Chapter 99 This world, ...
dark.
dark.
Darkness so profound that you can't see your hand in front of your face.
Pei Ci blinked in the darkness. Unlike before, this time she clearly knew she was dreaming. Because she knew, she was calm.
She awaited the changes to come.
Then, she saw a point of light floating in mid-air.
Pei Ci reached out and gently touched it. The light spot grew larger and larger until it unfolded into a blurry image. In the image, there was an elderly couple, their bodies hunched over, holding sickles to cut grass.
After cutting grass for a while, the man said in a hoarse voice, "We've already found an orphanage."
The one in City B?
"right."
"Hmm... I think it looks pretty good too." The woman nodded. Seeing that the man remained silent, she frowned. "What, you're reluctant to part with it?"
"Who would be willing to part with it?" the man said. "I know my own limitations. I'm not saying this to be mean, but how could you possibly be willing to do it?"
"I have to let go, even if I don't want to," the woman said calmly. But she paused for a moment after saying that. She still remembered the first time she saw her child. She was stunned, her heart pounding. This was her child, her baby, and she was its mother.
This baby is so beautiful, so beautiful that he seems out of place in his simple surroundings from the moment he was born.
"Is this really your child?"
"Incredible! Absolutely amazing! It's a miracle of nature!"
"I never imagined that one day a phoenix would land in a poor, remote place like ours."
The surrounding villagers were all filled with emotion and immense pride. As a mother, she felt this even more. She seemed to float on clouds, as if her entire life had been illuminated. However…
A phoenix is indeed a phoenix.
Phoenixes can only perch on parasol trees.
"Doctor, doctor, please take a look quickly, what's wrong with my daughter Aci? Is there really no hope? Is she really beyond saving??" She anxiously carried the unconscious Aci to the best hospital in town. Seeing the doctor's solemn expression, she almost knelt down and kowtowed, "Please, I can't live without my daughter, please, I'm willing to give anything."
"Doctor, we'll sell everything we own to pay for her treatment, no matter what. Please help us." Her husband pleaded in the same way.
However, the doctor sighed heavily, "It's probably no use even if you sell everything you own."
100,000.
This is the doctor's conservative estimate of the cost of treating Aci for one month.
This only covers the medication, with no other fees included.
Their family, even after selling everything they owned, could only scrape together 70,000 yuan.
"Forget it," the doctor advised. "This child is destined for wealth; she can't survive without money. Being born into a place like ours is just a way to suffer."
Suffering...
This was the first time she had heard an outsider describe her relationship with her daughter in this way.
However, she soon discovered that the doctor's words made sense. The small, cramped room reeked of mildew, with chipped bowls and half-cooked rice. Her daughter was thin and small, with pale skin.
That day, the village chief's child from next door gave her a flower, a red flower, which he tucked into her hair. Suddenly, her face, hidden beneath dust and disease, radiated breathtaking beauty. She stared, mesmerized. When the flower faded, she happened to meet the child.
What kind of flower is this?
The village chief's child stammered, "Peony...peony."
She was stunned.
She knew about that peony; it was said to be a rare and precious variety, costing tens of thousands of yuan per pot.
That day she remained silent for a long time, until the sun set, and she returned home without uttering a word. When her daughter, Aci, was about to sweep the floor, she dodged away, telling her to stay in bed and rest. That night she didn't sleep a wink, spending the entire night gazing at her daughter's face by the light of an oil lamp. The next day she went to the village town, and later to another place.
Her husband did the same in the following days.
Then, on a clear autumn day, her husband said, "Let's send Aci away. She'll only be waiting to die if she stays with us."
She had been waiting for these words for a long time, but hearing them still made her heart sink. After a long while, she calmly nodded, "Okay."
Of course, from the initial sending away to the final agreement to abandon her with a purpose, the goal was to get the daughter into the best orphanage, where most of the children were adopted by wealthy families.
