The sunlight, refracted through the glass, appeared even more dazzling, casting the shadow of a sitting cat on the wall.
Qiuqiu's usually calm voice carried a rare hint of heaviness, and Lu Shizhen's hand, which was holding a starch sausage, suddenly stopped.
Lu Shizhen was never really at ease about Yuanzi's situation.
Although Yuanzi was only two years old when she officially started working, her overly pure bloodline was both a good starting point and a source of many hidden dangers for her future.
Over the years, Lu Shizhen has been remotely monitoring Qiuqiu's physical condition through a program attached to a chip inside its body.
The puppy is in good health. A few times the system diagnosed it with gastroenteritis in the middle of the night, but it was treated quickly.
Therefore, Lu Shizhen never thought that Yuanzi would suddenly change like this.
But reality struck her with unparalleled cruelty.
Lu Shizhen's first reaction was disbelief: "What? Its physical data has been excellent all these years, how come it's suddenly deteriorating? Is there a problem with the program?"
“No.” Qiuqiu shook her head. “I’ve been monitoring it for just half an hour. Although the change was sudden, it gradually got stronger, which means it wasn’t a problem with the program that suddenly appeared. And its vital signs are also showing some abnormalities now, somewhat trending towards…”
At this point, Qiuqiu paused, and Lu Shizhen immediately had a bad feeling: "Tend towards what?"
Qiuqiu shifted its front paws and put them together, saying, "Towards death."
Qiuqiu's voice was somewhat solemn, as if it were filled with the weight of life.
Sunlight streamed in from behind it, making its black fur appear as a continuous expanse. Its narrow, long body sat coiled on the table, looking down at it like a god announcing death.
Lu Shizhen felt her heart freeze, and she could hardly believe her ears.
She remembered that when she decided to leave, the first thing she did was to tell Xu Shiyue to treat Yuanzi well and why this had suddenly happened.
Memories surged, stopping at that night long ago.
Lu Shizhen recalled how Yuanzi pretended to be fine so as not to worry Xu Shiyue. If it hadn't been discovered, it didn't know how long it would have held on.
Animals generally have a higher pain tolerance than humans, and they can even conceal their pain when necessary, just like humans.
So, a dog being too smart isn't always a good thing; it often leads to heartbreaking situations.
"Qiuqiu, can you tell what disease it has? Why was it fine before, and then suddenly became like this? Is it some kind of malignant mutation?" Lu Shizhen asked.
“I’ve ruled out the possibility of human error and determined that there’s a high probability that Yuanzi has an internal problem, but I can’t pinpoint where the disease started. If possible, I would like to ask the host to take me to Yuanzi for an examination,” Qiuqiu said. “Over the years, I’ve updated my system and learned a lot about zoology, so I can diagnose 98% of diseases.”
Hearing Qiuqiu say this, Lu Shizhen felt reassured and nodded: "Okay, as long as we can determine what the illness is, I can go to the store to exchange for the corresponding medicine. No matter how expensive it is, I can get it."
However, as she said this, Lu Shizhen overlooked the most crucial issue.
Looking at the map in front of her, where the surveillance signals were now more accurately located because they had returned to S City, Qiuqiu reminded her, "Host, the surveillance shows that Yuanzi is still living in the villa you used to live in. Shouldn't we plan how to get back?"
"It seems so." Lu Shizhen's expression was even more somber than before.
She not only realized that she was going to return to the place where she lived before her escaped death with a completely unfamiliar identity, but also realized why Yuanzi was still living in that villa.
Xu Shiyue had agreed to it back then.
Has the plot revision spread to Yuanzi, so that Xu Shiyue can't keep anything even remotely related to her?
Lu Shizhen lowered her eyelashes slightly, her brows furrowing and a layer of gloom settling over her eyes.
Whether it was because she was worried about Yuanzi or something else, she felt very uncomfortable in her chest, as if a lead stone was weighing on her heart, pulling at it again and again.
Qiuqiu was rapidly gathering information, completely unaware of the change in Lu Shizhen's expression.
She looked at the results in front of her and explained the current state of the villa that it had found to Lu Shizhen: "According to the remote satellite images, there are no signs of human activity in this place, so it should be uninhabited."
"But the property management records show that... the villa's property management fees, electricity bills, water bills, etc. are all paid on time, and they are all accounted for by the Lu family. It's probably because the Lu family is commemorating you that they haven't sold the villa yet. They also send people to clean it regularly. There aren't many weeds, and it's quite tidy."
Lu Shizhen looked at the pictures Qiuqiu had laid out in her field of vision and remained silent.
The memories she had been avoiding and trying to forget were slowly pried open by these words, creating a crack in the surface.
Yes, she has been reduced to ashes. Apart from this villa that still bears traces of her, where else can they commemorate her?
She didn't have many ties to this city, but the kinship that originally belonged to the original owner of the body once truly surrounded her for a moment.
She despicably categorized her brother, Xiao En, and mother as her family, enjoying the warmth they gave her, yet in the end, she still left them without any mercy.
This villa is like a large collection room, filled with all sorts of things about myself.
Although Lu Shizhen left them gifts when she left, hoping to ease their sadness, it seems impossible now.
Could it be Aunt Sun who's keeping someone to clean?
All these years have passed, and I wonder if those roses she planted are still there, and whether they can survive so many winters.
Does the water and electricity usage indicate that other people occasionally stay there for short periods?
