Partly cloudy turning… ?
Life remains unchanged, but the world is turned upside down.
Starting from that winter night, Lin Qing’s world could never return to its original state.
Classroom, playground, streets, coffee shop.
Why does every scene remind her of Qiao Yu?
The one who left her without a word.
To this day, the memories that should be remembered have all been restored, except for that day, that summer afternoon’s first class. Lin Qing’s memory only extends to when Qiao Yu leaned over and kissed her forehead, then she couldn’t recall what happened afterwards at all.
As she tries to think back, her heart feels like it’s being tightly clenched in a hand, a suffocating feeling of breathlessness that confines her, making Lin Qing feel sour and painful.
Gradually, Lin Qing understands that in this world, the traces of “Qiao Yu” have been wiped out. Although she doesn’t know why she can remember after forgetting, what is certain is that only she has managed to do this.
There are too many things she doesn’t understand, too many, but she can’t find anyone to ask.
The sudden turn of events caught her completely off guard. She remembers a time when she felt so happy, thinking everything was moving in the right direction, optimistically believing that things would turn out fine, that Qiao Yu’s issues could be resolved, and she could be with Qiao Yu all along.
But Qiao Yu left so hastily that Lin Qing didn’t even have a chance to catch up, as if she was forcibly shut down, unable to move, stuck in place, even her memories being manipulated at will. She couldn’t help but suspect that Qiao Yu made her forget, and this suspicion gradually turned into a vague resentment over time, all stuck in her throat.
Qiao Yu’s wishlist is the only proof of her existence here, that lonely wish now appearing so pale and ridiculous.
I said, if you leave, I won’t forgive you.
The once sweet and gentle memories melted into thin, sharp sugar blades, easily cutting lips and tongues, tasting the unforgettable pain in the sweetness mixed with blood.
Perhaps one day I will start to hate you, is that okay then?
Simple emotions have become complicated, ordinary life has become empty.
Lin Qing unwillingly lives in a world without Qiao Yu, holding onto emotions she has nowhere to place, wanting to give them to someone who no longer exists here.
The feeling of abrupt halt, as if in the climax of a drama, leaves Lin Qing at a loss, walking alone in this world, unable to even seek her beloved, powerless.
Her birthday is approaching, a day highly anticipated by everyone. Lin Qing obediently follows the advice of her parents and organizes a banquet inviting only close ones. With a refined and proper appearance at the table, no one can sense anything amiss, except herself knowing the numbness beneath her seemingly unaffected exterior.
The surrounding noise seems distant, unable to penetrate her ears lightly. Lin Qing feels disconnected from her surroundings, staring out the window blankly while making a wish, the deep blue horizon appearing distant and desolate.
Are you still looking at the same sky?
The moment this sentence came to mind, Lin Qing felt pain. Just before the tears fell, she closed her eyes and tightly clasped her hands, unable to conceal the lingering warmth of sorrow, all swallowed into her belly.
There is one wish on her wishlist that can never be fulfilled again. Lin Qing did not have the luxury to dwell on those regrets. She had never made a wish so devoutly, out of helpless desperation. Her frail shoulders trembling, eyes beneath her lids restlessly swirling like transparent glass beads.
—Don’t leave me alone.
(Originally translated on littlepandatranslations.com, let's go!)
Lin Qing opened her eyes, bent down to blow out the candle, wiping away the tears at the moment the world plunged into darkness.
The hidden fragility can only be contained in darkness.
Sometimes, she would suddenly feel palpitations.
Qiao Yu furrowed her brow, inexplicably placing her hand on her chest, waiting for that unsettling sensation to gradually fade away.
She is very sensitive to any abnormality in her body, after all, she has been wandering around in this seemingly abnormal world for so long. It’s not impossible for people to have some issues in such a place.
Although physically she may appear intact, if there are psychological problems, it’s no trivial matter. This eerie place doesn’t have any psychologists.
“What’s wrong? Feeling uncomfortable in your chest?”
“Wow?!”
And just like that, the second unexpected visit of the shadow arrived abruptly.
“Sorry, I was just so excited to finally find you again…”
The shadow was apologizing in front of Qiao Yu, hands clasped together, for startling her. Qiao Yu quickly waved it off, inquiring, “Are you saying you were looking for me earlier?”
“Yes.”
The other party nodded, their tone couldn’t help but rise.
“I’ve come a few times before, but every time I open my eyes, I couldn’t see you. I don’t know how long it’s been on your end, but it’s been a week in the post-apocalyptic world where I’ve been.”
