Everything was going well at first. The couple seemed on track to get their diplomas, get married, and have children.
But who would have thought, they hadn't even received their diplomas yet.
Xu Jun had an accident.
In their second year of graduate studies, Xu Jun, along with his supervisor and several senior students, went to the uninhabited region of Qu County for scientific research. There, they encountered a sandstorm that occurred once in a century. All nine people on the expedition went missing.
No sight of the living, no trace of the dead.
After a period of searching with no success, the rescue team had to declare them unfortunate casualties. The school, the collaborating parties, and insurance began their compensation and appeasement procedures.
Although the original host found it difficult to accept and was devastated, she ultimately had to come to terms with reality.
With permission from Xu Jun's parents, she kept all of Xu Jun's belongings in their rented apartment as mementos. She would sometimes lock herself in Xu Jun's study to reminisce about the days he was still alive.
Or she would go through the things he left behind.
In the process of reviewing and understanding, the original host was surprised to discover that while Xu Jun and his supervisor publicly researched environmental ecology, their private research leaned more towards the occult, and their specific research content even had connections to parallel universes.
Although his bookshelf was filled with books on ecological environments, by his bedside table, he had stuffed books related to geomancy, exploration, spatial physics, cosmology, and temporal theory.
The reason they chose to go to the uninhabited region of Qu County for ecological research, besides the severe deterioration of the local environment and the genuine necessity of research, was more importantly because—
The area had a history of mirages that differed from normal ones, a caravan that completely disappeared, and even rumors of occasional phantom armies passing through.
These phenomena closely aligned with the aspects of parallel universes that Xu Jun and his supervisor were deeply interested in.
Thus, they chose that location for their research.
Upon learning this, and recalling the rescue team's conclusion of "no sight of the living, no trace of the dead," the original host immediately felt that her boyfriend Xu Jun might not be dead. Perhaps, he, along with his supervisor and those senior students, had accidentally touched upon a critical nexus during the sandstorm and traversed to another place.
Or, perhaps, entered a parallel world.
This would explain why there was no sight of the living and no trace of the dead.
Some people, even when seeing the bodies of loved ones, may refuse to accept it due to deep emotional attachment, always believing their loved ones might still be alive somewhere.
What's more, when no body was seen or found.
Just as people often say, "no news is good news," no body could also be considered good news. Even the smallest hope is still a hope, isn't it!
Therefore, although the original host sometimes felt her thoughts were rather far-fetched, her deep affection for Xu Jun continually convinced her of this idea. She began to study and learn knowledge in this area, hoping to understand the truth of the matter.
And perhaps even find Xu Jun.
Of course, because this idea was too outlandish, the original host did not publicize it. She continued to complete her studies normally, only making time in private to research the books and materials Xu Jun had left behind.
For the first few years, the original host's parents and brother, not wanting to upset her, dared not mention Xu Jun to her, nor did they urge her to find another boyfriend. They simply hoped she would come to terms with it herself.
And find a new boyfriend, moving on from the past.
This way, they wouldn't have to be the bad guys.
However, as the original host continued her studies after obtaining her master's degree, and subsequently earned master's degrees in several disciplines such as occult studies, spatial physics, and religious studies, and remained unmarried past thirty, her parents and brother could no longer hold back.
They began to persuade her in turns.
They even specifically sought out Xu Jun's parents, hoping they would also help persuade their daughter to let go of Xu Jun and move on.
Though Xu Jun's parents were touched, they felt they couldn't let their deceased son hold back the young woman's life, so they joined the persuasion efforts.
That year, the original host's research into occult studies, parallel worlds, and similar topics had become quite in-depth. She was more convinced than ever that Xu Jun was not dead, and as long as she could find a suitable time and place, she could enter a parallel world to find him. Either to bring him back,
Or at least to stay there with him.
Thus, the original host specifically shared her analysis with Xu Jun's parents, as well as her own parents and several brothers. However, she did not receive encouragement or support.
Instead, they all thought she had gone mad from her grief.
Xu Jun's parents, feeling guilty, even offered twenty thousand yuan, suggesting they should take her to see a doctor.
Their verbal persuasion couldn't cure mental illness.
However, the original host did not cooperate, and as long as the topics of Xu Jun or parallel worlds were not discussed, she appeared perfectly normal. Therefore, her parents and brothers, who didn't want their daughter or sister to be known as mentally ill, ultimately did not force her into a psychiatric hospital for treatment. They just tried to avoid mentioning Xu Jun.
As for persuading her to go on blind dates or get married,
They certainly dared not bring it up.
In the end, the original host's parents had to repeatedly instruct their grandsons, hoping they would treat their aunt well and, if possible, take care of her in her old age.
Additionally, they bought a lot of insurance policies for the original host,
Including, but not limited to, retirement, medical, and accident insurance.
Fearing that she would have no one to care for her in her old age.
Although the original host was a bit dejected by the lack of belief from her parents and others, she did not give up on her research. Coupled with the fact that her parents did not control her personal freedom, only requiring her to report her whereabouts and inform them of her safety,
The original host never stopped exploring parallel worlds. She would often travel all over the country, visiting various places, whether real or fabricated, that exhibited all sorts of suspected signs of parallel worlds, to investigate.
Last month, fully prepared, she returned to the place where Xu Jun disappeared. There, she arranged a "Spatial-Temporal Attraction Array" that she had recreated, using jade stones.
However, it was unsuccessful. Nothing happened.
But the original host was not one to give up easily. She remained convinced that her direction was correct. After returning home, she would often lock herself in her room, neglecting food and sleep as she continued to research that Spatial-Temporal Attraction Array. And about half an hour ago, she seemed to have actually activated the array.
After that, the original host had no memory.
Therefore, the situation where the original host's body was essentially unharmed while her soul suddenly disappeared was likely related to this event.
Having processed this memory, Ding Yun didn't rush to understand where the original host's soul had gone or whether it could return. Instead, she decided to retrieve her golden finger first to see what she had randomly acquired this time.
[Everything Bad Comes True]
"As the name suggests, this is an ability of spoken magic. All blessings are in vain, all praise is merely perfunctory, and all hopes are ultimately just hopes.
However, all curses will be realized.
All venomous words will come true.
You are a natural bringer of bad luck, a formidable jinx. Lucky halos shatter upon encountering you, koi fish turn belly-up and die when they meet you. However, please note that when you curse a bad person, you will be blessed with good fortune. When you curse a good person, you yourself will be plagued by extreme misfortune.
Please use with caution..."