She firmly believed that her daughter would be adopted by a wealthy family.
"Let's do it tomorrow." The woman gripped her sickle tightly. "I'll tell her to wait where she is."
In a flash, Pei Ci saw her as a child standing at the gate of the orphanage. She had been waiting and waiting, but all she got was darkness and cold. Then the orphanage opened its doors, and a strange woman carried her into a warm room. As she did so, she wondered when her mother would come to pick her up.
Unfortunately, there was no follow-up.
Seeing this, Pei Ci was stunned, and suddenly felt a surging pain in her heart. Only then did she realize that she could feel pain, but she was too oblivious to it, so oblivious that the wound burned away with age.
The light spot vanished at that moment.
Another point of light appeared, amidst the swirling snowflakes. A young man braved the snow to return home, and as always, he gently pulled her into his arms, lulling her to sleep. Then, in the darkness, he silently departed.
"Aci, you'll have to walk this path alone from now on." She couldn't tell if it was a man who said it, but that's what she kept thinking. They had been together for so long; they were their only family, but in the end, she was left behind.
This scene was shattered on the morning of the second day under the bright sun.
Then, there was a third point of light.
The scene presented this time was a hospital room, a brightly lit room with two beds. She lay on one bed, while another girl lay on the other. She was tall and slender, with a head of thick, curly hair. This time, she finally saw her face clearly: reddish-brown eyes, a face almost identical to Ye Qingyu's. She was smiling, a bright and clear smile. When she realized she was being looked at, her smile became even more radiant. Excitedly, she got off the bed and moved closer to her.
"Ah Ci, Ah Ci, you hate me, don't you?"
"Hmm... Dislike is too sophisticated. You're indifferent to me, aren't you?"
"But it's okay..." She gently hugged her, without shedding a tear, only filled with excitement and joy, "You'll get better."
You will get better.
Pei Ci sensed the impending separation.
This is yet another grand farewell.
Sure enough, the girl who had been with her the next day was gone.
"Oh, that girl..." the doctor stammered, "She recovered and was discharged, um..."
Three days later, the surgery that Pei Ci had been waiting for was finally scheduled.
The final scene of this bright spot is the operating room, where he is surrounded by a dozen doctors on the operating table, she is fast asleep, sleeping peacefully, and a fresh heart is gently taken out of the container.
The image freezes at this moment, and then eventually fades away.
Three scenes were shown simultaneously. This time, Pei Ci watched these memories from God's perspective, and she was no longer the person she was in those memories.
He understood more, knew about love, and understood more about how love is expressed. Those unspoken, unexpressed feelings, those painful, loving souls who loved her, while hurting her, also sacrificed themselves entirely, just to prolong her life.
like.
They love her.
But then he abandoned her.
Pei Ci pursed her lips. She couldn't help but wonder if her brother in this world was the same. The reason he didn't pay much of a price was simply because he had more power and influence, and it wasn't time for him to sacrifice his own flesh to feed her.
What about Ye Zhaoxue?
What about Ye Zhaoxue? Ye Zhaoxue is quite the opposite. He is a victim, he didn't have the opportunity to give himself, but in his struggle between loving her and seeking revenge, he is also burning with passion.
Where is Lu Ran?
etc--
Lu Ran?
Pei Ci's eyes widened. He was different. He was too crazy; he was capable of anything. And he just happened to have this opportunity, so he—
As she was still pondering, a point of light appeared before her eyes.
Pei Ci stood there, her heart pounding. She dared not click on it. What was the point of clicking? It was just another repetition, just like her parents abandoning her for her sake, just like her brother leaving her for her sake, just like Ye Lin leaving her for her sake. What was the difference?
There's no difference.
The same applies to both sides.
They all love it this way.
It has always been this way.
It's fine.
There's no need for that.
Pei Ci lowered her eyes, and just as she was about to turn her back, a voice suddenly came from behind her—
“Ah Ci…”
A glowing, transparent arm wrapped around her from behind, followed by the intense heat pressing against her back.
