Starting with a Breakup: Why Is the True Heiress My Possessive Ex? - Chapter 10

[Ding~ Daily Task Completed]

[Simulation Attempts +1]

[Current Remaining Attempts: 1]

Xu Nian let out a long sigh of relief.

The crisis seemed to be over.

At least for now.

The terrifying future she had seen in the simulator hadn’t come to pass, and Su Qingya was peacefully asleep beside her.

Everything appeared to be under control.

…Probably.

To be honest, Xu Nian wasn’t entirely certain.

Things had gone so differently from her expectations that even she felt a little disoriented.

For the moment, she had no intention of spending her newly acquired simulation attempt.

Simulation opportunities were precious.

They needed to be saved for critical situations.

Her gaze drifted toward the strange object she had confiscated earlier.

Immediately, her cheeks turned red.

Without hesitation, she stuffed the troublesome item into the hidden cloth bag and buried it deep inside.

Out of sight.

Out of mind.

Much better.

Thinking back, she realized she had forgotten to ask Su Qingya where her new abilities came from.

But honestly, the answer was fairly obvious.

The Fear Beast.

Everything pointed toward that encounter.

If Affliction Beasts truly fed on emotions, then it wasn’t strange for their victims to be changed afterward.

Fear.

Obsession.

Possessiveness.

Extreme emotional fluctuations.

All of it seemed connected.

Xu Nian decided she would question Su Qingya properly after she woke up.

For now, however…

She looked toward the sleeping girl on the bed.

A smug smile slowly appeared on her face.

“Trash fish Qingya.”

Xu Nian crossed her arms proudly.

“To think you were defeated so easily.”

“Hmph.”

“I was worried for nothing.”

The more she thought about it, the happier she became.

After all, she was the winner.

The glorious victor.

After celebrating her success several more times, Xu Nian reached toward the bedside table.

Then she picked up Su Qingya’s phone.

The password was unsurprisingly simple.

Her birthday.

Just like her own phone used Su Qingya’s birthday.

After unlocking it, Xu Nian immediately opened QQ.

The contact list was astonishingly clean.

Apart from herself, there were only a few class groups and study groups.

Nothing unusual.

Nothing suspicious.

The messages were exactly what she expected.

Homework.

Exams.

Study discussions.

The sort of conversations that made her head hurt after reading only a few lines.

Honestly, Xu Nian still couldn’t understand how someone could spend so much time discussing academic questions.

Of course, thanks to spending years around Su Qingya, her own grades had improved dramatically as well.

Not because she loved studying.

But because she refused to drag her girlfriend down.

Unfortunately, talent was talent.

No matter how hard she worked, she still couldn’t catch up.

After confirming nothing was wrong, Xu Nian exited QQ.

Then she opened WeChat.

The moment she entered the app, her eyes narrowed.

WeChat was even cleaner.

No groups.

No extra contacts.

Almost empty.

Almost.

There was one new friend.

One person she had never seen before.

Instantly, Xu Nian sat upright.

Found you.

Without hesitation, she opened the chat history.

The earliest messages were ordinary.

Simple introductions.

Small talk.

Nothing suspicious.

Scrolling downward, she found only a dozen or so messages.

Then her gaze froze.

Voice Call.

Duration: 13 minutes 27 seconds.

Xu Nian’s expression darkened.

What exactly had they talked about for thirteen minutes?

The bedsheet twisted into a wrinkled ball in her hands.

Even the sleeping Su Qingya frowned slightly.

Then—

“Ding.”

A new message arrived.

Xu Nian immediately looked down.

The sender was the mysterious contact.

A single message appeared on the screen.

[Come to this location tomorrow.]

[I can tell you everything you want to know.]

Attached beneath it was an address.

Crown Holiday Hotel, A City.

Xu Nian recognized it immediately.

Despite the name, it wasn’t merely a hotel.

It was one of the most expensive establishments in the city.

A luxury restaurant.

A business venue.

A gathering place for wealthy elites.

A single meal there could cost more than an average person’s monthly salary.

For Xu Nian, it wasn’t particularly expensive.

For the current Su Qingya, however…

It represented months of hard-earned income.

Her eyes slowly narrowed.

What exactly was this person’s objective?

As someone who still retained the mindset of her previous life, Xu Nian understood all too well that men rarely invited girls to luxury hotels without ulterior motives.

A cold smile appeared on her face.

Not allowed.

Absolutely not allowed.

Whether the man had good intentions or bad ones, she intended to find out personally.

Fortunately, she had saved her final simulation attempt precisely for situations like this.

Guessing wasn’t enough.

She needed certainty.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Nian calmed herself.

Then she activated the simulator.

