Chapter 64 [1, 2 updates] A free man cannot play a puppet. …

Huo Xihuai remained calm, but his heart slowly sank.

He glanced at the person next to him.

She looked down at her phone, crossed her legs, and leaned on the car seat. Nothing seemed wrong. She was still the arrogant Shen Yuntang who ignored others.

Huo Xihuai turned his head back gently, looking at the highway ahead, his hands tightly grasping the straps of his schoolbag.

After arriving at the hotel, Huo Yuyan was worried.

Before Shen Yuntang left, she asked him to pick up some nice conchs for her. She didn't want to go to the beach to pick them up by herself, but Huo Yuyan had limited experience, so he could only grope along the coastline with his head down.

They arrived at the suite and saw from the terrace that Huo Yuyan was standing with his legs apart on the beach below, looking for shells stranded on the shore. He looked for a while, then straightened up and went to look for the next one.

Huo Xihuai held onto the railing and asked, "Brother, why haven't you come up yet?"

"Who knows what he is doing?" Shen Yuntang smiled and said, "Can you tell me about the news that you won the award? I want to hear the details."

Huo Xihuai's hands tightened on the railing.

His heart grew heavier.

This sounds very willful, but... it is not Shen Yuntang's character at all.

Shen Yuntang didn't even bother to ask him, he would just pour it all out in one breath and then wait for her perfunctory praise.

Huo Xihuai took a deep breath and said, "I'm the top student in this subject. When the results were released, Teacher Lin got the news first and notified me immediately. I'll be admitted without any problems. I don't have to be so nervous for the rest of the semester."

"Wow, you are so awesome." Shen Yuntang said.

Huo Xihuai nodded gently and said, "Sister, can you give me the one you mentioned?"

Shen Yuntang paused, his expression did not change, he even chuckled, and said proudly: "You have a lot of requirements, I don't remember what you want, go to my place and find it yourself later."

"…Thank you, sis."

Shen Yuntang never said she would give him anything, and she was now handling the situation in a comprehensive manner, being able to deal with both the situation where she had really agreed to his promise and the situation where she had not agreed to his promise.

But when Huo Xihuai slowly turned his head, there were only a few words in his mind.

—A poor imitation.

It was too obvious that she was not Shen Yuntang.

His hands were shaking as he held the railing.

——Could this be the return of her first personality?

No, split personality was just a brainless guess made by my brother who didn't know the situation at the time. The real reason was that Shen Yuntang came from another world. She was not the original "Shen Yuntang" at all, so she was different from before.

So what now?

Huo Xihuai felt a chill in his heart.

He thought that he might be tampered with and the plot might change, but he never thought that Shen Yuntang might be sent back to his original world.

So why did the creators go to so much trouble?

She was sent here once, and then sent back without any warning.

What happened that made the creators willing to give up the sunk costs they had already paid and send Shen Yuntang back?

Now no decryption can compare to the panic of Shen Yuntang's possible disappearance.

Huo Xihuai trembled slightly. He didn't know what to do now. How could he find out where she was? If he exposed the fake Shen Yuntang, what would be the impact? Would the creator tamper with him as well?

Can she come back?

What would the world be like without the protagonist?

Huo Xihuai's eyes began to turn red.

He couldn't show it now. The "creator" might still be watching them in the dark.

After a long time, he was finally able to endure it and gradually regained his calm appearance.

Huo Yuyan also came up after picking up the conchs. He glanced at him, put a handful of shellfish on the table, picked out the most beautiful one and handed it to Shen Yuntang.

"I have a really good aesthetic taste." Huo Yuyan exclaimed, "It still looks good after washing."

Shen Yuntang paused, took the conch and looked at it, "That's it, let's look for it again."

Huo Yuyan was shocked: "Isn't this good looking?"

"Can you at least pick up a bag for me as a backup? Who are you trying to fool with these few?" Shen Yuntang said, throwing down the conch.

Huo Yuyan was stunned.

