Chapter 94 The Most Suffocating Farewell
The room was large, with a green screen in the middle.
A staff member approached Shen Qingshu with VR glasses and said, "Ms. Shen, please close your eyes and I will help you put on the glasses."
Shen Qingshu closed her eyes.
The staff helped her put on the VR glasses and then led her forward.
Upon reaching the designated location, the staff released her and reminded her, "Ms. Shen, you can open your eyes now."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingshu slowly opened her eyes—
What comes into view is the winding, tree-lined path from my memory, with the intermittent sounds of firecrackers and fireworks coming from all around, and red lanterns hanging on the old trees.
In the blink of an eye, the sun sets behind the mountains, and lights come on in the village houses.
Shen Qingshu took two steps forward, and the scene before her eyes changed—
A rural courtyard with red lanterns hanging in front of the door slowly opened with a creak, and a slender figure walked out from inside.
The old man leaned against the door frame with one hand, slightly raised his chin, and looked over at Shen Qingshu.
Upon seeing her granddaughter, the old woman's kind eyes curved into a smile as she waved to her, "Ah Shu, it's getting dark, come back quickly for the family reunion dinner!"
Shen Qingshu didn't dare to blink and took a step forward.
"Grandpa..." she called out to the old man instinctively, tears already soaking her entire face...
In the observation room, separated from the experience room by a glass partition, Director Zhang, Fu Siyan, Qin Yancheng, Qiao Xingjia, and several others were present.
The staff sat in front of the complex control panel, adjusting the controls in a timely manner based on Shen Qingshu's reactions.
In front of him was a 70-inch screen displaying a scene generated by VR glasses.
In the video, Shen Qingshu returns to the rural courtyard where she lived with her grandfather when she was a child.
Grandpa held her hand affectionately, "Our A-Shu is so old but still so playful. Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, and Grandpa made a lot of your favorite dishes."
Shen Qingshu followed the old man into the house.
"You're back!"
Shen Qingshu was stunned.
Jiang Yuelan came out of the kitchen carrying freshly fried lotus root. When she saw Shen Qingshu, she waved to her warmly.
"Come here quickly! Didn't you say you wanted to eat potato chips the other day? Those are full of additives and not good. Mom will make you these homemade fried lotus root slices. They're super crispy!"
Shen Qingshu's tightly pursed lips trembled violently.
When her mother secretly visited her in the countryside when she was a child, she would always make fried lotus root slices for her.
"Mom..." her voice choked with emotion, "Mom, are you and Grandpa doing well here?"
Jiang Yuelan smiled, "Mom and Grandpa are both doing well. The only thing we're worried about is you."
Shen Qingshu shook her head, already sobbing uncontrollably, but still subconsciously said, "I'm fine, I'm alright..."
"That's good." Jiang Yuelan pointed to a table full of food. "Mom and Grandpa made this together today; it's all your favorite dishes."
Shen Qingshu looked down at the New Year's Eve dinner on the table.
It was all her favorite food.
"Ah Shu, sit down, let's have a reunion dinner together."
Shen Qingshu followed her instructions and sat down at the table.
Grandpa served her rice, saying, "Our Ah Shu has lost a lot of weight recently, eat more."
"Girls shouldn't skip meals just to be pretty. You need to eat more. Mom and Grandpa aren't around, so you need to learn to take care of yourself." Jiang Yuelan served her some food.
The meals are prepared in advance, and VR glasses are used to ensure that the user can be fully immersed in the experience and achieve a perfect experience that unifies hearing, sight, and touch.
In the observation room, Director Zhang explained, "We have upgraded the VR simulation experience and will adjust the experience scene appropriately according to the user's emotions. But Mr. Fu, rest assured, we generate the character scene based on the core information you provide and combined with AI data to ensure realism."
Qiao Xingjia couldn't hold back her tears when she saw this part.
She raised her hand, turned her head, and glared at Qin Yancheng. "So, all those questions you asked me before were for this project?"
Seeing her crying like this, Qin Yancheng sighed helplessly, took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her, "I was just doing this for someone else, don't cry."
