“System, I have a question for you.” Since arriving in this world, Meng Suihuan had rarely communicated with the system. She found it too noisy, so after gaining access to the points system, she directly muted it. It was only today that she decided to unmute the system again.

The system had never encountered such a host before—one who muted its prestigious self and restricted its powers using points. Now that it could finally speak again, it happily emitted a series of mechanical sounds.

“What’s your question? Ask away, but I won’t answer you!”

Meng Suihuan: “…Why does your voice sound so terrible now? Can you make it normal?”

System: “…”

System: “Host, don’t you remember? You muted me! It’s been three whole years!”

Apologies, she really had forgotten. However, this wasn’t the time to reminisce; she had more important questions to ask the system. After apologizing, she quickly shifted the topic.

“System, if I stop completing the missions, can I stay in this world?”

Previously, she had asked the system how to return to her original world, whether she could go back. But with the passage of time, the impressions of the 21st century in her mind were fading and becoming blurry. She hadn’t thought about the past in a long time. Now, what was deeply engraved in her mind were the people, friends, and family in this world, and the love and joy she had here. She didn’t want to leave. She didn’t want Lu Linshen to suffer every day, fearing the worst, and enduring the pain of losing her. She couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him. She wanted to stay in his world forever, growing old with him.

The cold, mechanical voice sounded again.

“No, if you stop the mission, the world in the book will collapse, and you will be erased by the rules, completely disappearing from this world.”

“Why can’t I? I already have a lifespan far exceeding a hundred years. I just need to live until I’m 99, and that will be enough.”

Would 99 be too old? She wasn’t sure how long Lu Linshen could live. It didn’t matter. Whatever age he lived to, she would live to that age too. That should work.

“Host, the mission has a time limit. If you don’t complete the mission within the required time, you will still be erased by the rules.”

Time limit? Meng Suihuan sharply caught onto those words, “Required time?” Why hadn’t the system mentioned this before? Or had it mentioned it, and she had simply forgotten? She wasn’t going to get caught up in the past right now and quickly asked, “So what’s the required mission time? How much time do I have left?”

“Two years and three months.”

With a bit of frustration, Meng Suihuan couldn’t help but curse under her breath. If she hadn’t asked today, she would have been erased without even knowing why!

“Can I stay in this world after completing the mission?” she asked eagerly. But the system couldn’t give her a definitive answer. Maybe yes, maybe no.

Meng Suihuan didn’t feel discouraged. Even if there was just a small chance, she would do everything in her power to seize it.

Should she tell him or not?

She was afraid that telling him might make both of them disappointed, but if she didn’t tell him, wouldn’t she be deceiving him? They had agreed to be honest with each other in the future, not to hide anything. She sat there, indecisive, and looked at the man not far away. He was focused on reading. Since he had come to a realization, he had started rereading books related to the internet. He read every night. When she went to sleep, he was reading. By the time she woke up, he had already gotten up and continued reading. This specialized knowledge was beyond her comprehension. She could only offer him mental support and communicate with him.

The original text only mentioned that he was a big name in the internet field, a well-respected figure in that area. But regarding his dreams, whether it wasn’t written in detail or was just glossed over, she couldn’t remember.

She looked up again. The person who had been sitting in the chair reading was now gone. She stood up and walked over. As she got closer, she heard the sound of water splashing from the bathroom. Oh, he had gone to take a shower.

The books on the desk were open, and she glanced at them. The dense text made her head spin. She sat down and continued to ponder, but the more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became. In a moment of frustration, her hand brushed the edge of the desk, knocking several books to the floor with a loud crash.

Startled by the noise, she immediately realized what had happened. She had accidentally knocked his books down. While picking them up, she noticed a notebook among the scattered books. It wasn’t that she meant to look, but the notebook had accidentally flipped open. The contents inside shocked and amazed her, and she couldn’t hide her joy.

“October 18, 1998, I met an old acquaintance in Ning City today. She’s an investor and also my nominal wife. She invested in our company.”

“Regarding the APP plagiarism issue, many people didn’t believe me, but she believed me.”

“Her ideas are fresh and unique, it seems different from before.”

“The website is up and running, she’s amazing.”

“Developing mobile chips, can I really do it?”

“…I think I’ve started to like her, but she doesn’t like me.”

“I’ve finally taken back what’s rightfully mine.”

“…I’m with Suisui now, but she’s not from this world. She will leave. What should I do?”

She slowly read through his entries. She had intended to quietly put the notebook back, but after thinking for a moment, she took a pen and wrote a sentence in his notebook. A sentence she wanted to say to him but didn’t know how to start.

Lu Linshen was busy with his career, and she was not idle either. In addition to focusing on the Changning Airport project, she started strategizing in other areas.

Real estate was her old profession, so she couldn’t give it up. However, given the current pace, relying on real estate to earn enough points was difficult. She needed a new approach. She was overwhelmed by various investment projects, but none of them met her requirements. Just then, she received a call from Song Mian, “Meng Jie, are you busy? I have something I want to ask you.”

“I’m not busy.” The two made plans to meet at a Chinese restaurant. The ambiance was peaceful, and other colleagues who had tried it had given positive reviews. When Song Mian saw her, she happily called out, “Meng Jie, long time no see.” Her tone was upbeat, and she was clearly in high spirits. It seemed that her little bit of frustration had disappeared, likely influenced by Meng Suihuan.

“Long time no see,” Meng Suihuan replied with a smile.