He paused and looked at Huo Xihuai.

After seeing the solemnity in Huo Xihuai's eyes, Huo Yuyan calmed down, turned his eyes back, picked up the conch she had thrown away, and said, "...Okay."

Huo Yuyan gestured to Huo Xihuai: "Let's go pick them up together. Don't try to be lazy."

Huo Xihuai nodded quickly.

They both went to the beach together.

As Huo Xihuai was walking, he turned around and saw the blurry shadow of Shen Yuntang standing on the terrace looking at them.

He felt creepy.

Huo Yuyan stood in the rising waves and asked him calmly, "Is it strange?"

"It's so weird." Huo Xihuai murmured, "Something's wrong since she came to pick me up."

"It was fine before I left." Huo Yuyan's heart clenched tightly, staring at the beach under his feet, and even his speech was a little unsmooth, "Something must have gone wrong on the way."

What could go wrong?

He didn't dare to think too much, his heart skipped a beat, and then it beat faster and faster, his palms were sweating, and he couldn't even hold the shells he picked up.

But "Shen Yuntang" was watching them from behind.

The creators may also be watching them.

For the first time, Huo Yuyan felt how disgusting a world controlled by others was.

He would find the creator and punch him into the sea.

"Let's reason about this." Huo Xihuai bent over and slowly dug out the shellfish buried in the sand. He whispered without moving his lips, "She is not Miss Shen, but she wants to pretend to be Miss Shen. Her purpose is either to benefit herself or the mastermind behind the scenes."

"The benefit to her is that she can enjoy Shen Yuntang's status and preferential treatment." Huo Yuyan said with his head down.

"Also, we dare not act rashly." Huo Xihuai said solemnly, "No one knows if Miss Shen can come back if we hurt her."

"Do you think Shen Yuntang was taken away by the creator?"

"That's the guess. Only the creator can make such a big move."

"I also think that this one might be..."

The original "Shen Yuntang".

——The original vicious female supporting role in this world, who was supposed to receive a divorce agreement from Huo Yuyan this year and end up living on the streets.

Shen Yuntang's arrival changed her fate.

And now that she is back, she doesn't want to lose this opportunity, so she simply takes advantage of the situation and continues to live using Shen Yuntang's identity.

Huo Yuyan quickly came up with the answer.

His heart felt cold.

In order to continue enjoying such a life, the current original owner will definitely not reveal any secrets about the creator to them. They have no way to connect with the creator and Shen Yuntang's world.

She didn't even know whether Shen Yuntang was in this world or her original world.

I don’t know if the creator will find out if they rashly change the fate of the current “Shen Yuntang” and drive her out of the Huo family.

……No.

There is one more person.

Huo Yuyan suddenly raised his head.

There is another person who has also been in contact with the creator.

Wen Yanyan!

Wen Yanyan has been running around for a long time. No one helps her, she has no money, no friends, and her previous life has collapsed. She can't understand why she, as the heroine, has to end up like this.

Could it be that the reborn Huo Xihuai has such a great influence?

But she is the heroine! Even the heroine's halo can't help her?

Wen Yanyan can only make a living by relying on her own skill in making perfume. She cannot afford good materials, so she can only wholesale cheap raw materials to make rough perfume sachets. The prices are already very cheap, but there are still people who scold her for being crazy about money and it is barely enough for her to make a living.

She tossed and turned every night, crying, and couldn't help thinking about her life in Izchaber.

If she hadn't returned to China to find a savior, if she hadn't met Shen Yuntang, if she hadn't given up learning how to make incense after being slapped in the face at the incense tasting meeting...even more, if she hadn't realized that she was the heroine, she wouldn't have gone to find Huo Xihuai and Shen Yuntang, and she wouldn't have ended up like this today.

With so many steps involved, if she had made the right choice in even one step, she wouldn't be like this now.

Wen Yanyan wiped away her tears.

There was a knock on the door and someone was knocking outside.

