Chapter 123: The Peculiar System and the Choice

“I’ve been betrayed—no one can be trusted, no one believes me... But if it’s him, he should believe me.” Yuzukami Miku dashed out abruptly. Having known Ye Chen for many years, she already knew where his home was, and she had the freedom to visit anytime.

The guard at the main gate saw Yuzukami Miku rushing over in a panic, unlike her usual calm demeanor. Puzzled, he didn’t stop her and kindly reminded, “Miss Yuzukami Miku, are you here to see the young master again? It seems Miss Orihime just called him over. He’s probably still in the courtyard at this hour.”

Remembering the location, Yuzukami Miku’s lips moved in a silent thank you, but she made no sound. Urgently wanting to see Ye Chen, she didn’t notice this and hurried past the gate toward the courtyard.

“Why is Miss Miku in such a rush this time? She didn’t even say a word before running inside,” the guards at the gate murmured, scratching their heads in confusion.

Inside the courtyard, Orihime suddenly requested a private talk with Ye Chen—a rare move from her usually quiet nature. Under the knowing gaze of Bai Ji, Ye Chen followed Orihime into the courtyard, a place few ventured at this hour.

“Orihime, why did you call me here?” Ye Chen asked, guessing her intentions.

“Ye Chen, please go out with me~!” Orihime said directly, her expression as composed as ever. She showed none of the typical shyness a girl might have when confessing, her face emotionless, making it impossible to discern what she truly felt.

“...Although I don’t doubt you’re serious, confessing like this does feel a bit strange,” Ye Chen said with a helpless smile, having gradually settled into this ordinary life.

“I’m serious! Let’s be together!” Orihime repeated solemnly.

The sound of hurried footsteps caught their attention. The courtyard was usually reserved for Ye Chen and a few others to train and improve their abilities, rarely visited by outsiders. Those who came generally knew that chasing Ye Chen and Orihime here was futile.

They looked over to see Yuzukami Miku standing not far away. She had obviously overheard Orihime’s confession. Orihime showed no reaction, seemingly indifferent, while Ye Chen noticed tears welling in Miku’s eyes, her expression filled with anguish.

Ye Chen immediately understood the situation. He had just uncovered the rumors tarnishing Yuzukami Miku’s reputation. From what he knew, Miku was not the type to be involved in such matters; someone must have deliberately slandered her. He promptly tasked Van Bo to investigate.

It was soon revealed that a notorious TV producer was behind the scandal. Naturally, Ye Chen wouldn’t let such a person go unpunished. Ye Xing was drawn into the commotion as well. Having harbored distrust toward humans since the last incident, he sneered coldly, “Hmph, humans like these are truly untrustworthy.”

Ye Chen then ordered a public statement from the Xingchen Group to clarify the matter. At the same time, Yuzukami Miku’s friends from the GDM band, including Iwasawa, helped dispel the rumors. Over the years, GDM had become the most outstanding band without equal, wielding immense influence. Supported by their and Xingchen Group’s combined power, the rumors were being cleared at an unprecedented speed.

Of course, Yuzukami Miku was still unaware of all this. Shrouded in despair, she ignored the confession she had just overheard and threw herself into Ye Chen’s arms, yearning to pour out all her grievances as before.

“...” Her tear-streaked face evoked deep sympathy. Her lips parted as if to speak, but neither Ye Chen nor Orihime heard a sound. They exchanged a glance, sensing something was wrong—Miku seemed to be facing an even graver problem.

“...” Miku herself realized it. She opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out. Finally, she understood—she had lost her voice. For a girl whose greatest strength was singing, this was a devastating blow. She looked up and saw Ye Chen and Orihime staring at each other.

Recalling Orihime’s confession, Miku’s despair deepened. She assumed Ye Chen no longer trusted her because of the rumors. With all her strength, she pushed Ye Chen away and hurried off.

“Sorry, Orihime. I’m really worried about Miku’s condition right now. I’ll give you an answer when I get back!” Ye Chen admitted, feeling somewhat at a loss. Although knowledgeable in many areas, this was his first time being confessed to by such a beautiful girl, and he truly didn’t know how to respond.

“I understand. Go after her first!” Orihime said, showing understanding as she waited for Ye Chen’s return.

Familiar with Miku’s aura, Ye Chen immediately set off in pursuit. With years of disciplined training, catching up to an ordinary girl like Miku was effortless.

Before long, Ye Chen spotted Miku’s tear-streaked figure running ahead. Just as he prepared to quicken his pace and reach her side, he found his body suddenly frozen, as if bound by invisible chains, unable to move even with his special abilities.

Suddenly, two lines of system prompt text appeared before his eyes: “Yuzukami Miku is facing a life-threatening danger. You have two choices: 1. Do not save her—she will survive but develop intense hatred toward humans and may seek violent revenge. 2. Save her—at the cost of being hit by a truck, resulting in partial memory loss and minor issues (harmless to you). Please choose within ten seconds; if no choice is made, option 1 will be selected by default.”

Having been in this world for several years, Ye Chen rarely cared about other matters, but he recognized that the second option resembled a dramatic plotline from a certain TV show.

Through the system’s interface, Ye Chen also saw a truck speeding down the opposite side of the road. Normally, he would have easily saved Miku, but now, for some unknown reason, the system was interfering.

Trusting Ruoxing, Ruoren, and the system, Ye Chen believed there must be a reason behind this. So, he chose option 2, finding the prospect of losing some memories and experiencing minor problems somewhat intriguing.

The moment Ye Chen made his choice, everything around him froze. The sensation was eerily similar to the time-stopping power from Geass. His body was forcibly teleported to Miku’s side, where he saw her desperate, resigned expression—caught between despair and relief.