Chapter 120: It’s fine

Liu Qiu didn’t really have anyone she could talk to.
As for the system—asking that unreliable thing probably wouldn’t lead to any solutions either.

She had only mentioned it casually. Li probably thought she was talking about the plot.

Liu Qiu turned off her phone and lay back on the bed, staring at the white ceiling as her mind drifted blankly.

She wasn’t thinking about anything in particular.

Just staring into space.

Click.

The sound of the door lock turning.

Liu Qiu blinked and slowly turned her head toward the door.

Fu Jinyin’s tall figure stood there.

Her bangs hung low over her eyes, and her complexion was pale. Maybe it was Liu Qiu’s imagination, but she felt that Fu Jinyin looked even thinner than before.

Under the light, her cheeks looked slightly hollow, making her sharp features stand out even more.

“Jinyin?” Liu Qiu called. “What’s wrong?”

Today’s events hadn’t affected her much, but Fu Jinyin clearly seemed off.

Fu Jinyin walked over and grasped Liu Qiu’s hand.

“Liu Qiu… we shouldn’t… separate.”

Liu Qiu sat up straight and held her hand in return, comforting her.

“It’s okay. I already refused my mom.”

“If the company disappears and she won’t let us work, then I’ll learn to make jianbing. We can set up a stall together and sell them.”

“No matter what happens, we won’t separate.”

[Host, you’re really good at sweet-talking.] the system muttered inside her mind.

Liu Qiu was confused.

[That’s not sweet-talking.]

She genuinely meant it. At the very least, she had to earn enough money so Fu Jinyin could live comfortably.

Once she saved enough money—or once Fu Jinyin had adapted better to society—she would find a reasonable excuse to die and start the next reincarnation.

Fu Jinyin’s body trembled slightly.
The warmth of Liu Qiu’s palm felt incredibly hot to her, the heat rushing straight into her heart. Whenever she faced Liu Qiu, her heart always beat much faster.

Fu Jinyin tightened her fingers and stared intently at Liu Qiu.

Her thin lips moved slowly.

“We won’t separate.”

Liu Qiu nodded firmly and pulled Fu Jinyin down to sit beside her.

Ever since learning about Fu Jinyin’s past, Liu Qiu often felt like she was dealing with a child.

So she acted much more naturally around her now.

“Yes,” Liu Qiu said gently. “We won’t separate.”

Even without smiling, warmth could be seen in her clear eyes.

Fu Jinyin slowly raised her hand and pressed it lightly against the corner of Liu Qiu’s lips.

“Liu Qiu… smile.”

Liu Qiu obediently gave her a faint smile.

Not bright or dazzling—just soft and gentle.

Fu Jinyin etched that smile firmly into her mind before suddenly pulling Liu Qiu into a tight embrace.

“Liu Qiu… don’t separate.”

Her strength was so great that Liu Qiu almost couldn’t breathe.

Liu Qiu frowned slightly and patted her back.

“Mhm, we won’t separate.”

She vaguely sensed Fu Jinyin’s unease, but the worst-case scenario was simply selling street food together. That really wasn’t such a big deal.

Their breathing mingled beside each other’s ears.

Fu Jinyin could feel Liu Qiu’s body temperature, her skin, the structure of her bones—everything her body could perceive.

Her large hand pressed firmly against Liu Qiu’s thin back.

Slowly, she said,

“Liu Qiu and Fu Jinyin… cannot separate.”

Liu Qiu patiently repeated,

“We won’t separate.”

Suddenly, Liu Qiu remembered something.

Fu Jinyin hadn’t seen her drawings yet.

Maybe it would cheer her up.

With that thought, Liu Qiu gently pushed her.

“Jinyin, let go for a second.”

“I want to show you something.”

Fu Jinyin obediently loosened her hold.

Liu Qiu stood up, but her wrist was suddenly grabbed again.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m just going to the desk.”

Hearing that, Fu Jinyin slowly let go.

The bedroom wasn’t large. In two or three steps, Liu Qiu reached the desk, picked up her sketchbook, and returned.

