“Let me put it this way, Sister Qiaoyun…” Han Yimo swallowed hard before continuing, “No matter what happens with Old Zhao, I’m definitely on your side.”
“What is this?” Wen Qiaoyun was thoroughly amused by Han Yimo. “A… pledge of loyalty?”
“Absolutely, Sister Qiaoyun…” Han Yimo said with utmost sincerity. “You might not know, but my situation right now is really awkward…!”
Wen Qiaoyun found this amusing. “How is it ‘awkward’?”
“Well… Sister Qiaoyun, you seem very cultured. You must have read a lot of novels, right?” Han Yimo asked.
“I…” Wen Qiaoyun was momentarily speechless at this logic. “First of all… I don’t have a high level of education. Secondly, I don’t see any connection between being cultured and reading novels. There are professors who love novels and scientists who don’t.”
“Ah, anyway, you know what I mean!” Han Yimo pressed on. “I’ve ended up with a rather unfortunate mentor… I mean Qi Xia. He was supposed to be my ‘savior,’ but I’ve come to realize he doesn’t actually focus all his efforts on me. Instead, he has his own ideals and ambitions… His ambitions are too grand, like a classic villain archetype, you get it…?”
Wen Qiaoyun remained silent.
“If a villain like him gets the chance to grow, he could become a demon wreaking havoc on the world. And as the protagonist, I have to find a way to stop him.” Han Yimo gestured animatedly. “But right now, my abilities are limited. The only thing I can do is infiltrate Qi Xia’s team and try to dismantle it from within… If you’ve read enough novels, you’d understand the logic behind my actions… Do you get it?”
Wen Qiaoyun continued to stay silent.
“Sister Qiaoyun, I don’t blame you for your lack of insight,” Han Yimo added. “You just need to know the situation is critical. If I don’t take your ‘character’ from you here, I’ll lose Qi Xia’s trust once we leave. Then it’ll be even harder to dismantle his team from within! Losing to me now isn’t just for my sake—it’s for everyone, including yourself! Hand over your ‘character,’ and the people of this ‘Land of the End’ will thank you!”
As Han Yimo delivered his impassioned speech, a few flecks of spit nearly landed on Wen Qiaoyun’s face.
After listening to him, Wen Qiaoyun glanced to the side, lightly scratched her head with a fingernail, and let out an almost inaudible clearing of her throat.
Absurd.
Was today just too absurd?
First Chen Junnan, now Han Yimo.
Was it impossible to meet normal people in this place called the “Land of the End”?
Or was it that only people like them could survive this long…?
After a long pause, she finally spoke. “Han Yimo, there’s something I don’t quite understand.”
“Go ahead.”
“I’ve heard from others…” Wen Qiaoyun said solemnly, “that everyone here is stuck in cycles of reincarnation. So I didn’t just appear—I’ve simply lost my memories.”
“Right, that’s how it is. It’s a reincarnation setting,” Han Yimo confirmed.
“So many people know me, and many remember me,” Wen Qiaoyun continued.
“Yes, that’s right. You’re a legendary figure,” Han Yimo replied, then added, “Like an ancient powerhouse.”
“Then here’s my question,” Wen Qiaoyun said. “Your ‘commander,’ Qi Xia—he should know what kind of person I am, right?”
“Yes, he does. He knows about you.”
“Qi Xia understands me, and he understands you. Yet, if I lose to you here…” Wen Qiaoyun said, “are you sure he won’t grow even more suspicious when you bring my ‘character’ back?”
“Ah…?”
Han Yimo seemed to grasp the implication, but he hadn’t expected her to be so blunt.
“Let me put it this way, Sister Qiaoyun…” Han Yimo swallowed hard and continued, “No matter what happens with Old Zhao, I’m definitely on your side.”
“What is this?” Wen Qiaoyun was thoroughly amused by Han Yimo. “Are you… pledging your loyalty?”
“Absolutely… Sister Qiaoyun…” Han Yimo said with utmost sincerity. “You might not know this, but my current situation is really awkward…!”
Wen Qiaoyun found it amusing. “How is it ‘awkward’?”
“Well… Sister Qiaoyun, you seem very cultured. You must have read a lot of novels, right?” Han Yimo asked.