Unable to accurately gauge the time in her own world, Qiao Yu pondered for a while before giving up. But she couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off, a sense of something unfamiliar.
“It drove me crazy. I kept thinking sister would be worried not seeing me. What should I do if she’s anxious—?”
“Yes, that’s it!”
Upon hearing the familiar words “sister,” everything suddenly clicked, and Qiao Yu blurted out in utter confusion, pointing at the shadow.
“Why, why are you speaking normally this time?”
If the voice didn’t sound the same as last time, Qiao Yu would almost suspect that this shadow had been replaced by someone else.
“No, it’s just that I was manipulated by someone last time, that’s why I acted that way…”
The shadow seemed a bit embarrassed and turned away.
“I was hit by a prop called ‘Can only speak like a bold forest bandit for 24 hours,’ and then I ended up in this world when I was sleeping that day, and I met you.”
“I also felt quite uncomfortable. Just because of a slip of the tongue, I ended up alone looking for a beat-up car to spend the night… I never expected to be able to talk to people in my dreams. It’s really unpredictable…”
“…Your world over there sounds incredibly dangerous.”
The name of that truly fitting prop was really thought-provoking, leaving Qiao Yu speechless, secretly grateful that she was continuing to write about a normal modern background.
“Anyway, I can speak normally now,” the shadow waved off the matter, feeling embarrassed. “Hurry, hurry, I don’t know how long I can stay this time. Let me quickly tell you everything I need to know.”
Qiao Yu suddenly became nervous and listened intently.
“First of all, my arrival here wasn’t a coincidence, but my system was vague and didn’t directly tell me, only mentioning that it’s related to you.”
“Eh? But I—”
“I know, I know. You’ve already been exiled and can’t do anything, but that doesn’t matter. What I mainly wanted to say is that we are connected. So when you’re here, I can come through with the help of the system—but only when I’m asleep.”
This has already been a great help, far better than wandering aimlessly without purpose. Qiao Yu nodded gratefully yet with a tinge of guilt, wanting to express apologies, but was interrupted by the prepared shadow.
“No need for any extra words! We are both fallen souls, and if I don’t help you, I wouldn’t be human—especially since you have a girlfriend!”
…Not quite understanding the connection of the last sentence to the previous ones, Qiao Yu blinked in confusion, hearing the shadow’s voice raise in excitement.
“Listen to me! Secondly, I also asked the system, and I can modify and change the genre of the article! After all, I am the original author!”
“?!”
Qiao Yu’s breath hitched, unable to believe the good news that had come out of the blue. Despite her excitement, she maintained a sense of rationality and hesitated to inquire.
“…Is it really possible? I mean, this book originally belonged to you…”
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
“Don’t worry, in my heart, this is already your book!”
The shadow slapped her chest boldly, with a hint of regret in her tone.
“I had planned to ask the system if I could read your writings during this time, but it said something about needing to apply to higher-ups first, so there might be a wait—”
“?! Ha?”
Qiao Yu’s pupils shook, sincerely thanking the slow efficiency of the system, praying that the permit application would be delayed indefinitely… It would be too awkward for the original author to read what she continued to write!
The original author seemed unfazed, sighing in urgency.
“I really want to see sweet and sour high school girls in love. If it weren’t for the system saying that once a work is submitted, it can’t be modified or transferred, I would have just transferred this piece of writing to your name.”
“Because, because… the development in your world is completely different from mine, right? If I still want to write, I’ll start over once I get out of this darn apocalyptic world! Don’t mind me over here!”
“It was Lin Qing from your world who chose you! At this point, who cares about writing? It’s more important for you two to meet as soon as possible!”
… Ahh, feeling a bit teary.
After being exiled, Qiao Yu had gradually become accustomed to criticism, but this was the first time she had received such direct and warm kindness, especially from the original author’s understanding. It almost brought tears to Qiao Yu’s eyes.
Fortunately, the other party only sees Qiao Yu as a shadow. Qiao Yu sniffled, feeling embarrassed as she lowered her head, speaking sincerely and earnestly.
“Well… I really appreciate your help.”
“Don’t mention it! Once your novel is moved to the yuri genre, it’ll be noticed quickly! I’ll have the system grant you modification permissions for the first twenty chapters as well—I’m not sure how you can edit them here, though. Maybe deleting the beginning directly would be faster?”
“Well…”
“Um, let me check the text first when I return this time, see how your current readers are reacting, and then we can discuss the next steps.”