Pei Ci's body stiffened. She tried to struggle, but just as she exerted her strength, a hand reached out from behind her. This hand was slender and white, and gently cupped her face.
Finally, Pei Ci could see her face clearly.
With curly, seaweed-like hair, an oval face, and honey-reddish-brown eyes, she shone brightly.
“Ye…” Pei Ci opened her mouth, “Ye Lin.”
"Mmm." Ye Lin answered almost without hesitation. Her face had actually changed a bit, and seemed to have some of Pei Ci's features. At this moment, she smiled gently like a cloud. "I'm here. I've always been here."
"I'm so glad, Aci, that you still remember me." Ye Lin's tone became cheerful.
Pei Ci pursed her lips. "What do you want to do?"
Sensing Pei Ci's rejection, Ye Lin was not annoyed. She hugged Pei Ci and gently led her towards the light spot, saying, "I want to give A-Ci a gift."
Then she added, "Why...don't you click to take a look?"
"There's no need," Pei Ci said expressionlessly.
"Really?" Ye Lin sighed. "Ah Ci..."
"Please, this is a gift for you."
So, under Ye Lin's half-coercion and half-coaxing, Pei Ci's trembling fingers tapped the light spot.
The scene depicts the unfolding of light spots.
It was Lu Ran in the operating room.
At this moment, she lay quietly on the bed in the operating room. Zhou Songyin, for some unknown reason, collapsed to the floor, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. After hearing something Lu Ran had said earlier, veins bulged on Zhou Songyin's face. "Lu Ran, are you crazy?!"
Zhou Songyin roared hoarsely, "Going along with her is completely pointless! You'll die, she'll die, you'll both die eventually!!!"
"The reason you can form a bond with her is because of me, because of me!! If you force everything back to its original state, her fate will soon be sealed! Besides, you can't possibly go back to the original state. You don't love Ye Qingyu, you despise her, reject her, and hate her. You can't even act properly; you can't possibly complete her plan. So you will only fail, you will only die!!!"
“Then why not cooperate with me…” Zhou Songyin’s pupils widened slightly. “I can save her, I can save her, I’m not lying to you, it’s a 99% probability.”
"Only by cooperating with me can you save... cough cough... cough cough..." Zhou Songyin said through gritted teeth, "Only then can you save her."
Pei Ci was taken aback upon hearing this, so...
Is it coming again?
A familiar scene, all to save her, so… Before she could finish speaking, Lu Ran's voice rang out: “No need.”
Lu Ran didn't look at Zhou Songyin, but instead looked down at the girl under the white cloth. "I know that there is no chance of her mission succeeding."
"Because I will die."
"You'll kill her too!" Zhou Songyin roared.
To everyone's surprise, Lu Ran laughed and said, "Then let's die together."
"I was never a good person to begin with."
This was Lu Ran's most sincere answer. He was never a good person; he lacked basic morals and ethics. He could hurt others for his own whims, because that's just who he was. His love was also inadequate; he wouldn't act like a saint to do things he didn't want to do to save his beloved. But he would never betray or hurt him.
Even if all this harm is done in the name of saving her.
so……
Ah Ci, I won't warn you or save you, but I will always stand by your side.
I will do as you wish and accompany you to the very end of the mission's failure.
We'll die together.
*
"How about it?"
Ye Lin's voice was soft and ethereal as she gently wiped away the girl's tears with her fingers. "Are you satisfied with this gift?"
“He is my finest creation, imbued with my soul, my love, my heart and soul, and everything I am. He is the man I most admired and believe should be your husband. Of course, after meeting you, he also awakened his own soul, making everything beyond my expectations, but also more perfect.” Ye Lin paused, her gaze fixed quietly on her. “…Do you like him?”
"Tick-tock".
