After calming his emotions, Si Du spared the girl and allowed her to stay.
His rationality, meticulousness, and unfathomable scheming were temporarily useless—he had only one thought: he wanted to hear more about his sister from her lips.
Tang Li obediently lived alone in the replica wooden cottage in the manor’s garden, “like a princess in a fairy tale.”
[Our Little Lychee has always been a princess!] Number 78 generously praised.
“This manor is almost devoid of people. If it were me, I’d definitely be terrified.” Sitting by the window, Tang Li gazed at the lush green garden outside and couldn’t help but feel sad for Si Du.
The outside world was so beautiful, yet he trapped himself in this cold, desolate manor, keeping company with mannequins.
[That’s because he’s sick.] Number 78 grumbled.
The girl sighed, “Where is Qi Jue now?”
[Two years ago, the Qi family was driven to bankruptcy and collapse by Si Du. The whole family fled to various places, and Qi Jue and the female lead are now hiding overseas, barely managing to live normally.]
Number 78 muttered, [Actually, given Si Du’s personality, I thought he would have eliminated the entire Qi family. He probably spared them because they took good care of you.]
Tang Li unconsciously clutched her skirt, her eyes slowly reddening, “If I can prevent Si Du from turning dark, could he possibly stop suppressing Qi Jue?”
Everything turning out like this was related to her.
[Yes, the world will gradually return to normal. Qi Jue is the world’s male lead—he has a destined fortune. He’s just being too heavily influenced by Si Du right now.] Number 78 comforted.
The girl felt somewhat relieved, “Can the other worlds still hold on? Am I progressing too slowly?”
Number 78 confirmed, [They’re all fine. Si Du is very dangerous, so it’s okay to take it slow. Protect yourself first.]
The ones after him might be even more dangerous.
Si Du had people deliver daily necessities to the girl but rarely appeared himself. Tang Li didn’t dare casually approach him either.
The girl’s discretion and caution pleased Si Du. Occasionally, he would visit.
Like today.
Standing at a distance, he watched the girl swinging in the garden, his gaze calm.
Tang Li noticed the man and hurriedly got up from the swing, straightening her skirt as she nervously called out, “Mr. Si.”
Si Du slowly approached, “This swing… she and I made it together when she was little.”
Tang Li jumped aside like a startled rabbit, stammering an apology, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
She had already forgotten.
The finer details were like grains of sand on the beach. As a task performer, Tang Li couldn’t possibly remember everything.
While carrying out missions, she only focused on the necessary plotlines, not to mention having her memories wiped after each world.
The man touched the ropes, his gaze lingering as if he just wanted to be alone and lost in thought.
Tang Li thought to slip away quietly without disturbing him, but as she turned, Si Du stopped her.
“What else did Tangtang tell you about me?”
This was basically all he asked whenever he visited.
Tang Li made a troubled expression with her back to Si Du.
She really couldn’t make up any more stories.
Number 78 was almost out of ideas too, [Just tell him the original character liked him but didn’t dare say it!]
“Is that okay?” Tang Li widened her eyes slightly, her long, thick lashes fluttering like a startled butterfly in the flowers.
“Anyway, he doesn’t want you as a substitute, and you can’t ask the deceased Tang Li, so just say it like that,” No. 78 comforted.
“Besides, every time he comes to see you, his Corruption Value drops significantly. I think after a few more visits, we can call the maintenance System over, and then we can leave.”
The girl’s spirits lifted. She clenched her small fists, gave a determined “Mm,” then turned to face the handsome man. “Miss Tang Li had something she never dared to tell you.”
Si Du focused his gaze, speaking with some urgency, “What was it?”
“She said she liked you, but her health was poor and she didn’t want to burden you. She wanted you to be happy, so she never said it,” the girl said tremulously.
The man rose unsteadily, striding to her and gripping her shoulders. His usually cold, gloomy face was now filled with shock and panic, his voice slightly raised. “What!?”
Tang Li repeated fearfully, “I-I’m just relaying the message.”
“Why… why didn’t she tell me? Tang Tang, why…” Si Du murmured to himself, then pressed urgently, even making the girl swear on her life that she wasn’t lying.
“Silly girl, Tang Tang was such a silly girl. How could you ever be a burden to me? I love you, I love you.”
The man staggered to his knees, his voice faintly choked with sobs, then covered his face and let out a low laugh.
“I’m so lucky. So I did have Tang Tang’s affection after all.”
Tang Li crouched down. “Mr. Si, please… don’t be too sad.”
“I’m happy,” the man said with red-rimmed eyes, though the corners of his lips curved upward. “Thank you.”
Tang Li felt inexplicably uneasy. Watching Si Du rise and leave, her heartbeat grew erratic and rapid.
It seemed like something bad was about to happen.
But in the following days, Si Du never appeared again. No. 78 reported that the Corruption Value was decreasing daily. [“It’s a good sign!”]
“Tomorrow is Brother Si Du’s birthday. I want to make him a cake. After his birthday, can we leave?” Tang Li tried hard to recall her cooking skills.
[“Wow, that timing works perfectly! If Tang Li celebrates his birthday with him, he’ll definitely be satisfied.”]
[“Plus, he put away all the dolls in the manor today and had the place thoroughly cleaned inside and out. Looks like he’s preparing to live properly!”] No. 78 sounded excited.
Tang Li happily twirled around, holding her cheeks, then remembered something. “After we leave… what will you do with him?”
[“The maintenance System will reset all data, then send another host. Just think… after tomorrow, Si Du and Tang Li will be happily reunited in heaven.”] No. 78 comforted her.
The girl felt somewhat melancholy, silently biting her lip.
Perhaps for him, this was a happy ending.
The next evening, Tang Li brought the cake to Si Du, carefully placing it on the table. “I… I made a birthday cake for you, Sir. Happy birthday.”
The man gazed at her for a moment, then invited the girl to sit and share it with him. “Thank you.”
Tang Li was delighted to see that Si Du seemed like the Si Du from her memories again, quite different from the gloomy, fierce man of days before.
They had dinner together until Si Du got drunk and pushed himself up from the table. “You should go back now.”
[“Corruption Value has reached the safe zone! I’ve contacted the maintenance System. They’ll be here in a few minutes.”] No. 78 let out a long sigh of relief.
Tang Li watched Si Du return to the bedroom, then hid outside the door. After confirming the man had fallen asleep on the bed, she leaned close to his face and whispered, “Brother Si Du, you must live well!”
The girl reached out and gently tapped the man’s handsome nose just like she did in childhood, then quietly slipped away.
[“Let’s head to the spacetime entrance first. Our Little Lychee is truly remarkable! When headquarters summoned me for a talk, I thought it was some earth-shattering matter, but it’s already resolved.”] No. 78 sounded quite pleased with itself.
Holding the hem of her skirt, the girl hurried downstairs and thoughtfully turned off the main lights in the corridor and living room. Yet the very next second, all the lights flicked back on.
The villa’s entrance door abruptly locked with a sharp click.
“And where does my Tang Tang think she’s going, leaving her brother behind?”