It seems that the villain is targeting me.

Chen Xiaoya looked at the paper in the doctor's hand - this person had been drawing something before. She originally thought it was something related to work, but in fact it was just an ordinary sketch.

Several sheets of cotton-blend paper lay spread out beneath her hands, all containing pencil sketches—her approach to painting tends toward the realistic, with a rather sharp style.

Chen Xiaoya was not very knowledgeable about art, but even a layman like her could tell from the lines and outlines that the doctor was indeed an expert in this field.

"...Can you draw?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah, it's a pretty good hobby. I can use it to kill time when I have nothing to do."

"This should be difficult to learn, right?" The boy was a little curious.

"It's not that bad," Chen Xiaoyue put down the sharpened pencil in her hand and paused slightly, "...after all, I have plenty of time."

But isn’t a doctor’s job supposed to be busy?

Confusion flashed through Chen Xiaoya's mind, and she shook her head, as if trying to get rid of those messy thoughts from her mind.

"Well, actually, I have something I want to ask you..."

Chen Xiaoya was twisting her fingers behind her back. She looked nervous and was trying hard to hide it.

"Xiao Niao said that you are her very good friend,"

The voice has unconsciously weakened

Go, Chen Xiaoya heard himself take a short breath: "So, um, I want to know... if she likes someone."

Or rather, someone I’ve liked before, the girl added in a low voice.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became a little strange. No one spoke. Chen Xiaoya stared at the sketch on the small table for a while, with only the sound of his own breathing quietly echoing in his ears.

The reckless young man realized belatedly that he had asked an inappropriate question.

In any case, she didn't have much right to explore Xiao Niao's personal emotional state. The most likely response that Chen Xiaoya, who was not yet an adult, would get was "Children should stay out of the adults' business."

But she didn't know who else she could ask - Dr. Chen Xiaoyue was the person she knew who had the closest relationship with Xiao Niao.

The girl swallowed silently, nervously waiting for the possible questioning or perfunctory response that might follow.

Chen Xiaoyue looked at her childhood self expressionlessly.

Two pairs of identical black eyes stared at each other, as if performing a pantomime, and no one was willing to speak first.

After a long time, so long that Chen Xiaoya thought he would be kicked out by the other party, the doctor finally spoke.

She was surprisingly candid.

"Oh, of course," Chen Xiaoyue put down the sharpened pencil in her hand, "Teacher... Xiao Niao has someone she likes."

-------

-

Chen Xiaoyue raised her doubts to Xiaoniao.

She asked a woman's name.

"...Gwyneth," Xiaoniao murmured softly, "She was the first person I fell in love with."

what.

"We've known each other for many years. I knew her before... before I came here."

No, no, that's not the case.

It was obviously me who first——

"She was a very good girl, very strong and upright," Xiao Niao's voice was hoarse and full of fatigue, "but for various reasons, we eventually broke up."

Chen Xiaoyue didn't say anything. She just stared at Xiao Niao quietly, and her breathing echoed silently in the teacher's apartment.

Xiao Niao glanced at her, then smiled with relief: "But, no matter what, I won't have the chance to see her again."

"Although this was my own choice, when I think about it carefully, it's also quite fate."

Those words left her feeling empty inside.

--------

-

Xiao Niao has had someone he liked before.

And now, I'm not dating anyone.

"...She told me herself that she has no plans to date anyone in the short term," Chen Xiaoyue said, staring up at the ceiling. "She probably plans to take good care of you."

"But even if he's dating someone, you don't have to worry."

These words made Chen Xiaoya's heart skip a beat.

"Xiao Niao won't abandon you," the doctor lowered his voice, "that's just the kind of person she is...her sense of responsibility won't allow her to abandon you."

She knew she could trust the promise; the bird had never lied to her before.

Chen Xiaoya felt disgusted with the relief she felt at that moment - the huge sense of unease hidden deep within her seemed to be blown by the wind, causing ripples to form again - she felt mixed emotions and didn't know what to say.

Chen Xiaoya even had a strange feeling: the person in front of him seemed to be able to see through his inner thoughts easily.

She lost the desire to continue asking questions and chatting, lowered her head slightly, and looked at the sketch papers on the table.

It is difficult for people from small towns to learn skills like painting. Before Chen Xiaoya came to Jiangcheng, he had never seen anyone else practice painting techniques.

She was silent for a moment, then, as if to change the subject, said, "Can I see these paintings?"

This was not a difficult task. The doctor picked up the papers from the table, sorted them out a little, and handed them to the boy.

Chen Xiaoya looked through the series of sketches.

Chen Xiaoyue's brushstrokes are sharp—she always uses the simplest lines to depict and outline scenes, and clearly prefers to draw real things.

The top two sheets of paper in the stack depicted the bedroom wall with the window.

Chen Xiaoya continued to flip through the pages and saw the teacher's office where Xiao Niao was located at the main gate of the No. 1 Middle School in the city.

Further down, the content of the painting changes suddenly.

