Chapter 29: Angel’s Pity – 4

Su Zhiyi sounded very upset. No matter how gossipy Zhang Chuchu was, she couldn’t press Su Zhiyi with questions at a time like this.

Finding it awkward, Zhang Chuchu shut her mouth and lay back down, refraining from further chatter.

Soon, Zhang Chuchu fell silent, and the whispered murmurs in the dorm gradually quieted.

Lights from the base’s lighthouse shone from far away, passing through the window and settling inside the dorm like a layer of cold autumn frost.

Su Zhiyi lay on her side. Amidst the faint snores, she seemed to hear distant sounds from outside the training grounds and, for some reason, thought of that solitary girl under the streetlamp.

Gu Xizhou…

Su Zhiyi bit her lower lip, silently repeating the name. A sharp pang of bitterness filled her chest.

This was the first person she had ever seen be bullied by Su Nanfeng. And in the futures she had dreamed, Gu Xizhou was the one who personally sent Su Nanfeng to prison.

Was Nanfeng truly so beyond redemption that she had to hurt so many people?

Maybe she should just suggest to Mom to send Nanfeng abroad, to separate them so there would be no more conflicts.

Just as Su Zhiyi’s thoughts were spiraling, a voice suddenly resounded in her mind. “You can’t do that.”

It was a soft voice, yet strangely familiar. Startled, Su Zhiyi clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream and whispered warily, “Who is it? Who’s talking?”

She widened her eyes, searching everywhere for the source of the voice.

All her classmates were asleep in their bunks, silence reigned everywhere, and not even a suspicious shadow lurked near the window.

In the pitch-black night, everything was still, only this voice in her mind was exceptionally clear. In that moment, Su Zhiyi thought of ghostly whispers in the dead of night, and her skin crawled.

As if sensing her thoughts, the voice in her head continued, “You can’t see me. I’m not in this world.”

Su Zhiyi’s eyes widened. She threw off her covers, got out of bed, and grabbed the book on her nightstand, scanning around nervously. “Come out! Don’t try to scare people by playing ghost.”

Not wanting to wake her classmates, her voice was hushed, making it sound very cold and stern.

The voice in her mind sighed. “Su Zhiyi… do you remember the dream you had a while ago? In that dream, because no one disciplined Su Nanfeng, she hit a classmate in her senior year of high school…”

Su Zhiyi stopped in her tracks, a chill running down her spine. “How do you know about my dream?”

“I already answered that. I’m not from this world.” The voice in her mind sounded gentle and ethereal, tinged with a faint weariness. “I come from one of your countless possible future worlds. I’m here to help you.”

“…”

Su Zhiyi completely stiffened. She clutched the book in her hands, her heart pounding. “How can you prove what you’re saying is true?”

The voice in her mind chuckled, speaking softly, “The fact that you’re asking that question means you already believe me, doesn’t it?”

This “person” seemed to know Su Zhiyi very well. In that fleeting instant, unable to locate the speaker, Su Zhiyi quickly accepted the fact that she was “haunted.”

Ghosts might be terrifying, but Su Zhiyi had never done anything to invite a guilty conscience and wasn’t overly worried.

What’s more, this “ghost” didn’t seem malicious.

Su Zhiyi settled her nerves for now and climbed back into bed. She communicated in her mind with that strange yet familiar voice. “You say you’re from the future. Then what exactly are you?”

The presence in her mind paused for a moment before answering, “A detached observer. You may call me Observer Zero.”

“Zero…”

Seeming to accept this explanation, Su Zhiyi asked cautiously, “You said you want to help me. How would you do that?”

Zero was silent for a moment, then answered carefully, “I know some possible paths of your future. I want to use this information to make a deal with you.”

Su Zhiyi frowned. “You want something from me?”

“Yes, I want something from you.” Zero’s attitude was frank and open. “Because I need your help too.”

Sensing room for negotiation, Su Zhiyi asked, “What kind of help?”

Zero replied, “Help me… build a good relationship with Gu Xizhou.”

Su Zhiyi immediately became alert. “Gu Xizhou… What is your relationship with Gu Xizhou?”

Zero thought for a moment, then answered, “Neither good nor bad. But she can help me do something.”

“If your relationship with her is good, it’ll be easier for me to ask for her help when the time comes.”

It was a pure transaction of interests, but Su Zhiyi hesitated. “This involves another person. I can’t just agree to that.”

Zero seemed very understanding of her position, saying gently, “That’s alright. You have plenty of time to think about it.”

“But I will still choose to help you.”

Su Zhiyi furrowed her brow. “If I don’t go along with your plan, will you stop helping me?”

Zero chuckled softly, dismissing her concern. “No. I also don’t want Su Nanfeng to become that kind of person in the future, and even less do I want Gu Xizhou to be hurt by her.”

“Su Nanfeng… what she needs is the care of her family. Just like what you were thinking earlier—if you send her away, far from Gu Xizhou, will Su Nanfeng actually become better?”

