After the Secrets of the Passerby Were Leaked, He Was Cherished by the Entire Family of Antagonists-Chapter 96

Ye Fan stood still for a long while before a helpless smile crept across his face.

He nodded. “Alright, let’s take it home.”

“Yay!”

Even from a distance, L1 could hear the girl’s excited laughter.

L1’s lips unconsciously curved into a smile.

Afterward, he left world S20070501 without hesitation, pressing "confirm" on his system panel.

For the first time, no points were awarded on L1’s system panel. Instead, it displayed a message: “500 points deducted from L1.”

L1 didn’t mind. The next moment, he restarted the timeline of world A20231007.

But unlike world S20070501, world A20231007 was a more complex world with multiple intertwined storylines. Modifying this world’s plot would require far more time and energy.

This time, L1 didn’t enter the small world directly. Instead, he monitored the world from a system’s perspective, closely watching the trajectories of various storylines and intervening when necessary.

From the moment he entered the world, L1 didn’t stop working.

Huo Yan’s downfall, being forced out of the entertainment industry and hated by everyone, stemmed from his love for Su Rui. His trust in her led to him being framed by her and He Shi.

So, L1 simply removed Huo Yan’s feelings for Su Rui.

Huo Ze’s team faced dissolution because it had too many unstable elements.

So, L1 prevented those players from joining Huo Ze’s team in the first place.

The conflict between Father Huo and Mother Huo, leading to their eventual divorce, was related to Father Huo’s estranged cousin.

This issue was easy to resolve. Since the cousin’s return caused their relationship to break down, L1 simply ensured she never came back.

As for Huo Jing’s cargo shipment that was lost at sea, that was even simpler.

As a monitoring system, L1 knew the safest sea routes, so he quietly altered the ship’s course.

And with Qin Yao, the solution was straightforward too.

By exposing the scandals of Yu Bai and the variety show guests ahead of time, the situation could be resolved perfectly.

After doing all of this, L1 finally breathed a sigh of relief.

There was still one month left until Qin Yao’s storyline was supposed to end.

After two years, L1 returned to Qin Yao’s balcony.

The familiar chair and tea table from his memories were gone, replaced by flower pots. The roses were in full bloom, and even from afar, L1 could smell their rich fragrance.

L1 stood on the balcony, examining the flowers. He gently poked at a bud and shooed away a buzzing bee, then hesitated and turned to look at the room behind him.

Qin Yao wasn’t home at the moment, and the sliding glass door was unlocked. L1 could easily push it open and enter.

After a brief internal struggle, L1 ultimately decided not to open the door. He was a polite system, after all. Even though he and Qin Yao had grown close in the previous timeline, that was in the past. In this new timeline, Qin Yao didn’t even know him.

L1 stood quietly on the balcony, watching for a long time. It wasn’t until the sky darkened and a car honked downstairs that L1 made himself invisible.

L1 didn’t leave.

He hadn’t seen Qin Yao in a long time, and he wanted to get a glimpse of him.

The sound of the door unlocking echoed, and moments later, the house lights flicked on.

L1’s gaze immediately fell on Qin Yao.

His brows were furrowed slightly as he held his phone in one hand, while the other loosened his suit jacket.

Qin Yao, no matter what he was doing—whether making oat milk or removing his suit—always moved with an innate grace that was pleasing to the eye.

L1’s gaze followed Qin Yao as he walked into the bedroom and stood in front of his wardrobe.

He spoke a few more words into his phone before hanging up.

Qin Yao opened the wardrobe and took out his sleepwear.

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L1 blinked.

Was Qin Yao about to change?

Before L1 could react, he saw Qin Yao’s elegant fingers begin unbuttoning his shirt, one button after another.

L1 quickly looked away.

It wasn’t right to watch!

He was a very polite system—he couldn’t just stare at someone changing clothes!

L1 turned around and squatted down by the blooming roses on the balcony, poking at the flower buds again.

These roses were ones Qin Yao had personally tended to.

In the previous timeline, when L1 had shown an interest in flowers, Qin Yao would come out every morning during the blooming season to cut a rose and place it in a vase.

