The sound of rushing water echoed in Yin Yin’s ears. For a moment, she felt as if she had returned to the old home of her childhood, where, upon opening her eyes, she would see the ever-flowing Muma River.

Sunlight shone warmly on her body, and from time to time, a gentle breeze rustled the leaves above her head.

It felt so comfortable, so much so that Yin Yin wanted to sleep like this forever.

Yet, deep in her subconscious, a voice kept urging her to wake up.

Somewhere, a chorus of chirping birds rose noisily, making her feel restless and irritable.

Her brows twitched, and slowly, her eyelids opened just a sliver.

The first thing she saw was a burst of light. It was too bright, and she instinctively shut her eyes again. After gradually adjusting to the brightness, she tried to open them once more.

The scenery before her was unfamiliar, but beautiful nonetheless. A small river flowed nearby, framed by lush green trees. Small animals even darted past her line of sight.

Then came the pain. It was hard to say where exactly it hurt, perhaps everywhere.

Pain truly had the power to bring clarity. In an instant, Yin Yin remembered everything.

She had fallen off a cliff. No— she had been pushed off by Du Qianqian! She had thought she was going to die and that she would return to her original world. But judging by the current situation, not only had she survived, she was still trapped in the world of 《All Splendor Fades》.

Well, according to the second rule of novels, anyone who falls off a cliff never dies. It seemed that even as a side character, falling with the protagonist still let her catch a bit of that protagonist’s halo.

The protagonist? A jolt of panic seized Yin Yin’s heart. Just before losing consciousness, she thought she had heard Ling Long’s voice.

Ling Long!!!

Summoning strength from who knew where, Yin Yin flipped herself up from the ground and looked around anxiously for Ling Long.

But there was no need to search. He was lying right next to her, his hand even resting across her waist. As she turned, she immediately saw his sleeping face.

Sleeping? No, he was clearly unconscious!

Yin Yin knelt down and gently patted Ling Long’s face. “Ling Long?”

He didn’t respond, but Yin Yin reacted instantly.

So hot!

Ling Long’s body radiated heat, his face pale, lips dry and cracked. Yin Yin called out again, urgently, “Ling Long!”

Still no reaction.

Her eyes landed on Ling Long’s injured right arm. The blood had long dried, but the wound had turned a sinister shade of blackish-purple.

It was poisoned!!!

Yin Yin immediately panicked. Those arrows had been coated with poison?! That heartless bastard Du Qianqian! She even dared to target the male protagonist like this!

Actually, Du Qianqian hadn’t expected things to turn out this way either.

But what should Yin Yin do now? How could she detoxify Ling Long?

In every drama, novel, or story Yin Yin had seen, this was the part where someone sucked the poison out by mouth.

But those same stories also said that this method was risky. It could lead to poisoning oneself.

Still, Yin Yin couldn’t care less right now. She didn’t know whether it would work, but she had already decided.

She tore open Ling Long’s sleeve and winced at the vicious wound. He must’ve been in so much pain. She bent down, ready to start her blood-sucking mission, when her eyes caught sight of a wooden doll lying next to Ling Long.

It was the one Sang Ze had made for her.

She remembered that just before leaving for Yundai Valley, she had been lying in bed, troubled over this wooden doll. So when Bai Wenwu knocked on her door, she had instinctively tucked the doll into her arms.

Without thinking, she reached out and picked it up, only to lift just one arm.

The doll had clearly been broken from the fall. But…… why did it feel hollow?

Frowning, Yin Yin lifted the rest of the doll and found that it was indeed hollow. Inside the belly of the doll lay a black pill and a small piece of paper.

Curious, she unfolded the paper. It held just three words, ‘Seven Star Pill.’

Seven Star Pill? Was it made from Seven Star Grass? Yin Yin remembered Jia Qing mentioning that Seven Star Grass could cure all poisons.

What kind of setup was this?

Yin Yin suddenly felt like she had opened a treasure chest, and a message popped up on screen, ‘Obtained Seven Star Pill ×1.’

Despite the flood of questions in her mind, the most urgent was— Was the pill real? Should she give it to Ling Long?

She stared at the pill in her palm for a long while before finally deciding to take a gamble. After all, things couldn’t get worse than they already were.

She carefully propped Ling Long up, opened his mouth, and placed the pill inside. Then she gently lifted his chin, helping the pill slide down his throat.

By the time she finished all this, Yin Yin was drenched in sweat.

There was no time to rest, though. Limping to the river, she used a freshly picked leaf to scoop up some water, then carefully carried it back to Ling Long, feeding it to him sip by sip.

