ALWARFC Chapter 56

Fortunately, You Sui had considered Su Weisheng’s situation in advance and had already sent the entire production team away. Otherwise, the eerie scene in the yard, with the chilling wind mixed with sobbing sounds, would have been enough to terrify any innocent passerby.

At this moment, Su Weisheng was texting Su Ning to update him on the latest situation and instructing him on handling the follow-up matters. Meanwhile, Su Ran, Sunny, and the Lu family father and son were sitting quietly on a corner sofa in the living room, observing the situation with wide-eyed curiosity. The unprecedented scene repeatedly challenged their understanding and worldview.

Gu Shuangshuang, emotional and clinging to Su Anyao, began to hastily dictate her last wishes as if every second counted: “Luckily, all our savings are in your account, or else you wouldn’t have been able to inherit my assets. Oh, and if any of my obnoxious relatives try to cause trouble, don’t give them a thing!”

“I know. Even if I have to donate it all, they’re not getting a cent! That way, you won’t be restless in your afterlife.” Su Anyao sniffled, holding back tears. “But with you gone, our business will only have me to carry it forward…”

Gu Shuangshuang lamented dramatically: “Let me tell you, my journey back was tough! After dying, I realized being a ghost comes with no special privileges. I can’t walk through walls, I can’t fly, and I can’t fight people. I ran back here on sheer leg power! On the way, I managed to borrow a stranger’s phone to check the live broadcast. Who would’ve thought such a cold, remote place like the Arctic Circle could accidentally go viral? I was so moved!”

“It’s a pity I died at the wrong time. Give me just another half month, and I could’ve worked with everyone to create a thriving, food-abundant new world!”

The crowd listening felt utterly baffled, unable to make sense of the cryptic revelations but vaguely impressed by the duo’s apparent side hustle, which seemed somehow connected to the Arctic.

With a sigh, Gu Shuangshuang glanced at her transparent hands and mused wistfully: “It’s a shame. Ever since I became a ghost, I’ve been invisible to the human eye. I can’t even open my beloved little notebook… Wait a minute?”

Suddenly, her jumbled thoughts took a sharp turn. She lifted her head to glance at Su Anyao, still hugging her, then turned to the group of onlookers, all staring at her with wide, curious eyes. In an instant, her expression turned to utter horror: “I’m supposed to be a ghost! How can all of you see me?”

Su Ran was shocked upon hearing this—he had never encountered someone with a slower reaction time than himself. He looked at Gu Shuangshuang in amazement and asked, “You’re just realizing this now?”

Gu Shuangshuang immediately clutched her head in distress: “Then you can also hear what I’m saying? Doesn’t that mean all the effort I put into maintaining my public image was for nothing? Ugh!”

Su Anyao quickly covered her mouth, afraid that if they continued talking, her best friend would realize the truth that she had already inadvertently caused her “social death”. With an awkward laugh, Su Anyao kept one hand over Gu Shuangshuang’s mouth while glancing toward Su Weisheng, the only one among them who seemed calm and collected. She explained, “It must have been the talisman that Great-grandfather burned earlier. It’s what allowed us to temporarily see and communicate with ghosts, right?”

Su Weisheng smiled at her composure and remarked, “It’s impressive that you can still stay rational at a time like this.”

That one sentence confirmed it.

Everyone looked on with reverence. Although they already knew great-grandfather had extraordinary talents in prediction and calculation, witnessing firsthand his advanced techniques for communicating between the realms of the living and the dead was a level of awe that was hard to describe.

The two girls were deeply grateful, repeatedly expressing their thanks to Su Weisheng. Without his intervention, even if Gu Shuangshuang’s spirit had found its way back, she wouldn’t have been able to connect with Su Anyao. Not only would they have missed their final farewell, but they would have had to endure police investigations once the body was discovered, further exacerbating the embarrassment of the “social death”.

Thinking of this, the two of them were filled with gratitude, almost willing to kneel on the spot to Su Weisheng.

