Shen Xiaoyu grew anxious and frantically shouted in her mind.
[System! System! What is going on? What's wrong with Su Huan?]
[System error! System error!]
The error message sounded again. After quite a while, the error-ridden system finally responded.
[This is bad! Host! Critical character awakening detected! Mission failed! Mission failed!]
[Scanning main character!]
[Main character scan complete! Female protagonist awakened! Warning! Female protagonist awakened!]
Shen Xiaoyu immediately clenched her fist. So it was Tang Tang after all!
It couldn't be anyone else. But why had Tang Tang awakened? Was it because she had changed the original plot?
Before Shen Xiaoyu could question the system, Su Huan spoke again.
"Female protagonist awakened? Who is the female protagonist? What does that have to do with erasure?" Su Huan's voice was cold, her entire body trembling.
This time, not only was Shen Xiaoyu stunned, but even the system's electronic voice became stuttered.
[Erro-erro-erro-erro... Ca-ca-can she hear me?]
"I can hear your conversations with the system." Su Huan lowered her eyes to look at the floor, answering the system's question. "Shen Xiaoyu came to pursue me. If the pursuit mission isn't completed, she can't leave this world. Why is she being erased now?"
She raised her eyes to meet Shen Xiaoyu's, as if trying to see the system hidden in her mind through her eyes.
"I tried my best to cooperate with Shen Xiaoyu's pursuit, carefully controlling her progress. Why is she still being erased!" Su Huan gritted her teeth, glaring with pitch-black eyes, her whole body shaking as if she would devour someone.
The system crashed completely, stuttering without being able to complete a full sentence.
Shen Xiaoyu remained dumbfounded for a long while before scoffing.
"So that's how it is! The awakened original female protagonist Tang Tang and the pursuit target with mind-reading abilities watching my clumsy acting like a clown performance. No wonder I couldn't complete my mission."
Knowing she had mind-reading abilities, all of Su Huan's abnormal behaviors over the years now had an explanation.
She thought she was the chosen one with the script in hand, able to easily complete this pursuit mission. Now it seemed she was nothing but a complete joke, happily oblivious while being sold out.
The slightly manic Su Huan finally realized what she had just said. Her face instantly turned pale as she panicked, trying to explain but unable to say anything.
What was there to explain at this point?
"Since when have you been able to hear the system's voice?" Shen Xiaoyu asked.
Su Huan opened her mouth, but before she could speak, she was interrupted.
"Don't lie. I can tell."
Su Huan fell completely silent, her shoulders slumped like a child who had done something wrong, then said quietly.
"Since the first time I met you." After saying this, she quickly added, "But I can only hear your conversations with the system, not everything. And there's a distance limitation—the closer I am, the clearer I can hear."
The system seemed to doubt its own algorithms and completely froze, not even making error sounds anymore.
Shen Xiaoyu nodded in understanding. "So that's it. No wonder you were so annoyed and told me to get lost the first time we met."
Putting herself in Su Huan's position, if she discovered a pursuer next to her and could hear everything they said, she would probably also use that person as a tool. After all, nothing could be more useful.
But if Su Huan could hear the system's voice, what about Tang Tang?
Could Tang Tang hear it? And how did she know Shen Xiaoyu was a pursuer?
Shen Xiaoyu couldn't figure it out and could only hope the person in front of her would provide more answers.
However, Su Huan just shook her head and said softly, "She can't hear it. But she knows many things. I verified them later and they were all true. She said she could tell me how to keep you here permanently. I was afraid you would leave, so..."
So to keep her here, she chose to help Tang Tang hurt her, stringing her along and preventing her from completing the mission.
For a moment, Shen Xiaoyu didn't know who to blame.
She couldn't help but laugh softly: "System, oh system, all our efforts were in vain. We were seen through from the very beginning."
The system was still looking for flaws and had no time to answer her.
She laughed for a while before turning her attention back to Su Huan. "Since you heard everything, you should understand that everything I did was for the pursuit. The time limit was ten years, and if I didn't complete the mission, I would be erased."
"Congratulations, you've managed to exhaust the first pursuer to death."
Shen Xiaoyu didn't know if there would be a second pursuer, so she could only say this.
Su Huan's eyes immediately reddened. She shook her head and explained chokingly, "I didn't know. I didn't know there was a time limit. I thought—I thought if the pursuit wasn't successful, you could stay forever."
"I didn't want you to leave. I hoped you could stay by my side forever." She gritted her teeth, tears falling one by one. "Xiaoyu, you promised me you would stay by my side forever. You can't lie to me!"
Shen Xiaoyu looked at her, raised her hand to stroke her cheek, then slapped her hard. The force was so great that half of Su Huan's face turned red.
"You think that after knowing the truth, I could stay without any resentment?"
A mocking smile curled at the corners of her thin lips. "I'm not that cheap. I would rather die than stay here!"
After saying this, Shen Xiaoyu got off the bed and went straight to the bathroom.
When she came out after changing her clothes, Su Huan was gone. The chair she had sat on had spots of red on it.
