"Once it's activated, can I just go in directly? Are there any precautions or anything I should know?"
A few days later, in the afternoon.
Gu Chenan asked the System Girl next to him with a serious expression.
The System Girl thought for a moment and said, "There's nothing particularly noteworthy, just that the timing of activating the novel world is uncertain. It could be before the novel's plot or after it. In short, everything is an uncertain factor."
Gu Chenan had already anticipated this possibility when he decided to return to the novel world again. This issue didn't concern him at all.
What really bothered him was the time issue of returning to the novel world.
One day. Although it was enough to see the heroines in their earlier forms, it was... too short, wasn't it?
"Can't you just activate the novel world and leave it there? Then I can go to whichever world I want whenever I want, and become a free man who can shuttle between two worlds at will. Wouldn't that be great?" Gu Chenan asked.
The System Girl's face immediately fell, and she gave an expression of annoyance, saying, "Kill me then."
"Uh..."
Gu Chenan scratched the back of his head and said, "One day as husband and wife counts as a hundred days of kindness. I can't bring myself to do it."
"Go die."
The System Girl pushed Gu Chenan and said with a face full of annoyance, "Do you really think I'm all-powerful? Do you know how much effort it took me to open the novel world for you? And you're still not satisfied?"
Hearing this, Gu Chenan quickly said, "I-I was just joking!"
"Hmph."
The System Girl gave a light hum and said, "Alright, I'm going to activate the novel world now. Just wait a moment."
"OK."
With that, the System Girl waved her hand in the air, and a swirling portal of time and space instantly appeared.
Gu Chenan was startled.
"Wait, sis, is it really that casual? Don't you need to do some ritual or something?"
The System Girl: "......"
She gave Gu Chenan a look of annoyance and said, "The countdown has already started. You must return by this time tomorrow, understand?"
"Got it."
Gu Chenan nodded, took a deep breath, and stepped into the portal of time and space.
A familiar feeling of dizziness washed over him...
...
In the Gu Family Manor, Suhang.
"Young Master Gu, thank you for saving my father several times. I must repay this debt!"
Gu Chenan looked around in confusion. Just by glancing at the room's furnishings, he already knew this wasn't Donghai but Suhang!
Then, his gaze slowly moved to the woman sitting on the opposite sofa, dressed in an OL suit and nude stockings with high heels.
Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he seemed startled.
[Xiao Yajie?]
[Holy crap, Xiao Yajie?!?]
[How did I forget about this heroine before?]
[Although her role in the novel isn't that big, she's still the first heroine in the Suhang part of the story, right?]
What?
Xiao Yajie, sitting opposite Gu Chenan, heard his thoughts and frowned in confusion.
She had heard Gu Chenan's thoughts before and thus knew early on that Lin Yu had approached her with ill intentions.
She also knew that Lin Yu was the one behind the assassination attempts on her father.
At first, Xiao Yajie was quite shocked, but over time, she got used to hearing Gu Chenan's thoughts. However, now she couldn't understand what Gu Chenan meant.
What did he mean by forgetting her?
What did he mean by her being the first heroine in the Suhang plot?
What is Gu Chenan talking about?
"Young Master Gu, are you listening to me?" Xiao Yajie asked.
[Holy crap, what's the current timeline?]
[Let me think... Oh, right, it seems like Lin Yu, following Black Owl's orders, brought assassins to kill Xiao Yajie's father, and I stopped Black Owl's schemes twice? Right?]
Gulp~
Gu Chenan swallowed and asked, "Miss Xiao, is Gong Fei dead?"
Xiao Yajie nodded, "Gong Fei was killed by Young Master Gu, wasn't he?"
[That's right, this is the right time point!]
Gu Chenan breathed a sigh of relief, finally figuring out when they were.
He glanced at Xiao Yajie.
Overall, Xiao Yajie's looks and demeanor were similar to Su Qianmo's, that of a refined noble lady.
But while Su Qianmo's temperament was cold and elegant, Xiao Yajie's temperament exuded sexiness at every moment.
Especially her perfect waist-to-hip ratio and flawless curves.
Just one look was enough to captivate anyone.
