Chapter 40: I Will Become Your Proof in This World

On the eighth floor of the shopping mall was a vast open platform. The most upscale cake shops and flower stores were located next to the Ferris wheel entrance. A saxophone played First Love , and even just stepping onto the terrace, one could feel immersed in a romantic yet melancholic atmosphere. Winter was unusually mild that day, with a gentle breeze blowing, though there were no stars in the sky. Everywhere you looked, girls stood clutching flowers and cakes, taking photos — all of them “wives” of this character. Bai Jingchuan instinctively avoided the crowd, glancing at the life-sized birthday standees not far away. Many people were taking pictures with them. Though he didn’t bother remembering the name, the banners read “A Jun” and “Codename A,” which seemed to be his nickname.

The wives’ outfits shared a unified color palette, mostly green and white, with similar accessories. It seemed they were waiting for fireworks. One wife trembled as she shouted, “I don’t know what the point of coming here is. The fan club has already disbanded. If he can really see us, why doesn’t he set off some fireworks? Doesn’t he have superpowers?”

Bai Jingchuan didn’t need her to say it out loud — mind-reading was one of his innate abilities. So, he heard every wish from the hundreds of girls on the rooftop.

“After all these years, you’re still so handsome and elegant, forever 27-year-old A. Happy birthday.”

“I hope you’re happy. It would be great if the game could stay online.”

“No matter what others think, you’ll always be irreplaceable in my heart. We’ve been together for almost five years now. Be happy, my darling.”

“Ugh, I skipped work to see you, and I still have to go back and work overtime later. But if I didn’t see you today, I wouldn’t have been able to calm down… Are you doing okay? Thankfully, you in Wuhai City can’t see our online world. I’m celebrating your quiet birthday in your world…”

Bai Jingchuan understood. Wuhai City must be where their male protagonist was based.

The giant screen on the Ferris wheel, with its strong romantic vibes, was perfect for advertising female-oriented games. For five years, the birthdays of romance game protagonists had all appeared on this Ferris wheel. It was as if this transparent, futuristic glass screen served as a gateway between dimensions.

Dice immediately popped up, floated over to check on Jiang Huan, then returned. “Her eyes are red. Poor thing. She’s definitely empathizing deeply with these players right now. If you hug her now, you might be able to activate a timed challenge to complete the mission.”

“It’s not the right time.”

“Isn’t this the perfect moment? She’s upset. Walk over and comfort her. Even if you don’t say anything, a hug is the best solace. With the architecture and lighting setting such a romantic scene, who knows? Maybe there won’t be a quantitative change, but there will be a qualitative one. If she feels you’re on her side, your favorability might increase by 1,000 points…”

Bai Jingchuan remained silent. Since entering the real world, he had been in a constant state of urgency and tension. Only now did he feel a sense of permanent calm. In moments of deep emotional resonance, humans weren’t overwhelmed; instead, they quietly felt the passage of time they’d shared with their loved ones flowing through their veins, synchronizing with their breaths, gentle and peaceful. Each person’s lover was slightly different, but it didn’t stop them from gathering here, as if drawing strength from one another and reaffirming their resolve to keep loving.

The saxophone switched to “My Heart Will Go On.” Jiang Huan turned around, and their gazes slowly met. They moved closer amidst the crowd. Watching the wives gather around the birthday cake for group photos, carefully cutting the cake into tiny slices and holding each piece in their palms after snapping a picture — every step was imbued with ritualistic meaning.

The girl playing the saxophone hadn’t stopped. It was as if she wanted the melody to linger through the night, reaching as far as possible, with no end in sight.

“You thought I came here to argue with them, didn’t you?” Jiang Huan’s voice was soft.

“No. I didn’t think that.”

“No one would bully a character, especially when he’s considered the best man in the world by his fans. Over time, without profit or shutdowns, the wives have simply grown quieter, but they haven’t disappeared.”

“Mm.”

“Among these wives, some probably came on impulse because the online arguments made them uneasy, sad, and fearful for someone they once loved.”