Shen Xiaoyu didn't care. She took her phone and left the hospital.
She didn't have much time left and needed to settle all of her affairs in the remaining time she had alive.
She went to choose a burial plot for herself in another city, a scenic place with beautiful mountains and clear waters.
Shen Xiaoyu found a funeral home there and told them the location of a church, asking them to collect her body there two days later. No need to arrange a wake—just cremate and bury her after receiving the body.
The church was the final resting place she had chosen for herself. After much thought, she decided that dying in a church would be the least disturbing to others, since funerals were sometimes held there.
She was only sorry that she would frighten the priest there. For this, she specially wrote an apology note and donated one million yuan to the church as compensation.
When the day of death arrived, she knelt on a cushion in front of the church, looking up at the giant cross in a daze.
As night fell, the system that had disappeared for two days finally came online, accompanied by bone-chilling pain.
Shen Xiaoyu collapsed to the ground, curling up into a ball, cold sweat pouring down her pale face.
Its electronic voice carried an apologetic tone, [I'm sorry, host. It was my failure to detect the character changes that caused this pursuit to fail.]
"It's okay. None of it matters anymore."
Shen Xiaoyu said with difficulty, "If you really feel sorry for me, then block my pain. If this continues, I'll die from the pain before the final moment comes."
The system was silent for a moment, [The pain is punishment for the host's mission failure. You must feel your body dying.]
How cruel!
Shen Xiaoyu curled up, the pain stimulating her tears to flow. Even though she was accustomed to the pain of electric shocks, she still couldn't bear this suffering.
She bit her lip until it bled, tears flowing from her eyes like spring water.
Mom... it really... hurts so much...
At the same time, Su Huan, who was driving, suddenly felt her heart jump. The moment the pain struck, she sharply turned the steering wheel, stopping the car on the side of the road.
The phone she had tossed aside rang frantically, with the names of Qin Miao, Tang Tang, and others appearing alternately.
But Su Huan couldn't attend to it now. She lay on the steering wheel, taking deep breaths. The pain in her heart grew more and more intense, as if something major was about to happen.
Su Huan took a few minutes to recover before driving toward her destination, pushing the maximum speed limit all the way, like lightning.
That day at the hospital, when she returned to the ward, Shen Xiaoyu was already gone. She mobilized all of her connections and finally learned that Shen Xiaoyu had gone to a cemetery.
Following the clues, she tracked her to the funeral home and learned about the funeral package Shen Xiaoyu had arranged, as well as all of her plans.
She had planned to die alone, without telling anyone.
How could that be acceptable?
Su Huan bit her lip, suppressing the urge to cry as she drove to the final address the funeral home had given her.
She had to find Shen Xiaoyu! She must find Shen Xiaoyu!
She still had words to say to Shen Xiaoyu, things she hadn't told her! She wouldn't allow Shen Xiaoyu to leave, absolutely not!
A trace of determination flashed in Su Huan's eyes as she pressed down on the accelerator, forcing the speed to its maximum.
There weren't many vehicles on the road late at night. Su Huan drove frantically all the way to the church.
Standing at the entrance, her heart pounded wildly. Nervousness made the muscles on her face twitch slightly, and a faint pain emanated from her lower abdomen.
But Su Huan paid no attention to these. She slowly raised her hand and pushed open the church door. In the faint light, Su Huan saw a figure lying on the ground.
Her pupils suddenly contracted, and she screamed, "Shen Xiaoyu!"
Su Huan quickly ran over and knelt in front of Shen Xiaoyu. Seeing her bloodied face, her hands trembled, afraid to touch her.
"Xia-Xiaoyu?" She called softly, her trembling voice cautious, "Xiaoyu, don't scare me. Xiaoyu, wake up! You promised to always stay with me, Shen Xiaoyu!"
Shen Xiaoyu lay on the ground with her eyes half-open. The pain made her consciousness hazy, her body without any strength. Even hearing Su Huan's voice, she only mechanically blinked her eyes without any response.
Su Huan took her into her arms. Tears dripped from her cheeks onto Shen Xiaoyu's face, making it seem as if Shen Xiaoyu was crying.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" Su Huan apologized with a choked voice. "I thought that as long as the pursuit wasn't completed, you would always stay by my side. I thought this would keep you here."
"I'm sorry, Xiaoyu, I'm sorry."
Shen Xiaoyu's eyelashes fluttered, and she coughed up another large mouthful of blood.
She didn't have much time left.
[Erasure countdown 5:00]
[Erasure countdown 4:59]
Hearing the system's countdown, Su Huan held Shen Xiaoyu tighter. She looked down at her tenderly and passionately, saying softly: "I never liked Tang Tang. The CP promotion with her was just a deal. She said she would help me keep you here."
Her tears fell, landing on Shen Xiaoyu's eyelids and sliding down her cheeks.
"But I never imagined that the person who hurt you the most would be me." She stroked Shen Xiaoyu's face, allowing tears to blur her vision. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to keep you here."
Shen Xiaoyu's eyelashes trembled, her gaze focusing on Su Huan's face. Her hand hanging at her side moved slightly, but she couldn't lift it.
