Gu Family Residence.
"Phew!"
Gu Yan finished his nightly routine and lay down on his bed, unable to suppress the smile creeping onto his face.
Hehe~
Can anyone relate?
The affection level with Qingqiu has been skyrocketing lately.
Wait, no, no, no—it’s not just about the affection level anymore. That’s already maxed out. This is about deepening the emotional connection.
But still...
Despite the progress, Gu Yan’s face showed a hint of exhaustion. He yawned and rubbed his shoulders.
Counting the hours, he’d only slept two or three hours in the past couple of days.
The thought of Qingqiu’s alternate personality gave him a headache.
That personality was a whole other problem.
But before that...
Gu Yan opened his system interface.
In his inventory, a single [Memory Fragment x1] lay quietly.
This fragment was obtained after Qingqiu’s affection increased by 1%.
Gu Yan didn’t delude himself into thinking this increase was because Qingqiu had fallen for him.
No, it was probably because she found it amusing to toy with him, hence the slight boost in affection.
He clicked on the memory fragment.
*Hum!*
A translucent, water-blue sphere materialized in front of Gu Yan.
"Is this the memory fragment?"
Gu Yan muttered to himself. Though he didn’t know what it was, he figured it was worth a look. Maybe it would reveal something deeper!
With that thought, he reached out and touched it.
In an instant—
*Whoosh!*
Gu Yan lost consciousness.
......
...
A heavy darkness, like an endless abyss, enveloped Gu Yan. His consciousness felt like a wreck sinking into the depths of the ocean, swallowed by an oppressive silence.
His heartbeat grew heavier in the suffocating atmosphere, each thud feeling like a desperate struggle against the sinking pressure.
What... is this feeling? Is it sorrow? Despair? Or that icy, deathly fear?
Gu Yan felt his soul shrouded by an indescribable gloom.
He tried to open his eyes, and in the blurry haze, a streak of crimson seeped into his vision—the color of blood, the color of apocalypse.
*Thud!*
"What... is this?"
His heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly. As his vision cleared, a hellish scene unfolded before him.
The ground was littered with mutilated remains—severed limbs and torn bodies scattered like discarded toys.
To make matters worse, someone’s macabre sense of humor had arranged piles of bones on either side, forming eerie barriers that sent chills down his spine.
The air reeked of blood and decay.
Gu Yan was stunned.
He tried to recall if he’d ever seen anything like this before, but it was as if a barrier blocked his memories.
Yet... why did it feel so familiar?
Why was it familiar?
That couldn’t be. His original world had never experienced anything like this.
Even in this novel’s world, such a scene didn’t exist.
So why did it feel so familiar?
Whose memory was this?
"Roar!"
In the sky, cries of agony and roars of rage intertwined. The dark clouds above burned like coal, hanging low, with lightning streaking across them, illuminating the devastated land below.
Gu Yan looked up.
He noticed shadowy, colossal figures swimming through the clouds.
What... is this place?
Gu Yan called out to the system in his mind, but there was no response.
He took a step forward.
But—
*Thud!*
His legs gave out, losing all strength.
As his vision lowered, Gu Yan caught a glimpse of his current state.
"Huh?"
He was lying on the ground, and when he looked down, he made a horrifying discovery.
"That’s... my lower half?"
Gu Yan’s pupils contracted. He realized he was only half a body now, lying helplessly on the ground.
Why?
And what confused him even more was...
He felt no fear, no despair.
At this moment, there was only one emotion.
Sorrow.
Then—
*Tap, tap.*
The sound of footsteps approached slowly.
A familiar voice, low and filled with sorrow, reached Gu Yan’s ears.
["Forgive me, Gu Yan..."]
As the owner of the voice came into view, Gu Yan’s eyes widened.
Those bare feet—he’d recognize them anywhere!
It was... Qingqiu!
*Slash!*
A cold sensation spread across his neck, and Gu Yan lost consciousness once more.
......
...
Consciousness returned.
Like a drowning man gasping for air after being pulled ashore.