“…”

“Do you know how much cross-dimensional effort goes into companionship? Anniversary offline phone calls, handwritten letters, collaborations with public art projects or museums, co-branded merchandise on commercial streets… For players, ‘checking in’ is like meeting him. It’s the closest, most real way outside of dreams. To them, these characters are no longer just part of a game. When the game disappears or gets replaced, everything about their lovers starts fading, which is the hardest part for them to accept.”

Jiang Huan’s eyes reddened as she gazed at the distant skyscraper with shifting images. Suddenly, the other dimension felt incredibly far away. Without new memories to stimulate her, compared to the initial euphoria, she realized her passion had dimmed — the beginning of separation. Newer, trendier things would emerge. Time would be consumed by more important matters. Her collection of memorabilia would become burdensome boxes during each move, eventually discarded without regret. Recalling this frenzy of memories, only fragments remained: the sunset she waited under outside a store without eating, the petals and leaves she brought home because they appeared in the story, her frozen fingers while queuing against the crowd for events…

The dazzling lovers formed five years of memories for these girls. Their love shone brightly, and now, gathered together, they resembled stars gifted back to the night sky from the ground.

Bai Jingchuan asked Jiang Huan, “If your project from three years ago had launched, maybe this screen would have featured his name too.”

“Perhaps.” The cascading lights reflected in Jiang Huan’s eyes. “I still love him, even though he never got the chance to launch or meet anyone. His original name was rejected by the producer and changed, but luckily, from start to finish, he belonged solely to me.”

“What was his name?”

“Li Junzhu.”

The saxophone continued to play. The night breeze brushed past Bai Jingchuan’s ear. All was silent except for the gentle movement of his hair, reminding him that he had just heard a secret about his own life.

Amidst the bustling crowd, Jiang Huan bumped into a familiar figure. They recognized each other, greeted each other politely, and both wanted to chat for a bit. Bai Jingchuan tactfully stepped back a few paces, leaning on the railing to watch the rolling advertisements on the screen. Wen Li initiated the greeting: “I didn’t expect to run into you here.”

A woman nursing a broken heart… Jiang Huan responded as gently as possible, “I’m here to see the big screen.”

“What big screen?”

“To see A Jun’s birthday screen. What about you?”

On the opposite side of the building housing the overseas Chinese community, the screen displayed “W.PRESS 23S/S,” showcasing the lineup of newly represented brands for the season. A one-minute ad featured confident models flaunting their tanned skin, adorned with various new jewelry pieces set against deserts, jungles, and urban landscapes. They ignored the camera, presenting fashion that Jiang Huan couldn’t understand. For an entire minute, A Jun’s birthday promotion wasn’t shown.

Wen Li didn’t explain, but Jiang Huan understood. She was facing the owner of a successful fashion PR company. The disdain in the other woman’s eyes was unmistakable — the kind of condescension that stemmed from being in entirely different social classes and worlds, unable to comprehend Jiang Huan’s perspective.

“The screen you’re watching is about to be replaced.”

“What?”

As soon as she finished speaking, A Jun’s birthday animation switched to W.Press’s advertisement. It was still the same virtual runway video, still featuring soulless, rough-edged models, but it was trendy, bold, and perfectly aligned with the city’s vibe. Passersby stopped to point and exclaim, “So cool! Runways in space, in showrooms, even in markets!”

“Virtual creations exist solely for profit. You should be the last person to believe in these things, considering you’re part of the marketing machinery. I thought you were immersed in creating good characters, but now… you’re really naive.”

“He’s not fake.” Jiang Huan earnestly refuted the claim, gesturing toward the screen. “Our views differ, but I don’t need to justify myself to you.”

Bai Jingchuan stood overlapping with A Jun’s image projected on the Ferris wheel screen. Jiang Huan pointed at him, but he said nothing.

“AI shouldn’t have souls or emotions. If they appear, it’s only to deceive, and they should be suppressed at their most basic level to serve humanity. Don’t fantasize about giving them feelings. Your male leads, no matter how handsome, are all fake — products of girls’ fantasies. They’ll never become real people or exist in this world.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll prove that he existed in this world.”

Jiang Huan grabbed Bai Jingchuan’s arm. “Let’s go, boss.”

