See the light of day once more
The weather is sunny, with a gentle breeze blowing. People on the street are walking in twos and threes, in a hurry. The city’s atmosphere is warm and comforting, driving away the cold air.
“Let’s go home.”
Qiao Yu turned to where the voice of a man came from and looked deeply at her excited and relieved father. She nodded.
She sat in the back seat of the car, and her mother kindly covered her with a blanket, not letting her do anything. The water in the cup was just the right temperature and was brought to Qiao Yu’s lips.
Qiao Yu felt a bit cramped and wanted to laugh. She didn’t know what to say about being treated like a critically ill patient. She just thanked them and took a small sip of water, instantly feeling warmth spread through her body.
The noise of people outside the car window seemed distant and surreal, as Qiao Yu gazed outside. The scene outside the window became a colorful blur as the car picked up speed, causing her to unintentionally get lost in thought.
There was a sudden realization of a feeling of being buried alive for a long time, now finally seeing the light of day.
“I have so many things I want to ask.”
After being away for a long time, finally returning to familiar surroundings, Qiao Yu walked into her room and sat down at her desk, feeling relieved. The first thing she did was to start a conversation with the system.
“First of all – satisfaction. What is it now? I would like to see.”
She had been thinking about this for a long time, but after waking up in the hospital, she always found herself being taken care of by nurses and her parents in turns, unable to find the right time to have a proper conversation with the system. Part of the reason was her poor physical condition during that time, with more time spent in a coma than awake.
The system seemed to welcome her back home, eagerly displaying the familiar screen in front of her. Qiao Yu looked at that once life-threatening sphere: the displayed value was 13.
“…It’s quite high.”
Although she had heard the system report it before, she could only feel reassured after seeing it with her own eyes. Qiao Yu felt a slight weight lifted off her chest and let out a breath.
“That’s right! The day the host came back, it just reached 1, and during the recovery period, it has increased quite a bit!”
The system’s voice was both pleased and proud, like an old father seeing his daughter succeed.
“I think if the regular updates can be restored, it will definitely continue to rise!”
“Mm.”
Qiao Yu’s eyes flickered, and she scrolled through the article information, only to find that the genre had been changed to a Yuri genre, and the first twenty chapters had been deleted. Although this made the beginning of the story somewhat abrupt, it was still much better than the previous mix of romance and Yuri.
“It was Mi Yi…who helped me out, right?”
Gratitude surged in her heart, and she faintly asked the system, who suddenly fell silent.
“When I was able to meet with her, there should be your involvement there, right?”
“Regarding this matter, as much as I can say, I would like to hear about it.”
“…Alright…”
The system’s voice lowered hesitantly, thinking that since the fact that it had deceived the host before had already been exposed, it might as well come clean. So, it laid out the whole situation.
Simply put, the main reason why Mi Yi was able to go to the exile world was due to the efforts of Qiao Yu’s system, and had nothing to do with Mi Yi’s system.
“I drugged that unreliable colleague system responsible for her!”
“…”
Completely baffled by the system’s explanation of drugging, Qiao Yu remained silent, listening as it continued.
“It’s because it wouldn’t help me at all! Clearly, you, the host, were also harmed by it – of course, I played a role in that too…but now I am on the right path! I am trying to make amends for my past mistakes!”
“I thought that if this novel didn’t change genre, it would be difficult to increase satisfaction, so I wanted to go and find the original author to help the host…but I could only do this after the host was exiled, otherwise, I could only work within this limited world.”
“But this matter is like signing a contract, I cannot make decisions for the host, you two needed to meet and discuss face to face. I could only temporarily take the place of her system, finding a way to send her consciousness to the host’s side while she slept.”
“To be honest, at that time, the effectiveness of this method was solely dependent on fate, as I had no direct contact with the host. If the host had given up and waited to die at that time, it would have been a disaster because in that place all different world lines intersect. If the host did not move, she would never encounter people from other world lines.”
“But thankfully…I knew that my host was not such a weak person!”
