It was a bit late when they got back to the hotel. Yu Meiren had fallen asleep on Qingmu's shoulder. Qingmu put Beauty on the bed, and Yao Jingjing helped cover her with the blanket and adjusted the air conditioner.
Since Yu Meiren was staying with Shi Dazhuang, Shi Dazhuang booked a family room, while Qingmu's room only had a double bed. Beauty didn't bring her room key with her when she left, and Qingmu was too lazy to bother the room service staff, so he just let Beauty sleep in his room. However, this meant he had nowhere to sleep.
Yao Jingjing said, "Why don't you sleep at my place?"
Qingmu was taken aback. "Huh?" He thought to himself, "This girl is way too direct!"
Seeing Qingmu's embarrassed expression, Yao Jingjing wanted to laugh, but then she realized she hadn't explained herself clearly and felt awkward too. She quickly clarified, "Don't misunderstand, I didn't mean anything by it. I have to go back to my hometown for something, and I booked a train ticket for midnight. The room was booked by the company, and I won't be able to cancel it until the day after tomorrow, so it's just sitting empty."
Qingmu said, "Oh, I see! Why did you book such a late train ticket?"
Yao Jingjing said with a smile, "I originally booked for 8 o'clock, but since I'm having dinner with you and the Beauty today, I changed my reservation to 12 o'clock."
Qingmu said, "I'm so sorry, we've delayed your schedule!"
Yao Jingjing said, "It's okay. I've been thinking of thanking you, and I'm so happy to finally have the chance to be with you all today!"
Just then, Qingmu's phone rang; it was Hu Xing calling.
Hu Xing, being a member of the police force, had heard about what was happening in Southern Yunnan. Knowing that Qingmu and Shi Dazhuang were there, she was a little worried and called to inquire. Relieved to learn they were both alright, she chatted with Qingmu for a while, telling him about some interesting things that had recently happened in Wuzhong.
When Qingmu asked about the Xia Family patriarch's condition, Hu Xing said that her maternal grandfather was doing well recently and his spirits had almost recovered. The whole Xia Family was overjoyed, and her two uncles, Xia Bozhou and Xia Zhongwan, both said they wanted to thank Qingmu.
Finally, Hu Xing asked about lucid dreaming again. She said that she can fall asleep easily now, but waking up is still difficult, and she doesn't know how to control it. Lucid dreams that she can't wake up from are terrifying, and they're driving her almost to the brink of a mental breakdown.
Qingmu suggested she read books on quantum mechanics to inspire her. He explained that dreams and reality are two separate spaces, and when we dream, our consciousness travels back and forth between them, much like a quantum particle, existing in an uncertain state. According to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, the motion of a quantum particle is unobservable; any attempt to observe it would result in quantum collapse.
The same applies to consciousness in dreams; we cannot observe it, for observation would cause spatial collapse. Therefore, when we dream, as soon as you realize you are dreaming, you will wake up. This is because you have observed your own consciousness, which, like a quantum mechanic, can only exist in a stable state once observed. Consciousness, once observed, can only exist within a single space, and usually, at this point, a person will wake up and return to the real world.
Lucid dreamers, on the other hand, allow their consciousness to remain in another space, namely the dream world, while observing, thus temporarily severing their connection with reality. To return, they must allow their consciousness to return to a blurred, overlapping, and unobservable state, much like returning a microscopic particle that has already been observed to its quantum state.
Hu Xing was confused and said, "Okay, okay, I'll go find some books to read."
While Qingmu was on the phone, Qingmu Yao Jingjing changed his cup of hot tea and then listened quietly beside him. After he hung up, she pushed the teacup towards Qingmu and said, "So Mr. Qingmu knows about quantum mechanics!"
Qingmu said, "Not at all, I've only learned a little bit from discussing things with Professor Mei a lot."
Yao Jingjing laughed and said, "It's not specifically for picking up girls, is it? Mr. Qingmu must be a master in this field."
Qingmu laughed heartily, "How could that be? I wouldn't know anything about that!"
Yao Jingjing asked, "Was that your girlfriend on the phone just now? She sounded so sweet!"
Qingmu said, "That's my apprentice. I'm all alone; where would I get a girlfriend from?"
"As expected of a master, all his disciples are beauties!" Yao Jingjing smiled secretly.
Qingmu remained noncommittal. He taught Hu Xing partly because she had a slight talent in Mental Power, and partly because she was Xia Wenyuan's granddaughter, making it easier to observe the Elder Xia's condition. The shadow in the Elder Xia's mind was indeed very strange, Qingmu also wanted to know who used what method to allow an independent consciousness to invade a person's brain and grow by stealing memories, ultimately attempting to replace the original consciousness.
Qingmu and Yao Jingjing chatted for a while longer before Shi Dazhuang returned. He was a little surprised to see Yao Jingjing, even though they had only met once and Yao Jingjing was in casual clothes. But the criminal investigation captain immediately recalled the flight attendant from the plane and laughed, saying, "What a coincidence!"
Qingmu briefly recounted what had happened that day to Shi Dazhuang. Shi Dazhuang said, "Oh, I see. Well, I must thank Miss Yao. Otherwise, this lazy guy of mine might not have bothered to eat at all if we couldn't find a restaurant within fifty meters."
At this moment, Yu Meiren was awakened by the noise. She rubbed her eyes and called out, "Grandpa."
Shi Dazhuang went to pick up Yu Meiren. Yu Meiren glanced at Yao Jingjing and Qingmu, then whispered something in Shi Dazhuang's ear. Shi Dazhuang said, "Oh, I'll take Beauty back to her room to sleep. You guys chat!"
Yao Jingjing roughly guessed what Yu Meiren was talking about, her face flushed instantly, and she quickly said, "Oh dear, it's getting late, I should go back, I have to catch the train at midnight!"
Shi Dazhuang said, "It's still early, you can chat a little longer." With that, he picked up Yu Meiren and left.
Yu Meiren waved to Yao Jingjing and made a face. "Goodbye, Auntie!"
Yao Jingjing laughed and scolded, "You're such a little devil!"
After Shi Dazhuang and Yu Meiren left, the room suddenly became quiet. The two of them seemed to have nothing to say to each other, and the atmosphere became a little awkward.
Yao Jingjing stood up and said, "Mr. Qingmu, I'd better go back to my room and unpack my luggage."
Qingmu didn't say anything, but walked Yao Jingjing to her room. Suddenly remembering something, he said, "Is the train station far? Do you want me to walk you there later?"
Yao Jingjing's face lit up with joy, and she said, "No need, right? My luggage isn't heavy, and even if there's no subway later, I can take a taxi."
Qingmu was a lazy person who didn't like to think things through, and lazy people are often very sincere because deception and flattery are troublesome. So when Qingmu said he would take Yao Jingjing Yao Jingjing home, he genuinely meant it; it wasn't just polite talk. But when Yao Jingjing said she didn't need it, he took it seriously and said, "Take care then."
Yao Jingjing maintained a smile on her face, but couldn't help feeling disappointed. She bit her lip, said "Goodbye!" and silently turned and left.