“I…” Wen Qiaoyun was visibly stumped by this logic. “First of all… I don’t have a particularly high level of education. Secondly, I don’t see any connection between being cultured and reading novels. There are professors who love reading novels and scientists who don’t.”
“Anyway, you know what I mean!” Han Yimo said. “I’ve encountered a not-so-great mentor… I’m talking about Qi Xia. He used to be my ‘savior,’ but I’ve come to realize that he doesn’t really have my best interests at heart. Instead, he has his own ideals and ambitions… His ambitions are too grand. He’s like a classic antagonist character, you know…?”
Wen Qiaoyun remained silent.
“If given the chance to grow, this kind of antagonist could become a demon wreaking havoc on the world. As the protagonist, I must find a way to stop all of this.” Han Yimo gestured animatedly as he spoke. “But my abilities are limited right now. The only thing I can do is infiltrate Qi Xia’s team and try to dismantle it from within… I mean, if you’ve read enough novels, you’d understand that there’s some logic to what I’m doing… Do you get it?”
Wen Qiaoyun continued to stay silent.
“Sister Qiaoyun, I don’t blame you for your lack of experience,” Han Yimo added. “You just need to know that the situation is extremely critical. If I can’t take your ‘character’ away from here, I’ll lose Qi Xia’s trust once we’re out. Then it’ll be even harder to dismantle his team from the inside! If you lose to me now, it’s not just for my sake—it’s for everyone, including yourself! If you give me your ‘character’ now, all the people of the ‘Endless Abyss’ will thank you!”
As Han Yimo spoke passionately, a few droplets of spit nearly landed on Wen Qiaoyun’s face.
After listening to him, Wen Qiaoyun glanced to the side, lightly scratched her head with a fingernail, and made a barely audible throat-clearing sound.
Absurd.
Was today especially absurd?
First Chen Junnan, now Han Yimo.
Was it impossible to meet normal people in this place called the “Endless Abyss”?
Or was it that only people like them could survive until now…?
After a long pause, she slowly said, “Han Yimo, there’s something I don’t quite understand.”
“Go ahead.”
“I’ve heard from others…” Wen Qiaoyun said solemnly, “that everyone here has been stuck in a cycle of reincarnation. So, I’ve only lost my memories—I didn’t just appear here.”
“Right, that seems to be the case. It’s a reincarnation setting,” Han Yimo replied.
“So, many people know me, and many remember me,” Wen Qiaoyun said.
“Yes, it seems so. You’re quite a prominent figure,” Han Yimo added after a moment’s thought. “Like an ancient powerhouse.”
“Then my question is this,” Wen Qiaoyun said. “Your ‘leader,’ Qi Xia, should know what kind of person I am, right?”
“Yes, it seems he does. He knows you.”
“Qi Xia understands me and understands you. Yet, if I lose to you here,” Wen Qiaoyun said, “are you sure he won’t become even more suspicious when you take my ‘character’ out?”
“Huh…?”
Han Yimo seemed to grasp the meaning behind her words but hadn’t expected her to be so direct.
Wen Qiaoyun reached out and slowly picked up the coin the wild boar had left on the table. The coin had “甲” on one side and “乙” on the other, seemingly made of pure copper, with one side smooth and the other rough.
“Han Yimo, just focusing on this ‘coin toss’ game… How many times do you think you could win if we played fifty rounds in a row?”
As soon as she finished speaking, Wen Qiaoyun flicked the coin high into the air and swiftly slapped it onto the table.
“I guess it’s ‘heads.’ What do you think?” Wen Qiaoyun asked.
“I… I…”
Before Han Yimo could respond, Wen Qiaoyun lifted her hand—it was indeed “heads.”
Under Han Yimo’s stunned gaze, Wen Qiaoyun casually flicked the coin again and slapped it onto the table.
“Han Yimo, this time it’s ‘tails.'”
“You…”
Wen Qiaoyun lifted her hand—it was unmistakably “tails.”
Han Yimo was completely baffled by Wen Qiaoyun’s actions. It was supposed to be a “coin toss,” but she seemed to be “reading the coin.”
She flicked the coin a third time, caught it in her hand, and held it in front of Han Yimo’s eyes.
“Your turn to guess,” Wen Qiaoyun said.
Han Yimo stared at her clenched fist for a long time before blurting out, “Tails.”
Wen Qiaoyun flipped her fist and pressed the coin onto the table, saying softly, “You guessed wrong.”
