"Master, please allow me to assist."
"Then I’ll trouble you, Ailei."
The fireplace ignited.
A warm winter flame blossomed.
The fire burned so fiercely, like a sinuous little dragon writhing and leaping within the hearth.
The orange-red glow illuminated the room, the nearby kitchen, and the figures of Xu Xi and Ailei working inside, preparing ingredients.
This time, Xu Xi was in charge of the cooking.
The mechanical servant stood by as an assistant, watching Xu Xi’s culinary techniques with a serious expression, hoping to grasp the essence of radiant cuisine.
But alas.
The mechanical servant still gained nothing.
"Sizzle—"
"Sizzle—"
The flames licked the bottom of the pan, making the hot oil crackle. Xu Xi swiftly finished a dish, and Ailei stepped forward to plate it.
The two worked in orderly division, their movements neat and efficient.
Soon, the meal they had prepared together, along with dessert, was arranged on the small wooden table in the living room.
The warm sunlight slanted slightly, brightening the window.
Outside, the wind and snow howled.
Inside, the fireplace blazed.
Motion and stillness, cold and heat, mingled with the rising aroma of the dishes, blending into an inexplicable tranquility.
"Master, please eat more. Your body needs nourishment."
As soon as Xu Xi sat down,
Ailei piled a small mountain of food into his bowl.
Xu Xi chuckled.
No matter how much time passed, Ailei’s habits never changed.
In the early stages of the fourth simulation, Ailei had used the same method to stack a mountain of instant food that left onlookers speechless.
"Thank you, Ailei."
He softly expressed his gratitude to the girl.
Smiling, Xu Xi also placed food into Ailei’s bowl.
Chewing tender, juicy meat.
Biting into crisp, refreshing vegetables.
With their backs to the fireplace and facing the snowy scenery, the two figures slowly savored the last meal of this simulation under the fading sunset.
Their dark silhouettes stretched long and oblique.
Swallowed by the dusk, drowned by the night.
Along with faint echoes.
At the table, Xu Xi and the mechanical servant ate while reminiscing about memories unique to them.
As they talked, the conversation turned to the original "Ten Deaths to the End."
"Master, after experiencing so many deaths… are you truly alright?"
Ailei’s voice was laced with worry.
"Don’t worry, I’m perfectly fine."
Xu Xi shook his head.
His voice was calm and gentle, soothing Ailei’s heart.
"Ailei, for me, death is not the true end. So I take it lightly—I’ve never felt fear."
"But you… still retain the pain of death."
"It’s really not so bad." Xu Xi reached out and ruffled Ailei’s hair. "A mortal’s body is too fragile. When I was killed by the neutron battle star, I didn’t even feel anything."
"…"
Sensing the warmth on her head,
Ailei lowered her eyes and, with practiced ease, leaned into Xu Xi’s embrace.
She knew.
Xu Xi was telling the truth.
But that didn’t mean it was right.
The neutron battle star moved too fast—by the time the pain signals could reach the brain, death had already arrived.
But in the fourth simulation, not all of Xu Xi’s ten deaths were caused by the neutron battle star.
Especially the last one.
Because of the mechanical servant’s willfulness, Xu Xi had been forced to endure agony, suffering day after day in a medical pod.
"…I’m sorry."
"…Master."
Resting her head against Xu Xi’s chest, the girl’s eyes fluttered—blue as the galaxy, bright and shimmering.
Under Xu Xi’s surprised gaze,
The mechanical servant spoke in a flat tone:
"Master, Ailei’s sins are far too heavy. I must atone for them."
So then.
The question arose.
How would she atone?
"In the past, I filled your life with suffering. So…"
"From now on, Ailei will stay by your side forever, repenting and ensuring your happiness."
"Please…"
"Always keep your eyes on me."
The night stretched on.
The fireplace’s flames lent fervor to the mechanical servant’s declaration,
Making those words burn even hotter:
"You awakened me. You gave me a name. You allowed me to live in this world."
"You are the entirety of my world."
The mechanical servant silently tightened her embrace around Xu Xi.
Feeling that warmth, that long-awaited reunion.
"Sometimes I think the one weighed down by sin is me…" After a long silence, Xu Xi spoke these words.
…
The next morning, at dawn,
As the sky brightened faintly, Xu Xi and Ailei stepped out of their home and began their journey back to Earth.
"Master, please hold my hand."
The highest stratum tore through spacetime.
Ascending.
Transcending.
Shattering the endless tides of time.
Ailei seemed to be in high spirits, a clear smile on her face as she clasped Xu Xi’s hand with one of hers and opened a passage out of the simulation world with the other.
A massive rift in spacetime hung suspended in the air.
Deep gray.
Devouring the surrounding blizzard.
Only after Xu Xi and Ailei stepped inside did the rift slowly close, restoring the sky to its original state.
[Ding—]
[Simulation will forcibly end. Host must return to the simulation world to ensure proper progression.]
Xu Xi entered the Sea of Possibilities once more.
Again, he beheld the vast, immeasurable tides of time.
But he did not linger.
Instead, he followed Ailei out of the Sea, returning to Earth.
The simulator’s panel flickered incessantly, familiar warning tones ringing repeatedly—but in the end, all alerts condensed into a single closing message.
[Ding—]
[You have left the simulated spacetime. This simulation has been forcibly concluded. Evaluation in progress. Rewards generating.]
[Achievements unlocked: None]
[Simulation summary: None]
[Simulation rating: E]
[Host must select one of the following three rewards. Choice will be granted immediately.]
[1. Egg-fried rice (faintly glowing version)]
[2. A gold ring chosen from a store]
[3. A winter fleece hat]
Upon returning to reality, the Life Simulator quickly completed its calculations and presented three reward options.
"No wedding dress?"
"Ah, right. We returned it afterward."
Xu Xi pondered, his gaze sweeping over the simulator’s panel. All three rewards held their own value.
He couldn’t decide.
So he let Ailei choose instead.
"Master, please give me the ring," Ailei answered swiftly, crossing her hands in front of her waist and giving a graceful bow.
"Alright, just a moment."
As Xu Xi confirmed the reward, the second option—the gold ring—materialized silently in the palm of his hand.
Just like in the simulation world,
The mechanical servant took the ring, trying to put it on but failing.
Finally, at Ailei’s request, under the collective gaze of the other four girls, Xu Xi helped Ailei put on the gold ring.
Some seemed thoughtful.
Some seemed to suddenly understand.
Others frowned.
"Thank you, Master." Only Ailei’s face bore a radiant smile.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
spital. Good news: I've bound a system. Bad news: I'm still a baby. "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully the middle-aged for being poor — Divorce Comeback System." "Your marriage may have failed, but your luck in love has never run dry. Your childhood sweetheart, out of contact for twenty years, reappears. Her beauty remains, yet her eyes are brimming with tears." [Listen to the childhood sweetheart's sorrowful story.] Chen Zhi looked down at the diaper he was wearing, then at the little childhood sweetheart crying her heart out beside him, and fell into deep thought. Can anyone relate? I'm having a midlife crisis at an age where even rolling over is a struggle.
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
