87: Fifty years of perseverance

Time flows like water, and fifty years have passed in the blink of an eye...

In the year 99852 of the Star Calendar, at the Pillar of Leaders, in the Yuanqi Multi-function Hall.

If the "If You Are the One" of fifty years ago still carried a hint of warmth and awkwardness.

Then fifty years later, it has evolved into a phenomenal, tragic, and epic... performance art piece that has swept through the entire population of over one billion at the Pillar of Leaders.

At this moment, inside the hall, the 2710th episode of "If You Are the One" is unfolding in an extremely complex atmosphere...

The layout of the hall has long since "evolved" beyond recognition.

The pink and purple lighting has been replaced by even more dazzling holographic projections, with countless colorful advertisements rolling and leaping in the air, filling every corner, each word striking straight at the Soul:

"Become Chen Jun's son-in-law and reach the Peak of your life!"

"2710 trillion Source Coins as a dowry, waiting for you to claim!"

"Father-in-law Chen Jun, the Federation's No. 1 son-in-law-pampering maniac!"

"Ascend to the heavens in one step, right here today on 'If You Are the One'!"

"Become Chen Jun's son-in-law, your starting point is everyone else's finish line!"

These slogans are like mental pollution, pervasive, even penetrating the powerful sound-insulation force field of the Wanxiang Hall, vaguely drifting outside.

Outside the hall, it is a different scene, with almost all the high-quality males at the Pillar of Leaders chasing their "dreams" gathered here.

A sea of people!

A literal sea of people!

From young talents at the Planetary Level, to battle-hardened soldiers at the War God Peak, and even some "lucky ones" at the War General Rank who managed to sneak in through special connections, attempting to ascend to the heavens in one step...

They were packed densely, like a school of fish waiting to leap over the Dragon Gate, filling this sacred area in the core of the Pillar of Leaders, where even those at the Planetary Level usually dare not make a sound.

The noisy clamor gathered into a torrent:

"My god! 2710 trillion Source Coins! My Family hasn't even accumulated a fraction of this amount in a hundred thousand years!"

"Brother, what level are you? You dare to come at the War God Level? Didn't you see the requirement is at least Planetary Level?"

"Hehe, the cousin of my third great-uncle's neighbor is a distant relative of a maidservant under Pavilion Master Chu Yueyao, so I managed to get a 'Potential Stock' special pass!"

"I heard that only Her Highness Su Xingyao is attending today. Except for Qin Wangshu, who never participates, the other nine have long since gone into 'seclusion'..."

"Her Highness Su is truly... 'filial'..."

Everyone's eyes stared eagerly yet with a hint of numbness at the tightly closed doors of the Yuanqi Hall, as if it were not a dating show venue, but the grand road to the Peak of life.

The frenzy inside and outside the hall formed a sharp contrast...

On the massive stage, where there were once ten female guest seats in its heyday, it is now empty.

Only one figure, stunningly beautiful but filled with deep exhaustion, sat alone in the center seat.

Su Xingyao, the daughter who listens to her father the most!

Once the little princess with the Innate Star Body, she is now a Planet-level Peak expert, with an ethereal temperament and beauty that surpasses the past.

But at this moment, her eyes, which once made the stars pale, held only a numbness of utter despair...

She wore a simple and elegant moon-white dress, which looked out of place with the gaudy holographic advertisements around her.

Her slender fingers were unconsciously twisting the hem of her dress, with only one thought in her mind.

Who am I? Where am I? Why am I here?

On the male guest seats sat a mere dozen or so "lucky ones" who had been carefully selected and screened through layers of checks to break into the final round.

They all sat upright, trying their best to squeeze out the most appropriate smiles, their eyes filled with longing and nervousness.

After all, facing a female guest who is over 60 years old and at the Planet-level Peak, as well as the scrutiny of that legendary "living ancestor of the Federation" sitting below, the pressure was immense.

At the host's podium, Dean Mo Heng pushed up his super-spatial sensing glasses, which had already been updated to the 9th generation.

He looked a bit older than fifty years ago, not in body, but in spirit...

