Chapter 39
The cold wind in the elevator shaft seemed to actually seep into the back of Shi Ye's neck, making her hair stand on end. Qi Jin's sentence wasn't a question, but a statement, as calm as saying "The weather is nice today," but every word was like an icicle, precisely piercing through her clumsy performance just now.
"I..." Shi Ye opened her mouth, her mind blank. The system was flashing red lights frantically, but to no avail. Admit it? Say, "Yes, I just wanted to push you to Lin Xiaoyu"? Was she courting death? Deny it? Qi Jin's eyes seemed to see right through the system crashing in her head.
"I didn't..." she denied instinctively, her voice dry and unconvincing.
Qi Jin didn't expose her immediately. She simply looked at Shi Ye quietly, her gaze like a scalpel, slowly and carefully dissecting her panic and guilt. The smell of disinfectant in the clinic corridor became particularly pungent, and the faint sounds of the nurses' station's call bell and hushed conversations could be heard in the distance.
Then, Qi Jin tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on Shi Ye's slightly trembling fingers. "What are you afraid of?" she asked, her tone still calm. "Afraid that I'm with Xiao Yu? Or afraid of... something else?"
Shi Ye's heart felt like it was being clenched by an invisible hand. What was she afraid of? Was she afraid of the world collapsing if the mission failed? Was she afraid of the 71% forced connection? Or was she afraid... that Qi Jin would truly be completely disappointed in her and turn away?
Even she couldn't tell the difference.
"Qi Jin, I..." She tried to organize her thoughts, but her mind was a jumbled mess, with the system's alarm and Qi Jin's calm gaze clashing in her consciousness.
“Shi Ye.” Qi Jin interrupted her, taking a step forward and shortening the already small distance between them. The corridor wasn’t narrow, but her approach brought an invisible sense of oppression. “I don’t like riddles, and I don’t like being pushed around.”
Her voice was very low, only the two of them could hear: "If you don't have those feelings for me, you can just tell me. I can wait, and I can accept it. But don't do it this way."
She paused, something darkening in the depths of her eyes: "Treat me as an object that can be freely disposed of to others, or as an obstacle to your completion of some... 'task'."
Shi Ye's breath hitched. A mission? Had Qi Jin sensed something?
“I didn’t…” she retorted with difficulty, but her voice was as weak as a mosquito’s buzz.
“You have,” Qi Jin said decisively. “Ever since you agreed to the engagement, you’ve been doing this. Creating opportunities for me and Xiaoyu to spend time together, hinting at her good qualities, and even tonight…” She tugged at the corners of her mouth, a cold smile, “the first thing you said after the follow-up appointment was about Xiaoyu’s competition, asking me to encourage her.”
She looked at Shi Ye's face, which had turned pale instantly, and continued, "Shi Ye, I'm not stupid. I'm just wondering, what is the reason that makes you so determined to do this?"
Reason? Shi Ye wanted to smile bitterly. The reason was that she had a broken system in her head; if she didn't complete the mission, the world might be doomed, and this system had just been upgraded and returned, full of fighting spirit.
But can she say it?
A pale light streamed through the window at the end of the corridor, making Qi Jin's face appear somewhat pale as well. A small corner of the band-aid on her forehead curled up, giving her a vulnerable and real look that she didn't usually possess.
“Qi Jin,” Shi Ye took a deep breath and decided to change his perspective, “Xiao Yu is a good girl. She is very talented and likes you very much…admiring you. Being together would be good for both of you.”
She herself found her words laughably hypocritical. But what else could she say?
Qi Jin's gaze turned completely cold. The last bit of warmth within him vanished, leaving only a frozen stillness.
"Good for both of us?" she repeated, her tone eerily flat. "Shi Ye, what's your definition of 'good'? Maximizing business profits? Or do you think... this will free you from that?"
Liberation? Shi Ye was stung by this word.
"I don't……"
"Whether you have it or not, you know it yourself." Qi Jin took a step back, creating distance. The invisible pressure disappeared, replaced by a colder, more distant estrangement. "The pharmacy is over there, go get it yourself."
After she finished speaking, she turned and walked towards the elevator without looking back.
Shi Ye stood frozen in place, watching her figure disappear around the corner. The corridor was empty, save for the smell of disinfectant and her own pounding heart.
In my mind, the system's electronic voice sounded at just the right moment, carrying an eerie calm:
[Detected emotional fluctuation in target Qi Jin: Negative (disappointed/indifferent). No change in his affection for Lin Xiaoyu. The host's matchmaking efforts have been detected; strategy needs adjustment. Warning: Overly obvious matchmaking may trigger a negative reaction from the target, reducing the mission's success rate.]
Shi Ye: "..."
All she wanted to do right now was to rip this damn system out of her head, throw it on the ground, and stomp on it.
Rebellious mentality? Is Qi Jin's behavior rebellious? That's a death sentence for her!
She stood there, feeling all the strength drain from her body. The wound on the sole of her foot throbbed, and her stomach felt empty and uneasy. Last night's terror, this morning's chaos, the system restart, Qi Jin's questioning... everything felt like heavy stones, pressing down on her and making it hard to breathe.
She slowly moved to the bench by the wall and sat down, burying her face in her hands. The cool palms against her forehead slightly relieved the burning sensation.
what to do?
