The shadows of the trees swayed the sunlight falling on the window, and the only sound in the quiet ward was the rustling of branches and leaves.
The slightly cool air blew on Lu Shizhen's back, and she could hear the sound of her heartbeat.
As to the fact that Xu Shiyue had already noticed the existence of the system, Lu Shizhen already had the answer in his mind.
But she didn't expect that Xu Shiyue had already known about the existence of this thing five years ago.
The apology I made on the way to the book signing event that day turned out to be a lie to myself.
She could understand the hints I gave her and had already identified myself.
For many nights after reuniting with Xu Shiyue, Lu Shizhen suppressed himself and avoided thinking about it.
And this idea that had been suppressed for so long finally emerged uncontrollably from her mind today.
—Even if I changed my appearance, Xu Shiyue could still recognize me.
Lu Shizhen never thought of herself as a lucky person, and even her small expectations were handled with caution.
But Xu Shiyue always broke the rules that she had adhered to for more than ten years one by one, gave her peace of mind, allowed her to act coquettishly, and unswervingly chose herself.
Just myself.
It has nothing to do with that Lu Shizhen.
Lu Shizhen wondered how such a thing could happen to her, and disbelief was evident in her eyes.
She turned around and looked at Xu Shiyue, choking with sobs as she asked the question that had concerned her the most over the years: "So, you crushed my bones and scattered my ashes because you don't believe I'm dead, right?"
Xu Shiyue lowered his eyebrows and gently placed his fingertips on the tip of the fruit knife in his hand.
She had been bound by the system's plot track three times, and that was her first time.
The gray ashes swept across the sunlight outside the window, and even the brightest sun dimmed.
The biting wind took shape at this moment, carrying everything with it swiftly and disappearing without a trace.
Xu Shiyue's movements were so fast that no one, including the staff, could react.
Cheng Meiyan fainted on the ground, and Lu Shize's hands were tightly strangling her neck.
Thin air was struggling in Xu Shiyue's throat, and death was imminent.
She just looked at the furious Lu Shize opposite her, knowing clearly that she was pushed into doing this series of actions, but she hesitated to explain and never regretted it. Even though Lu Shize later cut off ties with her and used his connections to squeeze her.
This thing manipulated Xu Shiyue, but also enlightened her.
Just like she had her rules, this thing had its rules.
No matter how many rules there are, getting rid of the donkey after it has done its job is not a good way to maintain the long-term stability of a system.
That was not her Lu Shizhen.
Her Lu Shizhen is still alive.
Xu Shiyue narrowed her eyes slightly, sorted out the not-so-good memories, and said to Lu Shizhen: "You are very smart. You know that the more you are ready to leave, the more you have to be as normal as any other day in the past. That's why you didn't clean up your room properly and take anything with you."
"But you forgot what a genius your sister is. She found everyone's New Year's presents before the New Year. The wrapped paintings were placed in the studio, and at that time there were still eighteen days, more than half a month, away from the New Year."
"The accident report showed that the deceased was located under the window, far from the door. But later I found the owner of the dessert shop, and she told me that it was a girl in a red skirt who pushed her out of the door of the dessert shop, which was just a stone's throw away."
Having said this, Xu Shiyue slowly raised his eyes.
All the emotions of the past five years surged in her eyes at this moment, heavy and complicated, mixed with countless resentments: "You left too many loopholes, Lu Shizhen, and even tried to use a fake corpse to cover up the truth."
"I only regret that I didn't catch you that day."
Xu Shiyue's voice sounded extremely cold, but his eyes were slightly red.
The cool breeze that day brushed across Lu Shizhen's back, surging beside her, and making her heart ache.
It turned out that Xu Shiyue was not in a trance at that time.
But I really recognized myself...
But I was wrapped so tightly that day, how did Xu Shiyue recognize me
A calming sigh came from the quiet ward. Xu Shiyue looked at the doubt in Lu Shizhen's eyes and continued slowly, "I have taken Yuanzi for a physical examination every quarter over the years. All of his physical examination data is normal, except for a slight fatty liver. But I don't think a slight fatty liver will suddenly change and send out an alarm."
As if thinking of something interesting, Xu Shiyue smiled slightly: "You are very smart, and you also have a very obedient cat, but it doesn't seem to be that smart."
In an instant, the confusion on Lu Shizhen's face turned into shock.
Xu Shiyue knew that Qiuqiu was not an ordinary kitten.
Xu Shiyue recognized herself that day because of her... She could see the spherical Qiuqiu!
What Xu Shiyue told himself about the reverse high-latitude procedure in the Bugatti that day was not a hypothesis, but a fact.
Lu Shizhen suddenly sat up from the bed and looked around quickly.
The sunlight at noon was brighter than at any other time of the day, and it even hurt her eyes.
The world is still there and is thriving under the influence of spring.
There was no sign of the scenario that Qiuqiu had described when she threatened her, which would lead to the destruction of the world if Xu Shiyue knew about it, happening at all.
