In a 21st-century parallel dimension, similar to our world yet not entirely identical, lay a moderately sized city populated by all sorts of people. Among them lived a seemingly ordinary girl. She possessed no striking looks or distinctive traits—just a completely average high school student whose inner world was consumed by loneliness.
This girl came from an equally ordinary family background. Her parents had divorced when she was young, and her mother later remarried, giving birth to a younger half-brother. Unfortunately, her stepfather's severe gambling addiction eventually tore the family apart, leading to yet another divorce. Although her grandparents on both sides were still alive, their health was poor, and the family was weighed down by considerable debts.
Later on, her mother married another man and moved the entire family to the city where he was building his career. From that point on, the relationship between Qiao Xi and her mother gradually crumbled. Back in elementary school, Qiao Xi had been a lively and cheerful little girl, but after entering junior high school, her entire world shifted. She was never particularly enthusiastic about academics, and upon entering junior high, her grades placed her in the worst-performing class. It was right there that Qiao Xi experienced the bullying that would shape her entire life, ultimately leading to mild depression. Around that time, she stopped talking much. Adopting the principle of "as long as I don't cause trouble, trouble won't find me," she chose passive endurance. While this spared her from the worst of the abuse, it also made her unwilling to ever voice her inner thoughts again, burying everything deep inside her heart.At that time, because Qiao Xi had no friends in real life, she began pouring out her feelings online. Luckily, she did not encounter any bad people looking to meet offline; they were just kids of the same age, venting online in the same way. Friends began to open up Qiao Xi's closed-off heart. But that night, Qiao Xi's mother snatched her phone away and deleted all the friends she had left. The impact of this incident on Qiao Xi at the time was profound. Years later, when Qiao Xi brought it up to her mother again, she asked:
"Do you know why I was chatting online back then?"
"It was because my classmates were bullying me. They picked on me, and I had no friends."
Yet her mother did not take it seriously at all, and replied:
"Why didn't so many classmates bully anyone else, but picked on you? Look for the reasons in yourself. If you hadn't done anything wrong, would they have bullied you?"
From that day on, Qiao Xi's feelings for her mother and for familial affection gradually faded. Perhaps she was someone naturally indifferent to family ties; she no longer hoped for a reconciliation with her mother, because her mother seemed never to understand her anyway. That day, her mother came to ask Qiao Xi if she wanted to go with her and her new stepfather to another city. Qiao Xi expressed that she did not want to go, but the next moment her mother's expression changed, and she began forcing her to go. Lacking the ability to resist, Qiao Xi had no choice but to go along.
Let us also speak of this new stepfather. The second time he came to Qiao Xi's house happened to be New Year's Eve. Qiao Xi was sitting on the sofa playing on her phone while her mother, stepfather, and uncle's older daughter gathered around the coffee table drinking. At that moment, the stepfather suddenly lunged right up to Qiao Xi, his face only about ten centimeters away from hers. She could feel his alcohol-laden breath washing over her face, causing Qiao Xi a sense of extreme discomfort. The stepfather spoke:
"What game are you playing?"
Suppressing her discomfort, Qiao Xi answered, "Minecraft."
"Then when can I walk into your world?"Both her mother and sister were present when this incident occurred, yet her mother chose to turn a blind eye and deaf ear to it. In the end, it was her sister who noticed Qiao Xi's distress and pulled the man away. This was the exact reason why Qiao Xi refused to go to that city.
Later, in that city, as Qiao Xi's condition had worsened to moderate depression and moderate anxiety—spending sleepless, anxious nights in a strange city full of strangers—she confided in her family about it and even admitted that she had once contemplated suicide. Instead of offering comfort, her mother screamed at her furiously, "Now you're starting to threaten your own family! And you're sick? You're just faking an illness when there's nothing wrong with you!" "You have no morals, and your character is trash! You need to look inward for your own faults! And as for being sick—you spend all day chatting with those mentally ill people, you'd make yourself sick even if you weren't!"
Sometimes Qiao Xi truly felt that growing up the way she did without turning into someone like her mother—someone who could practice empathy and put herself in everyone else's shoes, reflect on herself to find her true shortcomings, maintain a sound moral compass, and learn to think rationally—was truly no small feat.
