Chapter 389
Unless...
"That's a fabricated history, a harmonious piece of history that I've rewritten."
"In the true history of this Gap World, there are no empires or Emperor. The Golden Sea will be weakened by the local gods, and the arrival of the calamity swarm will also bring about a devastating apocalypse."
Chu Yuanqing revealed the truth that had been hidden for 17 years:
"And that's the reality."
"The difference is that, with the blessings of all humanity and even the thirteen powers of the Disaster God, and with your mother's help, I truly reset, corrected, and altered the Worldline, allowing time to turn back and return to before the Great Cataclysm."
As Chu Wangshu listened to his father's entire process of saving the world, he suddenly recalled the murderous intent burning in his soul and the martial arts skills that penetrated his flesh and bones when facing disaster.
So, the hero in [The Brave's Blessing] refers to Dad, right?
That martial skill, honed through countless trials, is built upon an unwavering determination to expel the scourge. Thus, when it manifests in one's own body, it exudes an explosive and overwhelming killing intent that even reason cannot control.
The girl found it hard to imagine how her parents and comrades-in-arms had grown up in such a cruel world.
How much suffering did they endure? How many failures did they experience? How many times did they feel despair? And how did they manage to become strong time and time again, hold firm to their beliefs, and forge ahead until they grew strong enough to defeat the Disaster God who could destroy galaxies and devour worlds?
Even if you see some of the memories, it only shows the result, glossing over all the hardships and pain in between.
Chu Wangshu could only witness this still-glorious glory under his father's shadow, but he could not see the hardships his father had gone through, or his truly miserable and dangerous state.
Those tears of blood, those tragic songs, those past events he chose to bear alone, are now an epitaph that future generations will never know.
Chu Yuanqing sighed:
"But our plan still failed."
Chu Wangshu was somewhat confused upon hearing this and did not understand for a moment.
If the plan is to save the world, then whether it's restarting the world or using [Pure White] to suppress the disaster horde, it's already a miracle among miracles, and it shouldn't be considered a failure.
After all, even if [Pure White] were to collapse immediately, it would have bought humanity a full 17 years.
Over the past 17 years, human civilization has studied Calamity Beasts and obsidian, giving rise to Magical Girl, ether technology, and various preparations made to deal with calamities and the apocalypse. These efforts will surely lead the world to a better future than before.
Looking at his daughter's adorable eyes, Chu Yuanqing smiled and explained:
"[Pure white] is proof of failure."
"What I want is for my former comrades, my loved ones, and you to live in a world without disasters, without war, and without the need for desperate fighting."
"Therefore, I altered the Worldline, eliminated the concept of disaster groups, and attempted to eradicate the root cause of the tragedy."
"When I first brought you to the new world, I didn't see the Disaster God descend. The Pure White High Wall on the horizon were, in my opinion, the remnants and reflections of past Worldline."
"I thought my plan had succeeded, and I wanted to live my life like this, but during the 'Flash Dance' event with you, I sensed the aura of disaster and realized that they hadn't left."
After hearing the whole story, Chu Wangshu finally understood why her Dad, after saving the world, quietly became a corporate slave, completely integrating into the ordinary world, and slowly raised her to adulthood.
Because he felt that with world peace, humanity no longer needed him, and there was no reason for him to actively contact an official force like the Countermeasures Bureau.
As for the Countermeasures Bureau, it's not like the Time and Space Detection Bureau. If Dad doesn't tell them, they'll rack their brains and still not be able to guess the truth, so naturally they can't provide the other party with financial support.
And so, the two became parallel lines.
If Dad hadn't also gone to Flashdance, perhaps the two of them would never have crossed paths in their entire lives.
Thinking about this, the Little Cotton-padded Jacket suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, realizing a very important issue.
Wait a minute, since Dad has never had any contact with the Countermeasures Bureau before, why would Sister Charlotte claim to be an old friend of theirs?
Moreover, normally she wouldn't know that the creator of [Pure White] was her Dad, let alone be able to retrieve her father's memories of fighting against calamity when he was young from the Twelve Apostles Cellar.
It's important to understand that those fragments belong to another Worldline and cannot be obtained through normal means.
Finally, looking back now, both the "Child of Man" aspect of her Destined Magic and her Dad's words implied that she was the other person's only daughter.
Therefore, the speculation that Charlotte is the older sister is unfounded. So why does she resemble her Dad so much as he described her mother?