Sunlight falls on the lush trees outside the window, creating a cool yet warm atmosphere.
Suddenly, a jagged branch emerged from the wind, and a strange, unrelated question popped into Lu Shizhen's mind.
So, will she come to see me too?
The obscure idea obscures the subject of the sentence, and the act of burying one's head in the sand has never ceased.
Lu Shizhen gazed at the somewhat desolate villa estate, her lowered eyelashes erasing any hope in her eyes.
How could that be?
The original owner of this body wasn't human; from the very beginning, she harbored ulterior motives towards Xu Shiyue—it was as clear as day. Everyone said she hated him, the madman who had "imprisoned" her, but who would want to look back at the cage that had "imprisoned" them?
Thin clouds drifted slowly to the window, and the whole room darkened.
A sense of powerlessness weighed on Lu Shizhen's heart, just like the feeling she had when she pressed down her hat and left that night.
She hated and even loathed the main system's rigid rules regarding predetermined storylines, yet she herself enjoyed its gifts within the system's framework.
The feeling of being torn apart hadn't struggled in Lu Shizhen's mind for a long time. It was as if two forces were tearing her apart, and the gap between them was filled with self-loathing.
Lu Shizhen casually picked up a rose from the vase on the table; its crimson color burned like fire in her vision.
The thorns, which hadn't been properly removed, seemed unaware of the flower's impending death after being picked, and continued to uphold their duty, unexpectedly pricking her.
It's like a rebellion.
Rebel against her, and rebel against fate.
“Then let’s go.” Lu Shizhen looked at her fingertips, which were red from the rose thorns, and put the rose back in the vase. “Maybe our return this time is what people call destiny, that Yuanzi’s life was not meant to end.”
The taxi, with its hazard lights flashing, slowly pulled up to the side of the road. A Western-style wrought iron wall separated this lush, green world from the rest of the area.
Lu Shizhen got out of the car carrying the cat carrier, used Qiuqiu's swipe to open the gate to the villa area, and entered smoothly.
As if to coordinate with Lu Shizhen's actions, the moon tonight is not as bright as it usually is.
Still, dark clouds obscured the light emitted by the full moon, leaving it hanging hazy in the sky, casting long, slanted shadows.
The dim streetlights, connected together, illuminated the road leading up to it.
This was Lu Shizhen's first time walking in this place. Perhaps the darkness had obscured many details, but as she walked along, the scenery remained the same as before.
The lush green waves stretching to the sky ripple in the wind, seemingly pushing the villas, which were already far apart, further and further apart at the same time.
The clear, innocent laughter of a child drifted from the yard of someone passing by, accompanied by the patter of footsteps and the occasional bark of a dog, a sound that was both rugged and tender.
Lu Shizhen could vaguely see the dog through the fence; it was a Labrador like Yuanzi, but smaller.
Its strong limbs ran across the lawn, and even the deep of night could not stop its vitality.
A hint of envy flickered in Lu Shizhen's eyes.
She planned to exchange for anything she could get later, no matter how many points it would cost, for Yuanzi so that it wouldn't die in agony from its illness.
Lu Shizhen didn't want to go against the laws of nature and make Yuanzi live a long and healthy life without any disasters or difficulties; she just wanted it to die peacefully of old age.
Exceeding the lifespan one is meant to live is not a good thing. Being free from illness and pain is a good outcome for both humans and animals.
"Meow~ (Host, we've arrived.)"
As Lu Shizhen walked, she heard a lazy meow coming from the cat carrier on her back.
She looked up and saw the building that stood out in the entire villa area.
The villa estate looks quite well-maintained from a distance, but the guard booth, which should have been manned, is now empty.
Although this relieved Lu Shizhen of a troublesome problem, it left her feeling somewhat depressed.
Just like when they entered the villa area, Lu Shizhen easily walked into the courtyard with Qiuqiu's help.
I don't know if it's because of neglect or because spring has arrived, but the green vines have climbed all over the courtyard wall, and the light pink roses sway in the wind, emerging and disappearing among the dense vines.
It may seem like decay, but it also possesses an indescribable vitality.
It looks like someone has been living here all along.
Lu Shizhen gripped the key in her pocket and looked around again.
Dim light shone weakly from the surrounding houses, barely illuminating the huge building. In the dim night, the dark and silent villa resembled a sleeping giant, forgotten and covered in vines.
Thinking that she might be overthinking things, Lu Shizhen inserted the old key into the villa's door.
The creaking sound of a long-uninhabited door being opened, a common feature in many movies, was not heard, yet Lu Shizhen still managed to open the villa's door with her old key.
Lu Shizhen tiptoed into the villa.
The room's layout was barely illuminated by the light from the phone's dimmed screen.
The night breeze that rushed in seemed to have blown away the smell of dust, leaving only the familiar furnishings.
Looking at the layout of the living room, Lu Shizhen felt as if she had been away from home for a long time. But when she stepped into the building, everything felt just like yesterday, and she felt as if she had never left.
Lu Shizhen paused involuntarily.
Just then, the sound of the door being locked rang out faintly yet very clearly.
Almost subconsciously, Lu Shizhen suddenly turned around and looked over.
But then they found a figure standing in the moonlight-lit entryway, tall and slender, with a calm demeanor that exuded familiarity.
The spring night was peaceful and quiet, and so was Xu Shiyue.
She looked at the person standing in front of her and asked, "Where else do you want to go?"
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