Chapter 34
Zuo Bian didn’t stay home for long. In the evening, she packed her things and prepared to return to the set.
Due to Little Frog’s strong protests, Zuo Bian didn’t bring the frog-shaped alarm clock to the set.
Little Frog insisted that it could be an alarm clock itself, and it was very good at it.
Zuo Bian praised Little Frog and gave it a bottle of Vitasoy. Little Frog happily chirped, “You’re the best, Sister!” Its sweet-talking was relentless.
555, who could speak despite having no mouth, expressed its disdain, but it was actually envious to death.
The outdoor location that was previously unavailable had been opened to the crew. Zuo Bian didn’t have to return to the old place, she could go directly to the new location.
It was late at night when Zuo Bian arrived at the filming site. The crew had already arranged their accommodation.
Early the next morning, Zuo Bian got up, put on her makeup, and went to film. Chang Wensi was still the same, resting with her legs crossed when she wasn’t filming.
Zhong Xin, after the incident where he tried to stand up for Hu Miaofu, didn’t dare to make his presence known anymore. When he bumped into Zuo Bian, he would greet her politely.
Xu Ruisheng, a grown man, was as pampered and delicate as a young lady. He complained about the mosquitoes, the sun being too strong, and getting sunburned.
His agent, Lü Deng, was also getting fed up with Xu Ruisheng’s attitude. Something seemed to be wrong with him recently. His endorsements had been replaced, and the dramas he was supposed to film had all been canceled.
Rumors about Xu Ruisheng’s scandals were spreading online, especially the incident where he used a young actress for publicity and then slandered her. The fans of those actresses were furious and bombarded Xu Ruisheng’s Weibo comments.
Several names flashed through Lü Deng’s mind. He wondered which powerful figure Xu Ruisheng had offended recently.
Perhaps because Lü Deng had investigated Zuo Bian’s background before and found nothing significant, he didn’t even consider her as a possibility.
Xu Ruisheng wasn’t a gentlemanly or perfect male god to begin with. His recent misfortunes had exposed his true nature, making him even more unpleasant.
Xu Ruisheng’s bad luck was thanks to Zuo Yuan and Qin Ai. Zuo Yuan, worried that his innocent sister would be bullied, had investigated the situation on set.
Qin Ai, after the incident with Hu Miaofu, wondered if there were others in the crew who might want to bully Zuo Bian. After all, the entertainment industry was a messy place, filled with all sorts of shady characters. So they both discovered Xu Ruisheng and Lü Deng’s plan to use Zuo Bian for publicity and then discard her.
Qin Ai and Zuo Yuan didn’t tell Zuo Bian about their actions. In their eyes, Zuo Bian was pure and innocent and shouldn’t be exposed to such dirty matters.
Meanwhile, Zuo Bian, completely unaware, was reading her script. In reality, even if Qin Ai and Zuo Yuan hadn’t done anything, Xu Ruisheng would have been no match for Zuo Bian.
After all, straightforwardness countered all forms of hypocrisy.
As night fell, the filming wrapped up. However, Zuo Bian didn’t immediately return to the hotel. She wanted to go up the mountain.
This world’s highly developed cities were nice, but as a cultivator, she yearned for the vast sky and the free-flowing wind.
Zuo Bian didn’t let her assistant or bodyguards follow her. She went up the mountain alone.
Her eyesight and hearing were excellent, so she could easily navigate through the forest even without any lighting.
Suddenly, Zuo Bian heard a sharp voice. “Zuo Bian, what are you doing?! Going up the mountain alone at this hour?!”
Chang Wensi felt a heavy responsibility on her shoulders. This foolish Zuo Bian dared to enter the entertainment industry and act, and now she even dared to go up the mountain alone at night. She was practically asking for trouble.
Chang Wensi pushed aside the branches blocking her path and walked towards Zuo Bian. Zuo Bian turned around and saw Chang Wensi’s annoyed expression. She was about to say that she was fine on her own when she saw Chang Wensi collapse to the ground with a thud.
Zuo Bian rushed over and turned Chang Wensi over, seeing that her expression was still the same as before, her eyes wide open.
“555, what happened to her?”
【Host, you’ve reached the edge of this world. Don’t worry about her. People who touch the edge will have their memories reset and return to their original positions soon.】
Zuo Bian carried Chang Wensi like a plank of wood, placing her on the grass and covering her with a pile of leaves.
“Let’s go. I don’t want her to catch a cold.”
【Host, go to the top of the mountain, you’ll see the edge of this world.】
Zuo Bian turned and walked towards the summit. A gust of wind blew, sending the leaves flying into Chang Wensi’s face, some even getting stuck in her nostrils.
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Zuo Bian reached the top of the mountain. There was no starry sky as she had imagined. The sky in the distance was dark and silent, without a single glimmer of light.
【We’ve reached the end.】
Zuo Bian found a rock and sat down, looking up at the sky. “I never thought I would reach the end of the world one day.”
