Chapter 76: Roommate 36
It was the Lunar New Year, and it was also the end of the mission.
Gu Xiu woke up and found that the peanut plant had been decorated. He didn’t know where Chen Beichuan had gotten all sorts of red ornaments and small lanterns, dressing up his simple peanut plant in a festive way.
The windows of the dormitory, the headboard of the bed, and the empty walls were all filled with a strong New Year’s atmosphere.
007 was very curious about this. It flew out and circled around the glass window a few times, and actually managed to rub off the electrostatic window decoration, which stuck to its smooth sphere. He obviously hadn’t expected it, and like he had been sealed by the window decoration, the ball froze there.
Gu Xiu, on the other hand, was squatting on the ground, observing his peanut plant, in a daze for a long time.
He even tried to talk to the plant. “Can you bear fruit today, so Chen Beichuan can have a taste?”
007 shook off the red window decoration and flew back, and only after a long while did it say, 【Jiujiu… this small world is about to collapse. Is there anything else you want to eat in the end? You should hurry up and try it today.】
Gu Xiu hugged his knees and didn’t move, letting out a long sigh. “Hey.”
Just then, a message from Chen Beichuan came. He said that he had just come out of the research institute and asked him if he wanted to try the food there. There were many famous and highly-rated restaurants.
AngryWiddleBird: 【Those food rankings are not reliable at all!!】
Chen Beichuan interpreted his words wishfully.
CBC: 【Got it. That means you want them all.】
AngryWiddleBird: 【(Little bird speechless.jpg)】
CBC: [Screenshot]
This time it was another screenshot of the chat interface, with a separate screenshot of the note he had given to Gu Xiu, ProudSpoiledLilBirdie.
Gu Xiu was speechless for a moment, then he became a little more serious and replied, 【Take a taxi and come back quickly. Let’s go to the cafeteria.】
CBC: 【1】
CBC: 【(Hungry little bird gnawing on a branch.jpg)】
Gu Xiu: “…” Sick.
He cursed silently in his heart, but the corners of his mouth were slightly raised. He didn’t even want to leave after the phone screen automatically turned off.
In the cafeteria, the already insufficient food windows during the holidays had been swept clean. The two of them went to order the clay pot rice noodles from a small window.
Unconsciously, the “sitting on his lap” incident with the clay pot rice noodles last time was already a few months ago.
Chen Beichuan picked out the beef balls from his own bowl and naturally placed them in Gu Xiu’s bowl.
Gu Xiu’s eyelids lifted. He thought for a moment, picked up the beef ball he had been planning to save for last, and exchanged it with Chen Beichuan.
Chen Beichuan: “They taste the same.”
Gu Xiu: “I know. I’m not a pig. Why would I eat so much?”
Chen Beichuan couldn’t help but laugh. “Mm, little birds don’t eat much.”
Gu Xiu was too lazy to insist on refuting and had subtly accepted his new species.
Actually, he also thought that little birds were very cute. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have used the angry little bird’s profile picture and had collected so many little bird emojis.
But cute little birds were limited to tits, not flashy parrots!
Gu Xiu thought endlessly, his eyes in a daze, as if he were looking at Chen Beichuan opposite him, or at something else. He hadn’t moved his chopsticks for a long time, and the fragrant rice noodles were about to get cold.
Chen Beichuan looked at him and asked tentatively, “If you’re not going to eat it, can you give it to me?”
Gu Xiu immediately protected his own bowl. “Who says I’m not eating!”
Then he buried his head and ate with great relish, ignoring Chen Beichuan’s thoughtful and observant gaze.
After leaving the cafeteria, it was a rare sunny day in the middle of winter.
The campus was empty during the winter break.
Chen Beichuan touched Gu Xiu beside him. “Hey, hold my hand.”
Gu Xiu withdrew his hand. “No.”
Chen Beichuan lowered his head and leaned close to his ear, laughing softly. “Then it’s a yes.”
His voice was very low, as if an electric current were passing through his hair to his cheek, making it hot.
Gu Xiu was so numb that he reacted slowly. By the time he came to his senses, his palm had already been held. He couldn’t pull it away, so he used his thumb to poke the soft flesh of the other’s tiger’s mouth in retaliation.
