Chapter 98: It’s Time to End This

Chapter 98: It's Time to End This

Ho Yan's voice was particularly furious, and even from several meters away, Qin Yao could hear every word clearly.

"Are you being ridiculous?" Ho Yan said in a deep voice, "Ye Le Yao, I don't care whether you're a system or not, but there's no way I'm agreeing to this!"

Qin Yao took two silent steps forward, and Ye Le Yao's voice followed closely behind—

"Ho Yan, I've already explained it to you. There are only two reasons for my arrival in your world: the first is to change your outcome, and the second is to change Qin Yao's fate. Now that my first goal has been achieved, I must save Qin Yao…"

"I'm not stopping you from saving Qin Yao, I just disagree with your stupid idea!" Ho Yan shouted, "Since you know that Qin Yao is destined to be hit by a truck, why can't you both leave early?"

"As long as you're not at that place, wouldn't both of you be safe?" Ho Yan asked.

Qin Yao slowly walked to the dressing room door.

The door wasn't tightly shut, leaving a small gap.

Qin Yao saw Ho Yan facing away from Ye Le Yao, who was sitting on the sofa with his head slightly bowed, making his expression indiscernible.

After a long while, Ye Le Yao's hoarse voice came from inside: "No."

"What?" Ho Yan asked.

Ye Le Yao said, "Even if we avoid the street and time when the truck appears, we can't escape Qin Yao's inevitable death."

Ho Yan stiffened, staring at Ye Le Yao in shock. "How is that possible…"

Ye Le Yao suddenly smiled, but his smile looked particularly pale. "Because before this, I've already tried twice."

Ho Yan looked at Ye Le Yao in disbelief. "What do you mean…"

What did he mean by trying twice?

Ye Le Yao chose not to hide anymore. "Didn't you ask me where we met the first time you saw me? You said you seemed to have seen me somewhere, Ho Yan. We have indeed met, during the previous two timeline resets and in the first timeline when I arrived in this world, we've met many times."

After so many restarts, the most profound emotion Ye Le Yao understood was sadness and sorrow.

It was also the emotion he hated the most.

Ye Le Yao raised his head, unable to conceal the sorrow in his beautiful eyes, his voice seemingly trembling slightly. "I've tried twice, Ho Yan… But no matter how many attempts, Qin Yao will die… His death is an inevitable one, an unchangeable outcome, and the only way to fool the system is to choose someone to die in his place at the same time point."

This method was derived from L1 watching the playback of timelines in its main god space for two years.

As early as the third timeline reset, Ye Le Yao decided to use this method to save Qin Yao.

Since Qin Yao's death was destined to be unchangeable, as long as a "Qin Yao" died at this time point, the regulatory system would not judge it as a plot error.

So during the third timeline reset, Ye Le Yao programmed himself to be recognized by the main system's regulatory program as "Qin Yao" in the A20231007 world.

To avoid being detected as abnormal by the main system's regulator, Ye Le Yao sealed off most of his abilities, making him appear more like a "human".

Only in this way could he truly replace Qin Yao in death on that day without being judged as a plot error.

That's why Ye Le Yao appeared directly in front of Qin Yao after this event restarted; he wanted to spend as much time as possible with Qin Yao in these two months.

Not because Qin Yao liked Ye Le Yao.

But because Ye Le Yao liked Qin Yao.

Regulatory System L1 couldn't predict what would happen after his death, so he chose to leave himself a series of the most beautiful memories before his death.

Ye Le Yao's eyes were red, his voice choked up. "Ho Yan, please, help me, okay?"

As a system, although he had come to understand human emotions, Ye Le Yao was not human after all, so even though he was sad and upset, without the acting buff from the points system, he couldn't cry, only his beautiful eyes turned a sorrowful red.

Ho Yan silently met Ye Le Yao's gaze.

After a long while, he shook his head, a bitter smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "I can't… Xiao Yao… Although I don't have my past memories, after these two months of getting along, I've long considered you as a younger brother… Of course, I understand that you don't want Qin Yao to… But…"

Ho Yan suddenly lifted his head, trying to hold back his tears, but still, a hot tear rolled down his cheek, his voice hoarse. "In this world, how could an older brother personally send his younger brother to his death? There's no such logic…"

"And how can you be sure that as long as you die in Qin Yao's place, Qin Yao will be safe and sound?" Ho Yan's question was almost cruel.

