episode_0076

[Gu Tong: Alright! I’ll do my best, Master Xu Nian. Just watch—I’ll show you my future victory.]

[Xu Nian: Then I’ll wait and see.]

[Gu Tong: Hmph! Just watch how I’ll crush Jiang Xue under my fingers! I’ll definitely make her understand how formidable I am!]

Xu Nian sent a cheering sticker.

Why was Gu Tong’s reply so bold?

Well, it made sense. Shared experiences had forged a faint sisterly bond between Xu Nian and Gu Tong.

Both followed the Path of Joy. Both had been the aggressors in their relationships, only to be countered and defeated by their girlfriends.

No, no! Scratch that last part.

Besides, they were adults now, so Gu Tong’s messages were naturally bolder.

Xu Nian finally understood why you should never let anyone see your chat logs with your best friend.

But thanks to this exchange, Xu Nian suddenly felt like doing something with Su Qingya—

like stargazing.

No, no, no! There’s serious business today. We’ve already done that enough—any more and it’ll get swollen.

“Qingya, let’s clean together.”

“Clean?”

Su Qingya looked dazed, not quite understanding what Xu Nian meant, but she still took the mop from Xu Nian’s hands and tied on the apron reserved for cleaning.

Xu Nian activated her Emotion Tool, giving it a slight stir, and the two arrived inside the theater.

Now restored to its crimson hue, the theater radiated a festive atmosphere, with lights focused on the stage—enough to stir an irresistible longing in any young dreamer of the spotlight.

But the scattered seating and grime left behind from previous battles still marred the space, ruining the ambiance.

Gripping the mop, Xu Nian let out a long sigh.

Why did she have to clean this herself?

Xu Nian would like to know, too.

Other people’s domain abilities reset automatically—like a battle ending and everything restoring to its original state.

But Xu Nian?

Hers stayed exactly as it was.

She even had to replace broken chairs by sourcing new ones from the outside.

And now she had to clean it herself?

Absolutely ridiculous.

Is this normal?

Ugh—

So exhausting. She really didn’t want to deal with this miserable reality.

She’d even put it off for days, thinking maybe the restoration function just had a cooldown.

But no—it simply didn’t exist.

After straightening the chairs, sweeping away debris, and vigorously mopping the floor, only then did the theater finally return to its pristine state. Xu Nian could finally relax.

By the time they left the theater, both collapsed onto the bed, completely drained.

Too tired to move a muscle.

[Ding~ Daily task completed. +1 simulation attempt. Current simulation attempts remaining: 4.]

So the task was counted as complete?

Well, today’s task was to work alongside Su Qingya for at least an hour.

Cleaning counted as work, so finishing it wasn’t entirely unexpected.

Five days had passed since the hospital visit.

In theory, that should’ve meant five simulation attempts, but the task from two days ago had been so absurd that Xu Nian had just skipped it.

What kind of absurd task?

[Kiss your girlfriend for an hour under your parents’ gaze.]

Yeah, that ridiculous. Xu Nian would rather die than do something so shameless.

But aside from that, the other tasks had been simple enough, allowing her to stockpile simulation attempts.

Exactly—this was how the simulator should be used. Hoarding attempts like a little squirrel, saving them for critical moments when she’d need multiple simulations to navigate a crisis.

Her original plan had been to save them for emergencies, so after returning from the Public Safety Bureau the next day, she didn’t use the simulation even after completing her task.

Now, though, she figured she should probably use one. It’d help anticipate future dangers, and with four attempts stockpiled, losing one wouldn’t hurt.

[Ding~ Host has initiated a simulation.]

[-1 simulation attempt. Current simulation attempts remaining: 3.]

[Simulation commencing…]

[After becoming a reserve member of the Public Safety Bureau, you feel you’ve learned much and matured significantly. You now possess your own Emotion Tool, a promotion goal, and—most crucially—a personal crisis.]

[You realize someone seems to be targeting you—a high-star Path of Joy Emotion User. But why hasn’t this person made a direct move? Is it because of the Bureau Chief that Xiao Ge mentioned? No, that’s not it.]

[After some thought, you realize that even a Divine-Realm Bureau Chief couldn’t monitor you indefinitely. People need rest, and without personal ties, why would they dedicate such attention to you? If this enemy wanted to strike, they’d find an opening eventually.]

[You can’t help but wonder… why? However, unaware of the truth behind your own heart, no amount of speculation will reveal the answer. All you can do is live in constant vigilance—avoiding travel, refusing to leave home, always fearing the appearance of a high-star Path of Joy User who might kill you.]

[Then it hits you: What’s the point? If they truly attack, will your anxiety really save you?]

[Once you grasp this, you resolve to loosen up and embrace boldness. If resistance is futile, why not enjoy life? And so time passes—you shuttle between home and the bureau, spending days with your girlfriend, until even the arrival of a Special Operations Squad fails to disrupt the rhythm of your uneventful routine. You begin to relax.]

[Months fly by, and your vacation dwindles. When the school term begins, you remain utterly unfazed by your untouched summer homework—after all, as someone with an official position, assignments hold no power over you now.]

[School feels long and tedious. Yet with no crisis in sight, your guard drops further. You even forget about the looming threat. Maybe it was all just paranoia?]

[From Xiao Ge, you learn that after months of inactivity, the Special Operations Squad has already withdrawn. Their members are elites, after all, and China is vast—they can’t afford to linger in one place when other regions demand their expertise.]

[You let go of your fears… until that day. Rain poured as an unexpected visitor arrived at your school—someone you’d met twice before: President Lin. You didn’t know why he was here, but unease prickled at your instincts.]

[Your girlfriend was called outside. A growing sense of dread weighed on you, and you chased after her—only to run straight into him.]

[You felt something seize control. Your consciousness blurred—President Lin seemed intent on forcing you to speak words against your will.]

[Your mind fogged further. Through the haze, you saw your girlfriend’s disbelieving expression as she struggled to reconcile the contradictions spilling from your lips.]

[Then—your girlfriend knocked you out. When you awoke, you found yourself bound to a bed, utterly immobilized. She’d tied every limb securely—no chance of escape after such exertion.]

[“Trying to break up with me again? I know… this is just another joke, right?”]

[“Niannian’s willpower is so weak. To think you could be controlled this easily?”]

[“To prevent this from happening again… it seems I’ll have to train you properly.”]

[“From now on, Niannian will stay here, safe at home. That way, no shady figures can whisper poison into your ear again.”]

[You became a sheltered pet, perhaps never stepping beyond her gaze again. She wouldn’t allow a second lapse.]

[Simulation complete.]

[Unlocked Ending: Lamb of the Fold]

[To you, the most beautiful love is spending the rest of your days within the ivory tower she crafted—even if it costs your autonomy. For she has buried your vulnerabilities deep, where none may find them.]

[What obedient love.]

[Select your reward:]

[1. Completed summer homework] [2. A mind immune to all coercion] [3. Master-tier knot-tying skills]