Chapter 15

The next morning, Shi Ye was woken up by his own alarm clock.

She stared at the ceiling for three seconds, and her first thought was: "Lin Xiaoyu is going to talk to Qi Jin about Chu He today. Okay, let's begin the plan."

My second thought was, "Wait, why would I set an alarm? I have nothing to do!"

She sat up, ran her fingers through her messy hair, and suddenly realized—she was nervous. Yes, nervous. Not emotionally, but physically; her heart was racing, and her palms were sweating.

"System," she asked herself, "is tension also a physiological response?"

"Yes. Increased adrenaline secretion and sympathetic nerve excitation are stress responses."

Shi Ye nodded. So her body was tense, but her mind was calm. It felt strange, as if her body and mind were two independent systems.

She got out of bed to wash up, and while brushing her teeth, she said to herself in the mirror, "Today you need to act more natural. If Qi Jin asks you about Chu He, you should say, 'Oh, him? It's all in the past.' Your tone should be calm and nonchalant, like you've really let go but haven't completely let go yet."

She looked a bit silly with foam in her mouth in the mirror.

“No,” she spat out the foam, “If I had truly let go, I wouldn’t have mentioned it. So I should say, ‘Chu He? It’s been a long time since we last talked.’ Yes, that’s how I should say it.”

She rinsed her mouth, dried her face, and began practicing her expressions: "A little nostalgic, but not too nostalgic. A little sad, but not too sad. A little... never mind, what's the point of practicing expressions for someone as emotionally numb as me!"

She gave up practicing, changed her clothes, and went downstairs.

Shi Zhenghong had already gone to the company. He left breakfast and a note on the dining table: "Yeye, Dad's gone to the company. Remember to eat breakfast. —Dad"

Shi Ye glanced at breakfast—plain white porridge and pickled vegetables, as simple as ever. She suddenly remembered the elaborate breakfasts she had at Qi Jin's house and shook her head.

"I can't think about it! That's the villain's house! That's the target's house!" she warned herself.

She sat down to eat breakfast, glancing at her phone as she ate. Lin Xiaoyu sent a message: "Sister Shi Ye! I'm off to see my senior! Wish me luck!"

Shi Ye replied: "Keep it up. Be natural."

"Don't worry! My acting skills are top-notch!"

Shi Ye put down her phone, and that slight physical tension returned. Lin Xiaoyu's acting... was she really confident in her? That kid couldn't hide anything; could she really act well?

She forced herself to finish breakfast, then decided to find something to distract herself. What to do? Draw? No, yesterday she'd only managed to draw half of Qi Jin's outline. Read? She couldn't concentrate.

Finally, she decided to clean. She started in the living room, wiping the tables, mopping the floor, and organizing the bookshelves.

As she wiped the bookshelf, she saw the sketches drawn by the original owner of the body. She had hidden Qi Jin's sketches, but the other drawings were still there—landscapes, still lifes, and some abstract paintings.

She picked up a painting; it depicted a street after the rain. It was beautifully painted, with delicate handling of light and shadow, revealing the original owner's skill.

“If you were still here,” Shi Ye whispered to the painting, “how would you handle the current situation?”

The painting, of course, will not answer.

Shi Ye put the painting back and continued cleaning. When she wiped the coffee table, she saw the design exhibition proposal that Qi Jin had sent yesterday still lying there. On the last page, Qi Jin's handwriting was clearly visible.

She stared at the line of text for a few seconds, then closed the plan and stuffed it into the coffee table drawer.

Out of sight, out of mind.

After cleaning the living room, she began cleaning her own room. While tidying her desk, she found an old photo—a class photo from the original owner's middle school days.

She recognized Chu He at a glance. He was standing in the middle of the second row, wearing a school uniform, smiling brightly. The original owner of this body was standing diagonally behind him, also smiling happily.

The back of the photo reads: "Graduation photo of Class 2, Grade 12, June 201X. Senior Chuhe is going to America. Goodbye."

The handwriting is neat and legible; it is the original owner's handwriting.