“Start simulation.”

[Ding~ Host has initiated a simulation.]

[Simulation Attempt Consumed.]

[Remaining Attempts: 0]

[Simulation Starting…]

[For reasons unknown, you decide to attend the invitation in your girlfriend’s place.]

[You bring numerous bodyguards with you.]

[After all, caution never hurts.]

[Upon arriving at the appointed location, you finally meet the mysterious man.]

[The moment you see him, a memory surfaces.]

[You suddenly remember your father’s warning.]

[“Never provoke anyone from the Lin Family.”]

[The largest and most influential family in A City…]

[The Lin Family.]

The moment those words appeared, Xu Nian’s expression changed.

The Lin Family.

The undisputed rulers of A City.

Even the Xu Family couldn’t compare to them.

Years ago, her father had specifically warned her about one thing:

Never provoke anyone from the Lin Family.

Unfortunately, Xu Nian had never taken that warning seriously.

A City was enormous.

How could she possibly run into someone like that?

Besides, she wasn’t the type to cause trouble.

At least…

That was what she thought.

Until now.

Because the man sitting across from her wasn’t just any member of the Lin Family.

He was the future heir.

The president of Lin Group.

The man standing at the very top of A City’s younger generation.

“…”

Xu Nian couldn’t help rolling her eyes.

What kind of cliché plot was this?

The heroine encounters danger.

A mysterious and powerful man appears.

The handsome president saves the damsel in distress.

The two gradually develop feelings.

Wasn’t this practically copied from every romance novel ever written?

Even simulations couldn’t escape clichés.

Despite her complaints, Xu Nian still sat down.

After all, she had come this far.

Running away now would be embarrassing.

The moment the man saw her, however, his expression darkened.

Clearly.

The person he had invited wasn’t Xu Nian.

It was Su Qingya.

Seeing someone else appear in her place instantly put him in a terrible mood.

The atmosphere became awkward.

Then cold.

Then outright hostile.

Xu Nian quickly introduced herself.

“I’m Xu Nian.”

“And before anything else, I’d like to clarify one thing.”

She crossed her arms.

“I’m Su Qingya’s girlfriend.”

The man’s expression remained unchanged.

“I see.”

His voice was calm.

Too calm.

Xu Nian disliked it immediately.

“So I’d appreciate it if you kept some distance from her.”

Silence.

Several seconds passed.

Then—

The man smiled.

A faint smile.

One filled with contempt.

The kind of smile one might use when looking at a child throwing a tantrum.

Or perhaps…

A dead person.

The feeling sent chills down Xu Nian’s spine.

No argument.

No denial.

No explanation.

The man simply stood up.

Then left.

Just like that.

The simulation accelerated.

Days passed.

Weeks passed.

Something changed.

For some reason, Su Qingya never returned to the Xu Family.

The long-awaited reunion never happened.

Then disaster struck.

The Xu Group became the target of countless investigations.

Tax issues.

Financial crimes.

Corruption allegations.

One accusation after another surfaced.

The Xu Family collapsed almost overnight.

And as a member of the family, Xu Nian was dragged down as well.

Eventually—

She entered prison.

At first, she expected misery.

Fortunately, reality wasn’t quite that terrible.

The environment wasn’t especially harsh.

No sadistic wardens.

No violent inmates.

For Xu Nian, it almost felt like being trapped indoors without internet access.

Annoying.

Very annoying.

But survivable.

She convinced herself that if she behaved well, perhaps she could earn a reduced sentence.

Then something strange happened.

A laugh.

A faint laugh.

It echoed inside her mind.

Every day.

Every night.

At first, she ignored it.

Then she became accustomed to it.

Then she started laughing too.

Not because anything was funny.

Just because laughing felt good.

Very good.

Soon, everything became amusing.

The weather.

The food.

The walls.

Even sitting quietly made her feel happy.

A strange, overwhelming happiness.

An unnatural happiness.

The emotion spread.

The prisoners around her gradually changed as well.

Everyone smiled.

Everyone laughed.

Everyone became cheerful.

Even the smallest things seemed capable of bringing boundless joy.

The prison grew brighter.

Warmer.

Friendlier.

Happier.

Too happy.

Far too happy.

The simulation slowly reached its conclusion.

[Simulation Complete.]

[Ending Unlocked: Smiling Prison]

[You discovered that happiness is contagious.]

[Even in prison, you successfully spread joy to everyone around you.]

[The world became brighter.]

[Everyone became happier.]

[No one questioned why.]

[No one realized anything was wrong.]

[You smiled.]

[And kept smiling.]

[Until the day you completely lost yourself.]

[Ending Evaluation:]

[You have gone insane.]