The Heartless Alpha Just Wants to Follow the Plot - Chapter 71

Su Mu lowered her eyes and remained silent.

The System felt a spark of uncertainty, perhaps it had said something wrong? Why was Su Mo so quiet?

【Host.】

【If the levels dropped, then let them drop,】 Su Mo replied eventually.

【Also, Host.】

【Mhm.】

【Qiu Fu’s affection level dropped too.】

Su Mo remained eerily calm. 【Oh.】

It was bound to happen anyway. Better for the drop to happen now so they wouldn’t be even more heartbroken in the future.

【I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but Host, if you keep this up, things are going to get dangerous.】

Failing the mission meant being trapped in this world, doomed to enter an infinite loop of reincarnation.

Su Mo gave a perfunctory response. 【Mhm.】

This New Year was supposed to be lively with so many people gathered together. However, because Su Mo had made things clear earlier, the festive atmosphere had turned ice-cold.

Pu Ying was distracted, Qiu Fu was uncomfortable, Raya feigned deafness, and even the Old Master seemed preoccupied. Only Su Mo remained relatively composed.

Thus, as soon as dinner ended, everyone left. Having dismissed the butler and the rest of the staff, only Su Mo and the Old Master remained in the living room, watching the New Year’s Eve broadcast, the only tradition that hadn’t been lost to time.

Watching the countdown on the projection, Su Mo’s expression stayed indifferent, the light in her eyes seemingly extinguished.

The Old Master glanced at her and let out a long sigh. “You’re unhappy now that they’ve left.”

“But even when they were here, you weren’t happy either.”

“So, what was the point of doing all that?”

Su Mo pursed her lips, her gaze hollow.

“If you truly approached them only to complete a mission, you shouldn’t be sad. You should only feel a sense of relief,” the Old Master said, hitting the nail on the head. “You actually care about them, don’t you?”

Su Mo finally stopped pretending. She dropped her facade and leaned back against the sofa, her voice weak. “I don’t know.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

“In that case, you still have a chance to make amends.”

The Old Master gestured toward her terminal. They hadn’t been gone for long; if she chased after them now, there was still a chance to bring them back. Or at the very least, a chance for everyone to reach a better resolution.

Seeing Su Mo remain unmoved, the Old Master continued, “You always pretend to be strong and indifferent, but in reality, you are the most indecisive of us all. You’re constantly wavering, never knowing what it is you truly want.”

Su Mo: “I know what I want.”

Old Master: “No, you don’t.”

Su Mo insisted: “I know.”

Old Master: “Then tell me, what do you want right now? Have you actually thought it through?”

Su Mo: “…”

The Old Master smiled. “See? You’re hesitating.”

“You only have these thoughts when your mind is in a state of chaos. You think you want nothing, but that’s actually because you’re incapable of making a choice.”

He added meaningfully, “When I told you to marry Pu Ying, you refused instantly. You were very decisive back then.”

That was because the Su Mo of that time knew what she wanted. Today’s Su Mo did not. She hadn’t even figured out her own heart. Her constant, exhausting act of hiding and pretending had made her forget which part was truly herself.

“You love acting because it gives you a sense of security.”

“You’ve integrated acting into your life, into your very being. You constantly remind yourself to maintain the character’s personality, behavior, and traits. You hide your true self, prioritizing choices that fit the role’s needs over what you actually desire.”

“That is the most tragic part,” he concluded. “Because in the end, you can no longer distinguish between the actor and the role. You have become one and the same.”

Su Mo remained silent. She couldn’t refute him; it was the truth. Since she arrived in this world, she had occasionally done things that didn’t fit the role, but she rarely did anything that would interfere with the character’s future. Perhaps she truly hadn’t distinguished between the two.

After a long while, she asked, “Then do you think my feelings for them come from the needs of the character, or from myself?”

The Old Master stood up. “If it were the original Su Mo, she would have chosen Pu Ying.”

With that, he went upstairs to rest without another word, leaving Su Mo alone on the sofa, staring blankly at the projection screen.

It seemed she understood now.

On the way back, Qiu Fu asked Raya to roll down the window; she wanted to feel the breeze.

“Let’s not go back to the apartment yet. Let’s go to the riverside to clear my head.”

“Alright.”

Raya didn’t refuse, piloting the aircraft to the riverbank. At this moment, the entire planet was counting down, with the numbers looming large on the giant screens across the water.

【10】

【9】

Qiu Fu narrowed her eyes against the cold wind, staring at the countdown board. It wasn’t the first time she had spent the New Year alone, she had long since grown used to it. At least this year, she’d had a dinner with someone else’s family, even if it wasn’t exactly a happy one. That was enough. At least she had been lucky enough for that.

As the wind ruffled her long hair, the countdown reached its end.

