The villains are redeemed, and the heroines cry and beg for forgiveness.

Did he also fall in love with Lanxin University, with Canglong City, the main city, and... with that shy girl who loved research?

In the end, will it also be a tragedy?

The two lovers, deeply in love, would never have known that the girl would only live to be nineteen, much less that disaster would strike in the same year.

Perhaps all of this is just my wishful thinking. More than three hundred years later, there is no president of Lanxin University with the surname Xue, no socially awkward girl who loves research, and no young man who knocked on the door of Lanxin University with a thirst for knowledge.

The river of fate flows like a torrent, while individual strength is like that of an ant. In the end, perhaps all we achieve is a few ripples stirred up by a slightly stronger ant, without changing anything at all.

Ultimately, everything vanished like a dream, returning to nothingness.

Suddenly a poem came to mind:

Two roads diverged in the yellow woods.

Unfortunately, I cannot get involved in both at the same time.

I stood there at the intersection for a long time.

I gazed into the distance along a road.

......

Two roads diverged in a wood—

I chose the less crowded one.

This determined the path of my life.

Although I know the original meaning of this poem wasn't what I intended, I felt a strange connection with it.

Once a work is created, it no longer belongs entirely to the creator; it also belongs to every "reader" who sees it.

Being misunderstood is the fate of every communicator. In a way, the notes I'm writing are also my work, along with others...

[What kind of "readers" will ultimately "misunderstand" the "works" I create?]

Is the misunderstanding I'm experiencing due to the "readers" themselves, or is it influenced by some unseen rule of fate?

[November 11.25th: I was too emotional today. I can't let emotional thinking dominate my thought process.]

Gu Ran ended the memories in her mind.

The entire diary entry, mainly containing the content related to the "prophecy" mentioned by Xue Yingsong, is actually limited to this one section.

It's clear that the "tyrant" must have had rather complicated feelings when he wrote those words.

It is significantly longer than the others.

Gu Ran was more interested in those seemingly useless, sentimental personal reflections.

These contents are indeed not "professional" "predictions," but they have indeed accurately described the situation more than 300 years later.

And the people mentioned all corresponded very well: Xue Yingsong, Xue Xiling, and him, the one destined for him.

What caught Gu Ran's attention and shocked her most was that poem.

He knew that poem too, and it was one of his favorite poems when he was in school.

Gu Ran fell silent.

"Xiao Ling is nineteen years old this year."

Xue Yingsong put down her cup and looked at Gu Ran:

"Now that you've finished reading the diary, you should know what this age means."

"And there's another reason why I believe what's written in the diary, and that's Xiaoling's mother."

“I should have told you about her mother before. She inherited her mother’s superpowers to some extent, but she also inherited her mother’s danger.”

"Her mother died when she gave birth to her at the age of nineteen."

Having a child at nineteen?

So early?

Hearing Xue Yingsong's words, Gu Ran temporarily put aside her thoughts and worries, and was somewhat surprised.

However, he soon realized that due to the threat of the beast tide, people in this world generally have younger childbearing ages, and he felt relieved.

“I still haven’t found out the exact cause of her mother’s death, but it has become a permanent shadow in my heart. So when I saw this diary, I believed the ‘prophecy’ in it, because I could not bear the pain of losing the most important person in my life again.”

Xue Yingsong said:

"More and more of the 'prophecies' in the diary have come true. Many major trends over the past three hundred years have been completely predicted, and even some relatively minor 'small things' have been completely accurate. From its founding to becoming a top university and maintaining its glory for more than three hundred years, this diary has played an indispensable role."

"So I'm increasingly worried about Xiaoling. To prevent that, the destined person who influences her fate needs to stay by her side and affect her destiny. You are that destined person, and Xiaoling happens to like you, which is why I've always wanted to bring you two together. But—"

"Fine, since you have absolutely no interest in Xiaoling, I won't force you. After all, it's hard to say whether a forced marriage will be bitter or sweet."

Xue Yingsong's face showed a look of dejection: "You should leave first. I want to be alone for a while and think about whether there are any other ways to solve the problem."

Gu Ran was momentarily at a loss for how to answer Xue Yingsong.

Do you dislike Xue Xiling completely?

That's definitely not it.

If we hadn't met the little conch first, but instead met Xuexi Ling first.

They shared the same hobby—learning and research.

Furthermore, Xue Xiling is not lacking in beauty, has a gentle personality, and occasionally shows a shy expression.

He will most likely fall for Xue Xiling.

However, because he had experienced a heartbreak, he had developed some... resistance to romantic relationships.

But assumptions are just assumptions, not reality.

The reality is that he didn't have those feelings for Xue Xiling; he only regarded her as a younger sister.

But what if he really marries Xue Xiling?

He'll never go back to the sea anyway...

The thought had barely crossed her mind when Gu Ran mentally slapped herself.

Wouldn't doing this be very unfair to Xue Xiling?

He doesn't really like her.

......perhaps.

Thinking of Xue Xiling's affection for him, and her face that could express both joy and anger, Gu Ran couldn't help but hesitate for a moment.

He really doesn't like her...

...Does he really not like her?

But then, another figure appeared in his mind.

Cheng Caimeng.

I think I've really become a jerk.

Gu Ran inwardly mocked himself.

Regardless, Gu Ran ultimately made no promises to Xue Yingsong.

Besides knowing that Xue Yingsong was indeed a skilled actor, it was also because he could no longer see into Xue Yingsong's heart at this moment.

Let's leave it for now.

......

"Never mind, I'll go back and organize the data for the artificial mechanical exoskeleton project first." Gu Ran pushed open the door to his research room.

Yes, Gu Ran now has her own research lab.

This is an award from Lanxin University for his successful completion of the artificial mechanical exoskeleton project.

Originally just an ordinary research room, Gu Ran transformed it into a multi-functional research room similar to Xue Yingsong's.

After all, he can't always freeload off other people's research labs; he's a project leader now, after all.

However, to Gu Ran's surprise, his telekinesis detected a familiar person in the research lab.

What are you doing here?

Gu Ran pushed open the door to the research room and looked at Cheng Caimeng, who was sitting inside waiting for him.

If it were Xue Xiling, Gu Ran would be more understandable.

But it was Cheng Caimeng.

"Hehe, perhaps this is what it means to be telepathic." Cheng Caimeng looked at Gu Ran with a charming smile.

Gu Ran quickly scanned his research room with his telekinetic powers. The basic layout had not changed, and nothing important had been lost.

It seems that Cheng Caimeng really was just on the same wavelength as him, waiting here.

"You're here to see your sister, right?" Gu Ran ignored Cheng Caimeng's words and walked to his research desk. "But your sister isn't in my project group, so if you're looking for your sister, you've come to the wrong place."

"No, I came to see you." Cheng Caimeng looked at Gu Ran with a smile. "You still owe me a bet, so I came to see my debtor. What's wrong?"

Cheng Caimeng's direct approach left Gu Ran somewhat overwhelmed.