Chapter 06

He raised his eyes and looked ahead—

What met his gaze was a face that seemed incapable of any expression, coldly staring back at him.

Even in the darkness, her eyes radiated a holy, moonlit purity.

"Are you afraid of earthquakes?"

The girl's voice carried indifference and detachment, calm on the surface yet laced with an undeniable pressure.

But when Su Cheng looked up and met her eyes, her brows furrowed slightly.

At first, she had assumed his suicidal impulse stemmed from losing a loved one in the recent earthquake…

Yet now, she realized the truth might be different. His gaze held no grief—only shock, instinctive hatred, struggle, and finally, resignation.

It gave her the unsettling feeling that his desire to die was somehow tied to her, layered with deeper implications. But these were just the observations of an outsider. She couldn’t be certain.

Su Cheng couldn’t comprehend why someone so unreal existed in this world.

Just looking at her flawlessly perfect face made him scoff at how unfairly the Creator had favored her.

"Yeah, terrified. So terrified that seeing you makes me want to jump right now."

Su Cheng replied in a flat tone, "What are you doing here in the middle of the night, Senior Gu? Came to admire my jumping form?"

His words dripped with emptiness and exhaustion. The violent desperation from earlier had faded from his eyes, leaving only eerie calm.

"The earthquake hit near where I live. I came out to avoid aftershocks and help where I could. Seems I picked the perfect moment."

"Oh, really? How noble of you. Heroic, even. Fits your perfect-girl persona."

He slowly, deliberately smoothed the wrinkles on his clothes.

"It's late. I'm going back to sleep. Goodbye."

As he moved to step past Gu Ruoxue, he murmured under his breath,

"You're lying. You’re just looking for another place to kill yourself."

Her clear, melodic voice carried a hint of roughness. For some reason, she sensed his intention—he didn’t want to involve her in his death.

Moreover, his entire being exuded an unshakable resolve, making her question her own judgment. Even those bent on suicide rarely carried such absolute finality.

Worse, the suffocating weight of his emotions pulled at her, threatening to drag her into whatever darkness consumed him.

A gut feeling told her that stopping him might unravel his secrets, explain his every oddity.

Su Cheng scoffed. "What proof do you have?"

This girl seemed to read minds, sparking his curiosity despite himself.

"Your face gave you away."

"That’s it?"

"That’s it."

Su Cheng stared silently at the girl, luminous as moonlight, before suddenly asking, "Are you some kind of saint?"

"No." Her voice remained steady.

"Then why stop me?" Su Cheng’s patience snapped. "What do you gain from meddling?"

"Because your heart still wants to live," she replied. "Out of personal principle—and as a decent citizen and fellow student—I’ll do what I can. Every life deserves respect."

Su Cheng laughed bitterly. "I don’t need pity. Playing savior? This has nothing to do with you. Move!"

"Your words say one thing," Gu Ruoxue countered, "but the fact you’re still arguing proves you haven’t truly given up."

The scene reminded her of a childhood friend, long estranged after an incident. Yet their last conversation lingered:

"People have no real control over fate. No matter how hard they fight or choose, destiny decides the ending."

A face flashed in her mind—strikingly beautiful, aloof, with a teardrop mole. A voice oddly tender, steeped in sorrow. Unforgettable.

Su Cheng froze, then took a sharp breath and glared at her.

"Fine. You want to know? Then watch!"

He thrust out his right hand. Before Gu Ruoxue’s puzzled eyes, an enormous, antiquated fan materialized midair and crashed to the ground.

Crash—

The fan shattered, fragments skittering toward her before clattering to a stop.

Gu Ruoxue’s pupils contracted—less in shock, more in revelation.

This wasn’t illusion or trickery. He’d conjured it.

"Surprised? Didn’t think I’d crack that icy composure."

His mocking voice snapped her back. She studied the wreckage. "Was that a threat?"

"Even with this power, I can’t escape fate."

Su Cheng stood rigid, finally unleashing his fury. "Who are you to decide anyone’s destiny?"

It wasn’t just impatience—it was anguish, a suppressed explosion of despair.

"I don’t need your help. Stay out of it."

He turned on his heel, leaving her with nothing but his retreating back.

"Wait—!"

Gu Ruoxue lunged after him, reaching for his shoulder—

Then the building lurched violently. Both staggered. Su Cheng, stepping onto an unguarded stair, lost balance and pitched forward.

"Grab on!"

