Zhou Yi's Soft Heart, Searching for Daisy

077: "Then why are you smoking if it doesn’t matter to you?"

Zhou Yi narrowed his eyes and exhaled a ring of smoke.

Zhou Yi: "What’s wrong with smoking?"

077: "Do you understand now how terrifying an SSS-level target can be?"

Zhou Yi lowered his gaze, his expression complicated as he stared in the direction Daisy had left.

Of course, he understood now.

Because this was an unsolvable dilemma.

Daisy’s background destined her to never live as carefreely as the other targets Zhou Yi had pursued. She had never had the privilege of being selfish.

The most terrifying part was that Daisy had her own convictions.

She couldn’t bring herself to abandon her beliefs and responsibilities to leave with Zhou Yi.

Imagine an ancient princess sent for political marriage who, for the sake of so-called love, abandoned her country and plunged two nations into war—how would history judge her? Could she truly live in peace?

Daisy couldn’t. Zhou Yi knew she couldn’t.

Even if he did take her away, Daisy’s affection meter would never reach full. She would forever carry guilt for her country and people, her heart forever burdened with regret.

But if she left Zhou Yi for the sake of her beliefs, then her regret would become him.

And yet, wouldn’t she also become Zhou Yi’s regret?

When Daisy left, 077 had clearly seen Zhou Yi reach out—but in the end, he hadn’t held onto her.

077 refused to believe Zhou Yi felt nothing.

It was precisely because he was powerless that Zhou Yi convinced himself he didn’t care, that it meant nothing to him.

He didn’t want to admit he had lost, nor that this woman had truly left a mark on his heart.

077 wasn’t an invincible system, and Zhou Yi wasn’t an invincible man. There were moments when even he was powerless.

Never before had Zhou Yi realized this so clearly.

This was the horror of an SSS-level target.

She might appear fragile, and she wasn’t hard to pursue—but the real challenge lay in how the host faced the aftermath.

Some pursuers fell in love with their targets, willing to do anything to keep them. If Zhou Yi became like that, his fate would be predictable.

He would become just one of the countless hosts 077 had erased before.

Zhou Yi sat by the window and smoked all night.

Would his heart remain unmoved when he heard the word "brother" from now on?

Would he think of the girl who had once exchanged vows with him before a priest when he passed a bridal shop?

Zhou Yi frowned as he stood before the floor-to-ceiling window.

As dawn approached, Zhou Yi murmured, "Do you think I should say goodbye to her? Tell her I understand her convictions, so I’m letting her go—that she shouldn’t blame herself or carry regrets."

But 077 suddenly said, "You haven’t claimed your Level 50 reward yet. I can tell you what it is in advance."

Zhou Yi didn’t understand why 077 brought this up. Did it have something to do with Daisy?

"Go ahead."

"It’s a time-reversal function."

"You mean I can go back to the past?"

"No. It allows you to see what Daisy’s original fate would have been if you had never appeared. But this function can only be used once."

In other words, Zhou Yi could revisit the past and witness Daisy’s ending.

If Zhou Yi didn’t care about Daisy, he wouldn’t waste this crucial ability on her.

"Then use it."

"Still pretending you don’t care?"

077 teased Zhou Yi, determined to make him admit his feelings for Daisy.

Zhou Yi didn’t argue. He simply said, "Just do it."

A massive mirror appeared before Zhou Yi—a temporal mirror only he could see.

In the original timeline, if Zhou Yi had never appeared, Daisy wouldn’t have survived the night they met.

Adel had brought her to the banquet, auctioned off her virginity, and Daisy had died that very night.

The wealthy elites compensated Snow Country with a hefty sum, but in the end, Daisy couldn’t save her homeland from war.

The world was just that cruel.

Zhou Yi silently deactivated the time-reversal function.

"How do I find her?"

"Do you regret it?"

"I just don’t want her to live with guilt."

"You’ve gone soft."

Zhou Yi put on his coat and left the hotel, wandering aimlessly through the snow.

He had no idea where Daisy had gone.

His phone couldn’t reach her either.

The helplessness only deepened his pain.

The only options now were to find Adel or to weave another dream for Daisy.

But would Daisy come to him for just a dream?

As Zhou Yi trudged through the snow, he had 077 craft a dream for Daisy.

Zhou Yi was supposed to fly out that night, but he postponed his departure.

He made up an excuse for Xie Tingwan and his teacher. No one suspected anything—after all, Zhou Yi was popular and often invited to banquets.

Late that night, Zhou Yi waited endlessly before finally entering Daisy’s dream again.

Adel had beaten Daisy severely earlier. Her injuries weren’t on her face, save for a trace of blood at the corner of her lips.

Adri, afraid of his father’s reprimand, had made sure the wounds were hidden beneath her clothes.

But compared to the physical pain, her heart ached even more.

In moments like these, she missed Zhou Yi desperately—yet she couldn’t even call his name aloud.

All she could do was whisper "brother," and only then did Adel relent.

That night, Daisy lay in bed, tears streaming down her face.

By now, Zhou Yi must have returned home.

Would he still remember her?

Would he look for her?

Daisy stared at the ceiling, her tears unstoppable.

She had left without a word—how would Zhou Yi react?

Daisy feared Zhou Yi would hate her, yet she also feared he would search for her.

After all, she would soon be gone. No matter how hard he looked, it would be in vain.

And if he made too much noise, Adel would find out.

"Brother, I miss you so much."

Daisy clutched the ring at her chest, her tears soaking the pillow.

Burdened by longing and guilt, she drifted into an exhausted sleep.

Daisy never imagined her desperate yearning would actually summon Zhou Yi into her dreams.

The moment she saw him, her tears overflowed.

She clung to him tightly as he gently wiped her cheeks.

"Daisy, I missed you."

Those words shattered whatever composure she had left.

She sobbed in Zhou Yi’s arms until his steady comfort finally calmed her.

This dream was too precious to waste on crying.

When Zhou Yi asked where she was staying, Daisy refused to say, afraid Adel would retaliate against him.

Zhou Yi asked, "Can I see you one last time? There’s something important I need to tell you."

Daisy knew this was just her fantasy, but she still said, "Yes."

She couldn’t leave the hotel—Adel kept her under close watch.

But she told Zhou Yi when Adel planned to take her away the next day. Zhou Yi decided to meet her at the airport for their final goodbye.