【To Spend the Rest of Her Life】She was trapped in the fantasy of the past
The next morning, the rain stopped and the sky cleared up.
The air is filled with the fragrance of earth and grass. It is a nice day.
When Zhou Suyao woke up, she immediately noticed several oil paper packages neatly placed on the bedside table. The candlelight was dim last night, so she didn't look closely.
Noticing this today, she got up curiously and walked over to open it. She found all kinds of cakes inside, with the aroma of peach blossom cake being particularly noticeable.
She opened the oil paper, picked up a slightly sweet piece and put it in her mouth. It was sweet and soft, just the taste she liked.
The corners of her mouth unconsciously rose, and her heart seemed to soften a lot.
After putting on her outer robe, she walked around the screen, only to find that the eldest brother's bed had been made meticulously, but he was not in the room.
Confused, she pushed the door open and went out, just in time to meet the waiter who was carrying breakfast upstairs.
"Young lady, you're awake. The young master in your upper room has ordered some light porridge and some vegetables to be prepared early this morning, saying that you didn't get enough rest last night and need something light. He also told you not to worry, as he is downstairs discussing the route with the coachman."
Zhou Suyao thanked him, closed the door, had breakfast, and then went downstairs to meet him.
The senior brothers were already waiting by the carriage. She saw Zhou Zonglan gesturing to Qu Mingwu in high spirits. Although the second senior brother had no expression on his face, he was listening patiently.
The eldest brother was standing aside, talking to the groom. His expression was normal and gentle, as if the fragile and struggling person last night was just her illusion.
Seeing her coming down, Zhou Shanyuan turned around and smiled at her: "Are you awake? Did you have a good rest? Did you have breakfast?"
"I ate it. Thank you for the cake, Big Brother."
"As long as it suits your appetite." Zhou Shanyuan nodded, then turned to look at the other two and said, "Now that everyone is here, let's set off. I'll have the groom take the luggage to the Imperial City first, and we'll go on foot. The weather is nice today, and we can even take a walk in the Forget-Your-Troubles Forest outside the city. The scenery there is beautiful and the spiritual energy is abundant."
"Okay!" Zhou Zonglan was the first to respond. "I heard there's a kind of magical bird in the Forget-Me-Not Forest, and its call is really beautiful!"
The second brother glanced at him and asked, "Are you going to listen to the birds singing or to enjoy the scenery?"
"These two things don't affect each other, Second Brother!"
The group chatted and laughed as they walked out of the city. The further they went outside the city, the fewer people there were and the more lush the trees became.
Zhou Suyao looked up and saw the sunlight shining through layers of leaves, casting mottled shadows on the ground. The air was moist and fragrant, and it was indeed worthy of the name of Forget-Your-Sorrows.
Zhou Zonglan was soon attracted by the exotic flowers and plants in the forest. He pulled Qu Mingwu and jogged along, occasionally shouting when he saw new things.
Although Qu Mingwu looked helpless, he let him do what he wanted and let him drag him around everywhere.
Zhou Suyao and the eldest senior brother fell behind. They walked slowly along the gurgling stream. The water was so clear that you could see the bottom and a few small fish swimming in it.
Zhou Shanyuan didn't walk fast, as if he deliberately slowed down his pace. Occasionally, he pointed at a few rare herbs and explained their habits to Zhou Suyao.
As they were strolling slowly through the mountains and rivers, she suddenly heard Zhou Zonglan's exclamation from a distance: "Big Brother, Little Sister, come and see! This flower is so strange!"
Zhou Suyao looked in the direction and saw in front of Zhou Zonglan a blue flower that she had never seen before. It was shaped like a bell, with light blue particles floating out of it, like echoing in fireflies.
"This flower, called Shadow Orchid, is said to have a scent that can cause people to immerse themselves in the illusions of the past and find it difficult to extricate themselves. It's really not compatible with Forget Worry."
She heard the eldest brother's voice coming from the side, followed by the third brother's exclamation: "That's it!"
The three of them looked towards him.
Under everyone's gaze, he swallowed hurriedly and held it in for a long time before finally saying a word.
"I... I seemed to... smell this flower forcefully..."
Before he finished speaking, his eyes suddenly became unfocused, his body swayed, and he fell straight backwards.
If it weren't for the second senior brother's quick reaction and holding him up, he would have fallen to the ground by now.
"Zong Lan!" There was a rare urgency in the second senior brother's voice.
Zhou Shanyuan's face was solemn. He stepped forward quickly, a golden light flashing from his fingertips as he touched Zhou Zonglan's brow. After a moment, his brow furrowed, his face pale. "He has inhaled a lot of Yinglan pollen, and now it has been dragged into the past environment."
"What dangers are there?"
Qu Mingwu supported the unconscious Zhou Zonglan and asked in a deep voice.
"The environment will dig deep into his innermost obsessions, amplifying them endlessly until he drowns in them." Zhou Shanyuan's voice quickened, clearly indicating the seriousness of this matter. "If he isn't awakened soon, his mind will wither and his consciousness will fail."
He paused, looked at Zhou Suyao and said, "Suyao, do you still remember the mountain stream we passed by when we came here? Go get some water and come back quickly."