As he teetered over the edge, Gu Ruoxue dove, seizing his wrist with one hand while bracing against the railing with the other.

"Are you a man or not? If you don’t want to burden me, stop hesitating and climb up!"

Seconds later, she felt his grip tighten around her arm. Jaw set, she hauled with all her strength.

Su Cheng, realizing his resistance would drag her down too, finally relented with a resigned sigh.

His other hand reached up from below and grasped the edge of the staircase as a figure flipped over and climbed up.

She finally let out a sigh of relief, releasing her grip and pushing herself up, dusting off her clothes while lecturing him in a calm tone.

"Seems I wasn’t wrong, but you should know—when you encounter a problem you can’t solve alone, you need to speak up to ask for help."

"Would saying it actually solve anything?"

Su Cheng sat with his head lowered on the inner side of the stairs, his expression hidden, only his muffled voice audible.

"Not sure, but keeping it to yourself definitely won’t."

Gu Ruoxue flashed a faint smile, though it vanished as quickly as it appeared, her expression turning icy again the next second.

"Is that so?"

That smile left him momentarily dazed.

"But only for tonight. Normally, I wouldn’t be this generous."

"Should I thank you, then?"

"You’re welcome."

"You’re really…"

"Just say it. Be honest."

Gu Ruoxue replied as calmly as ever, even throwing out a line that caught him completely off guard.

"If I became your friend, could you slightly improve your situation? Even if only temporarily?" she asked.

Su Cheng, who hadn’t planned on speaking, stared at her blankly. "How did you even guess that?"

Gu Ruoxue lifted her gaze, her tone serious. "I wasn’t sure at first, but when I said that just now, your emotions fluctuated noticeably. Your eyes showed conflict and pain. It’s hard to imagine you went through such an emotional struggle in just a few seconds and made a decision so quickly. I assume this is related to what happened before?"

Su Cheng pressed his lips together and stayed silent.

"Though I don’t know the details, since you refuse to talk…"

Here, she paused, curling her index finger against her chin as if considering how to phrase it. "I’m guessing someone is pressuring or threatening you, and if you refuse to comply, they’ll retaliate in extreme ways?"

Su Cheng’s pupils contracted slightly. He hadn’t expected this woman to deduce things to this extent, even pinpointing the core issue with such accuracy.

He couldn’t help but marvel inwardly—this girl had an uncanny understanding of people and situations, always grasping the crux of the matter, swiftly uncovering the despair at his core.

And she confronted him head-on, peeling back his defenses layer by layer, leaving him no room to escape.

Yet her presence could shift effortlessly—like that fleeting smile earlier—and now, she was cutting straight to the heart of the problem, leaving him, a grown man, utterly defenseless.

He had to admit it—this girl was exceptional, so much so that he felt ashamed in comparison.

No wonder she triggered the system and became a target.

"You’re very rational, but some things are beyond human control," Su Cheng said.

"Like what?"

Gu Ruoxue’s clear, unwavering eyes fixed on him, waiting for his answer.

Su Cheng lowered his gaze slightly, masking the shadows in his eyes. After a long pause, his indifferent voice finally broke the silence—

"Like the natural disaster earlier."

His tone was steady, as if he were merely stating a fact.

Gu Ruoxue froze. He wasn’t lying, yet she still found it hard to believe—because what he implied was that the earthquake had happened because of him.

Finally, she sighed. "Blaming yourself for a natural disaster is bordering on delusional."

"I gave you a chance, but you didn’t take it."

Su Cheng shook his head. He didn’t plan to explain further—the more he said, the more absurd it would sound. And honestly, there was no way to explain something this ludicrous.

"Let’s just assume that’s the case, then."

Gu Ruoxue fell silent, her fists clenched tightly, emotions churning inside her. After a moment, she spoke again, "Do you really think dying would stop something like this from happening again?"

"I admit, you might temporarily alleviate the problem. But the issue will never disappear. As long as I’m alive, it’ll always exist."

"……" Gu Ruoxue was quiet for a while before speaking slowly, "I think I understand now."

"You…" Su Cheng frowned.

"You don’t want to be controlled, do you?" Her voice was light, yet every word struck deep. "Since this involves me, I’m already part of it. So I can assume this is our shared enemy."

Su Cheng remained silent.

"So…" Her tone returned to its usual calm. "Let’s work together. I’ll help you, and you give me answers. We’ll find a way to solve this. If it doesn’t work out, we go our separate ways, no hard feelings. How’s that?"