Yet during her loneliest and most self-consuming moments, the KO One series saved her, breathing new life into her during her most helpless days. It could truly be said that it saved her life.
At this moment, Qiao Xi was sitting in her room, her eyes fixed firmly on the computer screen. She was rewatching her absolute favorite and most yearned-for television series—the KO One series. This show sparked her endless imagination, immersing her so deeply in a fantastical world that she couldn't pull herself away. Every viewing filled her with boundless excitement, making her feel as though she were right there inside that story full of passion and adventure.
She skillfully opened KO One, her eyes locked on the screen while her heart overflowed with mixed emotions and confusion. She murmured to herself in front of the computer:
"Sigh, why is it that even when characters in the show go through divorced parents, they can still laugh and chat every day and go on just like before? Yet I can never seem to do the same..."She sighed and continued, "If only I could be like the heroine in a novel, crossing over into the Ultimate universe, becoming friends with them, experiencing that kind of family warmth, and finding a bumpy yet deeply happy romance—how wonderful that would be! But after all, that's just a fictional story. In reality, I might never get to experience that kind of magical life."
Her gaze dimmed slightly. "Yet the heroines in novels usually go through numerous hardships in their past lives or have bizarre backgrounds, such as being betrayed as an assassin, before they ever get the chance to time travel. An ordinary girl like me is probably destined to lead an ordinary life."
Qiao Xi glanced at the time.
1:26.
"It's so late, I should go to sleep." With that, she turned off the computer and slipped under the covers.
Before long, she fell into a deep sleep.
In her dream:
"Hey."
"Hey! Qiao Xi!"
The Qiao Xi in her dream looked around in confusion, but couldn't see a single person—only a strange, inexplicable patch of black fog.
*What the hell?? Who's calling me?* Could it be this patch of black fog? Qiao Xi felt a flutter of anxiety in her heart.
Sure enough, the strange black fog made a sound. "Hey! I'm right in front of you. This patch of black fog in front of you is me."
Fascinated, Qiao Xi walked back and forth on both sides of the black fog. "Oh? It really is you talking to me. Who are you?"
The black fog said proudly, "Hmph, I am Duo Er, the God of Space. Scared yet?"
"Not really."
Silence hung in the air for three seconds... oh wait, there were also a few crows flying across overhead.
The person claiming to be Duo Er, the God of Space, almost dropped a string of profanity.
*What the heck?! Just like that? At least give me some kind of reaction, will you?!*
Clueless, Qiao Xi dug at her ear, which had been ringing from the loud voice. "Anyway, this is a dream, right? Nothing should be surprising here."
Duo Er was rendered speechless. Having been the God of Space for so long, he had never encountered such a ditz.
"Look, haven't you always desperately wanted to time travel into the Ultimate Series?"
"Uh-huh, yeah. What, are you going to pull a move straight out of the novels and say you can send me into that world while granting me a few wishes?"
"Spot on! Feeling tempted yet?"
"Nope."
Another few crows flew past.
*What the heck?! Is this the reaction of someone who is desperate to time travel?!*
Startled by Duo Er's high decibel level, Qiao Xi covered her ears. "After all, this is just a dream. The higher the hopes, the harder the fall. If I wake up and find nothing has changed, wouldn't that just break my heart?"
Duo Er covered his face in speechlessness (Wait?? Wasn't he just a patch of black fog? How did he cover his face??).
"Can't you trust me, just a little?"
Qiao Xi curled her lip. "Who's going to trust someone who doesn't even dare show their true form? Just a patch of black fog like this—anyone who didn't know better would think they ran into a ghost."
"...Me! What the heck! How could a God of Space as handsome and dashing as me possibly be a ghost!"
Seeing Duo Er looking so agitated, Qiao Xi felt an urge to tease him.
And yet...
She actually did it.
"Well then, handsome and dashing God of Space, can you reveal your original appearance? Maybe then I'll believe you can help me grant my wishes~"
Duo Er let out a helpless sigh.
The black fog gradually dissipated, revealing... um... an uncle's face? What was going on with these dark circles and sloppy stubble?? And what about the beachwear?? Flip-flops?? Not to mention that slightly greasy-looking hair...
"He kind of looks like Ye Siren from *The X-Family* with that decadent hairstyle."
