THD Chapter 36
"Aaaaaah!"
The system could not bear to watch anymore.
The entire backstage audience was cheering for the female lead to tear the male lead apart. Anyone who had never met the male lead would think he was some insignificant cannon fodder character dragged in from a random corner.
"Ugh! We're Qin Nian fans, and they're treating our favorite like some pitiful child!"
"This Qin mom can't take it anymore. 7418, you're really promoting the mission taker by sacrificing the male lead's dignity, aren't you?"
"What kind of monster is this mission taker? She says four years, and it's four years. She says ten years, and it's ten years. Her words are absolute law. Is she the reincarnation of some dragon overlord? 7418, do you even dare watch?"
"I can't take it anymore! Baby, you were born into a small world, a delicate ornament with no control over your own fate. It's bad enough that Mommy can't take you away, but now I have to watch you suffer like this!"
"Stop spending! Stop spending! Qin fans won't spend another penny on you, 7418!"
The system fell silent.
...Was this really what it had been thinking?
The second world had brought unprecedented traffic, but it had also brought unprecedented problems.
Its pillar had fallen.
As an entertainment-focused live observation program, it was impossible not to have a popular flagship character. Unlike Lu Jing'an, the male lead of the first world, who had seemed somewhat rustic and struggled to gain popularity, Qin Nian was immensely popular. In school, he was the model top student. In society, he was a legendary research tycoon. He possessed countless loyal fans.
His invincible strength was the foundation of his popularity.
Now that such a disgraceful chapter of his past had been exposed, endless scandals were being dug up and spread everywhere.
The system was heartbroken. Even the soaring viewership could not comfort it. After all, that traffic had been bought at the cost of the male lead's shattered reputation.
It felt exactly the same as Qin Nian's fans, yet it was the one being blamed for everything.
"Moo..."
The system cried miserably.
Yet, while mourning, it shared the same question as Qin Nian's fans.
Why was Ye Xiqing's performance so absurdly overpowered?
When it had scanned her in her original world, none of her attributes had been exceptional. Yet as the story progressed, she became even stronger than Qin Nian, the male lead with the highest overall stats in the entire series.
Unwilling to accept reality, the system scanned Ye Xiqing's attributes once again.
Even her IQ was within the normal range.
This made no sense.
Unable to restrain itself any longer, it finally asked.
Ye Xiqing was deeply absorbed in a new experiment when she heard the question. Looking up, she smiled.
"Don't you think you're underestimating me a little? I've lived through two lifetimes. Even if my IQ is only average, isn't it normal for me to be a little smarter than everyone else?"
"But where does your research ability come from? Research depends entirely on intelligence, doesn't it?"
"No."
She shrugged.
"It seems I can learn it simply by studying. Where did you get the idea that scientific research requires extraordinary intelligence? Do you have any data to support that conclusion?"
Did that even need supporting data?
Wasn't it obvious?
But if the system kept arguing, it felt like Ye Xiqing would only become even more smug.
Grinding its metaphorical teeth, it glared at her.
"Host, didn't you ever think about the possibility of failing to produce results after four years and being humiliated by the male lead?"
"I did."
"That's why I didn't choose some impossibly difficult medical problem. Menstrual cramps hurt terribly, but they don't kill people. How could that possibly count as an extremely difficult disease to cure?"
"But what if you still couldn't develop the treatment?"
Ye Xiqing stopped working.
She looked at the system with an expression it had never seen before.
"Turn off the livestream for a moment, and I'll tell you."
"...?"
"Is there something you can't say in public?"
"Turn it off first."
Although filled with suspicion, the system's curiosity ultimately won.
After hesitating for a long while, it reluctantly shut down the livestream for a brief moment.
"You really turned it off?" Ye Xiqing asked.
"I really did! Hurry up! Every second it's offline wastes an enormous amount of data!"
Hearing that, Ye Xiqing relaxed and looked straight at it.
"When the host can't solve the problem, the system steps in. You're a story satisfaction system, not some useless decoration. You're so selfish that you've forgotten we're partners with shared interests. Idiot."
The system was speechless.
...
After what felt like an eternity of silence, the livestream resumed.
The comment section exploded.
"???"
"What did they say?"
"What secret is so important that even us VIP viewers aren't allowed to hear it?"
"Release the footage! Otherwise we're filing complaints!"
The system remained silent.
She had scolded it like some diva throwing a tantrum, and now the innocent employee responsible for editing the livestream had to clean up the mess.
So who was the one that had betrayed their alliance of shared interests first?
...
Ever since that "livestream incident," the system had become completely silent.
