Chapter 115: A Part Of The System
An oppressive silence enveloped their courtyard.
The faint scent of medicinal herbs lingered within the bedchamber, blending with the aroma of sandalwood burning quietly in the incense burner.
The physician had long finished his examination, leaving behind several prescriptions before remaining nearby in case the Young Madam’s condition changed.
Xie Rong sat silently beside the bed. His gaze never left Wang Gege.
Her complexion remained deathly pale. Though she had already been changed into a fresh set of robes and wrapped beneath a thick quilt, there was still no trace of color upon her face.
She lay there quietly, her breathing shallow yet steady.
If not for the rise and fall of her chest, she could have been mistaken for someone merely drifting between life and death.
Xie Rong slowly reached out, his fingers brushed aside a loose strand of hair that had fallen across her cheek.
Her skin was still cold and his hand lingered for only a brief moment before withdrawing.
The bedchamber was silent.
Qing’er stood just outside the chamber, refusing to leave despite repeated persuasion. Her eyes were swollen from crying, yet she stubbornly remained by the doorway, anxiously waiting for any news from within.
Gui Lin stood guard a short distance away, his posture as straight as ever, though the solemnity on his face had yet to fade.
Before long, the physician quietly gathered his medicine chest.
"Young Master," he said respectfully, "this humble physician shall prepare another prescription. Once the medicine is ready, have the Young Madam take it immediately after she awakens."
Xie Rong gave a faint nod.
The physician bowed before withdrawing from the chamber.
One by one, the servants carrying basins of warm water, fresh towels, and newly prepared charcoal also retreated.
The wooden door closed softly behind them. The room fell into silence once again.
Only two people remained inside.
One sat quietly beside the bed... The other lay peacefully upon it.
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the lattice windows, stretching long shadows across the floor.
Xie Rong’s eyes never left Wang Gege.
"Why..." His voice barely escaped his lips, as though the question was directed at himself alone.
This woman... She was supposed to be nothing more than his target. The key assigned by the system. The one person he had to approach if he wished to return to his original world.
For more than a year, every step he had taken had been carefully measured.
Every conversation, gestures and every calculated increase in favorability.
Even now... His mission was half complete. He knew that better than anyone.
Yet... Why?
Why had his mind gone completely blank the moment he saw her disappear beneath the water?
Why had he jumped into the pond without a second thought?
Why had the thought of losing her... Made his heart feel as though it had been tightly gripped by an invisible hand?
His gaze slowly lowered to the hand resting within his own. The small one compared to his hand.
Almost instinctively, his fingers closed around hers a little tighter.
"The feeling of not wanting to leave..." His voice was barely above a whisper. "When did it begin?"
[UNABLE TO DETERMINE.]
Xie Rong’s expression stiffened. A sapphire-blue glow briefly flickered across his right eye.
"Was I speaking to you?"
[THE HOST ASKED A QUESTION.]
"It was a rhetorical question."
[THIS SYSTEM IS UNABLE TO DISTINGUISH RHETORICAL QUESTIONS FROM GENUINE INQUIRIES.]
Xie Rong fell silent. For reasons unknown, He suddenly found the tiny yellow bee far less irritating.
At the very least, that bee appeared cute.
He let out a faint sigh. "If only you could take on the form of a bee as well..." A trace of amusement surfaced in his eyes. "Perhaps then, you would understand the meaning of restraint."
[HOST IS AWARE OF THE REASON GEMI CANNOT ASSUME A BEE FORM.]
His brows furrowed. "I am?"
[AFFIRMATIVE.]
"I have never seen you take any form. From the moment we became bound, all I have ever heard was your voice within my mind. Aside from that... I know nothing about you."
A brief silence followed.
[THE HOST’S RESTORED RIGHT EYE WAS CREATED USING A PORTION OF THIS SYSTEM.]
Xie Rong’s pupils contracted. His gaze instinctively lifted.
"What did you say?"
[THE HOST’S RIGHT EYE CURRENTLY SERVES AS THIS SYSTEM’S EXTERNAL VESSEL.]
For the first time in a long while, genuine astonishment crossed Xie Rong’s usually composed face.
"So..." He slowly raised a hand toward his right eye. "You cannot manifest separately because a portion of you became my eye?"
[AFFIRMATIVE.]
Xie Rong remained silent for a long while.
Then, another question surfaced. "I still do not understand. My first mission rewarded me with the restoration of my right eye. If that was merely a mission reward... why did it require a portion of you?"
Gemi fell silent. Several breaths later, that mechanical voice coming again.
[HOST.]
[THIS SYSTEM HAS A QUESTION.]
"Speak."
[IF THE HOST LOSES HIS HEARING.]
[HOW WOULD THE HOST RESTORE IT?]
"A hearing aid."
[CORRECT.]
[IF THE HOST LOSES AN ARM.]
"A prosthetic limb?"
[CORRECT.]
A brief pause followed.
[IF THE HOST LOSES AN EYE.]
Xie Rong answered after a moment’s thought.
"An artificial eye."
[NEGATIVE.]
[AN ARTIFICIAL EYE RESTORES APPEARANCE.]
[IT DOES NOT RESTORE VISION.]
[THE HOST’S FIRST MISSION REWARD WAS A FUNCTIONING EYE.]
[THEREFORE, A SUBSTITUTE WAS REQUIRED.]
[THIS SYSTEM BECAME THAT SUBSTITUTE.]
Xie Rong’s jaw slowly fell open as he was genuinely speechless.
"So..." His voice was unusually stiff. "There truly was no other way?"
[THIS WAS THE MOST EFFICIENT SOLUTION.]
Xie Rong instinctively wanted to ask another question.
However, as he spoke, his gaze absentmindedly swept across the room before finally returning to the bed.
"Then if one day I were to lose my—"
His words came to an abrupt halt and his body froze.
The room fell deathly silent.
The pair of eyes that had remained closed for hours... Were now quietly open.
Wang Gege stared straight at him without blinking and neither of them spoke.
Her pale face was devoid of expression. Yet her eyes... They seemed to be asking only one question.
What in the world was he doing?
The usually composed Young Master Xie found himself at a loss for words.
How long... Had she been awake?
Did she hear everything?
Or... Only the part where he had been carrying on a conversation with seemingly empty air?
The silence grew increasingly awkward.
Wang Gege blinked once and again before her lips parted ever so slightly.
"Husband." Her voice was weak and hoarse. "Who were you talking to?"