That soft line—”You’re finally…
back”—was like an invisible thread crossing endless longing, binding reality tightly to that blood-and-fire rainy night from the simulation.
Mo Hai’s throat felt dry.
For a moment, he felt at a complete loss, though memories continued to surge through his mind, influencing him.
He looked at the slender figure with her back to him, her shoulders trembling from extreme emotion, and pondered how he should respond.
Should he say, “I’m back”?
Or go straight for a hug?
Would that be too presumptuous?
Just as he was pondering, the figure slowly turned around.
When her face fully entered Mo Hai’s vision, his heart skipped a beat.
It was still that familiar face carved into his memory for ten simulated years.
Brows like a painting, a delicate nose, and lips like cherry blossoms.
Yet, it was completely different now.
The girl in his memories who would squint with laughter over a stick of candied haws seemed mostly gone.
In her place was a true Magistrate ruling over an entire city.
All childishness had faded from her face, leaving only a noble, icy clarity like frozen jade.
Her eyes, once clear as water, were now as deep as a cold abyss, harboring the majesty of authority and a thick, suffocating sorrow and obsession that could drown anyone.
*This isn’t right…
Is this really how she was in the game?* She looked at him in silence, as if trying to fill every inch of the three-year gap between them with her gaze alone.
The “Heart Mark” on his chest frantically transmitted her current emotions to him.
It was an unprecedented emotional tsunami—joy, sorrow, fear, anger, longing…
everything tangled together, ultimately converging into a single, core thought.
—*Seize him.* —*Never let him disappear again.* “Where…
have you been all these years?” Her voice still held an imperceptible tremor, but it carried far more of a Magistrate’s unquestionable interrogation.
Mo Hai remained silent for a moment before choosing the most vague and safe answer.
“I…
had matters beyond my control.” Jinhsi’s brow furrowed slightly, a flash of heartache and anger flickering across her deep eyes.
She wasn’t angry at Mo Hai, but at the matter that had forced him to abandon her.
She didn’t push for details.
Because none of that mattered.
What mattered was that he was back.
She took two steps forward, her plain white skirt sweeping across the floor in an elegant arc as the formidable pressure of a powerful Resonator instantly enveloped the room.
“Whether that was a dream or not, starting from now, you are not permitted to go anywhere.” Her voice regained the Magistrate’s coldness and finality.
This was not a negotiation; it was a decree.
A wry smile surfaced in Mo Hai’s heart.
As expected.
“…Perhaps I can agree to that?
But right now, I need an official status.” “An official status?” The corner of Jinhsi’s lips curled into a faint, self-deprecating arc.
“I’ve thought about this question for a long time.” She turned around and spoke aloud toward the door.
“Sanhua.” The guard captain, who had been standing in the shadows outside, appeared at the doorway as if teleporting, dropping to one knee without a sound.
“Present.” “Issue my decree.” Jinhsi’s voice echoed through the spacious room, imbued with undeniable authority.
“Establish a new position: ‘Chief Advisor to the Magistrate’s Office.’ Its rank shall be equivalent to the Commander-in-Chief of the Midnight Rangers.
It shall answer to no department and report solely to me.” Sanhua’s body shook violently.
She raised her head, her eyes filled with utter disbelief.
This position put him beneath only one person and above tens of thousands!
He would even hold equal status to the highest military commander!
And she was giving it to this man…
who had just appeared today?
Yet she did not question the order.
She simply bowed her head lower.
“Your subordinate obeys.” “Effective immediately,” Jinhsi’s gaze fell back upon Mo Hai, the possessiveness deep within her eyes almost turning tangible, “Mo Hai shall assume this post.” “Furthermore,” she paused, adding, “clean out the Court of Reflection as Advisor Mo Hai’s residence.
Without my personal token, no one is permitted to enter or leave—including Advisor Mo Hai himself.” This final instruction was the true point.
The Chief Advisor title was the chain.
The Court of Reflection was the cage.
A magnificent cage forged with supreme power and splendor.
A storm raged in Sanhua’s heart, but her response remained unhesitating.
“Understood!” “Dismissed.” “Yes.” Sanhua stood up, cast a deep look at Mo Hai standing motionless in place, and then silently withdrew.
Once again, only the two of them remained in the room.
“You seem…
not surprised at all,” Jinhsi said softly, looking at Mo Hai.
“In front of you, what right do I have to be surprised?” Mo Hai spread his hands, his tone carrying a touch of helpless banter.
“You are now the all-powerful Magistrate of Jinzhou, whose word is law.” *Magistrate.* Those words caused the light in Jinhsi’s eyes to dim instantly.
She would rather he call her “Jinhsi” or “little girl” without ceremony like he used to.
But she knew they couldn’t go back.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her disappointment, and resumed her demeanor as Magistrate.
“Sanhua will take you to your residence.
Everything you need will be prepared.
Rest well tonight.” With that, as if having exhausted all her strength, she slowly turned around to face the window once more, leaving him with only a lonely, cold back.
She was afraid that if she looked at him one more second, the longing she had painstakingly suppressed for three years would completely collapse.
She wouldn’t be able to stop herself.
…
Mo Hai knew today’s meeting was over.
Without saying anything more, he turned and stepped out of the suffocating room.
He had wanted to go over and embrace her, to express his love.
But his unannounced departure three years ago had severely broken her heart.
That made him hesitate for a moment.
Outside the door, Sanhua was waiting like a statue.
“Advisor Mo Hai, please follow me.” Her form of address had already changed.
Under Sanhua’s lead, Mo Hai crossed several heavily guarded corridors and arrived at the compound known as the “Court of Reflection.” It was an extremely elegant and luxurious standalone courtyard, complete with pavilions, towers, small bridges, and flowing water.
Even the plants grown in the courtyard were rare species that glowed in the night.
“This will be your residence from now on,” Sanhua’s voice remained cold.
“Special personnel will attend to your daily needs.
You may make any request of them—except leaving this place.” “I understand.” Mo Hai nodded.
Sanhua gave him a deep look, seeming as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately let out a cold snort and turned to leave.
Mo Hai stood alone in the courtyard, gazing up at the cool moon in the sky, feeling two brand-new, powerful forces surging within his body.
*Chief Advisor?* He couldn’t help but smile.
*Jinhsi, maybe you want to lock me by your side this way.* *I hope for that too—after all, those feelings weren’t fake.* *But with this life simulation system, who knows how many people will come chasing after me in the future?* *Can you really hold onto me?* With that, Mo Hai calmly accepted his new identity, ready to enjoy a plush, pampered life.