Su Cheng, who had intended to scare her off, never expected her to propose something like this.

"I don’t have time for this kind of puzzle game. And you don’t need to use rhetoric to fish for what you think is the truth—"

"Then how does giving up on life solve anything? Tell me, what’s the point of that?"

"For my own sake."

Gu Ruoxue fell silent again before adding, "Lastly, if we truly can’t find a solution, I’ll donate supplies to welfare organizations—no strings attached."

At those words, hope flared in Su Cheng’s chest. His grip tightened involuntarily, his heartbeat quickening as he asked, "Really?"

"I might’ve said harsh or careless things before, but I’ve never lied."

"How much?"

Su Cheng pressed.

Gu Ruoxue thought for a moment. "Six hundred thousand?"

"Can you add a bit more?"

"That’s all I have left."

Su Cheng’s expression instantly turned ingratiating. Abandoning all dignity, he eagerly patted the half-meter-high pillar wall beside him and said obsequiously, "Miss, please have a seat here. We can discuss this properly."

Gu Ruoxue stared at the stone, her face twitching slightly. She hadn’t expected things to take such a turn. Rubbing her temples, she wondered—was she out of her mind?

After all this effort with this man… Had she known earlier…

Still, she walked over and sat on the stone, then looked at him. "Now will you talk?"

Su Cheng cleared his throat, completely unbothered by the fact that he’d just sold out the system for six hundred thousand, and spoke with utmost seriousness, "You might not believe me, but since you want to know, I’ll tell you everything."

"Hmm?" Gu Ruoxue raised a brow, signaling him to continue.

"It’s like this…"

Su Cheng then recounted everything—his transmigration, the system, the missions—holding nothing back.

Worried she might not believe him and withhold the donation, he even demonstrated the system’s abilities mid-explanation, making stones on the ground vanish and reappear.

Gu Ruoxue occasionally pointed out logical flaws—like the concept of transmigration or the system itself—but Su Cheng countered with irrefutable "evidence" from the system’s spatial abilities, leaving her no room to argue.

By the end, Gu Ruoxue’s expression had turned grave.

Su Cheng's words left her deeply shaken, but what unsettled her even more was the thought—if everything he said was true, had the world already become an incredibly dangerous place?

She could certainly delay cooperating with him to complete his mission, but she knew there were countless outstanding women in this world just like her.

Take, for example, that childhood friend of hers—Ji Qingyi.

Or the Li sisters from her old family compound, and so many others.

Surely not all of them would comply with Su Cheng’s mission, would they?

The real problem was that the so-called "friendship" had eight more stages to follow.

Now she could understand why he had considered ending his life, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel troubled.

Noticing Gu Ruoxue’s unease, Su Cheng quickly reassured her, “So, you see, in this situation, I truly have no other options left. Don’t you think my death would be the best outcome for this world?”

“If what you’re saying isn’t a lie, then humanity really has no way to resist such an absurd, laughably disguised yet hyper-futuristic system—especially one that can casually create things, even…”

Gu Ruoxue trailed off, shaking her head with a complicated expression. “This is beyond my comprehension. I need time to process it.”

She knew all too well that with the system’s terrifying punitive capabilities, she had to weigh the stakes carefully.

Su Cheng, as he was now, could threaten the entire world at any moment. Forget the punishments—even the rewards, like the futuristic technology from the so-called system space, could effortlessly shatter the world’s norms and rules.

“Alright, now that you know, don’t try to stop me.”

Su Cheng stood up, ready to resume what he had left unfinished. But then he turned back and added solemnly, “Don’t forget what you promised me.”

“Wait!”

Gu Ruoxue rose from the steps, her gaze fixed on Su Cheng. After a moment of hesitation, she finally spoke under his puzzled stare, “Since you’ve been completely honest with me, from now on… we’re friends.”

Had Su Cheng not demonstrated his extraordinary abilities, she would have dismissed him as a severely disturbed individual—someone delusional, lost in self-deception, convincing himself of his own fabricated reality.

But the fact that he could actually manifest the so-called system space abilities made her half-believe his claims.

“Y-you… what did you say?”

Su Cheng’s eyes widened in shock as he slowly turned to face the stunningly beautiful young woman behind him (though he was certain she’d grow more in certain areas by high school). For a moment, he couldn’t believe his ears.

Gu Ruoxue continued softly, “I said, we’ve reached an understanding. We’re friends now!”

[Ding—]