Wen Yanyan sat up, thinking that it was a customer coming to see the new sachets, but when she opened the door she found it was a stranger.

She looked at the man a little confused: "Are you here to buy perfume?"

"Hello, Miss Wen." The stranger said politely, "Mr. Huo Yuyan wanted me to come and talk to you about compensation."

Wen Yanyan's face turned pale all of a sudden, and she almost wanted to close the door.

She barely even thought about why they were asking for compensation now, and why they were asking her for compensation. She was filled with fear. Did Shen Yuntang complain again? Or was it Huo Xihuai who did it? They could find a hundred reasons to make her unlucky!

But she can hide for a while, can she hide for a lifetime?

Wen Yanyan's face was pale, and her lower lip was trembling. After a long while, she nodded tremblingly: "Okay."

She wanted to meet at least these two people.

It seemed that she was not completely without a way out. She could tell them about her awakening and the subsequent plot, so that they might let her go.

Is there anything else worth revealing in the following plot? She must not instigate them again, because they would not believe her at all and would think she was talking nonsense. But if she did so, the information she had would be useless.

Wen Yanyan couldn't help but feel bitter on her lips.

Why can they trust each other so firmly?

Not leaving her even the slightest chance to take advantage of.

She could never understand why Shen Yuntang could be so sure that Huo Xihuai would not retaliate against her, even though she had tortured Huo Xihuai so much.

etc.

When she first arrived at the Huo residence, Shen Yuntang seemed to have asked those ladies for advice on parenting.

Huo Xihuai was sitting next to her.

…

This was different from the plot she knew.

Before she appeared, Shen Yuntang should have been spoiled and willful and bullied Huo Xihuai all the time. How could he have asked others for advice?

…

Wen Yanyan felt a chill on her back.

Shen Yuntang might not be the original one either.

Neither she nor Huo Xihuai are original.

How many real people are there in this world?

Is what the plot consciousness tells her the truth?

Was she deceived???

Who is lying to her?

Shen Yuntang picked up the tea on the table and took a sip.

Putting down the teacup, she crossed her legs and looked at the screen in front of her.

There was no one around, but the teapot on the table was filled with her favorite black tea, and the cups were so exquisite that there was no mistake.

"Host, because we have observed that you have deviated too far from the main plot, we have decided to withdraw the broadcast. Now you can continue to watch the plot that you have changed, or you can choose to return to the real world."

"Do you think it's not unreasonable to take it back now after straying for so long?" Shen Yuntang showed no expression.

The system was embarrassed for a moment, and added: "It's like this. Actually, it's because the changes you brought are too big, too many characters have awakened, and the world in the book is on the verge of collapse. So you were extracted in advance to prevent the world from collapsing along with you."

"That's quite thoughtful of you. You know how to take it back when no one is around to see it."

“…Thank you for the compliment.”

Shen Yuntang said nothing more.

She understood the logic of this broken system. A book has its own direction. If all the characters in it have their own ideas and no longer follow the fate arranged by the author, then the book will collapse.

In other words, it is out of the author's control.

The author may choose to stop creating, or he may choose to destroy the world and delete all traces.

Now, the people who arranged this world seem to have no control over it.

He decided to destroy it.

It was unknown what Shen Yuntang was feeling, but she had a smile on her face, which made the system feel a little creepy, but it couldn't figure out what she was thinking.

After a while, she said with a half-smile, "Is it just me that was pulled away?"

The system is silent.

It seemed like she had guessed something, but it was not a question she intended to conceal, so she confessed, "Yes, there is another one, and it should be here soon."

After a while, the door of the enclosed space was pushed open and an acquaintance walked in.

He seemed a little confused and was stunned when he saw her here.

"Miss Shen?" he asked, "What are we doing here?"

Shen Yuntang stared at him as he walked over and sat down, his expression unchanged, still so indescribably creepy.

After Xie Yunting sat down, he asked blankly, "Is this the treatment after the character awakens?"