Ye Le Yao said, "My calculations won't be wrong."

Only on this point, Ye Le Yao was certain.

"And what are your chances of survival?" Ho Yan asked again.

Ye Le Yao fell silent.

Ho Yan didn't speak either.

Silence spread infinitely within the dressing room.

Outside the dressing room, Qin Yao also got up and left.

The conversation ended without resolution.

That night, Ye Le Yao returned very late.

Although all the servants of the Qin family and Qin Hongxi knew of Ye Le Yao's existence, Ye Le Yao was still accustomed to entering through Qin Yao's balcony.

It was already midnight, and the lights in Qin Yao's room had been turned off.

Ye Le Yao flew to the balcony and didn't immediately return to his room, instead sitting in the recliner to look at the roses on the balcony.

After the last season's flowers withered, new buds had begun to bloom over the past few days.

Ye Leyao suddenly recalled the timeline from last time, when after Qin Yao left, these flowers continued to be cared for, but the caretaker had changed from Qin Yao to Qin Hongxi.

But Qin Hongxi didn't look after them for long.

Qin Yao's passing had dealt him a heavy blow, and within a couple of years, Qin Hongxi passed away due to illness.

In the end, this entire balcony full of roses froze to death on a bitterly cold day of heavy snow, after the Qin family villa lost its two masters.

Ye Leyao didn't know why he thought of this, but he couldn't help feeling sad.

Because of these roses that no one would care for anymore, and because of the impending day—

Suddenly, the light in the room behind him turned on.

Ye Leyao turned around and saw Qin Yao emerge with a glass of milk.

"Why are you squatting on the ground?" Qin Yao found it amusing as he walked over and squatted down beside Ye Leyao. "You still haven't drunk today's—no, yesterday's—milk."

Qin Yao handed the warm milk to Ye Leyao.

Ye Leyao's eyes lowered slightly as he accepted the warm milk, then after some thought, said, "I thought you were asleep."

"Haven't I promised you? I'll make you a glass of milk every day. As long as you haven't drunk it, even if it's time for me to sleep, I have to make your milk first, don't I?" Qin Yao smiled.

Ye Leyao's eyes suddenly felt a bit sore, his heart swelling with emotion.

For a moment, he felt something stirring in his eyes, but it was quickly suppressed.

Ye Leyao took a sip of the milk and said earnestly, "President Qin, thank you."

Qin Yao suddenly reached out and ruffled Ye Leyao's hair. "Silly."

Ye Leyao said seriously, "I'm not silly. Didn't I tell you before? I'm the number one regulatory system in the Space-Time Regulatory Bureau!"

Qin Yao laughed and softly acknowledged.

But in his heart, he thought, how silly, my little system.

How could there be a system that doesn't consider itself first but goes on to consider the life and death of other humans?

He could have lived freely, never having to think about these troubles, yet he chose to come to his side.

His little system kept his promise, so Qin Yao would also keep the promise he made when he was young.

Before the out-of-control truck could hit, Ye Leyao pushed Qin Yao out of the way in time.

But in the next instant, Ye Leyao suddenly felt his vision flip as he was forcefully pushed away by a force.

The screeching sound of tires against the ground echoed, followed by a loud bang.

The rain blurred his vision, and Ye Leyao felt his heart stop for a moment.

When he looked up again, Qin Yao was already lying in a pool of blood.

Cold raindrops pelted down, taking away his vibrant vitality.

Ye Leyao heard his own voice scream desperately, "Qin Yao—"

Once again,

he had lost Qin Yao once again.

Ye Leyao stumbled forward, frantically picking up Qin Yao.

Qin Yao lay on his back in his arms, coughing up a large pool of blood. "Yao…"

"Don't speak! Don't speak, I'll find a way… I'll find a way to save you…" Something blurred Ye Leyao's vision, making it hard for him to see Qin Yao's face clearly.

"I'll find a way… I am…" The program placed on Ye Leyao was undone, and he started redeeming potions in the points store again. But just like before, these most effective potions couldn't be used on Qin Yao, and Qin Yao's body continued to grow colder.

"How could this be… How could this be… Qin Yao…" Ye Leyao's voice choked up. He lowered his head and realized that several hot tears had rolled down his eyes.

Turns out systems could cry too.