She lifted her hand for the third time—the coin showed “heads.”
Han Yimo realized she didn’t even need to see the coin to know whether it was heads or tails. At this rate, his chances of winning were less than one percent.
“Sister Qiaoyun, how are you doing this…?” Han Yimo asked.
“That’s a good question,” Wen Qiaoyun said. “Mr. Writer, to me, this question sounds the same as ‘Can you just lose to me?’ Do you think I’d tell you before the game is over?”
This time, it was Han Yimo’s turn to fall silent.
He couldn’t help but feel like a wronged side character.
Seeing that Han Yimo had nothing to say, Wen Qiaoyun added, “I have a proposal that’s more reasonable than yours. Would you like to hear it?”
“What…?” Han Yimo asked.
“Just admit defeat and give me your ‘character.'”
“Huh?!” Han Yimo found this suggestion utterly absurd. “What kind of advice is that…? I just said that if I don’t bring a ‘character’ out, I’ll definitely…”
“You won’t,” Wen Qiaoyun said. “Losing to me here is the only outcome that would seem normal to Qi Xia. Otherwise, when he asks you ‘how you won,’ how do you plan to deceive him?”
“This…”
“I’ve already completely figured out this game. Continuing any further would just be a waste of time. I suggest you honestly leave your ‘character’ here.”
Han Yimo hesitated, looking troubled, and said, “But if I don’t have a ‘character’… how can I continue with the next games?”
“Didn’t you say Qi Xia trusts you?” Wen Qiaoyun smiled. “Then he’ll definitely give you another ‘character.’ That way, you can bring the new ‘character’ to me, and your team will lose two ‘characters.’ At that point, I’ll fully believe you’re on our side. Deal?”
“Han Yimo, just focusing on this ‘coin toss’ game… if we played fifty rounds, how many do you think you’d win?”
As she spoke, she flicked the coin high into the air and swiftly slapped it onto the table.
“I guess it’s ‘heads.’ What do you think?” Wen Qiaoyun asked.
“I… I…”
Before Han Yimo could answer, she lifted her hand—it was indeed heads.
Under Han Yimo’s stunned gaze, she casually tossed the coin again and slapped it down.
“Han Yimo, this time it’s ‘tails.'”
“You…”
She lifted her hand—it was tails.
Han Yimo was baffled. This was supposed to be a guessing game, yet Wen Qiaoyun seemed to be predicting the outcome like she could see it.
She tossed the coin a third time, caught it in her hand, and held it in front of Han Yimo’s eyes.
“Now it’s your turn to guess,” Wen Qiaoyun said.
Han Yimo stared at her clenched fist for a long moment before muttering, “Tails.”
She flipped her hand and pressed the coin onto the table, then said softly, “You guessed wrong.”
When she lifted her hand for the third time, the coin showed heads.
Han Yimo realized she didn’t even need to see the coin to know the outcome. His chances of winning were less than one percent.
“Sister Qiaoyun, how are you doing this…?” Han Yimo asked.
“That’s a good question,” Wen Qiaoyun replied. “To me, it sounds the same as asking, ‘Could you just lose to me?’ Do you really think I’d tell you before the game is over?”
Now it was Han Yimo’s turn to fall silent.
He suddenly felt like a pitiful side character.
Seeing his silence, Wen Qiaoyun continued, “I have a suggestion—much more reasonable than yours. Want to hear it?”
“What…?” Han Yimo asked.
“Just admit defeat and give me your ‘character.'”
“What?!” Han Yimo found this utterly preposterous. “I already told you, if I don’t bring back a ‘character,’ I’ll definitely—”
“You won’t,” Wen Qiaoyun interrupted. “Losing to me here is the only outcome that would make sense to Qi Xia. Otherwise, when he asks you how you won, how will you explain it?”
“This…”
“I’ve already figured out this game completely. Continuing would just be a waste of time. You might as well hand over your ‘character’ honestly.”
Han Yimo hesitated, his expression conflicted. “But without a ‘character,’ how can I continue the next game?”
“You said Qi Xia trusts you, didn’t you?” Wen Qiaoyun smiled. “Then he’ll surely give you another ‘character.’ You can bring that new one to me, and your team will lose two ‘characters’ in total. By then, I’ll fully believe you’re on our side. Deal?”
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