You are my wife, don't doubt it!

Xiao Yao said: "Those who made the claim were able to recount reports they had seen, TV clips of the funeral, and even the tear-jerking speech by Mandela's widow. When this claim was made, it received a large number of responses from netizens who said they had the same memory."

Yu Luying: "I am... speechless."

"After the news of Mandela's death was released in 2013, people around the world found that their memories of Mandela were confused, with different memories of his time of death and cause of death." Xiao Yao said, "There is even a special term for it, called the Mandela Effect."

"Mandela effect?" Yu Luying chuckled and said, "It sounds like the effect of greenhouse global warming."

"The Mandela Effect is a psychological effect, which refers to the fact that the public's collective memory of history is inconsistent with historical facts." Xiao Yao said: "Why do you think this phenomenon occurs?"

"I...how would I know? I'm not a psychologist." Yu Luying thought for a moment and said, "It's just a simple rumor, right?"

"It's possible," Xiao Yao said, "but it's normal for one person to have false memories. Don't you think it's weird for a group of people to have false memories at the same time, and they're the same false memories?"

"What do you want to express?" Yu Luying asked Xiao Yao.

"What does this remind you of?" Xiao Yao asked enlighteningly, "I don't believe you really can't think of it."

"The collective subconscious is the mirror under the bridge where we practice every day." Yu Luying said: "Someone has used the collective subconscious space to tamper with the public's memory."

Xiao Yao was startled: "Is that what you think?"

"uh-huh?"

"This is a very interesting hypothesis," Xiao Yao nodded, "I haven't thought about it in this way, but it's very interesting, very interesting. But the question is, what's the benefit of tampering with public memory? Who would do something that has no benefit? It's not necessarily just for fun, right?"

"How do you know there's no benefit?" Yu Luying retorted, "Then what did you think?"

"My idea is relatively simple," Xiao Yao said, "Could it be that someone went back in time and resurrected Mandela? Or, in other words, saved Mandela from dying in the 80s?"

Yu Luying: "..."

At this time, Yu Luying's phone rang. It was Yu Lihua urging her to go home for dinner.

"My mother wants you to have dinner together, do you want to go?" After hanging up the phone, Yu Luying said to Xiao Yao.

"I..." Xiao Yao looked embarrassed.

"I understand," Yu Luying nodded and said, "I'll help you think of a reason to tell mom."

"Sorry, I'll do it tomorrow." Xiao Yao reached out and pinched the back of Yu Luying's chubby hand.

"We may not invite you tomorrow, the eldest son who resurrected Mandela," said Yu Luying.

"Oh, life is really hard for men," said Xiao Yao.

"So what else does she remember now besides the date of getting the marriage certificate?" Yu Luying suddenly thought of something and asked Xiao Yao.

"She remembers that the three of us went to Navarra to look at wedding dresses together, and she remembers that we were caught by Song Haijian. She remembers that she is now locked up by her father, and she remembers that you and I went to Dongru together..."

"How did you manage to make her remember so much? Doesn't it require related objects or descriptions to stimulate her?"

"Oh, with that little time and sample, do you think I'm some great scientist? I'm just a senior reader of Science Fiction Emperor, and I've deduced some hypotheses based on what I've seen..."

Night slowly fell.

Chapter 242 Bad Girl and Bad Woman

2023-06-21

Xiao Yao and Yu Luying held hands and climbed up the river bank, walking towards Yu Luying's home together.

Although they were said to be holding hands, in fact it was only Xiao Yao who was holding Yu Luying's hand unilaterally, while Yu Luying was somewhat absent-minded.

The night breeze blew gently on their faces. It was the moment when the last rays of the sun had just disappeared. There were low buildings on both sides of the path, most of which were old houses or small shops. They were immersed in the night, standing quietly.

The lights were sparse, and the faint light from the street lamps illuminated the road ahead, but a few hundred meters away, it was still shrouded in a mysterious darkness.

The night wind brought a cool breath, flowing slowly in the alley. The branches and leaves of the trees swayed gently, making a faint rustling sound. From time to time, subtle sounds came from the walls beside me, as if small creatures in the night were moving secretly.

The road was paved with uneven stone slabs, with faint cracks and water stains visible in some places. Against the backdrop of the night, the stone slabs glowed faintly.

In such a quiet environment, you can look up and see the brilliance of the Pearl of the Orient. In the distance, the glass curtain walls of high-rise buildings reflect dots of light, like countless sparkling gems dotted in the night.

