No way out
Barely catching the tail end of the trip, the crisis between Qiao Yu and Lin Qing was resolved.
The next morning, as the group prepared to leave the hotel, one could see Cong Ye staring intently at Qiao Yu and Lin Qing, now standing together again. The listlessness caused by an early rise was instantly swept away.
“…So, everything is alright now?”
He sneakily moved closer to Qiao Yu and nudged her, making no effort to hide his delight.
“Look, I knew it! The two of you couldn’t possibly hold a grudge overnight. As the saying goes, ahem, ‘a quarrel at the head of the bed leads to a reconciliation at the foot of it,’ um.”
Whenever he got excited, he couldn’t control his voice. Qiao Yu really wanted to call him out on that vaguely passed statement, but at that moment, she had to deal with the adults who turned their heads towards her with relieved smiles.
Meanwhile, Lin Qing stood quietly by her side, not responding to the teasing inquiries from Cong Ye and the adults, leaving it all to Qiao Yu to handle.
She seemed thoughtful, which concerned Qiao Yu a lot.
After all, they had just made up, and it was a phase where everything had to be handled with care. By this time, everyone had already walked outside the hotel, and Qiao Yu, worried, took the opportunity when the adults were busy loading luggage into the car to turn to Lin Qing and asked softly, “What’s the matter? Are you thinking about something?”
“Yes, indeed. How come you and Qiao Yu made up but still look so troubled?” Cong Ye butted in, glancing at Lin Qing’s expression, “Is it that you haven’t woken up fully? Don’t worry, you can still sleep in the car later.”
Lin Qing didn’t speak, merely glancing over the two cars parked at the entrance. Then, she tugged at Qiao Yu’s sleeve.
“Can I sit with you?”
“Eh.”
Qiao Yu hadn’t expected her to suddenly bring this up, reacting a beat too slow and hesitating before nodding.
“It’s okay… but why all of a sudden——”
“Hey Qiao Yu, can you not ask such mood-killing questions?”
The conversation was abruptly interrupted by Cong Ye, who slung an arm over her shoulder and made exaggerated faces at her.
“You two haven’t been together for such a long time, isn’t it only natural for Lin Qing to want to spend more time with you? As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder, cough cough.”
“Is it that your throat is not feeling well today, or what’s the matter, Cong Ye?”
Qiao Yu, quite disgustedly, slapped his hand away, feeling helpless against his habit of using half-baked proverbs.
If it were just as he said, Qiao Yu would indeed welcome it, but…
She uncertainly looked towards Lin Qing, feeling that Lin Qing’s intentions weren’t just that simple.
After thawing the ice last night, when they met again in the corridor this morning, Lin Qing resumed her usual demeanor towards her, showing no signs of the unpleasantness that had occurred between them before. Her attitude was so natural that Qiao Yu thought it was all a dream, except Lin Qing’s left ear genuinely proved the reality of everything.
The beautiful girl was noncommittal towards her and Cong Ye’s recent conversation, busy tucking her wind-disrupted hair behind her ear, revealing a shining silver earring on her left ear. Just standing there, she was as beautiful as a timeless painting.
Sensing Qiao Yu’s gaze, Lin Qing looked over to her, hooking up a light smile, and mischievously leaned in close to her face.
“Pretty, isn’t it?”
Her mood seemed to have improved a lot at this moment, her dark pupils pressing down on the fragmented morning light, making Qiao Yu’s breathing suddenly disordered.
“…Are you talking about the earring?”
“What else?” Lin Qing’s voice contained a hint of laughter, “What did you think I was talking about?”
“…”
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Unable to withstand Lin Qing’s suddenly wicked teasing, Qiao Yu beat a hasty retreat and responded vaguely while Cong Ye was making a big fuss nearby.
“Oh oh! Isn’t this the gift from Qiao Yu! Really nice!”
“…Keep your voice down.”
Feeling embarrassed as the parents nearby turned their gaze towards them again, Qiao Yu gently pushed Cong Ye, who compliantly closed his mouth, his face breaking into a very bright smile.
Meanwhile, Lin Qing did not join their playful banter, just smiling and standing aside.
After putting the packages in the car and ready to set off, Lin Qing, after explaining the situation to Mother Lin, came to the car of Qiao Yu’s family. Qiao Yu opened the car door for her, gentlemanly letting Lin Qing get in first.
Before she followed and sat in the car, Cong Ye from the neighboring car held his fist and made a cheering gesture towards her with a giggling smile. Qiao Yu amusingly waved at him and entered the car, closing the door with a bang.
“There’s some time before we reach the airport. Want to take a nap?”
Qiao Yu and Lin Qing were sitting side by side. Suddenly, remembering Cong Ye’s comment about Lin Qing possibly not being fully awake, she turned her head and asked her.