He was wearing a special white lab coat with a line of small text printed on the back: " 'If You Are the One' Official Designated Partner — Federation Academy of Sciences".

Fifty-two years! A full two thousand seven hundred and ten episodes! Unwavering, not missing a single episode!

It wasn't that he didn't want to leave, but due to Chen Jun's status, which was equivalent to a leader, he couldn't!

No Stellar Level expert was willing to take over this hosting job, and Chen Jun wasn't satisfied with anyone below the Stellar Level...

On the monitoring board floating in front of him, data was still refreshing frantically, but his voice reading the script was devoid of any fluctuation:

"The first male guest of this episode, Li Tian'ao, 3605 years old, Planetary Level High-grade, hobbies are... watching past recordings of 'If You Are the One' and writing a 100,000-word essay titled 'On the Self-Cultivation of Becoming a Chen Family Son-in-law'..."

Mo Heng paused imperceptibly as he read this, even he felt that this profile was a bit... too sycophantic...

Su Xingyao couldn't even be bothered to lift her eyelids, simply using the willpower of a Planet-level Expert to forcibly suppress the urge to leave immediately.

In the main seat, Chen Jun. Fifty years of time had not left any mark on him.

Thanks to the meticulous "care" from the big shots and the occasional "nourishment of love" from his daughters, he actually looked even "younger"...

He was still wearing that iconic silk pajama, but the text on his chest had been changed to the more direct [Seeking a worthy son-in-law! Urgent! Waiting online!], shining brightly against the backdrop of the dazzling holographic advertisements.

He looked at the male guests on stage, his eyes burning...

"Xingyao! Look at this Li Tian'ao!" Chen Jun's voice carried a fifty-year-old, or even more fervent, anticipation, "What a fine young man! 'Young and promising'! And he's your fan! This shows he's attentive! He has sincerity! Dad tells you, when looking for a Dao Companion, sincerity is the most important thing!"

Su Xingyao took a deep breath, trying to maintain the last shred of her poise, and said to Chen Jun via telepathic transmission: "Dad... in his essay, 98,000 words are analyzing how to achieve his goal by currying favor with you, and only 2,000 words mention me, of which 1,500 words are copy-pasted official data."

Chen Jun waved his hand dismissively, unconcerned: "This shows he knows how to grasp the main contradiction! He has strategic vision! He is a talent!"

Su Xingyao: "..."

She felt her heart twitching.

Another male guest tried to show off his talents, condensing a passionate love poem with energy.

The poem was so cheesy that the only "audience" left below—a few Planetary Level staff members responsible for maintaining the venue's energy stability—couldn't help but cringe.

Chen Jun, however, nodded repeatedly as he watched: "Talented! Romantic! Xingyao, look at these lines, 'Your eyes are like a black hole, devouring all my reason'... How well written! How sincere!"

Su Xingyao finally couldn't help it, holding her smooth forehead, her Planet-level Peak Mental Energy slightly escaping, causing the lights in the entire hall to flicker.

"Dad... that line of poetry is plagiarized from a third-rate interstellar romance novel from three thousand years ago, 'The Interstellar Domineering CEO Falls in Love with Me'..."

"Borrowing! This is called borrowing!" Chen Jun argued righteously, "Being able to apply what one has learned is also a skill! In the eyes of scholars, how can borrowing be considered plagiarism?"

In the end, with Chen Jun's enthusiastic sales pitch of "this one is not bad, that one is okay" and Su Xingyao's silent refusal, the 2710th episode of "If You Are the One" ended once again without suspense, with all lights turned off.

After the last male guest left dejectedly, Su Xingyao disappeared from her seat almost instantly, leaving behind only a faint spatial fluctuation and a telepathic message echoing in Chen Jun's ear with a sobbing tone: "Dad! I can't take it anymore either! I'm going into seclusion! A death seclusion!!!"

Dean Mo Heng, with a speed that exceeded his limits as a scientist, "slapped" all the equipment off and put away the monitoring board.

Without any pause, his figure blurred for a moment, and he slipped away directly, as if staying for one more second would cause him to be assimilated by this "resentment" that had lasted for fifty years.

