Chapter 43
Lin Xiaoyu's words, "Liking and admiring are different," were like a pebble that stirred clear ripples in Shi Ye's stagnant heart, before sinking to the bottom, making her heart pound with unease. Looking at Lin Xiaoyu, excited and overjoyed, her mind solely focused on the design competition and her crush, then looking down at the soft, comfortable shoes Qi Jin had given her, the thought of "correcting the mistake" in her mind gradually solidified from a vague outline into a sharp, gleaming needle.
Correct the error.
How do we correct it? Should we drag out that newly upgraded, high-spirited system in our heads, beat it up, and force it to change the mission? Or should we shout at the air, "Hey, Honkai Impact 3rd, you issued the wrong mission, start over!"
"Sister Shi Ye? Sister Shi Ye!" Lin Xiaoyu waved her hand vigorously in front of her eyes. "You're daydreaming again! Did you really not sleep well last night? Why don't you go back to lie down for a while? Anyway, I'm free today, I can stay here with you!"
Shi Ye snapped out of her reverie, looked at Lin Xiaoyu's face filled with concern, and shook her head. "No need, I'm fine." She paused, "Weren't you... supposed to be at the library preparing for your thesis defense today?"
"Oh right!" Lin Xiaoyu slapped her forehead. "I almost forgot! Professor Wang recommended a few reference books to me, saying I have to read them! I have to go right now!" She hurriedly started packing her treasure box canvas bag, stuffing the remaining pan-fried buns into Shi Ye's hand. "Heat these up for lunch! I'm off! Call me if you need anything!"
She rushed to the door like a whirlwind, then remembered something, turned back, her eyes gleaming: "Sister Shi! Remember to ask my senior if that misty blue dress suits her! Love you!" With that, she slammed the door shut and ran off.
The living room returned to silence, with only the slightly cool aroma of pan-fried buns and the few paper bags that Qi Jin had brought lying quietly on the floor.
Shi Ye slowly walked to the sofa and sat down. She picked up the now-cold pan-fried bun and took a bite. The oil had solidified, making it a bit greasy. She put it down and wiped her hands.
"System," she called out calmly in her mind.
[Host, please speak.] The system's electronic voice immediately sounded, steady, efficient, and full of businesslike manner.
"The mission objective is to bring Qi Jin and Lin Xiaoyu together and achieve a happy ending, right?"
Yes. Remaining time for the current mission: 23 days. Current progress: Qi Jin's affection for Lin Xiaoyu: 51/100; Lin Xiaoyu's affection for Qi Jin: 50/100. No significant progress.
“What if,” Shi She said slowly, “what if the objective of this mission itself is ‘wrong’?”
The system was silent for two seconds.
[The mission objective is set by the core protocol and is based on the main storyline of the original novel, *The Rise and Fall of a Wealthy Family: Young Master Qi's Runaway Sweetheart*. Testing has revealed that although the current timeline has undergone unknown mutations, the basic framework of the relationships and emotional arcs of the core characters remains intact. Correcting the plot and bringing key characters together is the optimal solution for stabilizing the timeline. There are no 'errors' in the settings.]
"The optimal solution?" Shi Ye smirked. "Make Qi Jin, who only has me in his heart, like Lin Xiaoyu, who only sees her as an idol and a sister? Is that the optimal solution? This is like forcing a melon to ripen; you'll break the vine and end up hurting yourself."
[Emotions are malleable. According to data analysis, Qi Jin has basic goodwill towards Lin Xiaoyu (appreciation of her talent), while Lin Xiaoyu has high goodwill towards Qi Jin (admiration and trust). With the host's guidance and the creation of a suitable opportunity, this goodwill could potentially transform into romantic feelings.]
"Possibly?" Shi Ye sneered. "What are the odds? 1%? Or 0.1%?"
The exact probability is influenced by multiple variables and cannot be calculated precisely. However, completing the task is the host's only option.
The only option.
That word again.