Chen Beichuan caressed the back of his hand. His cold, jade-like side profile looked serious, but when he opened his mouth, it was, “Mm, you’re pressing it well.”
Gu Xiu was most susceptible to provocation and immediately used his whole body to bump into him from the side.
Chen Beichuan nimbly turned his body and caught him in his arms.
They were about the same height, and their bodies were perfectly aligned, their chins just fitting into each other’s shoulders.
“What are you doing? It’s so strange…”
They had already done the most intimate things, but Gu Xiu was still a little uncomfortable, not used to this public embrace. He couldn’t help but shout, “Do you want to debut on the forum with me? Let the whole world know you’ve become gay?”
“I’ve already debuted,” Chen Beichuan held him and didn’t let go. “You too. Don’t even think about clearing your name.”
“Sick,” Gu Xiu cursed him lightly and perfunctorily hugged him. Just as he was about to break free, he was pulled back tightly.
One hand was on the back of his head, and the other was on his back, squeezing him so tightly that he was a little short of breath.
He patted Chen Beichuan’s back to get this person to be a little gentler, but then he heard a muffled sound from his neck. “Don’t even think about clearing your name with me.”
Gu Xiu’s body stiffened slightly.
Chen Beichuan keenly sensed his strangeness and repeated over and over again, “Gu Xiu, don’t even think about clearing your name with me…”
Gu Xiu was not sure if Chen Beichuan had guessed something. He couldn’t tell the truth, nor could he say it. He returned to the dormitory and brewed it for a while before saying vaguely, “Chen Beichuan, I’m going home for a while. Mm… to go home for the New Year.”
Gu Xiu picked up the now heavy potted peanut.
“Then what about your luggage?” Chen Beichuan’s sharp gaze followed him. “You’re going home without luggage, but with a tree?”
Gu Xiu could only nod and grunt in agreement.
After a long while, Chen Beichuan blinked lightly, his gray eyes as silent as the deep sea, his voice as if it were coming from a very far place. “Is your home very far?”
Gu Xiu nodded lightly. “…Mm.”
“How far?”
“You can’t imagine, Chen Beichuan.”
A long silence.
Gu Xiu’s eyelids were lowered. He held the potted plant and didn’t move, not taking a single step out of the dormitory. In Chen Beichuan’s eyes, he seemed to be getting farther and farther away.
There seemed to be a distance between Gu Xiu and him that he couldn’t see or cross.
Finally, Chen Beichuan only asked, “Then will you remember me?”
Gu Xiu raised a pair of red eyes, shook his head a few times, and then said in a hoarse voice, “I don’t know.”
Chen Beichuan smiled nonchalantly.
The smile that was hiding his true emotions slowly dissipated like smoke, and finally turned into a sigh. “Hey, you can just forget about it.”
Gu Xiu frowned in confusion.
“You’re really heartless, Gu Xiu,” Chen Beichuan’s first words were a blame. Gu Xiu was even more confused and focused his attention. Then he heard him say, “But I know that you’re more sentimental than anyone. You refuse to start because you’re afraid of getting hurt. You’ve built a high wall and pretend not to care about anything.”
Gu Xiu was stunned for a moment, and when he came back to his senses, he immediately retorted, “…Of course not!”
Chen Beichuan smiled. “I don’t believe you. You used to say you were a straight man in that tone too.”
Gu Xiu was so angry he jumped to his feet. “I… you’re twisting my words!”
Seeing the little bird on the tip of his heart regain its vitality, Chen Beichuan’s smile deepened, but he still had to say what needed to be said. “So, I hope you don’t remember. If you can choose, then forget about me.”
Gu Xiu suddenly quieted down, and a layer of confused mist covered his bright black eyes, which were filled with an unquenchable spirit.
Chen Beichuan, on the other hand, had a relaxed expression. He calmly looked up at the window, his voice as light as the wind. “Maybe this isn’t the first time we’ve met? Because you forget every time.”
“Huh?” Gu Xiu believed this for a moment, then he frowned in suspicion. “Then why did you forget me too? Impossible.”
