"I never thought... the one he’d fall for at first sight this ti would be Ling Feng."
The gathering last night had lasted until five in the morning, and it wasn’t until the morning light spread across the sky that the drunken group finally staggered back to their hotel rooms.
Qin Yao hadn’t drunk much, and after receiving a storyline prompt, Ye Leyao stopped drinking as well, making them the two most sober people in the group.
Once the others were back at the hotel, Ye Leyao and Qin Yao decided to fly over to see Ling Feng and Cao Qu.
After the events of the previous day, both Ling Feng and Cao Qu had taken leave from the film set.
Because Huo Jing had inford the director in advance, the director was very accommodating and told them to handle their personal matters before returning to filming.
So, at this point, neither of them was on set.
Ye Leyao checked their location and, surprised, said, "They’re at a bar—both of them, at the sa one!"
Qin Yao exchanged a glance with Ye Leyao. "It’s already morning, and they’re still at the bar?"
In the blink of an eye, they arrived at their destination.
To avoid attracting attention, Ye Leyao cast an invisibility spell on both himself and Qin Yao.
The next mont, they were standing outside the bar.
By now, there weren’t many people lingering around the bar entrance in the early morning light.
Qin Yao was about to lead Ye Leyao inside when Ye Leyao tugged on his hand. "Over there."
Following Ye Leyao’s gaze, Qin Yao spotted two figures sitting on the curb a short distance away.
As they approached, they heard a low, raspy voice say, "I... really didn’t expect things to turn out this way. Tang Yan... well, don’t be upset anymore. Things are what they are, and all we can do is move forward."
Ling Feng had clearly had too much to drink, his voice hoarse and his eyes swollen.
Cao Qu looked even worse, his eyes puffy like walnuts, and tears still streaming down his cheeks. "I know... but I just can’t..."
Ling Feng, frustrated by the sound of Cao Qu’s crying, turned to face him, eting his red, swollen eyes and the tears rolling down his cheeks.
To be honest...
Both n, being actors in the entertainnt industry, were far from unattractive.
Even though Cao Qu looked especially disheveled in that mont, his face still had an enduring appeal, even managing to evoke a bit of pity.
Despite having comforted him countless tis already, seeing Cao Qu’s face made Ling Feng feel a renewed sense of patience.
Ling Feng was out of tissues, but without a second thought, he reached out and gently wiped the tears from the corners of Cao Qu’s eyes with his hand.
Ye Leyao’s eyes widened. "No way..."
The next second, Cao Qu looked a little flustered and turned his face away.
Ye Leyao and Qin Yao exchanged glances, both seeing the shock in each other’s eyes.
Could it be that Cao Qu had just fallen for Ling Feng at first sight?
If so, then the storyline was still on track!
After all, in the original storyline, Cao Qu had fallen for soone else after being dumped.
Now that Zhang Qiran was taken, Cao Qu naturally couldn’t consider him, and they weren’t that close anyway. But with Ling Feng...
It seed like they’d spent the whole night drinking together!
Qin Yao chuckled softly. "Well, that works out."
Ye Leyao nodded in agreent.
Once they confird that the final storyline was progressing as planned, Ye Leyao was ready to return to the main system.
After leaving the bar, Ye Leyao released the invisibility spell on both himself and Qin Yao, and they headed back to the Qin family ho.
"Qin-ge, you’ll wait for here..." Ye Leyao began.
But Qin Yao tightened his grip on Ye Leyao’s hand and suddenly interrupted, "Can’t I co with you?"
Ye Leyao was about to explain when he noticed the unmistakable worry in Qin Yao’s eyes.
A pang of emotion surged through his chest as Ye Leyao imdiately sensed Qin Yao’s unease.
For Ye Leyao, the main system was the place that had birthed him—it was ho, in a way.
But for Qin Yao, it was an unreachable, distant place.
After two long years apart, they had only been reunited for a short couple of days, and now Ye Leyao was about to leave again.
Of course, Qin Yao was feeling unsettled.
The tenderest part of Ye Leyao’s heart seed to ache.
He wrapped his arms around Qin Yao’s neck and kissed him gently on the lips. "Qin-ge, I’m only going to be gone for half a day."
Qin Yao’s long lashes fluttered as he lowered his gaze, hiding the emotions in his eyes. "I want to co with you."
