All the memories.
Without exception.
Were tragedies.
Between himself and Leng Qingqiu, even in memories—across dozens, even hundreds of different worlds—the final outcome... was always tragedy.
Why was this? What did it mean?
He had asked the system before whether these memories were real.
The system confirmed they were.
But Gu Yan was certain he had only met Leng Qingqiu after reading that novel.
So how could they have experienced so much together?
Considering Xiao Leng’s strange behavior, the memory bubbles, and their connection to Leng Qingqiu...
Gu Yan seemed to have realized something.
He asked in his mind, "System, these memories... are all related to Xiao Leng, aren’t they?"
[........]
After a brief silence, the system slowly responded.
[Yes.]
Hearing this, Gu Yan let out a sigh.
Just as he had guessed.
Or rather, there had been too many clues pointing to Xiao Leng’s involvement.
So... could he conclude now?
That Xiao Leng... might not be Leng Qingqiu’s alternate personality?
But... a composite of all Leng Qingqiu’s memories from past lives?
Then what about Leng Qingqiu in this life? Why did Xiao Ling appear within her now?
Wait, more importantly—what about him?
Wasn’t this just a world from that ridiculous urban novel he’d read?
Just as this thought crossed his mind—
Hiss... No... No...
Gu Yan’s expression twisted into something complicated. Hold on, hold on.
The memories spanned many worlds, each with different events.
Didn’t that mean...
A sense of disbelief crept into Gu Yan’s heart.
This world was yet another new one, just like those in his memories?
A world built around the premise of him transmigrating into that absurd urban novel?
But... who was behind all this? Who kept creating these worlds?
Who was the one ensuring he and Leng Qingqiu could never have a happy ending?
For some reason, Gu Yan recalled the prophecy from that cursed scripture.
Him... killing Leng Qingqiu.
His mind was a tangled mess. He couldn’t make sense of anything anymore.
"System, what’s the truth? Why have Leng Qingqiu and I gone through so many worlds?"
[Host, once your affection level with your pure love target reaches 100%, you will receive your answer.]
"Tch. Useless system."
[Host...... Ծ‸Ծ About why this is the condition... that will also be explained when affection is maxed...]
Seeing the system still refusing to say anything, Gu Yan had no choice but to drop it.
Right now, there was another headache-inducing issue.
Namely...
Had Xiao Leng... also gained all these memories?
......
......
Meanwhile.
Xiao Leng stood by the windowsill, staring blankly outside.
Her hand pressed against her chest—where an odd sensation kept welling up.
Was it joy? Or sorrow?
She didn’t understand. And what were these memories suddenly flooding her mind?
Were they of another version of herself and Gu Yan?
Or... were they of her and Gu Yan...
[Hey, hey! Don’t you dare get swayed like that other personality!]
Xiao Xie’s voice clamored incessantly in her mind.
"........."
Xiao Leng didn’t respond. She just clutched her chest, replaying the nearly hundred fragments of world memories that had surged into her mind.
.......
.........
The third day of the Gu Family’s annual gathering.
Today marked the final day of the family reunion—and the most crucial one.
Because this year was Gu Yan’s last chance to be elected as the head of the Gu Family.
On the sofa.
"Brother-in-law, I heard today’s the day that decides your fate!"
"Ah... Is that so..."
"‘Ah’ what? Just walking around the manor, I can hear people gossiping everywhere!"
"They’re all debating whether you’ll get voted out again like the past two years!"
"Oh."
"Oh......?"
Smack!
Leng Ling’er slammed her hands on the table, staring in disbelief at Gu Yan, who was lazily sprawled on the sofa—one arm draped around her sister, the other holding the TV remote.
"Brother-in-law! How are you not worried at all?"
"You even have time to watch TV?"
Gu Yan yawned, looking utterly disinterested.
After gaining those new memories last night, he had spent the entire night thinking.
But no matter how much he pondered, he couldn’t make sense of it.
Leng Qingqiu noticed Gu Yan’s unusual state and reached out to massage his temples. "Gu Yan, what’s wrong?"
"What’s troubling you? Tell me."
Hearing this, Gu Yan was deeply moved.
He immediately buried his face in Leng Qingqiu’s lap. "Qingqiu~~"
"It’s painful... so painful!"
"What’s painful?"
Leng Qingqiu held him gently, sensing the confusion in his heart.
Gu Yan often acted dramatic, but today was different.
Something must have happened last night.
Gu Yan took a deep breath, absorbing the comforting scent of Qingqiu before glancing at Leng Ling’er, who was watching with sparkling eyes. He waved her off impatiently. "What are you staring at? This is adult time. Scram, kid."
"Brother-in-law! You’re so mean! How stingy!"
Though she complained, Leng Ling’er quickly retreated under Gu Yan’s intimidating gaze.
Once she was gone, Gu Yan shifted, resting his head comfortably on Leng Qingqiu’s soft thighs.
Hiss... Damn...
Too comfortable. He didn’t want to move.
But he still remembered the important matter. "So... Qingqiu, do you really think Xiao Leng is just your alternate personality?"
Not long ago, after returning from the Fifth Forbidden Zone, Leng Qingqiu had broken down in front of him and confessed about the second personality.
That was why they could discuss it openly now.
Leng Qingqiu paused, then chuckled. "Of course. Didn’t I already tell you...?"
Her voice grew quieter, as if reluctant to revisit the past. "Xiao Leng emerged as my second personality after... that incident."
"She has no emotions and is extremely dangerous."
"But it’s fine now. I’ve sealed her completely inside me—she won’t be able to come out again."
Leng Qingqiu spoke with confidence.
Well... actually, she used your body to visit me last night.
Seems Qingqiu doesn’t know much about Xiao Leng either.
Gu Yan inwardly sighed. This much was enough.
He was now certain—Xiao Leng wasn’t just an alternate personality.
"Brother-in-law! Sister Su is calling for you!"
Leng Ling’er’s voice rang out from outside.
"Tch. Of all times..."
Grumbling, Gu Yan reluctantly lifted himself from Leng Qingqiu’s lap.
"Hehe, you should go now. After all, today is your big day."
"True, today is quite important."
Gu Yan seemed to recall something, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
Then he strode out briskly.
Meanwhile, Leng Qingqiu remained seated on the sofa,
her mind lingering on Gu Yan's question.
Suddenly—
A thought struck her.
Xiao Leng...
Xiao Leng?
She... had never told Gu Yan that her alternate personality's name was Xiao Leng.
So... how did Gu Yan know?
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)
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!
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
] [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!"
