Chapter 490 – Returning Everything
“Are you a time traveler too?”
“Did you know me back in the modern world?”
Lin Bai speculated, but it didn’t make sense. Even if someone had known him in the modern world, there was no way they could know about his death, his time travel, or the sign-in system he was bound to.
As Lin Bai wrestled with why Xu Jinning seemed to know so much about him, her next words completely left him dumbfounded.
“Because you’re a character in a novel, and the world you’ve traveled into is also part of a book.”
Lin Bai’s eyes widened, and his voice stammered, “W-What are you saying? I don’t understand.”
“No, you do understand.”
“Because you’re a character from that novel, that’s why I know everything about you…” Xu Jinning proceeded to explain in detail how Lin Bai was the protagonist of a male-centric, period novel that Xu Jinwen had written back in middle school.
This time, she laid it all out—his childhood, his mother, every little detail…
Lin Bai listened, feeling more and more incredulous.
How could this be? How could he just be a character in a book?
Deep down, Lin Bai understood what it meant, but he refused to accept it.
Because accepting this meant accepting that everything in his life—his childhood, his upbringing, his mother’s divorce, the hardships, her death… even his time travel and gaining the system—were all predetermined by someone else, the author.
It would mean that he and his mother were mere puppets, characters under the control of a writer.
If the author wanted his mother to die, she’d die of illness. If they wanted him to time travel, then he had no choice but to die.
It was ridiculous. Completely absurd.
Lin Bai suddenly started laughing, but his laughter was tinged with sadness. As he laughed, tears began to fall from the corners of his eyes.
Then, he broke down into sobs, crying so bitterly that even Xu Jinning, who was there, couldn’t help but feel moved.
Xu Jinning understood that finding out you were just a character in a book, especially with such a tragic past, was something that no one could easily come to terms with.
She had seen this happen before with Shen Huai, who had gone through the same realization.
But Xu Jinning also knew that if she wanted to discuss the matter of the system with Lin Bai, she had no choice but to reveal the truth.
From what she had learned about Lin Bai’s personality through Lin Wangshu, she believed that, given the option, Lin Bai would want to know the truth.
After what felt like an eternity, Lin Bai’s sobs began to quiet down, and he eventually regained his composure.
When he finally looked up at Xu Jinning and Xie Ting’an again, his eyes were swollen and red.
It seemed like he had come to terms with the truth.
Gathering himself, Lin Bai asked, “So, what is it that you came to find me for today? Is it… about the system?”
Lin Bai could guess as much.
“Yes,” Xu Jinning replied, impressed by how sharp Lin Bai was.
“Is it to take the system back? Or something else?” he asked.
Xu Jinning shook her head. “No, it’s not about taking the system. There are just some facts we thought you should know.”
She then explained the case of the missing items and the story about the “one-minute notebook.”
“…If my guess is correct, those missing things are probably with you, aren’t they?” Xu Jinning concluded.
At that moment, Lin Bai understood.
“You’re saying… the things I received from the system through sign-ins, they were actually taken from someone else? They weren’t from the system itself?”
“That’s right,” Xu Jinning confirmed.
“This… how is that even possible?!” Lin Bai was stunned.
“If you don’t believe me, you can ask your system,” Xu Jinning suggested.
Although Lin Bai found it hard to believe, he knew that Xu Jinning had no reason to lie to him.
“System, tell me, where did the things I received from the sign-ins come from? Did you steal them from someone else?”
At first, the system didn’t respond to Lin Bai’s question. But when he asked whether it had stolen from others, it spoke up—and not only did it answer, it started crying.
【Wha—What do you mean by stealing? I don’t know! I’m not a thief, waah…】
When Lin Bai asked his first question, the system was silent. But as soon as he questioned whether it was a thief, the system replied tearfully.
【Lin Bai, you—you’re bullying me. You and Xu Jinning are both bullying me. I’m just a system that’s barely a year old. I’m only a baby… less than one year old!】
The system didn’t understand right from wrong, and didn’t know what constituted theft. It assumed that taking things that way was acceptable. However, it knew what a thief was—someone disgraceful—and the thought of being one upset it deeply.
Lin Bai was completely stunned.
“What did your system say?” Xu Jinning asked.
With a complicated expression, Lin Bai replied, half helpless and half amused, “It… cried. It said it’s only a baby system, not even a year old.”
Xu Jinning was left speechless.
At that moment, Lin Bai’s expression darkened as a thought crossed his mind. He muttered to himself, “Wait, if everything I received from the sign-ins belonged to someone else, then what about my acceptance letter to the medical university…”
Could that, too, have belonged to someone else?
“System, tell me!” Lin Bai demanded, his tone growing more urgent.
Under his pressure, the system finally responded.
Indeed, the acceptance letter had also been “taken” from someone else—specifically, it had originally belonged to a freshman who should have been attending the medical university.
The system had taken someone else’s acceptance letter, erased their name, and replaced it with Lin Bai’s.
Lin Bai closed his eyes, finally understanding the full truth.
He had felt something was off back when he first received the acceptance letter. However, his desire to attend the prestigious medical university was so strong that he overlooked his usual sense of morality and didn’t question the system further.
But now, faced with the reality…
“Since the acceptance letter wasn’t meant for me, I can’t keep it.” Lin Bai made his decision.
Now that he knew the truth, he couldn’t continue to ignore it. If he held on to that stolen acceptance letter, how was he any different from those who impersonated others to get into universities?
It wasn’t just a letter; it was a stolen future, a stolen life. Lin Bai was fully aware of how important an acceptance letter to a university was in today’s world. It could be a ladder to success, a chance at a better life.
No matter what, he had to return it.
Having made up his mind, Lin Bai turned to Xu Jinning and said, “Miss Xu, I will return everything that doesn’t belong to me.”
He paused before adding, “And from now on, I won’t use the system anymore.”
Just then, another thought struck him. In front of Xu Jinning and Xie Ting’an, he asked, “System, you wanted me to sign in at a hospital in Country A, saying that if I did, I would receive a ‘Comprehensive Handbook for Cancer Cure.’ Is that real, or is it also stolen from someone else?”
Xu Jinning and Xie Ting’an froze when they heard Lin Bai’s question.
A Comprehensive Handbook for Cancer Cure?!
Was it what they thought it meant? A potential cure for cancer?
Their expressions shifted, waiting to hear the system’s response.