Qin Yao struggled to curve his lips, reaching out to gently wipe away the tears at the corner of Ye Leyao's eye. "Don't, don't cry…"

Ye Leyao wailed aloud. "Ahh… Why… Why can't I always save you…"

Qin Yao shook his head with a smile, looking intently at Ye Leyao, his voice soft. "You… have already saved me… Yaoyao, you… came to see me again, so this time, it's my turn to keep my promise…"

Ye Leyao didn't understand. All he heard was his own crying growing louder. Helplessly holding Qin Yao, he sobbed his heart out. "You can't die… Qin Yao, you can't die… Can you promise me, don't die…"

Qin Yao didn't say anything. He merely used the last of his strength to wipe away the tears at the corner of Ye Leyao's eye once more.

But there were too many tears, and Qin Yao was out of strength.

That beautiful hand, now covered in blood, lost its vitality and fell limp forever.

The people around seemed to gather.

Ye Leyao heard Huo Yan shouting at him to let go.

"Let go! Xiaoyao… the doctors are here, the doctors are here…"

Ye Leyao helplessly shook his head. He couldn't even utter a word, only cries escaping his mouth. "Can't… can't save him…"

That day, the rain was still so heavy, the large raindrops stinging his heart.

Qin Yao died again.

Once again, I died in Ye Leyao's arms.

Two days later, the Qin family held a grand funeral for Qin Yao.

Ye Leyao did not attend; he had vanished as if into thin air, even the Huo family couldn't find a trace of him.

It was at this moment that Huo Yan recalled what Ye Leyao had told him a few days prior.

Ye Leyao said he was a system, his mission was to save them and Qin Yao.

But now Qin Yao was dead, so what about Ye Leyao?

Had he left?

Huo Yan was filled with regret.

He shouldn't have been so definitive that day...

He should have stayed and brainstormed with Ye Leyao.

Yet—

Even Ye Leyao couldn't think of a better solution, could he really come up with a better way to save Qin Yao?

Huo Yan didn't know, and he was utterly lost.

From this day on, he began to blame himself.

It was all his fault.

If only he had talked things through with Ye Leyao that day.

Perhaps together they might have found a good solution to save Qin Yao.

That was a living, breathing human life.

How could Huo Yan have said such words to Ye Leyao?

Ye Leyao merely wanted to save Qin Yao, he hadn't done anything wrong.

But Huo Yan just wanted to save Ye Leyao too.

Huo Yan didn't want Ye Leyao to die, nor did he want to witness Qin Yao's death...

So why had it ended up like this?

Unbeknownst to him, Huo Yan's psyche had begun to twist and become unbalanced.

Huo Yan was an excellent actor, adept at concealing his emotions.

Thus, no one noticed this.

Only when night fell would Huo Yan shed his mask.

He would sit by the bed in his pitch-black room, repeatedly questioning himself why he didn't save Qin Yao.

He would also, on the brink of collapse, tell himself that it would be better if Ye Leyao didn't like Qin Yao.

Yes.

As long as Ye Leyao didn't like Qin Yao, then Qin Yao's death...

Every time he thought this far, Huo Yan would break out in cold sweat from the shock of his own thoughts.

How could he think like this?

He knew how important Qin Yao was to Ye Leyao, how could he entertain such thoughts?

The more Huo Yan pondered, the more he blamed himself, even developing subtle self-harming tendencies.

It was at this moment that Ye Leyao returned.

He immediately noticed Huo Yan's abnormal behavior and informed Huo Dad and Huo Mom about it.

But Ye Leyao didn't accompany Huo Yan to the hospital.

At this point, Huo Mom learned the whole story. She looked at Ye Leyao, her eyes brimming with concern: "Xiao Yao, do you... blame him?"

Ye Leyao stared at Huo Mom in surprise: "How could I?"

To Huo Yan, he was like a younger brother, and in Ye Leyao's heart, they were already his family.

Ye Leyao shook his head, speaking earnestly: "I don't blame anyone."

It was because he hadn't found a perfect solution, so he could only accept today's outcome.

Ye Leyao didn't stay at the Huo residence for long; he had other matters to attend to.

After Qin Yao's death, Ye Leyao returned to the Time and Space Bureau.

This time, his goal was crystal clear. He went straight to Qiu and asked her how he could save Qin Yao.

Qiu saw the determination in Ye Leyao's eyes, so she didn't hold back this time: "There is indeed a method, but after you save Qin Yao, you two may never be able to be together again."

Ye Leyao listened quietly to Qiu's proposal, then suddenly smiled: "No, we can be together."

