Her Secret Crush Isn't Human

[Civilization Observation] [Hard Science Fiction] [Existentialist Romance]

Liu Yiyi, formerly a postdoctoral researcher in theoretical physics, is now Puzzle Maker No. 730.

When she wakes, her right ring finger is trembling. The bottom of her coffee cup bears a line of text: "Don't complete the puzzle." And the System tells her: "You have 730 days left."

730 days: the countdown to the death sentence of an old civilization.

730 cycles: the complete record of the previous 729 puzzle makers' failures.

730 equals 11 x 66 + 4: a numerical code her parents left her, one they never explained.

Her mission is to collect eleven fragments of String Crystal, complete the civilization puzzle, and prevent the collapse of dimensions.

But her choice is not to complete the puzzle.

In the first civilization dimension, she meets Lin Xian, a young prophet who can foresee the destruction of civilizations but chooses not to speak of it. Lin Xian takes a fatal blow for her and smiles. "Master, you must bear the cost of free will yourself."

In the third civilization dimension, she meets Qi Sha, a civilization cleaner whose numbered core is burning. Qi Sha presses the final core fragment into her hand and says, "Daughter, this time, I'll protect you."

In the seventh civilization dimension, she meets Chen Shiyi, the 611th puzzle maker, the designer of the 730 cycles, and a part of the System itself. He designed her journey, her encounters, and her... love.

"If love is designed, is it still love?"

Liu Yiyi asks 730 times. Chen Shiyi waits 611 times.

When the eleventh fragment finally appears, Liu Yiyi discovers that...

The puzzle maker is the final fragment.

Completing the puzzle means erasing herself from existence.

And in Chen Shiyi's design, there has only ever been one variable: her choice not to complete the puzzle.

[Reader's Guide]

The heroine is level-headed and slow to recognize her feelings at first, but once she falls in love, she is unwavering.

The hero is a wolf in sheep's clothing: gentle on the surface, secretly unhinged, and obedient only to the heroine.

Each rift world is its own arc, connected by an overarching plot. They can be read individually or followed as a main storyline.

Theme: When fate itself is written in code, is rebellion also part of the program?