Lin Qing shook her head, softly saying, “My ear hurts, I’m afraid to touch it.”
Despite her tone being soft, almost coquettish, Qiao Yu immediately became anxious.
“Is it still hurting? I looked it up online, and it said it should stop hurting pretty soon after… Did I do something wrong when I did it? Once we’re back in the country, let’s go to the hospital and have it checked?”
Qiao Yu’s commotion immediately alarmed Father Qiao and Mother Qiao in the front seats. Father Qiao, keen to pick up on the key words, turned his head back, his face full of concern: “Hospital? Is Lin Qing not feeling well? Then we shouldn’t wait until we’re back in the country; we can make a trip right now.”
“No, that’s not it.”
Seeing that he was startled by Qiao Yu’s grand fuss, Lin Qing hurriedly explained.
“It’s just an ear piercing that’s still a bit sore, it’s not any discomfort.”
“Oh, it’s the ear piercing.”
Father Qiao relaxed his expression and leaned back.
“Listening to Yuyu talking so tensely, I thought it was some big problem…”
“…”
Qiao Yu’s face heated up, and she hurriedly shooed Father Qiao back.
“It won’t hurt now if it’s not touched, I was just worried it might get bumped while sleeping in the car.”
Lin Qing, holding back her laughter, whispered an explanation in her ear.
“I, I got it now.”
Feeling a bit embarrassed about her behavior just now, Qiao Yu obediently responded, not making any further fuss. Seeing Lin Qing sneaking smiles and looking happy, she couldn’t help but soften her lips into a smile too.
Before getting on the car, Lin Qing still had a very serious expression, but now she seems to have completely returned to her usual demeanour.
But Qiao Yu still felt a vague sense of discomfort that she couldn’t shake off.
She couldn’t pinpoint it for the moment and had to suppress it for the time being.
Several hours later, Qiao Yu finally understood the source of this discomfort.
She realized it too late, even the person concerned had already noticed.
By this time, they had already returned to the domestic airport. While waiting for the checked luggage to come out, Cong Ye secretly pulled her aside to a secluded spot, saying with a complex expression: “…Lin Qing, has she been avoiding me all day today?”
“…”
Yes, indeed. Since the morning, Lin Qing hasn’t spoken a single word to Cong Ye.
Qiao Yu, having untangled the crux of the matter, was a mix of emotions and nearly hugged her head, which was aching faintly, in front of Cong Ye.
“Hey, you looking like this must mean you have a clue!”
“…………I think it’s your imagination?”
“Then look me in the eye and say that!”
Qiao Yu guiltily shifted her gaze away, letting Cong Ye shake her shoulders in anger without meeting his eyes, secretly breaking into a sweat.
She was almost certain that the current situation was caused by Lin Qing’s hostility due to the exposure of her past attempts to match-make them, leading to Lin Qing’s decision to maintain a distance from Cong Ye in order to clear her involvement.
But she couldn’t bring herself to say this to Cong Ye…!
Facing the most innocent victim in the whole affair, Qiao Yu, after much pain and reflection, looked at Cong Ye sincerely, determined to stabilize him first.
“……I will verify this matter, and you can leave it to me for now.”
“Really, really? I really didn’t do anything bad!… At least that’s what I think! Qiao Yu, you believe me, right?”
“I completely believe you.”
Cong Ye was moved by Qiao Yu’s resolute and unequivocal answer, his eyes brimming with tears as he watched her leave. Qiao Yu felt a profound sense of guilt in her heart, deciding that she must find a way to make it up to him in the future.
Her emotions were complex as she silently walked up to Lin Qing nearby.
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“I, I have an immature question I’d like to ask…”
Lin Qing did not immediately reply, her gaze casually sweeping over Cong Ye, who was peeping around the corner. After a moment of silence, she said.
“…The one who is immature is me. I’m indeed a bit unsure how to treat him, so I can’t help but avoid him.”
Before even asking, Qiao Yu got her answer, her mouth agape, unsure of what to say from her own position as the instigator.
“I also know he hasn’t done anything wrong…”
“I will adjust my mentality properly, just give me a bit more time—”
She said this and paused, turning her head to look at Qiao Yu, with a bit of entanglement in her eyes.
“But you can’t misunderstand our relationship anymore.”
“…Of course.”
Qiao Yu couldn’t retort, only nodding in agreement.
“Otherwise.”
Seeing her so obedient, Lin Qing’s mood improved somewhat. She stepped forward and leaned close to her ear.
“My right ear can’t yet wear the earring you gave me, can it?”
Qiao Yu couldn’t help but shiver slightly, turning her head away a little.
“…Who threatens others with their own suffering, and if you’re getting your ears pierced, you should really go to a good hospital this time.”
