This is a rare ordinary world since the second one.
No zombies, no omegaverse dynamics like omega or alpha, no palaces or interstellar armies. Xu Yin returned to the most ordinary identity—a college student—facing countless choices for the future.
018 once asked Xu Yin what he wanted to do this time. Xu Yin thought about it for a long while—this could be considered his final willful choice before returning to the real world.
If it were him back in the first world, just starting the quick transmigration missions, Xu Yin would’ve definitely smiled and said, “Anything is fine.”
But now, after giving it serious thought, he said with great interest, “Since I’m studying finance this time, I’ve never been a CEO before.”
018: “Oh ho, that’s actually a good idea.”
And so, when the superstar Yan Shixiu, who had countless fans, officially left the music industry and became President Yan, people discovered that the boy he had once publicly confessed to a few years back had also become President Xu—and the two had already registered their marriage.
Interestingly, even though Xu Yin had made his choice, and theoretically the final mission should align with it—providing a clear objective, like becoming the empire’s top illusionist or the “Imperial Eagle”—
Xu Yin guessed this time the ultimate mission might be something like “become the CEO of a Fortune Global 500 company.”
However, when he received the final mission, he found the message said: “Do everything you want to do.”
He was stunned.
018 said, “The mission world might have determined this is the final world, so this… might just be its message for you.”
A human life is long; every minute and second can bring different things, different people, and different possibilities.
That’s very interesting and very meaningful—but 018 knew that the Xu Yin at the beginning couldn’t see any of it.
Of course, helping the host to gradually “see” this—that was the mission of these task worlds and systems.
To have come this far, both the systems and Xu Yin had already succeeded.
This young man now understands the existence of “possibility” and how fascinating it is. This young man has learned to actively seek life’s goals—and has begun to enjoy the process.
This young man has also found someone who can be his lifelong companion.
With these constant changes, his soul has become strong enough.
Strong enough for 018 to support his resurrection.
018: “Xu Yin, you’re already very strong, so even after leaving this whole series of mission worlds, continue to be strong.”
You must embrace your life well.
Xu Yin lowered his eyes and smiled softly: “Mm… I know. Thank you, Little 018.”
The moment his voice fell, the final 200,000 points from the ultimate mission arrived in his hands.
018 asked, “…Do you want to repair the bug and redeem a resurrection opportunity?”
Xu Yin fell into silence.
At that moment, Yan Shixiu happened to open the door and come in. Seeing him sitting still at the edge of the bed, he walked over in confusion and sat beside him, asking, “What’s wrong?”
Xu Yin turned his head to look at him and softly asked, “Shixiu, do you want to return to the real world?”
Yan Shixiu paused, then his expression slightly shifted.
They could’ve chosen to live in this world until old age and only return to the real world at the very last moment. No one would urge them.
However—
Yan Shixiu held his hand.
They both wanted to reclaim what they had lost—all the memories about their past.
Xu Yin wanted to complete the parts of his memory that involved this man.
And this man also needed to recall his own past.
Life is indeed precious, but only after retrieving their complete selves… would the remaining part of the journey become the most treasured one.
They gazed into each other’s eyes and both found their answer there.
Xu Yin smiled.
He took a deep breath, thought for a moment, and said to 018, “Little 018, can I see you once?”
018 didn’t answer.
Suddenly, a bubble of a different shape popped out: “Sorry, he’s crying.”
Xu Yin paused for a moment, then sharply said, “Little A?”
018’s bubble popped out again, shouting indignantly, “I wasn’t crying!!!!”
Xu Yin was stunned, then let out a laugh.
The next second, he and Yan Shixiu found themselves in a vast, white, misty space.
Standing before them was a boy with his head lowered.
He looked no more than eighteen or nineteen, dressed in a plaid shirt and jeans. With his head bowed, Xu Yin could only see a cute little cowlick on the top of his head.
Floating beside him was a small balloon circling him, occasionally brushing against his cheek.
This was the first time Xu Yin had seen 018 in human form. His gaze softened: “Little 018.”
The boy stiffened slightly, then said awkwardly, “Why do you want to see me? I’m warning you, don’t start getting all emotional! If you’ve decided to go back, then go! Once you’re back, you still have to do your basic daily tasks—if you don’t work out for even a day, your body will slack off, your muscles will disappear, and turn into fat. That’s really scary, so—”
A hand gently ruffled his hair.
018 fell silent.
