Gu Xizhou stayed with Su Zhiyi in the lab for the whole day. After night fell, with Lin Ling’s assistance, she lay back in her own hibernation pod, connected the neural interface, and linked her consciousness back to the virtual world of 1022.
She identified her own main consciousness as the “Auxiliary System 0820” assisting the “virtual entity” 1022 Gu Xizhou. She fed the so-called “future” into the data stream of “1022,” using it to conceal her identity, “monitor” the world, and observe for any anomalous brainwaves from Su Zhiyi.
According to Lin Ling, not overwriting the virtual entity’s data, but using a “guidance” approach, could more easily make Su Zhiyi’s core consciousness understand the existence of a “reborn” world.
This would, in turn, stimulate Su Zhiyi’s remaining will to live within this reborn world, leading to her awakening.
However, in the previous 1021 attempts, Gu Xizhou had never detected any abnormal brainwaves from Su Zhiyi’s “core.” Only this time did she sense the other party’s help towards “herself.”
Gu Xizhou’s main consciousness could occasionally take control of 1022’s virtual data, but to fully control 1022 required 1022 to accept the main consciousness, the very thing 0820 called a “Contract.”
The “Contract” was essentially a back-end data link; “0820’s” brainwaves could perfectly cover and merge with all of 1022’s data.
In many previous experiments, Gu Xizhou encountered instances where the virtual entity refused the contract. But someone like 1022, who had steadfastly refused from the moment she connected to this world until now, was the only one.
Soon, Gu Xizhou in the hibernation pod fell into a deep sleep. All her consciousness and memories were transformed via the data link into quantum information, crossing the boundless ocean of information to descend upon the virtual world as 0820.
———
Night fell, and 0820’s voice appeared in Gu Xizhou’s mind: “Strange, why has an entire day already passed?”
Gu Xizhou, who was doing her preview homework at her desk, jumped in fright: “Why are you still here?”
Last night, Gu Xizhou slept at the hospital without a single dream. When she woke up in the morning, she hadn’t heard 0820 nagging her about some contract nonsense.
Based on what 0820 said, she was here to help her. Gu Xizhou guessed that after resolving the Su Nanfeng matter, 0820 should have completed her mission and retired.
0820 perceived the young girl’s thoughts and snorted: “I told you I’m here to help you change your destiny. I won’t leave until you achieve true happiness.”
“Do you really think your life’s only problem is Su Nanfeng?”
Gu Xizhou flipped through her foreign language book, starting to memorize the first unit’s vocabulary.
Listening to 0820’s mental lecture, little Gu Xizhou bit her lower lip and finally said after a while: “After getting rid of Su Nanfeng, I don’t feel like I’ll encounter any more problems.”
After last night’s events fermented, the police came to No. 1 High School this morning to investigate. Even though the Su family had power and influence, under heavy public opinion and with social institutions involved, the authorities tried their best to give Gu Xizhou a fair shake.
At this morning’s multi-party mediation meeting, neither of Su Nanfeng’s two mothers showed up. Instead, Su Tianyu’s secretary, Ke Mi, and the Su family lawyer, Zhang Tian, came.
Lawyer Zhang Tian insisted this was merely a schoolyard brawl, that Su Nanfeng’s actions did not constitute a crime, and hoped for a private settlement.
The meeting ended in discord. As they left, Zhang Tian brushed past Gu Jing and threatened her: “If Miss Gu insists on not settling, then I believe Gu Xizhou could also be sent to juvenile detention as a repeat offender.”
As luck would have it, Gu Jing had been recording the entire mediation with a voice recorder. When Zhang Tian said this, Gu Jing’s recorder was still on.
Shortly after the group parted ways, Gu Jing posted the recording online. Netizens bombarded the Su family with another round of criticism.
When the stock market opened in the afternoon, stock prices for all companies under the Su Group plummeted.
Su Tianyu was openly and covertly questioned by various board members. After hanging up the phone, she unleashed a scathing tirade at secretary Ke Mi and lawyer Zhang Tian.
At this point, Zhang Tian proposed another devious tactic—to transfer 200,000 to Gu Jing for a private settlement. As long as Gu Jing accepted this 200,000, the Su Group would have a chance to turn the tables in the court of public opinion.
