After Mistakenly Binding The Matchmaker System

New Arc: Doomsday Fantasy

Chapters 157-190

Li Shu woke up amidst a cacophony of noise. The sounds drilled into his brain, causing waves of pain.

He subconsciously covered his forehead. His eyelids seemed to weigh a thousand pounds and he couldn’t open them. He sensed that he was lying on a cold surface, the chill seeping through his thin clothes, piercing his skin, and soaking into his blood.

Cold.

The bone-chilling cold was accompanied by a gnawing pain that clung to him like a leech, impossible to shake off.

Where was he? He remembered that in the 20th year with Lu Xi, 1314 informed him that the mission was complete. What happened after that?

What had occurred afterward, and what was happening to him now?

A string of questions popped into his mind, but none were answered. The more he tried to recall what happened after that, the more his head throbbed. He couldn’t remember anything clearly and had to give up for now.

Slowly, the pain subsided, along with the vague disconnect from the outside world.

He could now sense his own condition and hear the noise clearly.

As his strength gradually returned, he propped himself up and slowly sat up. He was right—he was indeed lying on the ground. Behind him was a sofa, and he had been lying just behind it, hidden from view by the sofa. His movements went unnoticed by the quarreling group.

Sitting on the floor, he observed the group of people not far away, not immediately revealing his presence.

They were a group of people dressed in various styles, spanning different age groups. It seemed like they had come together temporarily, loosely divided into two factions and were arguing with each other.

[A new mission has been issued. Would you like to accept it?]

A cold mechanical voice sounded, and Li Shu raised an eyebrow. [Accept.]

The mission and the world’s plotline flooded into his mind. After the initial discomfort passed, Li Shu began reviewing the mission.

This world was unlike any Li Shu had experienced before. The background of this world was set in an apocalypse, and naturally, the male protagonist was the savior of this post-apocalyptic world. However, the savior had not yet fully grown and was currently going through the most difficult period of his life.

Because the male protagonist had been infected and might become one of the infected.

In the year 20xx, a beautiful meteor shower descended upon the world. Those who witnessed it marveled at the breathtaking sight, unaware that behind the beauty lay immense danger.

Six months later, the apocalypse broke out without warning and a large number of infected appeared. Their appearances were grotesque, resembling zombies from disaster movies—bloodthirsty, brutal, and incredibly strong. Overnight, countless people became infected, countless people perished, and countless cities were reduced to ruins.

Everyone was living in constant fear.

It was now three months after the apocalypse had begun. People had figured out some ways to deal with the infected, and were no longer as passive as they were at the beginning. But compared to the vast army of infected, the number of humans had dwindled to a terrifyingly low number.

Aside from the infected, there was another group of people called “evolvers”. These people survived the initial infection stage, and their abilities improved significantly. Unlike the infected, they hadn’t lost their sanity and were just like normal humans, except they had gained some abilities and were generally stronger than ordinary people. These individuals were known as evolvers.

The male protagonist, Gu Lin, was one of these evolvers and was undoubtedly one of the strongest among them.

“Stop arguing, Li Shu is awake.” Someone noticed that Li Shu had woken up and shouted to stop the quarrel.

“Xiao Shu, are you okay?” The young man with flaxen hair, who had been arguing fiercely just moments ago, immediately stopped and glared at the man across from him before rushing over to ask with concern.

Li Shu stood up with the help of the sofa and looked around. They were in a spacious, empty house, a temporary resting spot. There were about a dozen people in the room, and the ones who had been arguing the most were the young man closest to him and the man who was now frowning in his direction.

“I’m fine.” Li Shu shook his head, still feeling a bit dizzy.

“How can you be fine? If it weren’t for that…how could something have happened to you?” The young man was extremely worried, and while speaking, he glared at the man opposite him.

Li Shu quickly sifted through the original owner’s memories and recognized the young man as the original owner’s childhood friend, Su Han. The man being glared at was the original owner’s boyfriend, Lin Xuan.

“I’m really fine, don’t worry.” Li Shu reached out and patted Su Han on the shoulder.

After confirming several times that his friend was okay, Su Han’s expression finally softened a bit.

After reading through the original owner’s memories, Li Shu quickly understood the situation. At this moment, he was at a significant turning point in the original owner life. From this day forward, the original owner would gradually lose everything he had—his lover, friends, and even his life. And all of this was due to the boy beside Lin Xuan.

That seemingly harmless, weak boy used every means at his disposal to take everything away from the original owner.

Before the apocalypse, the original owner had been a favored child of the heavens, born into a wealthy family and showered with love. He had never known hardship. After entering college, he met an outstanding boyfriend in all aspects and, despite his family’s objections, decided to be with him. Yes, that boyfriend was Lin Xuan.

During their time at university, Lin Xuan genuinely treated the original owner well, doting on him like a precious treasure. Just as the Li family was about to relent and agree to their relationship, the apocalypse struck.

At the time, the original owner and Lin Xuan were traveling in a small city. The apocalypse came without warning and the original owner lost contact with his family. But he didn’t expect that this severance would become a farewell forever.

The original owner and Lin Xuan were fortunate not to become infected, and they managed to survive through many struggles. Later, Lin Xuan awakened as an evolver, and their team grew stronger. Just when things seemed to be looking up, a boy named Xiao Chu appeared.

