Excruciating pain.
The icy touch of metal tearing through flesh, the warm gush of blood, and… Qing Xinxue’s heart-wrenching scream.
The scene froze abruptly, then shattered like a broken mirror.
Lan Yucheng’s eyes snapped open. A violent gasp caught in her throat, emerging as a short, sharp intake of breath.
The strong scent of disinfectant flooded her nostrils, and the blinding white light made her instinctively squint.
This was not the warm, dim bedroom of her home, nor Qing Xinxue’s milky-sweet embrace.
It was a hospital. The stark white walls, the cold IV stand, and the dull ache of a needle in the back of her hand.
“Xiaocheng? You’re awake?” A gentle voice, tinged with surprise, came from beside her.
Lan Yucheng rigidly turned her head. She saw Su Yiyi sitting on a chair by the bed, her face etched with perfectly appropriate concern. “How are you feeling? Does your wound still hurt badly? The doctor said you lost a lot of blood and need plenty of rest.”
Lan Yucheng opened her mouth, but her throat was so dry she couldn’t make a sound. She stared blankly at Su Yiyi, her mind a void. No… it shouldn’t be like this. She should be… she should be…
“Xiaoxue…” Almost instinctively, she croaked out two words, her gaze scanning the empty hospital room door in desperation. She then looked back at Su Yiyi, her eyes filled with confused inquiry. “Where is Qing Xinxue? How is she? Where is she?”
Su Yiyi’s concern morphed into clear bewilderment. She frowned slightly, reaching out to feel Lan Yucheng’s forehead. “Xiaocheng, what are you talking about? Qing Xinxue? Who is that? Did you have a nightmare? Or are you still a bit muddled from the anesthesia?” Her tone was natural, laced with pure confusion, not sounding like a lie.
Boom—!
It was as if a thunderclap had exploded in her mind. All the blood in Lan Yucheng’s body seemed to freeze instantly. A nightmare? Muddled?
No! Impossible!
That warm embrace, those possessive eyes, that tearful confession, that almost insane possessiveness… every single detail was etched into her memory with unbearable clarity! How could it be a dream?!
‘System!’ she screamed internally, seized by unprecedented panic. ‘System! What’s going on?! Where is Qing Xinxue?! What in the world is happening?!’
[Zzz… Detecting the return of the攻略者’s consciousness.] Little Sprite’s lazy voice chimed, carrying a trace of imperceptible mechanical coldness. [Qing Xinxue’s arc is complete. The target character ‘Qing Xinxue’ has reached 100% favorability, fulfilling the ‘Perfect Capture’ condition. This character’s data has been sealed and will no longer appear in subsequent capture processes.]
“Sealed?! No longer appear?!” Lan Yucheng was on the verge of screaming. Her heart felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing it tightly, the pain so intense she could barely breathe. “What nonsense are you spouting! Give her back to me! I chose to be with her! I abandoned the mission! Did you hear me?!”
[攻略者 Lan Yucheng, please calm down.] The system’s voice was utterly devoid of emotion. [‘Perfect Capture’ signifies that the character’s storyline has achieved its optimal ending. The bond between the 攻略者 and the target character has been sealed by the system at the highest level, considered ‘Eternally Fixed’. This is an affirmation of your capture achievement. Please focus on the next stage of your capture mission: target character – Su Yiyi.]
Eternally fixed? Affirmation? To hell with affirmation!
Lan Yucheng struggled violently to sit up, but the movement tugged at her abdominal wound. A sharp, searing pain made her vision blur, sending her crashing back onto the bed. Cold sweat instantly drenched her hair.
“Xiaocheng! Don’t move around!” Su Yiyi gasped in alarm, quickly pressing her down. The worry in her eyes intensified. “Your wound will reopen! What’s wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell somewhere? I’ll call the doctor!”
“No… no need…” Lan Yucheng clutched Su Yiyi’s wrist tightly, her nails almost digging into her flesh. She stared intently into Su Yiyi’s eyes, her voice trembling uncontrollably. “Sister Yiyi… tell me… do you really… not know Qing Xinxue? A girl, very clingy to me, with big eyes… she…”
Su Yiyi was startled by the despair and madness in her eyes, but she tried to remain calm. She clasped Lan Yucheng’s cold hand, her tone gentle and reassuring. “Xiaocheng, I truly don’t know anyone by that name. Is your memory confused after your injury? Don’t be afraid, you’ll slowly remember.”
