Meng Qing's first instinct was to go find Shi Qian.
Fortunately, the two were still in the same place, but Shi Qian still had no consciousness of her own.
Shi Qian became a homeless man this time and hid under the overpass. Meng Qing went over and hugged him tightly.
Meng Qing tried various methods to wake Shi Qian, and finally succeeded once; Shi Qian recognized him.
"Meng Qing, where is this... Am I dead...?" Shi Qian was dazed and her head was spinning.
"No, we'll all be fine, it's okay." Meng Qing hugged Shi Qian tightly and patted his back.
Meng Qing knew that there was a buffer period before the system started a new world. He had to settle Shi Qian before the conquerors arrived, as Shi Qian had already died too many times.
He took Shi Qian back to his rented apartment. In this world, he hadn't returned to the Meng family yet, and life wasn't going too well.
Meng Qing asked Shi Qian to sit down for a while, then rummaged through the drawers and found some ingredients to cook a bowl of noodles for Shi Qian.
"Fill your stomach first." Meng Qing took a towel and wiped Shi Qian's face and hands, then handed him chopsticks.
Shi Qian silently ate her noodles, then, as if remembering something, looked up and asked Meng Qing with a disappointed expression, "Meng Qing, I think we broke up before, and you got together with someone else."
"No, I will only like you, and I will only be with you."
Shi Qian looked bewildered; his head still ached.
Are we officially together now?
"Calculate."
"Will you stay together in the future?"
"Um."
Meng Qing patted Shi Qian's head, telling him to eat slowly. Shi Qian seemed to remember something and asked, "I think I heard someone called the system talking before. He told me to stay away from you and not to fall in love with you."
"Ignore him."
"I feel so annoyed."
"Don't worry, I'll figure something out."
"He's always trying to change me; I don't even remember you anymore."
"It's alright, I just need to remember you."
Will things change this time?
"I don't know, don't be afraid, I'm here."
"I will always be here."
Meng Qing watched as Shi Qian finished eating her noodles, tidied up her things, took a clean set of clothes, and told Shi Qian to take a shower.
Shi Qian's head still hurt, and Meng Qing told him not to think about it and to go to bed early.
He had to come up with a solution as soon as possible. Shi Qian's condition had deteriorated significantly, and the damage the system had inflicted on him was greater than he had imagined.
Meng Qing was afraid that when they returned to their original world, Shi Qian's body would be damaged by this broken system.
Shi Qian cannot die again. During these few comebacks, Meng Qing vaguely heard that the system was malfunctioning, and he could feel that the system was interfering with him less these two times.
Perhaps if the world collapses enough times, then his sample will be abandoned, and he and Shi Qian can return to their own world and live their own lives.
If we just persevere a little longer, things will definitely get better.
Before the new strategist arrives, Meng Qing has been spending the last few days with Shi Qian, taking walks together, and the two seem to have returned to how they were before.
A few days later, Meng Qing sensed that the attackers had arrived. He hid Shi Qian and told her not to get close to him this time, in order to save her life.
"Wait for me here, don't go out, wait for me to come back."
"Okay, I'll wait for you."
But soon after, Shi Qian lost her own consciousness and appeared in front of him, becoming a tool to be used.
When Shi Qian died, he regained consciousness in a final burst of energy. His hands were covered in blood as he touched Meng Qing's face and said gently, "I can't wait for you anymore."
"Come find me again next time, next time."
"I'm leaving, don't worry."
"This time, dying didn't hurt at all, really."
Everything will be alright.
"You must remember me."
"The next time you come to see me, maybe we can be back to how things were before."
...
Shi Qian died again, and Meng Qing was devastated. In the end, she chose to perish together with the strategist.
...
When Meng Qing woke up again, he had lost all his past memories. He was taken back to the Shi family from the countryside by Shi Jingguo and met Shi Qian again.
A voice in his mind kept telling him that the person in front of him named Shi Qian was his enemy, but Shi Qian always gave him a sense of familiarity, so Meng Qing couldn't hate him at all.
He lived his life methodically, planning step by step to return to the Meng family. Just two days before his birthday banquet, Meng Qing remembered everything.
He vaguely heard something about a system bug that made it impossible to monitor and intervene, and that this small world was going to be destroyed. If the conqueror failed again, this world would be removed from the sample.
Meng Qing breathed a sigh of relief.
His first thought was to find Shi Qian, but then he remembered that Shi Qian's memory must have been interfered with, and she probably didn't remember anything at all.
This is the longest Shi Qian has ever lived. He must be extremely cautious. Shi Qian cannot die again.
As long as he stays away from that conqueror named Shi Yan and lets him fail naturally, everything will return to normal.
"A reunion gift?" Shi Qian looked at the gift box Meng Qing handed over, his eyes full of confusion.
“We haven’t seen each other for a year, and I wanted to give you a gift.” Meng Qing explained as she opened the package, revealing a pendant with a design of two intersecting rings.
"I got this from a master for protection and safety; it wasn't expensive."
“Okay then,” Shi Qian accepted the gift, which wasn’t expensive, and took out a box from his pocket, handing it to Meng Qing.
"Your birthday present."
"I don't know what to give you. This is what I prayed for at the most famous temple near the capital. It's said to protect your career, health, safety, and love—it protects you in every way."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
