Jiang Hezhou repeated the proposal vows from that night, word for word. As he spoke, the expression in his eyes carried a solemnity and depth that far surpassed that evening.
At the end, he knelt there, looking up at her, his eyes behind his glasses brimming with profound emotion: “—Chu Luyu, will you marry me?”
Chu Luyu couldn’t quite remember how she’d felt the last time he proposed. But at this moment, she could clearly feel the emotions swelling and filling her chest—like a giant, soft, sweet cotton candy lodged there, tender and saccharine.
Suddenly, she didn’t want to worry about anything anymore. In just a few hours, he would forget her anyway. So let her be selfish just this once.
In this illusory world, she would accept his proposal and give them one last perfect ending.
So the next second, Chu Luyu reached out her hand toward the man, her eyes reddening at the edges. Jiang Hezhou’s eyes also grew red at the corners. With solemn care, he slipped the ring onto her ring finger, then stood and pulled her into his arms.
Applause erupted from the restaurant staff tucked away in the corners. In his embrace, Chu Luyu belatedly realized: “Jiang Hezhou, you lied. You booked out the whole restaurant today, and you just went along with what I said earlier.”
Her voice carried a hint of a sob. Jiang Hezhou smiled and held her tighter. “I just wanted to keep some surprise for you.”
“So you secretly hid a card from me? Otherwise, how did you pay?”
“No. The drone show was a service offered by the restaurant—I paid for it in advance.”
“Oh. I thought I’d caught you stashing away private money…”
Jiang Hezhou was silent for a moment, then replied seriously: “If you want, I do have a few hundred left in my WeChat for gas money.”
Chu Luyu laughed softly in his arms, her lashes still damp. She stayed nestled there, not daring to look up. “Jiang Hezhou, you’re going to be a really, really good partner.”
“Yes. With you, I can indeed be a really, really good partner.”
Chu Luyu said nothing more. She only held him tighter, wanting to savor this moment of contentment and happiness.
When they left the restaurant, it was almost ten o’clock. Cold winds blew along the riverbank. Many street vendors, taking advantage of the lack of law enforcement at this hour, were selling trinkets and snacks along the street. On the scenic walkway, quite a few passersby were strolling and stopping to take in the river view.
“It’s still early. Do you want to take a walk?” Jiang Hezhou adjusted Chu Luyu’s scarf and asked.
Chu Luyu didn’t want to go back either. Fortunately, in case of any unexpected issues, she had brought the plot manual with her.
Hearing his question, she nodded. “Sure, let’s walk along the river.”
For some reason, the man was more talkative tonight. As they strolled, he asked Chu Luyu many questions.
He asked about her childhood, about the troubles and pain she’d faced while growing up, and about any beautiful or memorable experiences she’d had. Treating this remaining time as their final banquet, Chu Luyu didn’t even bother to hide or obscure things—she selectively shared real experiences from her life in the real world.
“I once fell out with a friend I’d been close to for over twenty years. I was so dazed during that time, always asking myself: why? why? She acted so close to me on the surface, but behind my back, she’d bad-mouthed me to others more than once. I only found out later how many things she’d said—how awful I apparently was in her words… I was in so much pain back then, because we used to be so close that when she attempted suicide over her first boyfriend, the last call she made was to me. So later, I just couldn’t understand how things ended up like that.”
“Of course, there were happy things too. The first comic I serialized on a website… heh, I did it secretly—no one in my family or friends knew. My first comic made over a hundred thousand in revenue! I was so happy that month I bought new drawing equipment and a computer with the money.”
…………………….
Chu Luyu rambled on about so many things. Jiang Hezhou was a great listener. Whenever she expressed confusion or distress, he would analyze and offer his perspective. And when the topic wound down, he would seamlessly shift to another question.
Time ticked by. Before Chu Luyu even realized it, they had been outside until nearly midnight.
Her phone alarm went off—a timer she’d specially set for 11:55 PM.
After silencing it, her steps grew heavy and she stopped. Jiang Hezhou stopped with her and turned back to look at her without saying a word.
Not overthinking it, Chu Luyu lowered her head, took a deep breath, and forced a smile as she looked up at him.
“Jiang Hezhou, I want some of those sugar-roasted chestnuts we passed by earlier. Go buy them for me.”
He stared at her, his gaze deep. After a few seconds, his expression calm, he confirmed: “You’re sure you want them?”
“Mm-hmm.” Chu Luyu deliberately smiled wider. “Go on. I’ll wait right here.”
He didn’t answer, just kept looking at her. After another long pause, she urged him again: “Go on, hurry.”
“Okay.” This time, he didn’t delay. He turned and walked back to the chestnut stall.