Being in the low and dilapidated "slums" surrounded by these high-rise buildings, Xiao Yao felt a kind of... what is it called? Magic realism? Cyberpunk?

Friends, welcome to the city that never sleeps.

"Well, you haven't told me what the results of your investigation in the western suburbs were today?" Xiao Yao cleared his throat and broke the silence first.

"You finally remembered to ask." Yu Luying said softly.

"No," Xiao Yao said hurriedly, "Isn't this what we have been talking about before, Shen Jie's memory?"

"..." Yu Luying was silent.

Xiao Yao looked at her and thought that things were not going well. "By the way, when you came to see me this afternoon, you looked so angry. Was it because I said I didn't want to come out?"

"You really are slow to realize it," Yu Luying glanced at Xiao Yao, "But at least you thought of it, which is better than not thinking of it at all."

"What's going on?" Xiao Yao asked Yu Luying, "If anyone dares to bully you, I will kill him right now."

"It's not really bullying," Yu Luying said calmly, "It's not a big deal. I was just a little angry at the time, but thinking about it afterwards, it's not a big deal."

"Just tell me, don't keep me in suspense." Xiao Yao poked Yu Luying's waist and said, "I'll make the decision for you."

Yu Luying quickly shrank back and dodged Xiao Yao's fingertips: "Let me tell you straight, it's basically impossible to get into Xijiao Garden."

"Oh? Xijiao Garden?" Xiao Yao asked.

"The name of the community is Xijiao Garden," Yu Luying told Xiao Yao, "I walked around a lot. There is a main gate, a side gate, a special vehicle exit, and a closed iron gate that I don't know if it's an entrance or exit. There are guards at the three entrances and exits, and they ask who enters."

"Oh oh." Xiao Yao nodded and motioned Yu Luying to continue.

"There was no gap or a relatively low place in the wall. There were three electric wires on the wall. There was a lightning bolt on the warning sign, and it said high voltage electricity. The consequences are at your own risk."

"Tsk," Xiao Yao said, "Maybe there's no high voltage electricity, it's just to scare people."

"That makes sense," Yu Luying said calmly, "I'll go again tomorrow and try it with a metal stick."

"Please stop making trouble." Xiao Yao said with a wry smile.

"All the people who entered the community looked rich," Yu Luying continued to report, "and some were obviously foreigners. I tried to sneak in through the main gate, but was stopped by the security guard and asked what I was doing. I said I was visiting a friend's house, and he asked me what room I was in - there were only single-family villas there, and he asked me to call to confirm."

Xiao Yao nodded and said, "I can imagine that, so Liang Yanan said that without her help, I couldn't get in even if I got the address."

"At first I thought there was no security guard at the side door and I needed to swipe my access card to open the door. I waited there for a long time before someone came, and then I followed that person in--" said Yu Luying.

"Then what? Does that person still care about you?" Xiao Yao asked.

"No, but a security guard came out from the side and asked the man if I was with him." Yu Luying said, "Then I saw that there was also a guardhouse at the side door with two security guards stationed there. From that angle, I couldn't see anything from outside."

"Needless to say," Xiao Yao said, "the door that only allows exit but not entry is even less hopeful."

"Yeah." Yu Luying nodded.

"Is there any way to get close to those security guards, or buy them a pack of cigarettes..." Xiao Yao thought: "The old man Qin in the message room of our school, I wanted to skip classes and go to the Internet cafe, so I bought him a pack of cigarettes and he let me out."

Yu Luying frowned and said nothing.

"Of course you must have tried it, and it didn't work, right?" Xiao Yao answered himself embarrassedly.

"Xiao Yao, look at me." Yu Luying suddenly took two steps at a time and walked forward quickly. When she was two or three meters in front of Xiao Yao, she stopped, turned around, opened her arms under the street light, and turned 360 degrees: "Look at me."

"What's the matter? It looks very beautiful." Xiao Yao said.

Yu Luying turned in the opposite direction again.

The girl was wearing the same dark sailor-like jacket and pleated skirt as yesterday, with a pair of oversized slippers on her bare feet. She stood under the yellow halo of the street lamps, which were dim and soft, outlining the contours of the street and giving people a warm and peaceful feeling.

"Don't I look like a middle school student?" Yu Luying asked out of the blue.

"Oh, what does he look like if not a middle school student? An elementary school student?" Xiao Yao asked in confusion.

"No, what I mean is," Yu Luying asked uncomfortably, "don't I look like a good woman - a good girl?"