After Father Ye passed away, Ye Xiqing naturally inherited the Ye family, reaching another peak in her life and fulfilling the conditions required for her departure from this world.
She could not help but regret that she had not tried harder to keep her father alive for a few more years.
This world had been wonderful.
It possessed first-rate wealthy families and the finest academic resources imaginable.
She hardly dared imagine how glorious her life would have been if she could have brought all of it back to her original world.
But everything must come to an end.
Everyone must eventually die.
When the time arrived, there was no point resisting it.
She had no regrets in this world.
She could at least use what remained of this body to accomplish something meaningful.
...
Ye Xueli ran as fast as she could.
She wanted to reach the hospital as quickly as possible and confront Ye Xiqing.
Just what are you trying to do?
Inside the country's highest-level intensive care unit, those moving about were not doctors but members of a special government department wearing distinctive insignia.
Ye Xiqing, the world-renowned pharmaceutical academician who had dedicated her entire life to improving human health, had done exactly as she had once declared in an interview years earlier.
In her final moments, she had opened humanity's Pandora's box.
She had conducted a live gene-editing experiment.
On herself.
This act of defying the Creator seemed to bring divine punishment.
The moment the experiment ended, every one of her organs began failing.
Even the most advanced medical technology could not halt the decline.
She appeared to be paying the price for her recklessness.
Yet no one could guarantee that her experimental data would never leak, becoming the key to opening Pandora's box forever.
Because of that, a government department responsible for human safety requested that one of her family members witness her final explanation of the experiment before her death.
The chosen person was Ye Xueli.
She had no idea why she had been selected.
All she could do was steady her breathing and walk toward the crowd.
Ji Yuxiu cried bitterly, begging to see her daughter one last time.
The staff remained courteous but unwavering, firmly preventing her from entering.
Meng Xuedong was absent.
As one of the leaders of Qingqing Technology, he too was undergoing investigation.
Only Third Young Master Ye remained.
His bloodshot eyes shone with undisguised excitement.
"Ye Xiqing is dying? Hahaha! This is karma!"
Ji Yuxiu burst into tears, condemning his heartlessness.
But Ye Xueli's words struck far deeper.
"What are you so happy about? Even if she dies, none of it will belong to you. Your children don't even carry the Ye surname."
"What did you say?!"
Years earlier, in order to suppress the increasingly influential Ye Xueli, Third Young Master Ye had arranged a marriage alliance with the wealthy Zhao family.
But marriages between powerful families were built on profit.
Ye Xueli could simply bypass him and cooperate directly with the Zhao family.
Third Young Master Ye always believed that, as the Ye family's only surviving son, he was the sole legitimate heir.
Miss Zhao saw things differently.
If being the "legitimate bloodline" had been enough to defeat Ye Xiqing and Ye Xueli, then Eldest Young Master Ye and Second Young Master Ye would never have failed, and Third Young Master Ye himself would never have become the family's last remaining heir.
Rather than indulging his delusions, Miss Zhao preferred throwing him out altogether.
Her children would take the Zhao surname, inherit the Zhao family business, and spare her the sight of his increasingly unpleasant face.
Ironically, the very man who had mocked Ye Xiqing for saying that her future children would not bear the Ye surname became the first among them whose own children did not carry the Ye name.
It struck directly at his deepest insecurity.
Third Young Master Ye instantly flew into a rage and lunged at Ye Xueli.
Unfortunately for him, the staff member standing nearby was no ordinary security guard.
The moment Third Young Master Ye moved, the staff member seized his wrist. Before he could react, the staff member's other hand had already slipped into his pocket.
Understanding exactly what that gesture implied, Ye Xueli immediately regained her composure and quickly stepped back.
Passing through the silent crowd, she entered the ward.
Besides Ye Xiqing, there sat an elegant elderly woman with neatly combed gray hair.
She smiled warmly and nodded at Ye Xueli while chatting with Ye Xiqing.
Hearing someone enter, Ye Xiqing looked over with a strange expression.
"So in the end... you still brought her."
The elderly woman smiled.
"We evaluated everyone around you. Some could never break through your emotional defenses, no matter how much affection they showed you. Others would have followed you fanatically no matter what you did. Perhaps only this lady, who also bears the Ye surname, could form one final connection with you."
"I hope we made the right choice."
"Well then," Ye Xiqing replied, "let her come over."
Ye Xueli slowly approached and sat between them, her hands clenched tightly together.
Before entering, she had countless questions.
Now she could not speak a single one.
Only the other two continued talking calmly.
"I actually didn't fail."
"But every test shows that all your organs are failing."
"That has nothing to do with the experiment."
"Nothing to do with it?"