He heard the young man say softly, “I know. Everything I learned and gained in these worlds—I won’t forget any of it.”
018 pressed his lips tightly together.
The young man pulled him into a hug. “From now on, you and Little A have to take good care of yourselves too.”
Yan Shixiu silently watched from the side, reached out, and also patted 018’s head—and gently touched the little balloon circling around him.
Once the young man let go, 018 finally looked up.
Xu Yin and Yan Shixiu looked at him.
Xu Yin smiled gently and said, “Little 018, thank you for accompanying me for so long.”
018 clenched his fists, his eyes stinging.
He took a deep breath and said in a hoarse voice, “…Once you’re back, live well.”
Xu Yin: “Mm.”
018: “No one will give you any more ultimate missions, so… you’d better set one for yourself…”
Xu Yin: “Mm, I know.”
018: “Don’t miss me too much.”
Xu Yin chuckled softly: “Well, I might still think of you every now and then.”
018: “Hmph!!”
Silence fell between the two people and the two systems.
Xu Yin felt something furry brushing against his ankle. He looked down—a Little Black Dog was raising its head to look at him, tail swishing back and forth.
Xu Yin was startled. “Xiao Hei?”
018 said in a low voice, “Since you’re leaving, say goodbye properly.”
Xu Yin: “…Mm.”
Yes, they should.
In this world, his husband had picked up Xiao Hei on the roadside at the age of 25. After they got together, they raised it together—and now, Xiao Hei is already old.
Just now, when Xu Yin and Yan Shixiu transferred into Little 018’s space, they had done so in a rush and almost forgot that Xiao Hei was still napping in the living room.
Xu Yin and Yan Shixiu squatted down, gently stroking Xiao Hei’s head. Xu Yin said tenderly, “Xiao Hei, we’re leaving now. From now on, stay with Little 018 and live well.”
They vaguely remembered—Xiao Hei had also been an “accidental” creation during the operation of the task world, but had, by a twist of fate, accompanied them for so long.
Xiao Hei licked Xu Yin’s hand, shook its ears, and barked: “Awoo!”
As if it truly understood their words, responding with emotion.
Xu Yin smiled, and Yan Shixiu gently rubbed Xiao Hei’s head too.
After a moment, Xu Yin kissed Xiao Hei’s head one last time, then stood up with Yan Shixiu.
018 looked at them and said, “Goodbye, Xu Yin. Goodbye, Yan Shixiu.”
Xu Yin: “Goodbye, Little 018, Little A.”
Yan Shixiu: “Goodbye.”
The little balloon bounced up and down.
There’s no such thing as a feast that never ends.
018, as a system from another dimension, at this very moment, felt the sorrow contained in that farewell more deeply than he ever expected.
However, everything must move forward.
Today’s goodbye—whether for him or for these two humans—would mark the beginning of another journey.
018 closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he said slowly, “I’ll now completely fix the bug and exchange it for both of your resurrection opportunities. Get ready—once the bug is repaired, your memories should return completely. By the time you wake up, you should already be back in the real world.”
As 018’s voice fell, Xu Yin and Yan Shixiu were plunged into darkness.
The entire world seemed to blur.
Light flickered through the mist, music and voices sounded as if muffled by water.
Xu Yin was sitting by the bar, resting his chin on one hand, casually playing on his phone while waiting for his roommate to arrive.
On WeChat, Lu Shixing sent a complaint: “The traffic’s terrible. What’s going on today, why is it so jammed…?”
Xu Yin was replying when suddenly, a figure appeared in front of him, panting heavily—whether from nerves or being squeezed through the crowd was unclear.
Xu Yin’s expression tightened slightly as he turned his head to look.
The large-framed boy gave an awkward smile. “Xu Yin, what a c-coincidence!”
Xu Yin gave him a once-over, then asked in a calm tone, “Do you need something from me?”
The boy stiffened. He rubbed his hands against his pants, seemingly to wipe off sweat, then swallowed and said, “N-no, nothing. I just didn’t expect to run into you here, so I thought… maybe we could talk…”
“Oh?” Xu Yin smiled. “A coincidence for the fifth time this week?”
The boy froze.
Xu Yin tilted his head. “I’m not a big fan of being followed, you know.”
The boy stiffened even more.
Xu Yin smiled, eyes squinting slightly. “Would you mind stopping this, classmate?”
The boy’s face flushed bright red. Clearly, he hadn’t expected to be exposed—let alone so directly.
