Chapter 70: Memories Turn into Wind~

Yue Yiyue stood still as something in her mind eagerly surfaced. The blurry figure in her head gradually came into focus with Yu An’s words.

Their first encounter was under a beautiful osmanthus tree.

The tree was tall and sturdy. On her way back to the rented shack after part-time work, Yue Yiyue would glance at it.

She occasionally stopped there too, sniffing the fragrance of the early-blooming osmanthus flowers, pondering whether to take some back and brew osmanthus wine with the moms next time she visited the Orphanage.

That day was the same, except a woman even more beautiful than the flowers stood under the osmanthus tree. She merely stood there, yet Yue Yiyue felt her heart skip a beat, then pound tightly like a drum, her breathing quickening. Voices in her head kept telling her that this person was special, very special—she had to get to know her.

The woman wore a white shirt so bright it gleamed. Though her face showed no expression, it drew the gaze irresistibly. The pale osmanthus flowers behind her became perfect accents, adding a touch of nature to her stunning beauty.

Yue Yiyue, who didn’t even know what feelings were back then, felt a hunger. With just one glance, she wanted to devour the woman before her.

She wanted her to melt in her stomach and become one with her—that way, she could feel at ease.

Startled by her own thoughts, Yue Yiyue panicked, unsure where to put her hands and feet. Her mind cleared as she condemned her lust at first sight.

She turned her attention to the woman, ready to step in and help at any moment, since the nutjob across from her seemed to harbor ill intentions.

The person standing there was naturally Gu Nanqiu. She frowned in distress at the man before her, seemingly unsure how to refuse him.

The man Yue Yiyue mentally labeled a nutjob glared ferociously at Gu Nanqiu, as if he wouldn’t rest until she went with him.

Onlookers along the roadside grew in number, some even egging him on to just take her away.

He did take her away, but not the nutjob who looked about to drop dead.

It was Yue Yiyue.

She hurled the trash from her hand. As the nutjob turned to yell at the fool who’d dared throw trash at him, he saw Yue Yiyue’s calm face.

He instantly fell silent.

They watched silently as the true street bully of this block swaggered forward, grabbed the woman, and walked off. No one dared make a sound.

It was normal, though. Whenever Rules caused chaos on this street, Yue Yiyue and her friends would grab and beat them soundly before anyone could react.

To avoid dying by her hand before the Rules got them, they always stayed obedient.

Until this woman’s appearance today—they acted like they were bewitched…

They chuckled awkwardly in apology. One smarter one picked up the trash from the ground and slapped himself a few times, snapping the others awake. How had they just… what beasts they were.

The rich osmanthus fragrance seeped into their breaths, becoming the mark of their first meeting.

A person entered Yue Yiyue’s bland life.

When Yue Yiyue went to work, Gu Nanqiu found a sunny spot in the thirty-square-meter shack and read Yue Yiyue’s old textbooks, waiting for her to come back and teach what she didn’t understand.

The perceptive Yue Yiyue noticed her rescued woman seemed different, but for selfish reasons, she said nothing.

After that, Yue Yiyue couldn’t recall the memories, as if she were watching a TV drama halfway through when a popup reminded her it hadn’t updated yet.

————

Yu An watched Yue Yiyue seemingly lost in thought. She didn’t dare speak, but standing here felt creepy to her.

Her sixth sense told her it was time to go.

“Yue Yiyue, don’t worry too much about Gu Nanqiu. She should be fine. Back then, I went to catch her per the Rules’ demands, but she scared me off when I tried to get close.”

Being scared off by Gu Nanqiu wasn’t shameful—anyone who saw those thick Tentacles behind her swiftly strangle the monsters in her grasp like chopping vegetables would run too.

Monsters’ lives mattered too.

Yue Yiyue pulled herself from the memory and smiled. “Thanks. After coming here, part of my memory went wrong.”

“A lot about the past is blurry. Can you tell me about it?”

At Yue Yiyue’s words, Yu An glanced around like a thief. “Let’s talk while walking. I don’t feel safe here. It’ll take some time to reach the next area.”

————

Yu An didn’t know much about their story, only that in the Game they met, the world collapsed because of Yue Yiyue.

Yue Yiyue had used something unknown to drag Gluttony straight into Chaos, the origin realm of all evil.

Then the Coroner went in too.

She didn’t know what happened after, but the survivors like her got kicked out of the Dungeon.

