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)
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
] [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!"
