Xie Luyu’s old phone had collected a bunch of unread notifications. The number of notifications for just his text messages alone was staggering, and there didn’t seem to be any end in sight. The number was just incredible. Xie Luyu was a little surprised himself. The notification screen was arranged based on recency, so the newest notifications were placed at the top.
He had clicked on some of the notifications earlier and found that they were all spam about credit cards and the like. He couldn’t be bothered to click through them all one by one, so he simply ignored them.
The notification screen only displayed one message per contact. The information was arranged in two neat rows, one for their name and one for the message. However, there was also a number next to it indicating just how many unread messages there were for this contact.
The host opened up the notification screen. The most recent text message was sent just a few months ago. The notification sat at the very top of the screen, and it displayed that there were two unread messages from this number. The content was promoting a debit card.
The host also felt that there were too many notifications. He wasn’t sure whether or not to keep digging through the notifications, so he asked the audience.
“Do you guys want to keep going?”
The comments were very active but patient.
[Yes, yes, yes! I don’t care if it’s spam!]
[I don’t believe that they’re all like this. Look for Mr. Wang. Maybe we can find some swearing in those messages.]
The host went through the notifications one by one. The first couple didn’t really have anything of substance. However, there were a few messages that were accidently sent to the wrong number by friends of Xie Luyu’s. The funniest one was from Mr. Wang. He sent a message inviting Xie Luyu to eat hot pot. Two days later, he sent another message.
[Is our friendship going to come to an end like this?]
The comment barrage was full of laughter.
Xie Luyu brought a hand to his forehead and started laughing as well.
The host cued Xie Luyu.
“I want to ask Xie Luyu. In the end, how did you continue your friendship with Mr. Wang?”
“We went out for hot pot two times and no more.”
Once this joke was over, the host continued to go through the messages.
Some more spam and advertisements followed. They proceeded to go through a couple dozen or so notifications. Once they reached the third page of notifications, the comment barrage started livening up again.
[The third to last notification has more than 700 unread messages! That’s almost 800! There’s no way that’s an advertisement!]
[Let me see! Hurry!]
[Ahhh, hurry up! I want to see too!]
[Hm, it doesn’t look like spam. It might be a sasaeng? It’s crazy. How can there be that many unread messages from a single person? If you sent one message a day, it would still take at least two years … ]
[It doesn’t even have a note attached to it, just a string of numbers. I’m betting it’s a sasaeng.]
If the contact had a note attached to it, the note would be displayed. If there wasn’t a note, the phone number would be displayed. The phone number had already been blurred out by the production team.
The most recent message from this number was very short. The message could be displayed in its entirety in the notification screen.
[I’ve almost forgotten how to speak.]
The comment barrage started flying by.
[It’s got a bit of a scary vibe … forgetting how to speak … ]
[We want to see the rest of the messages! Come on!]
[Sasaengs are all perverts!]
[Ugh, comment barrage, quick, protect me!]
The host once again cued Xie Luyu. They said that they would be going through the guests’ cell phones, but he wasn’t so sure now.
“There are nearly eight hundred unread messages and no note. Xie Luyu, can we take a look?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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The host then clicked on the notification and scrolled through the messages one by one.
The text messages were neatly arranged by date. The majority of them were very simple, as if the person sending the messages also felt that there was nothing to note.
It was basically one text a day, very routine. The messages even seemed kind of warm, exuding the tranquility and quiet of years gone by. The rest of the messages weren’t as scary as the first one, but there were a few strange ones every now and then. It didn’t seem like a sasaeng.
The dates started getting closer and closer as they went from top to bottom. The latest message was the one displayed in the notification screen.
[Today was nice. It’s a bright and sunny day.]
[I bought some canned food for the stray dog by the door.]
[I planted some roses in the garden. I hope for beautiful flowers to bloom.]
[I ate some cake that I’ve been craving.]