"Why don't they look alike? Who dares to say they don't look alike?" Xiao Yao shouted, "What do you mean by look alike? They are."

"Is it because," Yu Luying raised her right hand and stroked her pointed chin, "I've done a lot of bad things with you recently, and I've been tainted with some bad smells?"

"Why are you starting over again?" Xiao Yao frowned impatiently at first, then smiled and said evasively, "You know, this kind of skirt you're wearing is called 'bad'."

"What?" Yu Luying pouted and said unhappily, "Isn't this called 'Excellent Student'?"

"No," Xiao Yao told Yu Luying, "In Japan, the length of 'Top Student' is almost above the knee. Yours covers most of your calves. It's only worn by gangsters. When they fight, they lift up their skirts and take out hatchets from underneath."

"The devils are really perverted!" Yu Luying said angrily, "Is a short skirt more obedient than a long skirt?"

"Yeah, they're so perverted." Xiao Yao found that he had successfully shifted his focus, and continued indignantly, "They force female students to wear short skirts all year round, and they'll all have cold legs when they get old! If you don't wear them, or wear warmer socks, they'll say you're not sociable, and then isolate and bully you..."

Yu Luying's thoughts had already drifted to other places, and she murmured to herself: "Is it really because of the skirt?"

"No, what happened? It happened all of a sudden." Xiao Yao said.

Yu Luying didn't answer, she just turned around and continued walking forward: "Big rabbit paper."

"Hey." Xiao Yao took two quick steps to catch up and walked side by side with the girl.

"You two... since you are so close," Yu Luying said softly, "you couldn't wait to get married when you turned 22... then is there no need for me to be in the middle?"

Xiao Yao's eyes went dark. After such a long time, he thought everything was fine, but finally, what was supposed to happen finally happened.

The young man turned sideways and pressed the girl against the wall on the street with both hands. He looked into her eyes and said sincerely, "Don't do this."

"Why are you so nervous?" Yu Luying leaned against the wall quietly, not moving at all. "I didn't say I wanted to break up with you now, did I? It's just... you know very well that after sending you a thousand miles away, we must say goodbye. I can't always be with you."

"Why not...?" Xiao Yao blurted out.

“…” Yu Luying did not answer the question, but just stared into the boy’s eyes quietly.

"..." Xiao Yao himself fell silent.

"Then, how long should I stay with you?" the girl asked him quietly.

"We agreed to be good friends for life, special friends... We agreed on the way to Zhouzhuang." The boy's tone seemed like he was talking to himself.

"I haven't forgotten," Yu Luying told Xiao Yao, "but that doesn't mean we're lifelong lovers."

"I know..." Xiao Yao complained, "I hate it. It's because I knew you would do this that I didn't dare to tell you about this, but today I let it slip."

"..."

"..."

"Yu Luying, I like you too."

"..."

This inexplicable addition of the word "也" is very clever, Yu Luying thought.

"Big Bunny, do you know?" Yu Luying said softly, "Shen Jie told me at the beginning that she was going to the United States for eight years, and she was afraid that you couldn't take care of yourself in China, so she asked me to help take care of you."

"What the hell." Xiao Yao said.

"It seems like she changed her mind in the end?" Yu Luying said softly.

Xiao Yao: "..."

"Let's go," Yu Luying gently pushed Xiao Yao's chest away, "We still have a long way to go."

"Yeah." Xiao Yao heard the double meaning in her words and could only nod in response.

The two continued walking towards Yu Luying's home.

……

"Xiao Yao." Yu Luying broke the silence and called again.

"Hey, I'm here." Xiao Yao responded obediently.

"I always feel like, ever since... I went to Dongru with you, and now that I'm back, I've become a bad girl."

"Why are you starting over again?" Xiao Yao told Yu Luying, "You just have too much baggage. You want... and..."

"You want to be this or that, but you also want to keep your chastity, right?" There was a hint of anger in Yu Luying's calm tone.

"That was not what I meant."

Well, that seems to be what he meant.

"In fact, these past few days, I have been thinking about what Father Li said to me, and I feel more and more that what he said makes sense," Yu Luying said faintly, "Maybe that's what God said to me through his mouth?"

"Father Li? Which Father Li?" Xiao Yao was shocked and asked, "Fang Bing? What did he say to you? He just met with us, what nonsense is he talking about?"

"I won't tell you." Yu Luying said in a playful tone, and then she took a few brisk steps: "We're home. I'm going upstairs. Thank you for sending me home."

"What the hell?" Xiao Yao asked, "What did he say to you?"