My girlfriend died in the past

Chapter 343 Our Tacit Understanding

If we follow the line of thinking that "only I went there with Shudie," then we've searched every possible place.

So the line of thinking is actually wrong?
The places where he hid things weren't the only ones he and Shudie had been to.

It could be a place she's been to, a place she's been to alone, or a place she's been to with others.

But Zhuang Xiao always felt that her thinking was correct.

Could it be that place?
Rental housing on Jianshe Road?
Based on all the current clues, my girlfriend should be An Lan, right?

Never mind, I'll go check it out first.

Zhuang Xiao glanced back at the company one last time, then left without looking back.

There were no people or cars on the road, so running a red light didn't matter.

Zhuang Xiao floored the accelerator, and the journey that normally takes fifteen minutes was completed in less than seven minutes.

After going upstairs, he took out his keychain from his pocket and looked at it.

The key to this place is on it.

This is actually one of the reasons that supports his idea: the keychain has his parents' house key on it.

This is actually normal, but the main thing is that there are also keys to An Lan's house and Shu Die's house!
They even have the key to the rental room across from the high school where students take lunch breaks!
Zhuang Xiao didn't believe such a coincidence could happen.

Let's go and take a look.

Zhuang Xiao didn't hesitate and went straight into the house.

The way it looks here is not how he furnished it after he bought it.

After he bought the place, he tried his best to plan and decorate it according to his memory of the rental house. But in the end, it was impossible to remember it so clearly, and the materials and brands of the furniture were countless times better than back then.

This includes home renovation.

But the current decoration and furniture arrangement of this house clearly show what it looked like when he was still a wage earner.

Zhuang Xiao looked up at the digital watch hanging on the wall.

上面显示是2024年9月5日，早上7点32分。

Zhuang Xiao wasn't surprised, but he felt that this scene should belong to the timeline when he was broke.

So how can this be proven?
The best way is to go check the bathroom.

Zhuang Xiaofei rushed into the bathroom.

On the shelf next to the mirror, he saw two mouthwash cups and two electric toothbrushes.

Looking back suddenly, he saw two more face towels.

I reached out and opened the mirror; it was filled with all sorts of affordable women's skincare products.

"really."

Zhuang Xiao immediately returned to the living room, and then went straight into the master bedroom.

The master bedroom has a small double bed with two pillows, but only one quilt.

Zhuang Xiao pulled open the closet, which was full of clothes.

All of them were women's clothes.

He even found many neatly folded underwear in one of the drawers.

Women's style.

Zhuang Xiao immediately turned to look at the bedside table.

There were no picture frames there.

Zhuang Xiao raised an eyebrow, then went to the bedside and opened a drawer.

Sure enough, there was a picture frame lying inside, but it was face down.

Zhuang Xiao picked up the photo frame, turned it over, glanced at it, and then smiled.

The photo in the frame is a picture of the two people together.

There was a man and a woman; the man was naturally Zhuang Xiao.

However, it's not the current Zhuang Xiao.

Although Zhuang Xiao is smiling, the image above exudes a sense of exhaustion, like a corporate slave. The numbness and weariness are palpable, and even her dark circles are clearly visible.

A long-haired girl next to him was holding his arm, her smile gentle and happy.

She even turned her head to look at Zhuang Xiao, her gentle eyes only focused on that boy, and there was even a hint of heartache in her eyes.

And this face is Shu Die's face.

But Zhuang Xiaoxiao's reason for smiling was not because the girl in the photo was Shu Die.

Rather, it was his opinion.
"This Photoshop job is terrible!"

Yes, this photo is photoshopped!
That girl wasn't photoshopped, at least not physically.

But the head was definitely photoshopped on!
Although the Photoshop work is very good, with perfect neck position, skin tone, and even the angle of the head, making it look natural like the real thing, it is definitely photoshopped!
Why?
The answer is simple! This girl's figure is completely different from Shu Die's!
Her legs should be a bit longer and thicker than Shu Die's!
Her waist wasn't as slender as Shu Die's, but her chest was more impressive! And the shape was different too!
So this girl is definitely not Shu Die!

Shu Die's height is about a third less than Zhuang Xiao's.

And this girl is almost the same height as Zhuang Xiao!
Could this be Xiaodie's purpose?

How could he make himself believe that his girlfriend was her?

But it can't be that bad, can it?
But just as Zhuang Xiao was about to put the photo frame back, she suddenly froze.

wrong!

Why is it that the head is photoshopped so well, but the body, which is even easier to photoshop, doesn't move?
Is it to prevent the surrounding area from becoming distorted?

But the area around the head was already distorted.

The door frames behind them are both crooked!
Could this be a hint from Xiaodie to herself?

