Chapter 25: The Choice Between Two Worlds
The hospital corridor reeked of disinfectant and anxiety.
Lin Chaoxi stood outside the intensive care unit, her fingers clenching the hem of her coat. Through the glass, she saw the man lying unconscious inside —沈慕言. Even in his weakest state, he still carried a kind of noble, untouchable aura that made her heart ache.
"System, is this also part of your plan?" she murmured under her breath.
[Ding! Warning. Emotional deviation detected. The host is reminded: Failure to complete the next stage mission within 48 hours will result in immediate obliteration of the system's support privileges.]
She let out a cold laugh. "So saving him isn't part of your perfect storyline?"
[Saving the male lead is optional. What matters is progressing the romance plot with him. Whether he's conscious or not.]
Lin Chaoxi's nails dug into her palm. She had spent enough time inside this twisted fairytale. It was always about keeping up appearances, about obeying the "script." But now, with Shen Muyan lying there — fragile, real, and no longer just the "CEO male lead" — she was forced to make a choice.
Back in her rented apartment, the air was suffocating. The system's countdown floated in red before her eyes:
47:23:10
She shut her eyes.
She could return to the set tomorrow, flirt with Shen Muyan's substitute in front of the media, play her role, and let the system approve.
Or…
She could do what her heart screamed for — to stay beside him.
But the cost?
She might lose the very "system support" that gave her this second life.
[New optional mission detected: Violate system protocol to preserve real-world connection. Risk level: Extreme. Reward: Unknown.]
A bitter smile crept onto her lips.
So this was it.
Love… or survival.
She typed a message to her manager:
"Sorry, I won't be returning to the set for now. Something more important came up."
And with that, she packed a small bag and left for the hospital.