"Tick-tock—"
It was the sound of tears dripping from her chin. Pei Ci quietly gazed at the boy in the picture, while various images also floated before her eyes. She was too slow to understand and really not good at expressing herself.
But in fact, from beginning to end, she always wanted to tell them.
It's okay.
Poverty is fine.
Illnesses are acceptable too.
Death is fine too.
As long as we can stay together, it doesn't matter if we die tomorrow.
Unfortunately, she couldn't say it then. Unfortunately, they never had the chance to let it speak. And after all the twists and turns, until this moment, her thoughts were finally expressed by another.
Yes.
It doesn't matter.
Let's die together then.
Pei Ci blinked, shaking off the tears from her eyelashes. She slowly raised her eyes to meet Ye Lin's gaze. During this eye contact, Ye Lin's smile gradually faded, but quickly returned. She tossed her hair and said, "Honestly, I'm... a little jealous."
"So what should I do now?" Pei Ci asked, looking at her.
"How can we... reach the final outcome?"
Ye Lin pursed her lips and sighed, "Aci, I think I already told you."
Pei Ci was taken aback.
Suddenly, the darkness around her dissipated, followed by a flood of sunlight. Lush trees surrounded her, and she could hear the fluttering of insects' wings. Looking at herself, she saw she was now wearing rainforest protection gear, and on her hands…
"Is it not okay, A-Ci?"
A voice came from above.
Pei Ci's eyelashes trembled. She looked down at her hand and realized she was holding a gun, while her hand was being gripped by another large hand. The gun was pointed at a bird whose feet were tied and which was struggling frantically.
This memory...
This is clearly...
Just then, a burst of laughter came from above. Then she heard her own muffled voice say, "No."
"I'm a sickly person."
She heard her own negative thoughts, but his words quickly dispelled her gloom: "A-Ci, you can do it."
"I……"
“You don’t realize what you have yet.” He said gently but seriously, “Aci, you are my sister, you are the daughter of an arms dealer, which means that every piece of land you step on bears the traces of the Pei family’s guns and ammunition.”
"The Pei family controls this land and all its resources."
"You can do it. You can do anything in this world if you want to."
“I…” Her lips parted slightly.
"Do you want to shoot this bird through?" His voice was enticing.
As she nodded, he took her hand, held the gun for her, and helped her pull the trigger.
"Bang."
A gunshot rang out.
The bullet pierced through a nearby tree, and as the tree broke, the lively birds suddenly went berserk, eventually crashing headfirst into the broken trunk.
It wasn't until then that she realized it.
Long before her shotgun was aimed at the birds—
Whether the bullet hits or not, the bird is doomed.
So, of course she can.
If she wants to.
...Is this the answer?
Pei Ci opened her mouth, but was this answer too...? Before she could even doubt it, Ye Lin's voice came softly, "Of course."
At this moment, Ye Lin was face to face with her, forehead to forehead. Ye Lin looked at her quietly. She should have died long ago, burning away the world she created, dissecting her bloodied heart. But thankfully, A Ci found happiness.
And so Ye Lin finally uttered her last words—
"A-Ci, you're the female lead."
"This world was created for you."
As soon as she finished speaking, Pei Ci's world went dark, followed by her brother's familiar voice—
"Ah Ci?"
The world is rebooting for the last time. This time there are no missions, and Aci is no longer sick. She will become the female lead and begin her new and colorful life.
And the male lead is...
-----------------------
Author's note: This is a recap of the foreshadowing in Chapter 17.
That concludes the main text. When writing this, I only had one thought: to create a female protagonist who was born a heartthrob, someone who could drive everyone around her crazy simply by standing there. Therefore, I used a lot of descriptions from other people's perspectives. I took a break from updating this story for a while; I'll try my best to improve in my next book QAQ
Later, I'll be writing a side story about Pei Ci, who is healthy, and the male protagonist. I'll also fill in the gaps in Ye Lin's story. Of course, feel free to leave a comment if there are any side stories you'd like to see.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