Qiu looked at him in confusion: "L1, what are you planning to do?"

"Now I'm called Ye Leyao, Ye is from Ye Fan's Ye, Leyao is the name given to me by my beloved." Ye Leyao didn't answer Qiu's question; he quickly returned to the A20231007 world.

At this point, it had been precisely half a year since Qin Yao's death.

The assistance system Baiyu had also arrived in the A20231007 world.

Ye Leyao went straight to him.

Upon meeting again, Baiyu was so furious that the entire system seemed to be smoking: "L1, what on earth have you been doing?! It's because you've been constantly resetting the timeline of this world that my mission has remained incomplete. I've already... "

"Baiyu," Ye Leyao interrupted him, "where does your name come from?"

Baiyu was momentarily taken aback, then frowned: "Why do you ask?"

Ye Leyao said, "I'm now called Ye Leyao. Leyao is the name my loved one gave me. You didn't originally call yourself this; you were System S325."

Baiyu fell silent.

After a moment, he whispered, "My... host said that every time I spoke to him, I was gentle, like a feather tickling his heart, so he called me Little Feather from the start. Later, I added a surname and changed it to Baiyu."

Ye Leyao said, "You like your host."

Baiyu exploded instantly: "What nonsense are you spouting?! I'm a system, how could I possibly... "

This sentence circled his lips but ultimately remained unspoken. Baiyu turned away and muttered, "Systems can't like humans, I... "

"Why can't systems like humans?" Ye Leyao asked. "I like humans."

Baiyu looked at him in shock: "You—"

Ye Leyao suddenly smiled: "I once agonized over this issue too, but Qin Yao said that fundamentally, humans are just a collection of cells, and as a system, I am nothing more than a string of data."

"He is cells, I am data; we're a perfect match."

A brief sentence, yet profound.

Baiyu stared at Ye Leyao in astonishment, taking a long while before speaking: "You... why are you telling me all this?"

"I want to ask for your help," Ye Leyao said with a smile, "because I will also help you."

"I will separate all plotlines related to your mission, so when this mission ends, you won't have to repeat it. And I'll adjust your time flow rate," Ye Leyao said.

Baiyu was stunned: "Can the plotline of a small world's mission be independent of the small world itself?"

Baiyu quickly checked: "There is indeed precedent for this, but wouldn't this require a lot of points?"

"And why are you changing the time flow rate?" Baiyu asked three questions in a row. "Wouldn't that cost even more points?"

Ye Leyao replied, "I have many points, and I can do it. Changing the time flow rate is to ensure that you will definitely meet me in the future."

Baiyu looked at him in confusion: "Why would you do this..." In the next instant, he realized, "For the human who named you?"

Ye Leyao said, "Yes."

Once the plotline of the small world's mission was separated, the storyline of that mission would no longer be subject to the supervision system's oversight.

In other words, the timeline of this mission would no longer be restarted by Ye Leyao.

But this mission line still belonged to the QA20231007 world, meaning that this mission line would still overlap with the 20231007 timeline in the future.

Ye Leyao hoped that on the day the timelines overlapped, Baiyu would come to enlighten him.

Baiyu said, "So you've found a way this time?"

Ye Leyao said, "Yes, the next time will be the last time travel."

Baiyu asked, "Then what should I tell you then?"

Ye Leyao thought for a moment and casually edited a program: "Just ask me, 'L1, have you found a way to save Qin Yao?'"

Baiyu nodded seriously: "Okay, I'll remember."

Ye Leyao soon left.

He exchanged points for mission line separation in the points mall, separating Baiyu's mission timeline from the A20231007 world. Then, he purchased extended pause.

The system points mall had a system exchange forum.

Every product sold in the points mall was anonymously disclosed daily.

That day, the points mall suddenly displayed a new disclosure: "One minute ago, System ** exchanged for one thousand bottles of 'Pause' potion."

As soon as the notification appeared, countless systems were stunned.

"??? One thousand bottles?"

"Huh? Which crazy system is this?"

"I remember that not long ago, a system exchanged five thousand bottles of life potion?"

"Five thousand bottles of life potion? My goodness! He must be so rich!"

"Jealousy makes my eyes turn red; those five thousand bottles are worth a full five billion points!"

"No, my focus is that one bottle can save a hundred people, and he exchanged five thousand bottles; is he planning to save the world?"