In response, Su Weisheng straightforwardly stated his terms: “I didn’t intervene without reason. Gu Shuangshuang, you’re quite lucky. Within three days of your death, you’ve already been granted an opportunity for reincarnation. I’ll assist in coordinating your rebirth process through the Book of Life and Death. In return, you’ll need to help me with some tasks during this time.”

Being able to see her best friend one last time was a blessing. Though filled with reluctance, Gu Shuangshuang, now calmer, nodded and expressed her gratitude: “Thank you for your help. I’ll cooperate.”

Parting in life and death—this is an undeniably cruel process that no one can avoid. Witnessing it, everyone couldn’t help but feel sorrowful.

Su Anyao, suppressing her grief, suggested, “Great-grandfather, can I change Shuangshuang into a new outfit, so she can leave with dignity?”

Su Weisheng glanced at Gu Shuangshuang’s blood-soaked and tattered dress. One could imagine how miserable her journey had been. Originally, she only needed to run to City A to find Su Anyao, but thanks to You Sui, who invited Su Anyao to the capital to please him, her plans were disrupted.

It’s estimated that Su Anyao had just left for a few hours when Gu Shuangshuang arrived in City A. They perfectly missed each other. Due to You Sui’s schemes, she was forced to run hundreds of kilometers again. It’s heartbreaking to hear and tear-inducing to see. Calling it tragic would be an understatement.

Even Su Weisheng felt pity. “Go ahead and change her. Find a clean outfit, and I’ll personally burn it so her spirit can wear it.”

Su Anyao had spare clothes in her suitcase, so she immediately took Gu Shuangshuang to the bedroom in the rear courtyard. The others followed to the third courtyard. Sunny pointed at the hazy window and complained, “I saw her bowing and worshiping something here, muttering to herself. It scared me so much I couldn’t sleep all night.”

Su Ran walked into the main hall, teasing as he went, “Sunny, you’re too timid. If I’d known, you could’ve come to sleep with me last night. My bed’s big. I’d share half with you.”

Sunny shyly smiled without responding, but after getting familiar with everyone, his social anxiety had improved a lot.

Meanwhile, Lu Huanjin glanced at Su Ran and cheerfully chimed in, “I was scared, too. Ran Bao, why not share half of your big bed with me?”

Su Ran retorted sharply, “No need to share half. You’re a 0, you can just lie beneath me.”

While they were arguing, the two young girls inside heard everything clearly.

Gu Shuangshuang was still choosing a dress when she heard the childish yet ambiguous banter between Lu Huanjin and Su Ran. She immediately lowered her head in despair. “Ah, such a perfect CP. I might not get to ship them in my next life.”

Su Anyao was also sorrowful. “I originally planned to share something with you after you returned from Mt. Qixing. Besides LuSu, I’ve found an even more divine pairing…”

“What divine pairing?” Gu Shuangshuang’s curiosity was instantly piqued.

Su Anyao pointed to the photo on the wall and whispered excitedly, “Let me tell you, an even more stunning pairing than LuSu is BlackRed. A perfect match between the ‘Great-grandfather’ who dominates the realms of life and death, and the unscrupulous capitalist who controls power and money. Based on their interactions that I personally witnessed on the show, I am convinced that this pairing is Queen-submissive taming Wild-dog-dominant. Oh my god, it’s absolutely intoxicating. Plus, I suspect Great-grandfather hinted that my shipping fantasies might be real! Do you know how thrilled I am?”

As she spoke, she took out her tablet and showed Gu Shuangshuang the treasure trove of BlackRed content. After just a few glances, Gu Shuangshuang was so captivated that she nearly fainted.

Outside, several people were engaged in squabbling. Suddenly, they realized the people inside hadn’t come out for a long time.

Old Lu curiously pointed toward the bedroom and said, “What are they chatting about? Something about the Arctic and warehouses? Could it be their side project is protecting the Arctic environment and endangered species?”

Su Weisheng coughed upon hearing this, nearly choking on Old Lu’s naive comment.

Everyone stared at him in bewilderment.