"Hiss!!"
Gu Yan woke up, clutching his chest, his eyes bloodshot.
He looked around and realized he was back in his room.
"*Pant*... *pant*..."
Gu Yan breathed heavily, his mind filled with confusion.
Those feet—he’d recognize them even if they were turned to ash!
They were Qingqiu’s feet, the ones he longed to... well, never mind.
But what was that scene about?!
"System, system! Whose memory fragment was that? What was that just now?"
Gu Yan bombarded the system with questions in his mind.
But no matter how much he asked...
[Apologies, host. Your permissions are insufficient. To unlock more memory fragments, please increase the affection level of your Pure Love target or improve your Pure Love Cultivation Technique.]
The system responded mechanically, over and over.
Gu Yan gave up.
He steadied his breathing, his expression growing serious.
Something’s off... very off...
This was way too bizarre, completely deviating from the story he knew.
After all, this novel’s world didn’t have any apocalyptic scenarios like that...
Wait, no...
Gu Yan paused, covering his face with his hand.
Qingqiu’s second personality wasn’t in the original story either.
It seems this world is starting to undergo some strange changes. Damn it...
If he wants to uncover more information, he’ll have to increase the affection level?
Which means...
He’ll have to interact with Qingqiu to boost her affection?
Gu Yan’s expression turned odd.
No, no, he shook his head.
These memories might just be trivial details.
For now, he’ll stick to his original plan. No need to go out of his way to interact with Qingqiu just for some memories.
Gu Yan took a deep breath. Tonight’s events had left his mind in chaos.
He reached up to wipe his forehead.
"Tch..."
He was drenched in sweat.
Great, that shower was wasted.
Gu Yan sighed and was about to get up for another rinse when—
*Ring ring~~~ Your wife is calling!~~*
*Ring ring~~~ Your wife is calling!~~*
Huh?!
Gu Yan froze, then looked at his phone on the nightstand, his face lighting up with joy.
What’s this?
Qingqiu is calling me??
She figured out how to use it?
He remembered giving Ling’er a phone before he left, one he’d bought from the system. It could be controlled by voice commands.
Looks like Ling’er had passed it on to Qingqiu.
Since the phone was meant for Qingqiu, the only numbers saved were his and Ling’er’s.
So, Qingqiu must be testing out the device, right?
Yes!
Gu Yan instantly pushed the unsettling memory fragment to the back of his mind. Nothing was more important than having a sweet, loving conversation with his dear wife!
With that thought, Gu Yan eagerly picked up the phone.
[1:33 AM]
Huh?
Still studying at this hour?
Without hesitation, Gu Yan answered the call.
The next second, Qingqiu’s familiar voice reached his ears.
"Hubby~ I’m so lonely... Can you come keep me company?"
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)
] [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!"
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
ress Kneels to Admit Wrong] [Dealing with Love-Struck Fools] [Forced to the Throne] Ren Tianye transmigrated into a female-oriented novel world, only to find everyone in it was utterly insane. He risked his life to save a young girl from barbarians, but was accused of arriving too late and branded the real murderer. He held a knife to a military officer's neck, demanding the troop tally, but the officer only cared about questioning his wife: "Do you not love me anymore? All these years of affection and time together, they were all a mistake, a mistake!" After seizing Yunji City, the original defending general, to save face with the Empress, knelt on the ground: "You must give Yunji City back to me, or I'll hang myself at the city gate and let everyone know you're a villain!" The young lord of the Duke's mansion, to please a woman, directly ordered a merchant: "The menstrual pads you buy for her must be studded with diamonds. Loving her means giving her the best." Having become a great general, he was about to marry a merchant's daughter, who set a pre-nuptial rule: "I can divorce you anytime. When that happens, you must give me half of your troops and soldiers!" Even the Empress was a severe love-struck fool, who ordered the execution of 70,000 elite troops simply because they stood in the way of her romance. Ren Tianye was speechless. He was done. Let it all burn! This deranged female-oriented novel world! ...
