Leon looked down at the two boxes of Qing Tuan in his hands.
Whether through words or objects, he could feel the concern Ruan Hua held for Ruan Mei.
"She will like it."
If even that "Seawater Lava"—that overhyped piece of trash—could enter Ruan Mei's mouth, then how bad could these Qing Tuan be?
Not to mention they had the special buff of the "taste of home."
However, there was one thing he didn't understand.
Ruan Hua said Ruan Mei's mother had already passed away, so why create a fake father but not a fake mother?
Ruan Mei had previously stated that, complying with her mother's request, she preserved a slice of her brain lobe after her death.
What exactly happened in all of this?
Amidst his confusion, Leon suddenly glimpsed something out of the corner of his eye.
"Is that...?"
He raised a finger, pointing to a semi-finished wood carving on a table not far away.
A wood carving. From the general contour of the face, one could tell it should be Ruan Mei.
Only, judging by the body shape and size, didn't it lean more towards Ruan Mei in her childhood?
It was likely carved by Ruan Hua, which matched her previous statement that her father was a sculptor.
"Ah, that."
Ruan Hua looked in the direction he pointed and let out an 'ah'.
"That is something I carved based on A-Ruan. It is a little hobby of mine personally."
Ruan Hua introduced it, "It is about to be finished."
"I originally thought that when A-Ruan came next time, I would give it to her as a gift."
He laughed a few times. "But as you can see, it simply isn't finished."
"However, listening to A-Ruan, her experiment has now reached a critical stage."
Ruan Hua did not get discouraged.
"I'll see if I can put in some effort and strive to give it to her as a celebration gift."
"Then why did you carve her appearance from when she was a child?"
Leon was somewhat confused. "If it's to be a gift, carving her current appearance would be best, right?"
"Uh, Mr. Chang, what are you saying?"
Yet, not only did Ruan Hua feel there was no problem, but he actually felt there was a problem with Leon for asking this question.
"Doesn't A-Ruan look just like this?"
He held the same confusion as Leon on the same issue.
"What do you mean?"
What did he mean Ruan Mei looked just like this?
Leon took another glance at the statue. The statue's chest was as flat as a plain, hard to compare with the present.
The peaks had been chopped into flatlands; you really shaved off a bit too much there.
"Hmm... But what Mr. Chang says is not entirely without reason. A-Ruan has indeed grown a bit taller."
Ruan Hua felt it was excusable for him to say that. As a father, he indeed should have been more attentive.
"I will try my best to modify it."
At this moment, no matter how obtuse Leon might be, he could realize the anomaly.
The Ruan Mei in Ruan Hua's eyes and the Ruan Mei in his eyes did not seem to be the same person.
This was undoubtedly the best proof.
Proof that the father before him was not the genuine article.
The probability of the Corporation's data being wrong was very small. Although it didn't say how they died, Leon felt there was no need to doubt the fact that Ruan Mei's parents were KIA.
If they hadn't been killed in action, Ruan Mei wouldn't have grown into her current state.
Interesting. Although he didn't know what it was, anyone with eyes could see Ruan Mei was holding back something big.
Whether it was the homesickness Ruan Mei manifested everywhere, or the obsession with flowing back to the past that she revealed from time to time.
It seemed the thing she was paranoid about, and even plotting, wasn't that hard to guess.
Leon glanced at Ruan Hua but said nothing.
Even if there was a high probability that everything was fake, no matter what, the love was real.
"En, be careful on the road."
Ruan Hua nodded. "I will trouble Mr. Chang to take care of A-Ruan."
Leon accepted the request and left with Ruan Mei, holding the Qing Tuan.
He didn't ask anything more, merely accompanying her to stroll through this land of misty rain.
"Do you want to listen to a song?"
As they happened to pass by an opera garden, Ruan Mei suddenly said this to him.
"You asked me before what instrument I am good at. I can demonstrate it for you."
Her clear and beautiful face remained indifferent, but the invitation she issued was the exact opposite.
"Sure."
Leon glanced at her and agreed.
He immediately turned and stepped forward, walking into the opera garden with her.
Entering the opera garden, blooming plum blossoms could be seen everywhere.
The two arrived before an opera stage set up under a massive plum blossom tree, embellished with antique screens on the left and right so it wouldn't appear so empty.
"When I am alone, I often come here by myself to play as a way to relax my mind and body."
Ruan Mei took her seat at the main position of the performance stage, then picked up the celadon-green Ruan lute leaning against the screen.
From the words she spoke, and the presence of the corresponding instrument here, one could tell—this place was a frequent haunt of hers.
"When the strings are plucked, time will always flow toward the past."
Words falling, Ruan Mei's slender fingers danced upon the strings—lightly gathering, slowly twisting, plucking, and picking again.
Turning the tuning pegs and plucking the strings two or three times; before a tune is formed, emotion arises first.
The large strings clamor like rapid rain; the small strings whisper like intimate murmurs.
Clamoring and whispering, the two intermingle; like large pearls and small pearls falling onto a jade plate.
