"Are you... someone from outside?"
Li's question startled Qin Manjiang.
"Yes, I'm a newly hired caregiver. I'll be looking after you starting today."
"That's not what I meant." Li stared straight at him. "Are you... from the outside world?"
Qin Manjiang was seized by a chill. The look in Li's eyes gave him goosebumps all over.
"I don't understand what you mean." Qin Manjiang chose to play dumb.
Li gave him a long look, put down her book, and lay down on the hospital bed. "What happened just now wasn't a hallucination."
Those words finally made Qin Manjiang frown.
He had actually been looking for a chance to ask about the finger marks on her neck. He hadn't expected her to bring it up herself.
"What happened just now was..."
"My consciousness entered your body." Lying on the bed, Li looked at Qin Manjiang.
"You?"
"Me." Li's eyes were vacant, but her tone was certain. "Self-awareness is merely experiencing the same substance from different perspectives. I can be you, and you can be me."
Li's words made Qin Manjiang stiffen.
"Everyone you've ever met, and everyone you'll meet in the future, is you."
"Every interaction, every experience, good or bad, is a message you've left for yourself."
"As a human, you exist through a physical body and brain."
"But... that isn't the real you."
Li's words were like an enormous whirlpool, dragging Qin Manjiang's consciousness ever downward. He knew something was wrong with those words, but he couldn't resist their spell.
"The 'self' is merely a collection of memories. It isn't your essence. You haven't yet perceived the real you, so I can use my memories to temporarily control your body and make you become me."
"I can also strip away your memories and merge you into my consciousness, letting