Chapter 9 – Truly Studied Until She Is Stupid

With the decision made, Su Ziyun no longer hesitated.

She calmly stood up. In the glow of the campfire, her gaze fell on Ye Chen, who had also stood up.

“Ye Chen, come with me.”

Her voice was calm and steady, without a trace of ripple, as if she were merely arranging the most ordinary task.

Ye Chen nodded. He glanced at Gu Qingci and followed silently behind her. The two walked one after the other toward the bus named “Happy Family.”

The door closed slowly behind them, sealing off the campfire and the cold wind outside, and also cutting off everyone’s view.

By the campfire, the remaining girls fell into an eerie silence.

The air was thick with an indescribable, complicated mix of emotions—awkwardness, curiosity, and a trace of unspoken tension.

“Sister…”

A very soft call broke the silence.

Gu Qingci looked at her twin sister beside her who had been silent all along. She reached out and gently took Gu Qingyan’s somewhat cold hand.

Gu Qingyan’s body trembled slightly. She clasped her sister’s hand back, holding it tighter.

She kept her eyes on the crackling fire, forced a smile as lively as usual onto her face, and said in a light tone:

“What’s wrong? Is the atmosphere too heavy? Don’t worry, this is all for survival! Statistically speaking, this is the highest-survival-rate choice we can make right now!”

She used the rational language she was most familiar with to try to lighten the mood again.

But Gu Qingci simply looked at her quietly and gave a slight shake of her head.

Those eyes, which were always gentle, now held a clarity that saw through everything and a deep sense of heartache.

Gu Qingci said nothing more, but Gu Qingyan read everything from her sister’s eyes.

The look seemed to say: Sister, stop pretending. I know.

The smile on Gu Qingyan’s face finally crumbled bit by bit, until it dissolved into a helpless, long sigh.

She stopped talking. She simply sat with her sister, quietly watching the flames, letting the emotions buried deep within flow silently through their clasped hands.

No one around them noticed the subtle change in the atmosphere between the twin sisters.

Only Gu Qingci knew that at the moment Ye Chen comforted her, the relief she felt didn’t just come from his clumsy concern.

More importantly, it came from the true story she wrote with her talent [Story Direction], the one she hadn’t told anyone.

The ending of that story wasn’t “Ye Chen fell in love with me.”

Instead, it was, “All of us fell in love with Ye Chen, and Ye Chen loves all of us.”

The reason she wrote such an seemingly absurd ending was that she had discovered a secret earlier than anyone else.

A secret that her lively, cheerful, rational sister had been using every ounce of strength to hide.

Gu Qingyan, her twin sister, also deeply loved Ye Chen.

From childhood to adulthood, the three of them had grown up together. Gu Qingci saw that feeling more clearly than anyone.

Her sister always used a boisterous disguise and the most rational analysis to push Ye Chen toward her side time and time again, playing the role of the perfect wingwoman.

But the more she did that, the more it pained Gu Qingci.

She didn’t want that kind of sacrifice.

So when the [Many Children, Many Blessings] talent appeared, and everyone was forced to walk this path, Gu Qingci saw a different kind of light amidst the immense pain.

The story she wrote consumed no mental energy at all.

That meant that “everyone falling in love with Ye Chen” was an ‘established fact’ in the system’s judgment.

It wasn’t the kind of love she had fantasized of since childhood, but it untied the greatest shackle in her heart in an absurd yet fair way.

Her sister would no longer have to painfully pretend for her sake.

The three of them could stay together forever in a completely new way, with no one having to step aside.

From that perspective… it seemed like a kind of happiness too.

Gu Qingci looked up, her gaze passing over the flickering flames to the bus standing silently in the night.

Thinking of that clueless fool who probably still didn’t know anything, a gentle yet helpless smile curled at the corners of her mouth.

Just then, a boisterous voice broke the silence.

“Hey, I say…”

Qin Lan nudged Zhou Siyu, who was looking at the campfire and deep in philosophical thought.

“What does… that thing feel like?”

Her question was direct and blunt.

The atmosphere around the campfire froze instantly.

All the girls, including the Gu Qingyan and her sister, turned their heads in unison, looking at Qin Lan with extremely strange expressions.

Those looks were a mixture of shock, bewilderment, and a faint trace of “you actually asked that” admiration.

Qin Lan’s face, which was usually radiant with confidence, actually turned red.

She coughed dryly and let out a couple of awkward laughs to cover up her embarrassment.

“Ahem, I just… just wanted to understand the possible physical effects it might have from a purely tactical perspective! Yes, from a tactical perspective!”

No one responded to her words. The scene was painfully awkward.

Everyone’s attention shifted in unison to Zhou Siyu, the one who was being questioned.

This genius of philosophy and logic withdrew her clear yet detached gaze from the fire, looked seriously at Qin Lan, and calmly shook her head.

“I’m not sure.”

Her answer was concise.

“From a philosophical definition, the essence of such behavior is a necessary activity for the continuation of civilization and the reproduction of the species. As for the physiological and psychological sensations during the process—due to insufficient sample data for logical induction, it does not possess universal philosophical significance.”

Zhou Siyu’s response was calm, objective, and academically rigorous.

Everyone was stunned.

Qin Lan opened her mouth, but couldn’t force out a single word for a long time.

She felt like she had punched a wad of cotton. No, a bunch of logical symbols.

“Wait…” Gu Qingyan couldn’t hold back anymore. She looked at Zhou Siyu as if she were an alien.

“Siyu, have you… never learned about it from any source? Like, in books? Or… elsewhere?”

Zhou Siyu shook her head again, her eyes still clear as water, free of any impurity.

“My reading has primarily focused on philosophy, logic, epistemology, and metaphysics. These disciplines do not explore such type of behaviors.”

She paused and added in a tone used for academic issues.

“Such behavior does not generate new philosophical propositions, nor can it falsify existing philosophical ideas. Therefore, for me, it holds no research significance.”

Everyone: “…”

A helpless silence descended.

At the same time, the same thought popped into all the girls’ mind.

This one has truly studied until she’s stupid.