The sunlight falling through the swaying shadows of the trees onto the windowpane, and the only sound in the quiet ward was the rustling of the leaves.
The cool air brushed against Lu Shizhen's back, and she could hear her heart beating.
Regarding Xu Shiyue's awareness of the system's existence, Lu Shizhen already had the answer in her heart.
But she didn't expect that Xu Shiyue had already known about this thing five years ago.
The apology I gave myself on the way to the book signing that day was just a lie to myself.
She could understand the hints she was giving herself, and had long since made up her mind about herself.
For many nights after reuniting with Xu Shiyue, Lu Shizhen restrained herself and avoided thinking about it.
And this long-suppressed thought finally surfaced uncontrollably in her mind today.
Even though she had changed her appearance, Xu Shiyue could still recognize herself.
Lu Shizhen never considered herself a particularly lucky person; she was always cautious about even the smallest expectations.
But Xu Shiyue always broke the rules that she had adhered to for more than ten years, giving her peace of mind, allowing her to act spoiled, and firmly choosing herself.
Just myself.
It has absolutely nothing to do with that Lu Shizhen.
Lu Shizhen couldn't believe that such a thing could happen to her; disbelief filled her eyes.
She turned to look at Xu Shiyue, and choked out the question that had been bothering her most all these years: "So, you ground me to ashes because you didn't believe I was dead?"
Xu Shiyue lowered her eyes and gently pressed her fingertips against the tip of the fruit knife in her hand.
She had been bound by the system's plotline three times, and that was the first time.
The hazy ashes drifted past the sunlight outside the window, dimming even the brightest sun.
The biting wind took shape at that moment, ethereal and swift, carrying everything away in the blink of an eye.
Xu Shiyue moved so fast that no one, including the staff, could react in time.
Cheng Meiyan collapsed to the ground, and Lu Shize gripped her neck tightly with his hand.
The thin air struggled like wisps in Xu Shiyue's throat; death was imminent.
She stared at Lu Shize, who was glaring at her, knowing full well that she had been pushed into these actions, yet she hesitated to explain and never regretted it. Even later, when Lu Shize severed ties with her because of this and used his connections to constantly harass her.
This thing manipulated Xu Shiyue, but it also awakened her.
Just as she has her rules, this thing also has its rules.
No matter how many rules there are, discarding a system after it has served its purpose is never a good way to maintain long-term stability.
That's not her Lu Shizhen.
Her Lu Shizhen is still alive.
Xu Shiyue lowered her gaze slightly, sorting through the unpleasant memories, and said to Lu Shizhen, "You are very smart. You know that the more you prepare to leave, the more you should act as if it were any other day. So you didn't tidy up your room properly or take anything with you."
"But you've forgotten what a genius your sister is. She discovered everyone's New Year's gifts before the New Year, the wrapped paintings were in the studio, and at that time there were still eighteen days, more than half a month, before the New Year."
"The accident report at the time indicated that the deceased was located under the window, far from the door. However, I later found the owner of the dessert shop, who told me that a girl in a red dress pushed her out of the dessert shop door, which was just inches away."
At this point, Xu Shiyue slowly raised her eyes.
Five years of emotions surged in her eyes in that one second, heavy and complex, mixed with countless lingering resentments: "You left too many flaws, Lu Shizhen, and even tried to deceive everyone with a fake corpse."
"I only regret that I didn't hold you that day."
Xu Shiyue's voice was icy cold, but her eyes were faintly red.
The cool breeze that day brushed against Lu Shizhen's back, swirling around her and causing her heart to ache.
It turns out that Xu Shiyue wasn't in a daze at that time.
Instead, she actually recognized herself...
But how did Xu Shiyue recognize me when I was all bundled up that day?
A calming breath came from the quiet ward. Xu Shiyue looked at the doubt in Lu Shizhen's eyes and continued slowly, "I have taken Yuanzi for a physical examination every quarter over the years. All of its test data are normal, except for a little bit of fatty liver. But I don't think that mild fatty liver will suddenly turn into a warning sign."
As if she had thought of something interesting, Xu Shiyue smiled slightly: "You are very smart, and you also have a very obedient cat, but it doesn't seem to be that smart."
In an instant, the confusion on Lu Shizhen's face turned into shock.
Xu Shiyue knew that Qiuqiu was not an ordinary kitten.
Xu Shiyue recognized her that day because of her... She could see the spherical Qiuqiu!
The reverse engineering process for higher latitudes that Xu Shiyue told himself in the Bugatti that day was not a hypothesis, but a fact.
Lu Shizhen suddenly sat up straight on the bed and quickly looked around.
The midday sun was brighter than the sunlight at any other time of day, and it even hurt her eyes.
The world is still here, and it is thriving under the influence of spring.
There's absolutely no indication that the scenario Qiuqiu described, which she said would lead to the destruction of the world if Xu Shiyue found out, will actually happen.
