Qianqian had come too.
And she was somewhere not far from the Little Ancestral Hall Entrance.
Ye Jinghong told me that Qianqian's memories seemed not to have been affected at all.
Moreover, Qianqian went to the Little Ancestral Hall Entrance almost every day. Naturally, she went there to see me.
But she did not interfere with my life. She only watched from afar.
I asked Ye Jinghong whether she had met Qianqian. She said they certainly had, but Qianqian knew nothing about what we had gone through. Although Ye Jinghong had explained it to her, she did not believe it, thinking it was more like another conspiracy by the system.
The two women had even gotten into a huge fight over it.
"Tell me, why is she so stubborn?" Ye Jinghong said with some resentment.
"As someone who went through it herself, didn't you also find all this unreal?" I asked Ye Jinghong.
Ye Jinghong pursed her lips. "To be honest, I really did think it was unreal before. But seeing the system like this now, I actually feel much more at ease. Perhaps this way, everyone can truly take control of their own fate and become living beings, rather than lines of cold code."
I rolled my eyes. "Even if they're code, they're still living beings, aren't they?"
Ye Jinghong froze for a moment, then nodded slightly. "I suppose you're right."
"How about this?" I said. "Take me to see her. Maybe I can persuade her."
We left the flower shop. I turned back for another look at the busy system, but did not say goodbye. Then we left.
We headed toward the Little Ancestral Hall Entrance. When we passed the fork at the Little Crossroads, I saw a beggar.
An old beggar.
He was begging on the sidewalk