Long Time No See

After Little Lingdang came into her life, Fu Nanzhi found herself busy once again.

Raising a child was exhausting work, requiring constant attention day and night. Shu Yunyi helped whenever she had free time.

Despite the fatigue, Fu Nanzhi felt genuinely happy and fulfilled.

Since moving here, Fu Nanzhi had rarely returned to her own home—she had fallen out with her family.

Years ago, she had a fierce argument with Ji Shulan, during which her inability to conceive was revealed. After that, she moved out of Peaceful Lake Residence.

But no matter what, parents were still parents. After Little Lingdang’s first month, Fu Nanzhi took her to meet the elderly couple.

Time was the best remedy for all wounds. With Fu Yuanyu’s mediation, mother and daughter finally reconciled.

The twists and turns of their relationship left them both deeply moved, bringing them even closer.

"Respect begets respect," as the saying goes. Grateful for Fu Nanzhi’s past concessions, Shu Yunyi decided to return the favor.

After living together for several years, their relationship had stabilized.

Spending every day together, with you and the child as a balancing presence, they might not have been as close as sisters, but they had become a familiar, comfortable family.

So Shu Yunyi privately discussed it with you, and the two of you quietly went through divorce proceedings.

Shu Yunyi was already in her forties. After so many years of ups and downs, she no longer clung to formalities—even without the title of marriage, the bond remained.

With Shu Yunyi’s cooperation, you surprised Fu Nanzhi by registering as husband and wife once more.

Middle-aged and weary of complications, you simply informed both sets of parents and celebrated with a simple meal at home.

That night, after putting the child to sleep, you became a groom again. Shu Yunyi "accidentally" walked in and was caught by you, struggling in vain to escape your grasp.

Time rushed past everyone. In the blink of an eye, five more years had passed.

One day, while picking up the two children from school, you unexpectedly received a letter.

It was hard to imagine anyone still sending letters these days, and you couldn’t think of any friends who would write to you.

Back home, you examined the envelope and found it was sent from abroad—by standard mail, a slow and rarely used method.

Opening it, you tipped out a postcard, square in shape, featuring a scene of azure waters and pristine white sand under a clear sky.

Though there was no other information, the address gave you an inkling. Turning it over, you saw four elegantly handwritten words in fountain pen:

"Long time no see."

"Simulation complete!"

[Comprehensive Evaluation: None]

[Your experience in strategizing has slightly increased.]

[You used a simulation seed—no conventional rewards can be obtained in this scenario.]

[Reward: None.]

[System Comment: None.]

[You may choose to save the current simulation progress or synchronize memories immediately.]

Shen Yi’s vision blurred as he snapped out of the simulation.

He exhaled heavily, leaning back against the sofa. The system’s interface hovered in the air, but he ignored it for now.

‘This really isn’t easy…’

His thoughts weighed heavily on him.

Turning his head, he saw a starry night outside the window—it was already evening.

This simulation had lasted from noon until night, the longest one yet.

He had entered multiple real-time scenarios, his emotions fluctuating wildly, leaving him tense throughout.

Modern society wasn’t like ancient times. His ideas inherently clashed with societal norms, making progress fraught with resistance.

No matter how much the women loved him, bringing such matters into the open created too many awkward situations.

The world wouldn’t allow it. Parents wouldn’t accept it. The law wouldn’t condone it. Friends and family wouldn’t approve.

Layer upon layer of obstacles wore them down. No matter how strong their love, it could only endure so much.

‘At least nothing major went wrong…’

Looking back, Shen Yi saw that while the situation had been precarious, it had remained within acceptable limits.

Still, there were regrets—it wasn’t a perfect outcome.

His prolonged passivity, combined with family pressure and his own lack of response, had inevitably caused Cheng Jun to fall behind.

But there were bright spots too. Fu Nanzhi and Shu Yunyi had gotten along relatively well.

After a lifetime of affection, even if they didn’t fully understand, both women had chosen to tolerate him.

Though Fu Nanzhi had initially clashed with her parents, they eventually reconciled.

During his review, Shen Yi noticed a crucial detail: family and children were the best way to resolve conflicts.

He could only legally marry one person. The method of divorcing and remarrying was a workaround, but it required someone to step back first.

Now, there was another option—children.

With a child, emotions would be tied together, making separation far harder.

Moreover, under traditional values, children could also serve as a bridge to persuade parents—a less-than-ideal but viable solution.

‘It’s just a simulation. Might as well be bold. If things go wrong, there’s always room to backtrack.’

Shen Yi’s eyes burned with determination. At this point, with no retreat possible, he would try every available method.

After his review, he stared at the system interface and chose to save the current progress.

There was still room for trial and error. There was no need to rush into synchronizing memories now, especially since the outcome wasn’t yet perfect. Doing so would mean giving up on Cheng Jun.

Closing the simulator, Shen Yi stood and stretched his stiff body.

He had been so absorbed in the simulation that he’d stayed in one position for hours. His joints cracked as he moved.

Picking up his phone from the coffee table, he decided to order food.

The moment he unlocked it, a flood of messages appeared—from both Fu Nanzhi and Shu Yunyi.

Before the simulation, both had asked Shen Yi to come to their respective homes. But in this situation, how could he agree? His plan had been to avoid choosing either and focus on resolving the dilemma through the simulator.

Choosing one would inevitably upset the other, so he’d opted to stay home undisturbed.

Now that night had fallen, both women were messaging him urgently.

Shen Yi opened the chat windows and replied to each, explaining that he was exhausted and just wanted to rest at home alone.

Before he could even open the food delivery app, replies from both women popped up.

Unsurprisingly, neither believed him.

With no other choice, Shen Yi video-called each of them to prove he was really at home.

Suspicious to the core, both women remained wary, afraid the other might sneak in the moment they let their guard down.

This was a chain of suspicion, so Shen Yi immediately followed up with repeated assurances, making it clear that he would never betray their side.

After a long bout of such efforts, they finally let him off the hook.

Hanging up the video call, the determination in Shen Yi’s eyes grew even stronger.

‘The second round of simulations must happen!’