Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

Clarice turned her head and noticed that he had an unusual look of bewilderment on his face.

She was somewhat surprised and waited quietly.

After a long pause, Qi Zhimu finally spoke up to explain his thoughts.

"There may not be a standard way to interpret this sentence."

"If I had to give an answer, I would say that the meaning of life lies not in navigating the maze, but in collecting those memorable moments along the way."

"In the inevitability of everything passing away, memory is the only thing we can take with us, and it is also the gentlest resistance people can offer when facing nothingness."

Clarisse seemed lost in thought.

She felt that Mr. Qi's answer was not suitable for her.

Perhaps it's because... Mr. Qi's understanding leans more towards pessimism?

When life ends, aren't the memories taken away also gone?

Isn't it still nothing?

"Don't worry too much about it; some problems simply have multiple solutions."

"Life will eventually lead to death, and everyone has the right to choose which path to take along the way."

Let me tell you a short story, one that I stumbled upon in a book.

Qi Zhimu recalled briefly and then spoke slowly:

"A young couple is about to part ways; the husband is terminally ill and doesn't have long to live."

Before he died, he gave his wife a bracelet he had woven himself and said—

"After I die, let it accompany you for the rest of your life. When you think of me because of it, I will live again because of you."

"What a romantic story..." Clarice exclaimed.

"Romance is one way of interpreting things, but my way of interpreting things... is cruelty."

Qi Zhimu said this.

"...Cruel, cruel?" Clarice looked surprised.

"After a person dies, nothing remains of themselves except their memories, because you may still exist in the memories of others."

Qi Zhimu's tone was very soft, with a hint of emptiness.

"Hmm...is something wrong?" Clarice asked, puzzled.

Qi Zhimu said softly, "The dead return to dust, and the living must eventually say goodbye to the past and look forward. There is nothing wrong with a husband giving his wife a bracelet, but—"

"His words inadvertently imprisoned his wife in the memories of the past, and the bracelet became a shackle."

"Death is death, why make the people you love unable to let go of you?"

"Whether or not to let go is the right of the living, not something that the dying can decide."

"The husband's willingness to let go of everything so that his wife wouldn't live in the memories of the past is perhaps the deepest affection and love he left for her before he passed away."

…This is the direction of Mr. Qi's interpretation…

Clarice's lips moved slightly, and she felt that after he finished speaking, a trace of sadness quietly blended into the atmosphere.

She felt that Mr. Qi was somewhat... pessimistic?

Is it because of studying medicine?

Every time we treat a critically ill patient, we must be prepared for the worst possible outcome and do everything in our power to pull that life out of the River Styx.

Over time, this kind of mindset towards everything has been formed... right?

Otherwise, she really couldn't understand how Mr. Qi, who was as gentle as the winter sun, could be a pessimist.

"But... isn't it cruel to ask your wife to let go of you? After all, they love each other deeply..."

"A smile, silence, or a simple goodbye is not cruel."

"It would be very difficult for someone who still has attachment to the world to be so open-minded in the face of life and death," Clarice remarked.

"Heh...that's a choice everyone has to face."

Qi Zhimu smiled, caught the little orange car that crashed into his arms, and gently scratched its chin.

"And that's where the meaning lies, in what kind of meaning life tends to assign."

These words stirred complex emotions within Clarice.

"...Mr. Qi, if I were to die, would you be willing to remember me as much as possible?"

"Of course I'm willing."

"What's the reason?"

No reason is needed.

"But I want to know... please~~" Clarice used her coquettish charm, her voice sweet and soft.

If her classmates saw this, they would probably be shocked.

That eccentric guy who never made friends and was practically isolated actually had such a girlish side.

Qi Zhimu smiled helplessly: "Because Clarice is down-to-earth, resolute, filial, and knows how to be grateful. Hmm... she's also very cute, beautiful, and generous."

The last sentence was something I thought of on the spot and added.

Compared to character, young girls might prefer to be praised for being cute, beautiful, and poised.

Seeing the girl's face slightly flushed, Qi Zhimu knew he had praised her correctly.

"...If it were Mr. Qi instead... never mind, it's nothing."

Clarice realized that asking such a question was inappropriate, suppressed her curiosity, and immediately dismissed the idea.

You can't use someone else's life or death to accompany the word "if".

"You're asking if, if I were to die soon, I would want to be remembered by others, by certain people, or by a particular individual, right?"

"...Mr. Qi still saw through me...Yes, please forgive my rudeness."

"It wouldn't be considered rude. The answer lies in interpreting the short story I just mentioned."

"…oh……"

Clarice didn't notice the faint melancholy in Qi Zhimu's tone and subconsciously rubbed her eyes.

He was certain he wasn't seeing things, and his expression was one of astonishment.

Mr. Qi was clearly sitting right next to me, so why were there several of his ghostly figures in the medical room?

Furthermore, she can understand what the phantoms are doing.

"Mr. Qi...you...you..."

"What's wrong?" Qi Zhimu asked, puzzled.

Clarice hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped herself.

After hesitating for a long time, he still didn't tell her about the phantom he had seen, but instead asked in a low voice.

"To cure my mother's amnesia, you... have been the test subject all along?"

"...Girl, you—"

Qi Zhimu was slightly taken aback, and subconsciously wanted to deny it.

But when he met those slightly trembling eyes that shone like the starry sky, he implicitly admitted it.

"How did you guess that?"

"Because Mr. Qi is a reclusive person who doesn't socialize at all. I've never seen you leave this remote mountain area. Where did the volunteers come from...?"

Clarice gave a slightly forced smile and subconsciously turned her head away from Qi Zhimu's gaze.

She was afraid that her eyes, which were about to well up with tears, would not be able to hide them.

No, that's not it...it's...I saw it with my own eyes, Mr. Qi...

Even though she doesn't understand medicine, she knows that every difficult and complicated disease that has been conquered requires the tremendous effort and dedication of doctors and clinical volunteers.

Mr. Qi took on everything by himself!

Clarice was well aware that clinical trials have always been accompanied by risks.

Especially for memory-related conditions, Mr. Qi's memory could be affected in the event of an accident.

I have received so much kindness from him that I can never repay it.