Novel Turned Yuri – Chapter 60

Wait for death, but can one really accept the death of a country?

For Lin Qing, this trip was like a wave.

It either lifted her to the crest or smashed her to the seabed, washing away all pretenses in the end.

When she touched reality, she was inevitably incredulous and sorrowful, but after enduring the hardest times, she slowly recovered her strength.

In fact, for her, the situation hadn’t changed much from before the trip.

After all, before setting off on the trip, Lin Qing was already trying hard to make Qiao Yu like her. Now, she just had to continue with this intention; the situation had just become clearer. Moreover, it even incidentally resolved her previous doubts about Qiao Yu’s conversation with Mother Cong at the couryard, making it seem not a loss at all.

During the most painful times, Lin Qing had thought about giving up this seemingly hopeless affection but found it a very difficult thing to do.

If it were possible not to dream about her when sleeping, not to be joyous or sad over her every word and action, not to cast her gaze upon her, and not to recall her appearance and name in every scene, that might be a very relaxing world indeed.

It would surely be like the moon, serene yet suffocating.

Since letting go was impossible, Lin Qing’s tasks remained unchanged, but there was one thing she needed to clarify first.

Suddenly being approached by Lin Qing with such a question, Cong Ye was startled into rigidity.

“Ah, a person I like? Do you mean in the romantic sense? You’re asking me?”

The blank and bewildered expression on his face had already given away the answer, causing Lin Qing to slightly relax her shoulders.

It seems it wasn’t because Cong Ye had said something to Qiao Yu that prompted her to have such an outrageous thought.

Thinking about it, Cong Ye was extraordinarily enthusiastic about her and Qiao Yu’s relationship, and there wasn’t anyone more concerned than him. Who would go as far as to matchmake the person they like with someone else?

Caught off guard by this thought, Lin Qing slightly furrowed her brows.

“…Um, are you listening?”

Cong Ye, on the other side, seemed to have rambled on about a lot, essentially saying he didn’t have such a person in mind and was still waiting for love at first sight as destined. Distracted Lin Qing was brought back by his question and simply nodded before deciding to leave.

“Wait a minute, wait a minute!”

Cong Ye hurriedly followed out of the house and awkwardly stood in front of Lin Qing.

“Um, did something happen between you and Qiao Yu? Is there anything I can help with?”

This was several days after returning to the country. In these days, although the relationship between Lin Qing and him was neither cold nor warm, they still managed to exchange a few words, which successfully dispelled Cong Ye’s suspicion from the day of return that he might have annoyed Lin Qing.

But his keen intuition still told him that something was amiss.

Honestly, he was terribly curious about the reasons for the two’s on-and-off companionship during the trip.

However, the usually easy-going Qiao Yu, for some reason, was tight-lipped this time, not willing to utter a word, which made him feel incredibly itchy with curiosity.

Therefore, he could only muster up the courage to approach Lin Qing — after all, he was also a council member of Lin Qing’s romance support group, perhaps he could uncover something!

“…If Qiao Yu didn’t tell you anything, then I have nothing to say.”

“Don’t be like that…”

His hope was quickly dashed, as Cong Ye, with a woeful expression, once again stopped Lin Qing who intended to leave.

“Could you, could you think about it again? Anything at all, I’m sure I can help!”

Keeping a distance from me would be the biggest help—such words were indeed a bit too harsh, and Lin Qing truly couldn’t bring herself to say them.

“…Hmm?”

Suddenly, a flash of thought sparked through her mind, and her eyes flickered.

“There might actually be something I want to ask you about.”

Seeing Lin Qing really had something to say, Cong Ye immediately perked up, nodding eagerly as he awaited her next words.

“You were already very familiar with Qiao Yu before I met her, right?”

“That’s correct!”

Although unsure why Lin Qing suddenly brought this up, Cong Ye still thumped his chest and assured her.

“I and Qiao Yu have been friends for several years now, I’m as clear about her matters as the back of my hand——”

“No need for the friendship from a long time ago.”

Seeing that he was about to launch into a lengthy speech, Lin Qing interrupted him, speaking lightly.

“After I transferred to this school, before I became familiar with her.”

“During this period, did she talk to you about anything related to me?”

“If you still remember, I’d like to hear it.”

Why Qiao Yu would have such a misunderstanding, Lin Qing was extremely concerned about it.

Qiao Yu isn’t someone who would engage in matchmaking on baseless grounds.

If Qiao Yu said it’s ‘because she felt so from the very beginning,’ then let’s thoroughly investigate where this ‘beginning’ is.