Su Weisheng sighed, thinking to himself, This girl has had it tough, already so miserably sabotaged by You Sui. Would making her suffer a second round of social death be too much? But before he could decide whether to step in and help, it was too late.

Suddenly, a short scream came from inside the room. Everyone was startled. The impulsive top star barged into Su Anyao’s bedroom, frantically looking around. “Hey, are you guys okay?”

As soon as the words were spoken, the air suddenly grew silent.

The two beauties, known in the entertainment industry for their pure and sweet image, were sitting cross-legged on the floor in a carefree manner while holding a tablet. On the screen was an unfinished fanfiction with a pen name ID of “Si Yue Si”.

Above them was a wall adorned with various photos, all couple pairings. From left to right, there were esports players’ pairings, male-male pairings from games, and even LuSu pairings. Among them was a striking photo of Su Weisheng and You Sui, gazing at each other with perfect chemistry, the BlackRed pairing.

On either side of the photo hung a couplet: “Sharing the frame means sweetness; gazing at each other means intimacy”. The horizontal banner read: “Ship it, ship it”.

Below the photos, there was a row of incense sticks on a table, suggesting that they would occasionally worship these pairings.

Everyone fell silent.

The two girls also fell silent.

After what felt like an eternity, the top star murmured, “So the LuSu fanfiction that socially humiliated me was written by you two, huh?”

The culprits: “…”

The top star continued, “Your shared endeavor is writing fanfiction. Your shared goal is having the same ‘husband’. And your mutual dirt is that both of you are featured in fanfiction, right?”

Gu Shuangshuang, who had been searching under the bed for a hole to escape reality, suddenly raised her head in shock upon hearing the word “wife”. She stared at them and exclaimed, “How do you know I have a husband?”

Su Weisheng calmly responded on behalf of his great-grandson: “No need to rush deleting any chat or search history. Before you even came here, your friend had already wrecked your reputation during a live stream. Now, the entire country probably knows about how your so-called partners were your dreamy creations from an otome game.”

Gu Shuangshuang glared at Su Anyao, her eyes burning red.

Su Anyao guiltily lowered her head. “They insisted on playing this game about checking our phones. My photo in the photo albums just happened to include the one where we staged a wedding…”

Gu Shuangshuang suddenly let out a miserable howl, unable to accept this brutal reality. She scrambled on all fours toward Su Weisheng, clutching his leg and crying bitterly, “Great-grandfather, Great-grandfather, I was wrong! I’ll never recklessly ship CPs again. It only brings harm! I’ve completely ruined my reputation in this life. I just want to reincarnate now, please take me away…”

What does Gu Shuangshuang’s public death have to do with her? She’s ready to reincarnate and start fresh right away!

Su Anyao, covering her face in agony, lamented, “Why don’t… why don’t you take me to reincarnate, too, Great-grandfather…” She couldn’t bear the thought of facing the shame of two people all alone!

What started as two close friends crying and reluctantly saying goodbye had escalated to both of them desperately wanting to reincarnate to escape public death. Could there possibly be a quicker and more dramatic twist?

There could.

Just when Gu Shuangshuang thought she could finally reincarnate and escape her shame, Su Weisheng looked down at her, his face sincere and gentle as he said, “Don’t be in such a rush to reincarnate.”

Gu Shuangshuang stared at him in shock. “Why?”

“Because I need to exploit a bug in the Book of Life and Death.” Su Weisheng calculated carefully and told her, “If I can successfully glitch it, you might not have to reincarnate at all in the future.”

Gu Shuangshuang: ???

No! I want to reincarnate now!!!

In the east wing, in the study.

Yan Wan was in the corner comforting Gu Shuangshuang, who still hadn’t recovered from the trauma of her public humiliation. Meanwhile, Su Weisheng was chatting with a paper figure about how to exploit a bug in the Book of Life and Death.

The paper figure was so furious it started pressing on its philtrum to calm down, yet it still angrily rebuked him: “If you arrange for Gu Shuangshuang to reincarnate now, you can exploit the bug to gain temporary access to the Book of Life and Death for fifteen minutes, enough time to find out what you want! Wasn’t this the plan we agreed on? Why are you changing it now?”