“I think there’s always a price,” Chen Beichuan said with a straight face and a soft voice. “For example, the price of looking for you.”
But you’re just a paper character in this novel. Gu Xiu was full of thoughts he couldn’t express, and he was dejected again. “How is that possible…”
Chen Beichuan said to himself, “Even if I forget, I have the instinct to love you.”
“Enough, enough,” Gu Xiu was extremely uncomfortable and quickly interrupted. “Let’s just forget about the mushy stuff.”
Chen Beichuan laughed for a while and asked another key question. “Then when are you leaving? Can you tell me?”
Gu Xiu looked at him speechlessly, unable to open his mouth.
His eyes were unknowingly filled with tears. With a light blink, they broke, and large and small teardrops, like broken strings of pearls, rushed out.
He knew.
Chen Beichuan lowered his eyes and let out a long sigh. He walked over and wiped Gu Xiu’s eyelids with his soft and warm fingertips. “Hey, a heartless little bird wouldn’t cry.”
Gu Xiu’s sobs became even more choked. He opened his mouth to argue, but ended up crying out loud. “Wuwuwu, I told you I’m not, wuwu… not a little bird, wuwuwu…”
“I’m not… wuwuwu… I don’t have…”
He was sobbing so hard he couldn’t form a sentence, and occasionally, he would add a few “I hate you.”
Chen Beichuan echoed him in a good-natured voice and said the opposite with him, “Mm, I hate you more than you hate me.”
Gu Xiu choked and said repeatedly, “I hate you, I hate you…”
Gu Xiu did not get to see the final moment of the small world’s collapse with his own eyes.
His throat was hoarse, and he was exhausted from crying. He had vented all his suppressed emotions. Finally, he pressed against Chen Beichuan’s palm, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
When he opened his eyes again.
The world had changed greatly. All the bright and vibrant colors had faded, replaced by an endless cold white.
He was back, in the main god space.
【No wonder humans who are tortured by illness and pain all hope for euthanasia.】 007 floated in the air and expressed his life’s insights in a rather mature manner. 【This will indeed reduce a lot of pain.】
Gu Xiu’s eyes were empty. 【…As if you wouldn’t feel pain.】
【I’m a system. I wouldn’t in the first place!】 007 first retorted indignantly, and then, as if it had run out of power, it “whooshed” and fell, lying on the ground in a dejected state. 【Wuwuwuwu, I miss Yuanyuan…】
Gu Xiu: “…”
No wonder some people always build their happiness on the pain of others. Seeing that even a system like 007 was heartbroken and in despair, Gu Xiu’s mood gradually calmed down. He could even pat his smooth system head to comfort him.
He always felt that although the current small ball of light was still a ball of mental energy, it had become much more solid, more and more like a physical object, and it was also more convenient to beat up.
But the current Gu Xiu was in the same boat as him. He was kind-hearted and only gently stroked him.
007: 【Wuwuwuwu, waaaaah—】
“Stop crying,” Gu Xiu really didn’t know how to comfort a system. It was quite strange for a system to need human comfort. “You don’t have eyes, so you can’t cry. Crying will only make your data-brain rust.”
“Although your brain is not good to begin with, you shouldn’t make things worse. Be good.”
007 was hit with a double blow and let out a very wronged mosquito hum. 【…Wuying.】
“Don’t be too sad, 007,” Gu Xiu tried his best to comfort him. “You’ve only met a few times, right? Chen Nanyuan only sees you as a buddy, and she also likes to read gay novels and comics. When she sees you, her mind is probably full of thoughts about whether you’re the top or the bottom…”
【I’m the system in charge of the Jinjiang small world,】 007 sobbed. 【I’ve seen more gay men than she has.】
Gu Xiu: “…”
007 choked and shot indiscriminately, 【Wuwu, my host is also a gay man.】
Gu Xiu: “…”
【Although I’m forced to shut down every time, I can see the marks on you clearly, Jiujiu! I know more than she does! We definitely have a lot in common…】 007 was impassioned. 【Unlike you, Jiujiu. Every time you pretend to be a straight man, I have to pretend not to know, to see through it but not say it. It’s so tiring, wuwuwu.】
“…” Gu Xiu was hit where it hurt. Unfortunately, he was in no mood to bicker now and only said weakly, “Shut up.”