As it spoke with excitement, it let out a few howls. Qiao Yu remembered that experience and smiled silently, comforting the system with a few words to calm it down.
“But…but later on, when the host and the original author exchanged identities, I didn’t think it was a big deal. However, my annoying colleague system woke up at that moment and sensed something was wrong, and went straight to report to the higher-ups!”
“…I feel like your workplace environment is not much different from ours, right?”
It sounded like a plotline that could be seen in a workplace drama on TV. Qiao Yu’s expression was indescribable, listening to the system’s increasingly indignant voice.
“I hate systems that tattle! But I couldn’t help it because I was indeed doing something that wasn’t following the rules…”
“I had to rush to have the original author make changes to the novel genre and other things, and not long after I sent her to deliver the message to the host, I was called in by my superiors and had my connection cut off…I also received a small punishment. How annoying.”
“Thank you for your hard work, I appreciate it.”
Qiao Yu sincerely thanked the system, attributing much of her ability to come back to the continuous efforts of the system. However, the system refused her thanks with howls and barks.
“It was our fault that dragged the host into this mess – I must have been blindfolded by this corrupt company before, but now I have come to my senses!”
Although it was said that they had come to their senses, the more direct reason was probably because they were infected with a virus before…Qiao Yu thought about it and smiled. The system chuckled along and after a while, cautiously broached the topic.
“…About the matter concerning these different worlds-“
“If this is something I shouldn’t know, then don’t tell me.”
Qiao Yu’s tone was firm, and her expression was calm.
“I have something more important to ask…hmm.”
Her voice trailed off, and Qiao Yu lowered her eyelids, putting this particular question out of her mind.
“I want to know what happened in this world after I left, that’s all I want to know.”
“Do you really have to start studying from the beginning of 12th grade? Yuyu, you got sick before finishing 11th grade, so maybe you should start from-“
“It’s okay, the results of the 11th grade final exam were not that bad.”
Qiao Yu glanced at her report card, and her grades were considered average. Before being exiled, these grades would have been considered poor, but considering she only reviewed for a week before taking the exam today, Qiao Yu optimistically thought her grades were quite good.
“I can’t afford to waste any more time.”
She murmured, nodding to the worried Father Qiao.
The host who had been exiled and returned was still at a loss, even the system did not know how the world would come full circle under these circumstances. After all, most of the memories that should have been erased by the majority when she was exiled had been almost completely wiped, leaving only some overlooked remnants due to the rush.
From the current situation, it seemed that in the eyes of Qiao Yu’s parents, their memories were of Qiao Yu falling seriously ill in 11th grade and being unconscious until recently.
The emotional parents shed tears of joy, having taken care of Qiao Yu meticulously during this period. Besides going to school, they did not let her go out alone, and even at home, they would knock on her door every now and then, afraid that their precious daughter would have some mishap. Qiao Yu could not directly tell them that if her satisfaction level increased, there would be no problem. She could only try to comfort them naturally in their interactions, hoping to expand her alone time.
As for the person Qiao Yu missed the most-
“…We don’t even have a way to contact each other anymore.”
Qiao Yu flipped through her phone with complex emotions, finding the contact list empty as expected since it was a new phone.
“There…there’s nothing we can do, the host’s parents also said they couldn’t find the original contacts anymore…”
The system said, lacking confidence in its words. They both knew that this was definitely a lingering effect of the exile, and they could only sigh at the empty contact list on the phone.
“They probably have already forgotten about me now…so what should I do now…”
Sensing the host’s distress, and feeling it was time to make a contribution, the system offered a suggestion in a tone that sounded like a guiding bell.
“Go find her!”
“I know! I know which university Lin Qing went to!”
Indeed, it had been over two years since the day of her exile, and Lin Qing and the others had already left Yao Hua and become university students.
The time Qiao Yu personally experienced might be even longer – that’s what the system said. It was said that time in that space operated independently. In order to better punish the host, the flow of time there was slow and never fast.
Bringing up this matter, the system felt heartbroken for the host’s lonely time, speaking with a deep sense of guilt.
