Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

The three looked in the direction of the sound and saw a graceful and elegant figure standing quietly behind them.

"Ms. Ruan... Ruan Mei..."

Upon seeing the newcomer's appearance, even Hoshino and Estella, both women, couldn't hide their amazement.

Today, Ruan Mei wore a modified, form-fitting cheongsam with an off-shoulder short top and delicate openwork lace trim at the neckline and edges, revealing her porcelain-like skin.

The sleeves and front are decorated with tiny pink and white plum blossoms, while the skirt is made of lake blue satin from the waist down, creating a striking visual contrast with the upper body.

The curve of the waistline occasionally encounters a heavy bulge, creating a stunning landscape.

Her long, dark brown hair was loosely tied into a half-bun, with a few strands of streaked hair in a deep blue highlight hanging down her neck, echoing her deep eye color.

Beneath her perfect waist-to-hip ratio are a pair of flawless, rounded long legs, adorned only by a pearl leg ring.

Her gentle and graceful demeanor is captivating, and her beautiful eyes are incredibly alluring.

Estella was somewhat stunned, completely unexpected that this reclusive genius would appear here.

From the moment she appeared, Ruan Mei's gaze was subtly fixed on Qi Zhimu, observing his every subtle reaction.

Seeing that he remained calm and composed, a hint of disappointment flashed through my mind, but it was gone in an instant.

Despite her elaborate dressing up, which only elicited gasps of admiration from two young women, Ruan Mei failed to stir any interest in the man. Undeterred, she remained composed in her tone.

"May I sit here?"

Qi Zhimu and the other two chose a square table for four. Xing and Aisda sat facing each other, and the position that Ruan Mei pointed to was self-evident.

"Of course." Estelle stood up politely and gestured for him to proceed.

"Thanks."

Ruan Mei gracefully sat down opposite Qi Zhimu, her full curves fitting perfectly on the chair, creating an alluring arc.

Estelle respectfully handed over the menu, which Estelle politely declined.

"Don't worry about my taste. I originally invited two other geniuses to come, but they happened to have important matters to attend to as we approached this place."

Ruan Mei spoke a flawless lie with a calm expression.

Invite Screwball and Stephen?

It's completely fabricated.

It was merely a coincidence to lower Qi Zhimu's guard and to give him a legitimate reason to approach him.

"I couldn't finish all the pastries I prepared by myself, so I'll share them with you. I hope you like them."

Ruan Mei gently brushed the table with her delicate hand, where several plates of exquisitely crafted pastries, exuding a refreshing fragrance, were neatly arranged.

"This is steamed sugar-coated cheese, with a soft texture, a fragrant aroma, and a rich flavor."

"Lotus root starch and osmanthus sugar cake: slice old lotus root, soak it in water for three days, crush it to extract the juice, filter it, pour it into water, and heat it in a traditional stove to obtain lotus root starch."

At this point, Ruan Mei glanced at the three of them, her gaze finally settling on Qi Zhimu's face.

"Then mix the lotus root starch with flour, sugar, osmanthus flowers, and 'Lovers' Whispers' until it solidifies. If you don't have 'Lovers' Whispers,' you can use sugar instead."

"I used to eat this often when I was a child, but now it's hard to find the authentic version. I used to teach my students how to make it, but now I have to make it myself."

Seeing that Qi Zhimu still had no reaction, Ruan Mei pursed her lips, a hint of sadness flashing in her eyes.

She didn't try to hide it, and everyone else present could feel the emotions she was radiating.

Estella unconsciously lowered her voice.

"Ms. Ruan Mei, you sounded quite distressed when you talked about that student. May I ask what happened?"

"I lost him because of an experiment."

Ruan Mei answered softly, then closed her eyes and shook her head slightly, subtly changing the subject.

"Let's leave the past aside for now and have a taste. The flavor of the pastries will be greatly diminished if they get cold."

She introduced the names and recipes of the remaining pastries, but unfortunately, she still couldn't see any of the ones she wanted.

The reason she did this on purpose was because she had taught Qi Zhimu how to make all these pastries herself.

The students lived up to expectations, mastering the essence in a very short time, and even surpassing their teachers.

These pastries, which looked and were made the same as before, failed to evoke any memories for Qi Zhimu. So, only two hopes remained.

Firstly, he hoped that the familiar taste would touch upon memories deep within his soul.

Second... She had referenced the Dream Return Needle used by the Immortal Boat Alliance on the Wisdom Clan.

After improvements and hundreds of clinical trials, a drug that can induce memory recall was injected into these pastries.

Furthermore, the medicine only works on Qi Zhimu and does not affect women, so there is no need to worry about Aisda or Xing having any problems after taking it.

Whether it's one or two, I hope he remembers the past.

Ruan Mei pondered this matter deeply and struggled with it for a long time.

Not long ago, she was overjoyed by Qi Zhimu's forgetfulness, but as time went by, the joy turned into endless internal strife and guilt.

She was running away, running away from the hurt she had caused Amu.

This is unfair to Amu!

Even if Yu Qingtu and Black Swan reunite with him, even if they would do what's best for Amu and not tell him about that cruel past.

But what if one day, just maybe, Amu suddenly remembers everything?

How will he view himself as a teacher at that time?

This is the most likely outcome—

The teacher is a selfish and cowardly person who buries his head in the sand like an ostrich, pretending not to see the past, and is not worthy of love at all.

No!

She didn't want to, and dared not, face that kind of future.

We can't be selfish anymore.

If she had to choose between remembering the beautiful past or feeling heartbroken, she would rather feel heartbroken!

She wanted Amu to forgive the teacher, no matter what price or punishment was required to achieve that forgiveness.

Whether I beat her, scold her, or even use her as a venting object to torment her, pouring out my darkest desires into her body, it doesn't matter.

She will accept it all.

If you pushed him into darkness, then it is only right that you bear his darkness.

As long as Amu still acknowledges her as his teacher, as long as Amu forgives her, that's all that matters...

The name Black Swan served as a profound warning to her.

Events that are considered to have an extremely low probability or even be impossible often happen unexpectedly.

Thousands of years ago, she suffered this loss and completely lost her students.

Now that we've reunited with Amu, we must never forget the lessons learned and repeat the same mistakes.

The above is the real reason why we made these pastries and went straight to Qi Zhimu today.

We must face our own mistakes.

Ruan Mei had considered returning Qi Zhimu's memories from that life to him directly.

No implantation is needed; just watch it like a movie.

However, this method never achieves the same profound impact as making the person involved actively remember it.

According to her judgment, Qi Zhimu's forgetting of his past life was not something that could be recalled simply by looking at his memories.

The biggest culprit is right in front of us. If I could remember, I would have remembered long ago. Why do I need those memories?

The only way is to start with the past life.

But in reality, Ruan Mei was not entirely confident.

The reason why the Vidyadharas can recall their past lives after receiving the Dream-Recalling Needle is because they used the same body for reincarnation after shedding their eggs.

But Qi Zhimu was human. After his death, the Black Swan personally cremated his body and buried him under the old plum tree.