Chapter 90: The Grand Finale
The Pumpkin Cruise Ship, or rather the long-lost Jenny, is the hotel where Lu Mingran will be staying during this mission.
Lu Mingran had been wondering why there was no male lead this time, but now she knew: the male lead fought a great battle with a mysterious creature called the Cloud People, and the dragon-slaying boy turned into an evil dragon. He had already died on this cruise ship.
What Lu Mingran needed to do was to safely send this group of tourists away, preventing the male protagonist's soul from coming out to do evil again.
As for him, the so-called manager, he was left alone on this cruise ship that no longer seemed to have any human presence. The ship drifted aimlessly on the sea all day, and he drifted aimlessly on the ship all day.
The cruise ship was no longer as luxurious as it used to be. There were no banquets, waiters, or various services. Lu Mingran found canned food and other similar items to eat on the ship and got through each day.
"When will this end?" Lu Mingran asked the system.
The system replied, "When the ship sees the shore, it will be time for you to go home."
"Of course, by then you should have left me."
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The cruise ship drifted day after day, and after an unknown amount of time, it finally saw the shore.
On the day he disembarked, Lu Mingran stood on the deck and looked back at the ship under the setting sun, filled with emotion. At that moment, he saw someone.
A young man wearing a golden cloak that covered most of his face stunned Lu Mingran as soon as he spoke.
It was a very familiar voice, the one that had been chattering in his ear for so long... the system's voice.
So this is what the system looks like?
The system looked at him and said, "After being with you for so long, it's time to say goodbye."
"But don't worry about me, like I'll be lonely or anything. My new host is coming soon."
As he spoke, the boy raised his narrow eyes and gazed into the distance towards the shore. Lu Mingran followed his gaze and saw the familiar bus parked there, with an unconscious young man inside.
“I…” Lu Mingran suddenly remembered something, “Did you come here on this ship too?”
"No, the previous host's mission ended in the cemetery."
The system, lost in its memories, smiled and said:
"When I first saw you, the mountains were shrouded in white mist. You stood barefoot in the forest with your eyes closed. You looked so peaceful and pure."
"...And then what happened?" Lu Mingran asked with a smile.
"Later, things weren't as peaceful as I had imagined."
He had accompanied many hosts, but this was the one who made him feel the least worried, yet also the most terrified and astonished. He was also one of the few male protagonists who completed the entire mission.
The bus honked its horn twice, and the system knew this was a signal to hurry.
In the afterglow of the setting sun, this farewell did not happen as expected; Lu Mingran actually gave the system a hug.
And it was at this moment that the system whispered mysteriously in Lu Mingran's ear:
"In your world, I have prepared a surprise for you."
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I woke up in the hospital as expected.
Lu Mingran opened her eyes and heard the nurse say the most common line in TV dramas: "Doctor, he's awake! He's awake!"
These words are incredibly precious to someone who believes they are dead.
Fortunately, she was neither disabled nor paralyzed, and Lu Mingran was discharged from the hospital two months later, having recovered very well.
During this time, his brother came to visit him and showed unusual attentiveness and care befitting an older brother. Lu Mingran couldn't help but wonder, "Could this be the surprise the system prepared for him?"
Clearly, Lu Mingran was overthinking things. A few days later, her brother smiled and peeled an apple for her while saying:
“You’re usually quiet and introverted, so I can understand why you’d do something like jumping off a building.”
Lu Mingran then smiled and said, "Didn't you ask me to help you climb over the balcony to get something from the next room?"
The older brother choked.
“Also,” Lu Mingran said seriously, “Brother, you really don’t understand me at all. I’m never introverted.”
That's Lu Mingran when you're doing a mission, which you haven't seen before.
During her hospitalization, Lu Mingran was bored and spent her time watching TV and reading newspapers. Fortunately, she was only in a coma for half a year, so she wasn't out of touch with society for too long.
One news story left a deep impression on him: a gossip magazine reported that two young men had appeared in an abandoned train station. It was said that the two were missing college students who had suddenly returned, causing quite a stir. However, the magazine did not go into details, only saying that one of them was surnamed Cheng, and when he was found, the police searched his wallet for identification and only found a photo.
The photo appeared to be a group photo, and the man surnamed Cheng quickly took the photo back.
The news came on an ordinary afternoon. Lu Mingran sat on her hospital bed, looking at the sunlight falling on her knees, then at the news on TV, and smiled.
Later, news broke that the rumor had been debunked, urging people not to believe in such supernatural events, saying that it was a storyline copied from a game by a middle school student.
