Chapter 97 Ivy

The game is called "Ltsuki" and the icon looks like a simple drawing of a rose.

Because Qiao Yang tried every now and then, but always failed. He often asked in the group what Kan Zhao wanted to do and why it was so difficult. Bad review!

After hearing what he said, Lin Qingxu became even less interested.

She was never the type to be good at playing games. The first time she played the popular gun-fighting FK, she was killed by the enemy as soon as she jumped into the city. Since then, she has been intimidated by all games and has rarely played them again.

Lin Qingxu wasn't much of a computer user. Although she also had a drawing tablet, she used it more frequently for her sketches due to its convenience. Aside from watching TV series and doing some Word homework, she rarely used her computer.

So after she played this game a little on Kan Zhao's computer last time, she just clicked the link to download and install it on her own computer and never touched it again.

*

After Ruan Yanyan hung up the phone.

Lin Qingxu got up from the bed, went back to the computer desk, charged the computer and turned it on.

The display screen lit up, and Lin Qingxu easily found the downloaded software.

Click, open, load. The game homepage appeared before her.

She began to explore step by step according to the last steps.

Radio, bookshelf...

Finally, Lin Qingxu's eyes fell on the book "The Little Prince" which was clearly placed in a prominent position, trying to find clues.

Using the most common decryption method, Lin Qingxu re-sorted them according to the first letters of the book titles.

To no avail.

She noticed that there seemed to be some consistency in the year each book was published.

Sort them.

It was found that they corresponded to odd years, with a gap of two years.

A piece of paper suddenly fell out of the bookcase——

Clue 1: The book sequence corresponds to an important date.

According to Ruan Yanyan, if this game was made specifically for her, then ordinary deduction methods would be ineffective, and she could draw connections with Kan Zhao.

Lin Qingxu found that these books were published too early, and felt like the starting point of a certain story. Lin Qingxu also felt that Kan Zhao might not remember much about his childhood.

She tried entering their birth year, which was also their first meeting.

"Click", the bookshelf moved away, revealing a hidden safe.

——A voice password is required.

Voice code... Lin Qingxu had no clue for the moment, so she turned to look elsewhere.

There was a missing piece of the puzzle on the wall and the shape was irregular. Lin Qingxu looked around and finally found it under the swing on the balcony outside.

When put together, it becomes a star map, with the handle of the Big Dipper pointing to its position on July 30.

Kan Zhao’s birthday.

There is a line of small words written on the back of the puzzle.

——The code is hidden among the stars.

And now the radio frequency is no longer a coincidence.

Perhaps this is what the sound secret mentioned above refers to.

Sound frequency 92.7.

And 0927 is Lin Qingxu’s birthday.

Combining the two, 0927 and 0730, she tried the combination and then entered 1657.

The safe is unlocked.

Open.

Inside was an old photo. Lin Qingxu, a few days old, and Kan Zhao, only a month or two old, lay in their crib, the former biting and sucking the latter's finger as they fell asleep.

Lin Qingxu noticed that the countdown for the game had not yet ended. The game was still going on.

*

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Before Lin Qingxu could react, the boy outside opened the combination lock, walked through the entrance hall and went straight to the bedroom. After knocking on the door a few times, Lin Qingxu's game character automatically replied "Come in."

Lin Qingxu's ID is [林].

The boy pushed the door open and saw someone sitting on the bed. "They're not home today, so my mom told us to get something to eat."

The conversation changed, "Lin, have you finished your homework? School starts tomorrow, and I haven't started my summer homework yet. Can you copy it for me?"

A dialog box pops up on the screen.

Lin Qingxu hesitated for a moment and typed [OK].

Wrong answer.

[not good. ]

Wrong answer.

Lin Qingxu thought for a moment and said, "Write it yourself. Don't try to take shortcuts."

The answer is correct.

Lin Qingxu: "..."

The story continues.

"Oh, okay." The boy didn't really think this would work out, so he just sat down on the gaming chair next to him. "What do you want for lunch? I've been researching new dishes lately. How about pepper and sesame fish?"

Another dialog box popped up on the screen.

Lin Qingxu chose to obey his wishes, [Okay.]

Wrong answer.

[not good. ]

Wrong answer.

Lin Qingxu types: […]

The boy snorted, "Then let's go out for dinner later. Oh, and there's a botanical garden opening near Happy Valley. How about we go there?"

Lin: What about your homework? (Character dialogue)

Boy: Let’s talk about it later.

Lin Qingxu: "..."

She seemed to already know how to answer.

The scene changed. They arrived at a botanical garden. The interior looked familiar. Lin Qingxu suddenly remembered that it was a bit like the one in Yicheng, which happened to have just been built when they were in the second year of junior high school.

They followed the guide's steps and listened to her explain the characteristics of each plant. When they came to the vine area, they saw a dense ivy covering the iron fence, its green leaves sparkling in the sun.

“Look, the ivy and the fence,” the narrator said, pointing to the patch of green. “They seem inseparable.”

"Ivy secretes a sticky substance that helps it cling, and over time its roots penetrate every crack in the fence."

"What if we force them apart?" She remembered Kan Zhao touching a leaf and asking.

The anime character on the screen explained earnestly: [It will hurt both sides.] It was exactly the same answer as the commentator a few years ago.

[The ivy's roots have become so integral to the fence that forcibly separating them would tear the tissue. Even if they were separated, the fence would be permanently scarred, and it would take the ivy a long time to find new support.]

“Just like relationships between people, right?”

At that time, Lin Qingxu didn't think any more. She just felt that she and Kan Zhao could not be separated, so there was no need to care or think about it.

When these questions were asked again, Lin Qingxu didn't know how to answer.

In the end, should we be brave enough to approach and experience the passionate but fleeting beauty?

Or should we keep a safe distance and maintain this warm yet ordinary relationship...

[I have no idea. ]

Scene change.

The character is back in her bedroom.

I found an extra note on the table.

——Do you remember what we said when we made a bet when we were kids?

The back of the note reads A1, B2...Z26.

Next to it is a combination lock, which requires you to enter 10 numbers.

They had made too many bets. For example, when they were bored in elementary school, they guessed whether Qiao Yang would be beaten by his father if he failed the test. In fact, Qiao's father was far less open-minded than he is now.

She suddenly remembered what Kan Zhao said when they were playing guessing games.

——You always know the answers to all my puzzles.

ANSWER.

Corresponding numbers: 1 14 19 23 5 18

Lin Qingxu tried to input.

The entire wall of the room turned into a projection, playing clips of their childhood.

Childhood, elementary school, junior high school, high school...

Until the night of the high school graduation reunion

--I like you.

*

Lin Qingxu discovered that these memories had actually been growing in her heart like vines, and had become entangled without her noticing.

She remembered it more clearly than she thought.

She suddenly realized that Kan Zhao's presence had long been deeply embedded in her life trajectory, like ivy clinging to a fence over the years, its roots digging into every crack.

Once you try to strip away this bond, you will inevitably tear the threads of mutual dependence apart, leaving behind devastation, and the healing process will be suffocatingly long.

*

Perhaps there was no possibility of separation. Just like when Kan Zhao saw Qu Wen and she misunderstood Fang Liyu.

Those quarrels, cold wars, and mutual harm are just because they are too afraid of losing.

Their bond had grown into flesh and blood through years of companionship. Trying to sever it was nothing but a futile self-deception.

The computer screen went black, reflecting Lin Qingxu's slightly red eyes.

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