel world, taking the place of the system.
Of course, she was just a spirit at the moment. Her real body was in a remote office at her company, equipped with a set of devices she had once prepared to contact the host in the parallel world.
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As the saying goes, hiding in plain sight. Even if Lin Qing wanted to find her, she wouldn’t think that although Qiao Yu had taken leave, she was actually still in the company. So, Qiao Yu used this information, which only she knew, to sneak in early in the morning, planning to hide here for ten days or half a month.
As for why she was hiding—first and foremost, because she had acted impulsively the previous night, and now she couldn’t face Lin Qing without embarrassment, feeling the urge to flee to another planet.
Fortunately, their technology was advanced enough to meet her needs.
So Qiao Yu had been stationed here for quite a while. She had programmed the environment herself, creating a living space similar to a private cinema. In front of her was a huge screen showing the parallel world, below was a soft beanbag chair, and there were plenty of snacks and drinks.
Even though the spirit body couldn’t really eat, simulating the taste was enjoyable. The real nutrition was supplied by the external device.
Qiao Yu thought this while casually grabbing a bag of chips and opening it.
The only unpleasant thing might be… she couldn’t avoid seeing her parallel self being intimate with Lin Qing.
For someone already troubled, this was too much. So Qiao Yu chose to contact her parallel self only when she was alone, disconnecting at other times to avoid seeing or hearing anything inappropriate.
She had come here partly hoping to learn from herself, but the other Qiao Yu was uncooperative, either pretending not to hear or deflecting her questions. Sometimes, she would even turn the tables.
‘Why are you asking these questions? Haven’t you ever been in a relationship?’
‘Or what’s the matter, did you and your Lin Qing have a fight?’
Being too smart can be a curse sometimes. With a dark expression, Qiao Yu cut the connection and didn’t speak to her for the rest of the day.
Never been in a relationship… how could she say that! Doesn’t unrequited love count?
Damn it, that girl is only in her twenties and already so far ahead in this area…!
It’s hard to describe Qiao Yu’s complex feelings. She bitterly chewed on the chips.
They are already like newlyweds, while her situation was a mess. Comparing herself to others only made things worse.
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Qiao Yu felt lost about her messy relationship with Lin Qing.
She knew her sudden departure would hurt Lin Qing, but she hardened her heart.
Partly because of the embarrassment, but also because she felt they both needed space to think, especially Lin Qing.
Qiao Yu didn’t want Lin Qing to mistake dependency for love. She always had doubts, as Lin Qing had never been apart from her for long. People who haven’t experienced separation fear the pain.
So maybe they should try being apart. Perhaps they’d quickly get used to it and realize it wasn’t a big deal.
Qiao Yu was always pessimistic about their relationship. This way, if things went as she feared, she wouldn’t feel too disappointed.
She mocked herself for such a cowardly thought and, after a while, reconnected to the parallel world.
The screen showed a scene of her parallel self and Lin Qing watching TV together, with their cat on her lap. She was absentmindedly stroking the cat when Lin Qing casually held her hand, slowly tightening her grip.
Qiao Yu, with her extensive viewing experience, predicted that something she shouldn’t see was about to happen, and immediately cut the connection.
Luckily, the sound wasn’t on! Otherwise, who knows what she might have heard! How could these two be so lovey-dovey all the time? Are young couples so great?
Feeling a bit pathetic, Qiao Yu snapped her fingers in frustration.
“…Meow?”
“Oh, System 10773, can you be my temporary cat for now?”
“Why, meow?!”
A white cat identical to the one on the screen appeared in the air, speaking human language with a bewildered expression. Qiao Yu, ignoring its confusion, picked it up and placed it on her lap, stroking its fur.
“…God, what happened? I was just chatting with a colleague—”
“Don’t ask, just let me pet you.”
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Alright, alright. What the boss says goes. The system—though turned into a cat, still the familiar system inside—obediently closed its mouth, lying on Qiao Yu’s lap and enjoying the somewhat clumsy petting.
Meow, work is tough.
Unaware of her system’s thoughts, Qiao Yu soon felt comforted by the warm fur but then quickly grew listless.
…What am I doing? Such a pointless act of defiance.
What good is it to have a cat? The most crucial thing is that I’m still all alone. Can that compare to others?
Feeling dejected at the thought, she patted the system, which was already becoming drowsy, intending to tell it to leave, but then decided she didn’t want to be alone in this mood. So, she changed her words.
“…Go lie down over there.”
“Alright, alright, meow.”
The system, obedient as ever, lightly jumped off Qiao Yu’s lap, walked to the corner she indicated, and comfortably settled into the cushion Qiao Yu had just created for it.
It seemed like its cuteness level had increased since taking on the appearance of a cat. Qiao Yu silently withdrew her gaze from the system, seriously considering whether she should design future systems to look like cats.
It seemed quite feasible. Besides the serial numbers, she could categorize them by fur color. Orange cats should be… the strongest?
Mysteriously inspired, Qiao Yu felt a wave of fatigue after this string of random thoughts. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she didn’t resist the sleepiness, quietly closing her eyes.
Cats are great… If given the chance, she’d like to… raise one with Lin Qing…
These final, indistinct fragments accompanied her into her dreams.
Was she dreaming?
Qiao Yu rubbed her eyes blankly, squeezed them shut, then opened them again. The incredible scene before her hadn’t changed.
“What’s the matter? Surprised to see me?”
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A familiar, cool voice approached her without any reservations. Frightened, Qiao Yu scooted back in a panic, only to be easily pinned down by the person who had the advantage of position.
…Seriously, can anyone tell her why, as soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Lin Qing sitting on her?
Is this why she suddenly felt a bit breathless in her sleep? The fright cleared Qiao Yu’s sleepiness instantly, making her wonder if she was having a nightmare.
This was the mental world, and she had entered it through the device in the real world. How could Lin Qing possibly get here to catch her—
“I hacked my way in.”
“…Huh?”
“I found you and then hacked my way in.”
The person on top of her spoke nonchalantly, but her eyes fixed intensely on Qiao Yu’s face, filled with a tangible, strong emotion that made Qiao Yu want to avoid her gaze.
“You wrote the program. How could I not get in?”
Lin Qing, however, didn’t allow her to look away, reaching out to straighten Qiao Yu’s head. Qiao Yu couldn’t figure out the logic of her words, but she did recall seeing the system cat still curled up and snoring in the corner, completely unaware of the intruder. This made her grit her teeth in anger.
An outsider had managed to break into the base camp! And it’s still sleeping! Still sleeping!
Not sure if she was blaming the system or herself, Qiao Yu regretted it immensely. In the midst of this indescribable atmosphere, an inappropriate thought crossed her mind: relying on a cat to guard the base was indeed hopeless.
“What… what are you doing?”
Her mind in turmoil, Qiao Yu asked instinctively, only to see a blush spreading across Lin Qing’s face as she softly spoke.
“Kissing you.”
“——”
Qiao Yu felt a buzzing in her brain. Even though she knew her current expression must be quite foolish, she had no time to control it, only slowly frowning and giving Lin Qing a look that said, “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“I mean, before you woke up just now, I was kissing you.”
Lin Qing quickly regained the upper hand, suppressing her blush. In front of Qiao Yu, she brazenly bit her lower lip, the gesture full of suggestiveness.