[Speaking of which... should I take Xiao Yajie back with me?]
[Hmmm... but in the novel world, apart from saving her father twice, I had no other interactions with Xiao Yajie. Would it be inappropriate to take her back privately?]
[Besides, what if she doesn't have those feelings for me?]
As Gu Chenan's thoughts appeared, Xiao Yajie was slightly startled.
Back?
Back where?
To Donghai?
Right, Young Master Gu isn't from Suhang; she meant going back to Donghai.
But what does that have to do with anything?
Donghai is so close to Suhang; if he takes me to Donghai, I can return whenever I want, right?
In the novel world, Xiao Yajie never revealed her feelings to Gu Chenan, except for when she said that if Gu Chenan ever needed to borrow her, he could just speak up during the Lin Yu and her father incident.
Therefore, Gu Chenan wasn't quite sure what Xiao Yajie was thinking.
[So... should I take Xiao Yajie back?]
"System Wife."
"What?"
"Can I still bring things back from the novel world now?" Gu Chenan asked.
"You mean the young lady from the Xiao Family of Suhang?" the System Girl asked.
"Yeah." Gu Chenan nodded.
The System Girl thought for a moment and said, "It's possible, but don't you think you're being a bit too greedy?"
Gu Chenan was stunned, and soon his face took on a playful expression.
"Come on, you're not jealous, are you? Seriously, do systems even get jealous of their hosts?" Gu Chenan teased.
"Go die."
The System Girl snapped, "You're really a playboy. With Su Qianmo and the other heroines, it's not enough for you. You're always clamoring to meet me, and now you want to take Xiao Yajie as well?"
Gu Chenan rubbed his hands in frustration.
"No, you have to understand my good intentions. I just want to give all the heroines a home!"
System: "......"
"Do whatever you want. After all, you only have one day. In that day, you can do whatever you want, but this world will never be activated again." the System said.
"Understood."
Gu Chenan nodded and looked back at Xiao Yajie.
At this moment, Xiao Yajie was still processing the questions in Gu Chenan's previous thoughts.
Why is Young Master Gu so confused?
Why doesn't he know when we are?
Also, what does 'novel world' mean?
Could this be the novel world?
Right!
When she first met Young Master Gu, he mentioned things about Lin Yu in his thoughts, and everything he said was correct!
Could it be...
Xiao Yajie blinked and looked at Gu Chenan.
"You..."
"You..."
The two looked into each other's eyes and spoke simultaneously.
"You go first." Gu Chenan raised his hand.
Xiao Yajie hesitated for a moment and rubbed her hands. "Young Master Gu, do you have something you want to tell me?"
"Uh..."
Gu Chenan paused, "What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean," Xiao Yajie said suddenly, "I can hear Young Master Gu's thoughts."
What?!
Gu Chenan was shocked but quickly reacted.
Right, in the novel world, my thoughts are transparent to the heroines.
Except for Yuan Yuan, the supporting female character in the novel, Su Qianmo and the others could all hear my thoughts.
Xiao Yajie's role was small, but she was indeed a heroine, so it's not surprising that she can hear my thoughts.
"I should have realized that earlier," Gu Chenan chuckled.
"Young Master Gu, what do you mean by 'novel world,' 'heroines,' 'plot,' and 'role'? What are you talking about?" Xiao Yajie asked curiously.
Earlier, Hoshino Kannon had also asked Gu Chenan these questions, but at that time, because Gu Chenan was still following the plot, her questions all turned into demonic whispers.
And now, this world should not exist in the first place, but because the system forcibly activated the novel's world, it exists for only one day. That's why Xiao Yajie was unaffected and could ask these questions.
"This..."
Gu Chenan straightened up and looked at Xiao Yajie, saying, "It's just as you thought. This world is a world within a novel. The current me, you, and everyone you see are all fictional characters."
"This..."
Xiao Yajie's pupils dilated in shock.
She had already suspected it before, but she didn't expect it to be true.
Soon, Xiao Yajie became curious and asked, "Then why do you know?"
Gu Chenan spread his hands. "I'm not from this world. I came here through a time travel."