【3】

【2】

【1】

Boom!

Fireworks exploded wildly across the river. Interstellar fireworks were different from those of the Earth Era; though they were digital projections, they were indistinguishable from the real thing, right down to the thunderous sound.

As a gust of wind swept by, Qiu Fu reached out her hand. A small red ball, carried by the wind from across the river, landed in her palm.

This was a New Year’s gift, specially prepared by the Federation—commonly known as a “firework prize.” Digital fireworks, but physical gifts. The little ball was still warm to the touch, having clearly just “exploded” out of the projection.

Qiu Fu opened it, her eyes curving into a smile:

【Congratulations! You have won a New Year’s Grand Prize. Please visit your local firework club to claim it. Valid for three days.】

Every year, without fail, if she managed to catch a ball, it would contain a Grand Prize voucher.

Back in her childhood at the orphanage, the Director would take the group of children to huddle by the riverside, just like this one. They would wait with bated breath for the countdown to end, hoping to catch a stray ball or two and find a gift voucher inside.

The odds were usually astronomical, but Qiu Fu was different. She either caught nothing at all, or if she did, it was guaranteed to hold a prize.

In those years, the other children placed all their hopes on her. They would wait for her to snag a voucher so they could redeem the gifts and enjoy a few precious bites of holiday treats together. Those were always their happiest moments.

Suddenly, her terminal chimed. It was a message from the Director.

To Qiu Fu:

I wasn’t sure where you’d be this year, and I didn’t want to intrude with a call if you were busy. Seeing through the news that life has treated you well this year brings me such relief.

Have you eaten? No matter how busy you get, remember to take care of yourself.

The others came back to visit this year. During the countdown, they mentioned how you always used to catch the vouchers when you were little. Funnily enough, two of the kids actually caught some tonight! We’re going to redeem them tomorrow so everyone can share.

I hope all is well with you this year.

Qiu Fu’s eyes welled up, and a genuine smile spread across her face. There are still people who remember me, aren’t there? She sent a quick reply explaining she wouldn’t be able to make it back this year and included a photo of her voucher.

Shortly after, she posted on her Star Net: “Happy New Year! (Voucher.jpg)”

The comments exploded instantly:

“No way! A Grand Prize voucher?!”

“I am so jealous of that luck. I’ve never caught one in my life, ugh!”

“I got one too! Hehe, by the transitive property, the Goddess and I are eating the same gift box and watching the same fireworks. I hereby declare us married!”

“In your dreams! She’s mine!”

“Sending envious glares from the unlucky crowd.”

The Firework Club’s gift boxes changed every year, often containing limited-edition items that were never released to the public. Only those who caught a voucher could taste them, making them highly coveted. Though they issued ten million prizes annually, that was a drop in the bucket compared to a galactic population of tens of billions. Getting one was nearly impossible.

“I want one so bad! They haven’t announced the contents yet, but I can already imagine the taste!”

“As a Firework Club employee, I can tell you: this year’s contents are completely different from previous years!”

“Stop, you’re making me even more jealous!”

Qiu Fu laughed; it had been a long time since she felt this relaxed. Beside her, Raya noticed her joy and asked curiously, “Something good happen?”

“Yes.” Qiu Fu held up the voucher. “Come on, let’s try to be among the first to redeem it.”

Under the city lights, Qiu Fu seemed to radiate a soft glow. Her youthful features looked even more vibrant, as if she were a fresh-faced girl just coming of age. Raya nodded. “Mhm.”

The redemption center was across the river. They took the aircraft over, and while others were still busy opening their red balls, a disguised Qiu Fu claimed her prize. The staff member gave her a lingering look, finding her familiar, but ultimately didn’t recognize her.

Upon receiving the gift, Qiu Fu noticed it was indeed different. Instead of the usual large crate, it was a Rubik’s Cube no larger than a palm.

Back in the aircraft, Raya parked in a secluded spot. Qiu Fu removed her mask and, in a rare move, started a livestream. Her fans were alerted immediately and swarmed the room.

“Goddess! Goddess!”

“Where are you? Not at home for the New Year?”

“Looks like an aircraft. Out late?”

“What’s that in your hand?”

Warmed by the flood of concerned comments, Qiu Fu smiled at the camera. “Yes, I’m out. Everyone is curious about this year’s Firework Club gift box, right? I happened to catch a voucher and just picked it up. I wonder if I’m the first person on the Star Net to open one? I’m actually quite nervous.”

She held up the small cube for the camera to see. “This is the prize. It’s small, but since it uses folded-space technology, knowing the Firework Club, there’s probably quite a lot inside. Let’s take a look together.”

At that exact moment, Su Mo’s terminal pinged: [The star you follow, Qiu Fu, has started a livestream. Watch now?]