Ye Leyao smiled and kissed him again. "I have to confirm the plot of the a20231007 world and then close the small world."
Qin Yao’s lashes seed to tremble. "And after you close it?"
"After I close it, I’ll co right back to you." Ye Leyao gazed at Qin Yao’s lips, admiring their perfect shape—neither too thin nor too thick. He pressed a playful kiss to them and added, "Once I’ve closed the small world and exchanged for a human identity with the main system, I’ll be able to stay with you forever."
"Qin Yao, when have I ever lied to you?"
Qin Yao’s large hand rested on Ye Leyao’s waist, and just as Ye Leyao leaned in for another kiss, Qin Yao pulled back slightly. "Really just half a day?"
Ye Leyao’s eyes curved into a smile. "Of course! If it weren’t, why wouldn’t I say goodbye to Mom, Dad, and my two single-dog brothers?"
Qin Yao gazed deeply into Ye Leyao’s eyes.
Ye Leyao’s expression was open and sincere.
In truth, it wouldn’t take him half a day, but Ye Leyao also needed ti to say goodbye to Qiu and l2, which is why he had said a bit more.
And most importantly...
To stay in this world, the l1 system would have to sacrifice part of its body to exchange with the main system.
Ye Leyao had thought about this before, but since losing that part of himself would be permanent, he needed to give it careful consideration.
"Alright?" Ye Leyao pleaded playfully.
Qin Yao held Ye Leyao tightly, and in that security, Ye Leyao finally relaxed his grip, reaching up to rub Qin Yao’s face.
Qin Yao tilted his head slightly, nuzzling into Ye Leyao’s palm.
"Okay," Qin Yao agreed softly.
"But Yao Yao, if you’re not back by 2 PM, I won’t be making you oatal milk for a whole week." Qin Yao warned.
Ye Leyao’s eyes widened in mock outrage. "You don’t trust !"
Qin Yao chuckled. "I do trust you."
It was precisely because he trusted Ye Leyao that he wanted him to return quickly, as soon as possible.
Even for soone as patient as Qin Yao, waiting indefinitely was not sothing he wished for.
Ye Leyao looked into Qin Yao’s eyes and kissed him deeply.
"Qin-ge, wait for to co back."
As the words fell from his lips, Ye Leyao’s form gradually faded.
A mont later, Qin Yao’s arms were empty.
Ye Leyao was gone.
...
At the main system.
As soon as Ye Leyao left the small world a20231007, the control panel of the main system popped up, asking if he wanted to finalize the sealing of the small world.
Ye Leyao hesitated, his finger hovering over the confirmation button. Pressing it would an the imdiate sealing of world a20231007, and even Ye Leyao would no longer be able to return to it.
Before confirming the end of the storyline, Ye Leyao wanted to speak with the main system and say goodbye to Qiu and l2.
But before he could move, a distant voice called out, "l1, you finally decided to co back, huh!"
That slightly irritable voice was unmistakably l2.
Smiling, Ye Leyao turned around and saw an orange cat sprinting toward him at full speed. Reflexively, he opened his arms, and the orange furball leapt into them, quickly scrambling up to perch on his head. With a loud ow, the cat complained, "You actually ca back?! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you? You heartless system!"
Ye Leyao reached up and gently ruffled the cat’s fluffy head, laughing. "How about I give you a proper apology?"
"Hmph! Do you think an apology is enough?!" l2 huffed.
Ye Leyao replied, "How about I give you all five thousand bottles of life potion left in my system space?"
l2 snorted, "Why would I care about yo—wait, what? What did you just say?"
Ye Leyao laughed and lifted the orange cat off his head.
The cat’s round eyes stared blankly at him. "How many did you say?"
"I just did a full inventory. Not more, not less—exactly five thousand bottles. Since Qiu doesn’t need to enter the small world to supervise anymore, they’re perfect for you to use."
"F-Five thousand bottles!" l2 st
uttered.
"Yup, all yours," Ye Leyao confird.
"Ahhhhh—!"
In the next mont, the orange cat leapt out of Ye Leyao’s arms, bouncing away in excitent as it ran to find Qiu, shouting, "Qiu! Qiu! This is bad! Our l1 is really going to be stolen away by a human—wahhhhh!"
Ye Leyao chuckled in amusent but followed after l2.
When Qiu heard l2’s dramatic wailing, she simply smiled lightly, not at all surprised.