“Host, school is starting tomorrow, isn’t it?”

“Well, that’s true. The holiday has passed so quickly, but luckily I have already finished the homework.”

“No, I’m not trying to make small talk.”

With a worried look, the system swiftly unfolded a light screen in front of Qiao Yu’s face.

“… After coming back from the trip, the host hasn’t written a single word, right?”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“So, I’m not here to make small talk!”

Watching Qiao Yu, who was seriously dragging the conversation everywhere but refusing to put hands on the keyboard, the system couldn’t help but shed (imaginary) tears.

Its diligent host had been completely changed by this trip! Previously the host who, even when hands were wrapped in bandages, insisted on using voice input to write, now couldn’t be urged to write at all!

Fortunately, Qiao Yu’s previous diligence had left her with drafts, which could offset her laziness during this period. However, the system felt instinctively that its host’s laziness wasn’t temporary, and seemed to have the trend to continue this way, forcing it to come out and remind the host.

“If you don’t update, the readers will be unhappy… The host remembers that, right?”

“I remember.”

Qiao Yu was half-leaning on the bed reading a book, treating the light screen in front of her as if it were invisible, leisurely flipping through another page.

“But think about it, is there anything from this trip that could be written into the story?”

“…”

The system was momentarily at a loss for words.

“See, Lin Qing and Cong Ye can’t even find an interaction worth writing about. Even for Lin Qing’s birthday, the gift Cong Ye gave her was actually chosen by me.”

She spoke casually, each sentence hitting a sore spot.

“But, but… when they had no interactions before, didn’t the host rely on psychological descriptions to get through?”

Indeed, previously, the interactions between these two were so scarce that they were practically non-existent. It was all thanks to Qiao Yu’s pair of hands, as lifeless as a pair of flesh-and-bone skeletons, that their awkwardness was written as probing, unfamiliarity as hesitance, a spoken word as an undercurrent stirring, and a glance as a spark igniting flames—just like a true fan of a cold couple living off of imagination.

The system would have been better off not mentioning this, as it only served to infuriate Qiao Yu, who abruptly closed the book.

“You said it yourself, that was before.”

There was a kind of world-weary regret in her voice, grinding her molars as she spoke.

“I wrote like that before because I thought they would definitely end up together.”

“Now that the truth is out, Lin Qing and Cong Ye simply won’t end up together—”

Qiao Yu was emphasizing to the system in her mind, dragging out the words, while the system couldn’t even muster a rebuttal.

“That means this world, which seems to still be functioning, is actually already doomed, and this book will never be completed.”

“So, what’s the point of me writing sugar-coated fluff? The result will be the same anyway.”

The more she spoke, the more irritable Qiao Yu got. She calmed her mind a bit and then declared to the system in a more peaceful tone.

“Since it has come to this, let me be straightforward, I believe you must have seen it coming too.”

“I, simply, don’t want to write about Lin Qing and Cong Ye falling in love.”

“…”

The system was on the verge of tears.

The system had long noticed the host’s reluctance—it even once tried to find a reasonable explanation for this situation, remembering that it told Qiao Yu the reason was that the male and female leads’ character settings did not suit her taste, hence she couldn’t write the story.

As things developed to this point, both the system and Qiao Yu knew that this explanation no longer held water. The real reason was understood by both, yet they tacitly chose not to mention it.

Despite the system strangely feeling that it could understand Qiao Yu’s mood, as a system born with the purpose of supervising the host, it still had to admonish Qiao Yu.

“So, is the host giving up now…?”

“It’s precisely because I haven’t given up, that’s why I’m sitting here honestly.”

The system seemed to understand but not fully.

“I don’t want to be exiled.”

Qiao Yu was concise, and the system nodded vigorously. After living with Qiao Yu for so long and developing feelings, it also did not wish for the host to be exiled.

“So, I’ve thought about it for a long time. Under the current circumstances, there are only two paths that can prevent my exile.”

“One is Lin Qing will eventually, under the influence of time or some mysterious force, develop feelings for Cong Ye, leading to a standard ending.”

“To be honest, I think the possibility is slim.”

“Secondly, I need to find a way to ensure the readers’ satisfaction doesn’t plummet while this world continues without an end.”

The system’s not-so-sharp little brain turned a few times before it understood and spoke with concern, “But, but even if the host finds that kind of method—”

“Yes, then I can only continue to survive in this world. I still can’t return to my original world.”

Qiao Yu closed her eyes, sighing wearily.

“…Right now, I don’t want to think about this.”