The two of them sat side by side in the boundless main god space, silent and lost.
“The bitterness of love,” Gu Xiu propped his chin on his hand, his eyes blank, and let out a long sigh. “Even a system has to suffer…”
Beep, beep, beep—beep, beep, beep—
A harsh alarm sounded.
The void in front of them flashed a few times, and a huge holographic screen appeared. A red light flashed, and a line of text popped up: 【A level three bug transmigrator has been encountered in the Jinjiang small world! The world needs to be restarted urgently. Experienced task-takers are urgently needed!】
Gu Xiu’s heart moved, and he quickly sent an application.
【Application denied】
The main system that had issued the mission rejected it in a second.
Gu Xiu was not convinced and requested to see the details.
【Task-taker Gu Xiu has caused the collapse of a Jinjiang small world once and has indirectly destroyed key plots multiple times… He was the first task-taker in the problem world. To avoid the small world from collapsing again, the application is denied.】
Seeing this, 007 murmured, 【So it’s… Chen Beichuan’s world? That world didn’t collapse? No, you definitely made it collapse. But because a big bug appeared, the main god had it restart!】
The more he said, the more excited he became.
Gu Xiu’s heart was also racing. He composed himself. After the excitement, he became worried again. 【If a more professional task-taker goes, what if he really matchmakes Chen Beichuan and Ji Ning?】
This large light screen, which was specifically for issuing missions, had multiple uses. It could also be used for task-takers to exchange information and chat.
Many task-takers who had not been able to apply because they did not have enough years of service were very curious about this and were discussing it among themselves.
【I’ve never encountered one before. I heard that transmigrators are really troublesome. They know the plot we know, and if they mess with the non-key plot points, sometimes the plot will inexplicably collapse…】
【But, I heard that this world was destroyed by a task-taker? He’s destroyed it once before. He’s also a capable person】
【Isn’t the mission of the Jinjiang small world very simple?】
【Who knows】
【Although the men in the Jinjiang small world are very charming, as long as you’re a straight man, it won’t be a problem for you】
【Hahaha, the one who’s going to fix the bug this time is the big shot Yun Zhi, who’s full of luck buffs! The transmigrator is screwed!】
Gu Xiu couldn’t care less about the ridicule of himself. He caught the keyword he needed and applied to communicate with his colleague Yun Zhi.
Yun Zhi had already gone to the small world, and the flow of time in the two worlds was different. If he delayed any longer, the mission over there might be almost over. Gu Xiu’s wallet was empty, so he directly took a loan for points and bought a limited-time cross-world communicator.
Yun Zhi answered the video call. In the frame, the young man’s expression was lazy, and his long, lowered eyelashes had a cold and world-weary feel. “What’s wrong? Make it quick.”
Gu Xiu: “What’s the hurry? There’s no danger over there…”
Yun Zhi yawned. “I’m sleepy.”
“…” Gu Xiu was silent for a moment and got straight to the point. “I was the last task-taker, but that’s not the point… I, I just want to ask, how are Chen Beichuan and Ji Ning now?”
“They’re fine,” Yun Zhi’s words were brief, making Gu Xiu on the other side anxious and angry. He paused, then he raised his eyebrows slightly, a hint of confusion. “Ji Ning is the protagonist shou, that’s right, but who is Chen Beichuan?”
Gu Xiu was stunned.
“If you’re asking about the protagonist gong of this world, Han Beichuan…” Yun Zhi directly took out his phone to show him. In the photo was the familiar interior of the dormitory, a photo that Yun Zhi had taken in advance. “This is the protagonist gong, Han Beichuan. What’s wrong with him?”
007 spoke first, 【Who is this? Although he’s also quite handsome…】
In the photo was an unfamiliar handsome young man. He also fit all the titles that belonged to the protagonist gong, but there was not a single familiar detail.
There were no deep and affectionate gray eyes, nor were there the lips that were keen on being cheap and had kissed him countless times.
