Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

The parents failed to keep their promise to their grandmother, which is a betrayal.

She also failed to fulfill her promise to protect her parents, which was a betrayal as well.

Only science... will not let us down.

Yu Qingtu's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly as she listened to Ruan Mei's words.

She couldn't quite judge the kind of love that led her to want to bring her deceased parents back to life in her own way.

"What did Qi Zhimu say and do at that time?"

The fact that Yu Qingtu doesn't even call the little guy by his name, but instead calls him by his full name, shows how serious Yu Qingtu is right now.

"He deleted my research data without my permission and tried to dissuade me from continuing my research four times."

Ruan Mei lowered her eyes, her tone so calm it was as if she were narrating a trivial matter.

She raised her delicate hand and swept it across her front, conjuring up a screen out of thin air.

"Teacher, this is a taboo study that desecrates life and, more importantly, parents!"

Even if you eventually succeed, you may easily lose sight of your true self and lose many things!

"Some Pandora's boxes... must never be opened."

Ruan Mei lightly tapped the screen with her slender fingers, and the image froze on Qi Zhimu's deeply furrowed brows.

She glanced at Yu Qingtu, merely blinking indifferently, the meaning of which was self-evident.

"Ah Ruan, short-lived species and long-lived species think differently." Yu Qingtu could understand to some extent why Qi Zhimu would do this.

He also acknowledged that his advice was not without merit.

As a genius, no one understood this truth better than her—

When you gain something, you also lose something important.

"What is your understanding of love for family?" Before Ruan Mei could speak, Yu Qingtu quickly asked another question.

Ruan Mei stared at the frozen face on the screen, her thoughts drifting away.

Even when she was very young, she could perceive subtle differences in love, as well as different scents.

My grandmother had a full head of silver hair and loved listening to the melodious opera.

My father loved to wear big, furry leather boots.

My mother and father love each other, even though they often argue.

As for herself, she loved the delicious pastries her mother would reward her with each time she returned home from a scientific expedition.

Aunt Alise was kinder to her than any of the older relatives; she would buy her extra snacks. Aunt's love was the best.

Therefore, everyone's love is different and exists in different levels.

For me, keeping my promises and doing what I say is the kind of love that I will never betray.

But the parents broke their promise, and the grandmother disappeared without a trace.

She also broke her promise and failed to protect her parents.

The parents were trapped in a desperate situation during a scientific expedition and never returned.

She could only watch helplessly as everything she loved slipped through her fingers.

He reached out to grab something, but couldn't grasp anything.

Seeing that Ruan Mei remained silent, Yu Qingtu sighed inwardly and did not press the matter further.

A person's experiences profoundly influence every aspect of their character.

You have no right to judge if you haven't experienced it firsthand.

Qi Zhimu's intentions were good, but he also violated this taboo.

His understanding of love was completely different from Ruan Mei's understanding of love.

"I didn't ask, but was the punishment for him too severe?"

Yu Qingtu changed the subject.

"With your intelligence, even if the data wasn't backed up, it should be deeply etched in your memory. His deletion has no real impact."

"Letting him go is not a punishment."

Ruan Mei's tone remained flat and calm.

"Amu's illness has long been cured. As his teacher, I have taught him everything I was supposed to. I don't owe him anything."

"Before his illness was cured, he had no complaints about becoming my experimental subject. After he recovered, he took care of my daily life for decades without owing me anything."

"Our philosophies differ, so separating is better for both of us. We are not indispensable to each other, and we are now even."

"A clean break? What does that even mean?"

Yu Qingtu stretched out his hand and pointed to the thing carrying pastries walking towards them...

It looked very familiar, with Qi Zhimu's figure, clothes, and even face.

No matter how lifelike it may be, it is still a soulless substitute.

Yu Qingtu had already realized why Ruan Mei's words had been so puzzling when he first arrived.

Fresh pastries come out of the oven in ten minutes?

I didn't think much of it at the time, but now I realize why I was leisurely accompanying her to the hot springs; it turns out I had created a "fake" to handle everything.

As expected, this fake has the same craftsmanship as the real Qi Zhimu; otherwise, given Ruan Mei's pickiness, she wouldn't have created it.

"You chased the little guy away, but then turned around and made a stand-in based on him. Is this what you mean by not being indispensable?"

"I need to finish the research sooner to save a lot of unnecessary time."

Ruan Mei explained softly, but did not deny Qi Zhimu's claim.

"I admit, Amu is a very good student, but all I need is him who follows the rules."

"You... never mind."

Yu Qingtu's intuition told him that Ruan Mei was being stubborn.

If all you need to do is save time, why make the 'tool' for daily living look like Qi Zhimu?

It was clearly her subconscious that was prompting her to do this.

But then she thought, that's just Ruan Mei's personality, maybe she's not even aware of her true feelings for Qi Zhimu.

—If that feeling is real.

"If letting the little guy go isn't punishment, then what is? You just said you punished him, there must be a reason."

…Um?

As soon as she finished speaking, Yu Qingtu keenly noticed that Ruan Mei's emotions fluctuated for the first time.

It's very slight and easily overlooked if you're not careful.

It's really not easy to get someone who usually has a stern face to show that kind of expression. It seems this matter is more serious than stopping her from conducting that research.

Nguyen Mai has maintained her silence for an all-time long period.

"It's inconvenient for you to tell me?" Yu Qingtu wasn't going to let her off so easily this time.

Sensing that her friend was determined to get to the bottom of things, Ruan Mei spoke expressionlessly.

"Amu is being too presumptuous."

"How exactly is this 'outrageous'?"

"When Amu was 18, on my birthday, he touched my foot."

At the time, she never expected Qi Zhimu to suddenly do such a thing, and her consciousness briefly went blank.

My first reaction after regaining my senses wasn't anger, but rather a feeling that something was wrong.

"...touching a foot...wait—"

Yu Qingtu initially dismissed the idea, but soon his eyes widened.

"You wouldn't rigidly adhere to the outdated, feudal idea that only a woman's feet can be touched by her partner, would you?"

"no."

Nguyen Mai vehemently denied it.

"There are rewards for doing things well, and punishments for doing things wrong."

"I am Amu's teacher. His behavior has gone beyond the teacher-student relationship. It is wrong and needs to be corrected."

"Considering that I haven't taught him about male and female physiology, or proper etiquette between teachers and students, once the punishment is over, the matter will be over."

"How did you punish him?" Yu Qingtu pressed.

"A five-day lockdown, during which the supply of medicine will be suspended."

"I see..." Yu Qingtu fell into deep thought.

But she always felt something was off.

When it comes to matters of the heart, most men are self-taught, especially given the many ways they can acquire relevant knowledge.

Even if Ruan Mei didn't teach, understanding the differences between men and women wouldn't be difficult.

Furthermore, given that little guy's personality, he doesn't seem like the type to be so brazen as to defy his superiors.