“Meng Jie, here’s the menu, take a look and see what you’d like to eat.” After both of them ordered, Meng Suihuan asked, “Is there a problem with a recent project? Tell me, I’ll see if I can help.”

Her attitude was the same as always—if she could help, she would, speaking openly about everything she knew, though some things were beyond her. Normally, Song Mian would have chattered on already, but today, she seemed hesitant, unsure of how to speak.

After a pause, she finally said, “It’s not about the project…”

Meng Suihuan raised an eyebrow, intrigued and curious. “Then what is it?”

Song Mian fidgeted and seemed to gather her courage, slowly closing her eyes as if resigning to her decision. “Meng Jie, I’m in love.”

There was a brief moment of silence. Meng Suihuan was first stunned, then lightly chuckled. “You spent all that time organizing your words just to tell me this?”

Song Mian slowly opened her eyes and looked at her in disbelief, “Meng Jie, I’m in love! Aren’t you surprised?”

“What’s there to be surprised about? It’s just a relationship. I’m married, after all.”

“You’re married?!” This time, it was Song Mian’s turn to be shocked. She jumped up, widening her eyes and asking, “When did this happen? Why didn’t I know about it?”

“Meng Jie, did you not think of me as a good friend? Such a big thing, and you didn’t tell me…”

Song Mian looked at her with a pout, looking as cute as a cat, and her voice sounded disappointed. Meng Suihuan suddenly felt a bit guilty. After all, her emotions toward Song Mian were complex. Song Mian was the female protagonist in the original story, the one who ended up with Lu Linshen in the book’s conclusion. While their relationship was good now, Meng Suihuan hadn’t fully let her guard down. Or rather, besides Lu Linshen, she maintained a level of wariness toward everyone else.

She swallowed and quickly composed her words, “It’s not that I just got married. I married quite early, back when we hadn’t met yet.”

This wasn’t really an excuse, but an obvious fact. Song Mian was shocked at first, then seemed to accept the explanation, raising her head and saying, “If we hadn’t met yet, then I won’t hold it against you.”

“So, how long have you been married?”

“Three years.”

Song Mian’s shock was palpable. Meng Suihuan continued, “You know my husband, it’s Lu Linshen. It wasn’t that I wanted to hide it from you, it’s just that at the time, I was thinking of getting a divorce, so I didn’t think it was necessary to tell anyone. Of course, not only you didn’t know, but also people at my company didn’t know. They only found out recently due to some unexpected events…”

“Hmph.” Upon hearing this, Song Mian’s mood improved considerably, though she still huffed a little. “I’ll forgive you this time, but next time, don’t hide anything from me.”

Meng Suihuan nodded repeatedly. “I’ll try my best.”

Song Mian gave her a knowing look. “…”

“Ahem,” Meng Suihuan cleared her throat. “Next time, I’ll let you know ahead of time.”

Song Mian nodded contentedly and returned to her curious self. She was now eager to know how Meng Suihuan was considering a divorce, how they reconciled, and how their relationship developed.

Meng Suihuan began to recall their first meeting, when he developed the mobile chips, and their first kiss… She thought about it all, and her ears started to burn.

“Well, we just went through some things, got to know each other better, and naturally, we came together.”

There wasn’t a dramatic love story between her and Lu Linshen; everything happened naturally.

“Meng Jie, could you give me more details? I want to hear more.”

Meng Suihuan smiled indulgently, recounting some interesting moments in more detail. After a while, she took a sip of tea and quickly changed the topic. “Don’t just talk about me. You said you’re in love now—tell me about it.”

She was curious too, wondering who Song Mian was in love with, and where the original storyline had veered off course. Especially since Song Mian mentioned that she knew the person.

She guessed several names—people from Feiyun Group, and others she knew—but none of them were correct. Her mind worked quickly, and a name quietly flashed across her mind. She looked at Song Mian and gently asked, “Could it be Liang Jiayan?”

Song Mian suddenly looked up, biting her lip, and nodded lightly, her cheeks turning a bit pink from both shyness and shock. “Meng Jie, how did you guess?”

No one around her had guessed it, but Meng Suihuan had.

This answer did surprise Meng Suihuan, but not that much. After all, in the original story, Song Mian and Liang Jiayan had been involved. After a few seconds of silence, she looked at Song Mian, her expression serious. “Mian Mian, do you really like Liang Jiayan?”

Was it because of the plot, or did she really like him?

“Yes, Meng Jie, don’t worry. He’s a really good person. He understands me, just like you do, and he’s helped me so many times…”

By the end, her eyes were full of affection, and it was evident in the way she looked at him—Meng Suihuan had seen that same look in Lu Linshen’s eyes and had even noticed it in her own reflection.

“That’s good.” She sighed in relief, smiling gently. “Mian Mian, I wish you and Liang Jiayan all the happiness in the world, and may you grow old together.”

“Thank you for your blessing, Meng Jie.” Song Mian nodded happily, then teased, “You too, I wish you and Lu Ge a lifetime of happiness. And of course, it would be great if you had a cute baby soon. But you better tell me right away when you’re pregnant, okay?”

A child with Lu Linshen? That was something Meng Suihuan hadn’t really considered. After all, she had never been in a relationship, and most of her friends hadn’t reached the point of marriage. The biggest reason was herself—due to her family background, she didn’t expect much from marriage and felt it wasn’t essential, so she hadn’t thought about deeper things.

Though she was scared and anxious, a quiet longing began to rise within her. At first, it was faint, but gradually, it became stronger.

She bit her slightly dry lips, her heart racing as she thought to herself: Maybe… she could try this?