This incident, it can’t be written into the story, can it?
The room suddenly fell into silence, but a fierce debate was raging in Qiao Yu’s mind.
“Of course not? To say!”
The system’s mechanical voice was so shocked it went up eight octaves, buzzing Qiao Yu’s head.
“Why not?”
“Because, because… it’s a big secret! How can you just casually tell the natives about things like the truth of the world!”
Tossing and turning, Qiao Yu quickly grew tired of hearing the same two sentences over and over.
“No, so what would be the consequences if I tell Lin Qing? Like, the world will end tomorrow or something?”
“…That won’t happen.”
The system spoke each of the four words slowly and reluctantly, eliciting a snicker from its host, who seemed to be entering a rebellious phase.
“Then, at this point, what can’t be said?”
Indeed, the system itself wasn’t aware of what shouldn’t be said, but as a being dedicated to maintaining order, it always felt that speaking out might not be quite right. Suddenly, an idea struck it, and it hurriedly said,
“Even though it won’t have consequences for the world, but— if Lin Qing found out that this world is just a book and she’s merely a character created within it, what would she think!”
“She would definitely be shocked! The host must think twice before acting!”
This reasoning did hold some truth, and Qiao Yu herself had considered this problem, feeling somewhat hesitant.
Just as she was hesitating, a sudden pain in her waist made her turn around, only to meet Lin Qing’s slightly angry eyes.
“I’m asking you, but you’re ignoring me.”
Her voice dropped as she spoke, and a look of grievance quickly spread over her eyes and brows, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at Qiao Yu.
…How could anyone resist this?
Lin Qing had become more and more adept at this nearly coquettish tactic over the days… Qiao Yu sighed, knowing well that it might be an act, but still willingly fell for it, suppressing the urge to pull Lin Qing into her arms and saying.
“It’s not that, I was just thinking…”
“How would you like to answer me?”
As soon as she uttered these words, Lin Qing became even more displeased, her brow furrowed as she moved a bit closer to her. They were already close, but now Lin Qing was almost leaning on her shoulder.
“It’s either yes or no. Have you forgotten, or are you thinking about how to… fool me?”
Her tone took on a slightly menacing rise at the end, instinctively sensing trouble, Qiao Yu shrank back and blurted out.
“Yes, yes, yes—not, I’m not saying yes as in thinking about how to fool you…”
“What I mean to say is, I indeed wanted to matchmake you two from that time.”
Once the arrow is shot, there’s no turning back. Qiao Yu made up her mind, feeling it somewhat inappropriate to discuss such a serious matter while both were lying side by side on the bed, abruptly sat up with legs crossed.
Lin Qing also sat up, both of them facing each other under the dim light at the head of the bed, as if preparing for a confrontation, which made Qiao Yu find the scene somewhat absurd.
The not-so-bright light was still enough for her to notice Lin Qing’s complexion looked upset, she sighed inwardly.
At this point, perhaps it’s better to speak out some things.
“I know you want to ask why, but before that, I have something to say.”
Qiao Yu spoke first, before Lin Qing could, her amber eyes holding a flicker of light in the dim room. She furrowed her brows, her expression turning uncharacteristically serious.
“You and Cong Ye have known each other since childhood.”
“From elementary school, you and he were classmates, as well as neighbors living next door. He was introverted and not good at interacting with people back then, and it was only after you kindly brought him his homework during a day he missed school that you two became close.”
“Aunt Cong wasn’t around at that time, and he only had servants at home. Cong Ye was always alone, saying you were his only friend wouldn’t be an exaggeration.”
“Then, in the fifth grade, he suddenly transferred schools and disappeared without a trace.”
“You met again here, after Aunt Lin had to change cities for work, and during house hunting, you ran into Aunt Cong, leading to a series of events. But Cong Ye doesn’t remember you at all, even the memories of childhood are completely forgotten.”
“—Am I right?”
After delivering a lengthy speech, Qiao Yu fixedly looked at Lin Qing, noticing the undisguised surprise and turmoil on her face.
“…How did you… Is it from Cong Ye…?”
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“No, he still hasn’t remembered until now.”
…However, it seems like neither of them really cares about this matter anymore. Though Qiao Yu is a bit curious about what’s going on with Cong Ye’s leaky brain, it looks like it doesn’t really matter whether he remembers or not.
Grumbling to herself, Qiao Yu took the rare opportunity to take the initiative. She leaned forward, gazing into Lin Qing’s bewildered eyes.
“Let me get this straight first, I am not some stalker, nor have I hired a private detective to investigate you or anything like that.”
“As for why I know about this…”
After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke truthfully.
“It might be a bit of an odd story.”
After hearing Qiao Yu’s explanation, Lin Qing took a long time to digest and understand before hesitantly speaking.