“A personality like Su Nanfeng’s will only bring harm to more versions of Gu Xizhou.”

Zero had hit upon Su Zhiyi’s very thoughts. Su Zhiyi fell silent for a long moment before asking, “Then what do you think I should do?”

Zero offered her advice. “Keep Su Nanfeng by your side and watch over her personally.”

“And look after Gu Xizhou more, care for her mental and physical well-being. I think… with sufficient love, those futures you dreamed of probably won’t happen.”

Zero’s words were full of uncertainty, making Su Zhiyi slightly surprised. “Probably?”

Zero laughed, saying gently, “After all, the future has many possibilities. The human heart is the hardest thing to fathom.”

“To gain a true heart, you must trade with a true heart.”

“You and your sister are both still so young. Everything can be remedied, corrected, and made better, can’t it?”

The greatest advantage of youth is that the cost of trial and error is low. Even if one steps onto a fallen, sinful path, there is still the possibility of choosing a new road.

Young people have long lives ahead. As long as they want to, they can always say, “My life isn’t over.”

Unless life itself ends, there’s always a chance to start over.

Su Zhiyi was silent for a long while before finally giving a soft, “Mm.”

Perhaps she shouldn’t give up on Nanfeng so soon. Maybe she could try talking to her more, be a little better to her.

That was her older sister. She needed to pull her back onto the right track. Not just for Su Nanfeng’s sake, but for all the people Su Nanfeng might end up hurting.

Once Su Zhiyi’s thoughts cleared, Zero also seemed to have achieved a predetermined goal, breathing a sigh of relief.

She appeared very weak; her voice became even more ethereal. “When necessary, I will give you some reminders. But communicating with you consumes a lot of my spiritual energy, and you will feel discomfort too…”

“Let’s leave it here for today.”

“Good night, Su Zhiyi.”

All sound receded. Su Zhiyi felt her body become heavy and sluggish, and she soon fell into a deep, drowsy sleep.

————

At seven in the morning, the students assembled on the training ground on time. Just as Zero had said, when Su Zhiyi woke up, her head felt like it was dragging a lead ball, unbearably heavy.

She was in low spirits, standing at the back of the formation, dazed and muddled.

The instructor at the front of the ranks shouted, “Forward, march!”

The students followed, drilling: “One-two-one… one-two-one… one, two, three, four…”

Su Zhiyi was slightly out of sync, lagging behind the formation, very conspicuous. The instructor noticed and immediately ordered a halt. “Company, halt!”

“Slap!” Most of the students stopped perfectly, but Su Zhiyi, like a little penguin, stumbled forward and bumped directly into the person in front of her.

Seeing this, the instructor called out, “Fourth row, last girl on the left, the pretty one, step forward!”

Everyone turned their heads, following the instructor’s gaze.

In the bright morning light, the fair-skinned girl looked up, confused. Her eyes seemed veiled with a watery mist, hazy and unfocused.

That beautiful face instantly deflated the instructor’s anger.

Even so, the instructor pointed and commanded, “You. Step out and march back and forth once yourself.”

No matter how dazed Su Zhiyi was, she understood the situation now, and a flush of crimson quickly rose on her cheeks.

She gave a light “Ah,” and took a step out of formation. As she moved, a sudden wave of dizziness hit her. Her body lost all control; the world spun, and she collapsed sideways.

Classmates nearby shouted, “Su Zhiyi!”

Gu Xizhou, near the front of the ranks, felt her vision go black. In an instant, she lost all autonomy and lunged forward.

From that distance, she naturally didn’t catch Su Zhiyi.

She just felt her consciousness as if expelled from her body, exiled into an inky blackness, as she watched 0820 control her physical body, kneeling beside Su Zhiyi and reaching for her pulse.

Young Gu Xizhou could even clearly “see” herself look up and say to the instructor who had rushed over, “Hypoglycemia. She temporarily fainted.”

The instructor quickly reached out, bending to pick Su Zhiyi up. “I’ll carry her to the infirmary. You all continue your training yourselves.”

But 0820 blocked the instructor’s hand, her gaze incredibly cold. “Instructor, you’re an adult Alpha, aren’t you? She’s an Omega. It’s not appropriate for you to carry her.”

Though small in stature, her presence was undeniably forceful.

The classmates witnessing this scene all widened their eyes.

The instructor’s outstretched hand froze in mid-air. She laughed awkwardly, “This… well, yes…”

The burly Alpha instructor rubbed the back of her short hair sheepishly. “Then I’ll go call an Omega instructor?”

0820 swept her gaze over her. Under the subtle, gossipy looks of the many students, she reached out for Su Zhiyi. “No need. I can carry her.”

She decisively scooped Su Zhiyi up in a princess carry and headed for the infirmary. “Come on, let’s go to the infirmary.”

Inside her own body witnessing everything, the younger Gu Xizhou was practically frantic. “How can you suddenly switch bodies with me?!”

