Chapter 28: Go home

All the sounds around her seemed to be cut off, and Liu Qiu’s gaze turned vacant.

Bai Qingqing stared at her quietly.
“So you don’t love Bai Qingqing.”
So this was Liu Qiu’s true thought.

Bai Qingqing straightened, a smile curving her lips.
“Qiuqiu, I really want to kill you.”
A mere human had actually deceived her.

Under the effect of the Truth Spell, humans had no ability to resist.

“Disgusting.”
Humans were always so gifted at lying; even someone as timid and dull as Liu Qiu could lie so convincingly that it was impossible to tell truth from falsehood.

Saying she loved her the most—what a complete calculation.

She had even considered forgiving her.

The heart demon’s voice rose again in her ears.
“See? She took the initiative to kiss someone else. The sweet words she says to you, she can say to anyone without hesitation. Bai Qingqing, give me your body. I’ll kill her for you.”

Bai Qingqing’s pupils shifted faintly.
She abruptly closed her eyes and reached out to grab Liu Qiu by the throat, her palm meeting scorching heat.

Liu Qiu blinked, and the sounds around her seemed to return.
Her mind cleared slightly.
She looked up at Bai Qingqing before her and curved her eyes.
“Wife, you’re back.”

The pounding in her head and the discomfort in her body left her with little energy to analyze Bai Qingqing’s expression.

Bai Qingqing’s fingers were icy cold, and the touch felt strangely comforting.

Liu Qiu lifted her hand and rested it lightly on Bai Qingqing’s wrist.
“Wife, did you bring me to the hospital?”
The strong scent of disinfectant and the surrounding equipment made it obvious where she was.

Bai Qingqing’s eyes were faintly red.
How could Liu Qiu look so calm?
Who was she performing this nonchalant act for?

“Liu Qiu, are you still pretending?”

“Why are you so cheap?”
Her harsh words echoed through the empty hospital room.

Liu Qiu’s eyes widened suddenly.
“W-Wife… what are you saying?”
What had she done?

[System, what did I just do?]

The system’s voice was unstable.
[I don’t know. It felt like something blocked me just now.]

Bai Qingqing’s arm trembled slightly, hostility filling her face.
“I really should kill you.”

Liu Xia couldn’t bear it any longer.
“Liu Qiu still has a fever. Don’t treat her like this.”
She didn’t know what had happened; when she came back to her senses, she had only heard that piercing sentence—“Why are you so cheap?”

Bai Qingqing shifted her gaze, her eyes sliding over Liu Xia’s face, so similar to her own.
Just moments ago, right before her eyes, Liu Qiu had taken the initiative to press her lips to this person.

Bai Qingqing’s smile widened.
“The one you love is her, isn’t it?”

Liu Qiu frowned faintly.
She couldn’t understand why Bai Qingqing had become like this the moment she woke up—almost unhinged.

She pressed her lips together.
“Wife, what’s wrong with you?”

Looking at Liu Qiu’s fever-flushed face, Bai Qingqing withdrew the hand from her throat.
Catching the faint scent of blood, she lowered her eyes and grasped Liu Qiu’s hand, unfolding it.

The wound on her palm, not yet fully scabbed over, had split again, mottled blood seeping out.
It looked pitiful.

“Wife…”

Liu Qiu always called her that in the same clingy tone.

Bai Qingqing reached out and tapped the center of Liu Qiu’s palm.

The sharp sting made Liu Qiu instinctively shrink back.

“Liu Qiu, let’s get a divorce.”
She couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She couldn’t kill Liu Qiu.
Even seeing these small wounds made her want to erase them.

Anger and a swelling bitterness surged in her chest, suffocating.

She shouldn’t have been like this.

The demon race valued contracts.
Even outside her original world, for the sake of smooth cultivation, she would have ended this relationship first.

She needed a new prey to ease this terrible mood.

How could a mere human make her heart ache like this?

Just a… human.

Liu Qiu froze completely.
“Wife… why, why do we need a divorce?”

Bai Qingqing lifted her eyes, coldness filling her narrow gaze.
“I don’t need a partner who treats me as a substitute. Liu Qiu, you really are good at acting.”

Liu Xia clenched her fists, her voice rising.
“There’s nothing between me and Liu Qiu. She only did that because she mistook me for you.”

“She wasn’t even fully conscious just now. You… stop saying those things about her.”
She knew she shouldn’t interfere between spouses, but Liu Qiu clearly had no idea what was happening and was being scolded without understanding why.

Bai Qingqing’s eyes curved as she let out a soft, mocking laugh.
“Who knows?”

She straightened and stepped away from the bed, her gaze laced with ridicule.
“But it doesn’t matter. I didn’t marry Liu Qiu because I liked her anyway.”

“After all, it’s not easy to find someone so stupid and foolish.”

