Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The word “refuse” sounds so light.

But when it actually left my lips, it felt like pulling nails out of bone.

I stood in the center of the hall, watching the countdown on the screen tick away.

If I confirmed that I would continue to bear the burden, I could probably save the city tonight.

But the price was clear.

My memory would be wiped clean again. The past I had just learned, the ring in Shen Tinglan’s hand, Xiao Yin’s name, the voice of the Human World-all of it would turn into a blank void without a trace.

If I refused, the System might initiate a liquidation, rolling back all relationships.

Those about to get their marriage licenses would become strangers to each other. The Kitchen God would take away the warmth of the hearth, Yue Lao would no longer guide the way, and the Dragon King might turn the entire city into a fish tank.

This choice was essentially asking a temporary employee to pick between “sacrificing yourself” and “the city is doomed.”

I asked Director Luo, “Is this reasonable?”

Director Luo’s lips moved, but she couldn’t find the words.

Shen Tinglan walked to my side.

“Refuse,” he said.

The hall exploded instantly.

The God of Wealth clutched his abacus and shrieked, “If she refuses, what happens to my wealth-luck connections?”

Lady Monday said indignantly, “I haven’t finished my negotiations with the office workers yet!”

An elderly couple stood up, supporting each other. The old man asked tremulously, “Young lady, will we… will we forget each other?”

A girl in a young couple cried, “Sister, I don’t want to wake up tomorrow and not know who he is.”

Every sentence felt like a stone being hung on my body.

Shen Tinglan blocked them, standing in front of me. His voice was as cold as a blade.

“She is not a city consumable.”

Looking at his back, a very ill-timed thought suddenly popped into my head.

It turned out he actually knew how to speak like a human being when he was angry.

Xiao Yin’s screen flashed frantically.

“Collective risk detected. Core confirmation recommended. Core confirmation recommended. Core confirmation recommended.”

I asked the Human World, “Three years ago, why did I agree?”

The Human World was silent for a long time.

“Because back then, I was about to fall apart.”

“And now?”

“Now, I’m still tired.”

“Then why tell me to refuse?”

“Because I don’t want to rely on consuming a person to prove I’m still alive anymore.”

I lifted my head.

The voices in the hall suddenly felt a bit further away.

I saw the Kitchen God hugging his scorched rice, Yue Lao clutching the Homeward Thread, and the Dragon King carefully holding that empty cup. Every one of these beings who had come for a divorce didn’t actually just want to leave.

They wanted to be seen.

They wanted someone to acknowledge that they were tired too, that they felt wronged too, and that they didn’t want to continue being bound by the old methods.

Three years ago, I chose to become the Public Spouse because the System only offered sacrifice as a means of repair.

But what if the System itself was wrong?

What if relationships shouldn’t rely on a single person as a hub, shouldn’t rely on stamps for proof, and shouldn’t rely on the threat of liquidation to force everyone to cherish them?

I walked to the window and picked up the microphone.

“Everyone.”

The hall slowly grew quiet.

“I do not confirm the old agreement.”

The countdown abruptly turned red.

Shen Tinglan closed his eyes, looking as if he had finally been waiting for these words, yet also as if he was in too much pain to hear them.

I continued, “But I won’t let the System liquidate us either.”

Xiao Yin immediately popped up a prompt: [Insufficient permissions.]

“Then apply for permissions.”

Prompt: [Target of application?]

“All parties involved in the relationships.”

Prompt: [Too many targets.]

“Aren’t you the best at archiving? Ask them one by one.”

Xiao Yin glitched for a second.

I handed the microphone to the Kitchen God.

“Are you willing to take all the hearth-fire away, or are you willing to renegotiate the meaning of the kitchen?”

The Kitchen God hugged his scorched rice and huffed, “Renegotiate.”

I handed it to Yue Lao.

“Are you willing to continue being exploited by the Red Thread Group, or are you willing to return the threads to the users?”

Yue Lao said, “Return them.”

I handed it to the Dragon King.

“Are you willing to use rainstorms to prove your existence, or are you willing to learn to ask the other person if they need an umbrella?”

The Dragon King looked at his cup. “Ask.”

I handed the microphone to the young couple.

The girl said through her tears, “I’m willing to remember him. But if there comes a day when I’m not, I hope it’s not because the System decided for me.”

The boy said, “Me too.”

The elderly couple took the microphone.

The old woman said, “He and I have bickered our whole lives. If I’m going to forget, I’ll do it myself. It’s not a computer’s place to choose.”

The old man added softly, “She’s already forgetful enough as it is. Don’t make things worse.”

Someone in the hall laughed.

The laughter was like a small lamp, loosening the tension in the air.

New data began to scroll across Xiao Yin’s screen.

[Voluntary confirmation: 1.]

[Voluntary confirmation: 2.]

[Voluntary confirmation: 3.]

The numbers climbed rapidly.

Yet the System still prompted: [Core permissions insufficient. Unable to modify underlying protocol.]

Shen Tinglan suddenly spoke up. “The Audit Office has underlying read-only access.”

I looked at him.

“What can read-only access do?”

“Usually, nothing,” he paused. “But if a copy clerk attaches temporary permissions, it might be possible to submit an Abnormal Report.”

I almost laughed out loud.

A sticky note changing the world-it sounded insane, but it was perfect for today.

Shen Tinglan opened his terminal, stuck the sticky note that said “Temporary Copy Clerk” onto his ID, and expressionlessly typed in a string of commands.

Xiao Yin emitted a terrified mechanical sound: “Unauthorized copying detected!”

Shen Tinglan said, “What I am copying is an error.”

The terminal screen lit up.

Abnormal Report Title: The Public Spouse protocol is suspected of forced sacrifice, single-point failure of relationship agency, and severe irrationality in the city’s emotional governance structure.

Proposed Action: Rescind.

Submitted by: Shen Tinglan, Temporary Copy Clerk.

For the first time, I felt the word “temporary” carried such solemn weight.