“You’re not some ghost of a system, you’re a ghost that can possess people!”

0820 ignored her. In that brief span of time, she held the warm body in her arms and strode forward with determination.

She walked so fast, yet so steadily, as if cradling the weight of an entire future.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Gu Xizhou felt the heavy weight in her arms and the stares boring into her back. If she were a target, she figured she’d be riddled through by their gazes by now.

The exchange lasted about sixty seconds. The younger Gu Xizhou seized back control of her body.

Her drained consciousness suddenly snapped back, causing her to stumble and nearly drop the Su Zhiyi in her arms.

Luckily, her body had been greatly strengthened after her Differentiation. Although carrying Su Zhiyi—who couldn’t weigh more than 50 kilograms—was a strain, she could grit her teeth and manage.

She briefly steadied her steps just as 0820’s sarcasm erupted in her mind: “Even if Su Zhiyi might be your wife in the future, are you so unwilling to help a little?”

“Are you even an Alpha?”

0820 felt she was worrying herself to death over this blockhead of a youngster.

Young Gu Xizhou ground her teeth, carrying Su Zhiyi horizontally out of the training grounds. She thought bitterly: “Thank you so much. Now I can’t wash myself clean even if I jump into the Yellow River.”

The next time Su Nanfeng made a move on her, it could very well turn into “Gu Xizhou seduced Su Zhiyi, so Su Nanfeng beat her up.”

Instead of “Su Nanfeng is a bad person”!

The whole point would be completely wrong!

0820 was utterly unconcerned. “It’s fine. None of this is real anyway.”

Everything was an illusion. Since it was an illusion, why couldn’t she be a little kinder to Su Zhiyi within the limits allowed?

She had never truly treasured her, hadn’t she?

Hounded by 0820’s urging, the younger Gu Xizhou quickly delivered Su Zhiyi to the infirmary. The moment she handed her over to an Omega doctor, she turned tail and fled.

0820 couldn’t even call her back. “Why are you running? You already brought her here. Why not stay with her for a bit and see how she is?”

Gu Xizhou’s ears had turned red. She covered both sides of her head with her hands, crying out in her mind in grief and indignation: “Shut up! Don’t say any more!”

“And you can’t use my body again! Next time, I’ll ignore you!”

0820 clicked her tongue lightly and said coolly, “Don’t worry, I can’t frequently occupy your body.”

“We only have a temporary contract, so I can only use your body for one minute per day. It won’t affect your daily life.”

“And I’m not some devil; I’m really just a system.”

The young Gu Xizhou didn’t believe her nonsense one bit. As she sprinted madly back to her class’s area, she fumed with shame and rage: “What kind of system causes this much trouble, like you!”

Ugh, so annoying. After that stunt, people were definitely going to gossip about her and Su Zhiyi.

0820 was well aware of the little Alpha’s thoughts and felt immensely pleased. She had done it intentionally. She wanted everyone to know that Su Zhiyi was hers.

From youth, no matter which Su Zhiyi it was, she should always belong to Gu Xizhou.

More importantly, this was a test.

If it was her Zhiyi, how would she react upon discovering a “Gu Xizhou” with such strange behavior?

Would she resist or accept?

Would she draw closer or pull away?

Some words, they had to get clear between them sooner or later.

————

Su Zhiyi soon woke from her fainting spell. Opening her eyes to a white ceiling, she was momentarily disoriented.

A surprised voice came from beside her. “Little one, you’re awake?”

Turning her head, Su Zhiyi saw an Omega doctor with her hair in a bun standing by the bedside cabinet, mixing glucose with warm water.

Su Zhiyi blinked, then propped herself up in bed, asking, confused, “Where is this?”

The Omega doctor answered, “The infirmary. You fainted during military training. A classmate brought you here.”

Speaking of Gu Xizhou, the doctor, still mixing the glucose, said in a teasing tone, “But that classmate of yours was really something. So small, yet she managed to princess-carry you all the way here.”

Su Zhiyi was stunned. “Princess carry?”

The Omega doctor nodded, handing her the cup of glucose water. “Yes, very impressive.”

The kind doctor gave Su Zhiyi a suggestive look and gossiped, “High schoolers these days are something else. For her to be so attentive, is she your little girlfriend?”

Su Zhiyi: …

The usually straightforward girl was at a loss for words for a moment, and simply held the paper cup in silence.

Seeing she hadn’t drunk the glucose, the doctor prompted her kindly, “This is glucose. Drink it up.”

“Aiya, you young girls these days. You really should eat more during military training, or fainting from low blood sugar is very unhealthy.”

Su Zhiyi responded with a noncommittal murmur, bringing the cup to her lips and taking a small sip.

She thought, it wasn’t that she didn’t eat and got low blood sugar.

It was probably as “Zero” said, the consumption was too great, so she couldn’t hold on.

So the “Zero” from last night was real. Then what kind of future had she come from?