CHAPTER 81 – The First Glitch in Gu Yanzhou
The next morning, the safehouse was bathed in warm, stable sunshine.
Xiao Xi woke to the comforting smell of home-cooked breakfast.
Gu was in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, a faint, contented smile on his lips as he plated perfect congee.
Everything felt warm, normal, and peacefully domestic.
She walked up behind him and kissed his cheek in greeting.
"This is the reward for saving the world," she murmured, leaning into his solid back.
And then—it happened.
He flickered.
Just for a moment.
His entire silhouette broke down, turning into a shattered, broken hologram of static and light, visible only to Xiao Xi.
Then, he solidified instantly, the anomaly vanishing.
Xiao Xi froze, her hand flying to her mouth.
Gu pretended not to notice, his movements slightly stiffer.
"Eat while it's warm.
It's a very stable temperature."
Her voice trembled.
"Yanzhou… you just glitched.
You broke down and reformed."
He paused mid-movement, the spoon hovering over the bowl.
"…I know."
She grabbed his wrist, her grip desperate. "Why didn't you tell me?! We just stabilized everything!"
Gu sighed, gently placing the bowl down and turning fully to face her.
"Because I didn't want you to worry, Xiao Xi. When you initiated the rewrite, you anchored my data to your existence.
The New World has rules we don't fully understand yet.
I'm… partly connected to you.
If you go too far, or if the world destabilizes even marginally—so do I."
Her heart clenched, a cold fist of fear wrapping around her hope.
"So you're glitching because of me? Because of my power?"
"No."
He cupped her face with agonizing gentleness.
"I'm glitching because this world depends on you.
I am the secondary anchor; I absorb the shockwaves of stability that you create."
A cold shiver went through her. He was constantly sacrificing himself, even in victory.
He added softly, his eyes filled with a desperate plea.
"Just don't leave my side for too long.
Your proximity grounds me."
Xiao Xi nodded, burying her face in his solid chest, breathing in his real, warm scent as fear curled in her gut.
She could live with anomalies, she could fight any system—but she could not, would not live in a world where Gu Yanzhou was unstable.