Don't Lie to Your Therapist—She Already Knows Your Fate

Chaochao’s mother still eyed Wen Ying with suspicion.

’In a dream?’

’Can dreams be controlled?’

Though she was an atheist, she was desperate to believe in a god just once, for a chance to see Chaochao.

Or perhaps, she hadn’t been an atheist at all since learning of Chaochao’s illness. She was willing to cling to any glimmer of hope, to try anything.

Wen Ying gave Chaochao’s mother the clinic’s address and instructed her to come find her after Chaochao was buried.

Chaochao’s mother left filled with hope. The moment she saw Chaochao’s father, she immediately checked to see if the item was still there.

-

"Young lady, can you really let her see her daughter?" Old Sir Zhang, who had at some point removed his earbuds, watched Wen Ying with a probing gaze.

"Sir, why are you living here all alone? Where are your children?"

Aunt Zhang asked.

"A loner by choice. No kids, no wife, so I’m on my own."

Aunt Zhang immediately felt a surge of sympathy. "Well then, I’ll bring an extra portion next time I cook. But Little Ying is getting discharged soon, so I won’t be able to bring it many times."

"Auntie, I think I’ll get discharged today."

Wen Ying said this because she had just heard the system’s voice: the upgrade was complete!

"I’m sorry, Sir," Aunt Zhang said, looking at Old Sir Zhang apologetically. "Why don’t you come to our house for dinner after you’re discharged?"

As she spoke, Aunt Zhang gave Old Sir Zhang her address.

Then, she and Wen Ying went to handle the discharge procedures.

The clinic was spotless; it hadn’t gathered any dust during Wen Ying’s absence.

"I was afraid you’d be tired from cleaning when you got back, so I cleaned it up in advance," Aunt Zhang explained.

After Aunt Zhang left, Wen Ying sat down on the beanbag chair. "System, where are my Skills?"

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining the Skill: Hundred Shots Hundred Hits]

[Hundred Shots Hundred Hits within a 500-meter range is beyond what a human can achieve. Would you like to give it a try, Host? The system can provide a bag of small pebbles.]

[This Skill’s cooldown is one week. The Host should plan accordingly before use.]

[Friendly Reminder: It can, of course, be used in conjunction with a telescope. But it’s a pity the Host’s one-time positioning telescope has already been used up!]

[Friendly Reminder +1: Good news, good news! Due to the expansion of the store after this system’s upgrade, the Host can now purchase this item in the store.]

Hearing this, Wen Ying looked at the system store in surprise. The one-time positioning telescope was right there in front of her. ’The system absolutely put this here on purpose!’

[One-Time Super High-Tech Telescope: You’ll know how good it is once you’ve used it]

[200,000 reputation value/use]

[Since the Host has used it before, the instruction manual has been deleted]

"What about the second Skill?"

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining the Skill: Guide]

[Guide: The Host can use this Skill to guide people between the world of the living and the world of the dead (for guidance purposes only). For example, guiding Chaochao into her mother’s dream, or finding out about Old Sir Zhang’s affairs in the world below in order to guide Chaochao to find the ideal group you have in mind for her.]

[Isn’t this system so considerate? Always thinking about you, Host, isn’t it? No need to get emotional. You’d better get used to it.]

[Friendly Reminder: This Skill has a one-month cooldown, but the cooldown time will decrease as the Host’s cultivation increases.]

[Are you still unhappy, Host?]

[Parting in life and death is a common part of the human experience. Does the Host intend to use the system’s power to defy fate and change destiny for others every time?]

[Maybe she was destined to walk this path. This is fate. Perhaps she’ll be more at ease in the world below?]

"So, was the system really upgrading, or did you foresee what was going to happen and deliberately hide?"

[During an upgrade, the system has to be shielded from the Host. The system would not deceive you on this point, Host.]

[Besides, even if the system had been around, Chaochao was already diagnosed by human medicine as a terminal cancer patient with only three days to live. The system would not have intervened to save her. That, too, is fate.]

Wen Ying was silent for a moment. "The Guide Skill... I could do that myself, right? It would just be more trouble."

[The system chose this Skill for your convenience, Host. Besides... you might just thank me for it.]

The system paused for a moment, as if it had just remembered something it had forgotten.

[Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a new item: Tattered Doll]

"What tattered doll?" Wen Ying asked, confused.

[The doll that Chaochao gave you, Host~]

"It became an item? Does it have any other functions?"

[The Host treated Chaochao with sincerity and received Chaochao’s reciprocation. The doll can be used as a weapon to protect the Host’s safety. The specific modes and instructions for use must be figured out by the Host.]

"..."

Never mind. Wen Ying had no intention of using it as a weapon anyway. It was a gift from Chaochao.

It was the only thing Chaochao had left for her. For Wen Ying, that was very useful.

It was dusk. Wen Ying had rested enough—in fact, she was tired of resting. She went to find Uncle Zhang.

In a corner of the general store was a bag containing what Old Sir Zhang wanted. Uncle Zhang had put it away in the storage room after Wen Ying’s accident.

"Little Ying, what are you doing?"

"Your aunt said you are absolutely not allowed to do these things anymore! You just got out of the hospital, and I won’t allow it either! You have to take care of your body!" Uncle Zhang looked at Wen Ying with a serious expression.

Wen Ying held the bag. "Alright, then. You hold on to these, Uncle Zhang. I’ll go back and finish drawing on the rest of the paper money all at once."

Uncle Zhang: ...

"This kid... why are you so disobedient?" 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

After Wen Ying argued her case, she finally got a chance: she would draw on one bill first, and if Uncle Zhang saw that she was really fine, he wouldn’t bother her anymore.

Who knew that Wen Ying would just grab the remaining bills, sit down in the general store, and pull the ballpoint pen from her hair.

Uncle Zhang, "..."

’Is she really being this casual about it?’

"Alright, Uncle Zhang, take a look. How am I doing? How’s my complexion?"

Uncle Zhang looked at Wen Ying. True, her complexion wasn’t exactly rosy, but she looked like any other healthy person.

Besides, very few adults actually have a naturally rosy complexion.

"Do you believe me now? Don’t worry, I won’t let myself end up in the hospital again. I’m taking these things with me. I’ll bring them back when I’m done."

Wen Ying wasn’t the type to be indecisive or coy. Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang had been so good to her that she had already started to think of them as her own family.

Returning to the clinic, Wen Ying finished drawing on all the remaining twenty-some paper bills.

The Spiritual Energy that had recovered in her body was also mostly used up. "System, time for the lottery!"

Looking at her reputation value, which was already in the tens of millions, Wen Ying felt particularly flush!

"First, let’s draw..."

[One hundred times?]

"Just ten times."

[...]The corner of the system’s non-existent mouth twitched.

As she watched the big wheel begin to spin, Wen Ying remembered her previous draws. ’It seems I still have a Peach Blossoms, a Bad Luck Talisman, and a Justice Incarnation that I haven’t used yet.’