Watching her clear, unblemished eyes, Lan Yucheng’s last shred of hope was utterly shattered. Su Yiyi had no reason to lie to her. In this world, Qing Xinxue… seemed to have never existed.
A vast sense of absurdity and the panic of losing everything engulfed her like a tsunami. She released Su Yiyi’s hand, collapsing onto the hospital bed, her eyes blankly fixed on the ceiling. Tears silently streamed down her face, soaking the pillow. The burning sensation was so real, yet everything about Qing Xinxue felt like a meticulously orchestrated illusion, leaving only emptiness upon waking.
After two more days of observation in the hospital, Lan Yucheng remained like a soulless puppet, cooperating with the doctor’s examinations and silently eating the liquid food Su Yiyi brought. Su Yiyi merely assumed she was overly frightened and in pain from her wound, considerately refraining from asking too many questions, silently caring for her instead.
Finally, it was time to be discharged. Su Yiyi completed the paperwork for her and helped her into a taxi. Throughout the ride, Lan Yucheng leaned her head against the window, watching the rapidly receding streetscape. The city was still bustling, the sunlight still bright, but her world had faded to grayscale.
The car stopped at the entrance of her familiar residential complex. Su Yiyi supported her, leading her step by step toward that familiar front door.
The key slid into the lock, then turned. “Click.”
The door opened.
Lan Yucheng almost wrenched free from Su Yiyi’s hand, stumbling into the living room.
The air was filled with a faint scent of dust, starkly different from the sweet, warm aroma mixed with Qing Xinxue’s scent that she remembered. The sofa was clean and tidy, with no huddled figure; the coffee table was empty, devoid of half-eaten snacks and scattered sketchbooks; on the balcony’s drying rack, only a few of her old clothes hung.
She rushed into the bedroom. The bed held only a set of plain bedding. With trembling hands, she pulled open the wardrobe—inside, neatly hung, were only her own clothes. There was no bell-adorned nightgown she often wore, no hair ties or small trinkets of hers that Qing Xinxue had secretly collected.
Nothing. Nowhere.
The person who had once filled every corner of her life, the one who had filled her with obsession and love, had vanished completely, as if wiped away by an invisible hand, leaving not a single trace.
“Heh… hehe…” Lan Yucheng began to laugh softly, her laughter hoarse and broken, laced with a heavy sob. Her legs gave out, and she slid down the cold wall to the floor, curling into a ball and burying her face deep in her knees.
Helplessness. An icy, bone-chilling sense of helplessness swallowed her like a tide. She had thought she possessed the entire world, only to discover it was just a system-arranged experience, deleted upon completion. Were the warmth of those embraces, the saltiness of those tears, that almost suffocating possessiveness… all fake?
“Xiaocheng?” Su Yiyi followed her in, concern etched on her face. Seeing Lan Yucheng in this state, she knelt down, gently patting her back. “What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable somewhere? Or… did you remember something bad?”
Her voice was soft, filled with genuine care. But this care, at this moment, pierced Lan Yucheng’s heart like a needle. She didn’t need sympathy; what she needed was the Qing Xinxue who would go mad if she smiled at others, who would collapse if she left for a moment!
‘System…’ she pleaded in her mind, her voice a bloody whisper, her consciousness almost dissipating. ‘Give her back to me… please… give Xiaoxue back to me… without her… what will I do… I…’
[Repeat request recorded. 攻略者 Lan Yucheng, please note.] The system’s voice was cold. [To reactivate data related to ‘Qing Xinxue’, the only way is to complete the current main mission: capture target character ‘Su Yiyi’ and achieve a ‘Perfect Ending’. At that time, the system will, based on the final evaluation, consider granting access to a portion of the sealed data browsing permissions.]
Complete Su Yiyi’s capture… only then… would she have a chance to “see” Xiaoxue again?
Lan Yucheng abruptly lifted her head, her vision blurred by tears, to look at the worried Su Yiyi beside her.