The paper depicts a palace with a strong Western style. Even the style of the pillars and the shape of the sculptures on the ceiling are depicted in great detail, as if the author had seen it with his own eyes.

Chen Xiaoya felt that this palace looked very familiar... She always felt that she had seen it somewhere.

Maybe it was a dream?

She shook her head and continued to scroll down.

After that, the doctor drew more random pictures, such as people with feathers growing on their bodies, people with stumped cat ears, and knights riding horses...

Without exception, these portraits or landscapes tend to be realistic in style. Rather than being imaginative creations, they are more like concise and clear imitations.

Although he was quite skilled in painting, the doctor did not have much talent for artistic creation.

She simply drew what she saw.

Hmm...but there shouldn't be anyone with wings.

Right? Chen Xiaoya muttered silently in his heart.

She turned to the last one.

This painting is different from all the previous works.

A goat.

The moment Chen Xiaoya saw the painting, he unconsciously let go of his hand.

A lifelike depiction of a goat that looks like a demon.

Chapter 113: The Magic Lamp and the Wishes

[Hmm... Although it may seem a bit strange to ask this, is there anything you particularly want? ]

The system suddenly raised this question.

"Well?"

Xiao Niao looked up from a stack of documents and stopped what he was doing in confusion.

"Something I particularly want..."

She was a little confused and didn't understand why the system suddenly asked this.

"Everyone has something they want, doesn't they?" the system said methodically. "Since you'll be returning to reality soon, you might as well think about it more carefully."

"...My dear Tongzi, are you cosplaying Aladdin's magic lamp?"

"If that's what you want, I can also play the blue-skinned elf." The system said indifferently.

This seems to have turned into a strange game.

Xiao Niao felt a little helpless. She didn't know if it was because she had been too idle recently, but the system in her head was almost going crazy because of idleness.

【According to the rules, you can make three wishes,】

The system recited it in a very precise manner, like the opening line of a cyberpunk-themed game, strange and solemn.

[Any wish will do, but the 'please give me more wishes' trick doesn't count - and it counts as you using one.]

If it hadn't reminded him, Xiaoniao would have almost forgotten that these emotionally active systems with different numbers are essentially universal wishing machines.

Signing a contract with someone and then fulfilling their wish - I have to say, it really makes people think of the white mascot in a certain magical girl anime.

But after all, this was his partner who he saw day and night, so Xiao Niao still gave him some consideration and started to think about it.

"Right now, I don't have any particularly strong wishes," Xiao Niao pondered for a few seconds. "If I had to make a wish... maybe it would be for my dead family to come back to life?"

When he was fifteen or sixteen years old, Xiao Niao would give such an answer without hesitation.

She hoped that her deceased parents could come back alive, and hoped that the tragic car accident would not happen to her parents - if it were her at that time, she would not hesitate no matter what the price, as long as everything could be done over again.

"If it were me in the past, I would probably choose to resurrect my parents without hesitation."

Xiao Niao's eyes flickered gently, and after a while, she spoke again.

"However, in the story of 'Aladdin's Magic Lamp,' such a wish cannot be fulfilled."

[Yes.] The system responded.

"According to the rules of the genie," it repeated in a formal manner, "you can only make three wishes. You cannot wish for the dead to be resurrected, and you cannot wish for one person to fall in love with another."

Xiao Niao smiled lightly: "This rule feels very much like a fable."

Although the story is just a story, at least in this respect, the Arabs are very insightful, and their attitude towards death reveals the philosophy of their nation.

Or maybe it's not entirely a philosophy - the truth may be simpler than people imagine.

【Perhaps it is hinting,】the system said, 【hinting to those who read this story: the price of resurrecting the dead is something the living cannot afford.】

"You can rest assured about this..."

?qqun&*⑤!⑸~!⒎∧sulfur$#^○|○+)(*^⑦△悟$#^另△

Xiao Niao slowly placed the things in his hand on the table, and enunciated his words clearly: "I am not obsessed to that extent... I must resurrect the dead no matter what."

System: [Even if the Master speaks? He really might grant your wish—any wish.]

Xiao Niao: "Not even if the controller asks."

"I don't like making wishes to anyone," she explained patiently. "Miracle-like things only happen once. I'm lucky enough to have survived the car accident."

Xiao Niao does not believe that there are gods in this world, nor does he pray to any of the unknown beings.

Even if you do get a response, something that comes so easily will be taken away just as easily.

For her, experiencing her life being completely out of her control just once was enough.

"My thoughts have always been simple: I just want to complete the commission smoothly and return home safely."

Xiao Niao acted calmly: "Although it's a little sad to say it...but I don't have any worries, so the main controller can't do anything to me."

[Do you really think so?] The system was skeptical.

"Really," Xiao Niao promised, "Once is enough. I won't make a wish again. Do you want me to write you a written agreement?"

"...That's not necessary. I'm quite surprised you're so aware," the system sighed. "Most people can't control the urge to make a wish—and once something like that starts, it's hard to stop it rationally."

"This is actually good, bird," it said. "Give up the wishing lamp and you can return to your original life."

In fact, the idea of the system is also