Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

The amount of plum blossom wine in each pastry is very even; unless Amu eats 50 pieces at once, there is no possibility of him getting drunk.

The number of pastries I've prepared to give him is only 30, due to a shortage of some ingredients.

Even if he eats 3 pieces a day, he can think of himself 10 times.

Hmm... that's not a small amount.

Thinking of this, Ruan Mei felt satisfied. Her mind was fixed on Qi Zhimu's face in her mind, and she unconsciously became infatuated.

It wasn't until the spaceship entered the Jinhong Cave Heaven and arrived above Qingxin Residence that they discovered the space lock was in the open state.

Her spacecraft did not leave a permission record in the space system and could not enter.

Ruan Mei had a few doubts in her mind, but she didn't think much of it.

The spaceship couldn't get in, but she could; Amu had reserved an entry and exit permit for her.

But she didn't expect that as soon as she returned to the familiar place, before she even stepped inside, she would hear noises coming from inside.

For a moment, Ruan Mei was silent.

It's obvious what's happening inside.

…She came back at the wrong time.

This isn't the first time I've encountered a similar scene.

Back on Azure Star, when I had drunk plum blossom wine and temporarily forgotten some of my memories, I bumped into Black Tower at his doorstep.

My mood at the time was undeniably gloomy, but what I felt most deeply was a throbbing pain in my heart.

When you can't help but secretly spy on the scene, the heartbreak is unbearable.

But what happens next?

I forced myself to stop watching several times, but I couldn't stick to it for long and ended up repeating the same mistake six or seven times.

She can't remember.

The current situation is so similar to that one, yet Ruan Mei finds herself much calmer than she had imagined.

Place your hand on your chest, feel the frequency of your heartbeat, and search for the feeling called pain.

…Can't find it…

Why can't I find it?

Ruan Mei was bewildered.

Is it because she accepted the painful fact that she was the only one who was forgotten, and recently she had become accustomed to the beautiful women around Qi Zhimu, which raised her emotional threshold and caused her to feel pain?

No, it's not, it shouldn't be...

Ruan Mei gently wiped her eyes.

Unlike usual, it was a little damp, and the gazes directed in the direction from which the movement came became blurred.

The various physiological reactions of the body indicate that the person is actually concerned.

Suddenly, Ruan Mei pinched her arm, gradually increasing the force.

How could I not feel the pain...?

After a long silence, Ruan Mei forcibly suppressed the urge to hurt herself with a knife to seek pain.

Tearing away the facade, I finally came to a conclusion.

It turns out that after witnessing too many different women's intimate beginnings, processes, and outcomes with Qi Zhimu—

One's heart, without even realizing it, has become numb.

Having found the root cause, Ruan Mei's face showed only a slightly sorrowful composure.

She now understands that if her body can still feel pain, it's far from the worst pain.

This is the ultimate pain.

He finally understood just how cruel the indiscriminate confinement of Qi Zhimu had been to him.

He understood even more why he could process those memories from those two years with methods that had severe aftereffects, yet feel no pain at all.

It's because we're so numb...

There is only one difference.

Qi Zhimu's numbness was caused by her; it was something she deliberately inflicted.

Her numbness had nothing to do with Qi Zhimu; it was the karmic retribution for driving him away and never looking back for hundreds of years.

You reap what you sow; what else can you do if you're not at peace with yourself?

Looking around, Ruan Mei sighed silently.

The vast Qingxin Residence, the vast Jinhong Cave Heaven, the vast Luofu Immortal Boat... now there is not a single place suitable for her to stay.

Nguyen Mai reboarded the spaceship, located the nearest public docking port, and activated the autopilot and docking functions.

Then, Nguyen Mai opened her wondrous A-Nguyen Bag and teleported into the miniature universe inside.

Finding a familiar world, appearing in front of a familiar bamboo house, I stepped inside without hesitation.

The real Huaimu Star is not here, and this bamboo house was not built by Qi Zhimu himself.

Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst, so even if it is a replica, it is the best place for Nguyen Mai to go at present.

Just as I took out the plum blossom wine and was about to pour it into the cup, I paused.

Four years old... no good.

If I drink too much and get so drunk that I'm unconscious, I might miss the day Amu sets off.

Being unconscious is still a good thing; the real fear is that, like when he took Ah Mu's body back then, he might cause an irreparable disaster while half-drunk and half-awake.

It was already like walking on thin ice, with no way to see the other side.

She couldn't afford any price to pay.

Ruan Mei put away the plum blossom wine, not daring to touch a single drop, for fear of becoming addicted.

In the end, she could only pick up her hobby again, take out her embroidery needle and material, and continue to embroider the image imprinted on her soul.

We've made it more than halfway through; with another dozen or so systems added, it will be truly complete.

If anyone from the first life were here, they would immediately recognize the patterns on Ruan Mei's embroidery and understand her fantasies.

The design depicts Qi Zhimu embracing Ruan Mei's slender waist, gazing at her with deep affection.

This scene simply and directly illustrates the future that Ruan Mei longs for.

If it weren't for that phrase "graduation upon completion of the apprenticeship," and that "we owe each other nothing," this future wouldn't be so far away.

Isn't this also a case of reaping what you sow?

But at least... Ruan Mei felt that this method could temporarily put her into a state of numbness.

Unlike numbness, paralysis can provide some feedback to the body.

……

Star Train.

Himeko put down her phone and shook her head at Walter: "We still can't get in touch with Ms. Ruan Mei."

"Should we trouble Zhimu?" Walter hesitated.

"...If we still can't contact him before 18 PM, then let's go to his Qingxin Residence." Himeko said helplessly.

"Tell him first, I'm going to collect the remains of that ancient beast."

"Um."

Ji Zi immediately sent a message to Qi Zhimu explaining her plans.

Several minutes passed without any new messages being read, so she guessed that Qi Zhimu was busy and didn't pay much attention.

…Alas, geniuses are indeed difficult to deal with.

Himeko rubbed her temples.

Unlike the Black Tower, Nguyen Mai is low-key, never appears in public, and has a reserved personality, which is actually quite good.

The headache is that once it disappears, you can't contact it at all.

Even though the Black Tower disappeared and the train crew couldn't hand over the commission, at least there was still Estádio, whom they could contact with 100% certainty.

With Estelle doing the work for me, I can hand it in directly.

Unlike Ruan Mei, who had to consider contacting Qi Zhimu through his connections with the Black Tower.

Where did she go...?

Himeko was curious, but no one could give her an answer, so she had to turn to dealing with the pile of important tasks.

Ji Zi never imagined that Ruan Mei was currently in Luofu.

However, being in an independent spatial dimension, it is impossible to access any communication signals.

Two multi-system periods later, Himeko received a reply from Kijima.

After quickly finishing their tasks, Walter and I, along with the remains of the ancient beast housed in the folding space device, headed straight for Qingxin Residence.