Chapter 1018

"I think Ning Chen actually has it pretty hard too. Even if he treats Gu Yanqi as a substitute, so what? That's not our business to meddle in, is it?"

"People nowadays just worry about things that don't concern them. The female lead who's being treated as a substitute hasn't said a word, yet netizens are already getting all worked up. What is this even about?"

"If your girlfriend of so long suddenly appeared right before your eyes, anyone would get excited, wouldn't they?"

"So what if she's a substitute? If it's consensual and they're both willing, isn't that enough? Besides, look at everything Ning Chen has done all this time—can anyone honestly say his feelings aren't real?"

Online, the space was almost entirely filled with people supporting Ning Chen or moved by him; the public sentiment shifted instantly.

Yang Mi, watching the news online at home, was completely stunned when she saw the situation reverse.

Seeing so much kindness online, she didn't need to guess what Ning Chen must have done on his end.

Yang Mi immediately called Lin Yi to ask what was going on.

Lin Yi, who had been sleeping groggily, looked somewhat bewildered.

"Huh? What did he do? Nothing. He didn't do anything at all."

Hearing Lin Yi's just-woken voice, Yang Mi fell silent; clearly, Lin Yi knew nothing about it.

After hanging up, Lin Yi got up in confusion, walked toward the driver's seat, saw Ning Chen staring at the endless road ahead, then sat in the passenger seat and told Ning Chen about Yang Mi's message just now.

"Anyway, it's good that the online situation has reversed; otherwise, I really wouldn't know what to do when we get back. Those reporters were absolutely torturous."

Ning Chen said nothing; he roughly understood the situation and guessed the system must have turned on the livestream again without anyone noticing.

As a system, it knew best how to exploit human nature and understood perfectly how to make people see exactly what they wanted to see.

Seeing Ning Chen say nothing, Lin Yi stopped talking too, reclined the passenger seat, and prepared to catch up on some sleep.

"Ning Chen, you should get some rest too. There's probably a tough battle tonight; we're all counting on you."

Having said that, Lin Yi drifted off to sleep in his groggy state.

Ning Chen pressed the button, the seat reclined, and he顺势 lay down and closed his eyes.

He didn't fall asleep; everything he had once shared with Si Shiya flashed before his eyes like a slideshow, passing bit by bit.

Then came the recent memories of everything with Gu Yanqi.

A feeling named "calmness" appeared in Ning Chen's heart.

Yes, calmness. Ning Chen didn't know why this emotion had arisen, but he knew this sense of security was something no one else could ever give him.

Time passed quickly, and the sky darkened very soon.

Accompanying the darkness was thick fog; the surroundings were shrouded in it, including Ning Chen's RV.

Ning Chen sensed something unusual; he immediately turned on the headlights, yet the range they could illuminate was merely one meter.

Moreover, for some unknown reason, the car wouldn't start.

This fog is suspicious.

"Ning Chen, what's going on?"

At some point, Lin Yi woke up; seeing the thick fog outside, his eyes widened.

Ning Chen shook his head, indicating he didn't understand either.

"I'll go wake them up."

Lin Yi jumped up quickly; remembering Gu Yanqi was a girl, he rushed into the room where Huo Jinglin was and shook him frantically.

"Huo Jinglin, wake up, wake up! Something huge has happened! Wake up!"

Lin Yi's voice grew louder with each shout, until even Ning Chen in the driver's seat could hear him.

Gu Yanqi was also roused by this pig-slaughter-like screaming; she opened the door and happened to run into Lin Yi and Huo Jinglin.

"Did something happen?"

Seeing that Gu Yanqi was already up, Lin Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Come quickly; something's wrong."

Following the frantic Lin Yi to the front, the two stared at the thick fog outside, their eyes filled with astonishment.

"What's going on? How can there be such heavy fog?"

Huo Jinglin looked at the fog outside, through which nothing could be seen, and asked strangely: "By all rights, this place should be very open; no one mentioned anything happening recently. Why would such thick fog rise at night?"

Facing Huo Jinglin's question, Lin Yi said nothing and instead looked at Ning Chen.

Inside the entire vehicle, only Ning Chen remained completely calm, as if he knew something.

"Ning Chen, what's this situation? Do you know?"

Gu Yanqi spoke up unexpectedly.

Ning Chen glanced at her and said, "I'm not sure, but we should find out soon enough."

Looking at the fog outside, the other three ordinary people might not notice, but Ning Chen could clearly feel the fog thinning; within a few minutes, it would completely disperse.

About seven or eight minutes later, the fog indeed gradually cleared.

The scene revealed after the fog lifted made Lin Yi and Huo Jinglin's mouths drop open.

The sight before them was exactly the same as when they had come last time.

The originally open surroundings were now replaced by various shops; crowds outside flowed endlessly, and that skyscraper still stood there, brightly lit.

This scene was completely opposite to what it had been during the day.

"Th-this-this, isn't this haunted? How did all this suddenly appear?"

Although he had seen this scene before, Lin Yi still found it unbelievable; he was plunged into utter confusion.

Huo Jinglin, standing nearby, quickly reacted and patted Lin Yi on the shoulder.

"It's okay, brother. Since we're here, let's just accept it."

Lin Yi looked at Ning Chen with a bitter expression.

"Oh great Ning Chen, can I quit the squad now? Waaah, I'm still young!"

Ning Chen glanced at him and said, "Sure."

Hearing Ning Chen's response, Lin Yi "cried" even more sorrowfully, raising his sleeve to wipe away tears that did not exist.

"How about that, Ning Chen? You have no heart. Shouldn't you have tried to keep me? As expected, love disappears, right?"

Huo Jinglin, standing nearby, held back his laughter and said, "You seem like that bitter woman."

"Sigh, don't mention it. I'm just a poor little thing. My father doesn't love me, my mother doesn't care for me. No, I've followed Ning Chen for so long and gained no benefits. I can't leave!"