Looking at the photo, Shi Ye suddenly felt a little... guilty? Not emotionally, but rationally. Using the original owner's first love as a tool seemed a bit immoral.

"I'm sorry," she said to the photo, "I'll borrow it for now, and return it when I'm done."

She put the photo back and continued cleaning. But her mind kept wandering: Lin Xiaoyu should have seen Qi Jin by now, right? What were they talking about? How would Qi Jin react to hearing about Chu He?

The phone suddenly rang, startling Shi Ye so much that she almost threw the rag away. She picked up the phone and saw that it was Lin Xiaoyu calling.

"Hello?" she answered, her voice a little nervous.

"Sister Shi!" Lin Xiaoyu's voice sounded... excited? "I told her! I told my senior!"

"What did you say?" Shi Ye asked. "What did you say?"

“I’ll do as you say!” Lin Xiaoyu said. “I told you that you’ve been looking at your middle school photos a lot lately, and you’ll stare blankly when you see Chuhe’s picture. I also told you that Chuhe used to come to your house to see you often, and your mom still remembers him.”

Shi Ye: "..." This is way too detailed!

"Then... what was Qi Jin's reaction?" she asked cautiously.

"Senior sister..." Lin Xiaoyu paused, "She didn't react much."

"No reaction?" Shi Ye frowned. "What does that mean?"

“She was very calm,” Lin Xiaoyu said. “After I finished speaking, she nodded and said ‘I understand.’ Then she continued to talk to me about the design exhibition.”

Shi Ye: "..." That's it? Qi Jin heard that she had a senior she had a crush on for many years, and all he replied was "I know"? That reaction was too... bland!

"She didn't ask anything?" Shi Ye asked unwillingly.

“She asked,” Lin Xiaoyu said. “She asked where Chu He was now, and I said he was studying abroad. She asked if you two were still in contact, and I said I didn’t think so. She just said ‘oh,’ and that was it.”

Shi Ye remained silent. So Qi Jin's reaction was: He knows, but doesn't care? That doesn't make sense! Given Qi Jin's obsession with her, shouldn't he be a little...dejected to hearing that she has a crush on someone?!

"Sister Shi," Lin Xiaoyu said softly, "I think... you might not believe me."

"Don't you believe me?" Shi Ye was taken aback. "Why?"

"Because after listening to her, my senior smiled," Lin Xiaoyu said. "It wasn't a happy smile, it was the kind of smile that said, 'I know what you're talking about.'"

Shi Ye's heart skipped a beat. Qi Jin saw through it? He saw through their act?!

"Did she say anything else?" Shi Ye asked quickly.

“She said,” Lin Xiaoyu mimicked Qi Jin’s tone, “'Xiaoyu, thank you for telling me all this. But some things aren’t so easy to change.'”

Shi Ye: "..." It's over, Qi Jin really saw through it.

"What should I do?" she asked, a little panicked.

"I don't know either..." Lin Xiaoyu said, "How about... you think of another way?"

Shi Ye hung up the phone and sat on the edge of the bed, her mind blank. Plan A had failed. Qi Jin not only didn't believe it, but he also saw through their act.

What should she do? Plan B? Does she have a Plan B?

"System," she asked weakly, "what do we do now?"

"Suggestion: Adjust the strategy. Since Qi Jin doesn't believe it, add more 'evidence' to make the story more believable."

"What evidence?"

"For example: establishing actual contact with Chu He and creating communication records; or posting related nostalgic content on social media."

Shi Ye thought for a moment. Contact Chu He? She didn't know that person at all, how could she contact him? Besides, Chu He was abroad, and the time difference was wrong.

Posting nostalgic content on social media...that's a good idea.

She opened the original owner's social media account—it hadn't been used in a long time, and the last post was from six months ago. She flipped through her middle school photo album and, sure enough, found many photos of Chu He.

She chose the most ambiguous one—a photo of the original owner and Chu He in the library. The two were very close, Chu He was smiling, and the original owner was looking at him.