Coming to her own conclusion, the woman’s voice finally calmed down. When she spoke normally, she sounded like a regular person, with a pleasant voice that sometimes subconsciously turned languid at the end, giving the impression of being a woman in her twenties in society.
“Oh, speaking of which, if I help you with this favor, can I ask you a question?”
“Of course!”
Qiao Yu nodded eagerly, straightening her posture. With such great assistance received, not only one question, even if the question was sensitive, Qiao Yu was ready to respond in a straightforward and open manner, just like a bold bandit in the forest speaking!
“Have you kissed?”
“…”
“You have, right?”
“…No, why are you asking this?”
Even though she couldn’t see the expression on the other person’s, the tone sounded overly serious, causing Qiao Yu to stiffen in fear.
“Because when I heard you mention how you both confessed to each other earlier, I couldn’t help but be extremely curious. How could Lin Qing—under those circumstances—not have kissed you? That just doesn’t seem right, does it?”
The imposing pressure was intense! It felt like the sound effects were thundering as she closed in on Qiao Yu continuously! Even though she couldn’t see her pitch-black face, she could almost imagine fiery eyes burning through it!
“N-no, that…”
Poor Qiao Yu attempted to evade the topic, but there was nowhere to run. In the end, feeling indebted to the person in front of her, she covered her burning red face with her hands, and her voice came out barely audible through her fingers.
“……Yes.”
“…”
The shadow remained silent, returning to her original position. However, the atmosphere around her seemed to have been purified, calm and tranquil.
“Wuhuhu!”
Even without the influence of strange prop effects, this person’s laughter still seemed peculiar!
Qiao Yu shook her head vigorously, dispelling thoughts of Lin Qing that were stirred up by this question. She let out a long breath, and then heard the shadow, who had chuckled oddly, speak gently and clearly.
“I seem to be getting sleepy again. Before I go, there’s one last thing I want to say.”
“And that is… what should I call you, little sister?”
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“Ah!”
Qiao Yu, as if awakening from a dream, suddenly realized that in their two encounters, they hadn’t exchanged names with the shadow. She also didn’t know the pen name of the original author. It was truly impolite!
“I’m Qiao Yu. May I know your name—”
“—Qiao Yu?”
Before Qiao Yu could finish her question, the shadow took a sharp breath, repeating her name with a hint of confusion in her tone.
“…Yes?”
Qiao Yu responded dazedly, but the shadow remained silent for a while, seemingly contemplating something, creating a slightly tense atmosphere.
“Let me confirm first. I remember you mentioned before that the system brought you here, and based on your name and appearance, it helped create a character for you to get closer to Lin Qing and the others, right?”
“Yes, yes that.”
Her tone was very serious, making Qiao Yu feel nervous as she responded anxiously.
“…”
The shadow fell into pensive silence once more, before finally speaking decisively.
“It was deceiving you.”
“I had a feeling earlier that you seemed a bit too fixated on the book, and now it seems like the system may have also concealed something from you.”
“This book is not entirely original. I should say that I’m actually writing a fan fiction. Of course, it’s with the consent of the original creator.”
“In my world, Lin Qing and Cong Ye are real. I have a very good relationship with both of them. After they achieved happiness together, I had the idea of using their story as a basis to write a book, thus 《Love’s Unique Bell》 was created.”
With this new information flooding into Qiao Yu’s mind, she felt turbulent with uncertainty. She listened as the shadow continued.
“In other words, they are not just characters created for the book, at least not in my world.”
“If it’s in the world constructed based on my memories, then the ‘me’ who is currently in high school should also exist there— I’ve been wanting to address this before but felt a bit shy about it. Now it seems like there’s no need for that anymore…”
“Don’t be so worried. I’m not called Qiao Yu, so we are not the same person.”
Seeing Qiao Yu’s tension, the shadow took the initiative to reassure her before dropping another bombshell.
“But I do know Qiao Yu. In my world, this person already existed. She is a mutual friend of mine, Lin Qing, and the others, just like the role you’re currently playing.”
“Although I don’t understand why you and she share the same name and appearance, and what kind of operation the system undertook in this regard, what I can confirm now is that Qiao Yu is not a newly created character. The system has lied to you.”
“As for me—you definitely know me.”
The woman’s voice subtly paused, and she chuckled playfully.
“I’m called Mi Yi, you should be quite familiar with me, right?”
LP: Plot twist after plot twist, my brain overheated!
WTF!
damn miyi i knew it!! there is something wrong with you. so paradoxical
Wtf this is so confusing pepega