CHAPTER 452: CHAPTER 452: WILL BE ABLE TO RETURN SOON

Lu Yujing felt her hands and feet grow cold; she didn’t even know how she made it back to shore.

She only saw a crowd rush in to surround Sang Ning, and then saw Sang Ning being taken away in an ambulance.

"I don’t know why she ended up like this, it really has nothing to do with me. I didn’t take off her face mask, and I don’t know why she showed signs of drowning." Lu Yujing clung tightly to Jiang Xiaoti’s hand, desperately trying to explain. Her anxious expression revealed how much she needed Jiang Xiaoti to believe her and take her side.

Seeing Lu Yujing’s emotional outburst, Qin Feng kindly comforted her, "Sister Jing, don’t worry, no one said you took off Sang Ning’s face mask. Didn’t you listen just now? Sang Ning’s breathing tube didn’t show any signs of water entering. She might have passed out for another reason."

After listening to Qin Feng’s words, Lu Yujing finally calmed down slowly. She had been so panicked earlier that she hadn’t focused clearly.

Louis had anticipated everything thoroughly; he was concerned about potential accidents while the guests participated in underwater activities, so he had arranged for medical staff in advance. Sang Ning received immediate treatment as soon as she was pulled from the water.

But despite the medical staff performing CPR on Sang Ning, it had no effect—their efforts were in vain. Sang Ning seemed to have lost all signs of life, leaving them no choice but to rush her to the hospital. Li Haidong, Wei Lan, and Song Shiye were worried about Sang Ning, so they followed along. Only Lu Yujing, Jiang Xiaoti, and Qin Feng remained behind.

Lu Yujing exhaled in relief. She didn’t care whether Sang Ning lived or died; in fact, she wanted this troublemaker gone. As long as it had nothing to do with her, she’d be thoroughly pleased.

——

Sang Ning felt herself trapped in a pitch-black space where she couldn’t even see her own fingers. The suffocating silence stretched on endlessly. She kept walking forward in the darkness.

She didn’t know how long she had been walking when a coin-sized light source suddenly appeared ahead. The light gradually expanded, enveloping her whole body and illuminating her surroundings.

Looking around in every direction, Sang Ning saw only a blank whiteness. But in a surreal transformation, the surroundings turned into walls filled with screens—numerous glowing photo frames of various sizes scattered across the walls.

Sang Ning walked toward the photo wall on her left. The original photos flashed by and were replaced by new ones.

The subject of the photos was her—images of her student life, donning a neat school uniform, lying on the grass of a playground basking in the sun, or daydreaming in a classroom while spinning her pen.

Yet Sang Ning felt an unfamiliarity toward these photos. Based on the style of her school uniform, neither did it belong to the school she attended in the real world, nor the school enrollment of the original character in the novel’s world.

The photos on the wall held their place for merely two seconds before refreshing again. This time, in addition to her as the central figure, Song Shiye appeared in the images.

In the photos, Song Shiye wore the same uniform as her. There were pictures of him crouching in a corner under the rain while she held an umbrella over his head, or of him trailing behind her with injuries covering his face.

Before Sang Ning could make sense of the other images, the light screen in front of her flickered, and all the photos vanished from the photo wall. No new photos appeared again.

Sang Ning turned around and walked toward the photo wall in front of her. This wall featured moments tied to the original character’s memories—scenes of daily life living with Chu Tian and Li Sulan while still part of the Chu Family.

The photos on this wall similarly refreshed twice before fading alongside the light screen.

There were four photo walls in total. Sang Ning turned again and headed toward the next wall.

The photos on this wall depicted her and Tang Yuanmao, mostly in laboratory settings.

The light screen faded away, leaving only the last photo wall. Sang Ning walked toward the final source of light.

On the last wall, the photos featured Li Juezhou—images from his days as a police officer.

Sang Ning had always believed herself impervious to being swayed by appearances, but the photos of Li Juezhou in his police uniform had an inexplicable effect on her—making her feel dazzled and causing her heartbeat to quicken.

His attractive thin lips were always slightly pursed, his gaze sharp, and his whole demeanor exuded an aura of cold detachment, mixed with a harsh, unfamiliar intensity traceable to ruthlessness—so unlike the gentle, accommodating warmth she had felt from him before.

As the sequence of photos changed, one image caught Sang Ning’s attention.

Li Juezhou knelt on the ground, clutching a woman tightly in his embrace, as if trying to meld her into his very bones. His grip was so strong that the veins on the back of his hand stood out in clear blue lines. He buried his face deep into the woman’s neck; although his expression was obscured, the anguish, helplessness, heartbreak, and despair emanating from his posture came through undeniably.

Sang Ning couldn’t make out the identity of the woman in Li Juezhou’s embrace. All she could discern was that she wore a white dress, had a slight, delicate frame, and shoulder-length black hair—a combination that radiated a peaceful and fragile charm.

Recalling the things Lu Yujing had mentioned to her by the sea, Sang Ning reasoned that the woman Li Juezhou was holding was likely none other than Lu Yujing—this kind of style was undeniably characteristic of her.

Damn it! Sang Ning’s mood soured again, cursing inwardly at Li Juezhou’s unreliability. This guy really had far too many secrets he hadn’t come clean about.

Before Sang Ning’s frustration could escalate, the images on the wall disappeared. Along with them, the light screen on the last wall extinguished entirely, and Sang Ning plunged back into the depths of darkness.

"Is anyone there? Hello? Is anyone here?" Sang Ning called out in the darkness, hoping for a response. But without any other options, she remained stranded, unsure how to escape this bizarre place.

"System, System, come out! Is this your doing?" Realizing the oddity of her situation, Sang Ning finally thought about the System she had neglected for so long.

No response came. Sang Ning began to suspect—could it be that she had truly drowned back at sea, and this pitch-black space was the afterlife?

A few seconds later, the familiar yet almost forgotten mechanical voice surfaced again: "Host, Host, abnormal conditions detected. Please complete your Weibo task of increasing your followers to one billion as soon as possible."

Sang Ning’s head buzzed in protest: "Wasn’t it supposed to last a year? It hasn’t even been a year yet, why the rush? Also, what kind of abnormal condition are you talking about?"

The System’s voice faltered momentarily, as though processing: "Uh... just a sixth sense as a System. I can’t pinpoint specifics, but I strongly advise the Host to complete the task as soon as possible. Finishing the task early will definitely be beneficial!"

Sang Ning let out a breath—so it was the System pulling the strings again: "You’re not human—since when do Systems have a ’sixth sense’? Could it be an issue with your System’s operating rules?"

"Possibly," the System replied decisively, "but my access level isn’t high enough to investigate the details. However, I can assure the Host that you’re currently safe. This abnormal state should resolve itself very soon. Please remain patient—you should be able to return shortly."