Chapter 77
Qi Jin's figure disappeared behind the door, but the oppressive atmosphere lingered, like a second boot hanging overhead. When Secretary Li returned to the room after seeing Qi Jin off, her face remained expressionless and businesslike, but her gaze paused almost imperceptibly for half a second when it swept over the lone, dark gray pebble on the table.
Teacher Wang was gently guiding the still somewhat bewildered original owner, Shi Ye, while Lin Xiaoyu chattered away, trying to liven things up: "Sister Shi Ye, look, I've neatly put away the little stones you arranged! How about we build a little castle next time? We can use clay as the base!"
Su Xiao (Shi Ye) mechanically packed away the other materials, her fingertips brushing against the cool, smooth pebbles in the basket. The system's chilling survival warnings still echoed in her mind, but what she felt now was a sharper, almost absurd, sting.
Qi Jin simply didn't believe it.
That brief eye contact, the handing over of the towel, the subtle touch... might have seemed like a sign of easing tension to others (like Lin Xiaoyu), or even a hint of melodramatic budding romance. But Su Xiao knew Qi Jin too well—or rather, she thought she knew the Qi Jin who would heat up milk for her, keep her photos, and protect her with all his might before the explosion.
But now, deep within Qi Jin's eyes lies a layer of unyielding ice. Beneath that ice lies not tenderness, not expectation, but an almost cold scrutiny and... utter, unwavering suspicion.
She couldn't believe that the pale, bewildered, and timid Shi Ye in front of her was the same Shi Ye who had fed cats in the rain, drawn circles in the library, left five years' worth of traces in the study's secret compartment, and pushed her away at the last moment.
Those tiny clues of bodily memory—the fingertips caressing the fabric, the careful placement of stones, even the persistence in cleaning the down—might evoke a sense of familiarity in Qi Jin and pique her interest in exploring, but they are by no means enough to shake the steel rod of "distrust" forged in her heart by explosions, death, betrayal, and constant threats.
She came today not to see if the "timely visit" had improved, but to verify how many flaws the "timely visit" had.
She left early, not because she was satisfied, but because she felt that she had collected enough "samples" for the day.
The dark gray stone, washed, dried, and discarded to the side, was the best proof. Qi Jin didn't take it away, nor did he even glance at it again. It wasn't a token, but merely an "experimental tool" that had been tested, processed, and then discarded.
Su Xiao's heart sank deeper and deeper into a cold, knowing despair. Her previous calculations about "matchmaking" and "breaking the ice" now seemed utterly ridiculous. Between Qi Jin and the original owner of Shi Ye, there was not the chasm of amnesia, but an unbreakable wall of doubt built by Qi Jin himself.
The original owner of this body, Shi Ye, seemed to vaguely sense something as well. She stopped looking at the dark gray stone and stopped touching any materials. She just stood there quietly, almost numbly, letting Teacher Wang soothe her in a low voice and letting Lin Xiaoyu tug at her sleeve. Her eyes were empty, as if the faint spark of courage she had mustered to clean the stone had been completely extinguished by Qi Jin's silent indifference when he left.
Lin Xiaoyu finally sensed that something was wrong. She looked at Shi Ye's pale face and then at Su Xiao's somewhat absent-minded expression. She scratched her head and whispered to Teacher Wang, "Teacher Wang, is Shi Ye tired? How about we stop here for today?"
Teacher Wang nodded and said gently to Shi Ye, "Miss Shi, how are you feeling today? Shall we play again next time?"
The original owner nodded almost imperceptibly, his voice so low it was barely audible: "Mm."
Secretary Li stepped forward at the opportune moment: "The car is already downstairs. I'll see Ms. Shi and Ms. Lin down. Teacher Wang, Assistant Su, please proceed with the follow-up work and communication on the next plan according to procedure."
The group descended the stairs in silence. Lin Xiaoyu tried to take Shi Ye's arm, but Shi Ye gently but firmly pulled away. She simply lowered her head, staring at her toes, like a delicate but soulless doll.
Su Xiao stood at the studio door, watching them enter the elevator. The instant the elevator doors closed, she seemed to see the original owner of this body raise her eyes and glance at her quickly. There was no gratitude, no intimacy in that look, only a deeper bewilderment and a hint of… a slight rejection of Su Xiao, this “bystander,” a rejection she herself might not even understand?
The elevator is going down.
Su Xiao turned and returned to the empty studio. The sunlight was still bright, streaming through the glass and filling the room with light, but it couldn't dispel the invisible chill. She walked to the workbench, looked at the forgotten dark gray pebble, and reached out to pick it up.
The stone felt cold and hard in my palm.
She remembered the moment Qi Jin paused when he picked it up, the trembling fingertips of the original owner when she washed it, and the calm, unwavering look in Qi Jin's eyes when he handed her the towel.
I don't believe it.
I don't believe it at all.
There's nowhere to talk about it.
She (Su Xiao) knew the truth, but she couldn't utter a single word.
The original owner of this body may have vaguely sensed that she was not trusted, but she was completely unaware of the reason.
Qi Jin held the sharp blade of doubt in his hand, yet he could not find any conclusive evidence, nor could he tell anyone about this torment.
Lin Xiaoyu was immersed in the superficial fantasies of "sisterly affection" and "potential romantic relationship," completely unaware of the turbulent undercurrents beneath.
And this world... this damned, mutated novel world, is operating in an absurd way, trapping her (Su Xiao) as a "mistake" between the gears, where she could be crushed at any moment.
Survive?
How could she survive in such a precarious situation?
She needs an "anchor point." But what is that anchor point? Is it continuing to play the role of "Su Xiao" well? Is it trying to make Qi Jin believe in the authenticity of the original owner's story (but this might accelerate her rejection)? Or... conversely, preventing them from getting closer?
No, it can't be stopped. Qi Jin's suspicion itself is a distorted form of attention and connection. As long as the original owner of Shi Ye exists, as long as Qi Jin can't let go, this deadly dance of suspicion and testing between them is destined to continue.
Su Xiao gripped the stone tightly, the icy touch pricking her palm.
Perhaps her "anchor point" lies not in either of them, but in... maintaining this delicate and dangerous balance?
This allowed Qi Jin to continue to have doubts, but no evidence could be found to completely refute them.
The original owner, Shi Ye, will continue to exist in a daze, but will not suddenly "recover his memories" or do anything that would thoroughly provoke Qi Jin.
Su Xiao continued to exist as a "safe observer" on the edge of this love triangle, gathering information, observing carefully, and, when necessary, exerting a tiny bit of influence to ensure that the balance did not tilt completely to either side.
It's very difficult, like dancing on the edge of a knife or walking a tightrope on the edge of a cliff.
But it seems that this is the only visible, albeit vague, path under the system's warning of "survival."
She released her grip and gently placed the dark gray pebble back into the basket, letting it blend in with the other stones.
Then, she began to carefully and meticulously clean the desktop, organize the tools, and restore everything to the way it was before Qi Jin arrived.
It was as if nothing had happened.
There was no sudden visit, no silent confrontation, no brief contact, and no deep-seated, cold suspicion.
The matchmaker is dead.
The survivors are in position.
The first priority: in this desperate situation where she has no one to trust and nowhere to confide in, find that thin thread of balance that allows her to temporarily stand on the edge of a knife.
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