The straight, even light spread across the morgue area, creating a stark contrast between the cold ironwork and the vibrant roses, resulting in an eerie sense of order.
Xu Shiyue sat there next to the empty sliding door, leaning her body to look inside, yet giving the illusion that her back was still perfectly straight.
Chaos churned within the body, seeping to the surface.
Xu Shiyue was caught in a state of confusion, knowing that Lu Shizhen had left, but also feeling that Lu Shizhen had not truly left.
She had already experienced death last summer.
She was far less healthy back then; she had lost her sight, and her entire body was in terrible shape.
Even so, she had never felt as miserable as she was now.
The reality unfolding was reflected in Xu Shiyue's eyes; the flames emanating from the incinerator still burned in her eyes.
She shed tears when she had to face Lu Shizhen's death, but deep down she seemed to have a rebellious spirit against death, snatching the ashes from the cremation and throwing them away.
Xu Shiyue knew that her actions were being manipulated by some force.
That's why she was certain that Lu Shizhen couldn't really be dead.
But this feeling was ethereal and intangible; Xu Shiyue wanted to experience it again, but she couldn't feel it at all.
Sometimes she felt like she was going crazy, like she was hallucinating, but then she thought that going crazy wasn't such a big deal, as long as Lu Shizhen was still in "her world".
It's not that Lu Shizhen can't leave her.
She couldn't live without Lu Shizhen.
"Shiyue, let Auntie see your hands."
Cheng Meiyan's voice trembled slightly with fright and nervousness as she pulled Xu Shiyue's hand, which was reaching into the petals, back to reality.
Xu Shiyue's fingers were scalded red by the lingering heat, and the unusual color of the bloodshot fingers stood out starkly against her fair skin.
Cheng Meiyan's resentment and anger were swept away by the red, leaving only heartache: "You child, doesn't it hurt?"
"I'm fine, Auntie." With that, Xu Shiyue withdrew her hand.
Her voice was very calm, and her demeanor was unusually calm.
Those dark, empty eyes slowly rose and looked around at the people.
Cheng Meiyan, Aunt Sun, Shen Yanxing, and even Lu Shien were there.
Xu Shiyue was somewhat surprised by Lu Shien's arrival. She stood up and bowed to them, being overly polite: "I'm sorry to have made you worry about me. I will inform Aunt Sun in advance next time I go out."
"You'd better not do it again." Lu Shi'en was both anxious and angry, and his words to Xu Shiyue were also barbed. "Coming to a place like this is so creepy!"
Seeing this, Cheng Meiyan quickly pulled Lu Shien aside: "Xiao En."
Xu Shiyue was even more sincere and said again, "I'm sorry, I won't make you worry next time."
She remained stubborn, even obsessive, in not erasing the word "next time."
She wanted to go to any place that had Lu Shizhen's scent, even if it was the abyss.
"Alright, now that Shiyue has been found, everyone can relax." Shen Yanxing keenly sensed the meaning behind Xu Shiyue's words and quickly spoke up to change the subject, "Auntie, Xiao En didn't eat well at noon, why don't you take her to get some food first? I'll take care of Shiyue here."
Everything seemed to be proceeding according to the script of fate, and the system was still forcefully trying to bring Shen Yanxing and Xu Shiyue together.
Although Cheng Meiyan still had some unsettling feelings, she nodded and said, "Okay, thank you for your help, Xiao Shen."
"No, it's only natural." Shen Yanxing shook her head, then turned her gaze to Lu Shien. "Go back and get some rest. Don't you have a match tomorrow?"
Lu Shi'en was still angry about Xu Shiyue's sudden disappearance, and his tone towards Shen Yanxing was not very good: "I know, you don't need to remind me."
Shen Yanxing knew Lu Shien's temperament and wasn't angry. He arranged for everyone to leave the morgue.
As I emerged from the morgue, sunlight streamed directly into the hospital's entrance hallway.
The scent of spring slowly returned with the gradually warming sunlight, instantly dispelling the chill brought from the morgue.
That's just how Shen Yanxing felt.