The sound of the Ruan fell upon splendid clothes; the plum blossoms appeared like makeup dots.
Accompanied by Ruan Mei's playing, a faint music carrying wisps of sorrow echoed within this opera garden.
It expressed the author's homesickness very well.
The beauty closed her eyes, not yet weeping, but grief had already pierced her bowels.
Can't hate on it; this is genuine homesickness.
Leon knew that literati like Ruan Mei loved to use this kind of behavior to express emotions the most.
As a fellow talented woman, he really still preferred Herta's straightforward personality.
But Herta's upbringing environment was placed right there; it was impossible for her to have any lyricism in the first place.
And this kind of elegance is something in the bones of Jiangnan people; Leon could understand.
From Ruan Mei's appearance, attire, and the scenery of this hometown, one could see the water and soil she grew up on were similar to the Xianzhou side.
Nothing more than lacking the high technology of the Xianzhou.
However, Leon checked earlier and found that Ruan Mei's hometown did not exist on the interstellar navigation charts.
There was also not a bit of relevant intelligence or information on the internet.
Thinking that this entire world might have been created by Ruan Mei alone...
It was hard to say whose technological level was higher or lower.
Aside from the Delve technology, they were likely evenly matched.
"The wind is soft, the sun is thin, spring is still early. Changing into a lined jacket, my spirits rise."
Playing to the depths of the song's emotion, Ruan Mei lowered her eyelids, speaking softly.
"Waking from slumber, a slight chill lingers. The plum blossom on my temple has withered."
Accompanied by Ruan Mei's superb plucking skills, the emotion of the song became increasingly high-spirited.
"Where is my hometown? Unless drunk, I cannot forget."
But in the next second, the emotion that had just been lifted plummeted a thousand zhang.
The high spirits instantly turned into dispelling sorrow.
"Wiping the lute, stroking the silk sleeve. Days fade, reveries grow long."
Finally, with a bewildered long note, the song ended, and Ruan Mei's performance came to a close.
Is that the last line of this poem? Do you take a certain Mr. Chang for someone who hasn't read books?
"Why tell me these things?"
Leon asked aloud, the reflection of the talented woman playing the Ruan in his eyes.
In these few sentences, the homesickness was nearly overflowing.
Along with it, Ruan Mei's objective was vividly portrayed; it was better to say it was explicitly hinted.
"The plum blossoms have opened. This is the season when they bloom most luxuriantly."
Ruan Mei did not answer, merely raising her head to murmur.
Seeing this, Leon raised his head along with her.
The two looked together at that massive plum blossom tree directly above their heads.
"But no matter when they bloom, there will eventually be a day when they are blown down by the wind."
It just so happened that petals of plum blossoms fell from the branches, slowly drifting to the ground, the table, and onto the bodies of the two, corresponding exactly to Ruan Mei's words.
"Neither accelerating nor delaying death; life will always wither. But if life can be preserved for a long time, the momentary freshness it once bloomed..."
Ruan Mei retracted her gaze, letting her eyes fall upon Leon once again.
"...would no longer be moving."
Leon could tell Ruan Mei was confused. This Genius was also lost regarding her own direction.
In this place belonging to her heart, she rarely revealed the emotions belonging to her.
Ruan Mei was hesitating before a fork in the road.
Now that the "Project" was about to reach its end, she had to make a choice.
Should she continue to explore the mysteries of "Aeons," continue to explore their essence as "Life," and find the method to truly resurrect her parents?
Breaking the shackles of life, ascending from a higher dimension.
Or should she just let them die like that...
Maintaining the balance of ecology, and maintaining the brilliance of life.
As well as... the reverence for life.
From the situation in reality, Ruan Mei obviously chose the former.
And put it into action.
But judging from the current situation, she had not truly made a choice up to now.
She didn't know if doing this was right; she didn't even know if she should do this.
She could only numb herself with that "Curiosity" at the bottom of a Genius's heart.
Driving herself.
"Due to some past events I do not wish to mention, I find it hard to trust anyone other than myself."
Ruan Mei no longer avoided it, looking directly at him.
"But I feel that as a partner, you should have the right to know these things."
In her gentle voice, there was actually a wisp of imperceptible, faint pleading.
The existence currently closest to an "Aeon."
How does he view this matter? What does he think?
Leon glanced at her. "Why ask me?"
"Wouldn't it be fine to just do what you think is right?"
A plum blossom fell into Leon's palm, and he clenched it tight.
"I am not you. I cannot make any choices for you."
"Do not ask me. Ask your heart. Ask it, if you don't do it, will you be resigned?"
Excessive paranoia will turn a person into a monster.
But if one doesn't hit the southern wall once, how can they be resigned to turning back?
He had always respected the fate of others. He felt that persuasion was the most useless behavior in this world.
The collision of concepts, arguments—these were all meaningless.
If preaching were truly useful, there wouldn't be eighteen "Paths" in this galaxy.
Just unify the Great Dao directly.
