Thanks to [Southwest State's Phantom Light Thunder] and [Ahahahahahahaha] for the Great God Certification!
Thanks to [Username 23208759] for the Spa Treatment!
...
Seclusion Zone.
Ruan Mei stared at the experimental samples with a focused expression, her slender fingers occasionally recording key data.
Whether or not an unexpected reaction occurred in the petri dish, her expression remained cold and indifferent.
In her eyes, these imperfect lives she created by hand were not much different from those failed cat cakes in the Seclusion Zone.
"As expected, it still won't work..."
Ruan Mei murmured without joy or sorrow, taking a biological sample reagent, dripping in additional active material, and gently shaking it to observe the subtle color change.
Just then, unexpected footsteps approached the laboratory from a distance.
Who is it?
Ruan Mei turned her head to look at the entrance.
From the sound of the footsteps, she could tell there were two people, one male and one female.
The biological data of the female's footsteps felt somewhat familiar... Right, it was Stelle.
Who was the man?
Ruan Mei was puzzled.
It was true that Stelle had permission to enter this place, but she would never bring an outsider in without authorization unless she had the highest clearance.
Moreover, she didn't recall Herta giving any man the right to enter this place recently.
Her experiment being interrupted, Ruan Mei's eyes remained relatively calm, but her lips were slightly pursed, clearly showing she was still somewhat unhappy.
The footsteps became increasingly clear.
Until two figures appeared at the entrance, the moment Ruan Mei's gaze passed over Stelle and fixed on that man, her entire being felt as if struck by lightning.
*Smash—*
The biological sample reagent of immeasurable value slipped from her hand and shattered into pieces.
The pale green liquid splashed all over the floor, but she was completely oblivious, her mind exploding into a mess, throwing all questions about permissions and the like to the back of her head.
It was a man wearing a lab coat.
His features, hair color, eye color, and facial contours all highly overlapped with the student who was etched into her memory.
Even his gaze, and that touch of indifference and steadiness between his brows, were tugging at her heart.
That was the student she had been searching for for thousands of years.
He had died long ago, no longer lingering in the mortal world because of her heartlessness.
But he possessed a way that no one knew about to be reborn into the world.
In his second life, he would still brew Plum Blossom Wine; that taste had never changed.
So it was him, only him, it could only be him...!
No matter how many cycles of reincarnation he went through, no matter how his personality changed due to different life paths, A'Mu was always A'Mu.
Ruan Mei stared fixedly at that face she had yearned for day and night.
She had traveled through countless star systems to collect materials and searched for miracles on desolate planets, trying to find him and bring him back without touching any taboos.
She had imagined countless reunion scenarios, perhaps at the end of the sea of stars...
Only, she never thought that Qi Zhimu would suddenly appear in her laboratory like this.
"...A'Mu..."
Ruan Mei's voice trembled noticeably; her usually indifferent face was now intertwined with indescribable and complex emotions.
She took a step forward but nearly fell due to her staggering pace.
Hearing her call, Qi Zhimu was puzzled.
"Nice to meet you, Ms. Ruan Mei. My name is Qi Zhimu, one of the attending physicians for comprehensive illnesses in the Medical Department."
Although he came with the mindset of seeking justice for Stelle, he did not forget basic etiquette.
When addressing Ruan Mei's name, he deliberately paused in the middle; someone had told him that her name was formed by taking the surnames of each of her parents.
After all, the genius before him was an existence on the same level as Herta, a partner who co-developed the simulated universe.
Making things too tense would cause trouble for Herta.
...Ni-Nice to meet you...?
Ruan Mei froze again, her footsteps coming to a sudden halt.
"Do you not recognize me..."
She blurted out subconsciously.
For some reason, Qi Zhimu felt as if there was a touch of unbelievable fear in her tone.
"Genius Society #81, Ruan Mei, famous throughout the interstellar civilizations of the entire universe. Although I, Qi, am of humble learning, I still have this much knowledge."
Qi Zhimu suppressed the strange and inexplicable feeling in his heart and replied patiently.
Hearing Ruan Mei's question, he actually had a subconscious urge to say a certain name just now.
But what that name was, he couldn't say or figure out.
Truly strange.
In this situation, Stelle felt the atmosphere was quite odd and equally inexplicable.
She scratched the back of her head, wanting to say something but not knowing how.
Forget it, let's just watch first...
The phrase 'Do you not recognize me,' combined with her status, naturally made Stelle think that Ruan Mei was questioning Qi Zhimu for not knowing her, a genius.
But based on her understanding of Ruan Mei, the latter didn't seem like the type of person who would ask others such a thing.
"You're joking with me... right..."
Hearing Qi Zhimu's polite and distant answer, boundless panic instantly spread through Ruan Mei's heart.
No... impossible!
A'Mu would still brew the same Plum Blossom Wine in his second life, which meant he hadn't forgotten his past life; he just hadn't or wouldn't seek out his past bonds for some reason.
But the pure strangeness in Qi Zhimu's eyes now triggered the possibility she most wanted to escape—
The person before her was not the real Qi Zhimu, just someone who looked like him.
But when her gaze saw the small part of an ornament peeking out from under the lab coat at Qi Zhimu's waist, this possibility vanished.
The sachet... the sachet Black Swan gave him!!
Although she couldn't see the whole thing, Ruan Mei was absolutely certain she wouldn't mistake it.
The memory bubble Black Swan gave her back then contained the last period of time she spent with A'Mu, including the entire process from making the sachet to gifting it.
The special patterns on the surface of the sachet were only embroidered by women from Black Swan's hometown when they secretly gave their hearts to their beloved.
Since the gift Black Swan gave him was still there after thousands of years and through reincarnation, then the lab coat she gave A'Mu...
—Was not the one he was wearing!!!
Ruan Mei's breathing became rapid, her eyes turned red, and a frightening, eerie light flashed through them.
"...Have you really completely forgotten me?"
This time, even Stelle noticed the disbelief and pain in Ruan Mei's tone.
Having originally come with the intention of demanding an explanation, she involuntarily switched to listening to gossip and eating popcorn.
Wait... these two seem to have a story...
Seeing Ruan Mei's strange behavior, Qi Zhimu frowned inwardly.
As expected, there were hardly any normal people in the current Genius Society.
Aside from the Mechanical Monarch Screwllum, his family's Ms. Herta, who was arrogant and conceited in the eyes of outsiders, was simply too normal—the most normal person of all.
"I made it very clear just now, Ms. Ruan Mei, this is our first time meeting."
Qi Zhimu kept a straight face, maintaining his composure and etiquette.
"I, Qi, have lived for 116 years since my earliest memories, and I have never had any memory of knowing you. Where does this talk of forgetting you come from?"
Hearing this, Ruan Mei actually calmed down a bit and cast her gaze toward his waist.
"...Do you still remember the origin of the sachet at your waist?"
"I don't. Could it be from your hand?" Qi Zhimu tilted his head slightly.
It was just a polite rhetorical question; he knew there was no such possibility.
Through Herta, he knew the nature of the ornament at his waist; if it were from Ruan Mei's hand, there was no reason he wouldn't remember.
Hearing Qi Zhimu's answer, Ruan Mei quickly calmed down and took a deep breath to settle her emotions.
"It is not from my hand..."
He doesn't remember... it's good that he doesn't remember...
So A'Mu... has forgotten everyone.
It turns out she wasn't an exception.
End of Chapter 274PreviousNext ChapterAll chapters