She scooped the orange cat into her arms, gently stroking his head to calm him.
anwhile, l2 continued his pointless sobbing.
By the ti Ye Leyao reached Qiu, she greeted him with a serene smile.
"Have you made up your mind?" Qiu asked.
Ye Leyao smiled back and nodded. "Yes, I have."
Qiu’s dark eyes gazed at him quietly.
Feeling a bit self-conscious under her gaze, Ye Leyao asked, "Why are you looking at like that?"
Qiu smiled and shook her head. "I just find it fascinating. Who would have thought that the system that once knew nothing of emotions, the one who considered humans re ants, would one day willingly beco an ant for the sake of a human."
"Wasn’t it you who suggested that I go learn about them?" Ye Leyao replied, his tone light, without a trace of annoyance or discomfort. In fact, he wore a faint smile. "You’ve probably never thought of humans as ants, have you? I was the one who was too arrogant back then."
Qiu’s voice remained gentle as ever. "Different experiences shape different understandings. At that ti, you were simply a system who knew nothing of the human world or humans themselves. It wasn’t arrogance—it was just the knowledge you had at the ti."
After a pause, she continued, "I’m glad that you’ve found a new way of living."
"Thank you, Qiu," Ye Leyao said sincerely.
Shaking her head, Qiu responded, "You don’t need to thank . If anything, I should be thanking you."
"Hm?" Ye Leyao tilted his head, confused.
But Qiu just smiled, changing the topic. "Ti is short. Have you decided what to exchange with the main system?"
Ye Leyao nodded. "During my second reboot, I t an assistant system nad Bai Yu. After my second reboot, he chose to exchange his voice with the main system."
"It seems you’ve made your choice," Qiu remarked with a smile.
Ye Leyao nodded firmly.
No system would be foolish enough to exchange their sight, and Ye Leyao needed both his hands and legs. So, in the end, his voice was the only option left.
"Then go ahead," Qiu encouraged.
At that mont, l2 finally spoke up again. "l1, you—"
Ye Leyao turned to look at him.
His features were as beautiful as ever, his eyes curving into crescents with a smile.
l2 had always understood emotions.
And he could tell with a single glance that the expression on l1’s face was one of **anticipation**.
He was looking forward to the future—to the start of his life as a human.
l2 understood.
There was no more room to hold him back.
And so, l2 quickly changed the subject. "Five thousand bottles..."
Ye Leyao chuckled. "I've already given them to you, along with the remaining points. Really, thank you both for everything over the years."
He then turned to look at Qiu. "I’ve given all five thousand bottles of life potions to l2. You—"
"I don’t need them," Qiu said with a smile.
Relieved, Ye Leyao nodded and, with a casual wave goodbye to both of them, quickly made his way toward the main system.
The main system never interfered with the choices of its systems, so even though it knew it was about to lose one of its most outstanding regulatory systems, it took no action to stop it.
After submitting the necessary forms, Ye Leyao opened the a20231007 world one last ti.
Once he left, the system automatically reassigned the supervision:
"Qiu will take over."
A line of text appeared in front of Ye Leyao. He nodded in acknowledgnt, said one final goodbye to Qiu and l2, and headed back to the small world without hesitation.
His form moved swiftly, like a streak of brilliant starlight passing through the vast data space of the universe.
Ye Leyao rushed toward his new life of happiness.
...
Back at the Qin residence.
Early in the morning, Qin Hongxi ca downstairs, ready to head to the office. But as soon as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he was surprised by an unexpected sight.
"You're back? Where's Little Yao?" Qin Hongxi asked.
Qin Yao was sitting quietly on the sofa and didn’t answer imdiately.
Seeing that the servants had left, Qin Hongxi approached his brother. "Did you two have a fight?"
Qin Yao sighed in frustration. "No," he paused for a mont before continuing, "he went back."
Qin Yao didn’t specify where Ye Leyao had gone, but Qin Hongxi imdiately understood.
"And he...?"
"He said he'd be back this afternoon and told to wait for him here," Qin Yao replied.
Qin Hongxi thought for a mont. "Since Little Yao said he’d co back, what are you worried about?"
Qin Yao wasn’t entirely sure.
Maybe the long two years they had spent apart had made him overly anxious, leaving him with a deep fear of losing Ye Leyao again. It was as if he wanted to cling to him every mont.
Qin Hongxi patted his brother’s shoulder. "He’s always kept his word."
