Shen Suian thought the dream would end here, but what happened next left her even more bewildered.
She watched as Xie Yubai lived each day like a walking corpse, numbing himself with excessive training.
His profession was special. After she left, he took on the mission she had refused. During that time, he walked on the edge of a knife every day—one wrong step, and he would plunge into an abyss.
Shen Suian had long known that Xie Yubai would eventually go through this, but seeing it with her own eyes still made her heart ache.
The scars on his body multiplied, his gaze grew fiercer, and his brow was filled with hostility. The spirited young man he once was had completely vanished.
Shen Suian drifted by his side for about half a year, finally letting out a deep sigh of relief when Xie Yubai successfully completed his mission.
She felt a pang of anger: “Really, why does he keep neglecting his health?”
Perhaps her resentment was too strong, because this time, when his superiors suggested he take a break, he nodded in agreement.
During his few days off, he went nowhere. Instead, he stayed by Shen Suian’s grave, talking and drinking.
“Suisui, didn’t you hate it most when I got hurt? Why aren’t you scolding me this time…”
“…Did I make you angry?”
“You’re so cruel. It’s been so long, and you won’t even grant me a dream…”
He took a heavy swig of alcohol. “Suisui, are you… doing okay?”
“I’m not…”
“…I’m not okay at all.”
“I miss you every day, day and night.”
“Suisui, I’m so tired…”
He leaned against her tombstone, his usually arrogant and cold eyes filled with vulnerability and pain.
“Sometimes I wonder, if I died on a mission, when I find you, you wouldn’t scold me anymore, right?”
“What a pity…”
He laughed mockingly. “Why is my life… so stubborn…”
Shen Suian’s nose tingled with sorrow.
He rambled on for a long time until the sky began to lighten with the first hints of dawn. He stood up, hiding the exhaustion in his eyes, and smiled recklessly. “Be good, Suisui. I’ll come see you again in a few days.”
Shen Suian felt dazed.
His smile reminded her of their childhood.
Back then, she often followed Xie Yubai around like a little shadow.
In her youth, Shen Suian could give up anything—except Xie Yubai.
They were each other’s light, each other’s salvation.
She stayed where she was for a while, calming her emotions.
Even though she knew it was just a dream, she couldn’t help but feel sorrowful.
Following Xie Yubai’s presence, she drifted back to his side.
But this time, the world seemed to have changed.
Her tea-colored eyes reflected chaotic streets, where grotesque-looking people tore at others’ necks, blood spraying everywhere.
Roars, curses, and screams grew louder and louder.
There was no semblance of order.
Before she could warn Xie Yubai, her soul seemed to be sucked into a vortex, and everything went dark.
When she woke again, the world had transformed completely.
Wreckage littered the ground, ruins lay in disarray, and people looked utterly defeated…
She witnessed strange phenomena—some could summon plants out of thin air, while others conjured fire…
Those hideous monsters were shot in the head one by one, collapsing to the ground.
Shen Suian was utterly bewildered.
What was happening?
In the blink of an eye, how had everything turned into a fantasy drama?
“Thanks to Officer Xie this time, we were able to turn danger into safety.”
“Yeah, Officer Xie is practically my god!”
“Who isn’t saying the same?”
“…”
Shen Suian followed alongside them, listening idly as they talked about that brilliant and heroic Officer Xie.
“Hey, I think Officer Xie has something good coming up soon.”
This statement piqued everyone’s interest and attention.
Including Shen Suian.
“How so?”
“From the time we’ve known him until now, when have you ever seen our Officer Xie be so patient and gentle with a girl?”
“Since the Apocalypse began, I haven’t seen a beauty as stunning as Miss Cheng in a long time.”
“Tsk, that’s not quite right to say. Since it’s the Apocalypse, without the ability to protect oneself, who would dare show their original appearance…”
What they said next, Shen Suian could no longer hear clearly.
Because she saw…
She saw Xie Yubai, saw a few familiar faces, and the Miss Cheng they were discussing.
She saw the way Xie Yubai looked at that girl…
Those fox-like eyes had regained their usual sparkle, filled with tenderness.
Shen Suian’s heart ached dully.
“Xie Yubai! How dare you cheat on me behind my…”
The last word stuck in her throat, unable to come out.
Her eyes dimmed instantly, and she tugged at her lips. “Well, the me here is already dead. You don’t have to wait for me for so long…”
But really… I can’t stand it at all!
Fortunately, Shen Suian felt her strength gradually fading, and she slowly let out a breath.
The dream… was finally about to end!
Suddenly, a cold electronic voice echoed in her ears: “Host, please quickly raise the male lead’s affection value, or you will face punishment.”
Another voice, clearly female, responded: “Huh? Is your System malfunctioning? The male lead’s eyes are clearly filled with affection when he looks at me, okay?”
The cold electronic voice replied: “Our program does not make errors. The male lead’s current affection value is at fifty percent and has not increased. Please raise it as soon as possible, or your life will be threatened.”
“No, that’s not what you told me before. You’re cheating.”
“Please complete the task as soon as possible, Host.”
“Shut up! So annoying!” The voice was full of resentment. “He’s really handsome, but also really hard to deal with. And, you’re clearly forcing this pairing, insisting on killing off the male lead’s white moonlight and finding someone to redeem him. So ridiculous… Why not just stick to the original?”
Shen Suian’s mind went blank as she listened.
What does this mean?
What affection value?
What male lead?
What white moonlight?