episode_0063

“No parking here.”

“Sir, this is an official patrol vehicle. We’re allowed to park here while on duty.” Gu Tong noticed an elderly man shuffling over to remind them, so she stepped forward to explain.

“Oh.” The old man pondered for a moment.

“We don’t allow parking here.”

“Sir, regulations permit it. We’re on duty.”

“Oh, but our rules say no parking.”

Jiang Xue had no intention of intervening—after all, this was part of Gu Tong’s job.

“Is this what Joybringers usually do?”

“Not exactly. Interrogations, questioning, anything involving dialogue—Tongtong handles it all. You know how it is, Joybringers’ words carry more weight.” Jiang Xue offered Xu Nian a meek explanation.

“Doesn’t look like it.”

Gu Tong, a three-star Joybringer, was being stonewalled by a single old man.

This was the conversational prowess of a Joybringer?

“She’s just playing around. For Joybringers, isn’t it all about doing whatever seems fun at the moment?”

Ah.

“Alright.”

Well, yes, that’s exactly how we Joybringers are.

Sometimes we do seem a bit idle, a bit… abstract.

But you can’t put a price on a Joybringer’s whims.

Like how Xu Nian kept wanting to ditch her homework and books lately, boot up her computer, and play games—seems like Joybringer influence was to blame.

Honestly, standing outside in the cold wind was pretty boring.

The Emotionbeast was inside the hospital, while they were stationed at the perimeter, on standby to contain any escape attempts or suspicious activity. Most of the time, there was nothing to do.

Of course, since it was work hours, no phones were allowed.

So boring. So torturous. Qingya was probably wreaking havoc inside by now.

This is the treatment a protagonist gets? Unbelievable.

Hmm~ Well, she still had one simulation attempt left—might as well use it to explore her Emotion Weapon’s potential.

Right now, summoning her folding fan could only do so much, like fanning herself.

Truth was, Xu Nian hadn’t settled on a direction for developing the fan’s abilities.

But she already had a few solid ideas in mind—she just hadn’t committed to one yet.

Time to begin.

[Ding~ Host simulation detected]

[Deducting one simulation attempt. Remaining attempts: 0]

[Simulation initializing…]

[Due to certain circumstances, you successfully salvaged your nearly doomed romance. After a series of events, you even became a well-known reserve member of the Public Security Team—now a government employee with an iron rice bowl. But how long can you keep this job?]

[You obtained an Emotion Weapon embryo—a fitting reward for an official Emotion Wielder. Pity time’s not on your side. Before you could even familiarize yourself with it, you were dragged into another Emotionbeast incident. As a non-combatant, you’re stationed safely on the perimeter, far from any lethal danger.]

[So you decide to develop your Emotion Weapon to pass the time. Your mind brims with wild ideas—like shouting a chuunibyou line, waving your fan, and dragging people into a theater, forcing them to watch your performance. Different acts would inflict different effects on the target.]

[But then you think: wouldn’t that be exhausting? Every activation would require a whole performance. Sure, theatrics bring you joy, but you’re no free entertainer. That’s way too much labor.]

[Next, you consider: what if fanning yourself could instantly change disguises? No prep needed—just a flick of the wrist, like face-changing in Sichuan opera. Wouldn’t that be amazing? Joybringers distort reality anyway, so why not?]

[Then it hits you: wouldn’t that make your Emotion Weapon kinda lame? An S-tier weapon reduced to a glorified wardrobe? Too niche.]

[Another thought: Joybringers rely on persuasive speech to activate abilities. What if the fan could instantly fulfill that condition? Say something, flick the fan, release a bewitching mist—boom, instant conviction. Reality mocked.]

[But that’s just enhancing your base skill. Better to shore up weaknesses than double down on strengths.]

[Then it strikes you: Joybringers lack direct attacks. What if the fan could cover that? A single flick, and bizarre assaults unfold—teleportation, illusions, you name it.]

[This idea excites you. It perfectly patches your短板 (shortcomings). But then you realize: your weapon’s a fan. Using it to fight feels like making a dog hunt mice—possible, but hardly efficient. A chainsaw would be better.]

[Overthinking this is a pain. What if you could steal others’ Emotion Weapon abilities? Copy them, even if weaker. Versatility’s the key.]

[You settle on replication as your path, jotting it down mentally. You even give your fan a name—”Elegance.”]

[If your girlfriend could saddle you with a cringey name like “Yearning,” you can return the favor.]

[Pondering abilities took too long. By the time the team emerged, three had gone in standing—only one walked out. Besides Leng Xiao, there was Xiao Ge, barely conscious and supported.]

[Your girlfriend wasn’t dead, but she was severely wounded. Despite her extraordinary potential, she was still a one-star Emotion Wielder. A bad matchup left her wrecked—even plot armor has limits.]

[You froze. You never expected her to pay such a price in this operation. Terrible emotional energy had corroded her body. Her future? Perhaps a lifetime confined to a hospital bed.]

[Heartbroken, you vowed to care for her, to comfort her, to share your future stories—hoping to kindle hope in her.]

[But instead, she withered away. Her spirit decayed. No matter how faithfully you stayed by her side, her gaze grew stranger—tinged with something unhinged.]

[One day, after your routine visit, you were thrilled to see her improving, finally cooperating with treatment.]

[She handed you an apple. You ate it.]

[Drowsiness swallowed you.]

[“I’m sorry, Nian.”]

[“Your stories only made me feel more useless. Every night, I’d nightmare you’d leave me—this broken, worthless thing.”]

[“I’m sorry, Nian. I’ve decided. If that’s how it is… I’ll kill you while you still love me. Then you’ll be mine forever.”]

[A blade pierced your heart. After ending your life, she followed you in death.]

[Simulation complete.]

[Unlocked Ending: Twin Flowers on the Other Shore]

[You believe the purest love is descending to the underworld together. There, no danger remains. You’ll be eternal soulmates. Though earthly life is lost, you’ll share death as you shared life.]

[Such logical love.]

[Select reward:] [1. Emotion Weapon “Elegance” gains all abilities from the simulation.] [2. A beautiful girlfriend preemptively crippled by emotional energy erosion.] [3. An apple laced with an overdose of instant unconsciousness.]