"Yes, senior brother!" Zhou Suyao did not dare to slack off at all. He stood up and immediately turned around, running quickly in the direction he came from.
The light and shadows in the forest passed by her, and soon she heard the sound of gurgling water. Following the sound, she saw a lake between the rocks. From afar, the lake was sparkling, and the surroundings were extremely quiet, with only the sound of the water rippling gently.
Zhou Suyao breathed a sigh of relief, ran to the lake in two steps, squatted down, and was about to get some water when she suddenly smelled a strange fragrance.
Alarm bells rang in her heart, and she immediately held her breath and wanted to retreat.
Unfortunately, it was too late, and she still felt a strong sense of dizziness rushing to her head.
The lake in front of her began to distort, and the woods emitted a strange green light. She staggered to stand firm, but her body collapsed uncontrollably.
Her vision quickly became blurred, and the last thing that came into view was the strange yet beautiful blue shadow orchid.
"Big Brother... Second Brother..."
She murmured weakly, and then her consciousness fell into endless darkness like a kite with a broken string.
Cold is the first feeling to return.
Zhou Suyao suddenly opened her eyes. The severe headache made her groan, but the smell of disinfectant at the tip of her nose woke her up. She struggled to get up and looked around blankly.
The afternoon sun lazily shone on the ground. Several younger children were playing with building blocks not far away. Everything looked very normal, exactly the same as the fragments in her memory.
This is the orphanage where she grew up.
But why is she here?
Her memories were confused and blurry, as if covered by a thick layer of fog. She subconsciously lowered her head and looked at her outstretched palms.
The warm sunlight hit her palm, bringing a hint of warmth. Without any thought, a blue flower that looked like a bell appeared in her hand.
The petals are soft and cool, emitting a very faint, almost imperceptible fragrance.
This is exactly a shadow orchid.
Zhou Suyao's heart suddenly tightened, a chill ran up her spine, and goose bumps instantly appeared on her arms.
This is really a scene from her childhood.
The children in the orphanage have no names, only numbers.
Her number is 19827.
There was a boy in the orphanage who had been there for a long time.
Zhou Suyao remembered that her number was 173.
He was obviously very well-behaved. He would secretly bring delicious food to Zhou Suyao and bring her hot steamed buns when she was in solitary confinement, but he was always abandoned by his adoptive family.
She once asked him curiously why those adoptive families gave up on him.
He would always open the package of a lollipop with a smile, put it into her mouth, and then slowly say: "Because they think I am disobedient!"
"But you...but you are clearly so good."
After hearing what she said, the boy's eyes became bright and he asked her very seriously: "Really?"
The little girl nodded frantically, her pigtails casting shadows: "Of course!"
At this moment, a familiar voice came from the side.
"19827?"
Zhou Suyao turned her head suddenly.
A boy who was about ten years old was looking at her with his head tilted. He was wearing old yellow clothes, but his eyes were bright and beautiful.
He held half a biscuit wrapped in oil paper in his hand and handed it over with a smile.
"What are you daydreaming about? Here, I stole some cookies from the dean's office yesterday. I'll share one with you."
He is exactly 173.
Zhou Suyao's heart seemed to be gently bumped by something. She subconsciously took the biscuit and her fingertips touched his slightly cool skin.
"……Thanks."
She spoke softly, her voice still a little hoarse.
"Why are you being polite?" The boy sat down on the steps beside her, swinging his legs, which were covered in red and bruised knees. "What were you holding in your hand just now? It was blue and beautiful, but I lost sight of it in a flash."
Hearing this, Zhou Suyao looked down at her empty palms, then looked up at the boy. Suddenly, an idea came to her mind without warning.
——In this past that she has forgotten, this may be the only person who is willing to talk to her and listen to her.
She no longer thought about hiding it, but took a deep breath, spread out her palms, and focused her mind on them.
The orchid-colored shadow orchid quietly emerged again, its petals like bells, emitting a light but strange fragrance.
The boy's eyes widened and he leaned forward, his eyes full of disbelief.
"What...what is this? And how...how did you do it?"
His face was far away, and his breath almost sprayed on her palm. Zhou Suyao could clearly see the blue halo reflected in his pupils and her own nervous expression.
"It's not magic..." she whispered, "I don't know what it is... It's very beautiful, but I... am a little scared..."
"What are you afraid of? How amazing is that?" The boy's tone was pure excitement, without any fear or rejection of the alien. He leaned a little closer and said, "He seems to have... a faint fragrance?"
He sniffed hard.
Zhou Suyao wanted to resist, but her body couldn't, and she subconsciously took a deep breath.
The strange floral fragrance suddenly became clear, no longer vague, but rushed straight into the mind.
"Well……"
The boy shook first, his eyes instantly becoming confused and distracted.
Darkness surged in front of Zhou Suyao's eyes like a tide.
She suddenly remembered that everything she could not control had actually happened.
When they smelled the flower, they both fell into an illusion. It was different from the illusion now, because they were both trapped in the same illusion.
In the illusion, the boy died to protect her. When she woke up, the boy was bleeding from all seven orifices and died beside her.
Now, give her a chance to start over.
She must save him.
Zhou Suyao no longer resisted the darkness before her eyes. The second before she completely lost consciousness, she tightly grasped the boy's wrist.
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