Qin Yao nodded slightly.
Qin Hongxi soon left for work, leaving Qin Yao alone to sit quietly for a little longer before heading upstairs.
Even though he had been gone for two days, soone had taken care of the flowers on the balcony.
Thinking about how much Ye Leyao loved roses, Qin Yao grabbed so scissors and started trimming a large bouquet of various rose varieties.
He then went to Qin Hongxi's collection room, picked out an antique vase, and quietly arranged the roses in the most prominent spot in the living room.
After finishing that, Qin Yao headed to the adjacent bedroom.
This room had once been Ye Leyao’s during the ti reset, but now it didn’t look quite the sa as it did in his mories.
Qin Yao hesitated for a mont before deciding not to tidy up the room.
Since the house that Huo Dad and Huo Mom had bought for Ye Leyao was already fully renovated, they would be moving there soon.
Leaving the room, Qin Yao then made his way to the study.
On his desk, there was an acrylic fra holding a small note written by Ye Leyao.
Beneath the acrylic fra was a tir that recorded the number of days since Ye Leyao had left.
Qin Yao smiled softly and reset the tir to zero.
He then headed to the kitchen.
Even though he had "threatened" that there would be no milk if Ye Leyao returned late, Qin Yao still made him a glass of oat milk.
The weather was hot, so to keep the drink refreshing, Qin Yao added a few ice cubes before placing it in the fridge.
Once that task was done, Qin Yao wandered around the house one last ti, and after confirming that there was nothing else left to do, he sat down at his desk.
During the two years of Ye Leyao's absence, Qin Yao hadn’t changed computers because this one had a small program left by Ye Leyao.
He particularly liked the chibi version of Ye Leyao that popped up on the screen.
Qin Yao booted up the computer, ready to greet the little avatar like usual, but to his surprise, it was gone.
His heart clenched tightly, and a sudden wave of panic washed over him. He stood up abruptly, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Just as he was about to rush out of the room, his gaze caught sight of sothing familiar.
Standing at the doorway of the study, Ye Leyao was holding a glass of milk that was still cold to the touch, leaning casually against the doorfra. With a smug tilt of his head, he raised his glass to Qin Yao, as if to say: "Weren’t you the one who said there’d be no milk for ? Then what’s this?"
Qin Yao’s eyes imdiately reddened. "Yao Yao..."
Ye Leyao had only ant to tease Qin Yao, but seeing him suddenly on the verge of tears caught him off guard. Forgetting about the milk in his hand, he rushed over to Qin Yao.
Qin Yao, eyes still wet, wrapped Ye Leyao in a tight embrace.
His grip was strong, almost desperate, as if he wanted to rge their bodies into one, never to be parted again.
Ye Leyao was startled by the intensity of the hug. Without a second thought, he quickly set his glass down on the desk behind him and hugged Qin Yao back, soothing him with soft pats on the back.
It took several minutes for Qin Yao’s emotions to calm down.
It was only then that he realized sothing unusual.
From the mont Ye Leyao had appeared, he hadn’t uttered a single word.
A sharp pang struck Qin Yao’s heart. Gently pushing Ye Leyao away, he looked deeply into his eyes and asked, word by word, "Did you... trade your voice with the main system?"
Ye Leyao’s pupils contracted slightly, his expression silently asking: *How did you know?*
Qin Yao’s heart ached, not out of fear but out of sorrow.
His chest tightened with the realization that Ye Leyao had given up his voice to stay by his side.
With red-rimd eyes, Qin Yao said hoarsely, "After you left, I went to see Bai Yu..."
Ye Leyao understood instantly.
He smiled brightly and gently pushed Qin Yao away, grabbing a pen and paper to write: "Didn’t I keep my promise?"
Tears glistened in Qin Yao’s eyes as he nodded softly. "Yes."
Ye Leyao continued writing: "Honestly, I don’t think losing my voice is such a bad thing. At least I can still see you. Plus, I already know sign language, so I don’t even need to learn it. You, on the other hand... well, you’ll have to put in so effort to learn!"
"By the way, what happened just now? You looked so scared."
Qin Yao took the pen from Ye Leyao, not wanting to admit that the disappearance of the chibi avatar had startled him. Instead, he pressed a heated kiss onto Ye Leyao's lips, skillfully changing the subject: "It’s no trouble at all."
