Chapter 276 Epilogue - New World Arc (Seventy-Three)
Unlike the real Yu Qingzhou, Pipa never calls Shen Yun by his name directly.
Loquat was the nickname Chen Yun gave to the person in the coffin... well, let's just say that for now.
After all, who would use loquat as a proper name?
It might sound a bit redundant at first glance.
However, the truth is that the longer Shen Yun spends with someone, the less she can confuse the two, even though they look so similar.
In the very beginning, Shen Yun did have that despicable thought.
But whenever I meet those innocent yet completely trusting eyes, the tiny bit of guilt in my heart will unknowingly swell to an unbelievable degree.
I don't know if it's a kind of chick-like attachment, but the loquat is unusually attached to Chen Yun.
No matter what Shen Yun does or where she appears in the house, the other person will follow her like a tail, never leaving her side.
On the other hand, Pipa was extremely obedient, remembering everything she was told. No matter how reluctant she was, she would stay obediently at home, waiting for Chen Yun to return from work, never overstepping her bounds during this time…
But they're just too well-behaved.
Sometimes, Chen Yun feels a bit strange.
Although the young man in front of me walks, sits, and lies down like an ordinary person, there is always a sense of emptiness, like that of a hollow doll.
If we were to use an everyday word to describe it, it would probably be something like being utterly dejected and distraught.
They lived, but not fully.
Is it because of the lack of a "heart"?
Of course, that might be a bit of an exaggeration.
Although people in the past often used the word "heart" to refer to a person's emotions and values, from the perspective of modern science... no.
Because, if I had to put it bluntly, this person's very existence is already quite anti-scientific.
—Or, can we really call them human?
A subtle thought flashed through Shen Yun's mind.
After all, their first meeting took place in that kind of environment.
A being that has slept for countless years in underground ruins, without a heart yet still able to "come alive" like this, is perhaps closer to the legendary zombie.
But zombies, as the name suggests, are very straightforward.
Even if it were a zombie, its Achilles' heel would likely be located in the heart.
So, could it be some other kind of spirit or monster?
From the outside, loquats are no different from ordinary humans.
According to standard instrument measurements, apart from the absence of a heart, all other organs in the young man's body were functioning normally...
That's so strange, so intriguing.
The existence of young people is undoubtedly excellent material for research, but Shen Yun ultimately gave up on further exploration.
Ultimately, he couldn't accept loquats as non-human beings.
Whether it was based on that face or the affectionate attitude the other person showed... Shen Yun didn't want to lose all of this again.
Even if it is nothing more than a mere illusion of happiness.
Even though he never actually possessed it.
Shen Yun consciously reformed the youth.
The other person had lost their memory, like a blank sheet of paper, which Shen Yun could paint on at will. However, the process was not entirely smooth.
On the one hand, Shen Yun clearly lacks experience in raising children.
On the other hand, the young man's temperament was almost identical to that of the real Yu Qingzhou, equally calm and equally shy.
The difference is that the loquat truly makes the essence of life the center of its existence.
He would work hard to complete all the assignments set by Shen Yun, and he would do his best in anything that might earn Shen Yun's praise, whether he liked it or not.
The loquat's learning ability is astonishing.
That's not human speed at all.
Common sense was one thing, but even knowledge related to professional fields was mastered very well in a very short time.
The lingering charm can sometimes create an illusion.
It's as if the other person didn't just learn these things, but rather had their existing knowledge awakened during the interaction...
But is that even possible?
Unless... unless there is no loquat at all, and the young man is his missing junior brother... who is Yu Qingzhou himself.
That's impossible.
Because he witnessed his junior brother being buried by the blizzard and disappearing into the vast white snow.
He also wouldn't forget how pale and sickly the other person looked at that time.
The night before departure, Shen Yun actually changed her mind.
Yu Qingzhou's physical condition at the time was not suitable for long-distance travel, let alone strenuous exercise like mountain climbing.
He then knocked on Yu Qingzhou's door and tactfully expressed his concerns.
In response, Yu Qingzhou showed a long-lost calmness, looking into Shen Yun's eyes to indicate that he would act within his capabilities.
I've heard that the soul is that white when it's reborn. I want to see it with my own eyes, as a farewell to the past. And then, like you said, everything starts anew.
Shen Yun thought to herself that she must have been bewitched at the time—
They failed to grasp Yu Qingzhou's implied meaning at all, and simply let the other party embark on that path of no return.
He could never forgive himself for his slowness and stupidity.
Therefore, I find it increasingly difficult to tolerate the part of myself that seeks solace in someone else.
Do Yu Qingzhou and loquat look alike?
It might be similar, but not quite.
Moreover, as time went on, the loquat exhibited a completely different extroverted and confident demeanor compared to its predecessor.
This made Shen Yun even more unable to equate the two.
At the same time, Shen Yun discovered a terrible fact: his impression of Yu Qingzhou was gradually being overshadowed by the people around him.
This change is gradual and subtle.
By the time Shen Yun painfully realized this, everything had already become a fait accompli.
As for the opportunity, it was actually on a summer afternoon when Pipa, as usual, stared blankly at the loquat tree in the corner of the yard.
The loquat tree would always gaze at it thoughtfully. It all began the moment Chen Yun brought the other person to this place.
This is why loquat is called loquat.
That ornamental fruit tree does not produce sweet fruit.
Shen Yun then bought a large basket of loquats with thin skin, large size, and sweet, juicy flesh.
The young man simply looked at the cleaned items on the table, remaining unmoved even when Shen Yun peeled them and placed them in the other's hands.
Ultimately, Shen Yun reached a conclusion.
Pipa simply liked staring at that tree.
Then he suddenly remembered that Yu Qingzhou seemed to like this too.
However, no matter how hard Shen Yun tried to recall, she could not find any related images in her memory.
He could still recall every little detail about his time with Yu Qingzhou.
But every face that comes to mind belongs, without exception, to the young man gazing out from the railing before him…
No, perhaps, it truly belonged to Yu Qingzhou… to Yu Qingzhou…
"what's on your mind?"
The young man by the railing seemed to sense something and turned around, his smile exceptionally bright.
It was a face exactly as she remembered, and it was also... the only face Shen Yun could recall at this moment.
A chill crept up my spine.
Shen Yun stood there, stunned, slowly swallowed up by the cold despair.
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