Xiao Yajie swallowed hard, her expression turning serious.
"So, the 'taking you away' you mentioned in your thoughts earlier doesn't mean taking me to Donghai, but taking me to another world?"
"No, don't misunderstand," Gu Chenan immediately waved his hand. "I was just considering it, not necessarily taking you away. Besides, since you already know this, the choice is yours."
"Mmm."
Xiao Yajie nodded, thinking for a moment, then suddenly looked up. "If I don't go, what will happen to this world?"
"This..."
Gu Chenan hesitated for a moment. "Do you want to hear the truth?"
"Yes!"
Xiao Yajie nodded decisively.
Gu Chenan took a deep breath and began to explain.
"As I said earlier, this world is a world within a novel, and it exists because of my consciousness. However, it will shut down in one day."
"After it shuts down, for me, this world will completely disappear. For you in this novel's world, you won't feel anything. You won't feel the disappearance or the existence. It's like falling into nothingness."
"Nothingness?" Xiao Yajie asked, puzzled.
"Yes, nothingness," Gu Chenan nodded. "All that is seen is an illusion. Your world perfectly illustrates this phrase. Everything you see and hear is an illusion."
"Is it fake?" Xiao Yajie frowned.
"Not exactly," Gu Chenan shook his head and continued, "For me, this is a fictional world created by imagination, but for you who live in this world, it's real."
"I..."
Xiao Yajie tried to digest the information she had just received and finally nodded. "I understand."
After saying that, Gu Chenan stood up and said, "Alright, I have something to do."
Xiao Yajie, with bright eyes, also stood up and asked, "We won't see each other again, will we?"
Gu Chenan nodded. "Probably not."
"Then... what are you going to do? Can I accompany you?" Xiao Yajie pursed her lips.
"No need, I have some private matters to attend to," Gu Chenan shook his head.
After saying that, he turned away from Xiao Yajie and walked upstairs.
Since Xiao Yajie now knew everything, whether or not to take her back was no longer something Gu Chenan could decide on his own. The choice was now in Xiao Yajie's hands.
If she wanted to go, Gu Chenan would take her to the real world. If she didn't want to, Gu Chenan would never force her.
Besides, Gu Chenan had come back this time to see the original heroines one last time. As for Xiao Yajie, he had even forgotten about this heroine before.
Entering his room on the second floor, Gu Chenan reviewed the current situation.
Since Gong Fei was already dead and he was still in Suhang, it meant that the incident with Gong Fei hadn't happened long ago. This also meant that Hoshino Kannon, who had been seriously injured protecting the Xiao Family, was still in the Suhang Manor.
As expected, when Gu Chenan pushed open the door to the second floor, a voice filled with complaints and resentment suddenly appeared.
"Who is that woman downstairs?!"
The next moment, Hoshino Kannon, wrapped in bandages, jumped off the bed with her hands on her hips, looking like she was about to accuse someone.
At this time in the original timeline, Hoshino Kannon had been seriously injured while protecting the Xiao Family from Gong Fei and his men, which led to a change in Gu Chenan's view of her.
However, even though his opinion had changed, Gu Chenan himself still didn't have any romantic feelings for Hoshino Kannon.
Even when he had to feed her, help her drink water, and take care of her needs, Gu Chenan felt very helpless.
But the current Gu Chenan was not the same as before. Kannon's willful and possessive demeanor was exactly the image Gu Chenan had of Hoshino Kannon in his heart.
"Kannon!"
Instantly, Gu Chenan stepped forward and pulled Kannon into his embrace.
Kannon was stunned, somewhat shocked by Gu Chenan's actions.
But soon, she reached out and stroked Gu Chenan's head, comforting him like a child. "Kannon is here, Kannon is always here."
After a long while, Gu Chenan slowly pushed Kannon away and looked at her, her body covered in scars but still full of vitality. He smiled and said, "I still like you like this."
"Oh?"
Kannon raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you confessing to me?"
As she said that, she chuckled and said, "No way, no way. You're not going to fall for me just because I got injured, are you?"
Seeing Kannon's expression, Gu Chenan couldn't say anything. His entire face was filled with a gratified smile.