Or maybe…
Lu Shizhen was thinking about it, and then he thought of Xu Shiyue slightly supporting his chin and smiled: "Am I right?"
Lu Shizhen subconsciously wanted to nod and say "yes", but then he seemed to be stuck and couldn't come up with the answer.
She knew that the system was trying to stop her again.
But she also really wanted to say, Lord God, please wake up, Xu Shiyue already knows everything, what's the point of you trying to cover up your mistakes and setting up these mouth-covering settings!
Lu Shizhen was somewhat helpless, and he spread his hands and complained: "It's not just the cat that's not smart."
Xu Shiyue understood what Lu Shizhen meant, sat up straighter, and took the initiative to say: "Then let me tell you."
"Your name is Lu Shizhen, and you're a cartoonist. Your first comic book won a big award, and you could be said to be a rising star. But you came into this world unexpectedly and became another Lu Shizhen. You have to clean up her mess and get my forgiveness before you can continue to live."
Xu Shiyue's voice was very calm, and she told almost the entire story of Lu Shizhen's coming here.
Lu Shizhen was somewhat surprised at Xu Shiyue's reasoning ability. He always felt as if he had seen a bug that was powerful enough to compete with the system.
The humanoid bug Xu Shiyue did not let Lu Shizhen die, and continued to reason based on what she saw and knew: "Although you and the cat kid are one dimension higher than us, you are not completely free in this world, you are also constrained, and some of your actions will cause you to be punished, such as... suddenly falling down the stairs, the lamp fell without warning, and clearly fell into the water, but no one could find you."
"And this time there was a huge truck that suddenly rushed over."
Lu Shizhen's face was filled with surprise, and his dark eyes were wide open.
Xu Shiyue couldn't help but smile at her expression, and said in a satisfied tone, "Looking at your expression now, I think my guess is correct."
Lu Shizhen was so impressed by Xu Shiyue that he subconsciously asked, "So I and Qiu—"
Although she asked the question suddenly, the system still detected it, and the word "湫湫" was cut short before she could finish it.
Xu Shiyue understood what he meant and shook his head: "No."
She rarely showed helplessness on her face, and confessed: "Because I really have tinnitus."
Lu Shizhen suddenly remembered that Xu Shiyue had said nonchalantly that she had tinnitus several times before, but she did not continue to be surprised by Xu Shiyue's bug phenomenon, but asked nervously: "Is your problem serious? I will talk farther away from you in the future. Will it be better? Let's try it one day..."
Lu Shizhen was still planning how to prevent Xu Shiyue from having tinnitus, but before he could finish his plan, he was held down by Xu Shiyue.
Her hand fell on Lu Shizhen's hand, and she asked calmly: "How far? Are you going to leave me again?"
"It's okay, it won't affect my body." Xu Shiyue's expression was serious and relaxed, as if nothing serious happened.
She looked at Lu Shizhen's gradually recovering complexion, and a hint of relief appeared in her voice: "And I'm very surprised and fortunate that I can hear this this time, otherwise I would lose you again."
But it was this kind of relief that caused countless emotions to surge in Lu Shizhen's heart.
The word "again" from Xu Shiyue was like a piece of red-hot iron, branded into her heart.
Even though Xu Shiyue knew everything now, everyone had to be immersed in darkness before welcoming the light. The conclusion of death really hung over her like a curse for a while, causing her heartbroken pain. The system was the hand that dragged her into the "correct track" without her own thoughts, and it was like an accomplice to drown her in the darkness.
Looking back, people always feel that time flies by and now it is here in a blink of an eye.
But five years is not fast at all.
How did she get here alone
She pieced together these fragmentary clues piece by piece, walking alone in the vast wilderness with wind and sand filling the sky.
The slender fingers gently brushed the scattered hair on the side of Lu Shizhen's face, revealing an indescribable tenderness in the slight coolness.
Sensing Lu Shizhen's hidden emotions, Xu Shiyue's eyes were clear, and he said to Lu Shizhen again: "Do you still remember the time I left without saying goodbye? When I rolled down from the car, I heard a voice saying, 'Mission accomplished.'"
"You have been Lu Shizhen for a long time."
"You are not alone, so neither am I."
Lu Shizhen had never felt that life was worth living like this.
She was told to keep the secret with great care, but it turned out that there was someone else keeping it for her.
She is not alone.
It turns out that she has never been alone.
Two conflicting emotions collided in Lu Shizhen's eyes and then merged together.
Her eyes were red, but she couldn't help but smile.
Tears streamed down her face and fell on her collarbone, forming a crystal clear pool.
Xu Shiyue's eyes were calm, and he once again looked at the pink scar on her shoulder: "Does it hurt?"
Lu Shizhen knew what Xu Shiyue was referring to, and nodded without hiding anything: "It hurts a lot."
The shadows of the trees swayed in the wind, and were then covered by the rising shadow.
Xu Shiyue leaned over and kissed Lu Shizhen's uneven skin carefully and gently.
(End of this chapter)