Lu Mingran went to find this obscure game and was surprised to see the line that the game was adapted from a certain book, and then she saw that extremely familiar name.
In this game, those two people did eventually return to the reality they had always dreamed of, which is for the best.
But Lu Mingran was still somewhat disappointed. This wasn't a surprise, and that wasn't a surprise either. So, what exactly was the gift that the system had prepared for him?
Finally, the day for discharge arrived.
Because he had just recovered from a serious illness, his parents did not urge Lu Mingran to find a job, and he was idle for a long time.
His brother still disliked him as always, and now that he was free, he was even more so. His brother could also see that Lu Mingran had no intention of tolerating him now, so his behavior became a little more restrained.
Speaking of his younger brother, he's really lost his mind. Arguing with him is one thing, but sometimes he'll inexplicably say something out of the blue:
"Do you know what brothers are? I met a guy named Gu He, and that's what brothers are."
Gu He, who is Gu He?
That day, Lu Mingran went out for a walk. Because he hadn't checked the weather forecast, he was left standing alone on the street, feeling lost and helpless when a sudden downpour started.
Fortunately, there was a convenience store not far away. Lu Mingran planned to go in to buy something to eat and get out of the rain.
As soon as the door was opened, the wind chimes rang out. The shop was rather deserted, with few customers, and only a young girl in an apron was at the counter.
"Would you like to try our oden?" the young girl enthusiastically promoted. "Our broth is very special."
Since she had nothing better to do, Lu Mingran simply bought a serving.
It turned out to be really delicious, and Lu Mingran couldn't stop thinking about it after she tried it. The young girl kept smiling and said that the broth was something the owner had developed himself.
"Oh, where's your boss?" Lu Mingran asked casually, looking at the heavy rain outside, as she picked up a meatball and put it in her mouth.
"He went out to buy goods."
The next evening, Lu Mingran went for a walk and suddenly missed the oden from this restaurant.
So he followed the same route as yesterday and found the shop again, buying another serving of oden. The same young woman was there, saying the owner was busy and not in the shop.
Lu Mingran didn't care about other people's bosses; he only cared about whether the oden was delicious. He even brought some back with him tonight.
In the week that followed, Lu Mingran came several more times, to the point that the little girl remembered what he liked to eat and would prepare it for him in advance.
It rained again on Sunday, a light drizzle.
In the afternoon, Lu Mingran, holding a transparent umbrella, stumbled through the rain, looking rather disheveled. He walked to the convenience store, shook the water off his umbrella, and pushed open the door with his head down.
—The sound of wind chimes rang out in response.
"Hello, one serving of oden." Lu Mingran knew that he didn't even need to say hello; Xiao Tao would prepare it for him.
But this time, a new sound drifted into his ears. This sound, carrying the warmth of a rainy day, unexpectedly entered his ears:
"Okay, please come and choose for yourself."
Lu Mingran raised her head.
He saw that the person standing behind the counter was no longer a young girl, but a young boy with tousled hair and a sincere smile that made you feel warm all over.
Lu Mingran felt a dryness in her throat.
A name was trying to leap from his throat, but he suppressed it, instead smiling, and asked the man:
Where is Xiaotao?
"Oh, she had something to do and went home."
Lu Mingran continued to look at him: "So, you're the boss?"
"Um."
Before Lu Mingran could ask any more questions, the man looked up and smiled, "My name is Su Yun."
Su Yun.
It's been a really long time since I've heard this name.
Su Yun had no idea what the person in front of him was thinking. He was busy with his own business and when he finished and looked up, he found that Lu Mingran had already finished a serving of oden and was still sitting there, looking at him.
The man abruptly said to him, "My name is Lu Mingran."
"Also, I'd like to ask you a question."
Su Yun had a bad feeling: "Hmm, go ahead and ask."
"Um..." Lu Mingran lowered her voice, "Can you see ghosts?"
Su Yun was stunned for a moment before bursting out laughing, and Lu Mingran laughed along with her.
But after he finished laughing and said that he couldn't see ghosts, Su Yun suddenly walked over, looked around, and whispered to him:
"But if you have anything in this area, I should be able to help you."
This time, it was Lu Mingran who was laughing.
Su Yun felt that the guest's smile had a complicated meaning, seemingly both happy and wistful.
He couldn't understand what Lu Mingran was laughing about, he only remembered that the guest patted him on the shoulder and asked if he could come here often in the future.
"sure."
"good."
Lu Mingran held the warm cup of hot tea in her hand. Outside the window, the rain pattered softly.
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