There are many roads in this world, and everyone has that one road belonging to them.
Aeons, Paths, Eighteen Gates—where is the absolute answer?
If you want to do it, then just do it. As long as your fist is big enough, what can't be accomplished?
Whether it was Jingliu, Constance, or the current Ruan Mei.
Leon respected their own choices.
When they reached the end of the road to becoming monsters, pulling them back was what he needed to do.
Saving suffering and resolving difficulties has always been about saving the root cause.
"I might poke a huge hole in the sky, you know."
Ruan Mei looked at him, speaking once again.
—The implication was clear: he should be persuading her to stop.
"So what? Even if you poke a hole in the sky, what of it?"
Leon disapproved. Even if she said that, he didn't have half a thought of changing his mind.
"The things you want to do do not violate my bottom line."
He looked at her. "Rather, the fact that you can solve the remaining problems for Firefly actually helps me a big deal."
Oioi, his reputation is precious.
As one standing at the peak, not only must his combat record be undefeated, but his after-sales reputation must naturally be good as well.
"As long as you feel it is right, then just do it."
Once again, a repeated acknowledgment, not dissuasion.
"If your hesitation is worrying that you don't have the ability to wrap things up."
Leon extended his hand to her, spreading his palm.
A plum blossom petal lay quietly on it at this moment.
"Then, I will act as your after-sales service."
He spoke confidently and arrogantly. "Things you cannot do, things others cannot do."
If Ruan Mei really poked some disaster out because of failure.
Then, before this big disaster caused a tragedy, he would personally resolve it.
"If it is me, I can do it!"
What conceited big talk.
But coming from Leon, it didn't make people feel that way at all.
Instead, it was a feeling of matter-of-factness.
Yes, he was fully qualified to say this.
Ruan Mei was in a daze, her lowered brows and eyes gazing at the plum blossom lying in his palm.
For a long time, she reached out her hand, pinching the plum blossom from his palm with two fingers.
The plum blossom, bestowed with the power of "The Abundance" by him, bloomed even more luxuriantly at Ruan Mei's fingertips, instead of withering directly after being picked up and leaving his hand.
It represented that Ruan Mei already had her own answer in her heart and had made her own choice.
Before the fork in the road, she decided which path to take.
Leon sent a bit of nourishment of "The Abundance" to the plum blossom, and at the same time, posed a test.
If Ruan Mei chose to give up, then the plum blossom would have withered directly the moment she picked it up.
Conversely, if she chose to walk one path to the dark end.
Then the power of "The Abundance" bestowed on the plum blossom by Leon would truly become its nutrient.
Blooming more luxuriantly, never withering, just as Ruan Mei pursued.
From the result, obviously, she chose the former.
"Can't you also show a pretty decent smile?"
You don't say, he kind of wanted to take a picture to show Herta.
Show her what her usually cold-tempered best friend looked like with him.
So Ruan Mei is like that with you; she is completely different with me, oh.
If your tolerance capacity is strong, then click open the photo I sent you.
But if he really sent it, Leon felt Herta might never be done with him in various senses.
Better forget it.
Ruan Mei was stunned hearing his words, then subconsciously touched her cheek.
The corners of her mouth had raised an arc rarely seen in a hundred lifetimes for her, without her knowing when.
The last time she showed such a smile, perhaps, had to be traced back to her childhood.
"En."
Regarding his words, Ruan Mei did not deny it.
She did not deny she smiled, nor did she deny she smiled because of him.
PS: I must roast a bit. Looking up information recently really made me struggle to hold it in.
The text regarding Ruan Mei is a bit too damn fragmented. It's basically like everyone is writing their own thing. The character story says father and mother died, the Express dialogue says only the mother died.
The in-game character introduction also says her figure only had a fleeting shadow on the Xianzhou. I am a bit unclear what timeline this is. If it is the timeline where she reached cooperation with the Xianzhou Alliance, that is understandable.
If not, then this character is a bit mysterious.
Also, regarding the "Essence of Life," whether in the PV or some voice lines or texts, everywhere is shaping her as nostalgic. This is also the direction I selected.
But the true plot doesn't have half a bit of shaping.
I'm a bit out of moves.
PY:
[Sporty Lunchbox] Rin: Doesn't everyone think the nicknames in the group are a bit strange?
[Purple Sweet Potato Mashed Taro] Kafka: Not really, everyone's nicknames are very cute.
[Standard Lunchbox] Sakiko: Is it? It's very ordinary.
[Braised Eggplant] Mash: I've wanted to say it for a long time! My nickname doesn't sound good at all!
[Giant Daifuku] Tsunade: Nicknames and such don't matter at all, right?
[Group Leader]: Cough cough! It is like this. We are a gourmet chat group, so everyone's nicknames are random foods and tableware.
[Sporty Lunchbox] Rin: Is it really random? [Suspect.gif]
[Purple Sweet Potato Mashed Taro] Kafka: Pause for a moment, the galaxy has entered a BE again. Group Leader, come quick to cosplay Terminus.
____
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