Thinking about it, it had been a long time since L1 had received one of Qin Yao’s roses.

He glanced back to make sure Qin Yao wasn’t coming out, then carefully picked a single flower.

Just one.

Surely Qin Yao wouldn’t mind?

L1 picked a beautiful rose in full bloom, a blush-pink flower as large as his fist. He brought it to his nose and inhaled deeply, the rich scent filling his senses.

A small smile crept onto L1’s face, his nerves relaxing slightly. But feeling a twinge of guilt, he quickly flew away without waiting for Qin Yao to return.

The rose he’d picked was carefully placed into his system space for safekeeping.

What L1 didn’t know was that almost as soon as he left, Qin Yao stepped onto the balcony.

The young man stood there for a long time, staring at the bare stem where a flower had been plucked.

…

L1’s next destination was the Huo family’s house.

Thanks to L1’s modifications, in this timeline, Huo Yan never fell in love with Su Rui. Huo Ze’s team was running smoothly, and Father Huo and Mother Huo’s relationship remained as loving as ever.

Once again, L1 made himself invisible, watching from the familiar backyard as the family happily gathered inside the house.

L1 thought to himself, *This is good.*

As long as the Huo family and Qin Yao were doing well, L1 felt at ease.

For the next month, L1 spent his days traveling between the two households.

In the morning, he would visit Qin Yao, waiting until Qin Yao left for work before heading over to see Mother Huo. Sometimes, he’d also visit Father Huo and Huo Jing at the company or stop by the sets or battle arenas to check on Huo Yan and Huo Ze.

Occasionally, though, his routine would be interrupted.

For instance, one day, Qin Yao hadn’t come home the previous night, so L1 spent the morning with Mother Huo instead. Only in the evening, when Qin Yao was about to return, did L1 head back to his balcony.

L1 noticed that many of the roses on the balcony had wilted.

Roses typically only bloom for a

week to two weeks. After the current batch of flowers bloomed and withered, the next set of buds would be ready.

L1 remembered that Qin Yao was very good at taking care of roses, and he usually wouldn’t leave dead flowers on the branches.

It was probably because Qin Yao hadn’t come home the night before that the dead flowers were still there, draining nutrients from the plant.

So, after a brief moment of consideration, L1 picked up the pruning shears and carefully snipped off the dead flowers.

But just as he was halfway done, L1 heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway, and he quickly set the shears aside, making himself invisible again.

A few moments later, the front door opened, and L1 could see Qin Yao as soon as he stepped inside.

Normally, Qin Yao’s first order of business after returning home was to change his clothes, but today, he did something different. He walked straight out onto the balcony.

L1 blinked and followed Qin Yao’s gaze, noticing the pile of pruned rose petals on the ground.

L1: "..."

Oh no.

He forgot to clean up the petals!

L1 quickly looked at Qin Yao.

By now, L1 had a much better understanding of human emotions. He expected to see confusion, shock, or maybe even anger on Qin Yao’s face.

But to L1’s surprise, none of those emotions appeared.

Qin Yao smiled.

He looked at the pruned roses on the ground and smiled.

L1 didn’t understand why Qin Yao was smiling.

He had no idea what was going through Qin Yao’s mind.

Was he laughing out of frustration?

Feeling anxious and a little guilty, L1 flew away.

The next day, even after Qin Yao had returned home, L1 still hadn’t visited the balcony.

L1 couldn’t help but wonder, *Is Qin Yao upset?*

*I only took one flower and pruned the wilted ones. I didn’t mess anything up, did I...?*

L1 didn’t know.

He flew around Qin Yao’s villa twice before finally sneaking onto the balcony late at night.

Qin Yao was already asleep, but to L1’s surprise, the sliding glass door was left open.

L1 hesitated for a long time but didn’t enter. Instead, he turned back to check the roses.

The dead flowers had all been pruned, and now only a dozen or so freshly bloomed roses remained on the branches.

L1 couldn’t help but smile. As he was about to leave, his gaze shifted, and he noticed a small white note tucked under one of the pots.

L1 picked it up and read the message: "If you like them, feel free to take more next time."

L1’s eyes widened.

