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?"
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!
+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.