It must be!
By highlighting the absence of humans in this world, one can be prompted to identify the problems within it and then discover that each scene is pieced together from different timelines.

Then, by piecing together scenes from different timelines, the viewer is guided to this rented room.

So now, pretending to be your unknown girlfriend, the purpose must be to guide something!
In short, it's definitely not simply about wanting her to feel like she's his girlfriend.

So the question is, what is she guiding?

Zhuang Xiao narrowed her eyes slightly, then seemed to realize something.

He quickly opened the photo frame and took out the photo, but there was nothing hidden behind the photo in the frame.

But there are words on the back of the photo! And it's Shu Die's handwriting!

There is only one sentence above.

I was here first, I should have met Xiao Ge first, and we should have built a relationship first, but why...?

Zhuang Xiao almost lost her composure. "Wait! What time is it and they're still using memes? And such an old one at that? Something's not right."

It's not that simple!
As I said before, Shu Die's actions were definitely a hint!
So what does this passage suggest?

"Even though I arrived first, whether it's getting to know Xiao Ge first or establishing a relationship first, it's all good."

Zhuang Xiao frowned slightly.

These three paragraphs seem to have no hints, yet they also seem to be full of hints.

"First come, first served; get to know each other; first build relationships."

As Zhuang Xiao muttered these three sentences, her mind began to race through her past life.

First and foremost, it should be clear that the humanity Zero ultimately displayed was indeed Xiaodie's consciousness.

Furthermore, considering the handwriting on the back of the photo, it's almost certain that these clues were provided to him by Xiaodie.

So what do these paragraphs refer to?
Could it be referring to the place where I first met her?
Those are Shu Die's old house and Zhuang Xiao's parents' old house.

But Zhuang Xiao found nothing there.

Moreover, the timing doesn't match up.

The date at Shu Die's home is August 25, 2020.

That day was the day Shu Die went to register at the university.

To be honest, it has absolutely nothing to do with Zhuang Xiao, and he had already checked it out; there were no clues at all.

The date at Zhuang Xiao's parents' house is 2008!
At this point, Zhuang Xiao had already met Shu Die, but they weren't that close yet.

Zhuang Xiao and Shu Die truly became familiar with each other on September 20, 2012!
On that day, Gu Shiyue died.

On that same day, Shu Die's mother also passed away due to illness.

On that same day, she ran out alone in the heavy rain.

Instead of waiting for Gu Shiyue to come to him at school, Zhuang Xiao went to the park and found Shu Die hiding alone in the Strawberry House. It was from that day on that his relationship with Shu Die completely changed.

Ok?
and many more!

Strawberry House in the Park!
Zhuang Xiao looked at the writing on the back of the photo again.

I was here first, I should have met Xiao Ge first, and we should have built a relationship first, but why...?

Zhuang Xiao always thought that these words expressed Shu Die's resentment after discovering that she had a girlfriend.

He thought that these "first"s referred to Shu Die getting to know him first.

But now it seems that "first" refers to the fact that she was the first to establish a relationship with herself that went beyond friendship.

It wasn't necessarily a romantic relationship; we were young then. It could have been siblings or childhood sweethearts.

But in any case, it has gone beyond ordinary friends.

Because An Lan and Dong Weirui met in elementary school.

But at that time, their relationship was probably just that of "friends among classmates" and "sister of a classmate".

So when did the relationship begin to change?
It is the death of the moon in ancient times.

That day, Zhuang Xiao's relationship with Shu Die changed.

But after he returned, he learned of the death of Koshigetsu and became depressed.

Although his relationship with Gu Shiyue at that time was only above classmates and could be considered as friends, his personality made it impossible for him to remain indifferent.

After that, Dong Zeyu started bringing Dong Weirui to play with him every day.

Because before that, it was Zhuang Xiao who pulled Dong Zeyu out of the grief of his father's death.

According to existing clues, Dong Zeyu's father died of old age in real history.

In other words, the improved relationship that was supposed to have with Dong Zeyu back in elementary school never actually happened.

Moreover, Yue did not actually die in ancient times.

But in the hibernation chamber outside, Dong Zeyu was in the innermost layer, just like Dong Weirui.

This shows that they do have a very good relationship with themselves.

So when did the relationship improve?
It's obvious that there must be a catalyst.

And that turning point definitely came after I found Shu Die!
So the inscription on the back of the photo doesn't refer to their first meeting, but rather to the first time that changed the relationship between them!

Then it can only be there.

Zhuang Xiao put the photo back in the frame, then without saying a word, took the frame, turned around, left the rented room, went downstairs, got into the car, and headed straight for the park!

But the moment he parked his car at the park entrance and stepped into the park, the previously sunny sky suddenly became overcast, and then a light drizzle began to fall.

