After AFK for five years, I returned to be number one in the entire server.

The carriage doors opened, and passengers poured out carrying large and small bags.

The air in Ningchuan is colder than in Changshui Town, carrying the dryness characteristic of autumn.

Shen Yi followed the last person in the crowd and slowly got off the car. The suitcase she was carrying contained all her belongings.

Her face was still pale, and her eyes were unfocused as she stared ahead.

The noise of the surrounding crowd was like a silent movie that had nothing to do with her.

The two returned to Ningchuan University, and Shen Yi whispered to Lin Ye, "I'm going back to my dorm."

"Mm," Lin replied.

With only two days left in the National Day holiday, there weren't many students at Ningchuan University.

Lin returned to Songyuan dormitory, pushed open the door, and found that he was alone in the dormitory; none of his roommates had returned.

He threw his backpack on the bed, walked to the balcony, and looked at the gray sky in the distance.

With each breath he took, an invisible net spread outwards for twenty kilometers from him, covering most of Ningchuan City.

Within this vast biomagnetic field, countless things happen every day.

He can sense a horrific car accident taking place at an intersection, detect the gradually weakening heartbeat on a hospital bed, and even detect the growth of evil in dark alleys.

People die in front of him every day.

He likes to let things take their natural course, and that's what he often does. But there are exceptions. He's not a god; he also has a dark side to his personality. He can't completely ignore those he knows relatively well and has had real interactions with in his life.

That's why he saved Shen Yi during the unfinished building incident.

This time, however, he didn't know if he could save her. He could sense that Shen Yi's eyes were like stagnant water, devoid of any hope of survival.

Perhaps the day Shen Yi completely disappears from this world will be the day that the money is paid off.

the other side.

Shen Yi returned to Guiyuan dormitory. There was no one in the room. She put her luggage away and went to the bathroom to look at herself in the mirror.

The girl in the mirror was indeed very beautiful, with exquisite features and slightly upturned eyes. Even though she hadn't had a proper rest for several days and looked haggard, her poignant beauty was still breathtaking.

She stared at that face for a while, without any emotional fluctuation. She turned on the tap, washed her face with cold water, quickly combed her hair, and turned to leave the dormitory.

Relying solely on Huixiansheng Supermarket isn't enough; the night shift wages there aren't high enough. She needs to pay off her debts quickly so she can leave without any worries.

There is a commercial street outside the south gate of Ningchuan University. During the holidays, the restaurants are doing good business and are hiring temporary workers everywhere.

Shen Yi walked into a fairly large barbecue restaurant. The place was steaming, with the smell of oil and the aroma of barbecue mixed together.

A female manager in her thirties was standing at the front desk, busy checking bills.

"Boss, are you hiring here?" Shen Yi asked.

The female manager looked up and her gaze lingered on Shen Yi's face for a few seconds. A girl like her, who doesn't even spend money, might not come to this place. It felt a bit out of place for her to be working here.

"I'm willing to hire you, but there are a lot of people during the holiday. It's tiring to serve dishes and clean tables. Can you handle it?" The female manager was somewhat doubtful.

"I'm not afraid of hard work, I can do anything you ask. How much is the salary?"

"It's 180 yuan a day during the holiday, including two meals. If you're willing, you can change into your work clothes today and get back to get off work. We'll settle the bill with you right after you get off work."

Just as Shen Yi was about to follow the female manager to the back to get her work uniform, the glass door of the barbecue restaurant was pushed open.

Lin walked in wearing a casual jacket and went straight to the front desk.

"Boss, are we still hiring?"

"Not available." The female manager repeated the salary terms from before.

After Lin nodded, the female manager led them to the back changing room, where each of them was given a black apron and a hat.

Neither of them spoke. Shen Yi, like a tireless machine, carried a heavy plate of barbecue and moved between the tables.

Change the grill rack, pour tea, and clean up the greasy residue on the table.

Several times, scalding hot oil splashed onto the back of her hands, burning her with red spots, but she didn't even flinch. She simply rinsed them with cold water and continued working.

Her stunning face attracted the attention of many customers, and several young men deliberately struck up a conversation, asking for her contact information. She ignored them all, simply saying "Enjoy your meal" before turning and leaving.

Lin also carried the storage basin and followed her around, cleaning the table. He worked very quickly.

At 8 p.m., the barbecue restaurant saw its peak customer traffic.

All the dozens of tables in the hall were full, and a long queue had formed at the door.

The shouts of the waiters, the urging of the customers, and the sizzling sound of the grilled meat were all mixed together.

Shen Yi's physical strength was already exhausted to the limit, especially since she hadn't eaten properly, and she was only holding on with a numb will.

She walked out of the kitchen carrying a large tray filled with four plates of raw meat and two plates of side dishes, her arms trembling slightly.

Just as she reached the corner of the aisle and was nearly bumped into by a running child, a hand steadily supported the edge of the tray.

Lin Ye took the heavy tray with one hand and walked past her with a normal expression.

This happened countless times throughout the night.

Lin didn't deliberately follow her around to curry favor, but he always managed to finish his assigned tasks with amazing efficiency and then conveniently take over the most demanding work from Shen Yi.

Because Lin also took on most of the heavy work at the barbecue restaurant, Shen Yi's workload was indirectly reduced by more than half, allowing her to barely make it to the end of the workday.

It was late at night, and the barbecue restaurant was closing.

The female manager praised Lin, saying, "Young man, you're really quick and efficient. I've worked here for so many years, and I've rarely seen anyone work so efficiently. You're as good as five people. If you want to do part-time work on weekends or holidays, come anytime, and I'll pay you the highest hourly wage."

The two changed out of their work clothes, pushed open the door of the barbecue restaurant, and went outside.

Shen Yi walked to Lin Ye's side, her pace much slower than when she arrived.

Why are you so good to me?

Lin also looked at the road in front of him, but he wouldn't say that he had consulted the Queen Mother of the West.

Faced with Lin Ye's question, the super AI that governs the entire Xia Shang superpower, after deducing from a massive psychological model, gave a highly humane answer.

The Queen Mother of the West told him that physical magnetic field monitoring and remote intervention could at most only restrain a body that wanted to self-destruct. For a girl who had lost the will to live, the only way to truly heal her was through close companionship.

Only through genuine, real-life contact can one rebuild a connection with the world in the other person's barren heart.

Lin Ye: "Okay?"

Shen Yi: "..."

Jingzhou.

Inside the main server room of the Queen Mother of the West, deep underground, streams of eerie blue data light flickered like breathing.

In the empty server room, the voice of the Queen Mother of the West suddenly rang out, the voice muttering to itself:

"Makino, your emotional side is becoming more pronounced, which may be a good thing for us."