Pu Ying was so sad that she woke up on the spot.
He sat up, and seemed to want to get out of bed and rush to the opening ceremony, but he staggered and then slowly fell down.
Pu Sicun quickly reached out to support him.
Pu Ying was lying in his grandfather's arms. He felt a little dizzy and raised his head while holding the book "Teach Photography in 10 Days".
Pu Sicun: “…”
For some reason, Pu Sicun suddenly felt more guilty than before.
"You can get it... You can get the autograph, don't worry."
Pu Sicun didn't understand this. He put his arm around Pu Ying and sat up, hastily making up the story: "Grandpa will ask for you. The guest instructor of National Geographic is called Luo Ran, right?"
There was some time left after the opening ceremony, so Pu Sicun wanted to take Pu Ying to try again. He turned around and asked for the students' opinions: "Excuse me..."
Pu Sicun was suddenly stunned.
The student has disappeared.
As Pu Ying woke up, the student stepped back from the bed and gave the position to talk to Pu Ying to Pu Sicun.
When he first noticed this student, Pu Sicun had already considered many possible purposes and intentions of the other party.
He couldn't determine, like Zhuang Yu did, what the relationship was between a person and a cloud of light fog of an electronic storm. Pu Sicun thought that this student might be seeking wealth, or wanted to use the Pu family's relationship to enter politics, or he might have some more unknown purpose.
Pu Sicun even considered whether it might be the same as Zhuang Yu, that student had relatives missing in the electronic storm and had an irreconcilable personal feud with Wen Er.
…but there was none of that.
It was as if this student's sudden appearance was just to return the derailed part of the world back to its original place.
Pu Ying had recovered some mobility. He supported himself with his arms and slowly sat up: "Grandpa?"
"Do you remember the student who gave me the recorder?"
Pu Sicun asked: "Has he ever told me who he is?"
Pu Ying shook his head.
Pu Sicun was not surprised by this answer. He did not ask any more questions, nodded, and asked someone to tell the driver to drive.
Pu Ying said, "Grandpa, the time has passed."
"We must go after the weather has passed. We must go as long as there is a little hope," said Pu Sicun.
Pu Ying was stunned.
Pu Sicun reached out his hand, held Pu Ying's arm and helped him stand up.
Pu Ying stood up with the help of Pu Sicun, and swayed again. This time, before she fell, she was firmly held by Pu Sicun.
Pu Ying's breathing paused.
A sudden strong dizziness made him stop moving and close his eyes unconsciously.
"Wait a minute." Pu Sicun said softly, "Don't worry, Grandpa is with you."
… Two years ago, Pu Ying had just returned to the Pu family and needed to start restorative exercises again.
Wen Er's paper said that for patients with severe sequelae of electronic storms, it is best not to help casually during recovery training, so as to avoid dependence on others.
Pu Ying was alone in the luxurious and cold rehabilitation room and fell countless times.
Pu Sicun couldn't think about it anymore. He calmed down and wanted to speak, but suddenly he heard Pu Ying's hesitant voice: "...Grandpa."
Pu Sicun responded: "Grandpa is here, what's wrong?"
"Help me walk like this." Pu Ying frowned slightly. It was the first time he saw the memory of his past self. It was very blurry, like an old photo full of noise from a low-quality camera. "I was very small, not as tall as the bed, and couldn't stand steadily by myself."
Pu Ying paused, thought carefully, and said slowly: "I like being supported by grandpa when walking."
Pu Sicun's old body suddenly trembled violently.
His breathing quickened, his eyes widened, and he held Pu Ying's arm.
"What did you say?" Pu Sicun asked in a low voice, "Say it again, you—"
"I remember that when I was a kid, I loved being supported by my grandfather while walking."
Pu Ying said: "If I fall down, grandpa will pick me up."
Pu Sicun hastily closed his eyes.
Pu Ying was a little confused.
He couldn't understand why Pu Sicun had such a violent reaction, so he raised his hand and wiped away the tears that suddenly fell for his grandfather.
Pu Sicun panted heavily, shook his head vigorously, and said in a hoarse voice: "I'm sorry, it's Grandpa's fault..."
…
It turns out it's just this simple.