She pressed her lips together shyly before handing it to Fu Jinyin.

“I drew this.”

“I originally wanted to give it to you as a gift, but—”

Before she finished speaking, Fu Jinyin had already opened the first page.

Liu Qiu’s cheeks flushed slightly. She sat back on the bed and leaned closer so they could look at it together.

Each page wasn’t very long.

Fu Jinyin studied the drawings carefully.

[Miss Yin doesn’t talk much. Miss Qiu doesn’t know what she wants.]

[But Miss Qiu made too many mistakes before. It’s normal for Miss Yin to ignore her.]

Every page was packed with drawings.

Fu Jinyin traced the tiny drawn version of Liu Qiu with her finger.

So this was how Liu Qiu saw her.

From Liu Qiu’s perspective, she was always a cold, distant back.

Liu Qiu gripped the edge of the bed nervously.

“Do you feel a little better?”

Fu Jinyin closed the sketchbook and hugged it tightly to her chest.

“A little.”

“This… is for me, right?”

Liu Qiu nodded.

“Yes. But I haven’t drawn much yet.”

Fu Jinyin shook her head slowly while clutching the book.

“It’s enough. This is mine.”

This was the first gift she had ever received.

Something Liu Qiu had drawn—moments from their daily life together.

“Like it,” she said slowly. “Liu Qiu… I like it.”

Liu Qiu’s eyes curved gently, her long lashes casting shadows beneath them.

“Then I’ll leave it in your care.”

It seemed Fu Jinyin really liked it—her expression had visibly softened.

She cried easily, could be comforted easily, was clingy, and sometimes a little willful.

Despite everything she had experienced, she hadn’t turned into a bad person.

She was just a little more guarded.

Liu Qiu reached out and tucked the long hair beside Fu Jinyin’s face behind her ear, revealing a small smile.

“So good.”

Fu Jinyin looked at Liu Qiu and repeated her words.

“So good.”

Liu Qiu pressed her lips together and withdrew her hand.

“‘So good’ isn’t a bad phrase.”

Before she could finish explaining, Fu Jinyin leaned closer and rubbed the tip of her nose against Liu Qiu’s.

“I’m very good.”

“So we can’t separate.”

She still spoke slowly, sometimes a bit clumsily.

But she could express her thoughts much better now.

Liu Qiu’s nose itched from the contact, and she turned her head aside with a smile.

“If you keep being good like this, then we’ll never separate.”

“Just like now.”

Fu Jinyin took those words seriously.

She lowered her head and rested it against Liu Qiu’s shoulder.

“I will.”

If she liked Liu Qiu and didn’t want to separate, then she had to be good.

That night, Fu Jinyin didn’t return to her own room.

Instead, she slept beside Liu Qiu in Liu Qiu’s bed.

There was no intimacy.

No kissing.

They simply lay quietly together.

Fu Jinyin hugged Liu Qiu’s arm, the sketchbook still clutched in her arms. She curled up tightly, carefully feeling Liu Qiu’s presence.

Liu Qiu had already fallen asleep.

Her breathing was steady.

Liu Qiu said they wouldn’t separate.

Even if Duan Fan’s sister came, it wouldn’t matter.

Fu Jinyin and Liu Qiu would always stay together.

They were partners.

They liked each other.

So they wouldn’t separate.

---

The original host’s mother acted quickly.

At ten in the morning, while eating breakfast, Liu Qiu checked the news.

Overnight, the news of her company’s bankruptcy had already appeared online.

It wasn’t trending, but it was prominent enough.

[Host, now you really are a bankrupt CEO.] the system said.

[It’s fine,] Liu Qiu replied. [Selling street food can make money too.]

She could sell the jianbing she liked to eat—making and eating them at the same time.

Fu Jinyin had received a phone call at six in the morning and left the house.

She still hadn’t returned.

She was probably dealing with the company’s aftermath.

The system wasn’t optimistic at all about its host starting a street stall.

