At Tang Li’s request, Si Du accompanied her in doing many things she hadn’t been able to do before due to her frail health.
He taught Tang Li how to swim and ride horses, painted and watched movies with her, and accompanied her to amusement parks and firework displays.
“Are you tired?” The man held her hand as they returned from outside, sitting down on a garden bench.
“Not tired at all. I’m very healthy now—I could even run a marathon without any problems,” the girl declared, patting her chest.
Si Du chuckled softly, “Shall we give it a try then?”
“Never mind, let’s not.” Tang Li immediately backed down.
She was just boasting.
Under the starry sky, the sea of flowers beneath the moonlight swayed along the wind’s path, creating gentle waves. After sitting quietly for a while, Tang Li suddenly spoke.
“I wish Mom and Dad were here too.”
Si Du’s heart ached, “Tang Tang…”
“Let’s visit Mom and Dad’s graves tomorrow? I want them to see their healthy daughter. Though they must have already turned into stars watching over me from above, I still want to tell them in person.”
Tears glistened in Tang Li’s eyes, but she pinched her own cheeks and showed a smile, “Mom and Dad would be so surprised, right?”
Seventy-eight said time could stop tomorrow—everything was ready.
The repair after time stopped might succeed in one attempt. Tang Li wanted to bid her final farewell to her parents.
Si Du reached out to wipe the girl’s tears, pulling her into an embrace, “Alright, let’s go share this good news with them.”
The next day, Si Du took Tang Li to the cemetery.
It was a beautiful place by the sea, with a well-grown ginkgo tree at the end of the path.
Tang Li saw two tombstones.
One belonged to her parents, the other to Si Du’s biological parents.
The man had visited this place many times. He placed the flowers in his hands down and stepped aside.
Tang Li crouched down, looking at the black-and-white photos on the tombstones as tears instantly welled up.
She thought of her parents in the real world.
If she hadn’t met Seventy-eight, she would have been an orphan in the real world too.
[Little Lychee, the Repair System says the countdown is five minutes.] Seventy-eight reminded quietly.
The girl hummed in acknowledgment.
She carefully wiped the tombstones and gazed at them quietly for a while.
“Dad once said he wanted to take me on vacation, to go swimming. It’s a pity I can only do these things now.”
Si Du held her hand, “Now, I can accompany you to do these things.”
The man tightened his grip slightly, “We’ll do them together.”
Seventy-eight watched with growing unease.
Please don’t let anything go wrong again.
[Little Lychee, the countdown begins!]
Tang Li smiled, listening to Seventy-eight’s countdown in her ear. Rising on her toes under Si Du’s slightly surprised gaze, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and neck.
[Five, four, three…]
“I will stay with Brother Si Du.”
[…Two, one!]
“Until the end of time.”
Time stopped.
This moment stretched into infinity, the scene freezing in place.
Tang Li felt dazed, her consciousness drifting momentarily before gradually returning, “Seventy-eight?”
[Very successful! We can proceed to the next world!] Seventy-eight cheered.
Your master is truly in danger now!
Tang Li released her hold, stepping back two paces. Seeing the expression on Si Du’s face, her heart couldn’t help but ache.
The man looked down with a smile, joy and contentment radiating from his eyes and brows, impossible to conceal.
A spacetime portal materialized beside them.
“Goodbye, Brother Si Du.” Tang Li bid farewell softly before stepping into the spacetime portal.
The girl and her system departed together.
The entire Mission World plunged into darkness, awaiting either a restart or the moment of synchronized repair.
In the darkness, the clock on Si Du’s wrist came to a halt.
Then, after a very, very long time, it slowly advanced by one tick.
She was gone.
That little liar.
Unforgivable.