Shi Ye looked at the soft shoes on her feet. Qi Jin had even thought of what kind of shoes she needed because of her injured foot, but he didn't know (or didn't want to believe) that her heart wasn't with Lin Xiaoyu at all.
“What if,” she changed her approach, “what if I refuse to perform this task? You just mentioned ‘irreversible damage,’ what exactly do you mean?”
The system's electronic voice seemed even colder: "[The protocol conflict will trigger a backlash from the underlying data. The host's consciousness may be impacted by the chaotic data flow, leading to cognitive disorder and fragmented memories. In severe cases, it may undergo a 'forced fusion' with the unstable data of the current worldline, resulting in the loss of self-awareness and becoming part of the Honkai.]"
Cognitive disorder? Fragmented memory? Forced fusion?
It sounds worse than death.
Will I become one of those rolling pixel blocks on a TV screen? Or that distorted cursor on a computer screen?
Shi She's fingers tightened unconsciously.
“What if…” she practically spat out the words, “What if I could find a way to ‘stabilize’ the world line in another way? Not by bringing Qi Jin and Lin Xiaoyu together, but by… correcting the ‘error’ that caused the world line to mutate itself?”
This time, the system remained silent for an even longer period.
[Warning: The host's proposal involves a high-risk, unknown operation. The system database has no successful precedent for this. Forcibly interfering with the underlying logic of the world line will extremely likely trigger a more severe collapse, accelerating the destruction process.]
"So it just won't work?" Shi She asked, feeling even more deeply hurt.
[The system suggests the host focus on feasible options, namely advancing the main quest.] The system answered methodically, [Based on the host's recent performance, the system has optimized the quest prompts and reward mechanisms. It is recommended that the host leverage the good relationship with Lin Xiaoyu and Qi Jin's continued attention to find a breakthrough.]
A breakthrough?
Shi Ye recalled Lin Xiaoyu's clear eyes and the serious expression on her face when he told her, "I don't have those feelings for my senior."
This breakthrough point is probably an impenetrable fortress.
She gave up arguing with the system. It was just a pre-programmed system that would only operate according to predetermined logic. Talking to it about feelings, "errors," or "possibilities" was like casting pearls before swine.
She stood up, walked to the window, and looked down at the street gradually coming to life. The sun was shining brightly; it was a clear autumn morning. Everything seemed so normal. Who would have thought that the world might be crumbling little by little from within?
Her phone vibrated. She picked it up and saw it was a message from Qi Jin.
A very simple question: "Did you receive the item?"
Shi Ye stared at those five words, his fingertip hovering over the screen for a long time.
She remembered Qi Jin's back as he sat on the carpet by the sofa last night, remembered that bowl of warm noodles, and remembered the turbulent undercurrents beneath the calm surface when she asked, "Will you regret it?"
It seems that the frozen ground in my heart has been pried open a little bit by that needle.
Something is struggling, trying to break through the soil.
It was very weak, but very tenacious.
She typed slowly: "Received. Thank you."
Click send.
Almost immediately, Qi Jin replied: "Is this appropriate?"
Shi Ye: "Very suitable."
Qi Jin: "Hmm. Is your foot feeling better?"
Shi Ye: "Much better."
The conversation was dry and formal, like the most ordinary polite exchanges. But Shi Ye knew it wasn't just politeness. Qi Jin was confirming her condition in an almost clumsy, silent way.
As she looked at the brief exchange, an extremely bold, even insane, idea suddenly popped into her head.
Since the system says that forcibly interfering with the underlying logic will accelerate the collapse.
What if... she doesn't directly confront the mission, but instead... utilizes the mission?
Using her influence over Qi Jin (though she didn't want to admit it), using Lin Xiaoyu's trust in her, and using this seemingly unbreakable "matchmaking" mission...
To create a "wrong" situation that is "impossible to succeed".
A situation where the system, or the thing that sets the task, realizes that "this path is blocked"?
For example, she could be more "active" in bringing them together, but in an extremely deliberate, extremely awkward way that could even make Qi Jin feel disgusted and scare Lin Xiaoyu away.
