Chapter 43 – Deal

“Ah! And that mysterious girlfriend you never wanted to talk about.”

The person seemed to suddenly remember something interesting, lowering their gaze to the freezer as if their vision could pierce through the white shell and strike the person lying inside.

“You said back then that you’d introduce her to me when the time was right. But now, I’ll never get to that moment.” The person sighed, their profile showing a hint of regret and helplessness. “It would’ve been better if you were the one to introduce her to me. I was actually looking forward to that day. If only you were still alive.”

The freezer hummed softly, its mechanical whirring almost like a murmured response.

The person continued, talking to themselves, “But it doesn’t matter. Yan Ru is clever. That young man is quite cunning—he loves taking risky, unconventional paths. Though I didn’t agree at first, in the end, the results proved him right.”

That insane plan, that self-destructive operation—only Yan Ru alone bore the risks.

Yan Ru’s companion now bent down and whispered, as if sighing, “I think we’ve both found that girl. Her name is Qi Youxuan, isn’t it?”

There was no response.

Qi Youxuan admitted, “I really was Wei Qinzhou’s girlfriend. We loved each other deeply, even planned to get married.”

Words that should have been spoken with joy now sounded abrupt and tragic in this context.

I said regretfully, “It’s a shame to hear this only after his death.”

Qi Youxuan choked up, her gaze desolate. “You don’t have to provoke me further. You went to such lengths to find me—surely not just to make me suffer, right?”

I shook the branch in my hand, plucking off stray leaves one by one. “No rush. State your terms first.”

She had taken Wei Qinzhou away and come out alone to wait for me. She wouldn’t just hand over what I wanted to know so easily.

Qi Youxuan’s eyes unconsciously flickered to the left, as if something she cared about might be hidden there.

“They want Qinzhou to die, and I refuse.”

This “they” must refer to Xu Anran and Gu Lanshan.

Qi Youxuan’s expression twisted with pain. “They want to use this method to force you to reveal where you hid the body… him. But I won’t accept it!”

I looked at her, baffled.

The man was already dead. The Wei Qinzhou in Snowscape was just a projection of subconsciousness. Even if he were “saved,” it would be meaningless.

“I know it’s stupid,” she murmured. “But… but I can’t just stand by and watch him die again! I’ve spent two weeks with him in Snowscape—he’s exactly the Qinzhou I remember! I can’t bear to see him die a second time!”

I said, “Everyone has their own thoughts and convictions, and of course, I respect that. But if Xu Anran finds out what you’ve done, it’ll cause you a lot of trouble.”

Qi Youxuan wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, straightening her spine like a slender willow standing tall.

“What I regret most is not being able to see him one last time. These days feel like stolen time to me. I don’t care about anything else—I just want to be with him properly. Once the mission is over, I’ll resign.”

For someone already dead, to drown in a knowingly illusory dream and ruin her own life—was it worth it?

Though resigning would be a good choice. Because no matter whether I succeeded or not, Weiyao Technology was doomed to fall.

But right now, I really wanted to crack open Qi Youxuan’s head and see if it was filled with nothing but “Wei Qinzhou.”

“What do you want me to do?”

Qi Youxuan said, “Drag out this Snowscape for as long as possible. I want Qinzhou to live well again.”

Delusional.

I sneered inwardly but said aloud, “I’ll do my best. Not just to fulfill your wish, but I think it’s also fulfilling Qinzhou’s wish.”

As long as it served my purpose, I didn’t mind playing along with them a little longer.

A faint breeze rustled the leaves, as if echoing my words.

Qi Youxuan finally smiled, though the expression vanished almost instantly. “Thank you. But I really want to know—who killed Qinzhou?!”

I turned my head and chuckled. “Miss Qi, aren’t you afraid of getting burned?”

Qi Youxuan said firmly, “The reason you threw out the rose was to tell me you’re not the killer and to get me to help you, wasn’t it? If I were afraid of getting burned, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Fine.” I stared into her eyes, unwilling to miss even the slightest shift in her expression. She met my gaze calmly. After a long pause, I said, “I can tell you. But first, you have to tell me how to open Wei Qinzhou’s safety gate.”

Qi Youxuan’s eyebrows twitched, her pupils contracting sharply in surprise.

“You even know about the safety gate?!”

“Is that really so surprising? If I’ve made it this far, if I could swap out the memory-loading source code with Qin Yuezhang’s real memories, why wouldn’t I know about the safety gate?”

Qi Youxuan’s expression turned serious. “It’s not the same. The concept of the ‘safety gate’ isn’t something ordinary technicians would know. It’s a domain only accessible to senior technicians, and the difficulty is extremely high—it requires peak-level control over one’s subconscious. Even I haven’t successfully built my own safety gate yet.”

I smiled without answering.

Qi Youxuan knew pressing further wouldn’t get her answers, so she changed the subject. “Opening the safety gate is extremely difficult. You don’t just need to know the gate’s code—you also need authentication permissions granted by Weiyao’s Senior Division.”

“There’s another way.”

Qi Youxuan shuddered. “Another way… That’s too dangerous!”

It was indeed dangerous, but it was also the only method I could use.

Qi Youxuan guessed my intention from my expression and sucked in a sharp breath. “The safety gate was originally designed to counter the dangers inherent in Blizzard. Once the full consciousness is awakened, dying in Snowscape will drag your consciousness into the chaotic flow. The safety gate exists to prevent that. So, theoretically, you could forcibly touch the safety gate within that chaotic flow. But—but it’s too dangerous! So far, no one knows whether someone who’s fallen into the chaotic flow can ever wake up again… Yan Ru, are you gambling with your life?!”

I leaned casually against a tall tree trunk, patiently listening to her before responding, “My safety isn’t your concern.”

“Then why do you insist on entering Qinzhou’s safety gate—” Qi Youxuan cut herself off mid-sentence, a realization flashing through her mind. “Did Qinzhou leave something inside? Or—or was it because of what he left there that he died?”

What a sharp woman.

I said, “No need to speculate further. I’ll solve your crisis, and you tell me Wei Qinzhou’s safety gate code. Deal?”

“Fine.” Qi Youxuan’s voice was firm.

I extended my hand. “Then, Miss Qi, a pleasure doing business.”

Qi Youxuan didn’t hesitate to shake my hand. “May we both achieve our goals.”

Her hand withdrew quickly, but I was willing to trust her promise.

Just then, the sound of faint footsteps reached us—the crisp rustling of dense grass being trampled underfoot.

Following the sound, a white figure came into view.

A slender, tall figure pushed aside the branches blocking their path, slightly bowing before stepping out of the shadows and into the light. The sunlight turned his white clothes golden, making him glow brilliantly.

My heart skipped a beat.

I wasn’t well-read, nor was I good with words. But I couldn’t help thinking this scene was strangely beautiful, like something out of a painting.

Qin Yuezhang, standing bathed in light, frowned as his gaze swept over Qi Youxuan and me. “You came to find someone, only to hide here.”

Qi Youxuan asked tentatively, “Consultant Qin?”

This time, Qin Yuezhang’s frown deepened, and he spoke directly to me. “You even told her your identity?”