“I was afraid the host couldn’t handle it, it took a lot of effort to send the commentaries in. Although some of the comments may not sound pleasant…but I believe that being able to listen to real-time feedback, and provide some hope, is the most important!”
“Oh, I see, so you are helping me.”
At this point, even though initially it was the systems causing trouble that led to her situation, in the present where the system had shown many gestures of kindness, Qiao Yu had been able to forgive it – especially since it had become more likable since being infected with the virus. It had truly become a reliable partner.
Qiao Yu sat in the Yao Hua 12th-grade classroom, her pen stopping on the workbook for a moment before ink stains started appearing on the paper. She stared at the circle on the paper, lifted her pen slowly, and asked,
“Can you help me with my studies?”
“No, I can’t. Please, host, work hard to catch up with Lin Qing on your own.”
“…I see.”
She smiled wryly, shook her head, and turned to look out the window. The drifting clouds adorned the light blue sky in an endlessly pleasing manner, far more beautiful than the place filled with grey-black mist.
The scenery was beautiful, but the people around her were no longer there.
Those people had all moved forward, while Qiao Yu was forced to stay in place. Now, she would have to exert great effort to take steps forward to catch up. Whether she could keep up was still an unknown.
“…Wouldn’t the host have preferred to just keep Lin Qing’s memories of you from that time?”
“Not at all.”
Even though starting over was a difficult task, when asked this question by the system, Qiao Yu shook her head without hesitation.
To this day, she had no regrets about her choice that day.
During her days of exile, Qiao Yu once had a dream. In the dream, she saw Lin Qing in a hazy manner – thinner and more distant than she remembered. Sometimes she was surrounded by people, sometimes she was alone, but the smile on her face never reached her eyes.
It was like watching a silent mime, Qiao Yu stood outside the screen, watching as the image of Lin Qing gradually became solitary and shadowed.
Alone, she walked out of the dusk subway station, passing by couples, students, and rowdy children. She paused briefly in front of a stray cat, then entered a convenience store, bought some food for it, and left without touching it.
With just one movie ticket, footsteps alone in the silence of the first snow, she ordered a black coffee at a cafe, only picking it up when it had lost its warmth. She finished the coffee just as it cooled.
Qiao Yu suddenly realized that Lin Qing had been waiting for her all this time, like someone waiting for a person on a distant journey, waiting through many springs and winters.
Then she abruptly woke up from the dream, sweaty and enduring a piercing headache, breathing heavily like a trapped animal.
This is by no means the dream she wanted.
Two years is not a short time after all.
After finishing a day of studying, Qiao Yu, who was still in the adjustment period, felt her mind was a bit sluggish, eating dinner with a troubled expression.
The university Lin Qing was admitted to was indeed very prestigious. Was she really okay…
“Yuyu, we are going to have a celebration this weekend to mark your recovery. I’ve invited those several families you mentioned – is there anything else you would like?”
Qiao Yu was drawn to Father Qiao’s words, abruptly lifting her head and thanking him with bright eyes, immediately beginning to plan in her mind.
After realizing she had lost contact with everyone, she didn’t sit idly by. First, she tried to get Cong Ye’s phone number through Father Qiao’s and Mother Cong’s business cooperation. At least she added him as a friend. However, judging by the fact that he never replied after a few brief conversations, it seemed Cong Ye had completely forgotten about her.
Seeing her plan to obtain Lin Qing’s contact information through him was about to fail, Qiao Yu decided to take a bold step and chose this scheduled celebration party as an opportunity to meet with him face to face.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t specifically ask Cong Ye’s family to bring Lin Qing, as it would seem too contrived…but maybe that was for the best.
“Ha…”
Qiao Yu sighed with some restlessness, feeling the suffocating tightness in her chest becoming almost unbearable.
How should she face Lin Qing, who had already forgotten about her? Qiao Yu suddenly felt like she hadn’t mentally prepared herself for this situation.
LP: She’s waiting for you, Yuyu ♡⸜(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)⸝♡
Let’s go Qiao Yu!!!
Also thanks for translating!
‘^’)7
I love system 🥹