She tore a piece of fabric from her clothes, hobbled back to the river to soak it, then returned and began cleaning Ling Long’s wound.

As the gash gradually lost its gruesome look under her care, Yin Yin felt slightly more at ease. She tore another clean strip of cloth and gently bandaged his arm.

She suddenly felt grateful for the time she had pretended to be a doctor. Those fake credentials had at least taught her basic first aid and wound care.

After wiping Ling Long’s face clean, she gave the cloth one last rinse and folded it to place on his forehead.

Only then did Yin Yin finally exhale deeply. She felt like collapsing from exhaustion.

So thirsty. She wished she had taken a sip of water too, but now she didn’t want to move a single step. She lay down beside Ling Long, staring blankly at his face.

His complexion had begun to show signs of color again. It was clear the antidote had worked. Yin Yin finally let out a sigh of relief. Looking at the sun, she noticed it was already near midday, and the rays had become harsher.

Ling Long’s brow twitched slightly. Alarmed, Yin Yin shot up. “Ling Long?”

Still no answer, though his brow remained furrowed.

She looked up at the sky. Was the sunlight too harsh? But she didn’t want to move him……

Raising her hand, she blocked the sunlight from Ling Long’s eyes. The shadow cast by her palm soothed the tight crease on his brow.

So Yin Yin kept her right hand raised in the air, silently watching over the unconscious Ling Long, and occasionally using her other hand to check his body temperature.

Time passed slowly. Occasionally, birds circled above her head, and the bold ones even landed on her shoulder to chirp a tune. The river continued to babble, providing background music to their song.

Yin Yin simply gazed down at Ling Long’s closed eyes, switching hands to shield him from the sun. Both her arms had gone numb, but she still wore a faint smile on her lips.

Finally, Ling Long’s eyelids twitched. Yin Yin noticed it immediately, watching him so closely that she didn’t even dare to breathe.

At last, Ling Long opened his eyes. His amber irises, usually so clear, were now veiled in a layer of haze.

“Yinyin……” Ling Long’s lips moved slightly, his voice hoarse.

“Ling Long! You’re awake! You’re finally awake!” Yin Yin flung herself at him and burst into tears. “You scared me to death! I thought you’d never wake up again, wuuwuuwuu……”

“Ugh……” Ling Long weakly raised his hand to push her away. “You’re…… heavy. Can you get off me first……?”

Yin Yin: “……”

She swore she would never speak to Ling Long again!

Getting off him, she turned her head, refusing to look at him.

Ling Long stared at the back of her head, helpless, and sat up. But the motion tugged at his wounded arm, and he hissed in pain.

“What’s wrong?!” Yin Yin whipped around in panic. “Your right hand is injured, don’t move it recklessly!” She carefully examined the bandage to check for signs of reopening.

“I’m fine.” Ling Long brushed aside the messy hair on her forehead. “Are you hurt anywhere?”

Yin Yin shook her head. In truth, she had plenty of cuts and bruises, but compared to his condition, they were nothing.

“How was the poison cured?” Ling Long looked at her, puzzled.

“Do you remember the wooden doll Sang Ze gave me?” Yin Yin held up a broken piece of it. “For some reason, it turned out to be hollow, and inside was a Seven Star Pill.”

Yin Yin stared at the doll fragment in her hand, confused. Who had placed the pill inside? And why? And what about Li Li? What was his role?

There were so many unanswered questions, but at least one thing was clear— Du Qianqian hadn’t fallen off the cliff. Which meant…… perhaps the world wouldn’t reset?

Yin Yin blinked. For now, at least, time seemed to be moving forward normally.

But then another realization hit her. 《All Splendor Fades》 ended with Du Qianqian jumping to her death. Which meant that from now on, everything that happened was…… unwritten, original plot?!

A wave of nervousness mixed with excitement surged in her chest.

“We should figure out how to get out of here first.” Ling Long stood up, and Yin Yin hurried to help him, forgetting that her own ankle was twisted.

“Ow!” Yin Yin yelped in pain, startling Ling Long.

“What happened?” He scanned her up and down, then frowned. “Your ankle is swollen like a bun, and you said you were fine?”

He helped her sit by the riverbank and gently poked her swollen foot. “Does it hurt?”

“Ouch! Try it yourself and see!” Yin Yin cried, nearly in tears from the pain.

Ling Long tore a strip from her clothing to make a simple bandage. Yin Yin grumbled, “Why did you tear mine?”

“Yours was already torn. Don’t ruin my clothes too.”

Yin Yin: “……”

This man was a total ingrate!

After finding her a suitable branch to use as a crutch, the two of them began making their way along the base of the cliff.