"Oh, it's... it's you, the set assistant."
At the sight of Li Qing, Yu Xiaohe's expression turned somewhat unnatural, and she nervously tucked her hair behind one ear.
"Is something wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"
Li Qing stopped where he stood.
"There was an accident with the elevator," he said. "Didn't you know?"
Yu Xiaohe said, "Ah... oh, how could that happen?"
"The place you just left was the elevator control room, wasn't it, Yu Xiaohe?"
Li Qing took a few steps forward, staring into Yu Xiaohe's eyes.
Yu Xiaohe froze. "Was... was it...? I didn't notice. Was anyone inside?"
"Two people. Gong Yao and the cameraman."
Yu Xiaohe covered her mouth in shock. "How... is Gong Yao all right now?"
Li Qing's work phone suddenly rang shrilly.
He casually declined the call and said evenly, "He's fine now."
"Oh," Yu Xiaohe murmured.
Li Qing tilted his head and voiced the thought on her mind-
"What a shame, isn't it?"
Yu Xiaohe's face instantly went pale. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Li Qing moved a little closer and said softly, "Yu Xiaohe, or rather... Qin Lian. You were Gong Yao's classmate in middle school. Later, your parents divorced, and you changed your name to Yu Xiaohe."
Watching her pupils abruptly contract, he continued, "I won't bring out the photograph. I imagine you wouldn't want to see your former self."
Yu Xiaohe fell silent for a moment before speaking with a dark expression. "What do you want?"
Naturally, he wanted the boss of this Dungeon Instance to do some actual work instead of constantly sacrificing NPCs.
But Li Qing certainly wasn't foolish enough to say that in front of Yu Xiaohe's livestream audience.
"I just think you might need help from someone who knows the truth," he said, speaking nothing but the absolute truth. "That's my wish-to put everything that violates the rules back on the proper track."
To Yu Xiaohe, those words meant something else entirely.
It was as though someone finally understood all the injustice she had suffered over the years, someone willing to seek justice for her. Her eyes reddened.
"I... I actually don't know what to do either..."
She broke down, covering her face.
"There's always a voice telling me not to forget the hatred from being bullied for my weight. But I never wanted to do this..."
Yu Xiaohe crouched down, hiding her face behind her hands as she sobbed.
"I hate all of them, especially Gong Yao, who led the bullying back then. But when I saw him again, he felt like a completely different person from the Gong Yao I used to know... I can't hate who he is now!
"What am I supposed to do...?"
The player's own will had ultimately come into conflict with the character imposed on her by the Dungeon Instance.
Li Qing lowered his eyes and quietly watched Yu Xiaohe cry. After a long while, he spoke softly. "Yu Xiaohe, you're a kind girl."
Yu Xiaohe slowly raised her head, looking at Li Qing through tear-blurred eyes.
Li Qing bent forward slightly, looking down at her. His pale eyes held no warmth, as dispassionate as lifeless glass.
"-But human kindness won't make your life any better in the world you're in. In 84% of cases, your kindness will become the knife turned against you."
Yu Xiaohe's expression went blank for an instant.
Li Qing held out his hand to her.
"Regardless, the choice is still yours. I'm only telling you this fact. For now, get up."
As though under some spell, Yu Xiaohe placed her hand in Li Qing's palm.
The icy touch jolted her awake. Then Li Qing curled his fingers slightly and pulled her to her feet.
Yu Xiaohe withdrew her hand and hid it behind her back, asking in some bewilderment, "Do I... have the freedom to choose?"
"Yes." Li Qing turned and headed toward the set. "You're free to be kind, and you're free not to be. That's your own will. No one has the right to take it away."
As an administrator, Li Qing naturally preferred that Yu Xiaohe follow the script.
But the girl herself hadn't broken any rules. If an administrator forcibly intervened, that would still be an injustice to her.
So Li Qing could only clear a few small obstacles from her path to revenge. Whether she took that path was up to Yu Xiaohe herself.
The two walked slowly, one behind the other, but Li Qing suddenly stopped.
A figure emerged from the corner ahead-Gong Yao, accompanied by a staff member whose face still showed lingering fear.
Gong Yao's styling was a complete mess. His long-sleeved jacket was nowhere to be seen, leaving him in just a tank top, which was soaked with sweat. His arms bore several scrapes and black smudges.
When he saw Li Qing and Yu Xiaohe, he was startled at first, then a little puzzled:
"Xiao He, didn't you head back?"
Yu Xiaohe's face was deathly pale, and she instinctively glanced at Li Qing in front of her.
Li Qing said expressionlessly, "I ran into Yu Xiaohe on my way to the control room. She was worried about you too, so we went together to have the power shut off."
Yu Xiaohe froze, then let out an almost imperceptible breath of relief.
In Gong Yao's livestream chat, viewers who had just come over from Yu Xiaohe's stream flooded the screen:
[Like hell I believe you!]
[So you're both traitors! Li Qing, how could you!]
[Gong Yao treats you so well! How could you screw him over!]
[...Still, Yu Xiaohe is the one who wants revenge. Li Qing only pointed out the truth. He hasn't actually done anything to hurt anyone.]
[Whose side are you on, person above???]
Li Qing glanced at the outrage he had sparked and remained utterly unmoved.
"Oh," Gong Yao said with a smile. "Looks like you saved my life. Thank you!"
[Aaaaah, Lord Gong Yao, how did you become so sweet and gullible!]
[Mom said the prettier a man is, the better he is at lying. Li Qing, you big liar!]
Li Qing said honestly, "We didn't save you. We couldn't possibly have made it in time. You were just lucky."
Gong Yao: "..."
The chat: [...]
Gong Yao's manager stormed forward just then. "Where's the elevator control room? After an incident this serious, we need to hold them accountable!"
Li Qing pointed behind him and said, "We just came from there. There's no one in the control room."
"No one?" The manager's slender brows shot up. "The mall staff said the elevator's floor settings can only be overridden from the control room. How could there be no one there?"
"...Wait."
"Was it you two?"
Li Qing looked at her calmly. "We were all downstairs when the elevator malfunctioned. You can vouch for my alibi yourself."
The manager shifted her gaze to Yu Xiaohe.
"Then her-she doesn't have an alibi, does she?"
Startled, Yu Xiaohe instinctively hid behind Li Qing.
"It's simple enough," Gong Yao drawled from the side. "Just check the security footage, and you'll know whether she was there."
Before you continue