Or perhaps during the matchmaking process, Qi Jin and Lin Xiaoyu "unintentionally" realized that there was no possibility between them at all.
Let the mission itself become an absurd, doomed farce.
It escalated to the point that even the system had to admit—this path was a dead end.
What will it do then? Modify the task? Or... as it says, "negotiate"?
The thought burned in her heart like wildfire, carrying a reckless, desperate spirit and a sliver of hope.
The risk is very high. It could completely enrage Qi Jin, harm Lin Xiaoyu, or even result in system punishment for "negative mission completion" or "maliciously sabotaging the mission."
But... it's better than sitting idly by and watching yourself being pushed toward that cold, predetermined end.
She took a deep breath and typed rapidly on the screen, not to Qi Jin, but to Lin Xiaoyu:
"Xiaoyu, Qi Jin just asked me if that misty blue dress you wore for the competition suited you. I said it looked great. She also said she's looking forward to your performance and told you not to feel pressured and just play your best. [smiley face]"
After sending the message, Shi Ye stared at the screen, his heart pounding a little.
What was she doing? She knew perfectly well that Qi Jin hadn't said those words. She was fabricating Qi Jin's concern, deliberately creating the illusion that Qi Jin was paying "special attention" to Lin Xiaoyu.
She was "actively" pushing forward the mission in the way she despised most.
But her goal wasn't to facilitate it, but rather... to expose it.
This exposes the falseness and deliberate nature of this "attention".
She waited for Lin Xiaoyu's reply.
Soon, Lin Xiaoyu replied with a huge, sparkling starry-eyed emoji: "Really?! Senior really said that?! Ahhh, I'm so happy! [spinning around] Sister Shi Ye, please thank Senior for me! I will definitely work hard! I won't let her down!"
Looking at the cheerful emoji, Shi Ye felt even more guilty. Lin Xiaoyu was so naive, so easily trusting…
But the arrow had already left the bowstring.
She replied, "Yes, I will pass it on. You prepare well and don't get distracted."
She put down her phone, walked to the paper bags, squatted down, and began to sort through the contents. The clothes were all of very good quality, with simple and elegant designs. She picked up a beige cashmere cardigan; its texture was as soft as a cloud.
Qi Jin actually has very good taste. It's just that the original owner (or rather, the original plot setting) insisted on putting those nouveau riche aesthetics on her.
She hung the clothes one by one into the closet, which looked out of place among the original owner's cold, hard black, white, and gray clothes, yet strangely... like an invasion, or rather, a covering.
Just like Qi Jin, who is silently and stubbornly covering up her originally pale and chaotic life little by little.
After hanging up the clothes, she took out the new pair of slippers and put them on. They fit much better than the pair left by Grandpa Qi Jin. The soft fleece wrapped around her injured feet, making them feel warm and cozy.
She went to the living room and sat down again.
The system in her mind seemed satisfied with her proactive "task-advancing" behavior, as even its electronic voice softened:
[Host-initiated behavior detected: Qi Jin conveyed encouragement to Lin Xiaoyu. This behavior helps increase Lin Xiaoyu's favorability and closeness towards Qi Jin. It is recommended to create opportunities for Qi Jin and Lin Xiaoyu to directly communicate about the details of the match to solidify this impression.]
Shi Ye ignored it.
She simply gazed at the bright sunshine outside the window, and the crazy plan in her mind was gradually taking shape.
If you're going to make a scene, make it big.
If we're going to correct a mistake, we shouldn't be afraid of making the situation even muddier.
She picked up her phone, opened Qi Jin's chat window, stared at the simple profile picture for a few seconds, and then started typing.
This time, it wasn't a perfunctory "thank you" or a dry "it's suitable."
She wrote: "Qi Jin, Xiao Yu's match is next week. She seems to really want you to be there to support her. Can you... go?"
Click send.
Once the message is sent, it's like a pebble thrown into a deep pool.
She is waiting.
Waiting for Qi Jin's reaction.
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