Chapter 80 If the Creator Likes You—…

Do you...like it?

Zhou Jiyue's pupils trembled, unable to believe what he had just heard. This was liking? What a joke! How could he possibly like his own patient? Or rather, liking this inexplicable, illogical, time-wasting thing? He really wanted to laugh, to say that Pei Ci was daydreaming, to say that Pei Ci was talking nonsense, to say that Pei Ci was being delusional and self-righteous. But after thinking it over, the sharp, biting, and teeth-gritting words that he wanted to stab her with all his might fell silent under Pei Ci's calm gaze.

He knew she was right.

He had sensed his abnormality long ago, whether it was from prolonged staring, focusing his curiosity, or suddenly going blank while typing on the computer, and then, upon regaining his senses, noticing the dense numbers and the discordant appearance of the two characters "Pei Ci" in the decomposition formula.

He was sometimes excited, sometimes indignant, sometimes irritable, and sometimes felt an inescapable sense of frustration, but all of these feelings vanished the moment he saw the girl.

But is this what liking someone is?

He had seen too many fools fall in love with others, utterly stupid. And now, such a person had become the pathetic, laughable, and inexplicable version of himself.

In her eyes...

Am I really like that?

Zhou Jiyue suddenly felt a fire burning all over his body. He felt like he was being burned to ashes and was utterly ashamed.

No--

No!

No--

His heart was pounding, his eyelids were burning, and his overloaded brain couldn't process the information at hand. He could only rely on his instincts, so when Pei Ci came close again, he covered her eyes with his hot fingers.

He felt his soft eyelashes trembling, like a butterfly perched on a flower.

Oh, no.

"Hmm..."

Hearing her soft hum, he hurriedly put her down. He dared not look into Pei Ci's eyes again, dared not see the absurd emotions in them. Hmm… he was a coward, a coward…

so--

Before Pei Ci could react at all, the coward fled in panic.

Pei Ci watched his retreating figure without chasing after him. The reason she exposed Zhou Jiyue's feelings for her was mainly to prevent Zhou Jiyue from continuing to ask her why she sought out Zhou Songyin. Zhou Jiyue was too intelligent, too rational, and too calm. When he wanted to investigate something thoroughly, nothing could escape his notice.

Therefore, she had to make his mind chaotic, his thoughts overloaded, and his mind so absorbed in his own world that he had no time to think about anything else.

Clearly, Pei Ci made the right bet.

Zhou Jiyue was indeed in a state of confusion.

The results were amazing.

But does liking something have such great magic?

Ye Zhaoxue revealed her real name for her sake, which even affected the hatred etched into her bones.

An Yinyou's affection was enough to make him give up his own interests and forge ahead even knowing that Lu Ran would cruelly retaliate against him.

Jinglin's affection was grand yet silent; even as he rotted and withered beside Lu Ran, he still wanted to witness everything about her and regard her happiness as the most sublime and flawless thing.

Even someone as intelligent and rational as Zhou Jiyue made mistakes and lost control of her emotions time and time again.

Lu Ran was even more so. A vicious wild dog would only sheathe its fangs in front of her, be despised, ignored, abandoned, and alienated. No matter how outrageous the things he did, he would eagerly offer her the reins. After being treated particularly badly, he would only let out a pitiful groan.

They are the male lead, the male supporting character, the people who stand at the very top of this world and should be the most arrogant and unrestrained, but in front of her, they all become ordinary.

—What if I said I like kind people?

Will they change?

No, they won't change. Their family background, their upbringing, and their long-standing habits and ways of doing things can't be erased. But in her presence, they will only be good people.

Always wear the cloak of kindness.

They would do anything for her.

Yes, because they love her.

But Pei Ci was genuinely confused. If love really had such great power, why would someone say they liked her and then abandon her as a burden?

Pei Ci was somewhat dazed.

That night, she had another dream.

She was sitting half-upright on the hospital bed, waiting for the nurse to give her an injection, but the girl sitting next to her kept staring at her.

"Why are you staring at me?" Pei Ci asked, unable to bear it any longer.

“She’s beautiful,” the girl said bluntly. “I’ve never seen anyone so beautiful.”

