Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

(Multiple female leads + non-main storyline + OOC warning, please avoid if you are averse to this.)

(This is a lighthearted, happy, and uplifting story from a new author who already has a completed book of over a million words.)

……

[Remaining lifespan: 100 day, 5 hours, 20 minutes, and 13 seconds]

Qi Zhimu seemed not to see the system notification that was only visible to himself.

With a calm and serene smile on her face, she placed a plate of seasonal snacks on the table.

"Senior, is the professor's research... not yet complete?"

"It's been over a hundred years, when are you finally going to start calling me Sister Qingtu? That guy Aruan, how could he have produced such a stubborn and inflexible student like you?"

Yu Qingtu glanced helplessly at Qi Zhimu.

Getting this law-abiding guy to change his tune is as difficult as climbing to heaven; heaven knows how many inflexible, rigid ideas Ruan Mei has instilled in him.

A hint of apology flashed across Qi Zhimu's restrained face, but he did not respond.

He maintained impeccable manners towards the woman in front of him, who appeared to be classically elegant and looked to be around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old.

Hundreds of years ago, Yu Qingtu was already a member of the genius club.

He enjoys ancient music and cocktails, similar to his teacher Ruan Mei, but their personalities are quite different.

To the outside world, Yu Qingtu is a genius pharmacist with an eccentric temper.

As for him, his attitude changed from indifference at the beginning to... well, now he's kind and approachable.

It was probably because he was an excellent pastry chef, which just happened to satisfy the discerning palate of this genius pharmacist senior.

But no matter what, rules are rules.

The order of seniority must not be confused, and etiquette must not be violated.

Otherwise, the teacher will be unhappy.

It has been 157 years since the last time the teacher was unhappy.

Just as people forget most of their unpleasant childhood memories, after a hundred years, Qi Zhimu could no longer remember the specific reason why his teacher was unhappy, only vaguely remembering that it was related to breaking the rules.

This was followed by a five-day medication ban and confinement as punishment.

The teacher only released him from the dark room when the virus was about to take his life.

In Qi Zhimu's mind, not following the proper way of addressing someone was also breaking the rules.

"I bet you're going to say 'How can a junior mess up the seniority?'" Yu Qingtu said with certainty, seeing his expression.

"Senior is a member of the Genius Club #55, how can a junior disregard seniority?"

See? I guessed right every time.

"You've already graduated, so what's the point of messing up seniority? Even in the Genius Club, there are a bunch of eccentric guys who have no respect for their seniors whatsoever."

Yu Qingtu rolled her eyes even more and spoke in an annoyed tone.

"Besides, your teacher isn't a genius, and she's never treated me with any respect. She doesn't even want to see you now, and you're still so sympathetic to her?"

"A teacher for a day is a teacher for life; a junior should not bring shame to his teacher."

"Stubborn as ever, fine, fine. Your birthday is in a hundred days. What gift do you want?"

"A gift from a genius, whatever it may be, is an honor for a junior."

Qi Zhimu maintained a polite smile and steered the conversation back on track.

"Senior hasn't answered this junior yet, regarding the teacher's research..."

"It's not over yet. That guy has locked himself up for decades. If it weren't for the fact that we could still detect her vital signs, I would have suspected that she was dead inside."

"Thank you for informing me, senior."

"Little one, sit down, I have some questions for you."

Yu Qingtu's eyes darted around, signaling Qi Zhimu not to stand there like an idiot.

Qi Zhimu hesitated for a moment before sitting down properly opposite Yu Qingtu.

"As long as it doesn't involve the teacher's privacy, I will speak my mind."

"Don't worry, although it involves privacy, it's not hers, it's yours."

"younger generation?"

"Tell me the truth—"

Yu Qingtu narrowed his long, narrow eyes, his expression gradually becoming serious.

"Was your sudden departure from your apprenticeship related to your attempt to dissuade Aruanmo from conducting that forbidden research?"