How on earth was this what a god was supposed to look like? No matter how she looked at it, he was just a middle-aged, slovenly uncle who had been cooped up at home for too long.
Qiao Xi couldn't help but roast him: "Mister, did you look in the mirror before you left the house?"
From out of nowhere, Qiao Xi produced a small mirror and handed it to it to Duo Er.
Duo Er took the mirror in bewilderment, gazed at his own face, froze for two seconds, and then looked down at his clothes.
*Internal roar:*
*What the heck!!! I stayed shut-in for too long and forgot to groom myself! Dressed like this, no wonder this little girl gave me that kind of look! Don't I have any pride? I'm a god, for crying out loud! Given how she reacted just now, how could she ever believe I'm a god?!*
With that thought, he instantly vanished from Qiao Xi's sight.
She was left a little dazed by this slightly unhinged God of Space.
What happened to granting her wishes?
After a few seconds, he suddenly reappeared in front of her.
Duo Er had tidied up his appearance at the speed of light. His dark circles were no longer visible, his sloppy stubble was gone, his hair was styled into a gentleman's slicked-back pompadour, and his beachwear and flip-flops had been replaced with a suit bearing subtle golden patterns and a pair of polished leather shoes.
Qiao Xi still couldn't help herself. "Mister, are you playing some kind of dress-up mobile game?? You change your outfit so fast."
"Ahem." Duo Er coughed awkwardly twice. "Never mind those minor details. And stop calling me mister, would you?"
"Oh. Well then, Uncle Duo Er, what about granting those wishes?"
"What the heck! If you call me mister again, I swear I'll throw you straight into another dimension?!" Duo Er was just about driven crazy by the young girl in front of him. Everyone else treated him with absolute reverence and tried to suck up to him; how could anyone be like her? Not only was she entirely disrespectful, but she constantly roasted him.
"Alright, alright, Duo Er. Can you really make my wishes come true?" Although Qiao Xi knew she was dreaming, she couldn't help harboring a glimmer of expectation toward this Duo Er.
Duo Er puffed out his chest with confidence. "Of course, and I'll throw in a few wishes for free, as long as you don't go overboard."
Qiao Xi instantly lit up with excitement. "Really? But I don't have anything to give you. I don't believe anyone would hand out favors to someone else for no reason."
Duo Er looked at Qiao Xi with satisfaction—she truly was the one he had chosen. "Don't worry, there are conditions, of course. That world is extremely chaotic, and there will occasionally be times when I need your help. Naturally, in return, to help you better handle things in that world that are inconvenient for me to deal with personally, I will grant you a few wishes, and I'll also leave you with something so we can stay in touch at any time."
"Alright, it's a deal!
First: I want to time travel as an infant, belonging to the Harklerama family by blood, but adopted by the Xialangxinde Family.
Second: I want to keep my original memories, and I want the freedom to alter the plot.
Third: I want to be the Supreme Leader of the Twelve Dimensions, with no doppelgängers, and possess formidable Power so that I have enough ability to protect the people around me.
Fourth: I want several weapons and musical instruments that belong exclusively to me. And I want a siman that can reach any dimension.
Fifth:... If I can never return to this world, I hope everything about me is erased. I don't want them to remember me."
Thinking of her mother, Qiao Xi displayed an unprecedented sense of release. She was actually very simple: as long as someone treated her well, she would pour her heart and soul into treating them well. But if it was someone who treated her badly, hurting her over and over again, she would withdraw all her affection for that person just as completely.
Qiao Xi's gaze grew even firmer.
Seeing Qiao Xi's determination, Duo Er agreed to her demands.
With that, he waved his hand, and a Time-Space Door resembling the ones in the Ultimate Series materialized behind him.
"Step inside, and you will reach that world."
Qiao Xi walked resolutely toward the Time-Space Door. She opened it, looked back at Duo Er, and said, "Duo Er, thank you."
Without looking back, she stepped right inside.
Suddenly remembering something, Duo Er shouted at the top of his lungs toward the Time-Space Door, "Hey! Once you get there, because of your constitution, your Power will temporarily vanish during those few days every month! And when it vanishes, bad luck is going to strike you! Don't forget!"
That was the last sentence Qiao Xi heard before arriving there, prompting her to mentally complain: *You couldn't have told me sooner?!*