He pushed up the frame of his glasses, his expression gradually becoming serious, "We have to find a way to get back. I disappeared on my way to an appointment. What about you?"

A long silence responded to him.

Being stared at by Shen Yuntang without blinking, Xie Yunting's expression did not reveal the slightest flaw, but instead he gradually became a little confused.

"Why is Miss Shen looking at me?" He paused, and thought of a possibility, "You are not Shen Yuntang? Are you the original owner?"

Shen Yuntang nodded.

"You're pretending very well." She finally spoke, "Do you want to guess how I found out?"

Before Xie Yunting could calm down, he heard her continue, "Brother?"

…

His face was almost immediately confused for a moment, and his expression froze.

Shen Yuntang propped up his chin.

She knew his shortcomings, and he would reveal them as soon as she called him brother.

Ever since they played hide-and-seek when they were children, Shen Zhizhe could no longer hide as long as she made a sound.

She had used this to play tricks on him many times.

From childhood to adulthood, no matter how big a mess she had made, as long as she called out like this, Shen Zhizhe would sigh lightly, automatically put down what he was doing, and help her clean up the mess.

Shen Zhizhe seems to be omnipotent.

The last time she saw such a bewildered expression on his face was when she came back from a blind date and casually said that the guy she met today was quite nice.

Later, the people she met on blind dates seemed to be all weirdos.

Later, her father was so angry with her that he arranged a fiancé for her. She found it very boring and asked Shen Zhizhe if he could think of any way to get rid of that petty and trashy fiancé.

At that time, Shen Zhizhe seemed to smile at her: "There will be a way."

Before Shen Yuntang knew what the solution was, he entered the book.

She couldn't help but suspect that this was what Shen Zhizhe called "the method".

She held up her face and looked at the man in front of her, whose expression could still be described as calm.

He is still struggling.

He was struggling over whether to continue acting and hold on to the role, or to accept the fact that Shen Yuntang had seen through him.

If possible, Shen Zhizhe didn't want to accept it no matter what.

The thought of revealing in front of Shen Yuntang that he had deceived her made his chest hurt by his own breathing.

But how far can he hide it?

What step did Shen Yuntang guess?

He knew her character well. If she was really sure that he was the manipulator behind the scenes, then it would be useless for him to pretend.

Shen Yuntang only believes in his own judgment.

There were faint blue veins on his forehead.

The corners of his mouth seemed to want to force a smile, but it was too stiff and seemed fake.

"Forget it, let me do it." Seeing that he couldn't utter a word for a long time, Shen Yuntang lost his patience and started to speak himself.

"The purpose of changing all the plots is to let me experience the fate of the original female supporting role, right?"

"Divorced, abandoned, homeless, and then what? Why do you want to retaliate against me like this? Do you hate me?" Shen Yuntang asked this question very sincerely.

She felt that this reason made sense. After all, she had been bullied by her since she was a child. Seeing the two of them living the same life but with different destinies, it was normal for Shen Zhizhe to feel unwilling. It was just that he hid it too well.

Shen Zhizhe's grip suddenly tightened.

He looked at Shen Yuntang, his throat tightened and the tip of his tongue tasted bitter. He had never felt such a strong bitterness before.

It seemed that he was finally broken by Shen Yuntang's questioning.

…

"I don't hate you." He lowered his head, the back of his hands holding the armrest were tense and trembling slightly, his voice was dry and getting lower and lower.

"...How could I hate you?"

If Shen Yuntang had not been willful since childhood, how could he realize the meaning of his existence.

If she had not been so arrogant as to bully him and made her father feel guilty towards him, how could he have been raised safely by the Shen family?

Everything she did was always to save him.

He gripped the armrest so tightly that his palms turned blue.

"Then why do you want me to be so miserable?" Shen Yuntang was calm.

"I left you a legacy. I won't let you suffer." Shen Zhizhe spoke quickly, his head lowered. The pain that came up made his voice dark and difficult. "I'm setting it to easy mode for you."