She turned her head, wanting to strike up a conversation with the silent Xu Shiyue, but saw the sunlight falling on her face, making her pale skin appear somewhat blurred by the reflection, like a softened patch of cream. However, the sunlight couldn't penetrate her, and she remained expressionless and cold.
Shen Yanxing paused for a moment and asked, "Do you want me to give you a ride?"
Xu Shiyue lowered her eyes and looked at Shen Yanxing in the light.
It was as if a manipulative force, as if she were hallucinating, was pulling at her nerves, trying to make her nod in agreement.
But she insisted on going against that trend.
Her tightly pressed lips were dry, as if trying to stop something.
Xu Shiyue showed no mercy, tearing them apart and saying bluntly, "Are you sure you want to give them to me? Don't you have company matters to attend to?"
Shen Yanxing fell silent for a moment upon hearing this question.
Indeed, she wasted a lot of time this morning and should be heading back to the company now, instead of taking Xu Shiyue back and then turning back, which wasted time.
The program seemed to have encountered a calculation bug and froze for a moment.
Just then, Aunt Sun arrived in the family's nanny's car, the cold black body breaking the warm glow of the spring day.
The opportunity for the two to be alone was thus broken. Shen Yanxing spoke up, indirectly reminding Xu Shiyue of what she had said in the morgue: "Alright, send me a message when you get home. Don't wander around anymore, otherwise we won't be able to contact you, and a lot of things at the company will be delayed."
"Okay." Xu Shiyue nodded, as if she had taken it to heart.
Before the atmosphere could even become ambiguous, the spring breeze that blew by became the barrier that separated them.
Shen Yanxing watched as Xu Shiyue got into the family car, his gaze calm, even letting out a sigh of relief.
Spring is finally approaching, and the afternoon sunlight has not lost its warmth despite the dimming light.
A rose vine in the green belt has bloomed with an orange-pink flower, swaying in the howling wind, yet it cannot be broken or droop.
The red light stopped the oncoming car, and Xu Shiyue's gaze also stopped by the window.
She remained expressionless, but her tightly pursed lips revealed a faint pallor that was difficult to discern. The pain in her lips was still tearing at her, sharp as a knife.
But Xu Shiyue laughed at this.
The clean glass reflected her profile, with a small curve at the corner of her mouth near the window, making her look pale and sickly.
So that power was real; she wasn't crazy.
This wasn't some abstract, unrealistic thing; she wasn't refusing to accept what had happened.
Escaping reality is different from questioning reality.
She has evidence, and that's the difference.
Since Lu Shizhen gave me hope for life and taught me to fight for what belonged to me, I should give up.
Then she must find her, even if it means stealing or deceiving her.
White mist surged toward the center of the image, blurring and engulfing the entire scene.
The system's memory node arrived, and the scene in Lu Shizhen's sight came to an abrupt end.
Instantly, the entire pantheon was silenced.
Qiuqiu opened her mouth, and after a long while, she said, "Host, this is all I can show you."
"Don't be sad, it's all in the past, you have to look forward."
"Yes, I know." Lu Shizhen nodded as she listened to Qiuqiu's words of comfort.
But then she said to Qiuqiu, "But some things need to be looked back on. Only by looking back can you know what you have missed in the time that has already passed. People need to feel guilty."
Lu Shizhen spoke slowly, but Qiuqiu still couldn't keep up.
It didn't quite understand what those words meant, but it could clearly sense that it wasn't in a very good mood.
Lu Shizhen belatedly realized that what she said was beyond the knowledge range of the little ball that had only recently been promoted to main system. She raised her hand and gently rubbed the little ball: "Okay, these things are still a bit difficult for you right now. Take it slow, little system."
"I am the master system!" Qiuqiu protested, putting her hands on her hips with her wings, trying not to let Lu Shizhen look down on her.
This action is no less than a red panda raising its arms during a fight, trying to intimidate its opponent with its "huge" size.
Lu Shizhen's lips curved slightly, but she didn't want to expose Qiuqiu, so she went along with it and said, "Okay, my main system."