Su Weisheng calmly chewed on a chocolate bean, entirely unfazed by the criticism. “As you said, it’s only fifteen minutes. After all this effort, is fifteen minutes really worth it?”

His words completely dismissed the hard work of others: Su Ning for doing the manual labor, You Sui for bringing Su Anyao on board, and… well, there wasn’t even any need to coax Su Anyao since she had willingly sold herself out completely.

The “Great-grandfather” simply lounged lazily in his chair, pointing at Gu Shuangshuang as he said, “I originally just wanted to create a one-time virus, but the moment I saw this girl, I felt she was perfect.”

“Perfect for what?” the others asked, staring at him.

Su Weisheng replied, “Perfect to be the undercover agent I embed in the Book of Life and Death.”

Everyone: ???

Even the Book of Life and Death isn’t spared by you!

Although the paper figure strongly condemned this disruptive behavior, it ultimately cooperated with Su Weisheng’s plan to exploit the bug, filled with grievances.

It first issued an application to the Book of Life and Death to assist Gu Shuangshuang with reincarnation. Then, under Yan Wan’s guidance, Gu Shuangshuang was sent to the reincarnation channel to wait. During this period, the Book of Life and Death repeatedly reviewed the application and, after confirming the soul’s accuracy, finally approved assistance.

The paper figure looked at Su Weisheng sternly. It still wasn’t sure how he planned to exploit the bug for long-term access—whether by refining Gu Shuangshuang into a spirit tool within the Book or by forcefully embedding his own divine consciousness into it. Either way, both ideas bordered on absurd fantasy.

Yet, its host insisted on proceeding. Despite its unwillingness, it had no choice but to comply.

After obtaining approval, the paper figure stood on the desk, gazing at Su Weisheng, and solemnly reminded him, word by word: “You must understand that the Book of Life and Death is the primary program under the heavenly order. Even the Lord of the Underworld only has usage rights, not unrestricted control. Fifteen minutes is the limit. If you intentionally deceive the system and are discovered, your divine consciousness may be permanently trapped within, a consequence too terrible to imagine.”

It laid out the pros and cons, but Su Weisheng showed no fear. Instead, he chuckled with intrigue, “Come on, let me see just how formidable this master tool under heavenly order truly is.”

“You…” The paper figure frowned.

It didn’t continue speaking because it saw Su Weisheng’s inscrutable eyes brimming with eager anticipation, like a cat calmly hunting. This cold composure was mixed with uncontrollable excitement, ready at any moment to tear apart its prey with razor-sharp claws.

During its time with Su Weisheng, the paper figure had mostly seen his relaxed demeanor, like a sleepy cat who only found joy in shiny gems and entertaining things. But now, it seemed to truly glimpse who he was.

Not Su Weisheng, but the high priest Su Tiao, a man who once held immense power, commanded the Su clan and numerous armies, and drove monarchs to madness.

He enjoyed the peaceful life of retirement, but once something interesting caught his attention, his true nature—chasing thrills and dancing on the edge of danger—would be revealed.

So, the paper figure didn’t continue speaking. There was no need for further words.

The paper figure landed in Su Weisheng’s palm. As the switch was activated, it slowly closed its eyes, allowing its consciousness to be drawn into the black hole.

At the same time, the Amazonite bead bracelet on his wrist suddenly emitted a crimson glow. A transparent, slender figure emerged from it. The man’s forehead intimately pressed against Su Weisheng’s, their two souls intertwining inseparably.

The man’s slightly wavy, long hair obscured the side of his face, but his husky voice could be heard murmuring devoutly, “Shengsheng…”

Bug’s pupils contracted sharply. It stared intently at the man and said, “So, he’s been looking in the wrong direction all along. The Amazonite bead bracelet didn’t seal a remnant soul, it sealed the main soul.”

—Which meant it had never been successfully sealed at all.

