Ending a Wretched Life

【You and your daughter handled Shu Yunyi's funeral arrangements together.】

【At the funeral, you remained silent. It was a rainy day, and your silver hair stood out starkly as you stood in the rain.】

【You held the urn and personally buried your wife.】

【Your daughter, concerned about your well-being, came to comfort you, saying she wanted to stay with you for a while. You waved her off, indicating that you were fine and that she should go about her own business.】

【After returning home, you logged into the shared account. The password was a combination of her initials and your birthday.】

【The account had always been managed by Shu Yunyi. You had only ever observed, never actually taken control of it.】

【The account was initially created simply for Shu Yunyi to document their travels together. Now that she was gone, there was no longer any reason to keep it.】

【Time screamed by in a panic, yet no one ever truly noticed when it paused.】

【It had been thirty-eight years since its creation, and it was time to bring this love story to a proper conclusion.】

【You reached out and edited the final video.】

【Opening the backend, you were greeted with countless photos and videos of the two of you.】

【When the most important person in your life passes away, you suddenly realize that every future moment can only be relived through memories. Is there anything more sorrowful than that?】

【The flood of memories overwhelmed you, and only then did you truly feel the bone-deep sorrow and emptiness.】

【You uploaded a few photos you had taken of her during the day. In the sunlight, she wore a felt hat and smiled beautifully. You left a final obituary.】

"Beloved wife Shu Yunyi passed away peacefully at 7:52 AM on November 9th, at the age of 73. In accordance with her wishes, this obituary is issued. Her grieving husband, Shen Yi, along with their children, mourn her passing."

【After mustering the strength to finish editing, you published the video. It was a proper ending, as Shu Yunyi had wished.】

【You locked all the videos, leaving only the final one, and logged out.】

【Shu Yunyi's passing and your decision to lock the videos caused a huge uproar. Countless people sent their condolences through the account, and your love story touched everyone who had followed you.】

【You paid no attention to it, not even logging in to check.】

【In the days that followed, you left the house and most of your savings to your daughter, Shen Jinyao.】

【You moved alone to the cemetery where Shu Yunyi was buried and took up a job as a caretaker, living there.】

【Seasons passed, with her inside and you outside.】

【From then on, you cleaned her tombstone every day and talked to her.】

【In the cemetery, you spent the remainder of your life.】

【The origin story ends here.】

Rental apartment.

Shen Yi woke from the endless void, the weight of overwhelming emotions pressing on his heart.

He touched his face, realizing that tears had been streaming down his cheeks without him noticing.

After taking a few deep breaths, he gradually calmed down. The simulated memories were vast, but to avoid burdening him, they would slowly fade away.

"Another one..." Shen Yi sighed to himself as he emerged from the simulation.

Having gone through experiences with Fu Nanzhi and Cheng Jun, Shen Yi's original plan was to exploit the simulator, using it to learn and improve himself, with no intention of pursuing more relationships.

But the reality was that the simulator had its own underlying logic and didn't allow Shen Yi to take shortcuts. It even imposed penalties.

Frankly, if it hadn't been for being flagged for negative gameplay and matched with Shu Yunyi, his former teacher, Shen Yi would have approached things differently.

As he got to know her better, whether it was Shu Yunyi's situation or her declining state of life, Shen Yi couldn't remain indifferent.

The process of "winning her over" was also the process of saving her, and in turn, preserving the beautiful memories of that summer in Shen Yi's mind.

Now, after a lifetime together, the emotional weight was immense, no less significant than any of his previous experiences.

"Whether she remembers or not, I'll proceed as if she does."

"I'll make time to visit my alma mater tomorrow and check on her situation."

Shen Yi quietly made up his mind.

Since he knew the system might transfer memories to Shu Yunyi, he wouldn't be as passive as before.

He already knew the location of Shu Yunyi's apartment from the simulation, so he could visit her directly.

Then, with a serious expression, Shen Yi thought of Fu Nanzhi, Cheng Jun, and now Shu Yunyi. He had to face these relationships head-on.

Each of the three women was an ideal life partner, flawless from every angle. Letting go of any one of them would be unbearable for Shen Yi.

But life wasn't a game, and there was no such thing as a harmonious, happy ending for all.

Even if Shen Yi were willing to entertain such a fantasy, these were independent, normal women. How could they tolerate sharing him with others?

He was only one person, impossible to divide into three. The resulting conflicts would become a tangled mess.

Just thinking about the potential outcomes gave Shen Yi a headache.

"I'll take it one step at a time. They can't kill me, after all."

Shen Yi muttered to himself as he stood up.

In the simulation, time had no meaning. When he opened his eyes, the stars were already scattered across the night sky, and another day had passed.

"First, I'll head to the dock to grab some fries. I'm starving."

He pulled open the door and prepared to head downstairs.