Lin Qing chuckled without saying anything, then turned to retrieve her checked luggage. Only then did Qiao Yu let out a sigh of relief, looking towards Cong Ye in the corner with a face full of tension, unable to dispel the knots in her heart.
Returning from this trip, the situation seemed even more chaotic than before they left.
“The issues now are just too serious.”
“You, you’re right…”
Finally back at her familiar home, Qiao Yu didn’t go to relax immediately but instead started a profound discussion with the system right away.
She organized her language, showing the system the truths unveiled during this trip.
“First, Lin Qing has never liked Cong Ye; she has someone else in her heart.”
“Second, she now harbors the idea of keeping a distance from Cong Ye himself. It seems difficult to return to the original state in the short term.”
“Third, trying to bring them together again will only provoke Lin Qing’s aversion.”
“As for Cong Ye, there’s no need to mention him; he simply doesn’t have that kind of feeling towards Lin Qing.”
“In summary.”
Qiao Yu pondered for a moment before delivering the decisive conclusion.
“…Your world of romance novel is about to be doomed, isn’t it?”
“…”
The system was left speechless.
“You, you can’t just say it like that…”
But as a dedicated system, it still tried to struggle.
“Even if Lin Qing has someone she likes now, maybe in the future there will be a time when she will fall in love with the male lead!”
Qiao Yu didn’t respond, calling it to bring up the light screen, directly going to the title page.
“A book named《Affection for Only One》, you tell me the female lead will first fall in love with someone else, and then transfer her affection to the male lead?”
“…”
The system had nothing to say.
The exchange momentarily fell into silence, temporarily reaching a consensus that this world might be doomed.
“…I’ll first reconfirm, you previously said that everything happening in this world follows the rules of this novel, right?”
“Yes, yes…” The system was now in a panic, pitifully defending itself, “But it’s indeed true! This is the world built by the original author!”
“So what exactly is going on now?”
Qiao Yu ruffled her hair in irritation, unwillingly adding a sentence.
“I really thought before that the male and female leads would definitely fall in love with each other…”
“…Hmm.”
The system hesitated for a long while, finally asking with a sense of burning one’s boats, “Does the host have any clue who Lin Qing likes?”
“…”
Qiao Yu took a deep breath, remaining silent for a long time.
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“…Host?”
Under the system’s anxious call, Qiao Yu finally made a movement. She slowly exhaled this breath, lowering her eyelids.
“There is.”
“…”
This time, it was the system that fell into a long silence. Qiao Yu’s eyes darkened as she pressed on.
“…What will happen to me if this world never reaches its conclusion?”
“That would definitely not be good for the host.”
The system’s mechanical voice was unusually low, seemingly laden with sadness.
“If we can never conclude… the satisfaction level of this story will certainly drop.”
“When it drops to zero, the host will lose the qualification to stay in this world.”
“But they can’t return to their original world either. For this kind of host, the punishment measure we call it ‘Exile’.”
The system paused for a moment, then suddenly switched to a more upbeat tone as it continued.
“‘Exile’ specifically refers to what? Actually, we don’t know either, because by that time the host will have lost all contact with us.”
“All I know is, hosts who have been exiled, not a single one has been able to return.”
“So, Host, you must be careful not to follow this path, right?”
“And, if the Host knows…who that lucky person is, the one liked by Lin Qing…”
Its voice froze again. Qiao Yu had never seen the system display such an emotionally charged demeanor. Even with the same mechanical tone, the system’s voice now seemed like it was on the verge of tears, cautiously yet earnestly finishing its sentence.
“…Even for your own sake, Host, you should still persuade them…not to appear in this article.”
“…”
Qiao Yu remained silent, and the system’s tone became even more urgent.
“I know too. The current situation is already very severe! Even if we do this, it might not lead to a good ending, but—”
“But if Lin Qing really ends up with……”
“The only thing that can be certain is that it definitely, won’t be a good ending.”
“…No one will find happiness, no matter who it is.”
Qiao Yu listened quietly, took a long sigh, leaned back in the chair, and looked up at the ceiling without focusing.
“You systems that seek out hosts for help, are really too much into talking to yourselves.”
It was less of her complaining to the system and more like she was talking to herself.
Qiao Yu didn’t care about the system’s response, just kept staring at the blank expanse of the ceiling for a long time, until her eyes were so dry she had to close them.
If there were a maze game without an exit, it would definitely be blasted by players as a sh*tty game.
But the game character who is actually in the maze, without a solution, without a channel for complaints, can only be trapped inside until the end comes.
No way out.
LP: The system is wrong! Don’t listen, Qiao Yu!
so she has an idea who Lin Qing likes ..
They really added extra obstacles just to make it more complicated how horrible, in the end are we just getting one or two chaps of them getting together before ending with a happily ever after? And here i was looking forward to some fluff, i dont like the angst without fluff like a punishment with no reward