Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

The Black Tower's gate was neither closed nor locked.

After changing her clothes, Ruan Mei carried two boxes of exquisite pastries and walked straight into the living room.

Black Tower, dressed in a silk slip dress, nestled on the living room sofa, her two long, snow-white legs crossed, holding a book in one hand.

No matter how many Amber Ages have passed, many people share the same habit: reading physical books in this technologically advanced interstellar age.

Not only scholars, but many geniuses are the same.

Find that rare sense of immersion through touch and smell.

Unfortunately, Ruan Mei had no interest in paying attention at the moment.

Seeing the black tower and those long, snow-white legs, I couldn't help but picture them draped over Qi Zhimu's arm...

"Those are the afternoon tea snacks you prepared?"

Hei Ta noticed Ruan Mei enter the room, lazily curled up her legs, and returned her gaze to her book.

Ruan Mei placed the snack box on the table and sat down opposite the Black Tower.

"I told you I'd bring you a box when we took a break last time. You can eat it now if you want."

"That works too. It'll be a good opportunity for Zhimu to try your cooking."

Without turning his head, Black Tower pressed his fingertips against the pages of the book and casually turned a page.

"But Zhi Mu's skills are better than yours. You ate the pickled soybean cake with plums a few days ago, so you should know that."

"The food in his hometown is similar to that in your hometown, and you both make pastries. You two can exchange ideas."

"If he gets tired of staying on the space station and wants to go out for a walk, and you happen to be there, you can make me pastries in his place."

At first, Nguyen Mai did not pay attention to what Hei Ta said.

But as he listened to each sentence, his expression grew increasingly grim.

Yes, the Black Tower wasn't mentioned at all.

But these words, every single one of them, seemed to pierce the heart.

Ruan Mei's expression gradually darkened.

Previously, we were just partners or friends, so there's nothing wrong with Black Tower saying that.

But now, Black Tower not only enjoys her students, and countless times at that, she even has the audacity to ask her, her teacher, to act as a substitute for pastries?

What, does Amu not have the strength and need her to help push him from behind?

How could Black Tower go so far?

These thoughts kept popping into Ruan Mei's mind, but what followed was dejection.

Black Tower's words were excessive, at least to her.

But did Heita, in his subjective will, have a tendency to stab her in the heart?

No.

Hei Ta knew nothing about Amu's past, nor about hers, and was even more unaware that she was Amu's first woman.

Given this premise, it can only be considered an unintentional hurtful remark.

Even though I always put everything first, I just can't bring myself to say it.

Given Amu's current situation, confessing everything to him will have predictable consequences—a bad end.

In this era, fictional historians can fabricate history.

Those who remember and those who burn chemical products can forge memories.

Some extreme factions can even perfectly forge people.

In this era, who can provide compelling evidence to prove that Qi Zhimu's past life memories are true?

Even black swans are not an option.

Because she is a memory user who is skilled at modifying memories, her identity and the nature of her faction are even more sensitive.

There is only one plausible piece of evidence:

—Disregarding the premise of memory implantation and cognitive modification, let Qi Zhimu recall all his past memories on his own.

Since they didn't receive a reply from Ruan Mei, Hei Ta took it as her tacit agreement.

Just as I was about to turn the page again, as if suddenly remembering something, I snapped the book shut.

"By the way, what were you doing calling Zhimu Communications the other night? And why did you call several times in a row?"

"...Did I disturb you?"

"Otherwise, I was almost at my climax when you sent me a communication request."

Black Tower looked slightly displeased when he spoke of that night.

"If Zhimu hadn't turned it off so quickly, the feeling that was finally about to come would have been cut off."

"You're a woman too, and a scientist in the field of life sciences. Don't you know how disappointing it is to stop halfway through... Oh right, you're a widow..."

"That's not right... Even a king like me has physical needs!"

"Before I reunited with Zhi Mu, when I missed him so much that I couldn't bear it anymore, I would do things myself while looking at his photo."

"Even though you're an old maid, you shouldn't completely eliminate your sexual needs."

"...I'm not an old maid!"

Ruan Mei, unusually, interrupted Hei Ta's incessant chatter, her voice louder than ever before.

Even the Black Tower was stunned upon hearing this, as if he had been intimidated.

Shouting so loudly... Is this still Ruan Mei?

She's clearly not, and doesn't seem like, the kind of person who would get worked up over something so trivial...

Wait a minute—

"You can't judge a book by its cover! So you've had sexual experience before? That's incredible! Who could have captured your heart? Tell us about it!"

Black Tower didn't care about being yelled at; he quickly changed the subject, his face full of gossip.

Ruan Mei's hands, folded on her lap, clenched tightly, and she almost blurted out some uncontrollable words.

The Black Tower has been provoking us...

If this woman hadn't been so engrossed in Amu's tender embrace, completely unaware of the truth...

Ruan Mei suppressed her emotions, soothed her twitching eyes, and suppressed the shadow that was about to cover half of her face.

Black Tower continued to speculate on its own.

"Could it be that he was your boyfriend or husband before you became a genius?"

"Or is it that you weren't always this indifferent, but rather that you became like this after being separated from your lover?"

"Have you asked enough?"

"no."

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. Why haven't you ever shown any interest in these things before?" Ruan Mei said with a sullen face and downcast eyes.

"Before, I was so focused on finding Zhimu that I didn't have the time or the inclination. Now that I've found her, I have the time and inclination, right?" Heita replied earnestly.

"..."

Ruan Mei took a deep breath, then exhaled deeply, then exhaled deeply again…

After repeating this several times, he finally managed to suppress the mouthful of blood that was about to rise to his throat.

The pain you feel now isn't from being mocked or ridiculed, but from the fact that the person making those sarcastic or ridiculing remarks doesn't even realize they're being sarcastic or ridiculing you.

She knew that Black Tower was sharp-tongued.

But today I experienced it firsthand and realized just how infuriating someone can be when they're at full power.

What's even more painful is that she has to endure it so as not to leave a worse impression on Qi Zhimu.

Through these days of contact, she could sense that the bad impression left on Amu by the incident of giving Xingxia the antidote was disappearing at a visible speed.

If you act impulsively and say or do things you shouldn't, all your efforts will be in vain.

Qi Zhimu recalled that before, she had no advantage in front of the Black Tower.

Because Hei Ta is Qi Zhimu's legitimate lover, their relationship is that of a de facto couple, lacking only a symbolic certificate.

In Qi Zhimu's eyes, Ruan Mei was merely this identity—

The academic partner of the lover Black Tower, the genius club #81, is someone whose friendship with him is somewhat strained.

Just then, Qi Zhimu came out and told them that they could have breakfast.

Hei Ta immediately banished his gossipy thoughts and greeted Qi Zhimu with a bright smile.

Ruan Mei sat on the sofa, watching them chat and laugh, her eyes darting around.