Chapter 265 Epilogue - New World Arc (Sixty-two)
--Why?
Yu Qingzhou also didn't understand why E027 was so fixated on this.
If she had to put it simply, Yu Qingzhou just didn't want to waste her limited time remembering a face she was destined to forget.
What if one day in the future I am forced into the same situation as the previous guest?
So before bidding farewell to this world completely—
Yu Qingzhou preferred to recall any chapter or fragment from a book she had read, even a few words of unclear meaning in a corner, rather than any specific face.
Because whether it's love or hate... it's all too heavy a burden for someone who's nearing the end of their life.
It drags a person's soul down, leading to a terrible death.
Knowing full well that there is no way to change the situation, yet still harboring delusions, such a departure will inevitably be painful.
Yu Qingzhou did not want to end up like that.
Since a person cannot choose their birth, at least before they die, they can ensure themselves a sense of peace—even if it is only spiritual.
If reincarnation does not exist, then death is complete peace.
If reincarnation exists, everything can be left unsaid.
Yu Qingzhou did not want to be bound by love and hate, repeatedly caught in the same cycle of cause and effect.
If given the chance to start over, then we should completely reshuffle the deck.
Let that new individual, no longer Yu Qingzhou, have an independent life of their own.
Let that person's emotions and experiences no longer be bound to the person who was his predecessor.
Born into this world, we act solely according to our own desires.
—There is no need to repay debts from past lives.
— Nor do I expect that some person in some year and month will meet me in the crowd through some preordained connection from past lives, and then continue a vague and unfinished relationship.
That's good, that's enough.
Yu Qingzhou told herself that she was trying to maintain inner peace through this.
Those bizarre dreams, however, seemed determined to haunt him, becoming increasingly frequent.
Yu Qingzhou was always deeply trapped in it and could not extricate herself, as if she were drifting alone at sea, helplessly being battered by giant waves.
But whenever I wake up, the things in my dream also recede from my mind like a rapidly receding tide, leaving only that cold, gloomy, and bitter feeling.
Perhaps it was because of the strange dreams that Yu Qingzhou tossed and turned in her sleep, and E027 was also unable to sleep peacefully.
Once, Yu Qingzhou woke up from a dream with heavy breathing, sitting up abruptly in bed, trembling and covered in cold sweat.
Just then, a pair of arms reached out from the side.
The boy was caught off guard and was pulled into a tight embrace, his head pressed against the other person's shoulder, burying his face like an ostrich.
The difference was that the ostrich's head was covered in hot sand. Yu Qingzhou, however, smelled a familiar, cool, and sweet scent.
Immediately, he felt a series of gentle pats on the back of his neck.
Then E027's low voice rang out.
"Alright, alright, don't be afraid... there's nothing to be afraid of. I'm here... I'll always be here. No one can hurt you. I'll drive those bad guys away..."
As Yu Qingzhou recovered from the lingering effects of the nightmare, she heard E027 rambling in her ear.
Noticing how the other person comforted them, I couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing.
This is some kind of child-rearing rhetoric I picked up; it sounds like I'm just joking around.
However, at the same time, his trembling body did indeed find relaxation in the other person's embrace.
The stiff, cold limbs seemed to come alive and gradually began to warm up.
"That's fine."
Yu Qingzhou said in a hoarse voice.
After saying that, he saw no reaction from E027, so he figured the other party probably hadn't heard him and reiterated his request: "Let go."
Yu Qingzhou felt the patting motion on the back of her neck pause.
I thought E027 would make up some nonsense before letting go... I was prepared for that, but to my surprise, the other party was surprisingly obedient.
Yu Qingzhou had to admit that the moment she was released, the emptiness that welled up in her heart was real.
However, he attributed it to bodily instinct.
Humans are instinctively inclined to seek advantage and avoid harm, and crave comfort.
Yu Qingzhou was no exception.
But in addition to these, there are also mechanisms such as reason and morality used to filter out instincts.
Therefore, he did not let that feeling of emptiness spread in his heart.
Instead, they shifted their attention.
It was at this moment that Yu Qingzhou noticed some details that had been previously overlooked.
It's like I woke up suddenly, so why was E027 able to come forward and comfort me immediately?
That kind of timely feedback, compared to being suddenly dragged out of sleep, is more like—
"You can go sleep in your own bed."
Yu Qingzhou stared into the darkness before her.
Perhaps it was too sudden, because it took E027 a long time to finally manage to utter, "Why?"
"Because it's unnecessary."
What do you mean by "unnecessary"?
E027 almost immediately followed up with a sentence that sounded both surprised and aggrieved.
Yu Qingzhou turned her head and looked at the person beside her.
But all that could be vaguely discerned was a blurry outline.
If it weren't for the familiar scent emanating from the other person, he probably would have thought he had stumbled into another dream that felt too real.
If another "him" woke up elsewhere, how would he define this as a dream?
A beautiful dream? A nightmare? Or perhaps—
They didn't care at all, and forgot about it completely the moment they turned around?
“E027…”
Yu Qingzhou called out softly again, and the blurry figure in her vision moved slightly.
The subtle changes were like the faint flickering of a candle flame.
Do you dream?
"...Of course."
E027 seemed not to understand why Yu Qingzhou would ask such a question, but still answered honestly.
Did you dream about me?
This time, E027 paused for a longer time before Yu Qingzhou heard the other party give a very soft "hmm".
"But that's not actually me."
Yu Qingzhou said calmly, "I will not become the way you want me to be."
"..."
"You must have seen my information—my birth, my childhood environment, the reasons I came here, you know all of that, don't you?"
"..."
"So, what are you expecting, for someone like me—"
"I just like you the way you are, is that so wrong?!"
E027, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.
Yu Qingzhou was suddenly startled, and then realized what she had heard.
"You..." He was speechless for a moment.
"I just like you. The moment I saw you, I knew it was you...it was you..."
E027's voice lowered, each word seemingly containing deep-seated pain.
Although Yu Qingzhou still couldn't understand, she instinctively reached out her hand towards the direction from which the sound came.
Even considering E027's previous actions, Yu Qingzhou couldn't just sit idly by.
However, he soon discovered that his judgment of distance was inaccurate.
He intended to touch E027's shoulder, but ended up touching her face instead, his fingertips becoming wet.
Yu Qingzhou was stunned.
An apology stuck in my throat.
Yu Qingzhou suddenly remembered that night a long time ago, when the other person pinned him down and left a few drops of water on his cheek.
I didn't realize it at the time, but if I did it again, I would never make a mistake.
"—You cried? But why?"
Yu Qingzhou felt surprised and confused.
Then E027's rather dissatisfied voice was heard: "Why...why do you have so many questions?"
The nasal tone diminished the original emotion. Therefore, it sounded more like an awkward whining than a complaint.
Finally, she added weakly, "I just... I just like you so much that I want to cry, is that not allowed?"
Yu Qingzhou didn't know what to say, so she could only give a dry reply: "Of course."
The air was silent for a moment, then came E027's helpless sigh.
"Are you... made of wood? Saying things like this at a time like this..."
These words sound familiar.
Before Yu Qingzhou could recall where she had heard it before...
Suddenly I felt a slight itch in my palm.
—It's E027.
He lowered his head and gently rubbed his cheek against Yu Qingzhou's palm like a kitten or puppy.
Yu Qingzhou tried to pull her hand back, but her wrist was suddenly grabbed.
I know what you're worried about—
In the darkness, E027's voice came quietly, with an indescribable tenderness and certainty.
He said, "I will definitely prove it to you."
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