[I saw a butterfly. It was stuck in a spider web and struggled for a long time. I eventually helped it get free, and, later that afternoon, I saw its dead body in the garden. It was very beautiful.]
[My shirt lost a button today. I bought some needle and thread and sewed it back on. It’s a little ugly.]
[I’ve almost forgotten how to speak.]
In the other party’s messages, there was never any mention of a second person.
Xie Luyu kept reading and found himself feeling down for some reason. The audience fell quiet.
The host saw the contents and scrolled a few times. He didn’t think they’d be able to get through all the messages.
He swiped hard and scrolled all the way to the older half of the chat history.
These messages were also kind of weird.
He slowly started scrolling up.
[The house is really big. I’m the only one here.]
[If we can’t get a divorce, could you at least come back? I’d also be okay with a phone call.]
[Can we get a divorce?]
[I’m the only one in this house. I can’t leave. I just got married, and they said that you’re my partner, my lover. Can you come back? I want to leave.]
The host took a look at the screen. He felt that something wasn’t quite right, so he exited the chat immediately.
Xie Luyu didn’t even manage to read it clearly himself. After all, he was facing the host. He only glanced at the big screen every now and then. Most of the other guests on the show weren’t looking at the screen either.
The host tried to move on to the next segment.
“Have you all seen it? It’s time for the next guest.”
[No, no, no! Aren’t you guys curious? Who is this person exactly? We can skip the texts! Let’s do the phone calls! Let’s call this person first!]
[I haven’t finished reading yet! Who has a screenshot! It appears that there are some mental health problems towards the end … ]
[Emotional abuse? Forced marriage? Marital pawn? I’ve already come up with a one hundred thousand word melodrama based on the texts.]
[I saw some of it. It’s kind of scary. I wanted to know if the other person’s okay.]
[Call them! Call them!]
The host felt a little helpless, but he also felt that it wasn’t a big deal. In order to achieve a live effect, he decided to go along with the audience’s wishes.
“Why are you guys hanging onto this phone number? In that case, are you guys okay with calling this number during the next segment and not Mr. Wang?”
Once he’d confirmed the audience’s opinion, the host consulted Xie Luyu.
Xie Luyu was also a little curious himself. He didn’t think that it was a sasaeng, but he did feel like the other party may have sent the message to the wrong person.
However, he was still a little hesitant.
“It’s not very polite to suddenly call.”
A bunch of comments flooded the big screen, trying to convince him.
[It is a little impolite. I just want to know how they’re doing. I read some of the texts, and I feel a little worried. How about we explain the situation when the time comes?]
[It’s just a phone call! It’s just a voice!]
[Xie Luyu, you need to follow the rules! I haven’t even said anything about you switching out your phone!]
The phone rang a few times before being picked up.
The other party seemed to have just woken up, responding in a daze.
The live audio at the scene had been amplified. The voice was a little distorted, but it was still very magnetic. The people listening felt a tingling sensation crawl down their spines.
Xie Luyu had originally intended to explain the situation once the call was connected. However, once he heard the voice, he felt both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. He momentarily forgot to respond.
The person on the other side of the phone noticed that no one was speaking and suspiciously asked.
“Hello?”
There was a rustling sound coming through the phone as if he was sitting up.
Then came another voice. It was a man’s voice, low and deep.
“Xiao Chi, are you awake? Why are you up so early? It’s only six o’clock. Sleep a bit more. I’ll wake you up for breakfast.”
“Oh, I got a weird phone call and woke up.”
Then, the call ended.
This time, the other party spoke for a little bit longer. Xie Luyu suddenly realized why that voice was so familiar.
His hands paused in the air. His entire body froze. It was Gu Qingchi’s voice.
The comment barrage instantly exploded.
[His voice was so nice. I think he’s abroad. It’s only six o’clock in the morning on his end.]
[Is he with his boyfriend? How nice! I felt really sad reading those messages. I was worried that something happened to him.]