In an instant, the Yuanqi Hall, which had been noisy for half a day, became empty again...

Only Chen Jun was left, sitting in the main seat, looking at the spot where Su Xingyao had disappeared, which finally turned into a long sigh filled with fifty years of frustration.

"It's already the 2710th episode..." he muttered to himself, his voice sounding particularly desolate in the empty hall.

"Su Xingyao, that girl, ran off too... Ten daughters, a full 2710 episodes... How could it be that... not a single one can get married?"

"Sometimes, if you don't try, you won't even know what despair is..."

"Those 'lads' are the same. They all look decent enough, so why do they all fail at the critical moment?"

"I thought that with the Federation's population of over a hundred trillion, and the Planetary Level experts accumulated over 100 generations of ordinary people, with the elite all in the Pillar of Leaders, there would surely be someone who caught their eye. Quantity leads to miracles... Persistence is victory... I suppose I thought too much..."

"Is my dream of holding a grandson really that hard to achieve...?"

He slumped in his chair again, feeling incredibly exhausted.

Fifty years of persistence, over two thousand failed episodes—even with his mindset as an immortal, he was reaching his breaking point!

...

Returning to the manor bedroom in a "dejected" state, Chen Jun watched Lin Wei grooming her hair in front of the vanity.

Time seemed to have a special affection for his wife. Nourished by endless resources, she remained gentle and charming, like a ripe peach, her grace even more pronounced than in the past.

Chen Jun's heart began to stir again.

He wore his most affectionate and gentle smile, walked behind Lin Wei, gently wrapped his arms around her waist, rested his chin on her fragrant hair, and spoke in a low, magnetic voice:

"Wei Wei..."

"Hmm?" Through the mirror, Lin Wei looked at her husband's familiar smile, which carried a certain intention. She understood, and without stopping her movements, she responded gently.

"Look... none of our daughters can be counted on."

Chen Jun began to lay the groundwork, his tone carrying just the right amount of disappointment and expectation, "Shall we... consider... trying a little harder?"

He suggestively stroked Lin Wei's abdomen.

Lin Wei's body stiffened slightly.

Immediately, she put down the jade comb, turned around, cupped Chen Jun's face, her eyes filled with heartache and... undeniable determination.

"Brother Jun," her voice remained gentle but carried a will of steel, "I know you like children, and I do too. But, it's not possible."

Here we go again!

Chen Jun wailed internally, but maintained his affectionate expression: "Wei Wei, listen to me, my body is really fine! I feel better than ever! Giving birth to eight or ten children is no problem at all!"

Lin Wei shook her head vigorously, tears of heartache even welling up in her eyes: "You say it's fine every time! But don't you know your own physical condition? You are just relying on the rare treasures sent by everyone to hang onto that sliver of life!"

The more she spoke, the more agitated she became, gripping Chen Jun's hands tightly: "With your special Physique, I simply dare not be intimate with you. What if... what if during the process that sliver of life dissipates..."

She choked up and couldn't continue, simply hugging Chen Jun tightly, as if he would turn to dust the moment she let go.

"Brother Jun, I cannot take that risk!"

Chen Jun opened his mouth, watching his wife's tearful, sincere expression. All his explanations were stuck in his throat; besides, saying them countless times had proven useless.

Could he say that he actually had a System, and the more children he had, the better?

He could not!

The secret of the System was his greatest trump card on the path of immortality, and it must never be exposed!

Therefore, he could only swallow his endless frustration and grievance back into his stomach, turning it into a helpless sigh, and instead consoled Lin Wei:

"Alright, alright, Wei Wei, don't cry. I won't mention it anymore, won't that do..."

However, the matter was not over yet.

Lin Wei seemed to have already prepared a "solution."

She wiped away her tears, took out a beautifully packaged, high-tech box from her Storage Ring, and shoved it into Chen Jun's hands, with a gentle smile that said, "Look how thoughtful I am":

"Brother Jun, I know that... sometimes you feel uncomfortable. Here, this is the latest 'Dream Companion MAX Supreme Edition' developed by the Academy of Sciences. It uses the latest biological simulation technology and neural sensory interaction. Not only are the touch, temperature, and reactions more stimulating than a real person, but it also has tens of thousands of personality modes and interactive scenarios built-in. It will definitely be more... more satisfying than a real person!"

