CHAPTER 76 – Awakening in the World She Created
Light poured forth, gentle, soft, and true.
Warmth embraced her, settling deep within the marrow.
A distant birdsong, clear and pristine, filled the air.
Xiao Xi opened her eyes and found herself lying upon a soft bed, sunlight filtering through sheer curtains that danced above the floor.
For a long moment, she didn't move or stir.
Her hands were solid.
Her heartbeat was steady.
Her breath was deep.
Everything felt real, intensely so—
no longer fragile code, nor digital static's sting,
nor a world dramatically collapsing within.
She whispered, barely audible, the thought barely formed:
"...I made it."
Her System chimed softly—not the strained, damaged voice from the void, but gentle, whole, and perfectly clean:
[World rewrite successful and true.]
[New timeline stabilized for me and you.]
[Welcome back, Host, your victory is due.]
A lump formed suddenly in her throat.
She forced herself to sit up, trembling anew.
The room was unfamiliar, elegant, warm, and secure.
Not her old home's faded shade.
Not Gu's stark, tense safehouse made.
A new space, meticulously designed and laid.
Footsteps approached, heavy and slow.
The door opened, letting her fears go.
And he stood there, watching the scene below.
Gu Yanzhou, no longer flickering, no longer a foe.
Alive, real, his survival now starting to grow.
But—
Different, she noted, though she couldn't yet know.
His aura was calmer, the anxiety's deep flow gone.
His presence was heavier, the new foundation drawn.
More grounded, more powerful than ever before the dawn.
When he saw her awake, every trace of composure was withdrawn.
"Xiao Xi—!" he rushed forth, anxiety deeply drawn.
He rushed to her side, cupping her face, holding her soul from dawn.
"You're awake, you're safe, God, I feared you were gone—"
She threw her arms around him, holding him strongly till the morn.
His scent, his warmth, his heartbeat—all real, perfectly born.
She started crying into his shoulder, her heart suddenly torn.
"Yanzhou… we're really here, no longer forlorn."
He held her just as tightly, holding her as the new day was sworn.
"Yes," he whispered into her hair, "we survived, the world freshly adorned."
But something in his eyes, a strange new shadow was worn.
Something new, more than simple love, was deeply sworn.
She couldn't explain it then, but the truth was being born,
And it scared her a little, as the future was newly torn.