Lu Beiye raised his head, his face pale and his eyes red.

He just stared at her without blinking: "Sister...Sister..."

With just that one sound, all the panic, loneliness, and uncertainty... were stuck in his throat.

Lu Nange felt a pang of sadness and immediately squatted down, cupping her younger brother's face in her hands so that her gaze was level with his.

"Aye, it's me."

A glance, a stare.

No further words are needed.

Lu Beiye's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, fell back to its steady state with a "thud".

That deep-seated trust and tacit understanding, forged through shared trials and tribulations, instantly returned.

"elder sister..."

Tears streamed down Lu Beiye's face. He used all his strength to hug her neck, burying his wet little face in the crook of her shoulder, his voice muffled.

"I thought... I'd have to start all over again all by myself..."

The fear in that voice made Lu Nange's heart clench.

She tightened her arms and hugged the small body in her arms.

"No, it won't happen again. My sister will always be with us, A-Ye."

In her mind: [Yes! Ah Ye remembers too! He hasn't lost his memory!]

The ball of light hovered around the two siblings, and a voice rang out in Lu Nange's consciousness, carrying a sense of elation and smugness that "finally, this moment has come."

[Nannan! This is because the branches have sprouted new buds...]

"What do you mean?" Lu Nange didn't react for a moment and subconsciously asked.

Lu Beiye, nestled in her arms, looked up, her eyes blurry with tears, and asked in a nasal voice, "Sister, what did you say?"

"I said..." Lu Nange was about to explain when an alarm went off in her mind!

[WARNING! WARNING! Disclosing system-related information, directly or indirectly, in any form is strictly prohibited!]

[knew...]

Her gaze fell on Lu Beiye's bare feet: "Is everything alright? Why did you run out without even wearing shoes?"

Lu Beiye: "I'm in a hurry... to find you!"

Lu Nange's heart softened, and she bent down to pick him up, but with a sudden effort, she pulled him up.

[Huh? Why is it so heavy?]

She placed Lu Beiye on the sofa in her room and gently patted his back: "Wait patiently on the sofa, I'll go get you your slippers!"

She turned and walked toward the room, her steps unwavering, but her mind was racing with questions: "Youyou, what did you mean when you said the branches had sprouted?"

Also, wasn't the "power pill" supposed to be permanent? Why did they take it back?

Youyou: [Nannan, what you see is what you get, hehe!]

As for the buds sprouting... those who shared the leaves and branches will have their complete memories of the apocalypse awakened as the buds sprout!

This is the surprise I negotiated with the main system for you! How about it, Nan Nan? Isn't this 'reunion' gift thrilling enough? Isn't it tear-jerking enough?

Almost at the same moment...

In Ning City, at the breakfast table bathed in the gentle morning light, Wen Qing, who was carefully feeding her daughter porridge, suddenly froze with her hand holding the spoon, and then began to tremble violently.

The next second, she pulled her bewildered daughter into her arms, hot tears streaming down her face, her voice broken and shattered: "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

It's because Mom is useless, it's because Mom didn't protect you well...

The little girl, feeling a bit lost in the hug, reached out her soft little hands and clumsily wiped away her mother's tears, comforting her in a childish voice, "Mommy, don't cry..."

In Quzhou, at a bustling breakfast stall, Luo Xingyou, who was listening to her older sister chatter about everyday matters, suddenly dropped her chopsticks onto the greasy table with a "clatter."

She suddenly looked up at the familiar yet "unfamiliar" face opposite her, a vibrant one, and her vision was instantly overwhelmed by a torrent of tears.

“Sister…” She choked up, gripping her sister’s hand so tightly that her knuckles turned white, as if afraid that if she let go, the person in front of her would disappear again.

Beijing, a bustling metropolis, with different locations...

Lu Xici, Chi Yanzhou, Shi Xu, He Zhuo, Ji Xian, Gu Qi, Gu Wan, Chi Yi, Old Master Chi, Sang Xu, Sang Che, Sang Yan...

At this moment, the floodgates of memory burst open!

—[End of text]