In the Ark's projections of humanity's future, the success rate of the plan to tear open the secondary timeline is seventy percent.
One of the reasons for the 30% failure was that twelve-year-old Ruan Chen ignored eight-year-old Fu Jianzhi, who would then be stuffed into a sack and frozen to death on the streets of Meicheng like a dog.
At that time in the main timeline, Fu Jianzhi, Duan Jingfu, and Yan Qian discussed this issue for a long time. They input Ruan Chen's personality analysis into the Ark to simulate the probability of that twelve-year-old girl being soft-hearted.
It's always zero.
Later, it was Commander Fu, then 22 years old, who made the final decision: "I believe her. As long as we meet, she will definitely take me away, just like when I picked her up back then."
He staked the entire human civilization on that twelve-year-old girl, betting that she would soften her heart.
Commander Fu lost the bet.
Twelve-year-old Ruan Chen took her away, but it wasn't out of pity. He simply needed a little boy to appease his stepfather and avoid his own tragic fate.
Now he asked Ruan Chen about this issue.
Ruan Chen finally looked at him properly, her lips parted slightly, and she gave Fu Jianzhi the answer he had been waiting for.
She spoke earnestly and firmly, "No regrets."
Fu Jianzhi felt a surge of joy and wanted to laugh. He knew that even in completely different timelines, there must be some kind of bond between her and Ruan Chen that transcended everything. No matter how far apart they were, no matter when or where, they would always choose each other.
But the next second, Ruan Chen said something that made Fu Jianzhi's smile freeze before it could even appear.
Her tone was frank and calm, “Commander Fu, why did I bring you back back then? It was because I needed a scapegoat. If I couldn’t get a boy to exchange for money for my damned stepfather, I would be sold to the Pleasure Hall.”
She revealed the bloody truth of that year, word by word, as if this would turn the tables on her and cover up her own unrequited love over the years, as well as Fu Jianzhi's unrequited love over the years.
"At that time, I had just killed the little boy that the human trafficker had brought in to exchange for money. He was desperate and wanted to sell me. I was there that night because I was the perfect target. Commander Fu, you're lucky. If Cao De hadn't pushed me to the brink and killed him, you wouldn't be the young master of the Fu family now."
With each word she uttered, Fu Jianzhi felt a little more dizzy.
“So you really are ridiculous,” Ruan Chen’s every word was like a thin blade piercing his heart. “You should know who I am. What makes you think I’ll make an exception for you because of my soft heart? Just because of you and that other damn timeline, you and that other miserable woman who inexplicably has the same face and the same name as me?”
Fu Jianzhi's face was extremely ugly.
“That’s not me, and I’m not her either, Fu Jianzhi, don’t be ridiculous,” Ruan Chen said, maintaining a frighteningly calm tone throughout. “Your transference really disgusts me—I think the other Ruan Chen would be disgusting too.”
Ruan Chen turned and walked towards Fangze Garden, finally saying, "Fu Jianzhi, I know what the consequences of timeline convergence will be—it means that everything I did in this timeline will be in vain, the people I love will die, and the people I hate will live well and enjoy wealth and glory."
"That's something I can't accept."
"So, Fu Jianzhi, if this problem can't be solved before the timeline converges, then we might as well die together."
Ruan Chen's tone was unusually calm.
That's exactly what she thought.
She would rather everyone die together than see her enemies rejoice while her loved ones suffer.
"By the way, I saved your life, so on that day, I will personally take you back."
After Ruan Chen's figure disappeared, Fu Jianzhi finally uttered a single word, "Okay."
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Ruan Chen's days at the research institute were uneventful; Nan Jing protected her very well.
All she needs to do is eat, study, and take care of herself.
Having probably learned that Fu Jianzhi and Ruan Chen had quarreled, Nan Jing never mentioned Fu Jianzhi's name in front of Ruan Chen again, nor did she talk about the Fu family.
Until one day in October.
"Your arrest warrant has been officially withdrawn, and Su Ze's arrest warrant is currently being verified," Nan Jing said at the dinner table.
Ruan Chen seemed to have grown up all of a sudden. At seventeen, she already had the air of an adult woman. Although her face seemed to have been blessed by time, her height, which had stopped growing prematurely due to malnutrition in her early years, made her look like she was still fourteen or fifteen years old.
It looks a bit small.
But her temperament has become increasingly calm and composed, and the sharpness between Mingyan's brows has faded considerably, giving her a touch of gentleness and tranquility.
Ruan Chen swallowed the food in her mouth before asking slowly, "Any progress in the missing persons case?"
The missing persons case is Duan Jingfu's case. If this person hadn't had serious problems, some of the procedures he handled wouldn't have been re-verified.
“Hmm,” Nan Jing put a piece of green vegetable that Ruan Chen disliked the most on her plate, pointed at the plate to indicate that she should finish it, and said, “The Municipal Bureau and the Research Institute have taken over. The site has been sealed off, the relevant data has been stored, and they are contacting the victim’s family.”
Ruan Chen didn't ask for specific details; in any case, the Municipal Bureau had no secrets from her if she wanted to know.
"You won't have to hide anything from now on—I've seen you holed up in the office these past few months. Don't girls your age want to go out for a stroll and get some fresh air?"
Nan Jing felt that Ruan Chen had gone mad during this period, spending every day in the lab. In just a few months, the research manuscripts printed out were almost as tall as Ruan Chen himself.
"This is boring." Ruan Chen picked at the large green vegetables in front of her, not wanting to put them in her mouth. "Let's talk about it after Duan Jingfu is caught. If he targets me, that will be troublesome too. If he uses me to negotiate, will you save me or not?"
"You don't need to worry about that, he's being held at the Municipal Public Security Bureau. But there's another problem now."
After much build-up, Nan Jing finally got to the point.
“Logically speaking, he should have been sentenced to death without a doubt in this case, no matter how outstanding his contributions were. But the Fu family stepped forward. Fu Lin said that Duan Jingfu could not die.”
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