Fully healed.
In the few heart-to-heart conversations between the siblings since they reunited,
Su Ling was directly healed of the deep scars in her heart by her brother's few words,
filling the dark abyss that would endlessly sink if left unattended,
and repairing the motivation to practice the piano that was on the verge of shattering into pieces.
Yes.
She had overthought it.
Her brother would never abandon her.
He lived alone in the city center, with a stable income and a fulfilling university life.
He could satisfy his spiritual emptiness through "creation," and he could meet all his material needs with his own hands.
Even without her, he could live well, moving forward step by step, and even meet a suitable girlfriend at the right time, dating and living together—
[Like someone next door.]
But.
He didn't do that.
Even when tempted by stray cats or stalked by obsessive admirers,
he still chose to focus on "preparing new works," and during the gaps, he came up with new project plans, intending to earn extra income this way, safely get through the downtime, and continue supporting her.
Whether it was the 50,000 yuan advance payment for Bai Xing or the 50,000 yuan costume made by Tang Hua,
both were necessary for tomorrow's debut broadcast, and her brother had honestly told her about this last night.
"Su Ling, if one day I fall ill and need to recuperate for a while, then everything outside will have to be held up by you."
"You won't let me down, right?"
The half-joking tone was no joke in Su Ling's eyes.
Because she knew.
She knew everything.
Her brother was referring to—the [Cluster Period].
Once a cluster episode strikes, it could last for months or even an entire season, and the intense pain would make it impossible for him to accomplish anything.
If he could endure it, that would be fine, but if he couldn't, then an unimaginable outcome awaited him.
Recently, Su Ling had been researching a lot.
Regarding the solution to this illness, she actually found a surprisingly reliable conclusion amidst countless fragmented and misleading statements—
[Endure until you're sixty, and it will get better.]
—The older a person gets, the more their nerves tend to become numb.
The same pain, in the eyes of the elderly, is not as sensitive or suffocating as it is for the young. On the contrary, the probability of cluster headaches triggering even decreases with age, inversely proportional to youth.
(If an elderly person suddenly experiences severe headaches, please immediately go to the hospital to check for organic lesions.)
In other words, as long as Lu Qing endures for another twenty or thirty years, and during this time uses every possible method to alleviate the pain and avoid suicidal tendencies, then everything is controllable and will "get better."
For such an incurable disease, in Western medicine, aside from painkillers, the only solution is to "let nature take its course."
In traditional Chinese medicine, unless it's a sage like Doctor Qi Shi, who is proficient in all five arts and has unified the great Dao, ordinary doctors are also helpless, and it might even backfire.
(Some short-sighted individuals believe that even among the great physicians of traditional Chinese medicine, none can match Doctor Qi's skill, and they criticize and belittle him. This is a case of limited cognition restricting one's perspective. It's advised to speak cautiously, accumulate more virtue, and avoid being a frog in a well, using personal small knowledge and book learning to challenge the great Dao of national medicine and a lifetime of clinical experience. Stay away from the "arrogance" sin, and refrain from judging the diagnostic methods of great physicians as an apprentice. Finally, I wish you a smooth journey in medicine, young one.)
It must be said that those who suffer from this disease seem destined by fate, unable to find or determine the cause.
There's a hidden sense of "karmic cycle."
But this,
is no match for Su Ling.
"If my brother can endure these twenty or thirty years to find relief, then I will accompany him through these twenty or thirty years."
"If during this time he suffers unbearably and wants to end his life, then I will do everything in my power to alleviate his pain and delay his episodes."
"For him, I can give everything. I am willing to take any means to limit his illness."
...
Today, Su Ling has regained her confidence. She firmly believes that with her brother by her side, she will overcome the illness before him, and on that foundation, she will nurture him, comfort him, and heal his scarred heart in her own way.
—He has already excised "her" from his life.
Whether it's genuine or escapism, at least it shows that now, when discussing topics related to "her," he no longer treads carefully or loses control of his emotions.
