There was a hint of warmth and confusion in his voice that he wasn't even aware of.
"This doesn't conform to the Observer's core logic. My duty as a supervisor tells me that this may be a deviation that needs to be 'corrected'. But..."
Duan Shuce raised his head and looked straight into Ning Xiwan's eyes. In those eyes, which were always calm and sharp, Ning Xiwan's worried face was clearly reflected at this moment, as well as a hint of struggle that belonged to "Duan Shuce" rather than the "supervisor".
"But I watched him grow up, Xiwan." Duan Shuce's voice was low and solemn, like an oath.
"Ever since he was a kid who would follow you and call out 'Sister Wan', and whose eyes would light up when he solved a difficult problem. I knew he wasn't some cold program, much less a potential threat."
"He's cold on the outside, but warm on the inside. He's softer than anyone else. He's... a very good kid. He's just been given an identity that's too heavy."
Duan Shuce took a deep breath, as if he had made some kind of decision.
"So, when this world line started, when I realized that Observer Ye Qingliu was also 'reincarnated' on this line."
"I made a decision that went against the basic rules of a Supervisor—I tried to contact him, guide him, and pull him... to my side. Not as a Supervisor to monitor or correct him, but as a friend to protect him."
Duan Shuce's eyes became extremely complicated, with a hint of deep guilt.
"I succeeded. He trusted me, trusted you. We became one of the closest people to him. But this also brought new problems... a huge variable."
Ning Xiwan's heart skipped a beat, and a name was about to come out: "Zhiye?"
"Yes." Duan Shuce's voice sank, carrying a heavy affirmation.
"Bai Zhiye. She is the unique variable of this final worldline. In the records of all other worldlines, the person 'Bai Zhiye' has never appeared. She is an 'accident' in the life trajectory of Observer Ye Qingliu that should not have existed."
He closed his eyes, as if recalling an extremely difficult moment.
"The serious car accident she encountered after the high school entrance exam... That wasn't an accident, Xiwan. It was an attempt by the basic logic of the world line to automatically 'clean up' the 'abnormal variables'. The target of the cleanup was Bai Zhiye."
Ning Xiwan covered her mouth and let out a suppressed cry.
"I was on supervisory duty nearby at the time and detected the energy fluctuations of that 'cleansing'." Duan Shuce's voice was dry.
"I rushed to the scene... It was horrific. Her chances of survival were slim to none. Even more terrifying, if she died, the world line cleanup logic would have deemed it a success, but Observer Ye Qingliu... He was on his way to the hospital at the time.
"I can't predict the consequences of a core observer witnessing someone they care about die due to 'world logic'. It could cause the observer's own logic to collapse, or even trigger an unpredictable chain reaction, directly destroying this already fragile 'final world line'."
Duan Shuce's hands were placed on his knees, and his knuckles turned slightly white due to the force.
"At that moment, I faced a decision. As a supervisor, I should have stood by and let the world line logic complete the cleanup."
"But as Duan Shuce... as Qingliu's friend... I can't bear to watch that child suffer this kind of pain, and I can't bear the risk of this world line, which may hold the last hope, collapsing because of it."
He opened his eyes, and deep in them was bottomless fatigue and a hint of cold determination.
"I used my high-level supervisor authority to perform 'memory interference'. I erased all of Ye Qingliu's memories of Bai Zhiye, and also wiped out the memories of their relationship from those around him."
"I tampered with the on-site records, creating the illusion that she had transferred to another school and left without further news. Then... I used the regulator's resources to secretly arrange for the best medical team, saving her life at all costs and allowing her to 'start over' far away from this city."
"I thought that this... would eliminate this variable, put the world line back on track, and protect Qingliu from harm."
Duan Shuce's voice was filled with bitter self-mockery.
"But I was wrong. The reason why variables are variables is that they are unpredictable and tenacious. Bai Zhiye survived, even though he lost his memory. And Ye Qingliu..."
His eyes turned to the door of the study, as if he could see the faded red rope on Ye Qingliu's wrist that he never took off.
"He forgot the specific people and events, but the emotions that were forcibly stripped away seemed to transform into some deeper obsession. That red rope became the only anchor in his subconscious."
"In his second year of high school, under completely different circumstances and circumstances, he met Bai Zhiye, who had also lost her memory... The attraction and familiarity that came from deep within their souls once again bound them together, as if by fate."
Duan Shuce's tone was filled with an almost awe-inspiring disbelief.
"The logic of the world line tried to erase her, and the interference of the Supervisor tried to erase the connection between them, but in the end... they met and fell in love again.
"'Love', considered the most dangerous destabilizing factor by observers, has become this worldline's most powerful weapon against its predetermined fate. Bai Zhiye is the unchangeable factor of Qingliu! She is one of the key anchors that has allowed this 'final worldline' to survive to this day!"
Duan Shuce let out a long breath, as if he had unloaded a heavy burden, but also as if he was carrying something even heavier.
"This is the whole truth, Wanwan. I erased Qingliu's memory and kept it a secret from you for so many years. Not to control him, but... I wanted to protect this world line.
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