"..." Qi Zhimu lowered his gaze, remained silent for a few seconds, and then shook his head slightly: "I cannot fathom the teacher's thoughts."

Yu Qingtu immediately had the answer in his heart.

As a genius in the field of chemistry, he naturally had dealings with the field of life sciences.

How could she not see that Nguyen Mai was undertaking the taboo task of resurrecting the deceased?

The deceased were none other than his parents.

Never interfere with other people's research; this is a basic courtesy of members of the Genius Club.

But this did not stop Yu Qingtu from secretly thinking: How could someone who himself despises the laws of biology teach such well-behaved students?

It can't be that Qi Zhimu was expelled from the sect and ended up like this because he broke the rules and talked back to her, right?

"If I had met you back then, cured your illness, and taken you in as a student, you certainly wouldn't be as dull as you are now."

Qi Zhimu could only smile at this.

Yu Qingtu was already used to his temperament and didn't care.

After elegantly enjoying the delicious and visually appealing pastries, a hint of satisfaction appeared on her face.

"Alright, little one, I have to go now, but before I leave, I'd like to ask you one more question."

"Please speak, senior."

"Do you admire... no, I should say, do you like A-Ruan, from the perspective of the opposite sex?"

"Senior, please don't tease a junior like me. I have nothing but respect for my teacher, how could I harbor such absurd and disrespectful feelings?"

"Is that so...?"

Gazing at Qi Zhimu's composed expression, Yu Qingtu found no trace of a lie.

Of course, they also couldn't detect the hidden affection.

But deep down she still felt extremely strange.

The primary source is a building not far from the bamboo house where we are currently, that is exactly the same as the hometown residence of my friend Ruan Mei.

She went inside and saw that the layout was exactly as described.

It's unclear whether it was copied verbatim or something Qi Zhimu created himself.

If it's the latter, what's the point of building it, not living in it, but cleaning it regularly to keep it spotless?

In contrast, Qi Zhimu's annual tradition of sending plum blossom wine to Ruan Mei on time seems more like a normal act of respect for a teacher.

Unable to find a clue, Yu Qingtu could only attribute the cause to the fact that both the teacher and student were eccentric individuals.

"...See you next time, little guy." Yu Qingtu waved his hand and took away the ten jars of plum blossom wine next to him.

"Take care, senior. After you deliver the plum blossom wine, please remember to leave a message for your teacher, reminding her to maintain a regular schedule and eat on time."

"You've been saying this for decades, don't worry."

Whether or not she will listen is up to Ruan Mei.

Qi Zhimu saw Yu Qingtu off onto the spaceship and watched her leave before turning and walking towards the residence.

However, Yu Qingtu was still watching this place.

Seeing that Qi Zhimu was cleaning the replica house on time again, she felt that the student was more puzzling than the teacher.

Completely baffled, he shook his head helplessly and looked away.

"Perhaps this is what they mean by: geniuses aren't geniuses in every field."

Only after realizing that the elusive presence had completely left did Qi Zhimu finally breathe a sigh of relief.

His once healthy and rosy complexion turned ashen in an instant, transforming him from a young man into an old man, and his temples quickly turned white.

He coughed violently a few times, and a fishy, ​​sweet taste blocked his throat, almost spilling from the corner of his mouth.

He was dying.

Admittedly, he learned a lot about biology from Ruan Mei and had various ways to prolong his life.

There's no need for that.

As a short-lived species, its lifespan of 175 years is quite perfect.

Like the protagonists in various novels, Qi Zhimu also has his own system.

However, his system does not directly provide powerful cheat codes or hacks.

The only thing the system provides is: life.

Born like a human being, die like a human being, endlessly repeating the cycle.

Natural death is a law of intelligent life, and also a blessing; it will not be easily broken.

Leaving aside teacher Ruan Mei, the eccentric Yu Qingtu is a different story.

If he knew the truth about his impending death, this genius who had lived for countless years might very well do something to him.

Therefore, there was no need to tell them.

But there were still some things to finish before I died.