Bai Jingchuan didn’t speak, allowing Jiang Huan to pull him forward.

“The voice actor is coming tomorrow to record lines. I need to finish writing the promotional video for Duanmu Xuan tonight. You agree, right?”

As they passed Wen Li, Bai Jingchuan glanced at her indifferently. His lie-detecting ability easily saw through her thoughts — she felt some regret but couldn’t bring herself to talk calmly with Jiang Huan. Extremely lonely, craving friendship, yet feeling betrayed by Bright, she couldn’t trust others. Fragile and ready to shatter, she had no one to confide in. And… she instinctively envied Jiang Huan — especially seeing her pull Bai Jingchuan along.

Being able to see through others so clearly… He started to dislike his own talent.

“You have used the item ‘Dream Shattered Fragments.’”

Just before the elevator doors closed, he heard a girl standing near the Ferris wheel exclaim, “Wow, a shooting star! What’s going on? There was no news predicting meteor showers. Why are there suddenly shooting stars today…”

“Could it be A Jun visiting us!”

“Oh my god, this is the most surprising birthday I’ve celebrated for him in five years…”

“He must have heard us!”

The pure dream of these girls was that the male lead riding the Ferris wheel could linger in this world for a long time.

Jiang Huan called his name, her grip tightening on his hand with renewed determination, inspired by the sudden meteor shower granting wishes. Before leaving the eighth floor, Bai Jingchuan’s eyes were illuminated by fireworks. Miracles existed in everything. He wasn’t a man without purpose anymore.

My love will transform into anticipation for a new game, joy from creating a new world, overcoming writer’s block, and pouring my insights and expectations of love into new characters. This isn’t reusing the same emotions — it’s channeling my thoughtful expertise.

The other half of otome games is made up of players — countless days of beautiful imaginings by girls, fantasies of romantic scenarios where they want to be accompanied, spontaneous urges to share joyful moments, heartache from the inability to have their virtual lovers in reality, sparks of creativity while cradling their phones and hugging dolls… Weekly updates via in-game social media posts, holiday greetings, and the consistent presence of their lovers build an accumulation of imagined love. Every second, fueled by the girls’ romantic inspiration, produces different daily experiences — clothes and earrings related to their lovers, birthdays and amusement parks spent together, frustration from failing to draw SSR cards, exams and work efforts tied to promises with their lovers… Aside from the absence of a real person, the sense of romance is no different, perhaps even more fulfilling — they are perfect, generous with encouragement, and eternally loving the precious girls. If they could perceive it, the diverse feedback from different girls in reality would paint a richer picture than any scripted game.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand this. Everyone has their own perspective, and mutual misunderstanding is fine. But don’t slander what I hold dear as a spiritual pillar. Don’t belittle it without understanding, because that only makes me see you as narrow-minded, even if you’re successful.

Or are you like me, distrustful and confused about this world?

After spending the entire night writing, Jiang Huan prepared early in the morning for the voice director and actors to enter the recording booth. Despite skepticism from the editing and art teams about the reliability of prioritizing the script, Jiang Huan refused to back down: “Please, try this version. I believe it works!”

Staring nervously at Bai Jingchuan and then at the editor, this attempt still lacked certainty, but at least there was some chance of success.

“It’s good.”

“What?”

“I mean it’s great, and worth using two screens, right?”

“Jiang Huan’s favorability toward you +100.”

The head of the animation department teased Jiang Huan: “Does this count as your embryonic boyfriend creation? After all, you’ve seen so many versions of them.”

The popularity was undeniable. The freshness of the dual-screen ads surpassed even the retweets from A Jun’s birthday meteor shower. However, Jiang Huan didn’t consider Duanmu Xuan a nurtured boyfriend, even though meeting him in VR revealed a captivating personality and striking handsomeness. Unexpectedly, she didn’t develop feelings for this type of boy. If anything, he was more like… a child she had created.

Of course, she didn’t say that.

A young intern bounced over excitedly: “Oh, Teacher Bai! I heard there was a meteor shower in front of this screen a few days ago during A Jun’s birthday. Very unusual, especially since it was so cold that day.”