She couldn’t stand oily smoke, and her cooking was terrible—how could she possibly run a food stall?

But that was fine.

The system planned to steal someone else’s recipe and give it to the host so the octopus monster could make the food.

If they made good money, the host could reincarnate sooner.

Next time, the host would probably obtain the “green-hat value” faster, and then they could finally rest.

The system chuckled.

[Host, when this mission is finished, let’s go somewhere fun and take a break.]

Liu Qiu felt the system’s laughter sounded strangely eerie.

Then again, a mechanical voice laughing would always sound strange.

[Sure. System, you choose where to go.]

She didn’t know where to travel anyway.

After finishing breakfast, Liu Qiu cleaned up the table and planned to ask Sister Li if there were any jobs available.

But Li Fen messaged her first.

Sister Li: Sorry, Xiao Qiu. We don’t need anyone here anymore.
[Transfer: 30,000]

Sister Li: This is the contract penalty. Sorry about this.

Liu Qiu accepted the money and replied that it was fine.

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This was probably Liu Yaoming’s doing too.

Still, it was a small blessing in disguise.

She had gained thirty thousand yuan for nothing.

Liu Qiu started browsing houses online.

Since they probably wouldn’t have jobs anymore, they needed to save money.

She and Fu Jinyin could move to a small city and run a street stall.

Even now, Liu Qiu remained optimistic.

But in the afternoon, someone unexpected came to visit.

Zhao Yue.

When Liu Qiu opened the door and saw her, she was stunned.

Zhao Yue had cut her hair short—very short, just reaching her ears.

“Zhao Yue…” Liu Qiu murmured.

Zhao Yue’s eyes curved into a smile as she gave Liu Qiu a big hug.

“Darling, long time no see.”

So this was the missing person from her memories.

Double eyelids, drooping eyes, pale skin—every feature matched.

And more importantly—

She recognized her.

Why had Duan Liming erased her memory?

Zhao Yue thought about it briefly and understood.

Probably because she had become inconvenient.

Liu Qiu stiffened awkwardly, unsure how to respond.

Zhao Yue was far too familiar.

They hadn’t even been that close before, and they hadn’t seen each other for a long time. Yet she came up hugging her immediately.

Liu Qiu pushed against Zhao Yue’s shoulders and forced her away.

“Zhao Yue, why are you here?”

Zhao Yue pinched Liu Qiu’s cheek.

“Why can’t I come see you?”

“I missed you, so I came.”

Liu Qiu looked confused, clearly not understanding.

Zhao Yue smirked, let go of her cheek, and flicked Liu Qiu’s nose.

“S-61 cruise ship. You must board it.”

After saying that, Zhao Yue blew her a kiss and left.

Liu Qiu found the whole thing baffling.

But Zhao Yue wasn’t her only visitor that day.

Around three in the afternoon, a second group arrived.

Liu Yaoming.

The moment Liu Qiu saw her, she tried to shut the door.

But she was too slow.

One of the bodyguards jammed his foot into the gap.

Liu Qiu stared stiffly at Liu Yaoming for a moment before finally giving up and opening the door.

“Ms. Liu, my wife and I have nothing left for you to suppress.”

Liu Yaoming calmly sat down on the sofa and gestured for Liu Qiu to sit.

Liu Qiu had no interest in chatting.

“If there’s nothing else, please leave. Otherwise I’ll call the police.”

Liu Yaoming let out a cold laugh and said two words.

“Experimental subjects.”

Liu Qiu’s brows immediately furrowed.

“You did it?!”

Liu Yaoming shook her head.

“I didn’t do it. But I know a few things.”

“And if you’re thinking of reporting it to the government…”

“That’s useless.”

“This project is authorized.”

Liu Qiu’s breath caught.

She shot to her feet.

“You’re lying! A cruel experiment like that—how could the government allow it?!”

Liu Yaoming looked at her calmly.

“You’re too naïve, Liu Qiu.”

“Sometimes I really wonder if a ghost ate your brain.”

She hadn’t come here to argue.