This situation had gone beyond Liu Qiu’s understanding.
She had no idea what she had done to make things turn out like this.

Her fingers clenched the white bedsheet anxiously.
“Wife, don’t… don’t divorce me.”

“…It’s okay if you don’t love me.”
She had always known Bai Qingqing didn’t like her.
She just hadn’t expected her to say it so bluntly.

Her body felt weak.
“If you’re angry, you can hit me… just don’t divorce me.”
If there was no marriage relationship, she didn’t even know whether Bai Qingqing being with someone else would still count toward her task progress.

Her voice was dry and hoarse, her smile pitiful.

Liu Xia felt a sharp ache in her chest.
The strongest emotion she felt right now was heartache.

How could Liu Qiu be so humble?

Bai Qingqing’s smile remained, almost gentle, but her words were cruel.
“You’re really cheap, Liu Qiu.”

“Like a dog, begging—”

As she watched the light in Liu Qiu’s eyes gradually dim, Bai Qingqing felt her organs twist in agony.
Each breath dragged out a dull pain.

She had always thought Liu Qiu loved her desperately.

Liu Qiu’s lips turned pale.
Maybe she really couldn’t continue this task anymore.

[System, my heart hurts. I can’t do this task anymore.]

She wasn’t someone without a temper.
Being insulted like this, she couldn’t possibly stay calm.

The system sighed.
[It’s okay. Then don’t do it.]

It couldn’t understand how the gentle and considerate Bai Qingqing from the original plot had become like this.

[When the next cycle begins, Host can try again. Maybe something went wrong this time.]

Liu Qiu lowered her long lashes.
Her dry, peeling lips parted slightly.
“Okay… let’s get a divorce.”

If reincarnation could return her to the starting point, she would be more proactive.

Bai Qingqing’s expression suddenly turned terrifying, dark and sinister like a ghost crawling out of hell.

Liu Qiu wasn’t even willing to coax her a little longer.

Liu Qiu had no strength left; her head throbbed painfully.
After speaking, she slowly lay down, turning her back to Bai Qingqing and curling into a small ball.

Blood began to flow backward in the IV tube.

Her voice was hoarse and faint.
“I’m sorry… for disgusting you.”

“I’m very tired. You… should go.”

“When my fever goes down, I’ll wait for you at the divorce office.”

“Boom—”

Bai Qingqing’s mind went blank.
The surging emotions strangled her breathing and seemed to stop her heart.

“Liu Qiu, I—”

“That’s enough, Bai Qingqing.”

“I get hurt too. You always reject my touch. You don’t love me—I’ve always known.”

“But I won’t blame you. You’re just doing what everyone else does. I’m used to it anyway.”

Her words grew softer toward the end, almost a murmur, yet they pressed down heavily on the room.

[I have a temper too!] Liu Qiu protested angrily in her mind.
She had been insulted for no reason and then told to divorce—fine, then divorce.

Even if the original host were here, she would probably choose divorce in this situation.

She couldn’t be bothered to argue anymore.
Her head hurt too much.

Outside, the rain lashed endlessly against the windows, as if impatient to break into the room and shatter the suffocating atmosphere.

The hospital lights were stark white.
Bai Qingqing lowered her head slightly.
In that moment, the shadow beneath her lashes looked dark and oppressive.

She could clearly feel her fingertips trembling.

Snakes loved dampness and darkness by nature.
She didn’t know whether the blood in her veins trembled because of the storm—or because of Liu Qiu’s words.

Her heart ached sharply.
Her breathing was unsteady.

Liu Qiu had made her like this.
She should kill her.

She was a demon.
She could change her appearance; no one would ever find her.

Human rules could not restrain her.
She had always vented her emotions immediately when she disliked someone.

After all, she had never regarded humans as equals.
She should have always maintained her original detached view of Liu Qiu.

“Why are you still hesitating? You’re a demon. Don’t you know demons fear emotions the most?”

“This human doesn’t even care about you. She’s driving you away. Her precious darling is right beside her.”

“How pitiful. Have you really fallen in love with a liar because of her fake words?”

“There are so many humans. You’ll find one you like more, one more to your taste. Give me your body—I’ll eliminate your troubles.”

The heart demon’s whispers slithered like a venomous snake brushing her ear, each sentence gnawing at her sanity.

Bai Qingqing took a deep breath, a smile returning to her face.
“Liu Qiu, don’t regret it.”

Liu Qiu said nothing, but Liu Xia spoke instead.
“Why would Liu Qiu regret divorcing you?”

“She collapsed on the roadside looking for you. The rain soaked her completely.”

“She was sent to the hospital with a high fever. Even while unconscious, she was calling your name.”

“But you don’t care about her at all. She’s still burning with fever—can’t you see? You only care about your own emotions. Why would divorcing someone as selfish as you be something to regret?”

Liu Xia had always thought she had a good temper.
Most things simply weren’t worth taking to heart.