The man chuckled joyfully. He floated behind Su Weisheng, affectionately wrapping his arms around his partner’s waist. When he looked up at Bug, his face bore a striking resemblance to You Sui’s, though more mature.

He said, “You see, they always call me a reckless madman who acts without considering the consequences. But in reality, they’re all wrong. My Shengsheng is the one who loves chasing thrills, relishes pulling gods down from their pedestals, and using them for his own purposes.”

He spoke with a tone of pride and sweetness, “And I am merely his devoted follower.”

Bug said gravely, “I see it now. Knowing the dangers of invading the Book of Life and Death, you not only did not stop him, but you also intertwined your soul with his to help him execute the plan more smoothly. If it fails, you’ll suffer severe damage as well, likely losing even your status as the acting Lord of the Underworld.”

“It’s just an insignificant title. I’ve never considered making it official. Everything I’ve done has only been to pave the way for him,” the man said mockingly, looking at Bug. He continued, “You don’t have to cling so desperately to the rules; it’s a futile struggle. In this gamble, not only will you lose, but you’ll willingly lose completely.” He tilted his head slightly, smiling. “Oh, I forgot. You don’t have your memories right now, so of course you don’t understand what I’m talking about.”

Bug frowned. “Nonsense!”

Su Weisheng’s consciousness had already entered the Book of Life and Death. He felt his cultivation completely suppressed, leaving him unable to summon even a hint of it. Like a wandering ghost, he was forced to proceed along a fixed tunnel.

He didn’t know how long he had walked before he finally reached a control platform. When he looked at the large screen, it displayed countless dense records of human fates.

Placing his hand on the control platform, Su Weisheng heard the program’s operating voice, urging him to assist the system in arranging the reincarnation of souls. The screen had already begun displaying Gu Shuangshuang’s past, present, and future. All her fates were predetermined and immutable, leaving no room for human struggle.

But he didn’t press the reincarnation button.

Su Weisheng coldly diverted his gaze from the screen. With a swipe of his finger, he directly navigated the program to the search page and entered: Yuan Le.

[Insufficient query permissions.]

[Si Ming (Fate Official)]

[Insufficient query permissions.]

[Su Laiyin]

Born: Year 936 of the old calendar. Died: Year 989. Biological father: Su Teng. Biological mother: Tang Qi. Foster father: Su Weisheng.

(Note: Biological parents refer to the blood-related parents from one lifetime, whereas the “foster father” listed in the Book of Life and Death refers to the karmic father of one’s destiny. This karmic father is etched onto the soul and cannot be altered, affecting the father-son relationship across countless reincarnations due to karmic ties.)

Su Weisheng stared at the final annotation for a long time. Unsurprisingly, the same line likely appeared in Su Laijin’s entry in the Book of Life and Death, as both Su Laijin and Su Laiyin had been forcibly added into his family lineage by exploiting a bug during the Heavenly Tribulation. This binding was particularly fatal.

With a sigh, he clicked on the “Descendants” section and took a glance, only to be momentarily dizzy from the overwhelming number of names listed.

According to the records, Su Laiyin had 11 biological descendants, categorized as direct lineage. The number of adopted descendants, considered collateral lineage, was even greater and uncountable. Over time, this generation further expanded outward, producing more and more Su clan descendants, with an average of over four biological offspring per person.

Further down the line, however, the number of Su Laiyin’s grandchildren gradually decreased. Some families had four or five children, while others ended up leaving no bloodline records. The current elder of the Su clan turned out to be the youngest grandson of Su Laiyin.

For some reason, the current generation of the Su clan encountered a fertility crisis, with fewer descendants being born. Most members were only able to have children in their sixties or seventies, such as Su Ning, who was born when the clan elder was already 73 years old.

This was why Su Ning and Su Ran ended up as cousins of the same generation.

What caused this once-prolific lineage to suddenly face challenges in producing offspring? Su Weisheng pondered deeply but couldn’t figure it out.

He tried clicking on a few individual names to search for clues, but due to insufficient permissions, he couldn’t fully uncover anyone’s fate. Achieving higher permissions would be necessary.