“After all, I need to avoid exile first before I qualify to think about the possibility of returning.”

“Mmm…”

Feeling guilty for placing the host on such a narrow and perilous path of survival, the system honestly responded and immediately perked up to join Qiao Yu in brainstorming solutions.

“Does the host have any ideas then!”

“Not yet, but I can be sure that continuing to write those fake sweet moments is absolutely pointless, it only delays the execution.”

Qiao Yu said this straightforwardly and waved her hand, signaling the system to retract the annoyingly flickering light screen in front of her. This time, the system obediently withdrew it.

“So, don’t bother me in the future. I’m still thinking of a way. Let’s talk again when my stockpile of drafts is published.”

“If I had already given up, I should cherish the time now to do what I want to do—do I need to explain specifically what that is to you?”

“No, no need…”

The system weakly responded, retracting to check Qiao Yu’s stock of drafts and saw that there was enough for the next month’s four chapters, then it temporarily set aside its worries.

Qiao Yu didn’t intend to say more to it, simply hummed a response and reopened her book, whose title was “Writing Techniques 123.”

…She hadn’t expected to resort to such books at this point; winning the readers’ satisfaction is indeed a difficult task, almost like clutching at straws.

She sighed silently, but her mental state was much better than the gloominess she felt when she had just returned to the country.

Now, Qiao Yu had a goal, her entire demeanor brightened, and she possessed an air of indomitable spirit.

For example, her current mindset was roughly: “To die today or to die attempting great plans, both lead to death. Wait for death, but can one really accept the death of a country?”

If in the end, there is truly no way to turn this situation around, and exile is inevitable either way, then at least she can choose a path closer to her heart towards exile.

The sentence from Lin Qing, “I don’t like Cong Ye,” removed the vague veil in Qiao Yu’s mind that the male and female leads must fall in love, finally allowing her to face the flowing ambiguity.

…The person Lin Qing likes, might very well be her.

Just the thought of this possibility made Qiao Yu’s heart race, even though she was alone in the room, she still embarrassingly hurried to cover the lower half of her face with a book to hide her unseemly smile.

On the return journey, her mood was still fluttering, only to be brought down by the system’s exile warning mid-flight. After days of entanglement and contemplation, Qiao Yu had transformed, truly seeing clear, vividly experiencing what it means to have a mix of heaven and hell, just holding back from confirming with Lin Qing was hard enough.

Although there are still numerous obstacles between them, making it so Qiao Yu can’t yet reveal her feelings to Lin Qing.

But the day will come, someday she will tell Lin Qing everything.

Qiao Yu lowered her gaze, emotions swirling in her heart.

No matter what outcome awaits her after that, at least by then they will understand each other’s hearts, their affections mutual.

Just as her heart was filled with emotions, her phone suddenly rang.

Qiao Yu picked it up and saw it was a call from Cong Ye.

It was quite rare for him to contact Qiao Yu by phone. Usually, the two communicated through messages, and even in emergencies, when typing wasn’t quick enough to explain the situation, their first choice was to send voice messages—like that time Cong Ye had berated her with a screen full of voice messages for not inviting him to her home, accusing her of being heartless.

The last time Qiao Yu received a call from Cong Ye was when she deliberately ignored his messages, which led to his complaints… But Qiao Yu checked, and this time, Cong Ye hadn’t sent her any messages yet. It definitely wasn’t an issue of her missing something again.

Therefore, faced with this unexpected call, Qiao Yu had a bad feeling.

But thinking about it was useless; she still had to answer the call. She pressed the answer button and put the phone to her ear, not yet speaking when she heard Cong Ye’s panicked shout.

“It’s terrible, Qiao Yu! Lin Qing, she, she’s going to move out of my house!”

“…”

Qiao Yu digested this news and fell into silence. Inside her head, the system emitted a sound similar to a cat suddenly being dunked into water, creating a very noisy duet with Cong Ye’s voice over the phone.

From a certain perspective, it indeed was a serious matter… If it really happened and was written into the story, her readers’ satisfaction would definitely plummet. Is the world’s keystone becoming more and more fragmented?

Qiao Yu was entirely devoid of any sense of nervousness, even calmly pondering the situation.

…Actually, whether Lin Qing moves away or not doesn’t really make much of a difference now, does it?

Being someone who knew quite a bit more, Qiao Yu remained unmoved, listening to Cong Ye’s incoherent babbling over the phone, silently sighing for this male lead who had no chance to shine.

“Alright, alright, calm down.”

“Anyway, just… start from the beginning and tell me everything.”