Oops! My Inner Thoughts Are Ruining The Plot

Chapter 178: Chapter

Two agonizing months passed with no sign of Wenzhe’s return.

Over those long weeks, Yueqing moved back and forth between her maiden home and the Xi estate. With every passing day, the vibrant energy of the Xi mansion slowly drained away, leaving behind a cold, hollow shell. Hope was slipping through everyone’s fingers like sand.

Duchess Lin Meiyun and Old Madam Xi spent their days and nights trapped inside the ancestral hall. They knelt on the cold stone floor, fasting and praying continuously to the family ancestors. Their bodies grew thin, their eyes hollow, practically starving themselves in desperate supplication for Wenzhe’s safe return.

Yueqing, however, never once stepped foot inside the ancestral hall. She did not believe in sitting quietly and begging statues for a miracle.

Inside her bedroom, all the heavy silk drapes were pulled tight, shutting out the sun. The entire room was cast in deep darkness, lit by only a single, tiny lantern flickering on the side table.

Yueqing lay completely still on her bed beneath a pile of thick blankets. Her eyes were open, staring blankly at the dark ceiling. She was not sleeping, nor was she moving. In two months, she had grown frighteningly thin, her cheekbones sharp and her complexion pale as snow. Without any new information from her father’s shadow guards or the Third Prince, she felt completely drained.

The heavy wooden door creaked open, letting in a thin sliver of light.

Lanyin stepped softly into the dark room, carrying a tray with a warm bowl of soup. Her own face was tired and pale, her eyes red-rimmed from quiet weeping.

She walked over to the bed and set the tray on the side table. Looking down at Yueqing’s unmoving form, Lanyin’s heart pained deeply.

"Sister-in-law," Lanyin called softly, her voice delicate and full of care. "I brought you some warm soup. Please... eat just a few spoons for me."

Yueqing did not blink. She simply kept staring up at the ceiling, her voice faint and hollow. "I’m not hungry, Lanyin."

Lanyin bit her lower lip, sitting gently on the edge of the mattress. She reached out and took Yueqing’s limp, cold hand into her own, squeezing it softly.

"Sister-in-law... tonight is the Lantern Prayer Festival," Lanyin whispered, trying to force a small, hopeful smile. "The estate holds it only once every two years. The servants are setting up the main courtyard right now. Everyone is going to light lanterns and write wishes to release into the sky."

Yueqing remained silent, her dark eyes vacant.

"You should come outside and join us," Lanyin urged gently, her voice wavering with unshed tears. "Maybe... maybe if you write a wish and pray for Eldest Brother tonight, he might just..."

Lanyin couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. The bitter words caught in her throat, breaking into a quiet, trembling gasp as she held back her tears. She knew as well as anyone how slim the chances were after two whole months, but she desperately needed something to hold onto.

Lanyin gently set the wooden tray down on the side table, lingering for a moment as if hoping Yueqing would change her mind. When no response came, she let out a soft, pained sigh, adjusted the blankets over Yueqing’s shoulders, and quietly stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Once the soft sound of Lanyin’s footsteps faded down the corridor, the deep, suffocating silence returned to the dark bedroom.

Yueqing lay motionless, staring up at the shadows on the ceiling. Slowly, she lifted a trembling hand and pressed it against her forehead.

[System 009?] she called out in her mind, her voice desperate, and worn thin from repeating the same silent scream every single day. [System 009, are you there?! Answer me!]

Silence. Absolute, terrifying silence.

[Nine! Are you there?!] she tried again, her internal voice cracking with a mix of fury and despair. [You said forty-eight hours! You said a mandatory software update! It has been two whole months! Where the hell are you?!]

No chime. No sarcastic, dry robotic tone. No cheerful static buzz.

What was supposed to be a short two-day maintenance nap had stretched into sixty agonizing days of total radio silence.

The system had gone completely dark the moment she returned to the capital, leaving her completely stranded without plot updates, favorability tracking, or any way to know if Wenzhe was still breathing in those freezing northern mountains.