"If it's at the level of saving the world, the world must be close to collapse, right?"

"Possibly, isn't he exchanging another thousand bottles of pause potion? He must be trying to figure out how to save the world."

"So which system screwed up? Can I watch the drama and eat some melon seeds?"

The system forum was abuzz with fervent discussion.

Yet, L2 watched with furrowed brows.

"Given that a thousand bottles of the Pause Potion can halt time for a millennium, what on earth is L1 planning to do?"

Qiu shook her head.

L2 leapt onto her, tilting its head in confusion. "You don't know either?"

Qiu replied, "I don't know, but I can guess what he's trying to achieve."

L2 flicked its tail. "What is it?"

Qiu's gaze fell upon the paused world A20231007, taking a long moment before she said, "He wants to synchronize the time flow of the A20231007 world with the main system's time flow."

Upon hearing this, L2 was stunned. "What? Has L1 lost his mind?! The main system's time flow means an hour here equals a year in A20231007. To make their time flows consistent would cost an astronomical number of points! Not even billions, hundreds of billions, or trillions would be enough!"

"L1 must have gone mad!!"

Qiu remained silent as a data panel lit up before them, displaying Ye Le Yao's figure.

At that moment, L1 was dashing through various worlds, striving to accumulate points as quickly as possible.

L2 noticed that he was overseeing ten worlds at once and couldn't help but curse him as a lunatic before asking, "What did you tell him exactly?"

After a long pause, Qiu said, "I told him that indeed, having 'Qin Yao' die at the same time node would allow the main system to acknowledge the plot. But if L1 were to take Qin Yao's place in death, his data would also shatter."

"That's only natural!" L2 muttered. "For the main system to recognize the plot, there must be real death involved."

Even for systems, death was genuine.

However, systems differed from cellular organisms.

When cellular organisms died, their cells could not regenerate.

Systems, on the other hand, could recover after their data vanished, given meticulous care. It was just that the process was lengthy.

It could take one to two years at best, or even decades at worst.

With this realization, L2 suddenly understood. "So L1 is doing all this to see that someone... Qin Yao again? That's why he wants to align the time flow of A20231007 with our main system's time flow?"

Qiu nodded.

The reason Qiu had told Ye Le Yao that they wouldn't be able to meet after saving Qin Yao was due to the time discrepancy.

The recovery of shattered data was slow, and even with Qiu and L2's assistance, it would take at least two years.

But with A20231007's time flow, not even two hours would pass before Qin Yao might have aged and died.

Indeed, as Qiu had said, after L1 saved Qin Yao, they could never meet again.

Who would have thought that L1 would consider changing the time flow?

L2 sighed heavily. "But at this rate, even supervising ten worlds at once won't earn him enough points in the short term."

Qiu nodded in agreement.

L2 sighed again. "Well, I'll go help him then."

Qiu looked at him in surprise.

L2 huffed. "Don't look at me like that. I just think that if he keeps going like this as a system, who knows how many years it will take, and how exhausting it will be. Anyway, I have plenty of points, and I don't currently need them for anything. I can give him all my points..."

As he spoke, L2 added, "Oh, and since I've had enough vacation time recently, I can help him accumulate points too."

Qiu couldn't help but laugh. "Why are you going to such great lengths to help him?"

L2 grunted noncommittally.

After a while, he said, "Because L1 helped me a long time ago."

Qiu responded with a questioning, "Hm?"

But L2 didn't elaborate further.

For that memory was truly infuriating!

Back when L2 had just been created by the main system, he wasn't yet a supervisory system.

Meanwhile, L1 was already the envied first among the main system's ranks.

During a mission, L2 had accidentally made a fatal error, nearly causing the small world to collapse.

It was L1 who arrived in the nick of time to stabilize the small world.

Afterward, L2 thanked L1, promising that he would repay him someday.

"Do you know what L1 said back then?" L2 asked Qiu.

Qiu smiled. "I can guess; he probably said something along the lines of having plenty of points, right?"

L2 grumbled, "Worse than that. He said that the best way to repay the supervisory system was for me to avoid making mistakes in future tasks! Tell me, isn't that unfair?!"

Qiu chuckled. "Unfair, unfair!"

L2 nodded in satisfaction, then added after a moment, "But I can understand. After all, L1 hadn't grasped the concept of emotions back then. Now that he does, he's thrown the entire system into it!"

L2 said this with a teasing tone.