At that moment, the program began issuing a warning that time was running out. It demanded that he arrange the reincarnation of the soul immediately. Before he could react, the program automatically displayed Gu Shuangshuang’s reincarnation section on the large screen.

Su Weisheng glanced at the screen. On one side was Gu Shuangshuang’s fate record, showing that she would be reincarnated into a poor family with a preference for sons over daughters. After twenty years of hard work, she would eventually change her destiny and live an extraordinary life.

On the other side was Gu Shuangshuang herself in the reincarnation waiting room, idly rambling about her “BlackRed/RedBlack” CP pairing obsession, which hardly made her seem like someone destined for a revenge-driven heroine path.

Ignoring the program’s repeated warnings, he calmly opened the intercom connected to the waiting room: “Gu Shuangshuang.”

“Yes!” Gu Shuangshuang immediately stood upright, nervously waiting for her reincarnation instructions.

Su Weisheng: “The entire world now knows that you and Su Anyao are obsessed with fictional game characters, spending your days fantasizing about marrying Zhang Nianyi. Not only that, everyone also knows that you and Su Anyao have been writing explicit fanfiction together under the shared pen name ‘Si Yue Si’.”

Gu Shuangshuang’s vision went dark as painful memories overwhelmed her, causing her to scream miserably, “Stop, stop! Don’t say anymore!”

But Su Weisheng, the relentless devil, didn’t stop and continued ruthlessly: “Do you remember how you died? You ate poisonous mushrooms, clutched Zhang Nianyi’s limited-edition body pillow, ran around aimlessly, and fell into the basement to your death. Now, the police think you were murdered and are investigating various surveillance videos and your computer records…”

“Don’t look! Don’t look!”

“Oh, and your limited-edition body pillow has been contaminated by your decomposed body. There were only ten of those pillows nationwide, and now there are only nine left.”

“Noooo, that was my husband! Don’t do this to my husband, sob sob sob…”

Gu Shuangshuang cried so hard she could barely breathe, alternating between begging, “Don’t hurt my husband”, and pleading for someone not to look at her computer’s E-drive. Then she started banging her head against the wall, begging for her computer to be formatted.

The more she cried, the more painful it became, and the heavier her resentment grew.

Finally…

【ALERT! ALERT! Excessive resentment was detected in the soul of Gu Shuangshuang. Reincarnation process halted! Please purify the resentment before proceeding with reincarnation!】

In the study, Bug and Yuan Le were still speculating about how Su Weisheng intended to exploit the bug. Would he forcibly merge his divine consciousness with the Book of Life and Death? Or would he leave Gu Shuangshuang within the Book as a virus?

The next moment, the soul of Gu Shuangshuang was kicked out by the enraged Book of Life and Death.

Shortly after, Su Weisheng leisurely followed her out and handed over a newly purchased phone and laptop, burned through a special ritual to send them to Gu Shuangshuang. “Here, as promised—a reward.”

Clutching her beloved notebook tightly, Gu Shuangshuang, still sniffling, made sure to remind him, “Great-grandfather, remember to call me next time there’s something this good!”

Yuan Le’s main soul had already slipped back into the bracelet, pretending nothing had happened the moment his “wife” exited.

That left only Bug, staring at them, utterly dumbfounded. “What’s going on? Why didn’t she reincarnate?”

Su Weisheng calmly explained, “From now on, every once in a while, we’ll do this—go in and exploit the bug. Each time I finish reviewing records, Gu Shuangshuang will be provoked enough for her resentment to worsen, which pauses her reincarnation. Then, once the resentment has fully subsided, we apply for assistance again. Isn’t this a way to infinitely extend the fifteen-minute window?”

“As for Gu Shuangshuang, she can live in the underworld in the meantime, using these electronic devices to communicate with people in the living world. As long as she doesn’t reveal her status as a soul, no one will care whether she’s gaming with Su Anyao or writing fanfiction.”

Bug: ???

You’ve got to be kidding! You’ve found the easiest, most effortless way to exploit the bug!

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