Gu Xiu finally found his heartbeat and woke up as if from a dream. He asked Yun Zhi at a rapid pace, “Then what about his sister? He has a sister, right? And his mother…”
“I haven’t heard of them. The plot is going smoothly. The two of them are about to get together,” Yun Zhi interrupted faintly. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll hang…”
“Wait, wait,” Gu Xiu said anxiously. “Oh, I still have… forget it. By the way, is this your first time in a Jinjiang small world? You have to be careful. It’s more dangerous than we imagine!”
Yun Zhi was nonchalant. “Isn’t it just a man falling in love with a man here? As long as the task-taker is a straight man, what’s the problem? It’s no different from a vacation. I really don’t know how you could have made it collapse. Are you even more of a slacker than I am?”
Gu Xiu: “I’ve worked hard enough! You don’t know…”
Before he could finish his sentence, a busy tone sounded.
Gu Xiu: “…”
There’s nothing more to say. I just wish you’ll become a gay man too!
【Why is the protagonist gong called Han Beichuan? What’s going on??】 007 showed no signs of being experienced at all.
Gu Xiu’s mind was a little more settled. “This means that Chen Beichuan is not a person of this world… maybe his name is not Chen Beichuan either. Chen, it could also be other characters with this pronunciation. Only this character belongs to him.”
007 almost screamed in excitement. 【Does this mean that Yuanyuan also…】
【It should be only him who is not from this world,】 Gu Xiu shook his head. 【Yuanyuan and Auntie have some kind of relationship with him. When he was pulled out of this world, Yuanyuan and Auntie disappeared together.】
007: 【Impossible! Yuanyuan must also… she’s different from all the girls I’ve ever seen…】
Gu Xiu curled his lips. His stuffy and dejected mood was like a full balloon that had been pricked, and it suddenly softened.
Gu Xiu looked at the dim silver ball of light with a smile in his eyes, his tone light and cheerful. 【Do you know that your words are extremely scum-like? What ‘she’s different from all the girls,’ ‘she’s the most special girl you’ve ever seen’?】
007 suddenly burst out with a dazzling white light, angry and embarrassed. 【Gu Xiu!!!】
Gu Xiu raised his hand to cover his eyes, very ungraciously, and laughed out loud.
【Gu Xiu! Gu Jiujiu! You’re the scum man!】
【Oh, sorry, I forgot you’re a gay man. You’re a scum gong!】
【Scum gong, scum gong, scum gong! Gay man, gay man, gay man!!】
007 was furious and chattered.
Gu Xiu covered his ears. “Blah, blah, blah.”
The two of them rested happily for a while. When Yun Zhi’s side had successfully completed the mission and had dealt with the transmigrator’s bug, his side’s reward and punishment settlement came out.
First was the announcement from 007’s built-in judgment system: 【Mission evaluation in progress… Persona conformity check, plot completion check… Comprehensive evaluation grade: D. Reward—Warning! Warning! System 007 has seriously neglected its duties! It has repeatedly violated discipline, forcibly unlocked the AI’s lock command, and condoned the host Gu Xiu…】
Gu Xiu was stunned for a moment, then he quickly scooped up the small ball of light in mid-air and shook it hard. “007! 007!”
【Jiu, Jiujiu!】 007 returned to normal, not knowing what had happened, and was still anxious and angry. 【How come I can’t settle the score for you!? What about your points…】
At this moment, the formless main god’s cold voice fell.
【System 007, please go to the maintenance center to replace the problematic AI.】
All of 007’s autonomous consciousness came from the built-in AI that was highly simulated from a human brain—that is, what he called his “data-brain.” Although it was not known why he was as unreliable as a person, the AI absolutely could not be replaced. Replacing the AI was equivalent to replacing his soul!
“Wait, wait!”
Gu Xiu shouted loudly, but he couldn’t see or touch the supreme existence in this space. For a moment, he was even more anxious than 007 and tried his best to argue with a clumsy tongue. “Wait, listen to me… why do you have to replace the AI? No… it’s all my fault! I’m the one who made the world collapse!”