The elderly woman narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
"And yet you've accepted it so calmly, as though you knew organ failure was inevitable."
She paused.
"Or perhaps we've mistaken cause and effect. You already knew your body would fail before you even began this experiment."
Ye Xiqing laughed.
"Haha. You figured it out so quickly. Now you've embarrassed me."
"I'm sorry, Academician Ye, but is that really true? May I ask what actually threatened your life?"
"Probably aliens."
"...Could I have a more truthful answer?"
"No."
"Then we'll have to record that answer for now."
She turned another page in her notebook.
"Next question. What proves that your experiment succeeded?"
"Roll up my sleeve."
"Do you see those white patches?"
"My investigator mentioned them. She said they seemed unrelated to the symptoms that caused your death, but neither I nor my team fully understood their significance."
She looked carefully.
"Is the answer hidden there?"
Ye Xiqing nodded approvingly.
"You're very perceptive."
"This is actually a very common X-linked inherited disorder. It isn't fatal, but my body has never expressed it before."
The elderly woman immediately understood.
"So your research wasn't actually about curing diseases through gene editing."
"It was about making a healthy body express a dormant genetic disease."
"Exactly."
"My original objective was indeed to cure disease through gene editing."
"But my body was too healthy."
"I had no diseased tissue to experiment on."
"So I simply reversed my thinking."
"I induced the disease-causing gene to express itself in my own healthy body."
"Look, my body's data shows no abnormalities apart from this lesion. I safely and uniquely acquired this disease, proving that I have opened a one way channel for gene editing. As long as this one way channel exists, it proves my theory can be reversed. So I say I haven't failed."
"But your entire body is failing."
"I swear to God, these are absolutely not side effects of the experiment."
"Incredible! I don't know whether to call you a mad genius or a genius who has gone mad."
"Thank you for the compliment. To be honest, among those who truly understand this, your praise makes me feel somewhat undeserving."
The two continued talking as though Ye Xueli did not exist.
Ye Xueli lowered her head, her eyelashes trembling.
What had she just heard?
Was this really a secret that an ordinary person like her was allowed to know?
The two of them enthusiastically exchanged ideas, rapidly filling in every missing detail until only one subject remained.
"So, Academician Ye, would you be willing to hand over your experimental data?"
Ye Xiqing looked at her, still wearing that relaxed smile.
"If I gave it to you, would you destroy it?"
"With results this extraordinary, you probably wouldn't believe me if I claimed I would destroy them. But I can promise you this. They will be used where they are truly needed."
"And why should I believe you?"
"Because countless people covet your research, yet I was the first to reach your side. That alone proves my capabilities."
She paused before adding softly, "Besides, a long time ago, when I was still a little girl, I was one of your admirers."
"I've heard that you've always been more lenient toward your admirers. So I'm willing to gamble on that sentiment."
Ye Xiqing forced her arm to move, lightly tapping her fingertips together as though applauding.
"A precise and comprehensive answer. But if you're usually so cautious, why did you allow an unrelated outsider to come so close to me?"
The elderly woman slowly raised her head.
Under her gaze, Ye Xiqing suddenly called out, "Ye Xueli!"
"Ah?"
Ye Xueli shot to her feet in panic.
Was there really something wrong with her?
A fleeting brilliance flashed across Ye Xiqing's face, almost like the final burst of light before a candle burned out. Looking at Ye Xueli with complete sincerity, she said, "Ye Xueli, I need you to do something for me."
Ye Xueli stared blankly at her.
It felt as though she had returned to the very beginning, back to being that helpless and powerless fake heiress who lost every ounce of confidence whenever she stood before Ye Xiqing.
This was absurd.
If Ye Xiqing asked anything of her, she would agree without hesitation.
So why this?
Ye Xueli had always been slow. Things that came naturally to other people took her a long time to understand.
Yet even someone as slow as she was could recognize how dangerous, bizarre, and unbelievable this was.
She trembled uncontrollably. Every cell in her body screamed at her to run.
But Ye Xiqing's wrist continued tapping against the edge of the bed as she repeated the same words again and again.
"Ye Xueli. I need you to do something for me."
The steady rhythm of the monitoring equipment suddenly dissolved into a piercing alarm.
Gathering what little strength remained in her life, Ye Xiqing made her request in a hoarse voice.
Ye Xueli's mind went completely blank.
Before she could even think, her body nodded on its own.
"Yes!"
Hearing that answer, Ye Xiqing finally relaxed.
She looked at Ye Xueli with a calmness that contrasted sharply with the steadily declining numbers on the vital signs monitor.
"I want you to do one thing for me."
"Remember me forever."
"Even if I leave you with nothing."
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