He finally decided not to lie to her. He couldn't hide it anymore.

Shen Yuntang paused, then suddenly realized.

No wonder she said the inheritance came so easily, and Shen Anguo’s flaws were discovered so easily.

So her career went smoothly without any sudden obstacles.

That's why working with Charles goes so smoothly.

Shen Zhizhe even set it up from the beginning.

Then, his purpose was now exposed extremely clearly, so blatant that people could not help but tremble with fear.

He wants her career to be successful, but she is isolated by all the characters around her who might develop kinship and love.

Including Shen Yuntang's initial idea was to divorce once he earned enough money.

Even the sudden appearance of her fiancé, Shen Yunhe, Wen Yanyan, these nonsensical characters, were just to promote her separation from Huo Yuyan.

She will only have a career that is enough to live a comfortable life based on the original fate of the female supporting role, but she will lose all her friends and relatives.

It also makes sense why she was brought back at this point.

He saw the progress of her relationship with Huo Yuyan.

Shen Yuntang looked at him and felt that he was a little strange, but at the same time, it seemed that he was in line with his personality.

"Do you know how I found out?" Shen Yuntang said.

Shen Zhizhe didn't look up. She continued, "You were in the tea room and told me that Zhuo Mei told you that she would show up when the plot required it, and then you gave it away."

"Zhuo Mei even hid her will carefully and gave it to Grandpa Huo for 20 years before handing it to me. How could she tell an unrelated person?" She said calmly, "You have gone too far to gain my trust."

Shen Zhizhe's whole body gradually stiffened.

"So I asked you to design a skirt for me because I wanted to see your habit of putting a logo on it. You changed it very deliberately and put it on the belt that Yan Jinyao touched, right? It just so happened that you threw it away as soon as she touched it. I couldn't find the mark on the skirt, which made me more certain that you were guilty."

"The mentality of wanting to show off and conceal at the same time is very easy to be manipulated by others, Shen Zhizhe." Shen Yuntang supported his chin, surprisingly calm.

Shen Zhizhe didn't expect that she had started paying attention to him so early.

His breathing almost stopped, and his lungs seemed to be tightened.

"Also, before you told me that you awakened, I had already seen someone else awaken once." She smiled, "So I know you are lying to me. A proper character awakening is not like you."

Huo Yuyan was on the verge of regaining consciousness right in front of her.

Just after Wen Yanyan went to ambush in his company and was scolded back by him, he realized that something was wrong with this world and it was too outrageous.

Why are there always so many messed up and bloody plots happening around him, why do his subordinates seem to have lost their minds, and why can a brainless person like Wen Yanyan grow up to this age.

Why is he so different now than he was before?

"Listen to my speculation." She said calmly, "When I first met 'Xie Yunting' to pick me up to go to Tschaburg, you hadn't yet successfully entered this role. After you successfully entered this role, you knew that I suspected you were Shen Zhizhe, so you tried to play along with me and pretended to be a good person who was forced to travel through the book, awakened his consciousness but was bound by the plot, and could only remind me of some shocking secret through hints."

"You can modify this world to a certain extent, but there may be restrictions. Otherwise, you wouldn't have only modified Wen Yanyan for so long, and it doesn't seem to be very successful."

Shen Yuntang became calmer and calmer as he spoke. "Your acting is full of loopholes. You have no idea what it's like to be restricted by the plot. They are Zhuo Mei, who can only watch herself die of illness; Huo Xihuai, who, after being hurt, has to fall in love with Wen Yanyan against his will; they feel death and accept rebirth; they are those nameless and thoughtless extras who can only repeat meaningless actions day after day; they only react when the protagonist walks by, and they are blank after the protagonist leaves."

"You acted so badly because you haven't been tied up, so you don't know what it's like to be tied up."

Shen Yuntang tapped the table and said in an almost gloomy tone -

"A free man cannot play a puppet."

"You made a mistake."