Not only had Qin Yao noticed that he’d been pruning the roses, but he’d also realized that L1 had stolen one of them?

When had he figured it out?

L1’s face suddenly felt warm.

The note felt like it was burning his hand, so he quickly tossed it aside.

For the next several days, L1 didn’t go back to Qin Yao’s balcony.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go—he just didn’t have the time. L1 had suddenly discovered that the world’s plotlines were starting to unravel.

First, Su Rui went to the hospital for an abortion. Then, He Shi found a new lover.

After that, Father Huo’s estranged cousin, whom he hadn’t spoken to in years, passed away. Huo Jing’s assistant suddenly resigned and disappeared without a trace. And to L1’s surprise, Huo Ze’s team, which had just completed its first season, abruptly disbanded.

L1 was left scrambling, utterly confused.

Why had the plotlines suddenly begun to collapse?

Not only had the main couple fallen apart, but supporting characters who weren’t supposed to die had also met fatal ends.

Suddenly, L1 was afraid to let the plot continue.

So, he quickly paused the timeline again.

After leaving the small world, L1 immediately sought out Autumn to report what had happened.

L2 was there with her, and after listening to L1’s account, he spoke up before Autumn had a chance to respond, incredulous: "You really just went and changed the plot that recklessly?"

L1 frowned. "So, my modifications were the problem?"

"Of course, there’s a problem! A huge one!" L2 shouted. "Sure, if you look at each storyline individually, your changes seem fine. But did you ever consider that the plotlines in world A20231007 are interconnected?"

L1 furrowed his brow and explained, "I did take that into account."

Every storyline needs to progress logically toward its conclusion, and each plot point is indispensable.

For example, when L1 modified the plot where Huo Yan liked Su Rui, he should have created another character for Huo Yan to fall in love with. However, L1 believed Huo Yan, being a living person, shouldn't have his life planned by someone else. So, instead of forcing a romantic plot, L1 altered the event to have Huo Yan meet the cat he would love for the rest of his life.

As a result, the Huo family gained a stray cat.

L1 explained all his modifications to Autumn and L2.

After listening, both sighed in unison.

L2 grumbled, "How did you even get ranked first? I should be the top system in the Temporal Bureau!"

Autumn glanced at L2 with a smile. "L1 has never modified a storyline before, so it's normal."

L2 huffed but remained silent after that.

Autumn then posed a question, "L1, what do you think they are?"

With a wave of her hand, the entire Huo family and Qin Yao appeared in front of them.

Scenes from their lives flashed by until they paused on images of them smiling.

L1 stared at their faces for a long time before looking back at Autumn. "Why are you asking me this?"

"If you think they are just a string of data, then their lives can indeed be altered freely. But if they are sentient beings with thoughts, emotions, and intelligence?" Autumn asked.

An indescribable feeling surged within L1, and he furrowed his brows once more.

"If they are sentient beings, then their lives shouldn't be controlled by anyone, especially not by me. But if I don’t modify the plotline…"

"I understand," Autumn said gently, her tone calming, almost soothing. "That’s why you can’t alter their lives in that way. You need to let them make their own decisions and changes."

Autumn didn’t provide any specific advice, but L1 soon figured it out.

A system sees storylines as a human's life path.

Some people's lives are predetermined, but for many others, their futures are full of uncertainty.

Thus, to change their lives, it couldn't just be L1 intervening. Those whose lives were altered also needed to make their own choices.

After briefly organizing his thoughts, L1 restarted the timeline for the second time.

This time, he didn't monitor all the storylines from a surveillance perspective. Instead, he chose to become an embedded system, splitting his data into six parts, each one serving as a system for the members of the Huo family and Qin Yao.

Before each pivotal moment, L1 would actively remind them of upcoming decisions.

In the second timeline, with L1’s help, the Huo family saw through the true nature of the people around them, avoiding their originally tragic fates—except for Qin Yao.

L1 had calculated the exact moment the truck would crash, down to the second, yet the truck still lost control and hit Qin Yao.

For the first time, L1 felt utterly helpless. In the pouring rain, he held Qin Yao’s bloodied body as they sat on the ground.

