Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

Jing Yuan's eyes darted around as he mentally inputted information.

[Real-name Internet access: This is probably already a lot of restraint. If only the Grandmaster, Master, and Lady Black Tower were here, I suspect Lady Black Tower would sit on the Grandmaster's lap...]

[Wisdom-Holder Online: Goodness… what's up with your grandmaster? He's not from the Wisdom-Holder Clan, how did he survive?]

[Real-name online comment: I don't know. Neither my master nor my grandmaster said anything. I advise you not to ask them either; asking such a question is undoubtedly overstepping your bounds.]

No matter how close your relationship with your comrades is, there are some things you absolutely cannot say.

Jing Yuan knew this perfectly well, and without hesitation pretended to be stupid.

Back to Qi Zhimu's side.

He could certainly see that Black Tower and Mirror Stream were secretly vying for power, but he had promised Black Tower long ago that he would not interfere in such situations.

Even if they didn't agree, seeing Kagami's illness flare up and he attack others, they would let Black Tower do as he pleased.

Yandere really needs to be cured.

Ultimately... he doesn't have the qualities to exclusively love yanderes.

If Jingliu can't desensitize, the one who will suffer will be herself, not him or the other women.

Having served as a judge in the Ten Kings' Court for so many years, Han Ya had interrogated countless prisoners and was particularly keen on perceiving changes in people's emotions and auras.

Therefore, she also knew that Mirror Stream and Black Tower were competing.

However… in Han Ya’s heart, there was nothing but helplessness.

Lord Zhimu must have noticed something, and since he didn't stop it, that means he let it go.

As a subordinate, all I need to do is follow Lord Zhimu's ideas.

Jingliu knew that Hanya's position was inconvenient and he wouldn't step forward to help under these circumstances, so he could only forcibly turn his gaze away from that side to make himself feel a little better.

Why only slightly?

Because she could still hear him, Black Tower deliberately raised her voice to make a sound that made her grind her teeth.

"Honey, I was right! This stir-fried pork with candied fruit is a real heavyweight dish. Let me try it for you first and give it my opinion."

"...The taste is surprisingly alright. Here, let me feed you~"

"The offal was a bit spicy, would you like some milk? Oh, the local specialty milk in Luofu is called Refu Goat Milk, come on, have some of Xiaota's..."

Jing Liu clenched his fist: How can a genius act like a little girl? Where is his sense of shame?! He even dares to make such an insinuation as "I'll drink your milk first"!

Black Tower smiled knowingly: "V me 50 and we'll switch places, how about that?"

Jingliu's eye twitched violently: ...

As time went on, everyone present could sense the tension between the Black Tower and the Mirror Stream.

—No one said anything.

Having urgent business to attend to, Han Ya ate a quick meal, paid the bill, and left.

After Qi Zhimu's table of dishes was served, the secret confrontation between the Black Tower and Mirror Flow finally stopped when it was the turn of Yun Shang Wu Xiao's table.

With the freshly cooked dishes laid out in front of him, Black Tower had no time to worry about Jing Liu anymore.

She didn't find anything particularly appealing about the taste of these dishes, but it depended on who she was eating with.

With my loved one by my side, even eating pickled vegetables tastes delicious.

If you have an enemy by your side, even eating dragon meat will taste like chewing wax.

"You two, I know I'm young, beautiful, and cute, but there's no need to keep looking at me like that, is there?"

Black Tower glanced at Star and March 7, offering a casual reminder.

Caught red-handed, March 7th realized he had been watching for so long without realizing it and quickly explained.

"Well...uh, it's mainly about broadening my horizons..."

"Hmm? You think you can learn something just by looking at me? I'm not some learned scholar."

"That's not what I meant. What I meant was... Ms. Black Tower, please don't be angry when I say this."

After a moment's hesitation, March 7th decided to speak his mind.

"We used to have a strong stereotype of you as aloof and unapproachable, but I never expected that your relationship with Zhi Mu would be so similar to that of an ordinary couple in a movie or TV drama..."

"She has a sweet smile, looks at people with loving eyes, has a sweet voice, and can even eat... cough..."

"It's just jealousy, you could have just said so. What did you think it was? In short, you think my image has been ruined, right?"

"Emm...maybe that's a fair way to put it?" March 7th scratched his head.

"That's because you don't know what I went through before I became a genius. Everyone's childhood experiences will influence their future selves."

Recalling the time he spent with Qi Zhimu in his youth, Hei Ta's lips unconsciously curled up into a smile.

If the Blue Star hadn't suffered that disaster, it could have learned and grown up without any worries.

Perhaps they would not have met Qi Zhimu, nor would they have seen the Black Tower that March 7th is seeing now.

The genius Black Tower, who can't smile sweetly, doesn't look at people with loving eyes, has a sullen voice, and isn't jealous, only exists in a parallel world without Qi Zhimu.

The reason why people on March 7th feel that her persona has been ruined is because they only see the surface and are completely unaware of the period when her personality is most easily shaped.

That's just how people are; preconceived notions before getting to know someone are basically the same as first impressions.

If you feel that a person has a kind face, then they are most likely kind, and there is a small chance that they are extremely good at disguising themselves, and vice versa.

Therefore, first impressions are also a kind of stereotype, and it is understandable that people are unaware of this.

Therefore, the Black Tower doesn't care about March 7th's ideas.

Anyone who knows her childhood experiences and the reasons that shaped her personality, and still thinks she's deviating from her character, is a complete idiot.

Treating someone like this would be a waste of medicine; there's no point in explaining anything further.

"That's true..."

On March 7th, he pretended to think seriously, then gave a dry laugh and changed the subject.

"But right now... I feel like I'm shining too brightly here..."

"You mean you've become a third wheel? Not really, I don't think you're getting in the way," Black Tower said nonchalantly.

Her personality is a product of her life experiences from childhood and the influence of Qi Zhimu.

Whether someone is self-centered or arrogant, it's all just an impression in the eyes of outsiders.

As for whether it's rigid or not, I don't care.

She doesn't live for outsiders, but for herself and the people she cares about.

She could even guess that there might still be some things she hadn't said on March 7th, that she was so good to Qi Zhimu that she lost the genius aura in the eyes of outsiders.

Being so good as to be completely obedient, ingratiating, or even subservient...

Vulgar, so utterly vulgar.

She and Qi Zhimu are not characters from soap operas or romance novels, whose social statuses are clearly defined, and who are superior and inferior to each other.

It's only when you give unconditionally that you're being subservient, that's what it means to be a "simp."

When two people are going their separate ways, that's called love!

Even geniuses are human, and she was even more so.

The idea that someone's humanity has been stripped away by outsiders is merely a stereotype, and there's no need to waste time explaining it.

She served Qi Zhimu food and poured him drinks because Qi Zhimu had done this for her countless times.

"March, it's normal that you're young and don't understand love. Let me put it this way: I—Black Tower—was first Qi Zhimu's lover, and only then a genius."

"Let me correct your stereotype a little. Even if an ordinary person is kind to this genius, this genius will not treat her unfairly."

"The case is right in front of you. You ask Xing, that little brat, she worked hard to help me test the simulated universe, have I ever mistreated her?"