Unless...
"Xiao Shu, I have to tell you the truth."
Chu Yuanqing interrupted his daughter's thoughts. He carefully chose his words and said:
Your mother is not dead.
The Little Cotton-padded Jacket's pupils dilated in shock. She sensed that things were starting to go wrong, yet she was still overjoyed by the news. She instantly forgot her other thoughts, slammed her hand on the table, and asked expectantly:
"Really? Then why did Dad erect a tombstone for Mom?"
Chu Yuanqing revealed a complicated smile and said softly:
"That's not just your mother's tombstone, it's the tombstone of my former comrades, me, and even that planet."
"And its death anniversary is also the date I first came into this world."
"As for why I told you your mother has passed away, it's because under normal circumstances you would never be able to recognize each other in your lifetime, so it's better to just say it directly."
Chu Wangshu was about to ask more questions, she suddenly realized the secret behind it.
Wait, Dad said that he and Mom were both born in the year of the Great Cataclysm, and Dad restarted the world, turning back time to the year the Great Cataclysm occurred.
In other words...
"Just as you imagine."
Chu Yuanqing said quietly:
"Your mother was also three years old when you were three."
The Little Cotton-padded Jacket sat down again, her brain's CPU was loading frantically, and the massive amount of information added by this data connected countless clues and truths.
Given: Your mother and you are the same age.
It is known that Charlotte cannot be his older sister, but she looks very similar to his mother, is the same age as him, likes him to call her "Mom," and also knows the secret that his Dad came from the first timeline.
Theoretically, we can conclude from this that there is a 90% probability that the other party is her biological mother.
However, the problem lies in the fact that there is still a very abstract known term.
That is -- Chu Yuanqing and Charlotte are a couple!!!
Chu Wangshu's CPU was about to explode. She felt like her head was constantly filled with exclamation marks saying "calculation error." No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't figure it out, and her thinking started to crash and stop.
A long time,
The little girl chose to clear her mind, looking directly at Chu Yuanqing and asking in a dazed and innocent way:
"Dad, is my mom Charlotte the same person?"
Chu Yuanqing fell silent.
It's no wonder Xiao Shu guessed so quickly. Charlotte's behavior was so obvious; after confirming that her biological mother was the same age as her, the only person she could think of immediately was Charlotte.
Rather, he should be thankful that the other party didn't ask, "Is your mother Chu Yuanqing?" That would have been an even more troublesome situation.
Chu Yuanqing took a deep breath, mentally prepared himself, and frankly admitted:
"You guessed right, Charlotte is your mother."
Chu Wangshu's mind went blank. She couldn't deceive herself. Since Charlotte was her mother, given Charlotte's personality, if she had the memories of the first timeline, it was impossible for her to have cheated on her.
And Dad also said that for the past few months, whether he was filming the show "Flash Dance" or in the Ideal Country, he had stayed by my side...
At that moment, an extremely absurd possibility surfaced in my mind.
The little girl didn't dare think any further. She swallowed hard, looked at her Dad, and, with emotions she couldn't quite explain, whispered:
"Dad, do you... know Chu Yuanqing?"
Chu Yuanqing did not remain silent for long. He originally intended to take all of this to his grave, just like in the first timeline. At least in this way, he could preserve his dignity as a father.
But all that pride couldn't compare to the last moments he spent with his daughter.
As a result, the structure of the spell collapsed, and his deep-set eyes and cold, hard face began to crack. All the elements belonging to Chu Yuanqing, like the passing moonlight, turned into scattered Magic Energy Particles.
When the bubble bursts, what remains are people we know all too well.
Those were friends who had been by my side since I first joined Flashdance.
That was the senior who had caused him to hallucinate about his father many times, and thus he became increasingly dependent on him.
That was an idol who was gentle and patient with her, as beautiful and perfect as a mother in her imagination, full of maternal love, giving her courage and warmth...
Chu Wangshu's mind went blank. She thought it was a joke, but neither her Dad nor Xiao Qing would ever joke about this kind of thing to her.
So, this is true.
Chu Yuanqing is my Dad, Dad is Chu Yuanqing.
All that tenderness, that doting affection, those similar coincidences, that warmth that we miss and long for, those things that can't be explained by coincidence—now we all have our answers.
Because it's my Dad, the food he cooks will taste similar.
