Chapter 29

Chapter 29

At this moment, 99 was pacing frantically around inside the light brain.

If it could actually show up, 99 swore it would knock Wen Yanxu flying.

After Wen Jueqian and Wen Yanxu finished lunch and got back to the Lingjing Era office, Wen Jueqian finally had time to check the messages 99 had sent.

The screen was filled with unread messages, the timeline running from the moment he walked into Aegis all the way to now.

99: That jerk, how dare he keep this from you?

99: Finally made it in time, Qianqian—we've gotta stop them from signing the contract!

99: It's over, it's over, too late

99: He offered to switch the spokesperson on his own? Phew, guess Qiao Yuexun isn't that important to him yet.

99: Qianqian, say yes already! Changing the spokesperson changes the future!

99: Ugh, Qianqian, you're way too naive—he sweet-talks you for two seconds and you just let it slide...

99: ...

Wen Jueqian scrolled through them one by one, the corner of his mouth curling up without him even realizing it.

He tapped the message box and started typing a reply.

Cloud: Did fate change?

The reply came almost immediately.

99: The plot's taken a huge turn—the Aegis spokesperson plot point is completely gone, and I got new World Essence!

Wen Jueqian read the message and felt a small wave of relief. A good outcome.

Cloud: Then why are you still upset?

A few seconds of silence on the other end. Then 99 sent a holographic meme.

A little witch held a potion bottle, carefully pouring it over a tiny figure, with big letters on the bottle: "Cures lovesickness."

99: Because my host is a total lovesick fool.

That sentence was like flipping a switch, and 99's messages started pouring out like crazy.

99: Under normal circumstances, shouldn't you, as a host, lock your heart away and love nobody? Toy with the Children of Destiny, use them to change your fate, then swagger off to the next world—that's the standard playbook!

99: You should have eyes as cold as ice, seeing through every fake feeling, and march straight toward your goal—that's what a real host looks like!

Wen Jueqian raised an eyebrow at the messages flying across the screen.

What would he even do in the next world?

He was a bit confused. Had 99 been soaking up too much random info while stuck in the light brain all this time?

Cloud: Have you been binge-reading novels and watching anime lately?

The chat window suddenly went quiet.

Deep inside the light brain, a little light orb flickered guiltily.

As a system with supercomputing power, multitasking was its thing. So while helping Qianqian keep watch, it also took the chance to learn from human books and shows how systems could help hosts finish tasks more efficiently—that was part of the job too!

Totally reasonable! Completely justified!

99 quickly came up with an excuse for itself.

99: I have indeed picked up some work experience from excellent predecessors lately.

99: Being lovesick is bad for smoothly changing fate!

Wen Jueqian stared at the screen, struggling to picture the little light orb lecturing him with a straight face.

It really had picked up a bunch of random junk. Now it even knew the word "lovesick."

Wen Jueqian said softly to the light brain: "Come out for a sec."

The screen flickered. Then a red light orb drifted out from the edge of the screen, wobbling as it hovered in the air.

Was it mad? Even its color had changed.

Wen Jueqian reached out a hand.

The little red orb hesitated in midair for a second, then slowly floated over and landed in his palm.

Wen Jueqian cupped it and brought it closer. The light on its surface gave off warmth.

Like holding a ball of fire that was warm but didn't burn.

"What's wrong?" His voice was gentle, like he was coaxing a sulking kid.

The orb flickered, its red glow deepening. 99 huffed: "What do you think?"

Wen Jueqian poked it gently with his fingertip: "Why do you call me a lovesick fool?"

"Whatever Wen Yanxu says, you just believe it!" 99's voice went up a notch. "He sweet-talks you for two seconds and you're over it—isn't that lovesick?"

Wen Jueqian thought for a moment, then said seriously: "But he was right though."

The orb's red deepened another shade instantly.

"Forget it!" 99's voice was full of pained resignation. "I've got nothing to say to you lovesick fools!"

With that, it bounced out of Wen Jueqian's palm and floated over to the bookshelf at the other end of the office, facing the wall, completely still.

That round, chubby silhouette looked both stubborn and pitiful.

Wen Jueqian watched it, and his mood inexplicably lifted.

He didn't go after it and started handling his own work.

The little light orb by the bookshelf quietly turned a little, stole a glance, and seeing that Wen Jueqian wasn't looking, turned back in a huff.

After a while, he even left the office altogether to head to the R&D department.

Leaving it all alone to stew in its sulk.

Two hours later, several workers came to Wen Jueqian's office and installed an enormous projection screen.

99 was curious too, but pretended to be completely uninterested.

When Wen Jueqian walked over to it, picked it up and placed it in front of the screen, he said, "If you like human TV dramas, you might enjoy them more if you experience them the way humans do."

99's red gradually faded, turning it into a small pink orb of light.

Fine. It would grudgingly forgive its host.

————

After finishing his work, Wen Jueqian stood up and said toward the screen, "I'm off work."

The little light orb was still absorbed in the plot.

It drifted over slowly from the other side. It hovered in front of Wen Jueqian for a moment, then nudged his fingertip and flew back into the light brain.

When they returned to Jing'an Residence, Wen Yanxu was still working overtime.

The smart robot Xiao Q slid over to him. "Master, welcome home. Shall I prepare dinner?"

"Mhm."

Wen Jueqian walked into the study first.

He had 99 send him the information he'd previously gathered on Qiao Yuexun.

A preliminary report appeared on the light-brain screen.