After giving Qiuqiu a couple more rubs, Lu Shizhen noticed the time ticking away on her wristwatch and quickly said to Qiuqiu, "Oh dear, it's getting late. I came here under the pretense of taking a lunch break, I have to hurry back."
"Okay." Qiuqiu waved to Lu Shizhen, not forgetting to remind her, "Goodbye, host! Don't forget my sausage and Aunt Sun's barbecue!"
"No, it won't happen." Lu Shizhen walked quickly, not having time to turn around, she just waved to Qiuqiu behind her.
As Lu Shizhen disappeared into the passage, Qiuqiu heard a gentle question: "Back already?"
That was the voice of the supreme deity.
Other people also appeared beside Qiuqiu.
Qiuqiu was startled and felt nervous and guilty: "Lord God."
The Supreme God looked at the small ball in front of him, reached out and led it into his hand, his smiling voice full of meaning: "So, sometimes having emotions isn't a good thing."
The god's palm was warm and soft, and carried an indescribable floral fragrance.
Qiuqiu was held in the palm of his hand, and suddenly felt the whole ball become warm, and the golden light shimmered and shone a little brighter.
The main god patiently helped Qiuqiu straighten its wings, which it had messed up by pinching its hips, and asked in a calm tone, "You and Miss Lu just talked about Miss Xu's past. What were your feelings?"
This was a common exchange between them. Qiuqiu quickly adjusted her state and answered seriously, "Although I know that five years later, the host will reunite with Miss Xu and fall in love again, I still feel very sad."
"I don't know why I feel sad, after all, the outcome was good."
"That's the process," the Supreme God said gently to Qiuqiu. "Sometimes the ending is good, but the process isn't necessarily good. Conversely, the ending is bad, but the process isn't necessarily bad. Emotions are always there, but they don't remain unchanged."
As the deity spoke, he lowered his head to look at the small ball he was holding, thinking about its original appearance and the tail he had casually pinched for it. He then said, "You need to slowly absorb images from different worlds to learn this feeling, but one day you will understand."
Qiuqiu nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
She thought that perhaps, just as the Lord God had said, one day she would understand.
After all, this was its former main system, and now its main god.
The afternoon sun was gentle, much warmer than the chilling cold of my memories.
Lu Shizhen woke up in bed, blinked her eyes, and looked at the real world in front of her with a lingering sense of melancholy.
Slippers tapped softly on the stair steps, and from the stairs, Xu Shiyue was standing behind the kitchen counter peeling an apple.
She was wearing the same style of loungewear as Lu Shizhen, except that she had a short white apron around her neck. The back of a silver knife was pressed against her fingers, obediently slicing across an apple under her control.
Her long hair, which was usually loose and flowing in the office, was now casually tied back, and her meticulousness was replaced by a relaxed and carefree look.
Sunlight streamed in through one of the windows, casting a golden hue over her hair, each strand exuding a relaxed, homey feel.
Xu Shiyue was slowly carving a little rabbit when she suddenly felt someone hug her from behind.
A pair of arms reached out from around the waist where an apron was originally tied, carrying the scent of rose-scented soapberry.
Xu Shiyue turned her head and saw Lu Shizhen's familiar smiling face, and smiled gently.
She raised her hand and casually rubbed Lu Shizhen's face, deliberately asking, "What are you doing, being so clingy?"
"Because I just woke up." Lu Shizhen said in a sticky, drawn-out voice, and then rested her chin on Xu Shiyue's shoulder.
She had never wanted to hold Xu Shiyue as much as she did now.
She wished she could hold her like this forever, so that she could feel her presence.
Because she was facing away, Lu Shizhen's acting was unusually good for once, and Xu Shiyue didn't notice her thoughts. She smiled, picked up a freshly peeled apple, and naturally asked, "A rabbit apple?"
Lu Shizhen didn't answer, and simply leaned over to eat.
Her lips, still moist and soft from holding water, kissed Xu Shiyue's fingertips as she took the apple from her mouth.
The apple was being bitten, and Lu Shizhen's voice rang in Xu Shiyue's ears.
Crisp and melodious.
"Madam, it's delicious."
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