Chapter 60 Ye Qingyu is a man
"Young Miss, Young Miss??"
"Pei Ci?"
A soft voice whispered in her ear. Pei Ci blinked, and when she came to her senses, she only saw a pair of brownish-red pupils, in which her own bewildered face was reflected.
“…Ye Qingyu?” Pei Ci called out subconsciously.
However, her rusty, reddish-brown eyes narrowed slightly, and her voice lowered, carrying a hint of stubbornness, "Is this what it's called?"
Pei Ci naturally changed her address to "Classmate Ye".
And so those eyes smiled, and the autumn evening glow, like the color of her pupils, naturally gave birth to a beauty of decay amidst its brilliance.
Before Pei Ci could get a closer look, her eyes had already moved away. She turned her back and walked forward. As she walked further away, the surrounding scenery gradually became clearer. It was a sunny day with fresh air and a gentle breeze. The light clung to her tall figure, and her long black hair fluttered in the wind.
...Wait, long hair??
Pei Ci vaguely sensed something was wrong. Her fingers reached forward, but miraculously touched Ye Qingyu's hair, which felt cold and somewhat sticky. Her fingers trembled involuntarily. At that moment, Ye Qingyu turned half her face and smilingly handed the black scissors in her hand to Pei Ci.
"Pei Ci, please cut my hair."
Then the scene changed again. It was a barbershop with a vintage feel. Pei Ci remembered that there was a talkative uncle in the barbershop, but the uncle was gone. This time, only Ye Qingyu and she were there.
"...Young Miss?"
Ye Qingyu was urging him again.
Pei Ci regained her composure and focused on Ye Qingyu's hair. Her hair was thick, black, and rather stiff; it felt damp and cold to the touch. Pei Ci lingered on the hair for a few moments, then picked up the scissors. With a flick of her fingers, a strand of hair fell from the sharp blade and stuck to Ye Qingyu's shoe.
Pei Ci pursed her lips, and the scissors opened and closed again, clumps of hair falling like snowflakes with a crisp snip.
Amidst this bizarre scene, Pei Ci recalled the time she and Ye Qingyu went to the hair salon.
She had always found it strange that Ye Qingyu suddenly cut her hair and that Ye Qingyu was so happy.
It's just a haircut...
It's nothing, right?
She thought it so casually, and then went along with it, let her have her way, and did as she pleased.
But upon closer reflection, that day was just too strange.
If Ye Qingyu's death during the school celebration was an inevitable outcome, then her decision to cut her hair signifies that she is severing all ties with her past.
Or perhaps, she was reminding herself—
I have no way out.
This was a sign that he was about to die.
There's much more to come...
Her sudden, vigorous life force, like a resurgence of life, the ring given to her, even the kiss before going on stage—every action of hers was so resolute and tragic, leading her step by step toward death.
And I never noticed it myself.
Because, without realizing it, she had already categorized Ye Qingyu as a strange person. Because of her strangeness, she didn't bother to investigate. Instead, she focused on carrying out the mission, treating everyone involved as an emotionless monster.
So even though he had prevented Ye Qingyu's death many times.
And each time, she let these opportunities slip by.
until……
"Bang--"
Under that bright sunlight, Ye Qingyu jumped from the high-rise building, turning into a bloody and mangled body.
Ye Qingyu...
Pei Ci's teeth almost pierced her lips. She looked at the clean and bright Ye Qingyu in the mirror, her fingers clutching the last strand of hair. "Ye Qingyu, I'm sorry, I'm an idiot."
"I didn't find anything."
"I only think about myself."
"I only think about my own task."
“I didn’t see your cry for help, I…” Tears of regret almost welled up in her eyes, but she held her face in her hands. Ye Qingyu’s expression was serious and earnest. “Have you forgotten, Miss?”
"I'm the one who should apologize."
Her black hair turned into thick, sticky blood, and her skin cracked like porcelain. Only her reddish-brown eyes remained fixed on Pei Ci.
"Pei Ci, it's my last moment that I still want to be with you."
sorry.
None of this concerns you.
However, because of my wickedness and selfishness.
I don't want to see you with Lu Ran.
I want to have you for a short time.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
I still...
I want you to remember me.
—If I die.
You will always remember me, won't you?
Ye Qingyu's face was covered in blood, but the corners of her mouth were slightly raised.
Pei Ci also suddenly opened her eyes amidst this terrifying scene.
"woke up!!!"
"Ahhhh, Miss Pei is awake?!?!"
"Quickly, go and inform Mr. Pei!"
A crowd stirred around them, filled with excited and joyful sounds. After a short while, the group quickly retreated to the side. Then, the door opened, and in a few quick steps, a tall figure leaned over Pei Ci's bedside. His dry, large hand reached towards Pei Ci's forehead, and a deep, hoarse voice sounded, "Are you feeling better?"
That sound...
Pei Ci blinked and softly called out, "Brother?"
The air was still for a few seconds, then the body moved upwards, and Pei Ci saw that familiar face. This face was extremely handsome, handsome to the point of being somewhat harsh. And those clear, jellyfish-colored eyes, the same color as hers, perfectly reflected his inherent arrogance and disdain for others; he was practically a born ruler.
However, the moment the person in power met her gaze, the indifference in his eyes melted away. "Yes, I'm back."
