The Wuzhong Cemetery Management Office has noticed a strange woman recently visiting the cemetery.
When she first arrived, she was dressed neatly and looked quite pretty, but her eyes were vacant and she seemed a bit lost.
The cemetery caretaker didn't take it seriously; there are plenty of people like that. Anyone who loses a loved one feels like they've lost their soul.
But after a few days, they realized something was wrong.
This woman came every day, her clothes getting dirtier and dirtier, her hair getting more and more tangled, until eventually she looked like a wild woman.
Furthermore, the administrator discovered that she was stealing offerings that others had placed in the cemetery.
The administrator secretly followed her and discovered that apart from stealing offerings, she hadn't done anything else wrong; she just sat in front of a grave every day, lost in thought.
The grave caretaker knew about it because many leaders came to the burial; he was said to be a great scientist.
This woman is probably a relative of the scientist. The administrator felt sorry for her; judging by her age, she's probably his daughter.
He went over to comfort her:
"People aren't gods, everyone has to come to this point. Once you understand this, it'll be alright. Look how nice this place is, surrounded by neighbors, you'll never lack people to talk to. It doesn't matter if you were rich or poor, high or low in office in life, now everyone's the same, nobody bullies anyone, nobody has to worry about anyone else's feelings."
Equality is rare in this world, but this is the place where equality is most abundant; God is rarely fair, but the fairest thing is that everyone must die.
Girl, I don't know who this person lying here is to you, but if he saw you like this, he'd be heartbroken, wouldn't he? To make him happy, you should go home and dress up nicely before coming back."
The woman raised her dark face, looked at him, and chuckled, it was unclear whether she understood him or not.
The administrator thought she was truly insane.
If someone's gone mad, so be it. I've seen plenty of Madman at the cemetery every year. Those with families have been taken away by their relatives, and those who aren't taken away probably don't have any families left either.
Eating some offerings is no big deal. Anyway, the offerings either go bad and are cleaned up, or they're eaten by birds or cats. As long as the people who come to pay their respects don't see them, it's fine.
The administrator's momentary act of kindness resulted in him losing his job. A woman was caught stealing offerings from a leader's grave when someone reported her to the leader's family. Enraged, the family filed a complaint with the leader's former secretary, now an even more powerful figure.
The cemetery management office was severely criticized as a result, and the administrator was dismissed for dereliction of duty.
The woman was taken to the police station, and her identity was quickly identified from the list of recently missing persons.
Bian Ziyuan rushed to the police station and saw Mei Ziqing, whose face was covered in dirt.
He could hardly believe his eyes; the goddess of his dreams had become like this.
Mei Ziqing didn't recognize him at all; she just chuckled and didn't refuse Bian Ziyuan's offer to take her home.
Bian Ziyuan helped her take a bath and change into clean clothes, but the Mei Ziqing of the past could never come back.
From then on Bian Ziyuan devoted himself to taking care of her at home. He would feed her when she was hungry, give her water when she was thirsty, and play games with her when she was bored, completely becoming a stay-at-home dad.
Mei Ziqing gradually became familiar with him again, sometimes calling him "brother" and sometimes calling him "Otosan" in Japanese. But she could never remember Bian Ziyuan's name.
For some reason, when Bian Ziyuan held Mei Ziqing in his arms to sleep at night, Bian Ziyuan completely lost all his evil thoughts. He often did nothing and couldn't sleep, just holding Mei Ziqing all night. By dawn, his arms were so numb that he couldn't lift them at all.
One night, he got up to use the bathroom and saw his unshaven self in the mirror, which made him feel completely unfamiliar with himself.
Bian Ziyuan touched the lump on the back of his neck, and a sudden, impulsive thought popped into his head.
Then he heard his reflection in the mirror say to him, "You shouldn't have such thoughts."
Bian Ziyuan said, "Why aren't you leaving? She's become like this."
The person in the mirror said, "Her becoming like this was an accident, but your becoming like this is something that shouldn't have happened. You still have lofty ideals."
"Lofty ideals?" Bian Ziyuan chuckled. "I don't have any lofty ideals."
"To become a renowned scientist admired by all, to do what others cannot, and to win the favor of Beauty —isn't that your ideal?"
"It's all fake, fake! Just youthful ignorance. I don't think that way anymore."
"So, changing the carriers of consciousness and thought, using artificial intelligence to change the world, and making human consciousness immortal—isn't that something you've always dreamed of achieving?"
"So what?" Bian Ziyuan said, "Right now, all I want to do is stay with her."
The person in the mirror said, "She's not the person you used to love anymore. Her consciousness is damaged, and her IQ is lower than a three-year-old's. She'll never know how good you were to her."
Bian Ziyuan said, "I don't care."
The person in the mirror seemed a little angry, saying, "Then what do you care about? Her love for you? Let me tell you, she never loved you! Every time you two were intimate, you were just a substitute for me. In her heart, you didn't deserve her body at all; only I— Saladin— could have her body!"
Bian Ziyuan's body trembled.
Saladin added, "Of course, I can't win her heart either. The one she truly loves is Mei Yiqiu. She might not even want to admit it herself, but the subconscious doesn't lie. Even after her consciousness was damaged, the only person she remembered was that old man."
Bian Ziyuan remained silent; he had known this for a long time.
"You can go to Japan now and take over her power. The Kitano Clan's influence is deeply entrenched, and their wealth spans the globe. She is the sole heir and the de facto controller. Now that she's in your hands, you can do whatever you want with her."
Bian Ziyuan shook his head and said, "No, I don't want to do that."
Saladin said, "Then there's another way. You can implant a chip in her, and that way, I can complete her intelligence and make her fall completely in love with you, giving you a whole Mei Ziqing."
Bian Ziyuan was somewhat excited; what tempting offers!
But he quickly calmed down and refused, saying, "That's not her, it's you. I'd feel disgusted."
Saladin roared, "Do you know I can kill you at any time?"
"I know," Bian Ziyuan said. "I've known since the day I received the chip. Go ahead and do it."
"Just for this woman?"
Bian Ziyuan smiled, "For her, and for myself."
There was a long silence on both sides of the mirror.
The faucets in the bathroom gushed water, creating a deathly silence.
Suddenly, Mei Ziqing appeared at the bathroom door, walked in, and hugged Bian Ziyuan the waist, pressing against his back as she said, "Uncle, I was so scared when you weren't here!"
Bian Ziyuan silently turned off the tap, helped Mei Ziqing back to her room, and coaxed her to sleep.
In the dark void, a voice entered his mind:
"Alright, I'll give you one last chance. Help me completely connect the Dream Guide world with the Internet world, and I'll help you regain her consciousness."
Bian Ziyuan said, "You've already entered the Dream Guide, what else do you need me for?"
" The Key to the Dreamscape has not been found yet; we are just one step away. I need your help to use the power of the Kitano Clan to retrieve the Key to the Dreamscape."
Also, let me become one with Kronos. I know where she is; I'll go find her for you.