Chapter 43
The minor controversy at the awards ceremony did not lower the viewership ratings. Instead, it caused the variety show to become a trending topic multiple times, and Yuan Luoyi's fan growth rate accelerated.
After everything ended, Yuan Luoyi could finally leave the stage. Her brothers welcomed her below the stage.
Looking at them, Yuan Luoyi was filled with emotions.
Today, she had done something extremely dangerous. If the competition had lasted any longer, her mind could have been damaged, but it was all worth it!
Yuan Luoyi raised the glittering golden trophy with both hands, jogging over to Yuan Ao's side and excitedly saying, "Big brother, I persevered by myself!"
Yuan Ao patted Yuan Luoyi's little head, "Yes, your performance was outstanding."
Yuan Luoyi paused. She wasn't referring to the competition.
In her previous life, Yuan Ao had called Yuan Luoyi in prison, telling her to persevere, and that her brothers would definitely bring her home.
Yuan Luoyi had promised, silently determined to never give up no matter what happened.
Later, Yuan Luoyi traveled across 1,800 years, experienced 99 lifetimes, and finally returned to the Yuan family again. She had truly persevered for a very, very long time.
However, only Yuan Luoyi knew all this now, for due to the system's limitations, she could not tell her brothers how long and arduous this journey home had been for her.
Yuan Ao noticed Yuan Luoyi's abnormality and asked with concern, "Are you okay? You looked unwell during the competition."
Yuan Luoyi smiled, "I'm fine! Let's go home!"
Yuan Ao said, "Okay, let's go home."
Second brother Yuan Fa strode over with his long legs, taking the trophy from Yuan Luoyi and handing her a bucket of popcorn, "Eat this. I saved it especially for you. That competition was quite tiring, so quickly replenish your energy."
Yuan Luoyi stared at the nearly empty bucket, "This little bit will be gone in one bite."
Yuan Fa said, "That just shows how delicious it is. It took tremendous willpower for me to leave this last bit. It wasn't easy, so you should cherish it."
For a moment, Yuan Luoyi felt that Yuan Fa made sense, but there was also something off about it.
Oh well, her mind was too tired to argue with the black-hearted lawyer - that's how he made his living.
Yuan Luoyi shoved the remaining popcorn into her mouth.
Hmm, crispy and sweet, truly delicious!
Fifth brother Yuan Rui approached, walking briskly with the wind billowing his white coat. He moved nimbly, skillfully avoiding all living beings near him.
He stopped in front of Yuan Luoyi, "You derived the pendulum formula using elliptic calculus. That was excellent."
Yuan Luoyi asked, "Fifth brother, did you set that question?"
Yuan Rui smiled, "Correct. Three of the questions were set by me, each with a hidden option. You found the first one. Compared to others your age, you did very well. The professors wanted to recruit you as a student."
He leaned closer to Yuan Luoyi, his eyes gleaming, "But I've already told them that my sister can only be taught by me. When you attend university in the future, I'll be your teacher."
Told? That word didn't seem quite accurate. Considering fifth brother's personality, he must have threatened them.
And attending university, huh...
Yuan Luoyi was a little excited about that prospect. In her previous life, she had dropped out of high school due to being ostracized by classmates, and then was strangled to death at 18, never getting the chance to attend university.
But with fifth brother as her teacher?
Ah, that would surely be a university life filled with anatomy lessons...
Fourth brother Yuan Si arrived late, as his fame was too great. Admirers surrounded him everywhere, making it difficult for him to move. After calling in a team of security guards to control the crowd, he finally approached Yuan Luoyi.
Yuan Si presented a large bouquet of fresh flowers to Yuan Luoyi, "Your performance was too perfect! Your every move touched people's hearts. They worried for you, screamed for you, cheered for you in elation. My dear sister, I'm truly proud of you."
The floral fragrance was soothing. Yuan Luoyi was delighted. Fourth brother was dangerous, with an overly strong desire for control, but he really knew how to compliment people.
Yuan Ao said, "Everyone's here now, let's go."
The group left the hall.
On the way home, Yuan Luoyi thought about third brother Yuan Yong, who still hadn't returned, wandering like a lone wolf.
If he came back, then everyone would truly be present.
However, Yuan Luoyi believed that third brother would eventually come to deliver pizza, as he was a man of his word.
Upon arriving home, Yuan Luoyi was surprised to find that the garden had undergone a major transformation. Large sun umbrellas were set up on the lawn, with a barbecue grill and male and female servants standing by, ready to serve at any time.
Yuan's Mother hugged Yuan Luoyi, "Darling! I watched the live broadcast! You did so well! Everyone's been busy lately, but today we're all here, so let's have a barbecue to celebrate!"
Smelling the aroma of grilled meat in the air, Yuan Luoyi was feeling quite hungry.
Looking towards the barbecue table, Yuan's Father was seated there, his expression as stern as ever. When his gaze met Yuan Luoyi's, he said, "Slightly more competent."
Yuan Luoyi blinked her eyes. This was Yuan's Father's way of praising her. Normally, he would just stare at her coldly, unsatisfied with everything.
Everyone took their positions, and the barbecue party began. Yuan Luoyi ate happily.
There was some disharmony among the brothers. They occasionally clashed with each other, but none wanted to ruin Yuan Luoyi's good mood, so they suppressed their darker sides and had fun with Yuan Luoyi.
In the evening, they set off fireworks together. One by one, the sparkling lights ascended, bursting in the night sky in a dazzling array of colors. It looked beautiful.
Truly beautiful. In this new timeline, everyone was still alive and could gather like this.
At 10 p.m., Yuan Luoyi went to rest.
Tomorrow, she had an important task at school: to approach the real rich girl, Ye Min.
Thinking carefully, that girl was quite mysterious. She rarely spoke and was always alone, just like Yuan Luoyi...
Yuan Luoyi flopped onto her bed. Before sleeping, she browsed her phone for a while. Her name was trending on all major platforms, with an extremely rapid fan growth.
[Ding! System notification: Influence has reached 130, activating Retrace function. Would the host like to enable it?]
Yuan Luoyi frowned thoughtfully.
Last time she retraced, she witnessed Yuan's Mother's death and encountered the killer. This time, retracing might bring her a step closer to the truth.
But retracing didn't just show memories; the people there could harm her...
After taking a deep breath to calm herself, Yuan Luoyi said, "Enable Retrace."
The familiar dizziness washed over her as she sank into the soft bedding. Space twisted, and she kept falling.
After a moment, Yuan Luoyi found herself in an unfamiliar room, with photos covering the walls. Most of the people in the photos were unrecognizable, but three of them looked familiar - the three judges who had sentenced her to death.
Ah, she suddenly smelled a strong, metallic scent of blood coming from another room, accompanied by painful moans.
She gathered her courage and approached the door, peeking inside. Two men were there - one tied to a chair, covered in blood and barely breathing. The other man stood nearby, tall and slender with pale skin. His long, bony fingers gripped a bloody knife.
As if sensing Yuan Luoyi's gaze, he turned around.
His jet-black eyes were icy cold, enraged from the loss of his sister. The only person who could have kept him sane was now dead. All he wanted now was to send everyone who had hurt his sister to hell.
He would continue his revenge until the Grim Reaper reunited him with his sister.
Yuan Luoyi's eyes widened.
Ah, it was her eldest brother.
Her eldest brother, who had gone insane.