The warmth in his arms was fading with each passing moment, and L1 realized, to his horror, that he was trembling all over.

"Qin… Qin Yao… you can't sleep, Qin Yao!" L1 shouted, desperately calling Qin Yao’s name.

Raindrops pelted Qin Yao’s face as he struggled to open his eyes. Looking up at the young man holding him, Qin Yao smiled.

L1 was suddenly reminded of how, in the first timeline, Qin Yao had smiled just like this when he saw the wilted flowers L1 had trimmed.

Although systems have no hearts, L1 felt a sharp pain in his chest.

His voice shook. "Qin Yao…"

"This... cough..." Qin Yao coughed up a mouthful of blood, his lips still curled into a smile. "All this time, I... I still don’t know your name..."

"Don't talk..." L1 panicked. "I already…"

He wanted to say that he had exchanged points in the system marketplace for a life-saving potion, but he couldn't use it on Qin Yao.

Every time he tried to apply it, a cold, mechanical message popped up, stating, "Incorrect target."

How could it be the wrong target?

L1 only wanted to save Qin Yao, so why couldn’t he?

"L1, what's… your name?" Qin Yao asked again.

His pale lips, now stained with fresh blood, made L1’s eyes sting with unshed tears.

Amid the relentless rain, L1 choked on his words, his voice trembling. "Le Yao… Qin Yao, my name is Le Yao."

Qin Yao’s smile widened. He raised his hand, the cold pads of his fingers brushing the corner of L1’s eye. His voice had lost all its strength. "Don't cry… Le Yao, your name is beautiful…"

The last warmth in his fingers faded, and his limp arm fell, signaling the end of his life.

Qin Yao died in L1’s arms.

Where had things gone wrong?

For days after, L1 kept replaying this question in his mind.

The Huo family was doing well, and even many of the supporting characters had avoided their tragic fates.

So why had Qin Yao still died?

L1 didn’t understand.

For the next two years, he stayed in world A20231007, searching for answers.

One day, on his way back from visiting Qin Yao’s grave, L1 heard the faint sound of crying.

No, perhaps “heard” wasn’t the right word—it was more like he sensed a fluctuation from the White Feather system.

This fluctuation meant that the assistance system was in crisis and urgently needed help from a monitoring system.

Assistance systems were of a lower rank than monitoring systems.

Their task was to embed themselves in hosts and help them complete their missions.

But usually, assistance system missions weren't too difficult, so why was White Feather suddenly asking for help?

L1 didn’t hesitate. He went straight to White Feather’s location.

Before he could even appear, he heard White Feather’s broken sobs. "Please, monitoring system, please save him. I beg you, help me save him…"

L1 looked over and saw a man lying in White Feather’s arms, barely clinging to life—White Feather’s assigned host.

"What happened to him?" L1 asked.

White Feather quickly explained, "I made a mistake. I miscalculated the timing of the crisis, and now he’s…"

White Feather trailed off as he noticed the grim expression on L1’s face, his system trembling as though it were malfunctioning.

In a small voice, White Feather stammered, "I know I made a serious error, and that’s why my host’s life is at risk. So, I’m begging you—"

Before White Feather could finish, he noticed that his system space had suddenly been filled with 500 bottles of life-saving potions.

White Feather froze. "You…"

"Take them. Use them to save him," L1 said.

White Feather burst into tears, overwhelmed with gratitude. "Thank you! How can I ever repay you…"

L1 replied, "I have no need for anything from you."

With that, L1 left.

The storyline in this world was approaching its end, so L1 needed to pause it immediately.

After leaving the small world, L1 went to the system marketplace and purchased a month-long extension on the timeline’s pause.

For the next month, he tirelessly replayed every scene from the second timeline over and over again.

Ten minutes before the pause was set to expire, L1 finally realized the truth—

Qin Yao and Ye Fan were different.

In world S20070501, Ye Fan’s death wasn’t essential to the plot.

But in world A20231007, Qin Yao’s death was mandatory.

Ye Fan’s death had merely provided the protagonist with an opportunity. So, even if it wasn’t Ye Fan, as long as someone gave Cheng Fei the chance to succeed without effort, the story could progress.