Caption: "Slipping through old photos, memories of the past came flooding back. Some people, some things, I thought I'd forgotten, but they're still in my heart. #Nostalgia #HighSchoolDays"

After sending it, she stared at the screen for a long time. Was that enough? Qi Jin should be able to see it, right?

But then a question suddenly occurred to her: Would Qi Jin look at her social media accounts? Qi Jin is so busy, he probably wouldn't, right?

Just then, my phone vibrated. Someone had liked that post.

Shi Ye clicked on it and saw that it was Qi Jin.

Qi Jin not only liked the post, but also commented: "Well done."

Shi Ye: "..." What kind of reaction is this?! Seeing his fiancée post an ambiguous photo with her former crush, and he just replies "Not bad"?! Qi Jin, is something wrong with you?!

She stared at that comment for a long time, and suddenly felt... a little angry? No, not angry, but... frustrated? Yes, frustrated. Her plan had failed; Qi Jin not only hadn't fallen for it, but it seemed like he was toying with her.

She turned off her phone, deciding to give up. Whatever, she wasn't going to do the task... But no, she had to.

“System,” she asked, “what’s the current mission progress?”

"Qi Jin's favorability towards Lin Xiaoyu: 49/100. Lin Xiaoyu's favorability towards Qi Jin: 48/100. No change from yesterday."

Shi Ye collapsed onto the bed, covering her face with a pillow. So after all that effort, she hadn't made any progress. Qi Jin still liked her, but Lin Xiaoyu still didn't feel anything; she was still wasting her time.

She lay in bed for half an hour until she got hungry and got up. She went downstairs to find something to eat, but there wasn't much in the refrigerator except for eggs and noodles.

She decided to cook a bowl of noodles. Boil water, add noodles, crack an egg. It was simple, but she was completely flustered while cooking—could the original owner even cook? She didn't know, but she certainly couldn't.

The noodles were cooked; they didn't look particularly appetizing, but they were edible. She carried the noodles back to the living room, turned on the TV, and randomly picked a variety show to watch.

The people on TV were laughing and making a ruckus, but she couldn't focus. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the mission: Qi Jin, Lin Xiaoyu, Chu He…

My phone vibrated again. This time it was Qi Jin calling.

Shi Ye stared at the two characters "Qi Jin" on the screen, her heart starting to race again. She took a deep breath and answered, "Hello?"

"At home?" Qi Jin's voice was calm.

"Um."

"Have you got a meal yet?"

"Eating now."

What did you eat?

"Noodle."

"Did you cook it yourself?"

"Um."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone: "Is it good?"

Shi Ye glanced at the mushy mess of noodles in the bowl: "...It's alright."

"I'll have someone send some food over," Qi Jin said. "Eating only noodles isn't nutritious."

"No need..." Shi Ye wanted to refuse.

“It’s already arranged,” Qi Jin interrupted her. “I’ll be there in half an hour.”

Shi Ye: "..." How can this person be so domineering?!

“Qi Jin,” she couldn’t help but say, “you don’t have to do this.”

"how?"

“You don’t need to be so nice to me,” Shi Ye said. “You know what I’m doing, and you know I don’t feel anything. You’re not worth it.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone again. This time, the silence lasted even longer.

"Whether it's worth it or not is up to me," Qi Jin finally said. "You eat your noodles, I'll bring my food, there's no conflict."

Shi Ye was speechless. Holding her phone, listening to the breathing on the other end, she suddenly felt... powerless.

“Qi Jin,” she said softly, “why…are you so stubborn?”

"Because it's you," Qi Jin said simply. "If it were someone else, I wouldn't do this."

Shi Ye's nose suddenly felt a little sore—another physiological reaction.

“I…” She didn’t know what to say.

“Shi Ye,” Qi Jin’s voice was soft, “you don’t need to feel pressured. It’s my business that I like you. Whether you accept it or not is your business. Let’s just do our own thing.”

Shi Ye hung up the phone, stared at the noodles in the bowl, and suddenly lost his appetite.

Qi Jin was right; she didn't need to feel pressured. But she did feel pressured—the pressure of the mission, the pressure of the world, and… a pressure she herself couldn't quite explain.

Half an hour later, the doorbell rang. Shi Ye opened the door, and a deliveryman in uniform was there, carrying a nicely packaged food box.

"Miss Shi? This is the food Mr. Qi ordered." The deliveryman handed her the food container.

Shi Ye took the food box; it was heavy. She closed the door, took it to the dining room, and opened it—a three-tiered box. The first tier contained dishes: sweet and sour pork ribs, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and Mapo tofu. The second tier contained soup: tomato and egg soup. The third tier contained rice and dessert: rice and a small matcha cake.

Everything was something she liked.

Looking at the dishes, Shi Ye felt that slight physical discomfort return. Qi Jin remembered all her preferences, even that she had eaten matcha cake yesterday.

She sat down and began to eat. The food tasted the same as before, exactly the same as what she had eaten at Qi Jin's house. Did Qi Jin have it cooked at the same restaurant, or... did he cook it himself?

She didn't know, and she didn't want to know.

After finishing her meal, she washed the lunchbox and placed it by the door. Then she returned to the living room and continued watching TV.

But she couldn't concentrate on watching TV. She picked up her phone, opened her social media app, and saw that Qi Jin's comment was still there: "Well done."

Below, there was even a comment from Lin Xiaoyu: "Wow! Senior Chuhe is so handsome! Sister Shiye is so beautiful too!"

Shi Ye: "..." Why is this kid adding to the drama?!

She opened Lin Xiaoyu's private message: "Xiaoyu, don't comment randomly."

Lin Xiaoyu replied instantly: "I didn't make any random comments! I was just telling the truth! Senior Chuhe is really handsome!"

Shi Ye sighed, "If you do this, Qi Jin will be even less likely to believe you."

"No way!" Lin Xiaoyu said, "The more natural I am, the more my senior will believe me!"

Shi Ye felt she couldn't reason with this kid. She exited the chat and saw that Qi Jin had posted a new update—a photo of the design exhibition venue with the caption: "Preparing."

Many people liked and commented below, mostly business partners or friends. Shi Ye also liked the post, then turned off his phone.

She lay on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. Nothing had been accomplished today. The plan had failed, the mission stalled, Qi Jin remained stubborn, and Lin Xiaoyu remained naive.

But she still couldn't feel it.

“System,” she asked softly, “if the mission fails, will the world really collapse?”

"Probability analysis: The probability of mission failure leading to world line collapse is 87%."

"What if... I tell Qi Jin the truth? That I'm from another time, that I have a system mission?"

"Warning: Revealing the existence of the system will result in the erasure of consciousness."

Shi Ye smiled, a bitter smile. So she had no choice. She had to complete the mission, she had to bring Qi Jin and Lin Xiaoyu together, she had to… push Qi Jin to someone else.

Even though Qi Jin said he could wait a lifetime.

Even though she herself... seemed a little reluctant to complete the task.

Wait, when did this thought come to mind?

Shi Ye sat up, deep in thought. She didn't want to complete the mission anymore? Why? Because Qi Jin had been too good to her? Because she felt guilty? Or because of… something else?

She didn't know.

All she knew was that the mission had to continue.

And her heart seemed... even more confused.

My phone vibrated again. This time it was Shi Zhenghong: "Yeye, Dad won't be home for dinner tonight. You'll have to fend for yourself."

Shi Ye replied, "Okay."

She put down her phone and looked out the window at the sky. It was already evening; the sun was setting, and the sky was dyed orange-red.

It's beautiful, but she can't feel the beauty.

She stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the Qi Group building in the distance. The building was lit up; Qi Jin was probably still working.

"Qi Jin," she whispered to the window, "I'm sorry."

The window will not answer.

She turned around, went back to her room, and lay down on the bed.

Today is over.

Tomorrow... we still have to continue.

The mission must continue.

And she has to keep acting.

Play a person with a heart, in a world without a heart.