"You are really special."

special?

Pei Ci didn't understand what the girl meant. There are so many people in the world, and so many beautiful people. What's so special about her?

Perhaps noticing the confusion on her face, the girl smiled and said, "You've really been well taken care of. You're beautiful, clean, and even have a kind of naive oblivion."

"But you shouldn't have done that."

“Someone as beautiful as you, yet without the background or family connections to match you.” The girl’s smile was so bright it seemed almost fake. “I’ve seen many like you. They are prey, toys, lovers kept in the shadows.”

They were elevated to a high position, only to be brought crashing down when they no longer pleased the audience. Of course, some were more fiery; they bled profusely and perhaps withered away prematurely.

And so you quietly grow in this soil, showing the world your miracle.

"Isn't it quite special?"

So that's what she meant...

Pei Ci blinked. She looked at her fingers; they were pale and weak, but there were no signs of hard work on them. This certainly proved that she was doing well, and indeed, that was the case.

She lost her parents at a very young age and became a commodity to be picked over. However, she was lucky enough to meet a kind person who took her home.

"The conditions aren't great, so you'll have to come with me."

"You can call me brother from now on."

He introduced his home with a smile; his smile and demeanor were sunny, handsome, dashing, and full of vitality.

So she asked, "Why me?"

"Why?" The young man scratched his head awkwardly, his eyes sparkling like stars in the sky. "I have knight syndrome, and you..."

"She perfectly matches my image of a princess."

"Your Highness, let's rely on each other from now on."

Later, Pei Ci moved into his home, a small, sparsely furnished, and empty space. Then, because of her arrival, there were tables and chairs, colorful clothes, and fresh flowers in mineral water bottles. But later, all of these things disappeared, replaced by boxes and boxes of medicine, the pungent smell of disinfectant, and cold medical equipment.

Pei Ci's life underwent tremendous changes. She experienced confusion and bewilderment, and even contemplated her ultimate fate. Meanwhile, he would always have a pair of hands caressing his cheeks. His smile remained unchanged, radiant and warm, and his words always carried an unprecedented vitality.

He said, "Wait a minute, Aci, I'm going to take you to see this colorful world."

"Hmm...why do that?"

"I often wonder if there's any possibility that a knight and a princess could end up together."

Pei Ci had never met such a sunny and cheerful person, as if she had an inexhaustible energy to face the world. Being with her, her carefree world seemed to have gained some kind of meaning to continue existing.

Hmm...

Then let's live.

Live well.

Will the prince and princess end up together?

Is this what it means to like someone?

Yeah?

She hadn't figured it out yet, but things soon changed.

"I'm sorry," the young man said with a bright smile, "A-Ci will have to walk this path alone."

Are you alone?

So, in the end, you gave up on me too?

Looking at the empty room, Pei Ci fell into a long silence. She was too oblivious; because she rarely interacted with people, she was even unaware of the sadness and pain she was experiencing. She simply thought she was having an episode, but it didn't matter; she would take her medicine, and the next day, she would feel better!

And she must move forward.

Having come this far, she no longer wanted to back down.

“You’re right.” Thinking about the past, Pei Ci nodded in deep agreement.

"Right? You're a miracle." The girl touched her hair, then the bandages wrapped around her neck and chest, and smiled brightly for no apparent reason.

The conversation should have ended there, but after a period of silence, Pei Ci spoke up first: "Actually... I'm going to wither away too."

"How could that be? Ah Ci, you're so beautiful, so radiant, so loved by so many people, you..."

She talked on and on, and Pei Ci let her talk. When she ran out of things to say and looked at her sullenly, Pei Ci slowly said, "I saw a picture of your fiancé."

When did you see it?

It must have been a corner of the photo that accidentally peeked out from under the pillow one day when the nurse was cleaning the room. Pei Ci saw it when the nurse carefully put it back. Although the photo never reappeared under the girl's pillow after that.

He was dressed in a suit and tie, his hair dyed a brilliant blonde, his face still the same, bright and sunny like the sun. He was arm in arm with a young girl, who was equally young and vibrant.

These are two suns.

