Chapter 18: Breaking the Code
Lin Zhaoxi didn't reply to Shen Muyan's message.
She couldn't.
Not because she didn't want to see him.
But because for the first time, she wanted to make a choice for herself.
System Alert: Host indecision detected. Primary Plot Line diverging. Emotional Value Sync 68%.
Recommendation: Immediate interaction with Lu Shixian.
The words pulsed in her mind like a threat.
But this time, she didn't listen.
Instead, she packed a small bag, slipped on a hoodie and cap, and slipped out into the night—no destination, no script, no plan.
She walked aimlessly through the city, beneath neon signs and the soft hum of traffic. Every breath she took without the System's command felt dangerous.
Liberating.
Terrifying.
In her mind, the voice grew more distorted.
WARNING…WRNG…Timeline… glitc—…
Unrecognized action. Host control… compromised.
She closed her eyes and whispered:
"I'm not yours. Not anymore."
Back at the studio, Shen Muyan stood alone in his private dressing room.
He had spent the last two hours watching everything—the old footage, the new changes to the script, the "accidental" spotlight crash.
This wasn't just intuition anymore. Something real was wrong.
And then, his phone buzzed again.
Unknown Number:
"If you want to protect her, find her before the system resets her. You have until sunrise."
His heart slammed against his ribs.
What the hell did that mean?
But his instincts screamed one thing: She was in danger.
Meanwhile, Lu Shixian stood outside Zhaoxi's empty apartment.
He smiled faintly at the locked door.
Then, quietly, he raised his wrist—and the holographic interface of the System pulsed above his palm.
Query: Host deviation report?
Response: She has broken sync. Phase III will fail unless intervention is immediate.
He smirked. "Then let me do it my way."
And just like that—he vanished.
Zhaoxi found herself by the old train station at the edge of the city. It was abandoned, half-fallen into ruin. No surveillance. No signals.
For now, she was invisible.
She sat on a rusted bench, hugging her knees to her chest, thinking of a thousand moments that didn't feel like they belonged to her anymore.
Her first audition. Her first kiss with Shen Muyan. The laughter. The heartbreak.
Were they hers, or the System's designs?
Her eyes stung.
She just wanted something real.
Then—footsteps. Fast. Desperate.
She turned.
Shen Muyan.
He was out of breath, eyes wild, hoodie halfway off his shoulder.
"I found you," he said, as if stunned by his own luck.
Zhaoxi's lips parted. "How did you—"
"I don't know," he said. "But… I think I've always known something wasn't right."
Silence.
Then: "Tell me the truth, Zhaoxi. What are you running from?"
Her voice trembled. "Everything. The script. The system. The story that keeps trying to turn me into someone I'm not."
"You're not crazy," he said quickly. "I believe you. I swear I believe you."
She let out a shaky laugh. "You really shouldn't."
"Maybe," he whispered. "But I want to."
System Alert: Male Lead has fully awakened. Narrative breach 82%. System crash imminent.
Emergency Command: ERASE MALE LEAD MEMORY. INITIATING…
Zhaoxi gasped as a glowing pulse ignited in the air around Shen Muyan—like a golden net, descending fast.'乀'
"No!" she screamed, lunging forward.
And in that split second—she did something not in the script.
She kissed him.
Time froze.
The System flickered.
ERROR. ERROR. Host action undefined. Narrative anchor triggered. Emotional sync 91%.
The golden net shattered mid-air, fading like dust.
Shen Muyan stared at her in stunned silence.
And then slowly, he smiled.
"You're not just a character," he said. "And neither am I."