She and You Shared the Same Pain

"Host, you did very well today. An increase in the bond between the male and female leads has been detected. Events are progressing smoothly."

Late at night, the Lu family villa had fallen quiet. Lu Xiaoxiao was lying in bed, trying to drift off, when the system's notification suddenly sounded.

"Oh, that's good. There should be a points reward this time too, right?"

"Of course. The reward points have already been credited to your account."

"Mm, got it."

In the darkness, Lu Xiaoxiao opened her eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling for a long time, still unable to sleep.

She rolled over and, bored out of her mind, called out to the system. "Are you bored? Let's chat."

The system rarely saw Lu Xiaoxiao this calm. It had grown used to its host's unpredictable antics and startled outbursts, so this sudden change actually felt strange.

"What would you like to talk about? As your system, I am obligated to respond whenever you need me."

It answered as cautiously as possible, preparing to guard against any verbal traps Lu Xiaoxiao might set, afraid that a moment's carelessness would send it tumbling into one.

But to its surprise, Lu Xiaoxiao brought up nothing outrageous. She simply asked a question out of the blue:

"Do you have a name?"

The system froze and gave no response for a long time.

Lu Xiaoxiao continued, "You said you have superiors, so there must be lots of systems like you, right? Are you all just called 'System'? You don't even have a code name to tell you apart?"

"..."

"Forget it if you don't want to tell me. I was just asking." Lu Xiaoxiao yawned and turned her face away.

This time, however, the system answered.

"037," it said. "I don't have a name, but my designation is 037."

"Oh, 037..." Lu Xiaoxiao repeated it, then gave her approval. "That's nice. I'll remember it."

After a moment of silence, Lu Xiaoxiao asked again, "By the way, are you human? You have thoughts and feelings, and you even bicker with me. You definitely aren't just a simple program."

The system finally understood: Lu Xiaoxiao only wanted to chat tonight. She had no intention of discussing the plot.

It relaxed a little. After a brief hesitation, it answered honestly within the limits of its authorization. "I suppose I could be considered... a human-like life-form. The specifics are rather complicated to explain. You can simply think of me as human."

"I see..." Lu Xiaoxiao thought for a few seconds, then couldn't resist asking, "I'm actually a little curious. Why do you choose people to transmigrate into novels? There has to be a purpose, right? Is it something like putting on a show? And where did the original owner go after I arrived?"

"...You really do have a lot of questions."

"So what? Just answer whichever ones you want."

"The original owner was already dead before your soul transmigrated."

"What???"

At those words, Lu Xiaoxiao sat straight up in bed. This time, she was genuinely shocked.

"What do you mean, already dead? That wasn't how the original novel went!"

The system's tone remained calm. "The plot you know is only an ideal scenario. In a collapsing small world, any unexpected change can occur."

"Just before you transmigrated into the novel, the original Lu Xiaoxiao had already died from taking sleeping pills. So you haven't usurped her soul's place. You're living on in her stead."

Lu Xiaoxiao was stunned into silence, unable to make a sound for a long time.

Over the next little while, the system explained the fundamental nature of their work.

The moment an author created a novel, a corresponding small world came into existence. However, these small worlds were essentially already beyond their authors' control. What the authors wrote was only an ideal scenario, while the actual workings of the small worlds were influenced by many different factors.

As a world operated, any logical inconsistencies in the author's writing would cause its plot to deviate. This was essentially the result of the world's attempts to repair itself.

Two kinds of small worlds took in transmigrators from outside: those whose plots had fallen into chaos because their authors never finished the stories, and those whose plots had collapsed because an important character had died. The world Lu Xiaoxiao was in belonged to the latter category.

The purpose of the systems was to help transmigrators advance the plots, ensuring these small worlds' survival.

"Let me interrupt for a second. I have a question." Lu Xiaoxiao suddenly raised her hand.

"Why can't you let these worlds' plots develop naturally? In theory, even without an ending, they could gradually evolve one. And as for important characters dying... it's not like a world stops turning just because it's lost a person or two, right?"

"It's not as simple as you imagine." The system sighed. "Small worlds are born from stories. Once either of the two situations I mentioned occurs, the story sustaining that world's operation begins to unravel until it loses all vitality. That is why we seek help from higher-dimensional hosts. The stories they generate after descending into a lower dimension are enough to sustain a small world's life."

As the system's explanation grew increasingly abstract, Lu Xiaoxiao found herself only half understanding it.

After spending ages sorting it out, she summed it up. "So as long as the story is interesting enough, the world is safe?"

"That is also a valid way to understand it. Beyond this world, countless potential viewers are watching you and the world you inhabit. Only when the story you act out captures their attention can the world's vitality flow continuously."

"Honestly, if you ask me... I don't think the beginning or ending of the original novel makes much sense either. Lu Jiaoyue was perfectly happy being everyone's darling, and then she suddenly got dragged into some forced-love situation. Who actually thinks that kind of plot makes sense?"

Lu Xiaoxiao snorted and frowned, her expression full of disdain.

The system replied, "As a system, I won't offer further judgment on whether it is reasonable. But if events follow the original novel, this world can indeed continue to function."

"It is also to be safe that I recommend advancing the plot according to the original novel's key events. That method guarantees mission completion. If you want to improvise, you will face considerable risk."

"All right, I get it." Lu Xiaoxiao lay back down and half closed her eyes, feeling a little sleepy. "Last question. Why did you choose me?"

That final question kept the system silent for so long that Lu Xiaoxiao thought it wasn't going to answer.

Only a moment before she fell asleep did the system speak softly:

"Perhaps because... she and you shared the same pain."

Its words clearly held a deeper meaning, but after a busy day and the emotional exhaustion of dealing with Ji Yunhuai, Lu Xiaoxiao really couldn't stay awake any longer. Without asking anything else, she slipped into a deep sleep.

Whatever. Big or small, it could all wait until she woke up.