Chapter 1
Tickets to sit in the audience at the Parallel World Customization Bureau were almost impossible to get. Somehow, Pei Shuo had found two.
“Wow, even scalpers can’t get these. You’re amazing.”
I held the tickets up, turning them over excitedly.
“As long as you’re happy.”
“How much did they cost? If they were too expensive, return them. We still have to save for an apartment.”
Pei Shuo stroked my hair and said gently, “You’ve always wanted to watch a session for writing material, haven’t you? Whatever they cost, it’s worth it.”
This was the first year world customization had existed, and the service wasn’t for sale.
Every month, the Bureau drew three lucky winners from its applicants and customized a world for them free of charge.
I hadn’t applied. All I wanted was a seat in the audience.
I’d heard that a world matching each winner’s wishes would be generated on-site. Before entering, they could even preview their own life there.
A parallel world meant that all those days and nights, all that joy and sorrow, would actually happen.
For a small-time writer like me, the chance to observe other people’s lives so efficiently was irresistible.
The Bureau only held one transfer session a month, and audience seats were extremely limited.
Besides writers like me, looking for material and inspiration, some people came purely for the entertainment.
The nondisclosure agreement barred audiences from revealing what happened, but the sky-high ratings on the ticket website alone promised excellent value for money.
Pei Shuo was excited too. Perhaps a little too excited. I even thought I saw tears glinting in his eyes.
After passing through layer upon layer of security checks, we took our seats in a semicircular auditorium.
An enormous screen stood in front of us. Glowing geometric shapes continually merged and shifted across it.
Surround-sound speakers played mysterious, ethereal music.
Soon everyone had arrived, and the doors were locked.
The music cut off abruptly. Only a faint white glow remained on the screen.
The host announced the start of the transfer session. “Would our first lucky winner please come up to the stage?”
A young man in the front row sprang to his feet.
He could hardly wait.
As he walked up, a line of text gradually appeared on the screen:
[A WORLD WHERE BRIDE PRICE IS A CRIME]
“What does that mean?” I muttered.
Pei Shuo explained, “That’s the rule he chose for his world.”
“Oh.” It dawned on me. “So you can only customize one rule, rather than design your own parallel life?”
The promotional material hadn’t gone into the finer details. Perhaps plenty of people were like me: they hadn’t looked closely and assumed they could customize absolutely anything they pleased.
Pei Shuo looked at me as if forgiving my stupidity. “Of course. But if you use the rule properly, you can still get what you want.”
“Applicant Li Rui,” the host read from his cue card, “your requested world is ready. Once you enter, you will disappear completely from this world and cease to exist here. Is there anything you’d like to say in farewell?”
Li Rui stepped into the center of the stage and tested the microphone with a couple of hellos.
Then something occurred to him. He turned to the host. “In that world, the people around me will still be the people I know, right?”
“Correct. Up to this point in time, your customized world is an exact copy of this one. After your transfer, it will develop into a new world under the influence of your rule.”
Li Rui wasn’t interested in the explanation. Once he’d heard yes, he hurriedly scanned the audience.
“Fang Min!” he shouted toward a corner. “Did you hear that? You’ll be in the world I’m going to as well. Make sure you get a good look at what happens to you there!”
I followed his gaze. A thin girl sat there, her head lowered helplessly under everyone’s scrutiny.
Li Rui smiled smugly and turned back.
“Comrades, friends! Our society has suffered under bride price for far too long!” He put on an expression of bitter anguish.
“Today, I’ll show all of you how wonderful a world without bride price can be. If I could, I’d take everyone with me to that beautiful new world. Unfortunately, I can’t… But that’s all right. The seed will be planted in your hearts. Wait for your chance, follow my example, and customize worlds like mine!
“Brothers, if we all do this, before long the only people left in this world will be those gold-digging women, with no options left. Meanwhile, we’ll watch their downfall in our parallel worlds. How satisfying is that?
“And bride price won’t just be a crime. There’ll be harsh sentences too. Let those precious little princesses spend the rest of their lives in prison!”
Li Rui threw up his arms to a burst of applause.
Behind me, someone said, “Great minds think alike. If I got picked, I’d choose that rule too.”
A floating button rose in front of Li Rui.
The host said, “Press the button and the world will be generated. You cannot change your mind afterward.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Li Rui slapped it down.