When 0820 descended upon this world, Gu Jing, who was busily rushing around, received Zhang Tian’s call.
Zhang Tian’s words were impeccably crafted: “They’re teenagers, and alphas at that. Some bumps and bruises are inevitable.”
“What Nanfeng did was wrong, but your kid also bit her face. She might have been a bit heavy-handed, but our employer isn’t stingy.”
“200,000. Settle privately, make a post, and neither side needs to bring this up again.”
“It’s just a scuffle between kids, no need to blow it up this big, right!”
Gu Jing, who had turned on her recording, exploded upon hearing this: “Just a joke between kids? Su Nanfeng beat our Xizhou to that state, and you think money can solve this?”
“Is money everything? Does having money mean you can act lawlessly!”
Gu Jing was shaking with fury: “I’ll go borrow 200,000 from loan sharks! You go ask Su Tianyu if she’s willing to let her daughter be beaten by my daughter for two years!”
Gu Jing was never a genteel person. She shouted this so loudly that Gu Xizhou in her room could hear every word clearly.
Gu Xizhou and 0820 fell silent simultaneously. She tacitly put down her foreign language book and tiptoed to the door, opening it a crack to peek out stealthily.
In the not-so-spacious living room, Gu Jing’s tall figure stood on the balcony, her back to the brightly lit room. Holding her phone, she cursed loudly: “Settle! Settle my ass!”
“Why didn’t you say this during the school mediation this morning? Now you’re talking about paying?”
“You think I’ve wasted all those years navigating society for nothing? I know exactly what tricks you capitalist running dogs use to serve the wicked—give me money, then frame me for blowing this up just for cash, and ultimately classify this as a mutual fight rather than Su Nanfeng bullying my Xizhou!”
“Dream on! Not a chance!”
“500,000? In your dreams! Think 500,000 will make me sell my daughter!”
“Two million! Let that damned Su Tianyu give you two million to beat you for two years; see if you’d agree!”
“Tell my boss to fire me if you dare! Even if I have to sell stir-fried noodles on the roadside, I’ll get justice for my daughter!”
In the cool late summer night, Gu Jing, wearing black suit pants and a white shirt, her hair tied in a ponytail, stood on the balcony, cursing Su Nanfeng’s lawyer without any semblance of decorum.
Gu Xizhou gazed at that tall, upright figure she remembered from her memories, feeling an inexplicable ache in her heart.
Little Gu Xizhou eavesdropped for a good while. When Gu Jing hung up the phone and stood on the balcony, sighing in the wind, she quietly closed the door and returned to her desk.
Gu Xizhou reopened her textbook, staring at the dense rows of vocabulary words behind, unable to memorize a single one.
After a long while, she put down the book and slumped into her chair, leaning against the backrest as she stared at the ceiling, a little melancholy: “Two million, huh…”
As a researcher, Gu Jing’s annual salary was probably around 300,000. Two million… that was almost ten years of Gu Jing’s income…
Two million could pay off all their family debts and still buy a decent house.
If they had two million, maybe it wouldn’t be impossible to…
In her mind, 0820 shouted loudly: “Have some ambition! A mere two million, and you mother and daughter are about to fall for the trap!”
“Vision! Vision! Since they’re paying compensation, make it a big one!”
“Use the money Su Tianyu and Mu Zhilan pay to establish an Anti-Bullying Foundation! Let’s see if that cheap girl Su Nanfeng dares to bully people again!”
The Gu Xizhou of 0820 was furious at her younger self’s perceived lack of ambition. She thought, why was my younger self so stupid, so short-sighted, so utterly hopeless?
Gu Xizhou was a bit bewildered: “But that… seems difficult to do.”
0820 cleared her throat lightly: “It’s not difficult, as long as you can rely on one person well.”
“Who?”
0820 replied: “Su Zhiyi.”
Gu Xizhou’s eyes widened: “Why her?”
0820 stated with feigned seriousness: “Didn’t she say to go to her if you had any trouble?”
“Send her a message, just as I say. She’ll absolutely be willing to help you facilitate this.”
Mu Zhilan, what a good connection to use. Not using it would be a waste.
With Mu Zhilan involved, they could suppress Su Tianyu, and Gu Jing wouldn’t be pushed to the point of wanting to quit her job in a surge of maternal protectiveness.