[Xiao Chi? I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help but think of Gu Qingchi.]
[Sorry, I thought of him too. I don’t mean to be insensitive. However, Chi Chi accepted that photoshoot and is currently abroad. It should be six o’clock in the morning where he’s at.]
[In that case, who’s the other guy? Chi Chi has someone by his side! No way! Mom doesn’t agree with this marriage!]
[Chi Chi had a hard time because it was revealed that he’d been married, right? Xie Luyu also revealed that he was previously married, right? If you connect the dots … hm … ]
[You guys are way too good at coming up with these scenarios. I’m already starting to get angry. Stay away from my Chi Chi!]
⁂
Xie Luyu didn’t know how he managed to get through the second half of the show. He took back his cell phone and tucked it in the inner pocket of his jacket. He didn’t leave right away, trying his best to behave normally.
He thought, “Chi Chi doesn’t like discussing personal affairs. I need to act nonchalant.”
However, anyone could see that he was beside himself.
Once the show ended, trending topics immediately began popping up.
[Gu Qingchi And Xie Luyu Suspected To Previously Have Been Married]
[Gu Qingchi Suspected To Have Been Emotionally Abused]
[Gu Qingchi’s Mental State]
Xie Luyu didn’t know about any of this. He sat all by himself in his living room. He sat there from dim afternoon until late into the night.
Did Xie Luyu love Gu Qingchi? Without a doubt, he loved him. How much did he love him? He loved him more than his own eyes, more than his own life.
However, how much he loved him was how much he hurt at this moment.
Each and every word seemed to be like a knife, stabbing into his heart.
He read through the text messages over and over, again and again, in an almost masochistic fashion.
He could almost see the process of Gu Qingchi’s fall into despair from those words.
At the beginning, he could still see some positive emotions from Gu Qingchi. The person he cherished the most was trying so hard to live.
And what was he doing at that time? Xie Luyu’s memory was very good. Even in this state of confusion, he could still recall it all.
At that time, he’d been annoyed by this forced marriage. He went out with friends every day. He played around to relieve his irritation.
He was doing that while Gu Qingchi, the person he loved with all his life, was struggling to live.
At that time, he was already flushed with success, pleased as punch. However, even so, he still relied on playing around to relieve his gloomy mood.
Meanwhile, Gu Qingchi had only just come of age, brimming with youth, ignorant of the world. No one had cared for him. He worked hard to grow towards the sun, but the reason why he worked so hard was because it was difficult to achieve.
Xie Luyu slowly read through it all.
Somewhere in the middle, Gu Qingchi must’ve finally fallen apart. It was also during this time that Gu Qingchi’s emotions were most visible.
The instability in his mental state could also be seen from the messages he sent.
[Was I abandoned because I was annoying? Am I supposed to love you? If I try to love you, will I no longer have to be all by myself?]
[Don’t abandon me. I’m begging you.]
[Help me. I’m begging you to help me.]
[I love you. Can you … can you try to like me even a little?]
Afterwards, Gu Qingchi’s text messages no longer contained anything of this nature. They became much more mild and much more still.
However, the deathly stillness in these text messages made Xie Luyu even more upset.
Sometimes, you get used to pain.
It wasn’t that Gu Qingchi was no longer in despair. He’d simply gotten used to it.
Xie Luyu closed his eyes, trying to sort out his thoughts, but his mind was full of this one image.
That day, Gu Qingchi collapsed in his living room, his lips pale and cold, the carpet soaked in blood, the wireless phone thrown to the ground.
The cat had been covered in blood, timidly standing by the bathroom door.
At that time, Xie Luyu really thought that he was going to lose Gu Qingchi, lose something more precious than his own eyes and his own life.
However, Xie Luyu would have never thought that he had been the one to hand over the knife that cut through Gu Qingchi’s skin and flesh.