Lin Xuan’s heart strayed—he fell for Xiao Chu because Xiao Chu always looked at him with adoration, and he was always gentle and considerate. He found in Xiao Chu what he couldn’t get from the original owner, and unknowingly, his heart began to lean towards the boy.

The original owner grew up in a honeypot and had never suffered such hardship. He had the temper of a young master and was not as sweet as the young boy. In front of the original owner, Lin Xuan always felt inferior. The qualities that had once been endearing now turned into flaws.

The original owner sensed Lin Xuan’s change in attitude. He wasn’t one to cling desperately—he had his pride. If Lin Xuan no longer loved him, he wouldn’t hold on to him. So, he proposed breaking up.

But Lin Xuan refused. After all, the original owner was someone he had pursued with great effort, and he hadn’t yet fully enjoyed their relationship. Besides, the team couldn’t function without the original owner, so how could he agree to break up? The original owner then suggested that Lin Xuan sever ties with Xiao Chu, and Lin Xuan agreed.

After that, Lin Xuan did indeed distance himself from Xiao Chu, and he and the original owner reconciled. However, this caused Xiao Chu to harbor a deep grudge against the original owner.

Xiao Chu began to plot against the original owner. With his weak appearance and his expert portrayal of innocence, he managed to outmaneuver the original owner, who had been pampered all his life. In just a few rounds, Xiao Chu had the upper hand.

Xiao Chu staged one scene after another, and everyone in the team became aware of the tangled relationship between the three of them. After several incidents, they began to sympathize with Xiao Chu, thinking that the original owner was too intolerant.

This incident was another example. Clearly, Xiao Chu had tried to push the original owner into a group of infected, but he made it seem as if the original owner had accidentally bumped into him instead.

In the original plot, when the original owner woke up, he relentlessly sought justice for himself, unaware that Xiao Chu had already put on a show before he woke up. The more the original owner made a fuss, the more unreasonable he appeared to everyone else. Eventually, the entire team sided with Xiao Chu, and Lin Xuan felt that the original owner was being irrational and rekindled his relationship with Xiao Chu.

“He’s fine, isn’t he? Xiao Chu didn’t do it on purpose. Let’s leave it at that,” Lin Xuan softly comforted Xiao Chu, ending the matter with just a few words.

In the original plot, Lin Xuan’s blatant favoritism drove the original owner, who had just escaped death, to lose his mind. Even someone as simple-minded as the original owner eventually realized that Xiao Chu was behind all these incidents. This time, he had nearly died, yet his boyfriend was still defending someone else. He couldn’t accept it.

He became hysterical, unwittingly playing right into Xiao Chu’s hands.

His image crumbled in Lin Xuan’s eyes, no longer the proud and perfect person he once was, and Lin Xuan’s love for him gradually diminished.

A person like that was someone Li Shu would never like. Cheating—there’s either zero or countless times. If Lin Xuan could get involved with Xiao Chu once, there would naturally be a second, a third…an endless number of times.

Li Shu lowered his eyes, not reacting as he once would have. Lin Xuan instinctively breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that the previous incident was his fault, but Li Shu shouldn’t keep making things difficult for Xiao Chu. He had already distanced himself from Xiao Chu, and Li Shu shouldn’t keep holding on to this matter.

Seeing his friend looking downcast, Su Han couldn’t hold back. He pointed at Lin Xuan’s nose and said, “Lin Xuan, why should Xiao Shu have to bear the consequences of the mess you made? Let me tell you, if you don’t handle that little white lotus, don’t even think about getting close to Xiao Shu again.”

“Su Han!” Ever since his awakening, Lin Xuan had never been subjected to such accusations and his face quickly darkened. “Don’t forget your place!”

“I think you’re the one who shouldn’t forget your place!” Su Han shot back without hesitation. He and Li Shu were childhood friends, and with the Su family backing him, he feared nothing. Besides, he was also an Evolver, one who was evenly matched with Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan also didn’t want to conflict with him easily.

Su Han’s words made Lin Xuan’s expression even uglier. Over the past few months, he had grown accustomed to being praised, almost forgetting how humble he once had to be in front of the Li family.

He did love Li Shu, but he couldn’t forget the humiliation. Every time he faced Li Shu, that feeling of inferiority came rushing back.

“Brother Lin Xuan, it’s my fault. Please don’t be angry with Brother Li Shu. I apologize. It’s all my fault. I’m sorry…”

During the stalemate, Xiao Chu clutched Lin Xuan’s sleeve as if he had summoned all his courage, and his eyes were red with unshed tears.

Lin Xuan felt distressed when he saw it. Xiao Chu was such a kind soul. He had wronged him in the past, and now, even worse, allowed him to be bullied like this. It was all his fault. Already angered by Su Han, Lin Xuan looked at the aggrieved child and felt there was no need to endure it anymore.

“Li Shu, stop pushing your luck. What did Xiao Chu ever do to you? How can you still be holding a grudge over that one incident? Don’t you think you’re going too far? Yes, that was my mistake, but why take it out on Xiao Chu?”

Beneath his long, lowered lashes, Xiao Chu’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. So what if you were once the favored one? Now, you’ve fallen into the mud, and I will make sure you never rise again.

“Oh, so you do know you were in the wrong?” Li Shu mocked. “I thought you didn’t realize cheating was wrong.”