“…You mean, you are not from the same world as us?”
“Yes, exactly. And the reason I came here is to ensure that you and Cong Ye end up together.”
After giving it some thought, Qiao Yu ultimately decided to conceal the fact that this world was a book, opting for a gentler explanation instead. She simply said that she came from another world, carrying the mission of bringing the two of them together, and so on.
Ah, it’s quite rare. Lin Qing actually displayed a look of not knowing what to say.
Qiao Yu couldn’t help but laugh upon seeing that, her eyes shining brightly as she sat next to Lin Qing and cocked her head to look at her.
“What, you still don’t believe it?”
“…Give me some time.”
Initially, Lin Qing merely wanted to casually inquire something from Qiao Yu; unexpectedly, this inquiry led to the revelation of such a bizarre story. Rubbing her temples, which were starting to ache subtly, Lin Qing found herself unprepared for the unexpected plot twist.
Had this story come from anyone other than Qiao Yu, Lin Qing would have definitely been skeptical. But now, with Qiao Yu detailing everything so clearly, even knowing about her and Cong Ye’s acquaintance from childhood, Lin Qing couldn’t help but believe. Moreover, since Qiao Yu was the one sharing this, Lin Qing naturally inclined to believe her to a great degree.
“Alright, I’ll believe you for now.”
She quickly decided not to dwell on this matter any longer and straightforwardly accepted what Qiao Yu had said, promptly asking,
“So, when did you come over here?”
“The day before I met you?”
Lin Qing’s quick acceptance surprised Qiao Yu, who blinked in astonishment and answered her question honestly.
“…I see, so the one I knew from the beginning was you after all.”
Though she felt somewhat guilty about the original “Qiao Yu,” Lin Qing couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief at that moment.
“Yes, that’s right—ah, but still, the ‘Qiao Yu’ from this world is also me.”
Then, the guilt quickly dissipated, washed away by Qiao Yu’s voice, which held no tension. Lin Qing looked towards her, finding Qiao Yu frowning in thought, pondering how to explain herself.
“…How should I put it? The ‘Qiao Yu’ of this world was born after it was decided that I would come here.”
“You see, I was also called Qiao Yu and looked exactly like this in my own world. According to the person—or system—that sent me here, this ‘Qiao Yu’ was created so that I could live well in this world.”
“That is to say, if I hadn’t come, there probably wouldn’t have been a person named Qiao Yu here.” After a moment of thought, Qiao Yu added, “Then, Cong Ye’s friends would only be Mi Yi and Lu Yao.”
“…”
Lin Qing’s eyes widened slightly, unsure whether to be frightened or grateful.
The fear stemmed from the possibility that the forces behind Qiao Yu could significantly manipulate this world, even creating a person out of thin air, making everyone unaware of any incongruence.
The relief came from the fact that Qiao Yu had arrived and met her.
Lin Qing never considered herself to be fixated on romance, but the realization that Qiao Yu might have never existed in her life originally filled her with an indescribable fear.
Without her… what kind of life would she have led?
“The person who sent you here? They went through such great efforts.” Lin Qing spoke softly, her eyes shimmering, “Just to matchmake me and Cong Ye together?”
“…Yes.”
Hearing Lin Qing say this made it seem like such a trivial purpose… Ah, but considering this world belongs to a romance novel, that should still make sense, right?… Qiao Yu pursed her lips, inwardly scorning the pettiness of the system.
“So, what happens if I’m not together with him now?”
“It… won’t really matter.” Qiao Yu thought for a moment, carefully choosing her words, “…At least, it won’t for now.”
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Her rather ambiguous statement evidently raised Lin Qing’s suspicions. Under the silent pressure of Lin Qing’s gaze, Qiao Yu thought it over and finally decided to confess.
“…It might just have a little bit of an impact on me.”
“You know, you can’t get angry at what I’m about to say, okay?”
Before she laid out everything, Qiao Yu tried to give Lin Qing a heads-up, noting her unfazed and slightly amused smile.
“That depends on what you’re going to say.”
… Ahh, doesn’t that mean you’re refusing? It sounds like you’re already planning to get angry.
Qiao Yu thought she was subtly moving backward, unconsciously lowering her voice.
“It’s just that, the method I want to adopt to advance this mission might upset you…”
“Think about it, when people return from a business trip, they have to write a report, right?”
“So, I also need to report progress, so nobody thinks I’m being lazy or neglecting my duties—”
Her elaborate preamble was hardly effective. Lin Qing stared at her unblinkingly, her eyes already urging her on.
Thinking it was better to just say it sooner rather than later, Qiao Yu steeled her heart and blurted out, teeth clenched.
“I’ve been writing a fanfic about you and Cong Ye—uh, together?”
“…”
There probably was no silence more inexplicably awkward than what filled the room at that moment.