And when some things are said too directly… they become a little harsh.
The boy grew flustered. “No, Xu Yin, you like guys, right? I’ve seen guys cling to you several times already. You seem pretty wild with them, so what are you pretending for now…”
Xu Yin’s smile didn’t falter. “Mm, plenty of guys do cling to me. But they’re all just like you. Generally, if someone like you keeps talking, I tend to pour my drink over their head.”
The boy’s face darkened. He reached out, seemingly to grab Xu Yin’s collar, but his motion was too forceful—his arm slammed into two people passing by.
One of them had their drink knocked over, and the liquid splashed all over the man beside him.
“Shit—Shixiu, you okay?” the person whose drink spilled shouted.
Both the boy and Xu Yin froze and turned to look.
The man who got splashed was wearing a white dress shirt and suit pants. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a slim waist—a perfect build. His features were handsome, though tinged with aloofness.
He lowered his eyes, frowned at the stain on his shirt, then looked up—straight at the boy.
Even someone who didn’t know designer brands could tell at a glance that this man’s clothes were expensive. And his aura was impossible to fake.
The boy, who just moments ago had been aggressive toward Xu Yin, shrank back slightly, nervously blurting, “S-sorry! I didn’t mean to—really, I’m sorry!”
The man’s friend said in annoyance, “Were you trying to start a fight? Come on, this is a bar—if you want to fight, do it outside, will you?”
Boy: “Sorry sorry sorry!”
Xu Yin thought for a second, then stood up and said, “Sorry.”
The man turned his head upon hearing the voice, and his black eyes landed on Xu Yin—then stopped.
Xu Yin gave an apologetic smile.
The man paused, looked away—then, after a beat, looked back again. His eyes silently returned to Xu Yin.
“All right, all right,” the man’s friend waved it off, seeming too lazy to keep arguing. He said to the man, “Geez, it took forever to get you out tonight… Whatever, we’ll talk next time. You’d better go home and change now.”
With that, he seemed ready to drag the man away.
But the man took one step, then stopped.
He turned slightly and looked at Xu Yin again.
For some reason, Xu Yin felt as if he could read the look in the man’s eyes.
Do you need help?
In the bar, the whole world seemed to be shrouded in a haze.
Light drifted through the mist, and the music and voices sounded as if muffled behind a wall of water.
Yet in this moment, everything suddenly became clear.
The light sharpened, the music and chatter rang vividly in his ears—so real, so tangible.
How strange.
Xu Yin thought to himself.
Just a single glance—just that look turned back over a shoulder—was enough to give him this surreal feeling in an instant.
But even so…
Xu Yin simply smiled.
He stood there, smiling faintly at the man who had looked his way, saying nothing.
The man frowned ever so slightly.
His friend, noticing he hadn’t moved, turned back with a puzzled expression. “Shixiu?”
The man looked at Xu Yin for a moment longer, then gave up and shifted his gaze back to the other boy.
His friend seemed to finally catch on and gave the boy a warning: “Don’t cause trouble. You guys look like college students, right? Fighting in a bar…”
The boy couldn’t take it anymore and hurriedly said, “I get it, I get it. I didn’t mean to! I—I just wanted to chase after him…”
Mid-sentence, he shut his mouth and turned away with a bitter face.
But the man’s friend had still caught the last two words and, putting the pieces together, looked at Xu Yin with some surprise.
The man had clearly heard it too—he paused, visibly taken aback.
Xu Yin hadn’t expected that, even though he hadn’t asked for help, the two still chose to step in.
Of course, the atmosphere was a little awkward now.
He sighed. “Thank you, both of you.”
He hadn’t meant to trouble others with his own affairs.
…
Twenty minutes later, Lu Shixing rushed in with two other roommates.
Xu Yin sighed and said, “I ran into your brother just now.”
Lu Shixing was ordering drinks when he heard this: “Huh?”
“Ran into that guy who’s been following me the past four times,” Xu Yin said. Before Lu Shixing could get angry, he added, “Then your brother and his friend showed up and helped me out.”
Lu Shixing paused. “What a coincidence? My brother actually came to a place like this today?”
“Yeah.”
“Does he know you’re my roommate?”
“No time for introductions,” Xu Yin said with a laugh.
After that boy fled the scene, the man had been pulled away by his friend. Before leaving, he even looked back at Xu Yin twice—it was oddly cute.