With a wave of her hand, a bodyguard placed a tablet in front of Liu Qiu.

The screen lit up.

Fu Jinyin appeared on it.

Liu Qiu clenched her fists, her face turning pale.

Liu Yaoming held up a ring.

“Liu Qiu.”

Liu Qiu instinctively looked over.

Liu Yaoming lightly pressed the ring.

On the screen, Fu Jinyin suddenly clutched her chest and collapsed.

Her body curled into a tight ball.

“To control experimental subjects,” Liu Yaoming said calmly, “each one has a device like this implanted inside their body.”

Liu Qiu’s eyes grew wet.

With a blink, tears fell.

She was furious.

But she had no way to fight back.

How could this world be like this?

Liu Yaoming remained expressionless, completely indifferent to her tears.

“My only condition: divorce that experimental subject.”

“Marry Duan Liming. I need grandchildren.”

“By tomorrow afternoon at the latest, I want to see the divorce certificate.”

Liu Qiu took a deep breath, her voice hoarse.

“I understand.”

“I’ll agree.”

“But afterward… you have to give me that ring.”

A faint smile appeared on Liu Yaoming’s face.

“Of course.”

“Once this is done, I won’t interfere with your relationship again. You’ll still be the eldest daughter of the Liu family.”

“You and her will never have to worry about money.”

After Liu Yaoming left, Liu Qiu sat alone on the sofa until nightfall.

When Fu Jinyin returned, the living room lights suddenly switched on.

The brightness stung Liu Qiu’s eyes, and tears fell instantly.

Fu Jinyin hurried over and hugged her.

“Why… are you crying?”

“It’s nothing,” Liu Qiu said, patting her back. “The light just got in my eyes.”

“Jinyin, did you finish dealing with the company?”

Fu Jinyin nodded.

“It’s done.”

“I paid… all the money… to compensate the employees.”

“There’s no company anymore.”

Liu Qiu looked at her face, hesitating again and again before finally speaking.

“Jinyin… let’s divorce.”

Fu Jinyin seemed stunned.

She didn’t react at all.

Liu Qiu repeated,

“Let’s divorce.”

This time Fu Jinyin reacted.

Her body trembled slightly, her face turning pale.

She grabbed Liu Qiu’s arm tightly.

“I don’t want a divorce!”

Liu Qiu noticed the tentacles emerging beneath her.

She took a deep breath and pressed her hand over Fu Jinyin’s.

“Jinyin… listen to me.”

“There’s a controller inside your body. It can make your heart hurt.”

“My mother has the remote.”

“I made a deal with her. Once I finish what she wants, she’ll give it to me.”

Fu Jinyin stared at her stubbornly.

“I’m not afraid of pain.”

Why?

They had just promised last night not to separate.

And now she wanted a divorce.

Fu Jinyin’s grip was incredibly strong.

Liu Qiu felt like her arm was going numb.

She forced her voice to stay steady and spoke softly.

“We’re only separating temporarily.”

“Once I get the ring, we’ll get back together, okay?”

“I don’t want to see you suffer.”

Liu Qiu suspected the device could do more than just cause pain.

It might even control Fu Jinyin’s life.

She had to get it.

Sweat appeared on Liu Qiu’s forehead.

Her lips trembled slightly from the pain.

“Jinyin… be good, okay?”

Fu Jinyin’s face was cold, but her eyes were red.

Tears gathered before slowly sliding down her cheeks.

Liu Qiu raised her other hand and cupped Fu Jinyin’s face, gently wiping away the tears.

“We won’t separate.”

“Jinyin… be good. Trust me once.”

Fu Jinyin bit her lip hard before finally releasing Liu Qiu’s wrist.

Her voice was hoarse.

“I understand.”

“I’ll be… very good.”

Her long hair covered her eyes, hiding her expression.

But her tentacles had already wrapped around Liu Qiu.

Liu Qiu held the slick tentacle coiled around her waist and spoke softly.

“It’s okay.”

“We’re only separating for a short time.”

“Maybe just a week.”

“We can video call anytime.”