Wen Jueqian leaned back in his chair, his fingers gliding over the screen.

Qiao Yuexun. Omega. S-level. 24 years old.

At 20, Qiao Yuexun was admitted to the newly established Neuro-Performance Studies program at Yunxiu Art University.

After "Nirvana" became widespread, the entertainment industry underwent massive changes, and holographic films and immersive storytelling technology began to take off.

Actors no longer filmed movies or TV shows in the real world but instead shot in holographic networks, giving audiences an immersive, interactive viewing experience.

Omega neural signals are sensitive and highly volatile, offering the highest sensory resolution, allowing them to convey the most delicate emotions and feelings in holographic technology.

As an Omega, Qiao Yuexun was a natural fit for holographic performance. After enrolling, he graduated with top grades. On "Nirvana," he used his real appearance and amassed a huge fanbase.

His career started to take off with a low-budget experimental holographic drama. The original second male lead dropped out at the last minute due to a scandal, and the director only found him to fill in two days before filming started. That drama, which no one had high hopes for, unexpectedly blew up, putting him in the public eye.

After that, his career rose steadily. As soon as he got some fame, he signed with Xingyao Media. The company both produces films and manages artists, and is currently transitioning to holographic productions, with Qiao Yuexun as one of its key rising talents.

After signing with Xingyao, Qiao Yuexun was exceptionally clear about his career plans. He turned down all lead role offers in traditional TV dramas and films, focusing on quality holographic drama projects, even taking supporting roles.

At the same time, he used his excellent voice to release two music EPs, gradually building his reputation.

He's now the lead in a well-received holographic drama and has even been nominated for Best Newcomer.

In the cutthroat entertainment industry, an Omega with no connections who advances this steadily and smoothly seems to need more than just luck.

Wen Jueqian's fingers stopped on the screen.

"Anything else?" he asked.

99 sounded a bit hesitant: "The orphanage background you asked about is still going to take time. For now, I can only confirm that Qiao Yuexun lived at the 'Morning Light Home' orphanage until he was an adult, but the place shut down six years ago."

"There's nothing relevant online. I need to dig deeper into the data to see if I can find any leads."

"Mm." Wen Jueqian didn't push. "Take your time. No rush."

His eyes went back to the report.

Qiao Yuexun's record was too clean. So clean it felt almost unnatural.

In the entertainment industry, a world of fame and fortune, a young person with no connections and only an S-level Omega status could dodge almost every pitfall over two years, hitting every step perfectly—no romances, no sugar daddies, no bullying, no scandals. This seemed to take more than just luck and caution.

More importantly, this file was missing Qiao Yuexun's true origins.

The orphanage background was Qiao Yuexun's standard public story, covering his entire life before adulthood. In every public interview, he only said he "grew up in an orphanage," never giving any specific details, and not a single childhood photo had ever surfaced.

Wen Jueqian suddenly realized something didn't add up.

In this ABO society, high-level Omegas are given precious significance, along with an innate pull toward high-level Alphas.

Even ordinary-level Omegas often get adopted by willing families.

Yet Qiao Yuexun—a healthy, beautiful, smart S-level Omega—managed to stay in an orphanage until he was eighteen without a single family adopting him?

Why?

Outside the window, the sky had gone completely dark.

On the screen, Qiao Yuexun's red-carpet photo from an awards ceremony was still lit. His chestnut hair was styled perfectly, with a few stray strands falling casually across his forehead; his amber eyes were clear and bright, with slightly upturned corners; he gave the camera a perfectly measured smile—cool, composed, and flawless.

This was the perfect Omega, exactly what everyone imagined.

Wen Jueqian switched off the screen.

The study fell into darkness. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

But the image that came to mind was a different scene.

After today's signing ceremony, Qiao Yuexun stood in the conference room, his gaze sweeping over him as if by chance. Once he recognized who he was, he naturally broke into a smile.

Now, looking back, he felt there was something else hiding beneath that smile.

His phone buzzed.

Wen Jueqian opened his eyes and picked up the phone. It was a text from Wen Yanxu.

"Coming home soon. Wait for me nicely."

He stared at those words for a few seconds, and the corners of his mouth curved up on their own.

He texted back, "Okay."

Then he set the phone down and walked to the window.

The city lights stretched out beyond the glass, and his own reflection stared back at him from the window.

He knew a world-changing upheaval was quietly unfolding.

He remembered why he'd started investigating Qiao Yuexun—to find the truth hidden beneath the words.

The future that 99 sent him was recorded in text.

99 always said it was the past that had already happened in the previous timeline.

It was the future of the current timeline.

Yet these writings heavily employed artistic devices such as description, dialogue, inner thoughts, plot construction, and symbolism.

They did not read like mere records, but rather like a novel.

A story centered on Qiao Yuexun and Wen Yanxu.

A record only needs to faithfully document what actually happened.

But a novel contains a lot of fiction.

Wen Jueqian had doubted the truthfulness of the "future" countless times.

Yet it had indeed accurately predicted some of the future.

Or, could lies exist even in the "future"?

Wen Jueqian raised his hand, his fingertips gently touching the cold glass window.

The chill crept up from his fingertips, calming his chaotic thoughts somewhat.

He stood by the window for a long time, until Wen Yanxu pushed open the door.

bringing him back to the present.

==========Author's Note:==========

Why did the number of bookmarks suddenly jump so much? Usually, it doesn't grow this much in a whole week.