She lowered her voice, a blush appearing on her face, but her eyes remained firm: "The most important thing is that it is absolutely safe! It won't drain any of your Life Origin! You can use it however you want without worrying about your body!"

Chen Jun looked at the latest model of "interstellar-era inflatable doll" in his hands, then looked at his wife's sincere eyes that said "I'm doing this for your own good," and he completely petrified...

I...

What the...

Is this what I wanted?!

Huh?!

I, Chen Jun, just wanted another child...

And yet...

My wife just handed me a doll in return?!

And it's the Supreme Edition, for crying out loud?!

An indescribable sense of grief and indignation rushed to his head, almost causing him to lose his breath!

This could no longer be described as speechless or frustrated; this was malice from the entire Universe!

"Wei Wei... I..." He wanted to throw the box away.

"Behave, Brother Jun." Lin Wei pressed down on his hand, her eyes gentle but carrying a hint of refusal to be denied, "Your body is the most important thing. If... if you really don't like this model, I will have Dean Mo Heng send a few more in different styles for you to choose from tomorrow? Or, if you have any special requirements, just say so, and I will have the Academy of Sciences customize it!"

Chen Jun: "..."

He looked at his wife's crystal-clear eyes, full of concern, and all his words turned into a powerless:

"...No need, this... is quite good."

What else could he say?

What else could he ask for?

Was he supposed to say, "Wife, I want to have children with you, I'm not afraid of death"?

Holding that heavy box, which represented his wife's "deep love" and "deadly misunderstanding," Chen Jun walked to the window with a look of existential despair, gazing up at the unchanging starry sky filtered by the artificial force field...

Over fifty years of failed attempts to get his children married, coupled with his wife's "thoughtful care," made his immortal heart feel a trace of... desolation...

Life...

Why is it... so difficult...

Just as Chen Jun was immersed in endless frustration and self-doubt.

"Dad—!!!"

A cry filled with sobbing, panic, and helplessness, like tearing silk, suddenly came from outside, instantly shattering the tranquility of the manor.

The next moment, the bedroom door was pushed open directly by a powerful force!

A figure radiating brilliant solar glory, with energy fluctuations that made space tremble, rushed in like a frightened little beast and threw herself directly into Chen Jun's arms!

It was Yue Xi!

His 55-year-old eighth daughter, possessor of the Innate Sun Body, was now a Stellar Level Peak expert, and one of the Supreme experts recognized by the Federation and personally acknowledged by Yun Xi!

Usually, she was radiant, calm, and wise, like a sun goddess walking among mortals...

But at this moment, she was crying like a real, helpless little girl.

She held Chen Jun tightly, her delicate body trembling violently from extreme sorrow and fear. The solar radiance around her flickered uncertainly, and her tears, like molten gold beads, rolled onto Chen Jun's pajamas, which read 【Seeking a Son-in-law! Urgent! Waiting Online!】, burning tiny holes into them.

"Dad! Daddy!" Yue Xi lifted her tear-stained face, filled with childlike panic and disbelief!

"Teacher... Teacher said... she is preparing to pass away! She's in Jingsi Hall... Wuwuwu... She has summoned all the Stellar Level experts... to hold a Supreme meeting... Dad! What do I do! Xi Xi doesn't want Teacher to pass away! Don't!!!"

Like a thunderclap of Chaos, it exploded in Chen Jun's ears!

Instantly shattering all his frustration, all his helplessness, and all his grievances into pieces!

Yun Xi...

Is going to pass away?!

That existence who had guarded the Federation for a hundred thousand years, like a pillar supporting the sea...

That existence who knew the hundred-thousand-year history of the Federation, led the civilization forward, and bestowed upon him the highest status in the Federation...

That existence who knew when his wife gave him an inflatable doll... uh, she didn't know about that...

That woman for whom he actually held deep, complex respect and gratitude in the depths of his heart...

Her time...

Has come?!