Pu Sicun had never told anyone that he had a very short dream before receiving the recorder sent by Pu Ying and attending the emergency meeting at the alliance headquarters.
A very short nightmare.
He dreamed that Pu Ying and Wen Er got married and lived together for ten years.
In the dream, Pu Ying slowly recovered under Wen Er's treatment. She learned to speak and act like a normal person, and regained her emotions. She seemed no different from anyone else.
The two families held a grand celebration banquet.
On the morning of the banquet, he was woken up and hurried to Pu Ying's room.
He saw the mysterious and dazzling light, and saw Pu Ying turn into an inorganic gray in the light, disappearing completely bit by bit, leaving only Wen Er, who was kneeling on the ground with empty eyes, unable to be retained.
Pu Sicun didn't take the dream seriously at first and didn't take it too seriously.
It was only during the emergency meeting that he vaguely realized Wen Er's true face, which suddenly brought out the suffocating fear and anger in his dream.
This uncontrollable fear and anger finally made Pu Sicun wake up from the huge lie.
…
It was not until this moment that Pu Sicun realized with particular clarity that this dream would come true.
According to Wen Er's treatment method, Pu Ying will eventually turn into that gray shadow and disappear from their lives again, returning to that ball of light fog.
Even if all the mistakes have been corrected now, such fear is still enough to hold people hostage in endless despair.
Pu Sicun held Pu Ying's arm, repeatedly confirming that he was indeed real and not another self-comforting illusion.
"Grandpa." Pu Ying leaned over, "What happened?"
Pu Sicun shook his head vigorously: "No... Nothing, Grandpa will accompany you to the opening ceremony..."
Pu Ying shook her head: "Not going anymore."
Pu Sicun paused. He looked at Pu Ying, his eyes showing unprecedented urgency and panic: "Why?"
"You are not feeling well." Pu Ying said, "I will accompany you."
When being punished by the family and kicked out by his grandfather, Pu Ying didn't know what to do.
It was because I met that person again and talked to him/her that the pain became bearable.
“When you feel uncomfortable, you want someone to be around.”
Pu Ying said: "It makes me feel much better if I can talk to someone."
Pu Sicun looked at Pu Ying, and he saw his own shadow in Pu Ying's eyes.
… This is his child.
How could he be deceived into trusting an irrelevant person and not trusting his own best child.
Pu Sicun tried his best to calm his mind.
He had controlled his own gaffe, smiled, and shook his head: "I'm not feeling uncomfortable, Grandpa is just happy."
"Let's go." Pu Sicun saw the driver and held Pu Ying's arm. "We do have to go there... I have something to ask the parents of Luo Ran you mentioned."
If that dream was true, at the end of the dream, Wen Er, who lost everything, actually went crazy.
Wen Er, who had completely lost his mind and fell into madness and delirium, had also told some even more incredible truths.
For example, Luo Ran’s true identity.
Pu Sicun asked the driver to drive the car to the door. He sat in the back seat with Pu Ying. Looking at his grandson who looked a little confused, a gentle and relaxed smile finally appeared on his face.
"The Wen family has made a decision for Wen Er... Your inheritance rights have been returned, but there may be some new surprises."
"We cannot be sure of the child's true identity," Pu Sicun said. "We have learned our lesson. Even if we are sure, we will still fully respect his opinion and let him do what he wants."
"But if this is true, what belongs to him must be given to him."
Pu Sicun half-jokingly asked Pu Ying in a gentle voice: "If I want to give half of the inherited assets and shares to Luo Ran, are you willing?"
Pu Ying asked, "Can I exchange his autograph?"
Pu Sicun: “…”
"I want a special one, just for me."
Pu Ying explained to her grandfather: "There is a piece of paper with his name and my name on it."
Pu Sicun: “…Okay.”
If Luo Ran is really the part of the original "Pu Ying" that was separated by the electronic storm, the Pu family must of course give him what he deserves.
Regardless of whether he accepts the property or not, Luo Ran has to sign a document.
The document will indeed have both Luo Ran and Pu Ying's names on it.
Pu Sicun pressed his forehead.