But soon, his voice turned cold, "I failed to protect you."
He spoke with such certainty, as if all the responsibility lay with him. And this was entirely true for him; he naturally felt he should bear the blame for everything concerning his sister.
Pei Ci was used to Pei Chi's words and didn't think much of them. Compared to that, she was more concerned about Ye Qingyu.
Before she fell into a coma, she had repeatedly confirmed that Ye Qingyu was dead.
Strangely, the system did not issue any warning before this happened, nor did it provide any notification after Ye Qingyu's death.
No……
Perhaps they've already given a notification?
But she's unconscious?
Pei Ci knew she had fainted. Ye Qingyu's death had been a huge blow to her. She could clearly feel her heart couldn't take it, and she fainted the moment Lu Ran rushed over anxiously.
So now...
Pei Ci looked around her room. She knew this was the Pei residence, and her brother was beside her. At that moment, she remembered what the system had said: if the mission failed, the world would restart.
So, after I fell into a coma, the world restarted?
Is this a rebooted world?
Even though he thought that way, Pei Ci still felt something was off. Just like he had never really understood Ye Qingyu, he seemed to have overlooked something about this mission as well.
So she tentatively asked, "What time is it now?"
Pei Ci was stunned after receiving Pei Chi's accurate answer.
This was actually the seventh day after Ye Qingyu jumped off the building.
In other words, even after Ye Qingyu's death... the timeline continues.
The world did not collapse because of the female protagonist's death.
But how could that be? This novel clearly revolves around the female protagonist.
No, perhaps there's another possibility!
Pei Ci suddenly grabbed Pei Chi's sleeve, "Brother, is Ye Qingyu not dead???"
"She was saved, wasn't she?"
Her pupils widened, her clear eyes fixed intently on Pei Chi. Pei Chi lowered his eyelids. "Are you and Ye Qingyu very familiar?"
“When did you,” Pei Chi said, “make such a good friend?”
The air suddenly fell silent after these words were spoken.
After a few seconds of silence, Pei Ci raised her eyes and asked, "Brother, you should have investigated thoroughly, right?"
She knew her brother too well. He could investigate everything about her coma, down to the smallest detail, even the mosquitoes. And those close to her, like Ye Qingyu, were even more closely monitored.
“That’s exactly what your investigation revealed,” Pei Ci said.
"Oh." Pei Chi pursed his lips.
Pei Ci knew that her brother, who had been inexplicably angry, had calmed down. Sure enough, after his emotions had subsided, Pei Chi answered Pei Ci's question.
“Dead,” Pei Chi said. “Dead beyond dead.”
"The body was cremated the day after death."
"The ashes are placed in the funeral home."
"Excuse my bluntness," Pei Chi raised his chin, "this bouncy rat, even if it hadn't jumped off the building, would have only met its end in death."
Pei Ci was stunned. She knew her brother wouldn't lie to her. So Ye Qingyu was indeed dead and couldn't possibly be resurrected. But she was the female lead! How could she be dead? And if the female lead died, then the system…
The system clearly alerted the female lead when her life was in danger, so why didn't it make a single sound when Ye Qingyu jumped off the building?
The system simply let it proceed.
even……
There wasn't even any notification about the female lead's death?
What exactly happened?
Pei Ci felt a fog before her eyes, and she couldn't help but mentally call out to the system.
"System, what exactly is going on?"
"Why didn't you warn me when the female lead's life was in danger?"
"System, are you hiding something from me?"
"System, are you kidding me?"
"Or rather, there was no such thing as a mission at all."
You're lying to me.
Under Pei Ci's bombardment, the system finally couldn't help but use energy to recover.
The female lead is in good health.
Please continue the mission.
Pei Ci: !!!
What does it mean for the female lead to be in good health?
Ye Qingyu is dead but in good health??
Pei Ci was completely stunned; she simply couldn't understand what the system was saying. There had been a warning when Ye Qingyu was brutally beaten by Lu Ran before, so how could it be like this now…?
etc--
In a flash, Pei Ci suddenly realized something.
Ye Qingyu had actually suffered bullying and harm many times, but it seemed...
The system only issued an emergency alert when she was beaten up by Lu Ran for giving him the ring.
Apart from that, no matter how serious the injury Ye Qingyu suffered, the system remained indifferent and watched.
An absurd idea was swirling in Pei Ci's mind at that moment—
Is Ye Qingyu really the female lead?
Is she really the female lead?
Pei Ci was startled by her own thoughts, still finding them absurd. If Ye Qingyu wasn't the female lead, then who was? Was there another Ye Qingyu? How ridiculous.
Just as Pei Ci was about to dismiss this absurd idea, a hand pinched her face—or rather, pressed it—to attract her attention.
Pei Ci then met those jellyfish-colored eyes again.
Those eyes, so similar to hers, now held a hint of disgust and incomprehension.
Why are you shedding tears for a dead rat?
"He is a filthy rat, a despicable liar. He disguises himself as a woman and lurks by your side. He uses your pity to achieve his ulterior motives. He touches you with disgusting hands. He steals your attention and indulgence, and defiles your pure heart."
"He deserves to die."
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Author's Note: Finally, Ye Qingyu's true identity has been revealed. There were many hints earlier that he was a man. The specifics will be detailed in the next playthrough. [Let me see][Let me see]
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