Ji An's hand was held by the small hand extended by the girl before him.
Hu Tao's grip was firm, as though afraid that if she relaxed even a little, she would lose him once more. But her touch was also incredibly gentle, like holding a fragile piece of porcelain, as if any excessive force would shatter it—just like the shards that scattered long ago, leaving scars on her heart that never truly healed.
"..."
Ji An opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words in the face of the intense emotion swirling in the girl's plum blossom eyes.
'System, is Director Hu Tao possibly the exclusive character for the bond[Forget-Me-Not]?'
[This possibility cannot be ruled out]
'And the blushing and flushed ears when I saw Director Hu Tao earlier—was that also due to the bond's influence?'
[Host, theoretically, the bond only takes effect for the exclusive character]
'Alright.'
In truth, he hardly needed to confirm it with the system anymore. Ji An could almost conclude it himself.
The intense, otherwise inexplicable emotion Hu Tao showed toward him, her strange behavior, and her meaningful words…
Although Ji An was a good-looking guy and had been quite popular since his previous life—no stranger to receiving love letters—he wasn't so presumptuous as to think he could make a girl as remarkable as Director Hu Tao fall in love at first sight.
After eliminating all other impossible options,
there was only one answer left.
Director Hu Tao was the little girl from his fifth simulated life.
Now that he thought about it, certain details started to align…
How should he respond?
In the end,
Ji An sighed inwardly and gently withdrew the hand Hu Tao was holding.
"Director Hu Tao, have you… mistaken me for someone else?"
A gentle smile appeared on his face.
"We've never met before. Perhaps you think I'm someone, but I'm not the person you're looking for."
Upon hearing his answer, Hu Tao's face paled instantly.
She seemed to think of something, forcing a smile as she said, "No… it's okay. Actually, I'm not entirely sure about your current state myself, but I have my own way of knowing. I haven't found the wrong person."
"But even if you believe I'm the person you're looking for, if I don't share the memories you had together, am I truly still that person?"
Ji An sighed, his words carrying a deeper meaning.
To an outsider, their cryptic conversation might have been confusing, but both of them understood exactly what the other meant.
Hu Tao bit her lip. "After going through… that, it's only natural if you can't remember some things right away…"
Ji An shook his head. "What if I never remember? Or what if those memories never existed at all?"
Hu Tao fell silent.
A flicker of pity crossed Ji An's eyes, but in the end, he said nothing more.
He expected Hu Tao to give up then.
Instead, the girl with the beautiful chestnut twin tails lifted her head.
"Then let's treat it as our first meeting!"
A playful smile returned to the girl's face, two shallow dimples appearing on her cheeks as she extended her hand toward him:
"Let's start over. I'm Hu Tao. The 'Hu' in Hu Tao is the 'Hu' from 'indulging in food and drink,' and the 'Tao' isn't the 'Tao' from 'mischievous'!"
Ji An stood there, stunned.
Hu Tao clasped her hands behind her back, looking a little shy. "Hehe… n-not funny?"
…
"Ahem, we'll meet again tomorrow! Yes, Ji An—Hu Tao's new friend."
Hu Tao waved a hand behind her as a farewell, then skipped away on her slender, jade-like legs.
Ji An remained where he was, watching her figure recede into the distance.
His emotions were in utter turmoil, tangled to an extreme degree.
To be honest,
the moment he confirmed Hu Tao was the childhood friend from his fifth life, a flicker of secret delight had sparked in Ji An's heart.
After all, out of nowhere, a beautiful girl deeply in love with him had fallen from the sky. She was a Vision holder, the Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, with a substantial family legacy.
A textbook rich, beautiful young lady.
Wasn't this plot just a gender-swapped version of countless cliché romance stories?
And all Ji An had "done" was simulate one life through the system, skim a few lines of text that popped up, and offer a few painless, detached mental comments.
The joys and sorrows "he" experienced in the simulated life held little real emotional weight for Ji An—at most, it felt like reading a very short story.
One question kept circling in Ji An's mind:
What role did the system truly play in all this? What was its purpose?
Did that simulated life actually exist?
Or was it simply the system's power, forcibly inserting a fabricated set of memories—via so-called bonds—into someone else's life, allowing him to claim their genuine emotions without cost?
On the surface, it sounded great.
Just moments ago, if Ji An had simply nodded and claimed to be Hu Tao's childhood friend, he might have been able to take this beautiful girl to an inn tonight and have everything he wanted.
To do as he pleased.
What man could easily refuse such a temptation?
Both Ji An and Hu Tao would get what they wanted—a seemingly win-win situation where no one got hurt.
"Say it. Tell Hu Tao who you are."
"With a victor's smile, embrace the beautiful girl before you."
At that moment, countless voices like these whispered in his heart.
But Ji An couldn't bring himself to do it.
He knew very well that the current him did not possess the memories or feelings of that life's childhood bond with Hu Tao. At most, he felt a physical attraction.
Ji An admitted he might be… a little bit of a horndog.
But he couldn't do something like that.
It would make him feel despicable, as if he were trampling on the precious feelings Hu Tao held dear.
At the very least, until he understood what these simulated lives truly were, he couldn't do it.
There was another thing troubling Ji An.
Leaving aside the simulated life with Herloxia—since that happened centuries ago, was too distant, and the system stated it wouldn't affect reality (that time felt more like watching a VR movie as a spectator)—the other lives, judging from Hu Tao's experience, had genuinely affected real people.
On one hand, Ji An needed the simulator to grow stronger. On the other, his simulated lives might bring pain or misfortune to others…
This contradiction left him deeply conflicted.
Just then,
the system's voice suddenly rang out.
[Host, there's no need to be conflicted. How can you be certain that if you don't do something, it doesn't exist?]
[Perhaps everything was already decided by fate long ago]
"Explain."
The system fell silent, offering no further response.
Ji An was furious 'Stop speaking in riddles!'
[Ding. Reminder: Host, please do not vent emotions at the system.]
"…"
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A/n: Hey over on my patreon there are currently two for the time being exclusive books which are
Zenless Zone Zero: Loving Daily Life Starting in New Eridu
*Honkai Impact 3rd, I Can Transform into a Valkyrie!*
patreon.com/deadlygoober