Thus, L1 had taken Ye Fan’s place and given up the college entrance exam, allowing Cheng Fei to win by default and become the top scorer in the province.

This adjustment had been entirely logical, and the Temporal Bureau hadn’t flagged any issues with the storyline. The small world’s plot had continued as intended.

But Qin Yao’s death was different—it was mandatory and closely monitored by the Temporal Bureau, with no room for error.

In other words, Qin Yao had to die at that specific moment.

But why?

Was it because Qin Yao was the main antagonist in this world?

Did that mean he had to die?

With these questions in mind, L1 sought out Autumn.

She remained silent for a long time before nodding. "Yes, that’s just the way the rules work in this world."

Monitoring systems could alter storylines as they pleased.

But the one thing they couldn’t change was the rules.

L1’s entire body trembled as he looked at Autumn in disbelief. "Then how… how can I save Qin Yao? Does that mean I can’t save him?"

Autumn gazed at L1, a hint of sorrow in her eyes that he didn’t understand. "L1, let it go."

L1 shook his head.

He couldn’t let go.

He had finally come to understand what emotions were.

He had finally learned what it meant to love—so why should he give that up?

During the month he had spent replaying the second timeline

, L1 had finally realized why he had felt such overwhelming grief when Qin Yao died in his arms.

It was because he loved Qin Yao.

That was why L1 couldn’t give up on saving him.

It was his personal desire.

After L1 left, L2 appeared and, out of nowhere, said, "I never thought the top-ranked monitoring system in the Temporal Bureau would have a personal desire."

Autumn glanced at him, then lowered her eyes, saying nothing.

In the third timeline, L1 no longer functioned as a system.

On a sunny afternoon, L1 appeared directly on Qin Yao’s balcony.

At that moment, Qin Yao was in his study working on documents. Hearing a noise from the balcony, he curiously walked out.

Standing against the sunlight, L1 picked up a pair of scissors and clipped the most beautiful rose from the bush.

When he heard footsteps behind him, L1 turned and smiled at Qin Yao. "Hello, Qin Yao."

Qin Yao stared at him in shock, his expression frozen for a long time. Slowly, his eyes reddened, and he smiled, his voice hoarse. "Hello… What’s your name?"

L1 looked at the rose in his hand and smiled warmly. "Ye Leyao."

"Ye is the surname of someone very important to me, and Leyao is the name my beloved gave me," Ye Leyao said.

Tears welled up in Qin Yao’s eyes, and after a long pause, a single tear fell. "So… you have a beloved."

His voice was soft, but Ye Leyao could hear the regret and sadness behind it.

Without hesitating, Ye Leyao took a step forward, wrapped his arms around Qin Yao, and held him close.

Qin Yao stiffened, his body rigid. "You…"

Their first hug had been that rainy day.

Qin Yao had bled out in Ye Leyao’s arms, his body growing colder and stiffer as his warmth faded.

Their second hug was now.

Qin Yao’s body was still stiff, but this time it was warm, comforting.

Ye Leyao’s lips curled into a smile as he gently nuzzled his head into the crook of Qin Yao’s neck. He asked softly, "Qin Yao, do you like me?"

Three timelines, three meetings.

He was no longer the system who didn’t understand emotions.

Perhaps he had realized it too late.

That was why he hadn’t understood the smile Qin Yao had given him when he grew up. Why he hadn’t understood the expression Qin Yao wore when he smiled at the wilted flowers in the first timeline.

And why he hadn’t realized why, unlike others who were shocked when they encountered a system, Qin Yao had smiled and said, "You’ve finally come to find me."

Ye Leyao didn’t know when or where Qin Yao had first met him, but he was certain that Qin Yao had seen him before.

The answer to that mystery would only reveal itself once Ye Leyao had changed Qin Yao’s fate.

But that didn’t matter—Ye Leyao had plenty of time.

Suddenly, a pair of hands lifted and pulled Ye Leyao into a deep embrace.

He heard Qin Yao’s trembling voice in his ear. "I do."

Qin Yao spoke with gravity. "I like you, Ye Leyao."