Lightning flashed across the sky, and thunder shook the earth.

As Zhuang Xiao walked deeper into the park, the drizzle that had started was now pouring down.

Until it turned into a violent storm, the rain and wind were so strong that Zhuang Xiao could barely open her eyes.

A hazy curtain seemed to veil his vision, as if the heavens and earth were preventing him from getting close to the strawberry house.

But this only strengthened Zhuang Xiao's confidence.

He braved the fierce wind and rain, his body even leaning forward to withstand the force of the wind.

He had been walking in the wind and rain for an unknown amount of time. The world seemed like a vast ocean, and he was the only one in his small boat, sailing against the current.

But they no longer knew where heaven and earth were.

Suddenly, his body felt light.

When I looked up, I found myself in the little strawberry house.

A lonely little girl sat in the corner with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her pitiful little face looked over, her reddened starry eyes filled with confusion and wariness.

"Xiaodie, I'm back."

Little Shudie didn't speak, she just looked up at Zhuang Xiao.

Zhuang Xiao, looking somewhat disheveled from the wind and rain, slowly squatted down in front of her and then stretched out her hand, saying, "I've come to pick you up."

"Brother Xiao."

A clear, crisp little girl's voice rang out.

"Are you really not going to abandon me again?"

"affim."

"Are you really going to take me with you wherever you go from now on?"

"necessary."

"Are you really not going to leave me and do something dangerous by yourself?"

"Of course!"

"Are you really not going to bother other girls anymore?"

"It's hard to say!"

Zhuang Xiao looked at little Shu Die with suspicion. "Little Die, is that you?"

Shu Diexing's eyes gleamed with slyness, "I knew I couldn't fool you after all, Xiao-ge~"

Zhuang Xiao said irritably, "Is the 'Zero' outside also you?"

"Only at the very end."

Little Shudie also stood up, but she didn't take Zhuang Xiao's hand.

She stood with her hands behind her back, looking up at Zhuang Xiao, "Brother Xiao, I knew you'd come here~~"

Zhuang Xiao clicked her tongue. "Isn't this the hint you gave me?"

As he spoke, he took out the picture frame and explained his reasoning process.

To her surprise, Shu Die was a little taken aback. "Huh? I didn't mean that. I was just complaining. Wait!"

She suddenly got angry. "So it's not that we're telepathically connected, but that you figured it out through some inexplicable deduction? I'm angry!"

Zhuang Xiao sighed, "Actually, I know, Xiao Die, you don't want me to make this choice. But you want to go along with me, so you throw a little tantrum, which I understand."

Shu Die stopped pretending to be angry. She simply looked up at Zhuang Xiao with her small face and listened quietly to him speak.

"But that's just how I am. I'm not a saint, I just feel like I have to do something. If I didn't have the ability, that would be fine, but now I do have the ability, and I don't have to die. Since I can save the world by doing this, why not do it?"

"Even if it means giving up the familiar life we ​​once had, even if it means facing a strange and difficult future?" Shu Die asked softly.

Zhuang Xiao nodded solemnly, "Yes, I made up my mind a long time ago."

"I really can't help you."

Shu Die sighed, hands on her hips like a little adult, "I knew you'd choose this. What would you have done without me?"

Then a gentle and sweet smile appeared on her face. "But who told you to be my Xiao-ge? And this is the Xiao-ge I know."

He's also Xiao Ge, whom I like.

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble," Zhuang Xiao sincerely apologized.

"No, it's not troublesome at all. There's just one last hurdle to overcome." Shu Die winked playfully.

Zhuang Xiao asked, puzzled, "What level?"

"The outer world," Shu Die said. "That place is where the rental house on Jianshe Road is in the outer world. That's where you get out, and all the information about the drug is inside my body."

"After we get out, we'll appear in an abandoned chicken farm warehouse in the outer world."

"You have to lead me all the way to the rented house. Everyone along the way will try to stop us."

Zhuang Xiao asked, puzzled, "Why are you stopping me?"

"Because many people have already died outside. And those who are alive don't want to give up their lives here, or they believe that the outer world is the real world."

"So... you'll make me an enemy of the whole world. Do you still want to do it?"

Zhuang Xiao smiled, the first genuine smile he'd had in a long time. "When I watch movies, there's always a climax before the end, so is this one?"

“Yes, but Xiao Ge, don’t forget, this is your world. You are the real savior. You can do anything you want.” Shu Die smiled. “But if I fail, I will lose all my memories of the outside world, and from then on we will only be able to live in a false world.”

"I see." Zhuang Xiao extended her hand. "Are you willing to follow me through life and death?"

Of course!

The little hand held the big hand.

The next moment, the world shattered.

(End of this chapter)