Bi Shenghua took Mei Yiqiu to the outside of the demolition area and helped him call a car.
Regarding the professor's final emphasis on locking the Space Box in the cabinet, Bi Shenghua had some vague guesses. She knew that this matter had to be kept secret today, otherwise the professor wouldn't have been so serious and chosen to come to her late at night. Unless Qingmu returned, she wouldn't tell anyone about it. But she remembered that many people around her were using Space Box. Xia Tian Meimei had bought them back when the first generation of boxes came out. At that time, only Yu Meiren didn't have one. Originally, she and Yao Jingjing had intended to buy one for Beauty, but Hu Xing beat them to it.
Xiao Qi and Mo Yu also bought one, and not long ago they were boasting to Bi Shenghua about how wonderful and beautiful the world they had created in their dreams was, and that they had even met a god named Kronos.
Bi Shenghua initially disdained such things. Before Xiao Qi and Mo Yu, Yao Jingjing and Hu Xing had both suggested she buy one to play with, saying that she could see anyone she wanted in it. She knew they were talking about Qingmu; he probably existed in their own virtual worlds. But she remained unmoved. She would rather wait patiently than numb herself in a false illusion and easily erode the emotions and hopes she had built up in real life.
However, something Xiao Qi said shook her. Xiao Qi said that world wasn't just an illusion, but more importantly, it was about spiritual freedom, and this freedom didn't come from nowhere; it was created by the endless efforts and countless years of their ancestors. In the creation myth of the Dream Guide, there are three gods: besides Kronos, there are two others, one named Arthur Stone and the other named San. The key point is that the god named San looks exactly like Qingmu.
Bi Shenghua secretly ordered a box; by then, it wasn't as hard to buy as it had been when the first and second generation products were released. Following the instructions, she groped her way into that illusory yet real world, and inside the magnificent pyramid-shaped building, she saw the unwritten myth of Genesis.
The contents that penetrated her divine consciousness allowed her to see the true faces of three gods: Kronos, dressed in a woolen kimono with trim, with long, slightly curly hair, looked like an ancient Greece prophet; Arthur Stone, wearing a sharp suit, looked gentlemanly and wise, yet he was not associated with a god; while Sandy wore an old gray trench coat, and a raven perched on his Crow hair.
Unconsciously, Bi Shenghua called out the names of the gods, but only Kronos responded. He said that the other two gods had not yet awakened, and that he now ruled the world. He pointed to a mirror and showed her how to begin creating her own free world.
Guided by Kronos, she saw the mirror, soft as water, that seemed to reflect one's soul and reveal past and present lives. She stepped into the mirror and entered her own world.
Her world began with a willow tree, extending into a street lined with willows and rows of houses on both sides. The people and events of Liuying Lane reappeared before her eyes, and she was once again the proprietress of that small bar, with only Xiao Qi and Qingmu as her waitresses. The noisy Crow cackled from upstairs to downstairs, and only braised pork knuckle could shut it up. On days without braised pork knuckle, it would repeat every swear word the bar patrons had ever uttered, and even dared to secretly eat the fish in the fish tank.
Bi Shenghua never became obsessed with this. She only found some memories there, but she did not create a future there. She still left that expectation for the future in the real world, even until time passed and the world ended.
Although she felt that the creation of the Space Box might be related to Qingmu, she did not believe that Qingmu would actually appear in that world, and regarded the Genesis myth as a kind of spiritual sustenance for Professor Mei Yiqiu.
The professor's warning further confirmed her suspicions. If Qingmu were there, the professor wouldn't have needed to come looking for her. Making her the Swordholder while preventing her from using the Space Box —she had a pretty good idea of what was going on. She could lock the Space Box away; what would happen to the others when the Sword of Bodhidharma fell?
Tiantian, Meimei, Xiao Qi Beauty, Xiao Qi, Mo Yu, Hu Xing, Yao Jingjing... and many of the older, wealthier residents of Liuying Lane are also playing this game.
"Professor..." Bi Shenghua carefully chose her words while waiting for the car, "It's not a good thing for children to be addicted to games. May I remind them?"
"Hmm..." the professor pondered, "You're right, it's time to impose some restrictions on minors. Children are the future of this world; we can't let them be ruined by games. Don't worry about that, I'll figure something out when I get back. Of course, you can use your own methods to educate them; that's not my concern. But..."
"I know," Bi Shenghua smiled. "I won't tell anyone about today's events until I receive an inner prompting."
Mei Yiqiu satisfaction and got into the taxi that had just stopped. Before closing the door, he said, "Except for Qingmu."
Bi Shenghua watched the car disappear into the night, murmuring, "Except for Qingmu..."
She turned and walked back, and saw bald Hou Biao standing in a corner not far away. If it weren't for his shiny bald head, which looked like a light bulb, Bi Shenghua would have almost missed him.
She knew he was always there. She went to the bar, and he followed her there; she came back, and he followed her back, diligently doing the only thing he could remember.
Bi Shenghua felt a pang of pity and went over to ask, "Have you had dinner yet?"
Hou Biao shook his head blankly.
Bi Shenghua said, "Don't worry about me, go eat first." Seeing his stubborn refusal to leave, she sighed and said, "How about this, I'll go eat with you. What do you want to eat?"
Hou Biao unconsciously swallowed, his stomach rumbling.
" KFC." He lowered his head as he spoke, revealing a childlike shyness.
Bi Shenghua chuckled softly, yet a bitter feeling welled up inside her. Is amnesia ultimately a good thing or a bad thing for a person?
"Okay, let's go eat KFC." She said it like she was encouraging a child who had studied hard and gotten good grades.
It was late at night when Yao Jingjing returned to Wuzhong. Due to the typhoon, many flights were canceled at the airport, and there weren't many people waiting or picking up passengers late at night. Even taxis were scarce. Because of the trauma she experienced years ago, she was reluctant to call a ride-hailing service, so she had to take the airport bus.
On the bus, she unexpectedly received a call from Bi Shenghua, asking if she had returned to Wuzhong. She said she had just returned and was on her way home. Bi Shenghua sent her a photo of Hou Biao eating KFC. Yao Jingjing's heart skipped a beat when she saw Hou Biao in the photo, wolfing down his food like a child. She asked Bi Shenghua:
"What happened?"
Bi Shenghua said, "He has amnesia. Apart from what Qingmu told him, he only remembers your name."
Yao Jingjing felt as if something was stuck in her heart. She asked, "Where are you? I'm coming right away."
Bi Shenghua said, "Go wait for us at Ruhua Bar. We'll come over after we finish eating."
When Yao Jingjing arrived at the bar, it was just past midnight, and the alcohol level in the air was at its peak. She wanted to find a less crowded spot, but she saw a cloaked figure in the corner, exuding an aura of death, with a wisp of slightly curly red hair peeking out from under the cloak. Her heart skipped a beat, then she felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, meeting two icy gazes shooting from the darkness. Then, she saw the person release the hand holding the glass and beckon to her with an index finger adorned with long nails.
A deep, hoarse voice, seemingly from hell, echoed in her mind: Come here, sit down!