Soon, Fu Songcheng’s biggest question was answered.
The special wristband item they’d obtained in the instance earlier.
At the time, the system notification had said the item’s full functions would only unlock after the 4.0 version update.
Now the version had updated.
The item’s description in the inventory had been updated.
[Special Item: Breaker of Order (Activated)]
[Item Rank: SSS]
[Item Function: Players wearing this item may ignore all “identity rules” imposed by the current instance or system. That is: remove all benefits and penalties brought by identity.]
[Note: This effect only applies to the wearer and the player bound to them by identity association.]
Fu Songcheng froze.
He read those lines over and over three times, confirming he hadn’t misunderstood.
Remove all benefits and penalties brought by identity?
His and Yu Huaiting’s current relationship was precisely the one the system had pushed from “lover” into “Bitter Couple.” And the item the system gave them was a wristband that removed the binding?
It felt like going in a full circle and accomplishing nothing.
With this wristband, the identity rules were completely erased—whether lover or Bitter Couple, there was no difference.
Then why forcibly bind them as Bitter Couple at all?!
Fu Songcheng lowered his eyes, hiding the deep thought in them: this kind of flip-flopping style didn’t feel like a machine—it felt human.
…
Meanwhile.
Shen Ning wore a well-tailored silver gown. Tonight was Death Party’s 4.0 version update banquet, and as the largest investor, she had to attend.
While doing her makeup, she opened the livestream. Yu Huaiting’s and Fu Songcheng’s feed was still invisible, but their item inventory information had updated.
She stared at the wristband’s description on the screen, her face full of disbelief and confusion.
Quan Heng had openly fooled all the viewers and ignored investor pressure just to arrange this?
Shen Ning felt that if anyone thought themselves a failure, they should look at Quan Heng and feel much better.
And on the other side, Quan Heng was indeed feeling very unwell.
At this moment, his expression was written all over with indescribable speechlessness and frustration.
“How did things turn out like this?!”
Quan Heng took a deep breath, feeling like he was about to have a heart attack.
In his eyes, Fu Songcheng was full of scheming, arrogant and conceited. So Quan Heng’s plan was: after becoming Bitter Couple, this person’s first reaction would definitely be to distance himself from Yu Huaiting and cut ties. The two would ideally argue, fight.
Then, when Yu Huaiting was deeply hurt, the version update would arrive, and the wristband would remove the effects of their Bitter Couple relationship. This would both let Yu Huaiting see Fu Songcheng clearly and keep Yu Huaiting from being affected by the negative status.
He hadn’t expected it to instead push Fu Songcheng and Yu Huaiting’s relationship further—and the wristband helped them remove the system’s penalties. Now they could date without any scruples.
Quan Heng: “…”
He slumped back in his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.
A sense of desolation named “the harder you try, the unluckier you get” deeply enveloped him.
What was this?
A thousand-mile assist delivery, light gift but deep affection?
……
Fu Songcheng had originally planned to keep going to the training hall.
And to look for Chen Muhuai—it was Chen Muhuai’s first formal instance, and he’d thought he could lend him a hand or two while training.
In just one month, their roles had reversed—Fu Songcheng had become the guide. He lacked Chen Muhuai’s eager initiative, but Fu Songcheng’s sincerity had always been silent and restrained.
However, when he tried to sit up from the bed, he nearly cursed.
His waist felt as if it had been run over by a heavy truck and reassembled; his legs were so weak he couldn’t muster any strength. He’d barely gotten to his feet when the deep ache in his muscles made him miserable—he couldn’t help sucking in a sharp breath and sat back down on the bed.
“Where are you going, Gege~”
A warm chest immediately pressed against his side.
Yu Huaiting draped his arm across Fu Songcheng’s waist, his voice carrying a smugness he couldn’t hide.
Fu Songcheng irritably pushed away his furry head, grinding out: “I’m going to the training hall.”
“The training hall? Like this?”
Hearing that, Yu Huaiting not only didn’t let go, he held the person tighter.
“Yu! Huai! Ting!”
Fu Songcheng was so angry he swatted at him.
Yu Huaiting didn’t dodge—instead he leaned his face in, grinning and begging for mercy: “I was wrong, I was wrong. Gege, don’t be angry~”
Seeing Yu Huaiting’s shameless manner, Fu Songcheng was truly left with no temper.
Forget it. Let’s just call today a day off.
The entire afternoon, the two never left the bed.
Even when Fu Songcheng leaned against the headboard reading the system panel, Yu Huaiting had to cling beside him like a giant accessory—whether fiddling with Fu Songcheng’s fingers, lightly brushing his lips against the back of Fu Songcheng’s neck, or leaning in like a dog begging for a reward to ask for a kiss.
Fu Songcheng would occasionally push him away in disgust, and within seconds the man would shamelessly cling back.
It was almost extravagantly like a dream.
Even on his day off, Fu Songcheng still devoted his energy to the system’s public screen.
After the initial panic and chaos, players were gradually digesting the 4.0 version’s current situation, and the information on the public screen was beginning to hold value.
Through browsing, Fu Songcheng discovered the [Identity System] wasn’t limited to Lover, Bitter Couple, Lifelong Partners.
There were also Family, Close Friend, Sworn Enemy…
One player shared that after entering the game, the system had automatically judged her and her real-life younger brother as bound by the ‘Family’ identity, the two sharing a certain amount of HP and defense buffs.
There were also cases like Fu Songcheng and Yu Huaiting’s accidental “Lover” situation.
Someone had been bound as ‘Sworn Enemy’ with a complete stranger, the system ruling that they must hunt each other down in the following instances.
Yu Huaiting, peering at the screen alongside Fu Songcheng, sneered: “Forcing people to slaughter each other. But whatever—our ‘Bitter Couple’ status is already blocked by the [Breaker of Order] wristband.”
The two soon noticed that a massive, organized force was rapidly rising.
On the public screen, every so often, several repeated messages would appear.
The speakers’ IDs all carried a unified prefix: [Dawn].
[Dawn – Zhou Zhenhua: Fellow Blue Star compatriots, please remain calm. We are the “Dawn” organization, composed of people of good will from all walks of life on old Blue Star. We call on all compatriots not to slaughter one another outside instances, not to give up hope.]
[Dawn – Logistics Department: We will do our utmost to maintain order and protect the basic survival rights of vulnerable groups.]
[Dawn: Holding fast to morality amid disorder is civilization’s last line of defense.]
Leave a Reply