Since it was Xu Qiaoqiao's request, Jun Qi couldn't possibly refuse.
So when night fell, Jun Qi looked at the owl that was stubbornly staying by Xu Qiaoqiao's side and felt utterly helpless.
Seeing Xu Qiaoqiao's state, Jun Qi understood her somewhat and had a premonition that the little hedgehog was about to leave him.
Later on, Xu Qiaoqiao's limbs began to soften, her sleep time became longer and longer, and her reactions became sluggish.
Sometimes, even if we bother her every year, it takes her a long, long time to react. She opens her slightly cloudy eyes and looks somewhat dazed.
Whenever this happens, Jun Qi will send Niannian out to find food. If she refuses, he will take action, since even if she is in her prime, she can't beat him.
Despite her frail body, Xu Qiaoqiao managed to spend the summer peacefully under the meticulous care of Jun Qi and Niannian.
As temperatures begin to drop, thick fog starts to blanket the forests, and autumn quietly arrives.
The leaves on the trees also turned yellow without anyone noticing.
At this point, Xu Qiaoqiao could no longer stand up. Her limbs were severely limp and were now completely spread out, no longer curled into a ball. Her breathing rate was also gradually decreasing.
"Coo coo".
Nian Nian watched Xu Qiaoqiao lying there motionless, not knowing what had happened. Jun Qi, like Xu Qiaoqiao, quietly stayed by her side without making any movements, except for occasionally nuzzling her cheek.
I have a feeling something big is about to happen.
Nian Nian keenly sensed that something was amiss, but his innocent mind was unaware of the concept of death. All he could remember was that Xu Qiaoqiao was particularly reluctant to move at this time.
Moreover, it emitted a very special smell, the unique smell of something that is about to die.
Parting is always a sad thing, but it is an indispensable part of life's lessons.
Xu Qiaoqiao looked at her lover beside her, and a moment of clarity suddenly appeared in her eyes. She tried to lean in and kiss Jun Qi, but she was too weak to move at all.
She looked at Jun Qi, wanting to say to him: Jun Jun, let's meet again in the next life.
After that, her spirits began to wane again, and she couldn't muster any energy at all.
The little guy also clung to Xu Qiaoqiao's side every day, babbling incessantly. At this moment, Jun Qi, unusually, did not stop him from talking.
After that, Xu Qiaoqiao simply slept every day, and Jun Qi would listen to her heart every day, until one day, he could no longer hear the little hedgehog's heartbeat. It was a quiet snowy night.
This year's snow came exceptionally early, more than a month earlier than last year.
However, hedgehogs still need to hibernate in such cold weather.
Xu Qiaoqiao entered hibernation as usual. Just before entering hibernation, she had a premonition that she probably wouldn't wake up after this sleep.
At first, Jun Qi thought that Xu Qiaoqiao's breathing was too shallow because of hibernation, so he couldn't feel it. But when he stopped feeling that heartbeat, he knew that the little hedgehog was gone.
After the little hedgehog died, Junqi stayed by her side for a long time, refusing to eat anything, which worried Niannian greatly, but she couldn't go against her parents' wishes.
He had no idea that Xu Qiaoqiao had already left, so he complained to her. After complaining, he went on and on about what had happened that day, and at the end, he added a sentence.
Mom, I can fly very steadily now, and I'll be able to take you flying in the sky someday!
Jun Qi couldn't endure such hunger for long, and soon he collapsed.
In the last moment before closing his eyes, Jun Qi was still holding Xu Qiaoqiao. He carefully hugged the little hedgehog's body tightly, his head occasionally rubbing against her face, before finally closing his eyes.
The two of them slept through the winter. Although the low winter temperature could preserve the body for a longer time, it still couldn't stop the body from rotting.
Even if she didn't understand at all, Niannian finally realized that her parents would probably never wake up.
...
Xu Qiaoqiao seemed to have slept for a very long time. When she woke up again, it was pitch black all around her.
That familiar metallic sound suddenly rang in her ears.
[Host's vital signs have disappeared. Soul extraction and data collection are now initiating.]
Upon hearing the metallic sound, Xu Qiaoqiao immediately realized what was happening and hurriedly interrupted the other person, saying, "Hey, wait a minute, I have a few questions to ask."
What does my current situation of time travel mean?
"Also, what's wrong with Junjun?"
Xu Qiaoqiao hurriedly asked the two questions, afraid that the other party would suddenly start moving on to the next world. She had seen this system's insistence on burying her ears and talking without listening before, and she wondered if the other party would listen this time. Xu Qiaoqiao thought anxiously.
To everyone's surprise, the system's metallic voice paused for a moment, and then actually answered her two questions.
[Replying to the host: The host has simply been chosen by the system. This system follows the principle of going with the flow, aiming to improve the human happiness index and give the host a pleasant journey in another world.]
Regarding the second question, the system cannot answer it.
The principle of letting nature take its course? The human happiness index? A journey to another world?
What is all this about?
Xu Qiaoqiao couldn't help but want to complain, but she held back and immediately asked her third question: "Then why do I have to dress up as an animal?"
[It's just the creator's quirky sense of humor; the host doesn't need to worry about it.]
How could I not care?
It was me who turned into an animal, not you.
Xu Qiaoqiao screamed in her heart, every word the system said made her want to complain. It felt like it was saying something, but it was completely useless.
After the system finished speaking, a buzzing sound of electricity rang out, and then it began to explain the data.
Name: Xu Qiaoqiao
Gender: Female
Age at death: 21
Animals encountered during this journey: White hedgehog
Cause of death: physical aging
Does it meet the task criteria? Yes
[Congratulations, host, on successfully completing this mission and surviving. Mission reward: To be determined.]
This time, the system was smarter; it proactively explained to Xu Qiaoqiao that the task reward was pending.
[Pending means the host has not yet completed enough tasks to unlock the reward, hence pending.]
Xu Qiaoqiao: There's actually a reward this time?
However, this reward is pending, so for now it's practically the same as not having one.
[Host's vital signs detected as intact; immediate deployment to the next world.]
As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Qiaoqiao fainted.
Before falling into a coma, Xu Qiaoqiao's last thought was that she hoped to find Jun Qi again in the next world, and that she could live a longer life.
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