But this was the first time she had met someone like this.
Seeing Bai Qingqing was like seeing herself eight years ago—unable to control her emotions, saying hurtful things.

Bai Qingqing’s breathing grew heavier.

“Are you wavering? How do you know what she said is true or false?”

“Look at how soft-hearted you’ve become. Give me your body—I’ll kill her for you.”

The whispers circled endlessly in her ears.

Bai Qingqing suddenly turned and walked out, leaving behind a cold, emotionless sentence.

“How ridiculous. Luckily, I never believed a single word you said.”

The heart demon didn’t understand her.
She had never developed feelings for Liu Qiu.
She was only angry because Liu Qiu had deceived her.

As a demon, being tricked by a human—it was only natural to be angry.

That was what she told herself.

She was just angry at being toyed with by a weak human.

Bai Qingqing left.
The hospital room fell silent.

Liu Qiu took a deep breath and said hoarsely, “I’m sorry. I promised we’d have dinner together, the three of us.”

Liu Xia didn’t answer.
She simply sat back down beside the bed.
“Go to sleep.”

Rest was what Liu Qiu needed most.

She herself didn’t know how to face Liu Qiu now.

Her thoughts were tangled—because of that kiss, because of those words, and because of everything that had just happened.

She had become the catalyst for their divorce.
If she hadn’t come today, none of this would have happened.

Liu Qiu slowly closed her eyes.

But today, she was destined not to rest.

Her phone rang again.

This time it was an unfamiliar number.
Liu Xia had gone out to eat, leaving Liu Qiu alone in the room.

After hesitating, Liu Qiu answered.

“Liu Qiu, what are you doing?”

The moment she heard the voice, she knew who it was—Shi Ran.

“H-Hello, Shi Ran.”
Her hoarse voice immediately revealed something was wrong.

Shi Ran didn’t waste words.
“Liu Qiu, where are you?”

She had been busy these past two days.
After performing at Blue Bar, she had gone out of province.

Instead of answering, Liu Qiu asked, “Shi Ran, are you really okay? Is your body fine?”

She didn’t have Shi Ran’s contact information.
When she had knocked on her door before, there had been no response.
She had been worried.

But Bai Qingqing’s disappearance had occupied her mind afterward, leaving her no chance to visit the bar and ask.

Hearing Shi Ran’s voice now, Liu Qiu felt a little relieved.

“I told you, I’m fine,” Shi Ran replied.

It was strange, but after a hospital checkup, nothing was wrong.
Even her heat cycle had been suppressed.

Liu Qiu’s lashes trembled, her breathing quickening.
“Shi Ran, I… I apologize to you on Bai Qingqing’s behalf, I—”

Shi Ran interrupted impatiently.
“I asked for your address. Who wants to hear that?”

“Are you sick? You sound weak.”

“Which hospital?”

Her questions came rapidly, not giving Liu Qiu room to argue.

Actually, after the IV, she only had a slight low-grade fever.
She would be discharged soon.

Though Shi Ran’s tone was harsh, Liu Qiu felt inexplicably warm inside.

She buried her face into the pillow and rubbed against it lightly.
“City Central Hospital, fifth floor, room 511. You don’t need to come. I’ll be discharged soon.”

Shi Ran let out a cold laugh.
“Stay right there and don’t move. Wait for me.”

So she really was sick.
She had looked frail to begin with.
Crying so miserably at the bar that day, her emotions fluctuating wildly—getting sick was normal.

And… Bai Qingqing didn’t look like someone who would let Liu Qiu off easily.

Shi Ran tightened her grip on her phone.
“Wait for me, okay?”

After hanging up, Liu Qiu sighed.

[Shi Ran is really nice. She truly treats me as a friend, doesn’t she?]

It had nothing to do with the plot or Bai Qingqing—just pure friendship.

[Yeah. She cares more about you than your wife does,] the system muttered.

Liu Qiu couldn’t help but smile.
[System, you’re more human-like than before.]

The system sounded smug.
[Of course. I analyze human emotions and provide the Host with the words she needs at the right time.]

Liu Qiu took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

[System, where did the original host go?]

She had never asked before, but now she finally had the chance.

[She went to a world she liked.]

[Host doesn’t need to worry. After learning what would happen next, she voluntarily gave up this world. That’s why you came.]

Liu Qiu let out a long breath.
[Then… can I really return to reality?]

[Definitely. Every time a book is fully performed, the small world releases energy. When enough accumulates, I can help you rewind time to before the accident.]

In the quiet, pessimistic thoughts hidden deep in one’s heart always surfaced.

Liu Qiu’s eyes reddened, tears filling them.

[System, I never told you… I really miss my parents.]

She had been so diligent with the task because she wanted to go home sooner.

Her parents loved her so much.
If they knew she had died, they would be devastated.

[System, after the divorce… can we enter the next cycle sooner?]