When the suns are together, their heat is not absorbed or weakened; instead, they become even brighter and more colorful.

“You two are a perfect match,” Pei Ci said sincerely.

"A-Ci!!" the girl suddenly cried out anxiously.

"Ah Ci, no, you've misunderstood—"

"I didn't, I didn't!!!"

"It's nothing." Looking at the girl who was anxiously explaining, Pei Ci showed no anger. She was very calm, perhaps because she had long ago realized that the sun did not belong to her and that there would be no future for them.

Actually, she had been quite tired of being bothered by the girl these past few days, and it was time to end it. So Pei Ci brought it up and said, "It was the lottery that suddenly won, the hospital room we shared, and your abnormally enthusiastic conversation. You planned all of this, didn't you?"

“If I’m not mistaken, you’ve been malicious from the very beginning. You wanted to see what kind of person I was. You despised and looked down on me, trying to find fault with me. Even the characters you wrote, those despicable supporting characters overshadowed by the heroine, all bear my shadow.”

“I…A-Ci…” She almost cried as she reached out to hug her, “I, I…I’m sorry, A-Ci.”

"It's alright." Pei Ci touched the girl's curly hair, the light falling on her with a gentle, comforting warmth. She forgave the girl so easily, not because she was kind, but simply because…

"You may have been malicious, but what I felt was the warmth of the sun."

“Perhaps…” Feeling the waves of pain in her heart, Pei Ci’s emotions became increasingly calm, “dying in the light is my destiny.”

The girl in her dreams was always veiled, but this time, she actually saw the girl's face in her dream. She had reddish-brown eyes, beautiful curly hair, and a face that was both heroic and beautiful, bearing a resemblance to the heroine in her writing.

etc……

The female lead?

Pei Ci suddenly opened her eyes, waking from a dream to a snow-white ceiling and the coldness beneath her. She sat up abruptly, only then realizing that she wasn't in her own room, but on an operating table.

So I've had another attack?

Then he was taken to the operating room.

She rubbed her forehead, feeling a sharp, throbbing pain in her head. However, she still felt something was amiss, because the ward was unusually dark, with only a few lights casting a dim glow, unlike the wards she usually stayed in.

She felt increasingly uneasy and couldn't help but get off the operating table.

To be fair, the operating room was indeed fully equipped, with all kinds of cutting-edge medical equipment. However, there was one thing Pei Ci didn't understand: why was there an extra bed covered in black cloth next to it?

There seems to be something on the bed.

like……

It's a person.

For some reason, Pei Ci's heart began to pound wildly, a premonition that a terrifying truth was about to be revealed.

Reveal...?

...Or should we not reveal it?

After a brief hesitation, she walked towards the operating table, took a deep breath, and Pei Ci reached out, slowly lifting the sheet. Under the black sheet was a thin body, dressed in surgical scrubs, her hands and feet firmly handcuffed to the operating table. She had curly hair and a few playful freckles on her cheeks. Although her eyes were closed, Pei Ci easily recognized who this person was.

It is Ye Qingyu.

The true female protagonist of this novel.

This novel was written by the girl who shared a hospital room with her. She wrote herself into the novel and gave the female protagonist, Ye Qingyu, her own personality.

The reason why there is a Pei Ci in the novel who looks exactly like her is also easy to explain. Pei Ci, the eldest daughter of the Pei family in this novel, is a character created by the girl based on Pei Ci.

The female protagonist and the vicious female supporting character in the novel are actually the young girl and her.

Because the girl disliked her in real life, she was written as a villainous supporting character to highlight her flaws.

I see.

So that's how it is.

That's how it should be.

However, she suddenly remembered that the girl had revised the manuscript many times in the later stages, and each revision was for this villainous female supporting character. As a result, the character of Pei Ci had various different personas.

However, Pei Ci's character design has never been finalized.

This is perhaps why she is so special in this world.

Because even the creator of this world doesn't know what Pei Ci's character is like, her character is vague, which actually means there aren't many plot constraints.

It's complicated, it's just too complicated.

Pei Ci's head was throbbing more and more, and her heart was also aching terribly. Just then, Pei Ci heard the sound of the operating room door opening.