Yet, neither Qiū nor L2 found it amusing.

They knew that the path L1 had chosen was destined to be solitary and long.

That's why L2 wanted to lend him a hand.

...

For several decades following, an anonymous notice would appear annually on the Points System Forum:

"A minute ago, System ** exchanged for one thousand bottles of 'Pause' potion."

In the early years, whenever this notice popped up, it sparked much discussion among the systems.

They wondered which system had gotten into such deep trouble as to require so many Pause potions every year.

No matter how curious they were, none could uncover any information about the system behind these exchanges.

In recent years, however, the systems heard a rumor:

The top-ranked system at the Space-Time Regulatory Bureau, L1, was very poor.

How poor?

Hadn't they heard about his argument over 1 point with the Main System Regulatory System?

It was a trivial matter.

The Main System Regulatory System was an old system, and because of its age, it was somewhat rigid and stubbornly refused to upgrade its processor, leading to occasional operational errors.

This time, it had miscalculated L1's points by 1.

One point wasn't much, so most systems didn't bother the Main System Regulatory System over such trifles.

But L1 had kicked up a fuss over that single point!

He even threatened to go on strike with L2 if the Main System didn't offer a compensation plan.

In recent years, senior systems had increasingly taken vacations, leaving junior systems to cause havoc.

Many of the resulting troubles were handled by L1 and L2 together.

If both L1 and L2 went on strike, it would indeed be a significant problem for the Time and Space Bureau.

In the end, the Main System had no choice but to double the compensation—giving L1 2 points.

This left many systems amused yet perplexed.

"Only 2 points for all that trouble?"

"Yes, I find it strange too."

"In theory, L1 shouldn't be short on points. Could it be that he's just stingy?"

Quickly, other systems came to L1's defense:

"L1 isn't stingy at all!"

"That's right! He once gave me a hundred Life Potions!"

Upon reading this, other systems were stunned:

"So the system that bought five thousand Life Potions was L1?"

"You're right! It could only be L1; no other system has that many points."

"What is L1 planning?"

No system knew.

The two systems who did know had been helping L1 work overtime for years.

After another round of regulation, L2 couldn't take it anymore.

"I can't do this anymore. I need a break, Ye Leyao. Aren't you going to rest at all?"

L2 now habitually called L1 by his name, Ye Leyao.

Ye Leyao replied, "No, thank you. You go ahead and rest. I'll continue to the next world."

L2 sighed, not bothering to persuade him further, knowing it would be futile.

The two systems soon parted ways, and Ye Leyao took a deep breath before heading to the next world.

Upon arriving, Ye Leyao immediately pulled up the data, but before he could finish reviewing the plotline, he froze.

The number of this small world was: A20231007.

Ye Leyao felt his heart suddenly race.

Wasn't A20231007 supposed to be paused by him?

How could it be...

No, it was possible.

The flow of time in the small worlds differed from that in the main system space, naturally leading to a myriad of peculiar task durations for the systems.

Some tasks existed within the same small world but were not concurrent, occurring at different times.

This particular task was set eighteen years ago.

Back then, Qin Yao had just turned five.

So that's how it is.

This must be Qin Yao's first encounter with me.

Ye Le Yao wasted no time, swiftly heading toward Qin Yao.

He flew at breakneck speed, the large snowflakes cutting his face like sharp blades, yet he seemed oblivious to the pain.

Until he reached the inevitable path leading to the Qin family villa.

While still mid-air, Ye Le Yao spotted the small figure in the snowy landscape.

Five-year-old Qin Yao wore only a thin sweater, hugging his tiny body tightly against the cold wind as he left footprints in the snow with each step.

As he drew closer, Ye Le Yao could even hear Qin Yao laughing and encouraging himself: "Faster... if I walk faster, I won't feel the cold. I'm the best, the very best child..."

Ye Le Yao felt a pang in his heart.

In the next moment, little Qin Yao unexpectedly tripped and fell.

On the icy snow, his fall was particularly clumsy and undignified.

Ye Le Yao's heart tightened, and he hurried forward. Just as he was about to help little Qin Yao up, he suddenly heard muffled sobs.

"Wah... wah... wah... I... I'm the child my mother doesn't like..."

"Why, why doesn't my mother like me..."

Ye Le Yao couldn't hold back any longer. He exchanged points from the store for a down jacket and immediately wrapped it around little Qin Yao's entire body.