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
No thoughts, just tears😭😭😭
Thank you for the chapter 😭😭😭❤
Me reading this while my fam had the speakers on and the song just so happen to be ” ANGELS LIKE YOU” had to run💀 coz I was crying…..😭😭😭
SCREAMING CRYING EVERYTHING I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE 😭😭😭😭😭
I dunno if Xie Luyu ends up with Gu Xingchi is a good and healthy thing. I knew that Luyu never knew who was Chi Chi before but I couldn’t ignore this uncomfortable feeling what he was one of the, if not the biggest, contributors of Chi Chi unstable mental health.
Ikr i just can’t accept it. Honestly i’m not mad at luyu i mean i was but he tried a lot but he was ignorant i just hope they have nothing to do with each other from now on. At this point the best way is for these two rivers to flow to different oceans in their own ways or be two different ponds somewhere else. Heartbreak and pain and guilt is too big to have a healthy relationship now.
Don’t worry. They are more fated than they appear now. Chi chi will also later on choose.
..And you know what hurts the most? It’s the fact that you can’t entirely scold Xie Luyu for his past actions!😭
Thanks to this chapter I can’t stop crying!😭
This is so heartbreaking… Thank you for the update.
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭💔💔
… I thought I’d be gnawing on candies and drowning in fluff by now. Who’d expect this hidden needle blade to stab me now Q~Q
The tragedy of this story is so well written. Like real life, some things are just not black and white. You can’t help it and seeing the bittersweetness of life always stirs your emotions up. I feel like I can only sigh at the current situation and hide my urge to throw knives at the author a little :’D
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
I know that he already figured out that he was married to Qingchi when he shared his marriage booklet. But now he finally got to know the real deep of his ignorance about his marriage
😭 it’s not entirely your fault but you definitely took a big part in this pain that Gu qingchi suffered. I hate the world that brought him to your reality because that’s where it started.
I feel sorry for both of them
Can we blame him being set up like that as a character for the plot by the novel author? The system was shit too, the transmigration plot is so unexplored at the current moment I feel like I forget that there was a system mentioned in the beginning of the story who brought Gu Qingchi to that world, I only remembered it just recently as I reread the story
IIRC the system only lasted until the end of the initial plot (Xie Luyu’s rise to fame), and then left once the divorce happened
Exactly the reason why the transmigration plot is so unexplored ✓
Wow my poor little heart 😭
I got so immersed and was trying not to cry that it took me a few minutes to realize my son was crying… 😭
Ty for the chapter🖤🩵 looking forward to what happens next
I’d put more blame on the system actually. The system didn’t just force him to stay in the house … it made people forget his existance after he stopped interacting with them. He was basically a ghost for 2 staight years. That is what really fucked Gu Qingchi’s mental health over. It feels like it’s Xie Luyu’s fault cause he probably could have interacted with Gu Qingchi if he’d reached out. But … Idk it feels unfair to give him most of the blame when the situation was so orchestrated against the two of them.
I thought about it a bit more tbh, but youre right, Id probably switch the percentage i gave Xie luyu and the system with eachtoher. Seems to make more sense that way tbh
I didn’t like that scene with the variety show. GQC went through enough shit already and now even his massages were put out in the open like that. Can’t he have a bit of privacy for himself? Dx
Thx for the ch ٩(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )و
This is so sad… I’m going to cry TT^TT
Thank You for the new chapter ( ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)˚๐*˟ ♡
😭 Poor Chi Chi!!!! I hope these two dummies reconnect and heal soon!!! Xie Luyu, fighting!!
Oh, god, it really started to hurt the moment I got to the part where the messages started talking about divorce, you could read how deseparate GQC was in wanting to be free. Also REALLLY awkward that have their affairs aired out to the public like that…
No words… Just tears 😭😭😭
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
I can’t deal with this anymore, my eyes can not produce tears anymore😭😭
No words, only sadness….
I know it’s not Lulu’s fault, but I wanna see him suffer even a fraction of Chi chi