Jiang Hezhou was wearing a camel-colored coat today. From behind, the dim yellow streetlight illuminated the top of his head and shoulders, making his tall, straight figure stand out even more, his back perfectly erect.
Chu Luyu’s gaze lingered greedily on that silhouette for a long time. Finally, with only two minutes left, she pulled the manual out of her bag and flipped to the last page.
There was a bench in front of her. She crouched down, laid the manual on it, and unscrewed the cap of her fountain pen.
[On this day, the female supporting character drugs and ties up the male lead, humiliating him. During the process, she steps on his genitalia with her foot and asks him if it feels good. After this night, the male lead becomes completely disgusted by her—both physically and emotionally—and develops a severe aversion to women. He firmly breaks off the engagement with her.]
The last word was written. Only a period remained to complete this page of revised plot.
But that single dot—Chu Luyu just couldn’t bring herself to press down.
She knew that with one click of the pen, the male lead would fully transform into someone who loathed her. He would no longer look at her with those ever-tender, loving eyes; he would no longer constantly care for her feelings; and he would never love and protect her as he once had.
Chu Luyu suddenly felt like crying. She knew this wasn’t the ending she wanted—but it was the one she had no choice but to choose.
The cold wind by the river howled, cutting into the girl’s body. Tears fell one after another. The hand holding the pen—whether from cold or something else—began to tremble uncontrollably.
The next second, she forced herself to press down. Just as the nib was about to touch the paper, a familiar voice suddenly sounded from behind her, low and eerie—
“So no matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, you’re absolutely set on leaving me—is that it?”
Chu Luyu shot up in shock and found that the man who’d been at the chestnut stall just moments ago was now standing behind her, his eyes fixed on her, deep and unreadable.
His gaze seemed relatively calm, but the look in his eyes was as unfathomable as the sea, leaving her completely unable to guess what he was thinking.
For some reason, being stared at like this sent a chill down her spine. She instinctively stepped back in fear, clutching the manual tightly in her hand.
“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You don’t?” The man looked at her, a smile curling at his lips that made her blood run cold. “No, baby, you do. You know better than anyone exactly what I’m talking about.”
His gaze swept over the pages clutched in her hand, and his smile deepened. “What did you write today? Something about you doing something, and me getting even more disgusted with you?”
Chu Luyu was utterly shocked. She hadn’t expected Jiang Hezhou to know about the manual at all.
“How… how do you know about this?”
Jiang Hezhou curled his lips slowly and elegantly, his smile far more polished than usual—but the words he spoke were all the more terrifying.
“I know more than just that. I also know that everything here—” He looked around, his tone as casual as if discussing the weather, “—is fake.”
The moment the words left his mouth, the entire world began to shake and crumble!
Chu Luyu watched as everything around her turned into a disaster scene—the river surged backward, the footbridge collapsed, buildings caved in layer by layer, people scattered in panic. Only she and Jiang Hezhou remained standing in place.
At that moment, she remembered what the system had once said—
[If a protagonist’s self-awareness fully awakens, they have the power to overturn this world.]
Terrified, she stood frozen in shock. Then, she felt a sensation of falling heavily. When she opened her eyes again, her consciousness had returned to the bed where she and Jiang Hezhou had fallen asleep seven days ago.
A chilling gaze pressed against her from behind. Chu Luyu didn’t have a second to think—she threw off the covers and scrambled to run!
She knew that if she didn’t leave now, she might never be able to escape!
Moments later, she heard footsteps behind her. The person following didn’t seem rushed—just leisurely trailing her. Chu Luyu dashed desperately for the front door. But the next second, she realized that the lock, which usually opened easily, was now firmly sealed. No matter how hard she pressed the handle, it wouldn’t budge!
The footsteps behind her grew closer. Every hair on her body stood on end. She knew it was Jiang Hezhou approaching.
His tall figure loomed over her, accompanied by his voice—laced with a sigh—
“Didn’t you know? A long time ago, I set the door lock to nighttime full-lock mode. No one can open it except with my fingerprint.”
With that, the man leaned in closer, gently prying her fingers off the door handle one by one, then tenderly pulled her into his arms.
“I told you before—if the way we’ve been acting made you think I’m easygoing or easy to get rid of, then from now on, we’ll change the rules.”
He paused, lowered his head, and kissed the side of her neck from behind, his thin lips finally stopping at her ear.
When he spoke again, his voice carried a faint sigh, sounding almost helpless—but every word was laced with a bone-chilling dominance.
“Baby, no matter what I do from now on, don’t hate me—”
His lips pressed against her ear, his voice low and haunting. “Because all of this—you brought it on yourself.”
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