This mischievous kitten isn't really that smart!
Or perhaps...
As Lu Shizhen was thinking, she remembered Xu Shiyue gently resting her chin on her hand and smiling: "Am I right?"
Lu Shizhen instinctively wanted to nod and say "yes," but then she seemed to get stuck and couldn't say the answer.
She knew the system was stopping her again.
But she really wanted to say, God, wake up! Xu Shiyue already knows everything. What's the point of your self-deceiving and mouth-covering settings?
Lu Shizhen sighed helplessly and shrugged, "It's not just cats that aren't smart."
Xu Shiyue understood what Lu Shizhen meant, sat up slightly, and took the initiative to say, "Then let me tell you."
"Your name is Lu Shizhen, and you are a cartoonist. Your first published comic won a major award. You can be said to be a rising star. But you were unexpectedly brought into this world and became another Lu Shizhen. You have to clean up her mess and gain my forgiveness before you can continue to live."
Xu Shiyue's voice was very calm, and she recounted almost the entire story of Lu Shizhen's visit.
Lu Shizhen was somewhat surprised by Xu Shiyue's reasoning ability, and felt as if she had seen a bug that was enough to rival the system.
However, the humanoid bug Xu Shiyue did not kill Lu Shizhen. She continued to deduce based on what she saw and knew: "Although you and the little cat are one dimension higher than us, you are not completely free in this world. You are also constrained. Some of your actions will be punished. For example... falling down the stairs suddenly, the light falling down without warning, or falling into the water without anyone noticing you."
"And then there was that big truck that suddenly rushed in."
Lu Shizhen's face was filled with surprise, her dark eyes wide open.
Xu Shiyue smiled at her expression and said calmly with some satisfaction, "Judging from your expression now, I think my deduction was correct."
Lu Shizhen admired Xu Shiyue immensely and subconsciously asked, "So, what about Qiu and me—"
Although her question came suddenly, the system still detected it, and the word "Qiuqiu" was cut off before she could finish saying it.
Xu Shiyue understood immediately and shook her head: "No."
A rare look of helplessness crossed her face as she confessed, "Because I really do have tinnitus."
Lu Shizhen suddenly remembered that Xu Shiyue had mentioned her tinnitus several times before, but instead of being surprised by Xu Shiyue's unusual behavior, she asked anxiously, "Is it serious for you? Will I walk further away when I talk to you from now on? Will it help? Let's try it one day..."
Lu Shizhen was still planning how to prevent Xu Shiyue from having tinnitus when Xu Shiyue stopped her before she could finish.
Her hand landed on Lu Shizhen's, and she calmly asked, "How far? Are you leaving me again?"
"It's nothing serious, it won't affect my health." Xu Shiyue's expression was serious and relaxed, as if it really wasn't a big deal.
As she watched Lu Shizhen gradually regain her composure, a hint of relief crept into her voice: "And I'm both surprised and relieved that I was able to hear this this time, otherwise I would have lost you again."
This sense of relief stirred up a multitude of emotions within Lu Shizhen.
Xu Shiyue's word "again" was like a piece of red-hot iron, branded onto her heart.
Even though Xu Shiyue now knows everything, everyone must be immersed in darkness before welcoming the light. For a period of time, the conclusion of death truly clung to her like a curse, causing excruciating pain. And the system was the hand that dragged her onto the "correct track" without her own thoughts, accomplice in drowning her in darkness.
Looking back, people always feel that time flies by like an arrow, and in the blink of an eye, we are here.
But five years doesn't seem to go by at all.
How did she manage to get through it all by herself?
She pieced together these fragmented clues one by one, venturing alone through the vast wilderness, amidst swirling sandstorms.
Those slender fingers gently brushed against the loose hair on Lu Shizhen's side, the cool touch conveying an indescribable tenderness.
Sensing Lu Shizhen's hidden emotions, Xu Shiyue's eyes cleared, and she said to Lu Shizhen again, "Do you remember that time I left without saying goodbye? When I rolled off the car, I heard a voice saying 'Mission accomplished'."
“You’ve been Lu Shizhen for a long time.”
"You are not alone, so am I."
Lu Shizhen had never felt that life was worthwhile.
The secret she was instructed to keep with utmost care was actually being kept by someone else.
She is not alone.
It turns out she wasn't alone all along.
Two conflicting emotions clashed and then merged in Lu Shizhen's eyes.
Her eyes reddened, but she couldn't help but smile.
Tears streamed down her face, landing on her collarbone, forming a glistening pool.
Xu Shiyue's gaze was calm, and her eyes fell once again on the pinkish scar on her shoulder: "Does it hurt?"
Lu Shizhen knew what Xu Shiyue was referring to, and nodded without hiding anything: "It hurts terribly."
The shadows of the trees swayed in the wind, then were covered by the shadows of the person who had stood up.
Xu Shiyue leaned over and gently kissed Lu Shizhen's uneven skin.
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