Because he's her Dad, he will unconditionally love her, encourage her, like her, comfort her, tolerate her, and support her...
The Little Cotton-padded Jacket was in a state of utter confusion. She had too much information to process, so she didn't know what to do and could only stand there dumbfounded, seemingly speechless.
Seeing her daughter's reaction, Chu Yuanqing felt a pang of disappointment. She knew that Xiao Shu would have a hard time accepting the fact that she had become a girl, and she was prepared to endure strange looks, but this silence was still heartbreaking.
The girl's bright golden eyes were dim and lonely, and her delicate and beautiful face was full of guilt. She lowered her eyes to look at the cuffs of her sleeves that went past her wrists.
To bid farewell as a father, he changed into real clothes, resulting in a loose-fitting shirt and an oversized suit jacket.
Doesn't she look ridiculous like this?
Even after getting used to this body, the dignity and habits of being a man and a father reside deep in the soul, turning into a sensitivity that makes one prone to overthinking.
Will Xiao Shu be unable to accept this?
Will she blame herself for keeping it a secret until now?
Will she doubt that she is lying?
Will she feel uncomfortable or awkward?
Does she feel... unsuitable to be a father?
These miscellaneous doubts, like insurmountable mountains and seas, have prevented her from telling the truth, and they have not dissipated to this day.
The boy in her heart had not died, but even with unwavering faith and a will that could suppress the disaster, she could not set up a defense against her daughter.
Chu Yuanqing has developed a weakness; he is no longer the invincible warrior wielding the Flaming Sword.
When the Little Cotton-padded Jacket came to her senses, she saw her father's dim eyes. The complex and chaotic information in her mind collapsed like a building, and was overwhelmed by a tsunami of heartache and guilt.
Damn it, how could my brain freeze up?
Although I don't know why Dad turned into such a lovely girl like Qing Bao, from her perspective, this matter is very sensitive and must be affirmed immediately!
The Little Cotton-padded Jacket immediately stood up, and before Chu Yuanqing could react, she hugged her now slender and soft father tightly. She imitated the way Chu Yuanqing used to comfort her, awkwardly reaching out to touch his pure white hair, stammering incoherently, "..."
"My Dad is so cute now, I love him so much."
"And after Dad turned into a girl, he became very maternal and super gentle. Oh, right, the way you overcame difficulties to learn girl group dances so you could protect me was also really cool!"
Halfway through her sentence, Chu Wangshu felt her Dad's body stiffen. She belatedly realized something was wrong, but stopping now would only make things more awkward. She could only change direction and continue her rambling praises:
"Um, no, anyway! So many people outside like Dad now, and he has over 100 million followers on Weibo, which means Dad is very charismatic! Everyone loves your stage performances!"
"Me too, I really like him and admire him! I've always idolized my Dad! I really, really don't dislike my Dad at all, I like him a lot, I like him so much."
The girl cautiously raised her head, looked into her father's bright, jewel-like eyes, leaned closer, and whispered:
So... don't be sad, okay?
"Otherwise, I would also be sad, so sad that I would cry."
Chu Yuanqing's feelings were complicated. Before she could recover from her disappointment, her daughter's barrage of attacks made her feel ashamed and desperate, wishing she could just evaporate on the spot. But now, facing the child's sincere eyes, the emotion in her heart overshadowed these feelings.
The Pure White Witch pinched her daughter's cheek, pressed her forehead against her daughter's, and sighed with a mixture of helplessness and amusement:
"Okay, I'm not sad anymore. Xiao Shu, let's not bring up those things anymore, okay?"
God knows what kind of torment it will be for her daughter to see her dancing in a girl group in the future, but at least for now, she doesn't want to bear that kind of social death that makes people want to dig their toes into the ground.
Chu Wangshu hadn't thought that far ahead. Hearing this, she happily nuzzled against the other person, inhaling the fragrance of the rose petals, raising her adorable face with a bright smile, and earnestly said:
"Dad, remember this: no matter what Dad become, Dad will always be my idol."
"My Dad worked so hard to raise me, it would be so mean of me to care about that. Besides, my Dad is really adorable now, there's absolutely no need for me to feel inferior."
Chu Yuanqing's face flushed, and she felt ashamed. She didn't want to hear her Little Cotton-padded Jacket repeatedly emphasizing how cute she was, so she pursed her pink lips, glanced at the empty space beside her, and changed the subject, saying: