Chapter 61
Su Xiao (Shi Ye) sat in the back seat of the taxi, gazing out the window at the familiar yet unfamiliar city streetscape rushing past. A suitcase stood beside her, containing Su Xiao's simple clothes and several thick books on art theory. Her phone screen lit up, displaying a welcome email and internship instructions from "Su Guang Space."
Everything felt so real. The rough texture of my fingertips rubbing against the canvas suitcase handle, the faint fragrance of the air conditioning in the car, even the local opera playing on the driver's radio. The twenty-three years of memories belonging to "Su Xiao" were like a well-printed but plain biography, neatly placed in my consciousness, ready to be flipped through at any time.
There was only a hollow space in my chest. It wasn't painful, but something more eerie—an emptiness. It was as if something heavy, hot, or cold should have been stuffed there, but now it had been ripped out, leaving only a smooth, chilly hole through which the wind could pass directly.
She knew what had been removed. The system called it "emotional module residual isolation."
That's good. Lightly equipped, perfect for getting things done.
The taxi entered the city and passed the huge electronic screen in the city center square. The screen was displaying a midday news flash, and the image of Qi Jin appeared briefly. She stood in what appeared to be a press conference, dressed in a pure black suit, her face still pale, but her jawline was extremely taut, and her eyes were sharp as unsheathed ice blades. She was speaking briefly into the microphone, and the subtitles read: "Qi Group announces that it has filed multiple lawsuits and anti-monopoly investigation applications against Qin Group-related companies..."
The Qi Jin in the picture and the woman in my memory who would heat milk in the kitchen late at night, clumsily brush away fallen leaves, and hold her tightly in her arms before the explosion are like looking through thick frosted glass. Their outlines are similar, but their cores exude completely different, chilling aura that keeps strangers away.
Su Xiao looked away.
One of the mission objectives, status: Revenge mode fully activated. Good, that means I wasn't completely out of my mind from the explosion.
The phone vibrated; it was a voice message from a friend Su Xiao had recently met in China, also studying art. She opened it, and a lively female voice chattered out: "Xiao Xiao, have you arrived yet? There's a small-scale internal preview at 'Tracing the Light' tonight, a bit experimental. I heard they've invited some special guests, and there might be some influential people involved! I got you an invitation; it's a rare opportunity! I'll send you the address!"
The location is followed by a location: a well-known cultural and creative arts district in the city center.
Su Xiao replied, "Thank you, see you tonight." In the early stages of the mission, no opportunity to make contact with the target circle could be missed.
She put away her phone and looked out the window again.
As the taxi waited at a red light, parallel to a silver sedan in the next lane, her gaze inadvertently swept across the rear window of that car.
The car window was half-rolled down.
A young woman was sitting in the back seat.
Her profile was soft, with long eyelashes and a sickly pale complexion. She was slightly furrowed, staring at the tablet computer lying on her lap, her fingertips unconsciously tapping the screen. She wore a beige knitted cardigan, and around her neck…
There was nothing there.
But that face—
Shi Ye's face.
Su Xiao's breath caught in his throat for a fraction of a second. A sharp, piercing pain, like an electric shock, shot through the hollow in his heart! It wasn't emotion, but some deeper, conditioned reflex, a reflex rooted in his soul!
It's the original owner!
The system said that after the "death" logic is established, it will be pulled back by the world line's self-correcting power and take over the subsequent, localized version of time!
She really came back! And it seems... she's dealing with something? She seems to be alright?
The light turned green, and the silver sedan started moving first, quickly merging into the traffic and disappearing from sight.
Su Xiao (Shi Ye) leaned back in her chair, her fingers slightly curled. So, the current situation is: she, the transmigrator Shi Ye, is inhabiting Su Xiao's body, and her mission is to bring Qi Jin and Lin Xiaoyu together. Meanwhile, the "original" Shi Ye, using the body she once used (and destroyed), has returned to this world to continue her life trajectory as the "eldest daughter of the Shi family."
Does Qi Jin know? Does Lin Xiaoyu know?
Did they know that "Shi Ye," who died in the fire, had "come back to life"?
If he knew... what would Qi Jin's reaction be?
Qi Jin, who had just appeared on the news with a look that suggested he wanted to take the whole world down with him, saw Shi Ye return alive and well...
Su Xiao's mind uncontrollably began rehearsing all sorts of melodramatic scenarios: Breaking down in tears? The ecstatic joy of finding something lost? Suspecting it was a fake? Or...?
[Ding! The key world-line variable 'Original Owner's Time Visit' has been detected as active. Mission logic is being corrected...]
