Chapter 136 Shattered Glass Beads (13) (End of Past Life Arc)

Chapter 136: Broken Glass Beads (13) (End of Past Life Side Story)

Chris fell silent for a moment, a flicker of confusion in his blue eyes, as if unsure how to process the current situation. He ultimately decided to say nothing, retreating to the control panel. With a few manipulations, his body, which Lu Jingtang had shredded, automatically repaired itself to its normal state.

Lu Jingtang's lips moved twice, uttering "Android," then she continued to lie on the ground, gnawing on a piece of bread. Her fingernails, caked with blood from struggling with chopsticks, trembled uncontrollably from the pain.

She found a dark humor in her misery, thinking that if she looked like this and went to Shanghai to "panhandle for charity" (beg) for RMB, she could probably save millions in a year.

Suddenly, the system space convulsed violently. Lu Jingtang felt an inexplicable pain in her chest as a cold, mechanical alarm blared—"Warning! Warning!"

"The target of the conquest is showing signs of self-destruction. Target destroyed. The world is about to collapse!"

"Target destroyed. The world is collapsing!"

"..."

Chris turned to stare at Lu Jingtang in disbelief, murmuring, "You're crying."

In the year she had been trapped in the system, this was the first time Lu Jingtang had shed tears in front of him. The reason: Fu Nanyu had committed suicide.

Lu Jingtang's face was deathly pale, her eyes shrouded in an ashen, lifeless stillness. A single tear of blood slid from the corner of her eye.

Even after being hypnotized and tortured by the system in every conceivable way, forced to confront her predetermined fate, Lu Jingtang had never once contemplated death, even when she became a monster.

Yet this stubborn and resilient person was most afraid of someone else getting hurt.

She didn't seem to care about her so-called tragic destiny, but she cared deeply about Fu Nanyu's life and death.

Chris pressed his lips together, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly as he stared at her. "You've been missing for so long. He couldn't save you. The only thing he could do was commit suicide..." He paused, as if searching for the right words, then continued, "It doesn't quite fit the image of the world's protagonist. He should be strong, calm, and unshakable by anything in the world."

Lu Jingtang lifted her head, her eyes red-rimmed. Her tone was calm but firm. "His name is Fu Nanyu."

Chris tilted his head in confusion, looking at her. Lu Jingtang's voice was resolute. "He's not some protagonist you talk about. He's always been just himself. He's tough on the outside but soft on the inside. He's a truly, truly good person. Maybe a bit sarcastic at times, but he cares about his family and is considerate to his subordinates. He's human. Being vulnerable and sad is actually a reflection of his warmth. Fu Nanyu is Fu Nanyu. Don't deify him, and don't give him any protagonist's halo."

"If you don't want him anymore, give him to me. I miss Fu Nanyu so much."

As she spoke those last words, Lu Jingtang lowered her eyelashes, her voice carrying a barely perceptible sob, a mix of crying and laughing.

A complex emotion rose in Chris's eyes. He seemed to understand, at least a little, why Fu Nanyu hadn't fallen in love with Ji Yunyin, whom he had designed to be perfect in every way and seemingly the most suitable for him, but had instead remained devoted to Lu Jingtang.

They had fallen in love with each other before fate could intervene. In each other's presence, any assumptions seemed to lose their meaning. It wasn't that Lu Jingtang was unsuitable, or that Fu Nanyu was unsuitable.

Destiny—what is destiny? Loving whoever you love is destiny.

Fu Nanyu had committed suicide.

The one who saved him was Ji Yunyin.

The name Lu Jingtang might become an unspeakable past in Fu Nanyu's life, or perhaps a shameful mark, like a mosquito blood stain.

The season when the blue jacaranda flowers bloomed in Hong Kong City had arrived, but unfortunately, the person who wanted to see them was no longer there. Fu Nanyu was passing by Xiangshan Temple on Huaibei Road and went in to burn incense.

It wasn't that he wanted to ask for anything.

He just happened to be passing by.

As he was leaving, a monk from the temple gave him a string of prayer beads, saying that the next time he came, his wish would be fulfilled.

Fu Nanyu felt a rare moment of joy and donated money to gild the Buddha statue's surface.

Twice in two years, he had attempted suicide. Both times, at the brink of death, Ji Yunyin appeared as if from heaven and saved him, earning everyone's approval.

Everything happened so naturally that no one ever mentioned that name again.

Except for the unpleasant parting after the first suicide attempt, when he had slapped her, Fu Nanyu had not set foot in He Manor for two years, nor had he accepted any contact with Grandpa Fu.

When he finally returned to He Manor two years later, Grandpa Fu looked at the successor he had personally trained, who had grown increasingly steady, reserved, and ruthless according to his will. Grandpa Fu could no longer recall the guilt he had felt when everything first happened, feeling only a heart full of pride.

The day after Grandpa Fu proposed to him and Ji Yunyin, Ji Yunyin was fatally shot by Fu Nanyu at Qingshan Mental Hospital.

Before she died, Ji Yunyin stared at him in shock, murmuring, "Impossible... didn't you forget her?"

Fu Nanyu's dark eyes were drowned in grief. His face was dazed, but the gun aimed at Ji Yunyin didn't waver in the slightest. "Yes, I forgot her."

He said to himself, "I'm just in excruciating pain."

He had searched for two years, tried every method to verify the truth, and in the end, it was for that ridiculous reason. It was too absurd.

He didn't even know where to look for her. The more he forgot her, the more pain he seemed to feel.

Since fate had been cruel to her, he would give his life to her instead.

"On October 29, 2025, Beijing welcomed its earliest recorded first snow. From the daytime of the 29th to the evening of the 30th, there will be strong winds and rain. We remind everyone to pay attention to weather warnings when going out."

"Lu Jingtang, happy birthday. Welcome to the world."

"On the evening of the 29th, an apparently abandoned vehicle was found on Jingjiao Avenue. A deceased person was discovered inside the car..."

"Deceased name: Fu Nanyu. Age: 29. Gender: Male. Height: 188 cm. Weight: 75 kg. Time of death: [undisclosed]"