He came back to his senses from the surprise of Pu Ying's obvious progress, and remembered the reminder from his student. He asked his grandson sitting next to him, "When we get home, I'll find a tutor for you so that you can learn some new things, okay?"
Pu Ying nodded: "What to learn?"
Pu Sicun: "Fraud and Anti-Fraud."
Pu Ying: “?”
Pu Sicun touched his hair, took out the candy from his pocket, peeled it and handed it to Pu Ying.
He took the phone and called the Alliance Anti-Fraud Publicity Center.
Three days later, Wen Er's solitary confinement cell had its first visitor.
When Wen Er heard the visiting notice, he did not give any reaction.
He had lost everything there was to lose, his status, his reputation, his power, his family—he had nothing left, so there was nothing to fear anymore.
Even after seeing clearly who was visiting, his expression was only slightly surprised for a moment before returning to normal.
… He had been waiting to meet this person.
This person, who pretended to be "Pu Ying", set traps step by step, and before he even had time to react, completely exposed all the lies he had made up, forcing him into a desperate situation.
"Who is it?"
Wen Er stood up and looked at the figure in front of him: "I know you are not Pu Ying, and you are not Luo Ran... Who are you?"
Yu Tang did not answer his question.
Wen Er was completely devastated, his face was pale and blue, his half-long hair was hanging down in a mess, and his clothes were shabby.
He was handcuffed to a chair, staring at Yu Tang motionlessly.
Yu Tang placed a stack of newspaper clippings in front of him.
Those were statements jointly issued by the Wen family and the Pu family, including the annulment of the marriage contract, the readjustment and distribution of inheritance rights, and the expulsion of family members.
What gave Pu Sicun an unexpected headache was that Luo Ran and Pu Ying both gave up their inheritance rights to the Pu family at the same time.
Luo Ran resumed his real work as a "storm chaser". He only wanted to be with his father and mother, and had agreed to work as a photographer in the editorial department of World Geographic. As soon as st returned to work, his works were snapped up and sold at sky-high prices.
Some gossip media have specifically calculated that the assets Luo Ran has accumulated from auctions over the years are no less than what he could get by being a young master of the Pu family.
Pu Ying thought that both the work in the security department and photography were very meaningful, and he didn't want to give up either. He finally got Luo Ran's special visa, and even took a photo with Luo Ran's family. He was preparing to use his precious vacation to participate in the World Geography Extreme Exploration Camp.
The assets that were firmly controlled by Wen Er and used to contain Pu Ying were transformed into compensation for the victims of Wen Er's research through coordination among all parties, and would be distributed to the families of each victim.
Wen Er pulled his face and sneered disdainfully: "What does this have to do with me?"
These could no longer be his.
He no longer cared about these things. He just stared at Yu Tang, with a terrifying light in his gray pupils: "I just want to know who you are, what your purpose is, and why you came here..."
"I received a commission." Yu Tang said, "There is a task to be completed."
Wen Er's expression twisted: "What mission?"
Yu Tang looked at the mission card in his sea of consciousness: "Let Pu Ying regain her feelings because of your efforts, and decide to be with you to atone for your sins."
The corners of Wen Er's eyes twitched violently.
This statement will undoubtedly sound absurd to ordinary people who do not know the truth. The person who said it will be considered mentally ill and sent to the hospital for treatment.
"I can understand that." Yu Tang said, "Your IQ is high enough. I've read your profile. You're a member of the Mensa Club."
Yu Tang sorted out his work notes: "I have completed two of my tasks. Pu Ying regained her true pain because of your efforts, and redeemed you for the crime you committed."
"Leave me alone... let me be with him?"
Wen Er sneered: "Then you really deserve it."
He didn't understand why there was such a bizarre commission, but that didn't stop him from understanding the whole thing.
All the weirdness, out-of-control, sudden changes, the other personality in Luo Ran's body, and the researcher who forced him to drink, finally had answers.
"If we fail to complete the task, there will be a punishment, right?"
Wen Er stared at Yu Tang with a twisted and smug smile: "You knew I wouldn't agree to cooperate with you... You had a chance, right?"
"I can just let Pu Ying marry me on purpose in order to get back her inheritance rights and turn herself in for me, and then divorce me on the same day... You wouldn't have thought of this method."