The voice of System 007 suddenly came out, calm and undisturbed.
[Revision complete. Due to the return of the original owner's consciousness, there is an unresolved karmic connection and a strong emotional bond between her and Qi Jin. After assessment, the difficulty and unpredictability of forcibly separating them and guiding Qi Jin towards Lin Xiaoyu have greatly increased.]
[A task adjustment notice is hereby issued: The core task objective has been changed.]
Su Xiao's heart skipped a beat.
[New core mission: To bring together the world's protagonist, Qi Jin, and the original owner of this body, Shi Ye (the currently active consciousness), to achieve a happy ending.]
Su Xiao: "...?"
She almost thought she'd misheard. Matchmaking with whom? Qi Jin and… the original owner of this body, Shi Ye? The real one?
[Task Basis: The original owner, Shi Ye, is one of the legitimate original protagonists in the current world line (a potentially positive female supporting character). Her emotional connection with Qi Jin is supported by the underlying logic of the world. Repairing this connection is beneficial to stabilizing the world line and correcting core errors. Furthermore, the resistance to this connection is less than forcibly reversing Qi Jin's emotional direction towards Lin Xiaoyu.]
[Host Su Xiao, please actively utilize your new identity and resources to create opportunities and promote the development of the relationship between Qi Jin and the original owner, Shi Ye. Ultimate goal: Both of them must achieve a mutual affinity rating of 90 or higher and establish a stable relationship.]
[Friendly reminder: The original owner's current level of affection for Qi Jin and the completeness of her memories are unknown; the host must investigate on their own. Her personality may differ from what the host knows; please do not apply past experiences.]
Sitting in the taxi, Su Xiao looked at the city lights flowing outside the window and felt like an unlucky mechanic who had just been told, "You don't need to fix that secondhand car that's about to fall apart. Go and do maintenance on that top-of-the-line sports car that's been sent back to the factory for repairs, and incidentally, help it reunite with its original owner."
The key point is that the original owner of that sports car (Qi Jin) seems to be preparing to fight someone with a wrench.
And that sports car that was returned to the factory (original owner Shi Ye)... seems a bit off too?
This job is getting more and more "challenging".
She pinched the bridge of her nose and asked the system telepathically: Did the original owner, Shi Ye, know of my existence? Did he know about the mission?
[No. The original owner's return to consciousness was an internal world-correction process; her cognition was limited to her own experiences and the filling of 'reasonable' memories. She had no knowledge of the host 'Su Xiao' or the system's mission.]
[Please act with caution and avoid exposure.] The system adds, [Any action that could lead to the leakage of the 'truth of the world' may trigger uncontrollable collapse, endangering the safety of the host's consciousness.]
Got it. She has to secretly act as a matchmaker, bringing Qi Jin together with another "self" (who isn't actually herself), without letting anyone discover that she's a stowaway on a mission.
This is really... amazing.
At 7:30 p.m., the preview site of the "Tracing the Light Space" experiment.
The venue, converted from an old factory building, boasts an astonishingly high ceiling. Exposed brick walls and metal pipes contrast sharply with the meticulously arranged lighting and avant-garde art installations. The air is filled with a faint scent of champagne, paint, and the hum of whispers from the crowd. There aren't many guests, but they all seem quite sophisticated: art world figures, media representatives, and some investors or collectors with unclear motives.
Su Xiao changed into a simple black jumpsuit with a slightly stylish design, befitting her role as an "intern curatorial assistant." Holding a glass of sparkling water, she weaved through the crowd somewhat awkwardly, but her ears were perked up, catching any potentially useful information.
Her new friend hadn't arrived yet. She was trying to figure out how to strike up a conversation with the person in charge of "Su Guang" naturally when she caught a slight commotion at the entrance out of the corner of her eye.
Several people walked in.
The woman at the head of the group wore a perfectly tailored dark gray velvet suit that accentuated her pale skin. Her long hair was loosely tied up, revealing the graceful yet aloof lines of her neck. Her face was expressionless, her gaze calmly sweeping across the exhibition hall, exuding an aura of unapproachability. It was Qi Jin.
Beside her was a girl named Lin Xiaoyu, wearing a misty blue dress, her eyes still a little red and swollen but trying to look cheerful. Lin Xiaoyu held onto Qi Jin's arm, her movements somewhat dependent and cautious.
On Qi Jin's other side, slightly behind by half a step...
At that time, I paid my respects.
The original owner visited.