If that's the case, then seize the opportunity, ride the wind, and completely make her brother forget "her."
"Surely, someone who could hurt my brother, who enjoys toying with his heart, can't be a good person either."
Su Ling has developed a strong bias against "her."
This bias is unabashed and almost borders on "hatred."
The better her brother treats her, the more the person who hurt him deserves to die.
"Preferably, a lifetime of misery."
Su Ling curses like this, cursing the unseen "villainess."
...
Time flies, and it's already Friday.
Today is the most crucial day of the semester for Lu Qing.
It's the same for Bai Xing.
Since yesterday, she hasn't been to school.
She's been preparing, getting used to wearing the costume, getting used to transforming into a "succubus."
In Room 1902, Building C, the girl sits at her computer desk, looking at the screen at the incredibly alluring "herself," feeling...
still somewhat out of place.
It feels like "she's controlling a machine."
Not like during the Hoshizuki Rina era, where "she and Rina-chan were one."
These two feelings are worlds apart in the heart of the person behind the avatar.
The former is borrowing and pretending, the latter is performing and beautifying oneself.
"Ah... I'm still so nervous."
Bai Xing sways and turns in circles under the motion capture camera.
Looking left and right, she still can't calm her thoughts.
There are only 3 hours left until the broadcast.
Time is tight, and she can't afford to waste any more.
"What to do, what to do..."
Opening her phone, seeing the unupdated messages in the group, Bai Xing thinks for a moment, then has an idea—
She clicks on Tang Hua's profile and sends her a private message.
"Mei Biya, are you there?"
About 10 seconds later.
Tang Hua: "Huh?"
"..."
Looks like she's also sitting in front of the computer waiting for the broadcast.
Bai Xing immediately seizes the opportunity and asks, "I followed the L2D demo you sent me, but no matter how I try, I can't achieve the same effect as you..."
This is the first time she's initiated a conversation with Tang Hua since adding her.
Originally, Bai Xing just added her as a friend after the steak dinner on her senior's advice, and then left it at that, not even sending a "hello" sticker, intending to let it lie dormant in each other's contact lists.
But today, she feels that this can't go on. She's encountered a "technical problem," and with the battle imminent, it's no time to be stubborn.
Rather than disappointing her senior later, Bai Xing thinks it's more reasonable to swallow her pride and ask Tang Hua for some pointers.
Thus, the following conversation unfolds—
Tang Hua: "Oh, that's normal."
Bai Xing: "What do you mean, normal! Did you hide something? The version you gave me isn't the complete one you use privately, is it?"
Tang Hua: "? It's your own incompetence, don't blame me."
Bai Xing: "I've been trying for hours, barely sleeping! But no matter what I do, I can't replicate your expressions, especially that look in your eyes at the end of the video, I just can't do it!
Mei Biya, tell me the truth, did you hide something? Are there some expressions that weren't exported in the costume project file you gave me?"
Tang Hua: "Ridiculous, I can't be bothered with you. If you don't believe me, ask the boss, see if I cheated you."
Bai Xing: "..."
Unlike her attitude when Lu Qing is around.
Tang Hua, to outsiders, no matter who it is, speaks in the cold, aloof tone of a top-tier artist deity, lofty and indifferent.
After all—people who require 【no thought】, 【no careful editing】, and 【relationships that are dispensable】 don’t deserve the perfectly crafted tone I reserve for poetry and prose.
Thus, Bai Xing was struck with another blow.
She put down her phone, feeling both helpless and at a loss.
After much deliberation, she decided there was only one last trick left to pull—
...
A few seconds later.
In the 【Unnamed Guild】 group chat.
Xingbao: 【@Lu Qing, Senior! Meibiya is bullying me! Wuwu, she’s being mean to me, she’s not guiding me properly… Wuwu… I’m so upset, I can’t go live anymore…】
Tang Hua: “???”
……
……
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