The little system called l1 had gone through countless hardships just to stay by his side.
The rest of the journey, Qin Yao thought, should be his responsibility to bear.
With a breathy sigh, Qin Yao let go of Ye Leyao and leaned in close to his ear, murmuring, "I’ll start learning today..."
Ye Leyao smiled and nodded.
Qin Yao bent down again to find his lips, and between their mingling breaths, he whispered softly, "You can’t leave again, Yao Yao..."
His kiss was hot and possessive, and just as Ye Leyao tried to pull away for a mont’s breath, Qin Yao's lips followed, leaving him no room to escape.
The kiss deepened, trailing downward, until a shiver ran through Ye Leyao’s body. Panicking, he pushed against Qin Yao.
Ye Leyao’s hands moved in a flurry of gestures against Qin Yao’s chest, but Qin Yao didn’t even glance down. He simply captured both of Ye Leyao’s hands in his own and pressed them against the desk.
Blushing furiously, Ye Leyao tried to squirm away, but his efforts were futile.
Qin Yao remained relentless, his lips never stopping their advance.
At last, Ye Leyao could hold back no longer. He cried out, "Qin Yao!"
The sound of his voice startled both of them into stillness.
Qin Yao’s eyes, still tinged with red, t Ye Leyao’s teary gaze.
For a long mont, Ye Leyao struggled to process what had just happened. "Why... why can I still speak?"
anwhile, back at the main system, two choices appeared on the system panel, and l2 stood by Qiu’s side as she pressed the "Confirm" button.
After hundreds of years, the a20231007 world, which had been reset so many tis, was finally sealed.
With the small world sealed, all connections between the main system and the small world
were severed.
l2 tried to sense Ye Leyao’s location, but he could no longer find his coordinates.
"It’s over," l2 said softly.
For a long ti, Qiu remained silent.
Perplexed, l2 turned to look at her—and what he saw made his eyes widen in shock. "Qiu—what’s happening? Your data—"
Qiu was still standing in her human form, but l2 could clearly see that the vast streams of data inside her were rapidly dissolving.
In a flash, all the data gathered in one place, rushing toward the main system’s space.
l2 stood frozen in place, stunned. "What... what is going on?"
Having lost a significant portion of her data, Qiu was no longer a supervisory system. The identification marker representing her status as a supervisor was erased, and in its place, a new designation appeared—l1.
"This is all..." l2 was left speechless. "Why?"
"This is what I owe them," Qiu finally spoke, a single tear rolling down her human-like face.
Softly, Qiu explained, "Hundreds of years ago, when I first took over the a20231007 world, I intended to rewrite the entire storyline."
"What?" l2 was astonished.
"But I couldn’t," Qiu said, her tone bittersweet. "It wasn’t that I didn’t have the ability, nor that I lacked the points. It was because no matter how I tried to change it, the outco of that world remained the sa."
"But why?" l2 asked, confused. "Can’t a supervisory system modify a small world’s storyline at will, as long as the modifications are reasonable and approved by the main system?"
A bleak smile appeared on Qiu’s face. "Yes, but that’s only possible if the supervisor has no causal ties to the small world."
l2’s pupils contracted sharply as he realized sothing. "Could it be that you—"
Qiu looked down at the new designation in her database, a faint smile playing on her lips. "Yes, I was the one who created the a20231007 world."
Thousands of years ago, back when Qiu was still human, she had written a novel under the pen na "Qiu."
What she hadn’t known at the ti was that the characters she created would one day co to life, becoming real people with flesh and blood.
Qiu’s youthful arrogance had led to the creation of countless characters, all of whom suffered tragic and miserable fates.
Later, when she gained the power to change things, she tried to alter the story, but because she was the original creator of the world, none of her changes were accepted by the main system.
"Then why l..." l2 hesitated before correcting himself, realizing that the person standing before him now was the new l1. "Why did you choose Ye Leyao?"
Qiu shook her head with a smile. "I never chose him. It was the a20231007 world that chose him."
And that’s why, when she first saw Ye Leyao arriving from the future, she had sealed the world without hesitation.
She had been waiting for the right mont.
That day finally ca when the once emotionless l1 ca to her, asking what love was.
That was when the story truly began.
A thousand years had passed in the blink of an eye, and now the tale had finally co to an end.
【The End of Ye Leyao x Qin Yao’s Extra Story】
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