“…That’s how it is. I basically have to write a chapter every week to make a living like this.”
After explaining her situation about writing, Qiao Yu sat with her head down in front of Lin Qing, feeling guilty and short of breath, and didn’t dare to look at Lin Qing’s expression.
In fact, no one demanded that she sit formally. It was Qiao Yu herself who felt what she was about to say was somewhat outrageous, so she preemptively adopted a humble posture—Ah, my legs are numb.
She began to feel that she couldn’t sit still, but since Lin Qing hadn’t spoken yet, Qiao Yu hesitated over whether she should add a few more apologies, when she suddenly heard a long sigh coming from across her.
“?! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I know this is extremely impolite behavior ah—”
Startled like a frightened bird, Qiao Yu immediately jumped up and began to apologize rapidly, her words cutting off halfway as a ticklish itch on her leg made her grimace and struggle to change her posture while bracing her body.
The series of actions was a bit comical, lightening the somewhat darkened mood of Lin Qing, who couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the sight, eventually sighing and shaking her head in silence.
“I have two things to ask you.”
Hearing Lin Qing finally speaking, Qiao Yu straightened up, ready to listen attentively.
“First, what impact did what you just said have on you? If you can’t continue writing your… fanfiction, what would happen to you?”
… Starting off with such difficult questions right away, truly worthy of Lin Qing.
“If there’s no method that can satisfy the bosses… continuing like this will result in punishment for me.”
Qiao Yu hesitated, slightly concealing part of the truth: “I’m not clear on the specific details of the punishment, but I know it’s probably quite severe.”
Lin Qing remained silent for a long while before changing the topic with her next words.
“Then let’s talk about the second matter.”
As she spoke, Lin Qing extended her right hand towards Qiao Yu, palm up, with an expressionless face and hummed a sound.
“Since it’s my fanfiction, let me take a look at it first.”
“—”
A scream of “No way!” got stuck in Qiao Yu’s throat. Her mind raced, trying to figure out a reasonable way to refuse Lin Qing, but before she could come up with anything, that all-too-familiar screen unfolded in the air between them with a swoosh.
“…?!?!”
The sudden incident nearly caused Qiao Yu to lose her voice in shock. She glanced in fear at the screen which was displaying the cover of a book titled 《Affection for Only One》, and it even began to thoughtfully auto-scroll. Lin Qing, similarly, hadn’t managed to react yet, just staring blankly at the screen, her gaze unconsciously following the moving text.
“Wait a minute! Wait a minute!!”
Qiao Yu felt a rush of blood and hurriedly lunged forward to block Lin Qing’s view, but due to numbness in her feet, she couldn’t control her body well and ended up tackling Lin Qing onto the bed.
“…”
With one on top of the other, their eyes met, and the atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
In the midst of this stillness, the seemingly petulant and stubborn mechanical voice in Qiao Yu’s mind spoke at an inopportune time.
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“What would happen now if you let Lin Qing see your writing? Like, the world would end tomorrow or something?”
“There’s nothing that can’t be shown to someone.”
—Why is this system so vindictive? Is it a primary school student or what!
Qiao Yu was emotionally turbulent, but the scene before her left no room for her to argue with the system for three hundred rounds.
After all, Lin Qing was now lying in the space propped up by her arms, her jet-black hair casually spread on the bed, her pajamas slightly disheveled, revealing her snow-white and translucent collarbone, which rose and fell with her breath.
Her face wore a look of astonishment, and from her eyes, suffused with the colors of the night, emanated ripples that involuntarily ensnared her soul without any effort. Her soft lips were slightly parted, looking irresistibly kissable.
…What am I thinking! Why is my mind filled with such inappropriate thoughts?!
Why on earth were they sitting on the bed discussing such serious matters?! This was too much of a coincidence! It definitely wasn’t done on purpose!
Qiao Yu quickly shook her head to dispel the fanciful thoughts and tried to push herself up, but it was at this moment that Lin Qing came back to her senses, smiled softly, like a flower blooming under the moon in the night, sudden yet serenely beautiful, effortlessly captivating Qiao Yu’s mind.
Lin Qing’s skin was pale, so when her face flushed, it was very noticeable. Her reddening ears betrayed that she wasn’t as collected as she appeared to be, yet she seemed in good spirits as she raised a hand to gently touch Qiao Yu’s face.
“…This incident, it can’t be written into the story, can it?”
Ah, there were too many things between them that couldn’t be written into the story. One more or less didn’t make a difference.
Qiao Yu found herself unable to speak, only managing a stiff nod as she deeply ingrained the shy smile of the person before her in her memory.
At first, she felt there was no need to include it, but as time went on, Qiao Yu started to harbor selfish desires.
This Lin Qing, she wished for a world where only she knew her like this.