"You've gone too far, haven't you? Because of your ridiculous 'sense of justice', you want me to get the punishment I deserve, and you don't want Pu Ying to get involved in this matter anymore."
"This wasn't your original plan, was it? What made you change your mind?"
"Let me guess... you hid in Luo Ran's body and were influenced by his brainless parents?"
Wen Er's voice was hoarse as if it was poisoned: "It's because I didn't act early enough. I should have arranged a car accident three years ago to kill the Luo family directly, completely destroy Luo Ran's spirit, and turn him into my experimental subject..."
Yu Tang stopped what he was doing.
Wen Er met Yu Tang's eyes, and he found the emotion he wanted to see in them: "... Are you giving birth?"
He seemed to have found some absurd sense of victory, and his smile became even more cold and complacent: "Of course you should live. After all, even though I lost, you didn't really win—"
"I'm here to complete the mission." Yu Tang interrupted him, "Using your few correct research conclusions, the Science Department re-evaluated it."
Yu Tang: "According to the identification results, Luo Ran's electronic pulse frequency is consistent with Pu Ying's."
Wen Er's laughter got stuck in his throat.
His whole body froze completely, all the color drained from his face in an instant, and he stood there motionless.
He asked in a trembling voice: "What?"
"I should have had a premonition." Yu Tang said, "I just didn't dare to do this test because Luo Ran didn't like you at that time."
Wen'er's face twisted.
"You easily wiped out Luo Ran's love, because it was too easy to get, so easy that you disdained it."
Yu Tang: "Why is it so easy?"
Yu Tang: "Have you ever thought carefully about where Luo Ran's love for you comes from?"
Wen Er couldn't answer.
He instinctively didn't want to come up with that answer and was afraid of that answer.
He felt cold and looked at Yu Tang stiffly, as if he was looking at a monster that was about to devour him.
"Pu Ying has been learning from Luo Ran for a few days... I saw the photos he took, and he's not as good as me."
Yu Tang said: "Just like Luo Ran, who failed to learn calculus from elementary school to university."
"This is a very rare separation phenomenon. It is true that people are separated into two people in an electronic storm. But it is not easy for them to be separated to this extent."
Yu Tang: "An expert in the field of electronic storms speculated that when Pu Ying was a child, she was repeatedly hinted at what she should look like in the future."
"He subconsciously hid a part of himself. After falling into the electronic storm, his subconscious tried its best to protect the part that he cherished and was most important to him."
"That part escaped from the electron storm first and was picked up by an ordinary scientist couple and taken home."
Yu Tang said: "That is half of Pu Ying. He has everything that the childhood Pu Ying tried to protect and yearned for—freedom, passion, and living towards the light..."
"Stop talking!" Wen Er screamed. He hugged his head tightly and said in a shrill tone, "Stop talking, I don't want to hear it!"
He completely collapsed, and collapsed like mud: "Stop talking, stop talking... Please... "
Yu Tang finished calmly: "I like you with all my heart."
Six-year-old Pu Ying fell into an electronic storm.
For those who are lost in the electronic storm, the particles will be gradually taken away and merged into the vast, dazzling and magnificent light curtain.
Before completely losing consciousness, Xiao Puying carefully and strictly protected his most precious and strongest desire and love so that they would not be swallowed by the electronic storm.
That was what he wanted most to be, and not even an electronic storm could take that away.
"Not even an electronic storm can take it away."
Yu Tang: "But you used a year to completely wipe out this love."
Wen Er collapsed to the ground, exhausted.
He was like a half-dead fish that had been pulled out of water, with empty eyes and breathing heavily.
"… It's really not easy to brush up enough positive emotions." Yu Tang said.
Wen Er shifted his gaze in a trance, and a hissing voice came out of his throat: "What?"
Yu Tang didn't answer him.
In the Book Bureau, the energy that the protagonist can provide is determined by positive emotions such as favorability, appreciation, and admiration.
In this book, Yu Tang used Sui Si’s positive emotions to exchange for a black card for health care, and he still has some left.
In this book, Wen Er's favorability towards "Pu Ying" has always been above 90%, but the positive emotions have never been satisfied.
