Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

Upon returning to the bamboo house and entering Qi Zhimu's research lab, Yu Qingtu briefly examined the equipment and discovered that all the data had been formatted.

My finger hovered over the control panel for a moment, but I ultimately did not choose to restore it.

Entering the folded space and seeing certain things inside made my heart ache.

Qi Zhimu, who is about to die of old age, will surely lie on the cremation platform, waiting alone for the end of his life.

Perhaps... only that orange cat accompanied him to the end and saw him off.

Exiting the folded space, Yu Qingtu unknowingly arrived at the wine cellar.

Seeing the dozens of wine jars neatly arranged in the corner, she looked puzzled, subconsciously walked over, opened the seal of one of the jars, and sniffed it.

The wine has a light, pleasant aroma, carrying the unique scent of plum blossoms.

One year old...it's definitely a one-year-old wine!

Qi Zhimu's plum blossom wines cover vintages from 1 to 6 years, and she has tasted each one. Each has its own unique flavor, leaving a very deep impression on her.

But he has been gone for twenty years, so where did this year's plum blossom wine come from?

Is it...

Yu Qingtu recalled Qi Zhimu's doll creation and a certain sentence it had said.

Driven by Qi Zhimu's memories...

So, it was following the instructions left by its master, brewing wine for him year after year, until finally...

Should it be sent to Nguyen Mai?

Everything suddenly became clear.

A nameless fire of jealousy suddenly surged in Yu Qingtu's heart, and she unconsciously clenched her teeth.

"You little bastard, you're still thinking about her even after you're dead, but what has she ever done for you—"

He swallowed the rest of his words, which were about to escape his teeth, and sighed dejectedly.

Fool, idiot.

She turned and left the bamboo house, heading towards Ruan Mei's home.

The entire mansion was spotless; not even a single leaf covered with a thin layer of snow could be seen under the trees in the courtyard.

Yu Qingtu's eyebrows twitched involuntarily.

So that's how it works—using Qi Zhimu's memories as the driving force...

All the clues connected, and the urge to immediately slap Qi Zhimu's doll to pieces arose spontaneously.

However, she quickly calmed down.

So what if the doll is destroyed? It won't change anything.

The little guy wouldn't want her to do that either; after all, Ruan Mei was his most respected teacher.

He was also someone he deeply loved, someone he had kept hidden in his heart, someone he might not even have realized he loved.

"I'd like to see if you can remain as calm as you are now when you learn everything, Aruan..."

If your friend is inherently heartless, then so be it.

If she also had feelings, Qi Zhimu's death, and all that remained, would be enough to plunge her into the abyss, forcing her to taste the bitter fruit of her actions.

"After observing for so long, shouldn't you come out by now?" Yu Qingtu turned his head, his gaze fixed on the shadow beside the pillar.

"Ms. Yu Qingtu, I meant no harm..."

A figure in a long, deep purple dress slowly appeared, gently lifting the hem of her dress with both hands and bowing gracefully.

"My name is Black Swan, the one who remembers in the Flowing Light Memory Garden."

"Who are you to him?" Yu Qingtu didn't care about her background.

"25 years ago, I was a family member of one of Mr. Qi's patients, and also his friend."

"Twenty years ago, I was the one who accompanied Mr. Qi to the very end and loved him deeply."

"Now, I am the one who carries most of his memories, who vows to remember him forever, and who protects him."

The black swan responded with neither arrogance nor servility.

Yu Qingtu then narrowed his eyes and carefully examined the other person.

"Ms. Yu Qingtu, I think you are the second most important person to Mr. Qi, so there is no need for you to harbor any hostility towards me."

"If you want to express your jealousy, just say so directly. There's no need to beat around the bush, Yi Zhe."

"Excuse me," the Black Swan said without denying it.

"Tell me, what were his last few days like...?"

Please check it yourself.

Black Swan lightly touched her forehead, and a halo of light emanated from her fingertips, quickly forming a memory bubble that floated towards Yu Qingtu.

She didn't really have much to say to the genius in front of her.

If she hadn't seen through Yu Qingtu's true feelings for Mr. Qi, she wouldn't have planned to take the initiative to get closer to him.

Yu Qingtu took the memory bubble and accepted the memories within without hesitation.

With her abilities, she wasn't worried about the Black Swan using underhanded tactics.

When the past scenes from the memory bubble appeared before his eyes, Yu Qingtu immediately lost his composure and remained silent for a long time.

It took her a long while to calm down, her expression complex.

"In any case, thank you for being there for him during the last moments of his life, Miss Black Swan."

Upon learning that Qi Zhimu had left Anning and was not alone in waiting to die, her terrible mood was finally somewhat comforted.

This can be seen as acknowledging Black Swan's feelings for Qi Zhimu and her right to preserve these memories.

The black swan gently shook its head, dropping a bombshell in a soft tone.

"Mr. Qi's memory contains some special past experiences with Ms. Ruan Mei."

"As a respected senior of Mr. Qi and a close friend of Ms. Ruan Mei, you may have the right to know. If you are not interested, I will not force you."

"Oh?"

Yu Qingtu's gaze sharpened. What about Qi Zhimu and Ruan Mei's special past?

Could it be that incident from years ago that she always felt something was off...?

"Forget about his memories, I just want the whole story of what happened in the past."

Yu Qingtu originally wanted all of Qi Zhimu's memories, but then she thought, what right does she have to possess them?

Saying that she is the second most important person in Qi Zhimu's life is just because they have known each other for a long time.

If we really want to be serious, it's not even as good as the black swan in front of us.

In the last few days of Qi Zhimu's life, she saw everything the Black Swan did for him and the companionship she provided through Yipao.

If the memories were fabricated, there was no way they could have fooled her.

Black Swan took out another temporary memory bubble, but did not immediately release it.

"Ms. Yu Qingtu, the pain brought by this memory permeated Mr. Qi's entire life..."

"I originally intended to bury it forever, but the reason I'm telling you is very simple—"

Black Swan added with an air of unquestionable certainty and utmost seriousness:

"Mr. Qi is perfect in my heart. In that past, he was never the one who was wrong."

"Are you standing up for him?" Yu Qingtu was somewhat surprised.

"good."

After saying that, the Black Swan sent out the Memory Bubble.

Yu Qingtu nodded silently and prepared himself mentally.

Even so, when I learned the whole truth about that past, I was still shocked beyond words.

"Ah Ruan, you'll regret this."

Yu Qingtu muttered to himself, letting the bubble in his hand dissipate.

When I looked at the black swan again, there was a hint of genuine goodwill in my eyes.

Without her, this past might have been completely buried in the river of memory with Qi Zhimu's departure, never to be touched again.

"I know what you want me to do, but unfortunately, I can't do it," Yu Qingtu sighed.

"I understand. I just don't want Mr. Qi in Ms. Yu Qingtu's heart to be tainted with something that shouldn't be there."

The black swan bowed respectfully, its form gradually fading away and disappearing into the light and shadow.

"Well then, farewell."

Yu Qingtu returned to the bamboo house, looked at the empty room, and sighed sadly.

From this day forward, she will live here.

Until I see someone regret it with my own eyes.

From this day forward, Yu Qingtu never visited Ruan Mei again.