Mei Ziqing had no intention of taking advantage of the will.
Since Mei Yiqiu has made arrangements, there must be more than one copy of the will. Bi Shenghua has one copy, so the Xia Family must also have one. In addition, with the law firm involved, it won't be easy to change the contents of this will.
A will only has legal significance, but the law cannot bind someone like her. Once she controls the dream world, it's equivalent to controlling the world. At that point, the law will be hers to decide, and perhaps there won't even be a law anymore.
Furthermore, Mei Yiqiu's wealth wouldn't be of much use to Mei Ziqing. Regardless of who inherits the property, she will remain the leader of the Mei Laboratory; at least for now, no one can replace her. Of course, she must master the underlying rules of the Dream Guide as soon as possible to control the entire dream world. Although with Saladin's help, breaking through the limitations is only a matter of time, she worries that delays might lead to unforeseen complications. Time is more important to her than money, which is why she is so eager to obtain the Key to the Dreamscape.
However, it seems that the Key to the Dreamscape is not in Bi Shenghua's hands now. Mei Ziqing believes that if the Key to the Dreamscape were in Bi Shenghua's hands, she would have taken it out long ago under the subtle mental influence.
So, could it be in Xia Chujue's hands? Otherwise, why choose her as the heir? But Xia Chujue is still a child; it's impossible to give her something so important directly. It's very likely that Xia Wenyuan will keep it safe. This deduction is reasonable and also explains the role Bi Shenghua played in this—separating the property and the Key to the Dreamscape from Xia Chujue's adulthood and entrusting them to different people for safekeeping. The professor's arrangement was also ingenious, having Bi Shenghua, who didn't understand capital operations, keep the property, and having the Xia Family, who weren't in the Awakening Circle, keep the Key to the Dreamscape. This ensured that everything remained conservative and didn't deviate from his designed path.
Of course, Mei Ziqing wasn't stupid and wouldn't take the deduction as fact. Perhaps this was another smokescreen designed by the professor. The professor knew her too well and knew what she was thinking. Now, besides the dead Old Yu, the escaped Yao Jingjing, and Bi Shenghua, there was another Xia Chujue, and behind Xia Chujue were the entire Xia Family and the mysterious Situ.
She must take it seriously and not overlook any detail in order to see the truth through the fog.
"When did the professor come to see you?" Mei Ziqing asked.
"The night the typhoon hit." It was a special day, so Bi Shenghua remembers it very clearly.
"Typhoon? Which typhoon?"
"That was the very special time, the one where the wind blew in from the South Pacific. It was supposed to make landfall in Shenzhou, but then it disappeared."
"Oh..." Mei Ziqing remembered, "It was indeed special. I went to a bar that night, hoping to try your cocktail, but unfortunately I didn't get to. I heard you were at the bar that day?"
"Yes, I went to the bar that day."
"That's such a pity. If you had left a moment later, we could have gotten to know each other much sooner. Did you leave so early because of you, Professor?"
"No, it was because of the strong wind. I was worried about the tree. At that time, Liuying Lane had just been demolished, and all the surrounding houses were torn down, leaving only a lone tree. When I came back, the professor was waiting for me under the tree."
"I see." Mei Ziqing nodded in satisfaction, pointing behind Bi Shenghua and saying, "Is it this tree?"
Bi Shenghua turned around, she saw the old willow tree from before. Mei Yiqiu was holding an umbrella and smiling under the willow tree.
Mei Ziqing found it quite novel; she had thought it was the big mulberry tree, but it turned out to be a willow tree. However, she had no time to investigate why Bi Shenghua's dream featured a willow tree instead of a mulberry tree; her attention was entirely drawn to the person under the tree.
Although it was merely a spiritual construct made up of Bi Shenghua's memories, it was so vividly real. And just recently, the professor had died, right before Mei Ziqing's eyes. She had personally prepared his body and attended his funeral. She had tried her best to suppress the urge to recall his appearance. And now, the professor was alive and well before her, standing there smiling. That smile seemed to mock her.
Mei Ziqing took a deep breath and controlled her emotions. She needed to stabilize her mind to ensure that she could control Bi Shenghua without making a mistake. She always felt that the Mental Power surrounding the Mulberry Garden was playing some kind of unclear spiritual role.
Bi Shenghua was clearly unaware that she was dreaming. As if she had just returned from outside, she walked towards Mei Yiqiu under the tree. Her memories were awakened, and everything that had happened that day was being replayed in her dream.
"Hello, I am Mei Yiqiu," the old man said.