"Don't think that doing this will make Ah Shu forgive Fu Siyan!"
Qiao Xingjia took the handkerchief and wiped her tears, glaring fiercely at Fu Siyan beside her. "No matter how advanced the technology is, it can't make up for A-Shu's regret of losing Aunt Jiang. No matter how realistic this New Year's Eve dinner is, it's still fake!"
Qin Yancheng pursed his lips and sighed. He felt that Qiao Xingjia was right, but that was all Fu Siyan could do now.
A dead person cannot be brought back to life.
Qin Yancheng looked at Fu Siyan.
Fu Siyan had been silent since he came in, his dark eyes fixed on Shen Qingshu in the experience center, his angular face and taut jawline.
At that moment, no one knew what he was thinking.
...
In the experience room, Shen Qingshu took a bite of fried lotus root slices. The familiar taste exploded in her mouth, but before she could swallow, a fishy sweetness rose in her throat. She swallowed it with difficulty, but her emotions collapsed in an instant.
Reason told her that it was all a lie.
Her grandfather and mother are both gone...
"Shu, Mom will have this New Year's Eve dinner with you today. Our lives as mother and daughter are now complete."
Shen Qingshu looked at Jiang Yuelan in front of her, her vision blurred with tears. She blinked hard, and her vision cleared for only a moment before blurring again.
Large tears rolled down her face, soaking the front of her clothes.
"Mom and Grandpa will be fine here. Don't make things harder for yourself. Look forward, okay?"
Shen Qingshu shook her head, "I didn't make things difficult for myself. I just... I just miss you all so much. I want you to hug me again..."
Jiang Yuelan came over and hugged her.
An empty embrace is the most suffocating farewell.
Everything in front of me began to disappear.
Grandpa's voice lingered in her ears—
“Ah Shu, your grandpa and your mother have finished their journey in this world, but your journey is still long. Look ahead, your grandpa and your mother will be behind you supporting you. Go forward boldly, and in the next life, we will love you again.”
In the next life...
Shen Qingshu closed her eyes in pain.
A staff member came over and helped her take off her glasses.
"Miss Shen, Mr. Fu's surprise gift for you has arrived. Please open your eyes."
Shen Qingshu's breath hitched, and she slowly opened her eyes.
Two lifelike robots appeared before her in astonishment.
Shen Qingshu stared blankly.
"This is a simulation robot that our science museum team worked overtime for nearly a month to complete, based on the information and images provided by Mr. Fu. Ms. Shen, please take a look. If there are any areas you are not satisfied with, please let us know, and we will make improvements based on your feedback."
Shen Qingshu didn't speak. She slowly stood up and walked to the two robots.
She reached out and touched the robot's face.
It feels smooth against the skin and even has a temperature.
"This is our latest technology, with an upgraded skin feel," the staff member continued. "However, at this stage, only the appearance and basic functions have been completed. The artificial brain chip is still under development, which will take a long time. Mr. Fu saw that you missed your family, so he specially arranged for you to come and experience it first."
Shen Qingshu touched the faces of the two robots, and somehow triggered some mechanism, causing the robots' eyes to move.
"Ah Shu, Mom is here. Are you tired? If you are, Mom will give you a hug."
"Ah Shu, Grandpa is supporting you, so go forward boldly."
Shen Qingshu couldn't help but reach out and hug the two robots, her suppressed sobs gradually growing louder.
Qiao Xingjia pushed open the door of the experience room and ran in, catching Shen Qingshu as she slid towards the ground.
Shen Qingshu has fainted!
Qiao Xingjia couldn't hold her, so she knelt on the ground and cried anxiously.
Fu Siyan strode over, bent down, and scooped Shen Qingshu up in his arms.
"Hey, what are you doing—"
"To the hospital." Fu Siyan turned and strode out.
Upon seeing this, Qin Yancheng, who was outside the door, immediately turned around and walked out, saying, "I'll go get the car!"
"Fu Siyan! Stop right there! A-Shu isn't going to the hospital!"
Qiao Xingjia took a step and chased after her.
Why go to that hospital!
Going to the hospital would be the end of it!
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