When she saw Yue Yiyue again, only a year had passed, but she looked much more worn. By then, the Safety Zone was full of legends about Yue Yiyue.

Rumor had it she was chasing a monster. To free it from the Rules’ bindings, she made a Wager with the Main God.

These were just rumors, but Yu An knew if it involved Gu Nanqiu, it was definitely true.

From the start, Yue Yiyue had shielded the woman fiercely behind her—even when someone claimed sacrificing Gu Nanqiu’s blood was needed to exit the Dungeon.

Yue Yiyue merely cut out that rumormonger’s tongue.

She was only eighteen, yet struck with exceptional ruthlessness.

Later, Yu An learned from various sources that Yue Yiyue was an orphan who had often been bullied.

In a world where bizarre Rules and Weird Tales shattered all order, she fought and won battle after battle with her fists to secure peace.

Yu An scratched her head. “After that, I turned into a monster. Some Rules and Weird Tales got cleared, parts of the world regained calm, and I shuttled between different worlds.”

“The one I liked most was Sloth. There, I just lay around. If someone came, I’d have her lie with me. Too bad the Main God noticed that area was too safe, letting people exploit bugs, so it sent Avarice.”

“That time, we had to help them kill nonstop every day. So tiring.”

Yue Yiyue’s mind was a total blank on this period, but Yu An’s tales of shuttling worlds piqued her curiosity.

“Are the worlds different?”

“Slight differences, and different unfortunates dropped in.” Yu An looked up. “Where we are now is actually an overlay of four or five worlds—maybe more.”

“But since it’s all illusory anyway, no impact. The spot you’re standing on might be a School in another world, or the Sculpture Museum, with tourists maybe stopping to admire exhibits.”

Yue Yiyue instantly grasped the concept. It wasn’t simple book transmigration.

She had merely thought it was.

But something misled her?

Her memories did have that book…

And Gu Nanqiu as the protagonist.

She even saw posters in shop windows…

Was Yu An lying?

Yue Yiyue blinked, her steps gradually slowing.

“It’s normal not to get it—humans wouldn’t. I only know because I mutated and experienced many worlds.” Yu An understood how outlandish it sounded. She hadn’t expected Yue Yiyue to believe it right away, especially since they were different species now.

“But I can tell you there’s an all-knowing info broker in D City. She should have the info you want. Go there, and you might learn your ending.”

“Or why you, the winner, are back here.”

“And the Bet—don’t let Gu Nanqiu know you’ve remembered part of it. Absolutely forbidden.”

Yu An eyed the special display case ahead, lit by focused ambient lights. The final spot.

“Yue Yiyue, pass through here and you should find Gu Nanqiu. Remember, don’t let her know you’ve recalled some things. I can only wait here for you.”

Yue Yiyue looked at the sculpture ahead, its right ear missing three small chunks. She stood there pondering for a moment. “Okay, thanks.”

————

The moment her foot stepped in, Yue Yiyue felt the world spin.

When she looked up again, the scene had changed.

Noisy voices filled her ears—people taking calls, flipping files, rushing around with documents in their arms.

“I can’t finish this file.” A sob erupted from the corner.

Those around seemed accustomed, merely glancing pityingly before hurrying out.

Yue Yiyue scanned the area and quickly spotted Gu Nanqiu, buried under stacks of folders with only her head visible.

As she prepared to head there, the corner person grabbed her. “Newbie?”

She muttered, “Another one… really… whatever… you’re here.”

Then she shoved files into Yue Yiyue’s arms. “Take this to the Thirteenth Floor conference room. They’ll need it for the meeting soon. Big shots coming—fail in five minutes, and you’re dead.”

She said it breezily, then hit the timer nearby. “Go.”

Yue Yiyue glanced at the load in her arms and heard that odd “you’re dead.” She looked up to see Gu Nanqiu’s small head poking out, mouthing: “Go first—explain later!”

Yue Yiyue carried the items to the elevator area and saw a guy with a badge standing there, leisurely playing on his phone with coffee in hand.

She stopped there.

The badged guy smoothed his hair, surprised Yue Yiyue had stopped right there.

He sneered. “What little ant? Don’t you know this elevator’s off-limits for lowly trash like you?”

“Just arrived? That waste who brought you didn’t explain?”

The Thirteenth Floor wasn’t hard to reach. Yue Yiyue decided not to make trouble and turned toward the marked stairwell.

As she took a step, the guy behind yammered on. “Hey, I talk and you ignore me?”

“What are you?”