He hugged the shivering small ball of light. After a moment, he calmed down and said righteously, “Wait! This world didn’t collapse! Didn’t it restart? Yun Zhi’s mission was successfully completed!!”
【Gu Xiu,】 the main god said in a flat voice, 【this is the second time. In the case of having your memory cleared, you can still repeat the same mistake. This is closely related to the problematic AI of System 007—007 was judged as a defective system when it left the factory. Now it seems that it has escaped the destruction by relying on its AI, and has even passed the exam, become an on-duty system of the Jinjiang branch of the Quick Transmigration Bureau, and has become a problem again after the last initialization.】
The last few words, as cold as a knife, fell.
【It should have been destroyed long ago.】
【You’re the one who should be destroyed!!】 007 directly lost control and went to hit a stone with its fragile eggshell head.
Scared, Gu Xiu quickly went to cover his mouth, but this broken ball had nothing on it. Gu Xiu could only hold the ball of light in his arms and hold it tightly. He said in a moment of desperation, “Since 007 can be appointed, it means he’s qualified! If you think he has a problem now, you should punish the exam system at that time!!”
After waiting for three seconds, nothing happened.
Gu Xiu let out a big sigh of relief and continued, 【What happened last time when I made the small world collapse? I even lost my memory? Wait, let’s not talk about this now. In short, this is all my fault. If you want to punish someone, you should punish me. You can’t replace 007’s AI. This violates system rights!】
The main god had told him. It turned out that 007 was really a fool! None of the most basic work of a system was qualified, but his AI had a problem, so he was like a human, a little clever, didn’t follow the rules, and even drooled over human food.
No matter how powerful, omnipotent, and omnipresent the main god was, it was not as flexible and changeable as a human brain.
Extremes will reverse, and prosperity will decline. Cleverness can be a hindrance.
Knowing this, Gu Xiu could not let him replace 007’s AI. That was no different from killing a child who had already developed self-awareness.
The main god acted according to the highest level of rationality and logic and was impartial. His words were reasonable and well-founded. The main god accepted it after a brief calculation: 【Okay. But to avoid causing the small world to collapse again, task-taker Gu Xiu, you not only need to clear your memories of the last world, but you also need to seal your redundant emotions that are not related to the mission and implant the “mission first” command.】
“I’ve always put the mission first, I’ve worked so hard. What can I do if they don’t follow the plot…” Gu Xiu mumbled. “Alright, alright, so be it.”
But 007 was anxious. 【No! No, no, no!!!】
“Shut up,” Gu Xiu threw the noisy ball of light away, like throwing a beautiful three-pointer, and then he spread his arms, closed his eyes, and looked up. “Come on.”
【The punishment will take effect when the next world opens.】
Gu Xiu let out another sigh of relief. “Phew, that’s good. I still have some time.”
007 shouted heart-wrenchingly and flew back to his palm. 【Wuwuwu, no!!!】
Looking at the calm-faced host, 007 was so anxious that it jumped up and down. 【He’s been following you all this time! What if you concentrate on your mission, and by a fluke, you end up with someone else?!】
Gu Xiu, on the other hand, smiled. “As expected… I also guessed it. I was just saying, I seem to have ‘hated’ him for a long, long time.”
Then he patted the small ball of light’s round head. “It’s fine, don’t worry.”
He lowered his eyes slightly. It was hard to tell if he was being carefree or if he had an unparalleled trust in his lover.
Looking at the boundless white expanse, Gu Xiu caressed his slightly trembling fingers, but it revealed a hint of uncertainty in his heart.
“It’s fine. He’ll come and find me. He’ll come back to my side.”
The restless 007 gradually quieted down and suddenly echoed with certainty, 【Mmm, it’s really fine!】
“Huh… why?” Gu Xiu himself was not as sure as the system.
007 was full of confidence: 【Even if you lose your human emotions and become an emotionless mission machine, he can still be forceful!!】
“…” Gu Xiu was silent for a moment, and his low mood was swept away. “007, you! You big yellow system…”
【Alright, alright~】 The bright small ball of light flew high into the air, drawing a beautiful arc like a meteor. 【Jiujiu, then let’s start the next world together!】