Yueqing closed her eyes, letting her hand drop heavily onto the mattress. A dry, bitter laugh escaped her lips into the empty room.

[High-tech useless assistant...] she thought bitterly, her chest aching with a deep, dull throbbing. [You really are completely useless when it actually matters.]

As evening fell, darkness completely settled over the estate. Yueqing slowly pushed the heavy blankets off her body and sat up on the edge of the bed.

A few moments later, Lu Yue pushed the door open, carrying a fresh tray of warm food. The moment her eyes fell on the bed, she froze in her tracks, her jaw dropping slightly in shock.

Yueqing was already standing by the vanity, completely dressed.

She wore a dark blue hanfu that hung loosely around her thin frame. There was not a trace of rouge or powder on her face; her skin was ghostly pale, completely drained of all color and emotion. Her dark, expressive eyes, which once sparkled with sharp wit, were now dull and hollow.

She had not even bothered to brush or decorate her hair, letting it hang loosely over her back, completely plain without a single hairpin or ribbon.

Yueqing had never been a religious person. She was someone who always took pride in her appearance, ensuring she looked bright, put-together, and stunning in every situation, no matter how bad things got. But nothing in her past life and nothing in this novel’s script had ever prepared her for this kind of silent, agonizing heartbreak.

Lu Yue set the tray down immediately and hurried over. Without saying a word, her hands moved with practiced care, gently adjusting the collar and sleeves of Yueqing’s dark blue robe so it sat properly on her shoulders.

"Madam..." Lu Yue whispered, her voice tight as she looked at Yueqing’s hollow reflection in the mirror. "Are you going out to the prayer festival?"

Yueqing stared blankly at her own reflection for a long moment before giving a faint, almost unnoticeable nod.

"Yes," Yueqing answered, her voice flat and raspy. "I am going."

Lu Yue bowed her head quietly. She offered her arm for Yueqing to lean on, supporting her frail weight as she escorted her mistress out of the dark courtyard and into the cool autumn night toward the main grounds of the Xi mansion.

When Yueqing and Lu Yue reached the main courtyard, the rest of the Xi family had already gathered near the central lotus pond.

Yunhao and Yunchen arrived at the exact same moment from the outer yard, their faces drawn and shadows hanging heavy beneath their eyes. The two brothers gave Yueqing a brief, solemn look, nodding silently as they stepped into line. They were the last to arrive.

Beside the water stood an older woman dressed in dark, patterned ritual robes, a spiritual medium hired by Old Madam Xi to guide the ceremony.

The woman looked over the silent crowd and bowed her head slightly. "Now that everyone is gathered, we shall begin the prayer for protection and safe return. Please, take your lantern, hold your wish in your heart, and place it upon the water."

Nearby, the house servants and guards were also permitted to participate, each holding cheap paper lanterns they had purchased themselves, murmuring quiet prayers for the General and the family.

A servant approached the family with a tray of glowing paper lanterns.

Yueqing stared down at the warm, flickering light, a sudden wave of exhaustion hitting her. Part of her wanted to pull away, to turn around and walk back to her dark room. She didn’t believe in spiritual ceremonies, and floating a piece of paper on water felt entirely pointless against cold, harsh reality.

But as she looked at the Duchess’s cheeks and Lanyin’s tear-streaked face, she simply let out a quiet, tired sigh.

She reached out and took a lantern from the tray.

Holding the delicate paper frame in her hands, she walked slowly toward the edge of the pond. She knelt down on the cold stone, the warm glow of the candle lighting up her pale, emotionless face.

She leaned forward and gently set the lantern onto the quiet water, watching it float slowly toward the center of the pond alongside the dozens of other flickering lights.

Yueqing closed her eyes, her lips moving barely enough to utter a low whisper that only the night air could hear.

"Wenzhe... wherever you are, don’t you dare die out there," she whispered, her raspy voice tight with quiet, desperate grief. "You still owe me a lifetime... so come back and face me."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!