Should the mission continue? Qi Jin had already seen through it all. If they continued to try to match them up, wouldn't that only push her further away?
If she didn't bring them together, the mission would fail, and the world would collapse... She glanced at the sky outside the window at the end of the corridor; it was gray and showed no signs of anything unusual. But those snowy screens, pixelated images, and forcibly linked progress bars from last night... they were all real.
She was trapped.
I don't know how long I sat there, until a nurse passed by and kindly reminded me, "Ms. Shi? The pharmacy is about to close."
Shi Ye snapped out of her daze and glanced at the time. Almost twenty minutes had passed. She struggled to her feet and headed towards the pharmacy.
She picked up her medicine and walked out of the clinic building. Qi Jin's car was still parked in the same spot. She walked over, opened the car door, and got in.
Qi Jin was looking at his phone when he heard the sound. He glanced up, said nothing, put his phone away, and started the car.
The carriage was deathly silent. The only sounds were the deep rumble of the engine and the city noise flowing outside the window.
Shi Ye stared at the rapidly receding street scene outside the window, her mind a jumbled mess. The system remained eerily silent, probably deciding it wasn't the right moment to issue any more task prompts or provoke her.
The car arrived at the downstairs of Shiye's house.
"Thank you," Shi Ye said softly, unbuckling his seatbelt and preparing to get out of the car.
“Shi Ye,” Qi Jin suddenly spoke.
Shi Ye paused, then turned to look at her.
Qi Jin didn't look at her; his gaze was fixed on the steering wheel, his fingers unconsciously tapping the leather surface. "You asked me before if I would be sad if something happened to me last night."
Shi Ye's heart leaped into his throat.
"Now I want to ask you a question too." Qi Jin finally turned his head to look at her, his eyes calm, a calmness that sent shivers down her spine. "If one day I really do as you 'arrange,' and end up with Xiaoyu, or with someone else, and completely disappear from your life—"
She paused, her voice clear and slow:
Will you regret it?
Shi Ye's breathing stopped.
regret?
Will she regret it?
If Qi Jin really leaves, never to appear before her again, never to bring her hot soup again, never to watch over her in the darkness again, never to look at her with that focused and stubborn gaze again...
She imagined the scene.
A sharp, stabbing pain spread through my heart, like being pricked by a needle.
It wasn't a physiological reaction; it was... a deeper, more unfamiliar sense of emptiness.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say "no," wanting to say "that would be best," wanting to say "everyone would be free."
But those words stuck in her throat, like hard stones, choking her and preventing her from making a sound.
Qi Jin watched her struggle and silence, his eyes darkening for a moment, but quickly regaining their calm and undisturbed state.
"I understand." She turned her gaze back to the front. "Let's go up."
Shi Ye seemed to have been granted a pardon; he almost frantically pushed open the car door and rushed into the apartment building as if fleeing.
Only after the elevator doors closed, cutting off the outside world, did she lean against the cold metal wall, panting heavily.
The system's voice echoed softly in my mind:
[Host's emotional fluctuations detected: intense (conflict/pain/fear). Meets the 'Emotional Experience Fragment' collection threshold. Redeem 'Regret Emotional Experience Fragment (Trial Version)'? Redemption requires 5 task points. Current points: 0.]
Shi Ye: "..."
She stared at her pale, lifeless face reflected in the elevator mirror, and for the first time, she felt a destructive impulse towards this so-called "system" and "mission".
Screw matchmaking.
Screw the Honkai Impact 3rd.
Screw forced association.
All she wants right now is...all she wants to do is...
The elevator arrived at the floor and the doors opened.
Shi Ye went outside and stood at his own door, but did not open the door immediately.
She turned around and looked downstairs.
Qi Jin's car was still parked there, not moved.
The car windows were closed, and the people inside could not be seen.
But she knew that Qi Jin was still there.
Just like countless times before, I waited downstairs, watching and guarding.
Even though she had just pushed me away in the most hurtful way.
Shi Ye leaned against the cold door panel and slowly, slowly slid down to sit on the ground.
She buried her face in her knees, her shoulders trembling slightly.
No tears. Depression seemed to have drained her of all her moisture, making even crying a luxury.
But that unfamiliar, sharp pain that spread from the depths of my heart felt incredibly real.
The system was still in her mind, calmly analyzing:
[Detected that target Qi Jin has not left and has stayed longer than usual. Behavioral pattern analysis: Still showing concern and protectiveness. It is speculated that his emotional investment in the host has not significantly decreased due to the conflict. The host can use this to adjust strategies, re-establishing contact through 'dependence' or 'showing weakness,' and then gradually guiding him...]
Shi Ye did not listen to the whole thing.
She simply sat on the floor, in the empty corridor, at her own doorstep, under Qi Jin's silent gaze (she knew he was watching), feeling that unfamiliar and surging pain.
Do you regret it?
She didn't know.
But she knew she was afraid.
They were afraid that Qi Jin would really disappear.
She was afraid that the person she had been trying to push away would actually be pushed away by her.
She feared that in this world that was slowly crumbling, she would lose the last bit of genuine and persistent warmth with her own hands.
The motion-activated lights in the corridor went out silently due to the prolonged silence.
Darkness descended.
Only the car downstairs still had a faint light on its dashboard.
Like a stubborn star that refuses to go out in the darkness.
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