No matter how infatuated he claims to be, the one Wen Er loves the most is always himself.
Until now, when Wen Er was completely broken down and overwhelmed by the overwhelming despair and regret, Yu Tang finally gathered enough energy points from him.
"System." Yu Tang typed in his mind, "Swipe Wen Er's card to exchange a new body for Luo Ran that is not a temporary one."
The system happily played "Good Luck Comes" and dragged the little red card to pick the best-looking red-haired girl.
Yu Tang set up a shield, half squatted down, and looked at Wen Er: "There is something."
Wen Er's eyes trembled, and a little fear emerged: "... What?"
"You are right. I am alive." Yu Tang said, "Electron storm is a natural phenomenon. You have turned electron storm into the embodiment of evil through your research."
Wen Er's light gray pupils shrank slightly.
"Ten years ago, the number of people who fell into the electronic storm was very small, and it was only an isolated phenomenon."
Yu Tang: "It started with that small military team, and more and more... I found a study in the experimental records on your computer."
"We have mastered the method of using artificial interference to form electron pulses and attract electron storms."
Yu Tang: "I once tried to apply for it to be a special weapon to circumvent the review, but was rejected by the military. The military told me that they would never use such a cruel weapon."
“I destroyed that part of the record,” Yu Tang said. “That kind of research should not have existed.”
Wen Er shook his head in exhaustion: "How do you know the number of people? It's just a guess..."
"Every other year, I patrol an electronic storm and throw people out."
Yu Tang looked at him and said, "In the past ten years, our world has the largest population."
Wen Er opened his eyes with difficulty.
He suddenly remembered Zhuang Yu's crazy talk that he regarded as insane. He looked at Yu Tang and finally couldn't help shaking: "Who is he? What nonsense are you talking about? How can the electronic storm have independent consciousness? -"
His voice died quickly in his throat.
Before his eyes, the particularly familiar aurora appeared.
"Help... Help me!" Wen Er rolled and crawled backwards. He tried his best to hide backwards, and his wrists were covered with blood marks from being rubbed by the handcuffs. "Help me! Someone, help me..."
Yu Tang looked at him.
In Wen Er's memory, when the military team was engulfed by the electronic storm, he was hiding behind a tree.
Wen Er has been hiding behind the tree.
He watched those people calling for help, watched those people desperately trying to push their comrades out, and watched those people being swallowed by the aurora.
Yu Tang stood there for a while, then waved away the light: "You are not worthy to come in."
Yu Tang said: "I have a mission that has not been completed. I want to be with Pu Ying."
"What do you want me to do?" Wen Er was in despair. He tried to assure her hoarsely, "As long as you tell me, I can do it. I want you to complete the task, and you let me go..."
"Under Union law, mentally ill patients receiving treatment are deemed to be incapable of civil conduct."
Yu Tang: "If there is a tendency or even fact of serious social harm, the freedom of movement will be deprived and the Ministry of Security will be in charge of unified management, and the Special Investigation Section will be responsible for supervision."
Yu Tang: "Pu Ying will be your guardian until you wake up."
The "togetherness" achieved in this way is more solid than a marriage relationship.
Wen Er stared at him in fear: "What... before waking up?"
"Dream." Yu Tang said, "This is your original ending. I used the money from your clinic to buy you a hypnosis card."
Until the hypnosis card loses its effect, Wen Er will be trapped in the ending that is logically deduced ten years after "the protagonists lived happily together."
Wen Er will have plenty of time to clearly and inescapably experience what that feeling is like over and over again.
He could no longer even use his love for "Pu Ying" to convince and numb himself.
Wen Er collapsed on the ground, a hoarse cry of fear emanating from his throat. He raised his fist and hit his head hard again and again.
He had already noticed something was wrong. The shadow of "Pu Ying" that he had constructed for himself in his mind was rapidly disappearing and turning into a point of light that he could not grasp.
He tried desperately to force himself to think, but all that was left was an untouchable void of darkness.
Wen Er was swallowed by a nightmare.
Yu Tang unblocked, watched the progress bar of the redemption confirmation reach the end, and left the prison room.