"Hello, Professor, I recognize you." Bi Shenghua politely took the umbrella from the professor's hand.
"I thought I wouldn't see you today! Ah, how wonderful, the typhoon has changed course! The remaining wind and rain are insignificant; we can handle them both."
As Mei Yiqiu spoke, she ran her fingers along the willow branches as if plucking the strings of a harp. The dewdrops on the willow leaves shimmered in the night, like light from a distant starry sky.
The melodious sound of the piano resonated throughout Bi Shenghua's dream.
Next, they arrived at the back door of the lonely house in the ruins. Like Mei Ziqing, Mei Yiqiu also bent down and picked up the flowerpot, under which was a key.
Seeing this, Mei Ziqing chuckled. They were kindred spirits, weren't they? The professor probably also thought that potted Beauty looked extremely out of place here!
They went upstairs and into Divine Crow Studio. Mei Yiqiu sat on the sofa and started smoking. The two chatted casually for a few minutes, and then the professor took out a stack of blueprints.
Bi Shenghua excitedly flipped through the pages. "Professor, this is...?"
The professor said, "This is the Mulberry Garden from back then."
Bi Shenghua said, "Thank you."
The professor said, "No need to thank me. I came all this way in the rain so late, and I wouldn't give you this for nothing. I'd like to ask you for a favor."
Bi Shenghua said, "Professor, please tell me, as long as it's within my power."
The professor then took out a document printed on A4 paper—a will—and handed it to Bi Shenghua. Bi Shenghua looked at it for a long time, a confused expression on her face, and asked, "Why me?"
The professor said, "Children are the hope of the future, and I see hope in you. Besides, the person I trust most trusts most, so I feel at ease having you take care of them."
Bi Shenghua nodded. "Okay, I promise you."
The professor stood up as he spoke, "Today's trip has been worthwhile. It's getting late, I should be going."
Bi Shenghua saw him off.
As the professor passed the bird stand, he sniffed around like a hunting dog that had caught a scent. He picked up a piece of braised pork hock from the birdseed box, smelled it, and then popped it into his mouth, chewing and saying, "Mmm, that tastes really good!"
After seeing Mei Yiqiu off, Bi Shenghua closed the door, turned around and saw Mei Ziqing, as if nothing had happened.
Mei Ziqing smiled and said, "I just came to deliver a message. Now that I've delivered, I should be going."
As she passed the bird stand, she imitated the professor, picking up a piece of braised pork knuckle from the bird feeder, smelling it, and exclaiming, "It smells so good!"
However, she ultimately didn't eat it. Instead, she put the meat back and walked out of the Divine Crow Studio.
Bi Shenghua didn't respond to her words, nor did she see her off. Instead, she stared blankly at the ceiling. The ceiling was empty, and her memories had turned gray again; she couldn't see anything clearly.
She suddenly woke up with a start and found herself standing outside. Mei Ziqing was on the stone steps behind the house, holding the key that should have been under the flowerpot.
Only then did she remember the "key," and her memory awoke from the hazy fog.
But what about that will? Why wasn't it there before, but now every single word is etched into her mind?
Mei Ziqing had no idea what Bi Shenghua was thinking. She was very confident in her mental abilities and, apart from being slightly disturbed by the Mental Power Field of the Mulberry Garden, nothing unexpected happened.
Since the Key to the Dreamscape wasn't in Bi Shenghua's hands, she didn't intend to waste any more time here.
Mei Ziqing returned the key to Bi Shenghua and said, "I've delivered the message. Goodbye now."
She left in a hurry, retracing her steps, crossing the winding bridge over the lake, passing through the mulberry grove, and stopping in front of the " Red Silkworm Mulberry " sign as she passed the mulberry tree. She looked up at the tree's enormous canopy, wondering why, in Bi Shenghua's dream, it was a willow tree.
She suddenly felt something was wrong. How could the trees have such dense foliage in this cold winter? No, they weren't there when she came!
Whether it was the wind or something else, the dense leaves rustled and shook, and some mulberries fell and landed on the ground.
She saw two red lights flash briefly through the gaps in the branches.
Then, a huge, jet-black bird flew out from the treetop, its eyes flashing red like two burning flames.
In the Mulberry Garden, there are mulberry trees that are over ten feet tall. Their berries ripen every three years and can cure children's illnesses. A giant crow, shaped like a falcon, perches on the trees and eats people's souls at night. No one dares to approach it...
--From * Gazetteer of Wu County *, Volume Twelve, Records of Strange Tales