CHAPTER 62 – Shen Yichen Makes His Move
Filming was formally paused while the crew scrambled to check every piece of electrical and camera equipment, muttering nervously about mysterious "electrical failures" and "extreme static."
Xiao Xi tried to step away from Gu, but the local reality blurred around her again—brief, terrifying flashes of digital static, white noise, and a scene from the "original storyline" forcing itself into her mind like a corrupted video file.
The original novel was attempting to override her perception.
She swayed violently.
Gu grabbed her instantly, his jaw tight.
"Xiao Xi, what did you see?"
"It's okay," she whispered, lying through her teeth, not wanting to reveal the System's vulnerability.
Then Shen Yichen approached, his magnetic presence instantly calming the chaotic air around him, stabilizing the narrative just enough for conversation.
"Walk with me, Xiao Xi," he said quietly, his voice a low command.
"We need to talk."
Gu blocked him physically, his stance aggressive and protective.
"She's not going anywhere with you, Shen."
Shen's expression remained perfectly calm, but his eyes sharpened to a challenging intensity.
"I need to speak with her.
Alone.
About the nature of this world and its current instability."
"Not happening.
Anything you have to say, you can say to both of us."
Shen Yichen stepped closer, their stares locking like two alpha wolves meeting on a battle-scarred field, their inherited narrative roles clashing.
Shen spoke slowly, spacing out the words for maximum impact.
"You're interfering with the world's balance, Gu Yanzhou.
You're the anomaly, not her.
You were written to be removed."
Gu's jaw clenched, his eyes burning with defiant fury.
"I was supposed to die.
I know."
Shen blinked, genuinely surprised that Gu knew the ultimate, foundational secret of his existence.
Gu continued, his voice cold as steel.
"But I won't die for a story.
And she won't either.
This narrative ends now."
Xiao Xi gently tugged on Gu's sleeve, recognizing the necessity of this conversation.
"Let me talk to him, Yanzhou.
It might be important."
Gu froze, his muscles rigid with suppressed rage.
Shen extended a perfectly manicured hand, a gesture of narrative dominance.
Xiao Xi didn't take it.
She took a separate, independent step away from Gu.
"I'll walk," she said, her voice steady and clear.
"But I'll walk with my own feet."
Shen's lips curved faintly in approval, recognizing her subtle defiance.
Gu looked like he was ready to commit murder, but he forced himself to step back, watching them like a hawk.
Xiao Xi followed Shen to the edge of the filming grounds, her heart pounding a frantic drumbeat of terror and resolve.
He spoke first, without preamble.
"You're not from here, are you, Xiao Xi?"
Xiao Xi stopped breathing entirely.
The accusation wasn't hateful; it was purely observational.
Shen gazed at her, his expression free of hostility, carrying only certainty.
"I can feel the story bending around you," he murmured, his voice dipping low.
"Like the entire world is… trying to reshape itself to accommodate an invasive element."
He took one step closer, his eyes intense.
"And you don't belong to that shape.
You are an extrinsic variable."
Xiao Xi's chest tightened, the truth undeniable.
He knew.
He felt the narrative truth of her existence. And he wasn't going to let the anomaly stand.