【Host, I told you on the first day I bound to you that the plot had come to a standstill without your influence. This world is a world created by someone’s imagination. You and Qin Ai are the core of this world, and your souls are the strongest. The closer you are to each other, the more complete your souls become.】
【That’s why the supporting characters are so one-dimensional and lack intelligence. The higher the mission completion rate, the more complete this world, which exists between reality and fiction, will become. The souls of the other characters will also become complete along with the world. Host, you’re a key figure in expanding the boundaries of this world. Have you ever wondered why you’re called Zuo Bian?】(Zuo Bian’s name literally means “left side”)
Zuo Bian shook her head. “My name has always been Zuo Bian for as long as I can remember. My parents must have given me this name.”
【Your mission is to expand and perfect the boundaries of this world, Zuo Bian.】
“So that’s how it is.”
【Exactly.】
555 wiped the sweat from its nonexistent brow. It had made up the reason behind Zuo Bian’s name. It didn’t actually know why she was called Zuo Bian. It just said those things to make its words sound more profound and fateful.
“Does Qin Ai know the truth about this world?”
555 paused for a moment. 【As the protagonist, she should have some awareness.】
“Okay, I understand. I want to see her.” Zuo Bian took out her phone from her pocket and saw that the signal bars were crossed out.
There was no signal here.
555 saw it too. 【Host, I’ll connect you to the internet, but my energy in this world is limited. I can probably only maintain a phone call, video calls might not be possible.】
Hearing 555’s words, Zuo Bian’s face lit up with a smile. “Thank you, 555! You’re the cutest little cutie in the world!”
【Hehe, I know I’m cute. Well, the internet is connected, hurry up and call your beloved.】
Zuo Bian dialed Qin Ai’s number, and Qin Ai quickly answered.
“Hello.” Qin Ai’s pleasant voice echoed through the phone in this silent world.
“Good evening, your little cutie has suddenly appeared.” Zuo Bian couldn’t help but smile as she said this.
Qin Ai said, “Mm, very cute.”
“Qin Ai, I discovered a big secret today. Maybe you already know this secret.”
A gentle breeze blew from somewhere, brushing against Zuo Bian’s cheek and lifting the hair from her shoulders.
Qin Ai glanced out the window. “Are you going to tell me this secret?”
Zuo Bian thought for a moment. “Maybe the world we live in is very small, so small that a car ride could take us to the end of the world.”
Zuo Bian could hear Qin Ai’s soft breathing through the phone. She didn’t say anything.
After a long silence, Qin Ai finally said, “It is very small.”
This answer told Zuo Bian that Qin Ai knew more than 555 had imagined. She said to Qin Ai, “But this world will grow. It will definitely grow big enough for us to travel around the world and return to where we started. Qin Ai, do you believe me?”
Zuo Bian heard Qin Ai say, “I believe you.”
Zuo Bian smiled, although there were no stars in the night sky, the stars were in her eyes.
“Qin Ai, play a song for me. I want to hear you play the piano.”
“Okay. I composed a piece myself. No one has ever heard it before. Would you like to hear it?”
“Of course.” Zuo Bian sat down on the grass, facing the boundless darkness.
The sound of the piano under Qin Ai’s fingers was like fairies dancing on a moonlit lake, gently and slowly landing on Zuo Bian’s heart.
Zuo Bian saw faint lights appearing in the distant darkness. The wind grew stronger, creating waves of grass on the ground. Clusters of pale golden light drifted from the void, and Zuo Bian could feel the energy within them.
As the song neared its end, countless lights filled Zuo Bian’s vision. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew the lights towards her. Zuo Bian’s long hair billowed, and her clothes rustled in the wind, but she was smiling.
The lights passed through Zuo Bian’s body and flowed into the world behind her. The last note of the song faded away, and Zuo Bian heard Qin Ai say, “This song is called ‘Galaxy,’ dedicated to you.”
As those words fell, a brilliant galaxy gradually appeared above Zuo Bian’s head. The world, which was originally shrouded in darkness, began to take shape, revealing mountains, rivers, lakes, animals, and buildings.
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The world was expanding.
Zuo Bian smiled and said to Qin Ai on the phone, “Qin Ai, look out the window.”
Qin Ai walked to the window. A grand shower of light descended upon the night, each speck of light landing on everything in the world. The entire night sky seemed to be illuminated. However, no one except Qin Ai and Zuo Bian could see this beautiful and magnificent scene.
The light reflected in Qin Ai’s eyes, something flickering and burning within them.
“Qin Ai, do you like this gift?” Zuo Bian’s voice was cheerful and expectant. She was waiting for Qin Ai’s answer.
Qin Ai looked at the fading lights and smiled. “I like it very much, the gift you gave me.”
“Qin Ai, let’s make a promise. When this world is complete, we’ll start from here and travel all over the world. We can’t miss out on seeing it now that it’s become so big.”
Qin Ai’s gaze towards the night sky was filled with uncontainable joy. “Okay, I promise you.”
Zuo Bian said happily, “Then it’s settled, you can’t go back on your word. I’ll be angry if you do.”
“You angry? I’ve never seen you angry before.”
“Actually, I also have a violent side, especially when I’m angry.” Zuo Bian said.
Qin Ai chuckled. “Mm, I know, so I won’t break my promise.”
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