She changed her clothes, wearing a dusty pink silk blouse with white wide-leg pants, which softened her appearance considerably, but her face remained deathly pale. She kept her head slightly lowered, seemingly unaccustomed to the occasion, her fingers unconsciously fidgeting with the cuffs of her blouse. Her neck remained bare.
The three of them appeared together.
Su Xiao stopped in her tracks and subconsciously took half a step behind a thick pillar with a video art projection hanging on it, her eyes following the three people closely.
Qi Jin seemed to have only accompanied Lin Xiaoyu (to relax? To support her career?), showing little interest in the exhibits and only occasionally responding to those who greeted him, his words brief. Lin Xiaoyu, on the other hand, tried hard to appear interested, pointing at some devices and speaking quietly to Qi Jin.
As for the original owner, Shi Ye... she was more like a quiet shadow, following behind, her gaze somewhat wandering. Occasionally, her eyes would land on a particular exhibit, lingering for a few seconds, her eyes filled with a hint of confusion, and other complex emotions that Su Xiao couldn't understand. She seemed to want to be closer to Qi Jin, yet dared not get too close, maintaining a delicate distance.
Qi Jin paid almost no special attention to her. There was no eye contact, no initiative to speak, not even a basic adjustment of physical distance, as if she were just a casual companion who didn't know her very well.
As Su Xiao watched this scene, the emptiness in her heart began to leak air again.
This isn't right.
According to the system, there was a "strong emotional connection" between the original owner Shi Ye and Qi Jin. Even if the original owner's memories might be damaged or incomplete due to the "resurrection", Qi Jin... having experienced such "loss", seeing the living Shi Ye return, even if he wasn't excited, shouldn't have such an indifferent attitude.
Unless... Qi Jin is suspicious? Or, is there some "problem" with the original owner Shi Ye's return that Qi Jin cannot accept or understand?
Or perhaps Qi Jin's attention was entirely occupied by revenge and... Lin Xiaoyu, who was forcing a smile beside him?
As Su Xiao was thinking, she saw Lin Xiaoyu pulling Qi Jin towards another, relatively quiet area of the exhibition hall, which displayed some small sculptures and paintings. The original owner of Shi Ye hesitated for a moment, then followed.
Su Xiao hesitated for a moment, then pretended to appreciate the work and slowly moved in that direction in a roundabout way.
Through a set of suspended transparent acrylic installations, she heard Lin Xiaoyu's nasal, yet cheerful voice: "Senior, look at this painting, the colors are so bold... It looks a bit like that work we saw before, right?"
Qi Jin gave a faint "hmm," his tone devoid of emotion.
The original owner of Shi Ye stood in front of an abstract painting with a dark and gray tone, looked at it for a long time, and suddenly spoke softly, his voice was a little dry, with an unnatural feeling of not speaking for a long time: "This painting... seems to be missing something."
Lin Xiaoyu and Qi Jin both turned to look at her.
Lin Xiaoyu's eyes reddened again, and her voice trembled: "Sister Shi Ye... do you think so too? I think so too... it seems too full, yet too empty..." She seemed to be trying to find some kind of resonance with the original owner of Shi Ye.
The original owner of Shi Ye seemed startled by her reaction, shrinking back slightly with a flustered look in her eyes. She avoided Lin Xiaoyu's gaze and whispered, "I... I was just saying."
Qi Jin's gaze lingered on Shi Ye's face for two seconds. Her eyes were deep, like an undercurrent surging beneath the ice, complex and unsettling. But quickly, she looked away, patted Lin Xiaoyu's shoulder, and said calmly, "Let's go, let's go take a look over there."
She turned and left with Lin Xiaoyu.
The original owner of Shi Ye stood there, watching their backs as they walked away side by side. Her fingers curled even tighter, and a clear expression, mixed with confusion, helplessness, and a certain profound loneliness, flashed across her pale face.
Su Xiao stood behind the device, looking at the lonely "self".
The emptiness in my heart suddenly became more than just a draft.
It begins to produce a subtle, persistent, almost physiological throbbing pain.
It wasn't because of Qi Jin's indifference.
It wasn't because of Lin Xiaoyu's sadness.
Rather, it was for that true visionary standing before the painting, out of place in the world.
And also for myself, who is now bearing someone else's name, watching all of this, and trying to find a way to bring them together...
This damn mission.
This damn world.
She picked up the sparkling water in her hand and drank the icy, stimulating liquid in one gulp.
very good.
Matchmaker Su Xiao officially starts her job today.
Matchmaking target: Qi Jin, suspected of having PTSD and seeking revenge, x Shi Ye, the original owner of the body who has amnesia (?) and is lonely.
This start is truly hellishly "interesting".
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