[Don't cry anymore.] She said.
[System countdown: 00:30]
"I know you've always wanted to go home. It was my selfishness that kept you by my side. I even thought about letting you go home, but I really couldn't bear it! You're the only person in this world who loves me."
Su Huan thought of happy memories from the past, her lips curling up. Though she was smiling, her tears fell more and more. "I can't let you die. I have to send you home."
[Erasure countdown 00:05]
Shen Xiaoyu's deadened heart suddenly began to beat, again and again, making her chest feel numb.
"But I have one request, don't forget me."
Su Huan lowered her head and kissed Shen Xiaoyu's blood-stained lips. Amid the lingering kiss, her gentle yet powerful voice sounded in her ear, carrying sad desperation and determination.
"Shen Xiaoyu, I love you."
[Erasure countdown 00:01]
[Ding! Congratulations, host! Mission completed, pursuit successful!]
Even long after, Su Huan could still recall this day.
Like a dream, everything happened so quickly.
Time seemed to stop after the system's voice ended. Everything around was quiet, with only Su Huan's heavy breathing audible.
After a while, the system's voice sounded again.
[The villain redemption pursuit mission has been completed. The host may choose whether to stay in this world.]
The system's words struck Su Huan's heart like a thunderbolt, making it feel congested. She instinctively tightened her arms around Shen Xiaoyu, looking into her eyes, silently pleading for something.
Stay, please stay.
Don't, don't leave me alone, please.
Su Huan bowed her head, large teardrops falling one after another. The quiet church echoed with her soft sobbing.
And Shen Xiaoyu, cradled in her arms, had her eyes half-open, staring at her without blinking.
No one knew how much time passed—it felt like an eternity, yet also like just a second.
Shen Xiaoyu's fingers moved slightly. Using all her strength, she raised her hand to caress Su Huan's cheek, her thumb wiping away the tears on her face.
She seemed to be smiling, her bloody mouth corners lifting high. Her eyes were clear and bright, her whole being dispelling the previous gloom, appearing somewhat more spirited.
[Host choice countdown 1:00]
[Host choice countdown 00:59]
...
The system's voice ticked like a time bomb in both their ears, counting down the time.
Shen Xiaoyu's eyes became even more vivid, like a ray of sunshine after rain—clear and bright, carrying endless light.
Just like the day they first met, when eighteen-year-old Shen Xiaoyu burst into her dark life like warm sunshine, illuminating her gloomy existence with her own light.
Now, this beam of light was about to disappear.
Su Huan didn't know what method could make this light stay, so she could only tightly embrace Shen Xiaoyu's body, as if doing so could hold onto that light.
Tears flowed like rain, soaking Shen Xiaoyu's clothes. Her voice was so low that it was barely audible.
"Please, stay."
As long as she stayed, no matter what she was asked to do, she would be willing.
As if hearing her thoughts, Shen Xiaoyu, who had been silent, finally spoke.
"Su Huan."
She called out once, her voice weak. Su Huan had to lean closer to hear what she was saying.
"I once thought about staying for you. But—"
Shen Xiaoyu's eyes changed several times, until only a darkness without any light remained. "You don't deserve it."
Su Huan's mind buzzed, suddenly going blank. Her lips trembled as she tried to say something, but no sound came out.
She stared at Shen Xiaoyu in a daze, watching her lips move, speaking the truth she least wanted to face.
"Su Huan, you don't deserve my love!" Shen Xiaoyu's voice suddenly turned cold. "System, I choose—"
"To go home."
The system panel's countdown had stopped at the last five minutes. After hearing Shen Xiaoyu's words, the panel paused for a second, then emitted a faint blue light.
The blue light gradually brightened, enveloping Shen Xiaoyu's entire body from the inside out.
[Departure countdown: ten, nine, eight...]
The stunned Su Huan seemed to awaken, holding Shen Xiaoyu tightly. She shook emotionally, shouting loudly, "No! No! No! I know I was wrong, I'll change, I'll change everything! Please stay! Don't leave me, don't leave me..."
[Three, two, one! Successfully departed from the plane.]
[Congratulations, host, your wish has been granted.]
At the end of the voice, the blue light enveloping Shen Xiaoyu disappeared. Shen Xiaoyu's breathing stopped completely at this moment. The hand caressing Su Huan's cheek fell limply, hitting the ground heavily.
The entire world seemed to grow quiet. In the vast church, it felt as if even the fall of a needle could be heard.
Su Huan stared blankly at the person in her arms, her gaze dull and her expression rigid. Tears poured down like a dam that had broken.
When the people from the funeral home arrived at the church, they only saw this scene: two people lying prone together under the cross, embracing each other as if expressing love, or as if praying to God.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
May your kingdom come; may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven;
I pray to you with all my lifelong authority and glory, that you bless my lover from another world, that they may finally find happiness and fulfillment, that all they seek and wish may come true.
And I will pay the price of deception, throwing myself into the purgatory of eternally burning glaze fire, suffering eternal punishment.