“Ah, I wish I could’ve seen the meteor shower! They said there was no astrological prediction, and the planetary trajectories seemed to suddenly shift. It was A Jun’s surprise for everyone. How romantic of him!”

“Between promotional ads, meteor showers and snowfall, which do you prefer?”

“The legend says that couples who kiss under this screen will stay together forever. Sounds like a marketing effort by the mall for the screen… Snow and meteors are miracles meant for lovers. Natural phenomena can’t be faked.”

After walking a few steps, Jiang Huan turned back: “Teacher Bai, there’s something bothering me.”

“Hmm?”

“A while ago, when we went to the offline birthday celebration together, I accidentally revealed confidential information about a previous project. You won’t tell anyone I violated the confidentiality agreement, will you?”

Bai Jingchuan didn’t answer. That name felt like a smile, a stolen kiss, a leap toward true love. Jiang Huan continued to mock herself. “Well, it wasn’t adopted anyway. Only you and I know. Our little secret.”

“Yes, only you and I know. But because you love him, you will become his proof of existence in this world.”

Jiang Huan froze for a second, then laughed as she took a few steps back: “Teacher Bai, you’re so strange… I’ll go back to work now.”

“Jiang Huan’s favorability toward you +1000.”

Meteors streaked across his mind, crashing to the ground and making it hard for him to stand steady. He didn’t yet have the opportunity to confirm whether it was a true miracle. But he understood — testing the flutter in his heart was akin to the frantic difficulty of breathing while running full speed. Other moments that quickened his pulse were merely light sprints.

Downstairs, waiting for a taxi, the final round of promotions for the Yiqing Fashion Week had arrived. As Wen Li passed Hong Kong Plaza, she looked at her company’s last ad placement of the event, marking the conclusion of the campaign.

The big screen now featured a new game protagonist. The visuals were hyper-realistic with a sci-fi touch. Silver-clad peaks shimmered amidst clouds and mist. A 3D male protagonist dressed in red emerged from the snowy mountains, growing larger as he approached. A youthful boy wielding a lightsaber, with balanced features and a clear voice, radiated sharpness: “You’ve arrived. It’s a bit dangerous here, but I’m not here to protect you. You’re strong enough. The scenery’s nice, isn’t it? There will be twists and trials. Scared? Foolish girl, only after experiencing challenges will the landscapes truly belong to you.”

“But if you want to explore together, I suggest you stick with me. Without me, this place wouldn’t be nearly as exciting.” A massive monster stomped its foot, shaking the snowy mountain. The boy leapt into the air, turning to face the blizzard with his sword drawn. Two powerful forces collided, and light burst outward from the screen, flooding it with brilliant whiteness. When the clarity returned, it revealed the boy’s face — gentle, clean, as if waiting for someone to wake up. Leaning on a desk, he extended his finger toward the screen. The naked-eye 3D effect caused nearby girls to exclaim, “So handsome!” Against the vast snowy backdrop, his modified red jacket stood out vividly. With his hood covering his head, he looked up and locked eyes with the viewer, extending his hand. A bright and resolute voice echoed —

“I will become your proof in this world.”

It only took a few seconds for her gaze to shift from indifference to being completely captivated. Having worked in PR for so long, she had seen countless ads, but this was the first time she stayed rooted in place for a game advertisement to appear on the screen. The biting wind didn’t faze her — she was never afraid of cold weather. Dressed in red boots, a black leather jacket, and fringe skirt, she had the sharpest fashion sense. Waiting through boring ads for sake and luxury watches, the black-haired, red-clad boy almost burst out of the screen. His outfit was far too conventional compared to her company’s virtual fashion designs, but that long-awaited tagline still sent a chill through her heart.

“I will become your proof in this world.”

She softly repeated the phrase, her words dissipating into the frosty air as her lips parted. No one in this world had ever acknowledged her existence.

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Postscript: Little Zhang has arrived! Finally, some mysteries are unveiled, bringing relief. Welcome to join the bookshelf and cast your votes! Today, I also look forward to chatting with all of you.