Lu Shixing thought about it, then said curiously, “My brother would actually step in for something like that? Oh, his friend—probably Brother Ruan? He is kind of righteous…”
Xu Yin thought, Nope. The first one to notice something was off and stop was your brother.
Yan Shixiu—Lu Shixing’s older brother, CEO of Shixing Group, a rising star among young elites, a golden bachelor.
If Lu Shixing didn’t have his mother’s surname and Yan Shixiu their father’s, no one would have guessed they were siblings. Otherwise, Lu Shixing might not have had much peace at school.
Of course, all the roommates knew. As people Lu Shixing trusted, they had all seen photos of Yan Shixiu on his phone.
Time always passes quickly.
And in a life without direction, it passes even faster.
Xu Yin was summoned to the hospital by a phone call.
He leaned in the corner of the hospital room, eyes quietly scanning the man lying on the bed—from his graying hair to his face lined with deep wrinkles.
He tried to recall what that man and the woman had looked like when he was young.
But he couldn’t remember anymore.
A voice called him back from his thoughts. “Xu Yin, come… Come look at Dad.”
It was his half-brother who turned and spoke.
He and his mother left the room.
Xu Yin slowly walked to the bedside.
His father slowly turned his eyes to look at him.
After being tormented by cancer for two full years, his life was at its end. Yet even now, the way his father looked at him remained cold and indifferent.
As if there was nothing left to say.
Xu Yin recalled the scene when he was six years old—when his parents were fighting fiercely over custody during the divorce.
It had been so intense, so desperate.
As if neither of them could afford to lose him.
But when everything was settled, his mother had decisively turned and left.
His father brought him to the new house, pointed coldly at a room, and told him to go inside and read.
Ah.
After all, the war was over. The spoils of war had been claimed. There was no longer any need for the heat of battle.
Yet a trophy is just a trophy.
It isn’t necessarily the victor’s most cherished prize. It’s merely something that satisfied their desire to win.
So the final fate of a trophy—
Is to be left in an unnoticed corner,
Quietly gathering dust,
Watching the victor embrace other treasures.
…But it doesn’t matter anymore.
So many years had passed—none of it mattered now.
Xu Yin sat down beside the hospital bed.
His father turned his head slightly toward the window.
One looked outside, the other lowered his eyes.
A few minutes later, Xu Yin quietly got up and left the room.
In the hallway, the half-brother and his mother were whispering about something. When they saw him come out, they immediately stopped.
They looked at him with a gaze full of meaning, but after Xu Yin glanced lightly at them, they quickly averted their eyes.
No greetings were exchanged.
Xu Yin turned and left.
This floor was close to the top of the building. Wanting to take a breath, Xu Yin climbed the stairs to the rooftop.
Fortunately, the weather was good today.
Blue skies, white clouds, warm sunshine.
Xu Yin leaned on the railing with both hands, closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and took a deep breath.
Moments later, he heard the door open behind him.
Turning to look, he saw a familiar man stop not far away, clearly surprised to see him.
The man paused, then walked over and looked at him. “What a coincidence.”
Xu Yin looked at him for a moment and smiled. “What a coincidence.”
They stood side by side, facing the wind.
Strangely, even though Xu Yin wasn’t close to this man, at this moment—standing next to him—he didn’t feel annoyed.
His heart was still calm, still peaceful.
Suddenly, the man spoke, his voice low: “I saw you earlier.”
Xu Yin was taken aback. Then he understood. “…On the tenth floor?”
“Mm, my grandma is staying on this floor too,” the man said softly.
Xu Yin’s fingers brushed against the railing.
The man didn’t seem eager to talk about his grandmother’s illness, and Xu Yin didn’t feel the need to explain who he was visiting or what illness it was.
The man turned to him and asked, “Were those your mother and brother outside the room just now?”
Xu Yin paused. “…My stepmother and her son.”
The man’s brow furrowed slightly, as if deep in thought.
Xu Yin thought for a moment, then smiled. “Did you overhear what they were saying in the hallway?”
The man froze.
Judging by his reaction, Xu Yin had probably guessed right.
Xu Yin figured as much—he could easily imagine what those two had been talking about.
Nothing more than things about him, about his father, about their relationship.
However, they were overthinking it. The relationship between him and his father had long become irreparable, and neither of them had any intention of mending it.
Seeing Xu Yin smile, the man’s brows furrowed even tighter.
This expression somehow made Xu Yin find him a little adorable again.
Why was that?
He wondered.