"Because there are mothers in this world who simply won't like their own children," Ye Le Yao said hoarsely, his gaze almost greedily roaming over little Qin Yao's face.

Little Qin Yao hadn't expected someone to pick him up. In the sub-zero temperatures, the moisture on his eyelashes had already frozen.

Ye Le Yao reached out and gently covered his eyes. "Don't cry anymore, I'll carry you home."

Little Qin Yao hiccuped. "You... Big Brother, why do you say that? They all say it's because I'm not good enough, that's why my mother would..."

Ye Le Yao, with Qin Yao on his back, began to speak. "Qin Yao, she won't like you, no matter how well you perform. Do you understand?"

Little Qin Yao, lying on Ye Le Yao's back, suddenly felt an overwhelming warmth, but he still didn't understand. "Why?"

"Because you can't expect someone who doesn't like you to change their feelings. It's futile. Instead, you should learn to love yourself." Ye Le Yao said.

Little Qin Yao asked in confusion, "Love myself? But... but I want my mother to..."

"No, you don't!" Ye Le Yao interrupted him. His tone softened. "Learn to love yourself. Don't try to please her. You need to become your own person."

Little Qin Yao replied, "What you're saying is so complicated, I don't understand."

Ye Le Yao smiled. "You will understand someday. You're a smart kid, you'll get it eventually."

Little Qin Yao nodded and asked, "Then who will like me?"

Young children crave love the most.

After some thought, Ye Le Yao replied, "Many people will like you."

"Like who?" Little Qin Yao persisted.

Ye Le Yao said, "Like your father, your friends, your classmates, your teachers," his voice becoming unusually soft, "and... me."

Little Qin Yao's eyes widened. "Big Brother, you like me too?"

Ye Le Yao's ears were bright red. He didn't dare look back at Qin Yao as he nodded. "Yes, I like you. But not the you right now."

Little Qin Yao was puzzled. "Why? Am I not worthy of your liking now?"

Ye Le Yao found it amusing. He put Qin Yao down and squatted to look at him.

It was undeniable that Qin Yao had been handsome since childhood.

So Ye Le Yao said earnestly, "You are very much worthy of my liking now, but my feelings for you aren't the kind reserved for admiring beautiful things."

Little Qin Yao was even more confused. "Then what kind of liking is it?"

"I'll tell you when you grow up," Ye Le Yao said.

Little Qin Yao's eyes sparkled. "So we'll meet again?"

Ye Le Yao nodded. "Yes, I'll come find you in the future."

Little Qin Yao pressed, "When?"

"In another eighteen years," Ye Le Yao said.

Little Qin Yao asked, "You won't lie to me, will you?"

"I won't lie to you," Ye Le Yao assured him.

Little Qin Yao laughed, thoroughly warmed up now. He held Ye Le Yao's hand. "Then... when I grow up, I'll protect Big Brother too!"

Ye Leyao looked at him.

Little Qin Yao continued, "I'll grow up well and won't let you suffer any harm!"

Suddenly, Ye Leyao was reminded of what Qin Yao had said to him during the third time reset, as he lay in his arms for the last time.

Qin Yao had kept his promise.

He truly protected him.

Ye Leyao's eyes welled up with emotion, and he slowly crouched down, gently pulling Qin Yao into his embrace. "Alright, thank you. But I have something to tell you."

Qin Yao asked, "What is it?"

Ye Leyao smiled, "I'm a system, so I don't need your protection."

Little Qin Yao furrowed his brows.

He didn't understand what a 'system' meant, nor did he grasp the significance of Ye Leyao's words at that moment.

He wanted to say something more to Ye Leyao, but Ye Leyao mentioned that their time was up.

So, for the rest of the journey, Ye Leyao swiftly flew back with Qin Yao.

Ye Leyao landed on that familiar balcony and set Qin Yao down.

"Qin Yao, I will come find you, don't forget me."

Little Qin Yao was still in shock from his recent flight. He stared unblinkingly at Ye Leyao until he left and vanished, unable to utter a single word.

Indeed, how did he know his name?

Little Qin Yao remained puzzled.

...

The clouds piled up higher and higher on the horizon.

Bai Yu turned his head to look at Ye Leyao, who was still sitting in the same spot, signing: 'It's going to rain.'

Finally, Ye Leyao snapped out of his long reverie, smiling faintly. "Mm-hmm."

It was time for everything to end.