Chapter 87: Good Night, Yu Xin
As the final node was completed, the faint speck of light that had appeared at first now shone as bright as a white flame.
Gu Qinghuan looked at the dazzling light in the darkness, feeling an inexplicable sense of pride.
System: [Calculation complete. Progress: 75%. Confirmed — target Yu Xin is no longer in severe danger.]
System: [Issuing task completion reward.]
The light bloomed like fireworks. The pitch-black space was now filled with star-like fragments, like a night sky suddenly adorned with countless twinkling stars.
No longer empty, no longer dead—there was now something that could be called vitality.
Gu Qinghuan couldn’t help smiling: “Oh! So this is the energy you needed?”
System: [I merely used a more intuitive visual so you could feel the completion of the task.]
Gu Qinghuan thought for a moment, then understood: “Wait… so this pitch-black place is basically a visualization of your battery level?”
The system was a little displeased with the term “battery”—electric power was far too low-level an energy source for it—but since the analogy helped Gu Qinghuan understand, it reluctantly accepted.
System: [Yes. When you complete all tasks and my energy is full, this space will become completely bright.]
Gu Qinghuan suddenly felt like she was running a progress bar. If she still had a body right now, she would be nodding enthusiastically. “Got it. I’ll keep working hard on the missions!”
System: [Good. Now, let’s proceed with your personal reward.]
Gu Qinghuan: “Huh? There’s also a personal reward?”
System: [Of course. You’ve been carrying out a mission to maintain world stability. You’ve helped the target create a brand-new fate—on one hand, stopping that ‘thing’s’ plan, and on the other, creating more possible futures for the world.]
[Replenishing your energy and letting you and your family continue living is part of our contract. Your personal reward is separate.]
[Even without a system, many people unknowingly complete such missions. The world itself sometimes gives random rewards—like a sudden streak of good luck.]
[But since you have me, you can choose your reward freely.]
By the last sentence, the system’s tone even sounded a little proud.
Gu Qinghuan almost laughed but went along with it: “So what can I choose?”
System: [Say whatever you want. Whether it can be granted depends on the reward quota. For example, if you want your family to win another five-million lottery jackpot, that’s well within the limit.]
Gu Qinghuan considered. Winning a huge prize once was enough.
Last time they won, her family’s life hadn’t changed all that much. The most “luxurious” thing they’d done was send her to Mingde High—that had, in fact, been a prerequisite for completing this mission.
If Gu Haiyan and Wang Jia’an knew, they’d probably advise her to choose something more meaningful and valuable.
Gu Qinghuan: “No matter how many possibilities I help others create, it doesn’t mean the most despairing future will disappear, right?”
System: [Correct. As long as there are choices, all kinds of futures will branch out. You could also think of it this way: even if you change things so that the ‘most despairing future’ disappears, the original second-most despairing future will then become the new ‘most despairing.’]
Hearing it that way, Gu Qinghuan understood better.
Eliminate the first place, and the old second place becomes the new first.
No matter what, there will always be a “most despairing future.”
After thinking for a while longer, she said: “I want… to show the happiest Yu Xin’s life, like a revolving lantern, to the most despairing Yu Xin at the moment of her death.”
The system was silent for a long time, as if calculating whether this was possible.
System: [Exceeds quota. Request denied.]
Gu Qinghuan’s heart sank, but then the system continued: [I suggest modifying it to: ‘Show the current Yu Xin’s fate, like a revolving lantern, to the most despairing Yu Xin at the moment of her death.’]
Gu Qinghuan blinked, then quickly said: “Yes! That’s fine! Let’s do that!”
System: [World consent granted. Reward acknowledged.]
Gu Qinghuan finally relaxed.
She couldn’t change the most despairing Yu Xin’s fate, but after seeing what Yu Xin went through at those key points, she couldn’t just look away.
A fate that crossed paths with hers might not be the best for that Yu Xin… but maybe it would still be okay?
System: [Personal reward delivered. You may now leave.]
As soon as the system finished speaking, Gu Qinghuan’s consciousness went blank—and then she was woken by her alarm clock.
Morning sunlight streamed in. Another bright new day.
A gaunt woman lay quietly in her hospital bed, staring unblinking at the dark, gloomy sky outside.
What perfect weather for dying.
She closed her eyes briefly, reflecting on her life—not sure if it was more sad or more pitiful.
As for pain? She’d long since gone numb. No pain anymore.
So cold… but at least she’d contacted the crematorium in advance. When she was wrapped in fire, maybe she wouldn’t feel so cold anymore.
She slowly closed her eyes.
In the final reel of her life, she thought she’d see the condensed image of all her suffering… but what appeared before her was a completely different life.
She saw herself abandoned at Mingde High’s school gates. Normally, she would have followed the students nervously to the second-year building—but not this time.
She saw Yu Yuan bump into someone, the other person about to fall. She instinctively reached out to catch them. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, thank you,” the other girl said warmly.
That was her first friend at Mingde—Gu Qinghuan.
She saw Gu Qinghuan give her food and drinks, saw her encourage her to introduce herself.
When she felt ashamed of her ugly handwriting, Gu Qinghuan would say: “Yu Xin, look—your name is so beautiful.”
When she suffered because of “family,” Gu Qinghuan would hug her, stand in front of her, and face those people for her.
When she lacked the courage to face responsibility, Gu Qinghuan would calmly point out her flaws so she could clearly see them.
She saw more and more smiles appear on her own face, saw herself grow more confident—even having the strength to reach out to Yu Yuan…
Tears seeped from the corners of the woman’s eyes, sliding down her cheeks.
Was this a dream? Why did it feel so real?
Did a girl named Gu Qinghuan truly exist—someone who had once pulled her from the swamp of fate?
It must be real.
Because… she didn’t feel cold anymore.
In her dream, the sun had been there.
[Personal reward delivered.]
[Good night, Yu Xin.]
