Chapter 121: Experiment
When Xia He barged into the study, Xia Suirong was in the middle of confirming Xia He’s situation with Cheng Dongshu. Seeing him, his brow twitched. “Why are you back?”
Wasn’t this kid supposed to come over on the weekend just to kick Xia Xu?
“I came back to show you the birthday cake I received.” Xia He dragged a chair over and sat at the table, unpacking the box as he spoke. “Bring over two plates.”
Cheng Dongshu called a servant, who not only brought two plates but also forks and a cake server.
Xia He gestured, then generously cut a small piece for Xia Suirong, putting the rest on his own plate.
Xia Suirong’s face darkened. “Who sent you this cake?”
What was going on with this leftover cake?!
Xia He forked a piece into his mouth. “If you don’t eat it, give it back to me.”
Xia Suirong snorted, slowly picked up a fork, and tried a bite, muttering two words: “So-so.”
Xia He casually said, “Then next year, you prepare a cake that you think is good.”
Xia Suirong lifted an eyebrow. “You’re willing to celebrate your birthday?”
“And I’m still willing to take over all the shares and assets that rightfully belong to me,” Xia He said. “Including the parts currently managed by those two things. Not a single bit less.”
Xia Suirong scolded, “How dare you call my uncle and second uncle that!”
Cheng Dongshu wiped sweat from his brow. Lord, by saying that, aren’t you admitting that the “those two things” Xia He mentioned are referring to Xia Nanzhi and Mr. Xia Xiuzhu?
Xia He didn’t respond. After finishing the cake, he didn’t clean up either. He simply shrugged and left. “I’ll come by again on the weekend. Don’t bother me unless it’s important.”
Once the study door closed, Xia Suirong pointed at it and cursed, “Look at this little brat! All he does is make me angry all day long!”
Seeing the takeaway box on the table and the utensils smeared with cream and crumbs made him even angrier. “Bringing everything home! Have you never eaten anything good?!”
Cheng Dongshu obediently stayed silent, pretending to be a potted plant. Well, technically, Lord, you did eat it when Young Master Xia He offered it to you!
Xia Suirong waved dismissively, signaling Cheng Dongshu to quickly remove the annoying things from the table.
He stood by the window for a while and then instructed: “Donate some money to Mingde, and increase the water quality in the cafeteria. That way, next time he won’t bring back such mediocre stuff.”
Gu Qinghuan didn’t know that the piece of cake she had sent had led Mingde to receive a substantial sponsorship.
She arrived again in that dark space—more precisely, thanks to Yuxin’s previous calculations, it now resembled a starry sky.
Gu Qinghuan: Whose mission progress has updated so quickly this time?
System: No.
Gu Qinghuan felt a little disappointed, but considering there hadn’t been much action recently, she quickly adjusted her mindset. Then why am I here this time?
The system hesitated: One person’s fate has undergone a significant change. The database might be affected. It is necessary to inform you of this.
Hearing “database,” Gu Qinghuan became curious.
She had long suspected that the system was “omniscient,” knowing everything that would happen in the future.
Yet the system saying that the database could be affected by one person’s fate implied that its database wasn’t complete, which was rather odd.
The system sensed her doubt: If the host doesn’t mind, I can explain from the beginning.
The root issue lies in the origin of the system’s database.
In fact, the host should have noticed this—why do these people become your mission targets?
From the perspective of fate’s diversity, everyone has a “most desperate fate,” but why does the system specifically identify Gu Qinghuan’s peers as facing the temptation of rebirth, and not others?
It’s simple: because it’s a “fact that has already happened.”
The system explained: For a long time, the world has been in opposition to that thing. To reduce losses, the world evolved a preventive measure: extreme condition experiments.
By understanding that “thing,” the system selects people likely to be chosen by it, then duplicates their fates onto the same world line.
This method cannot predict exactly who that thing will tempt, but it can act as bait.
Of course, this is just an experiment. Being duplicated into it is merely fate; human will is not involved.
To use an analogy: it’s like a device with only a casing and no circuit board—it cannot actually function.
Once it is known whose fate that thing will choose and what type of fate, the system records these fates and then enters the real world to select the host for missions.
Gu Qinghuan tried to understand: So the current database was formed through this experiment?
System: Yes. Now for the key point—host, how do you think the experiment should be terminated?
Gu Qinghuan: Uh, isn’t it just recycled directly?
System: Correct, recycled. For that, a device is needed that can destroy all fates and can self-destruct.
Gu Qinghuan had an uneasy premonition but could only listen: The self-destruct device in this world is Xia He.
Regardless of which fate he chose, Xia He would resolutely commit suicide the day before his 18th birthday.
At the same time, he would never choose rebirth, because even though he might fantasize about dying with his family, he understood more than anyone that his mother and father chose to let him live out of love.
He could not betray that love. Yet, in the process of growing up, he could not find any expectation in life comparable to that love.
He judged that continuing to live would only betray this love, so he stepped repeatedly toward death.
A person like this, as a self-destruct device, was perfectly suitable.
System: He is the only conscious human in the entire experiment. This was also agreed upon in a contract, but the memory was erased after the experiment ended.
System: He wanted to see if, under extreme conditions, anything could arise that would give him a reason to live.
System: Unfortunately, nothing like that appeared in the experiment.
Not every person placed into the experiment would be chosen by that thing. Finding those worthy of attention was very difficult.
Xia He managed to do it.
He found all the people chosen by that thing, perfected the system’s data, then ultimately destroyed all their fates and self-destructed.
From one perspective, he had found and eliminated all the world’s reserves for rebirth.
After hearing the system’s explanation, Gu Qinghuan was silent for a long time before calmly asking: So, Xia He is still alive now, and you suspect this might greatly affect the database?
System: Yes. After all, he has that kind of ability and may affect your mission.
Gu Qinghuan said: I don’t think so. I believe he is just another mission target.
However, he is not my mission target; he is his own.
I am here because the system chose me. And the system can perfect the database and select me for the mission because Xia He assisted with the experiment.
Although I certainly contributed a lot, Gu Qinghuan praised herself bluntly, it is also the result of his own choices.
No sympathy, no pity. Facing someone who has worked hard and earned their due reward, she could only feel genuine happiness.
Gu Qinghuan’s mood brightened: The more confident I become. Even someone deemed a self-destruct device like Xia He will have a chance at fate, so others will definitely be fine too.
I will create more—miracles of fate.
