One week later.
Clarice returned home from school to find her mother packing her luggage.
"Mother, what are you...?"
"Packing up, preparing to return to our hometown when the time is right. Yesterday, when I asked you to invite Dr. Qi over, it was actually to say goodbye," Durand said while folding clothes.
"..." Clarice's expression froze.
No wonder her mother had been exceptionally warm yesterday; it was almost the highest standard of hospitality for the Durand Clan.
Durand didn't notice her daughter's expression and continued, "I've already asked your aunt to handle the school transfer procedures. It should be done soon."
"If you have any close classmates, remember to say your goodbyes properly over the next few days. Being a whole planet apart, meeting up will always become more troublesome."
After a moment, Durand noticed her daughter's silence and turned around in confusion.
She saw her daughter standing there blankly, her face filled with struggle.
"What is it, my child?"
"Mother... I... I don't want to go back!" Clarice raised her head, meeting Durand's gaze.
In her daughter's eyes, Durand saw a very obvious determination, even stubbornness.
"...Is it because of Dr. Qi?"
"How did you know..."
"Silly child, your mother is someone who has been through it all after all. How could I not see that my daughter has someone she likes in her heart?"
Durand stepped forward, reaching out her arms to gently embrace Clarice.
"Don't be afraid. I won't interfere with your choice. On the contrary, I support you in pursuing freedom and love."
"If not for the gap in status and class, someone like Dr. Qi would have countless daughters of noble families flocking to him."
"Whether it's his conduct or external conditions like his appearance and temperament, one can't find any fault with him."
"It's just a pity that the marriages of noble daughters are mostly beyond their own control."
"Although our Durand Clan has some reputation in the Court, we are ultimately just a small family."
"Precisely because of this, you don't have the shackles of family ties on you. Go ahead and express your feelings bravely, my daughter..."
Durand gently stroked Clarice's smooth long hair, showing an encouraging smile.
"Life is short. If you don't seize the moment to strive for some things, they will slip through your fingers in the blink of an eye."
"Mother..."
Clarice's nose felt sour, and her eyes misted over. She couldn't help but bury herself in Durand's embrace.
"Hehe... You've long since grown up. You're no longer that little girl I need to worry about all the time. Go do what you want to do. I will always be behind you."
"Mhm!" Clarice nodded vigorously, tightening her embrace on her mother significantly.
Not all children can always feel and enjoy peace within the harbor of their mother's embrace.
She was undoubtedly lucky.
That night, after having dinner and bathing, Clarice returned to her room and opened her wardrobe.
It was filled with hand-knitted sweaters and scarves.
From early works with crooked, messy threads to later ones that gradually became neat, the young girl's progress was clearly visible.
At least dozens of items had reached the level of fine craftsmanship, but Clarice still felt it wasn't enough.
She picked up her knitting needles and a ball of yarn, a hint of tenderness flashing in her eyes as she looked at the Glass Lamp on her bedside table.
That was one of the gifts Mr. Qi had brought when he came to visit.
Actually, it was specifically for her.
Equipped with miraculous space folding technology, it could not only be used for lighting but also for storing personal items like Tarot Cards, cosmetics, and a mobile phone.
In addition, it could shrink in size, making it easy to carry around.
She had seen similar magical items, and the price wouldn't be low at all.
The girl's lips curled into a sweet smile as she leaned against the headboard, continuing to knit this gift for her sweetheart.
When the day of Great Cold arrived, she would take this gift to Mr. Qi and express her feelings to him.
To that end, she had to knit the most perfect piece... Some time had passed since Durand's amnesia was cured.
Heavy snow had blocked the mountain roads. For those unfamiliar with the path, it was easy to get lost in the monochromatic deep mountains.
The young Clarice was not among them.
Other than Qi Zhimu, no one was more familiar with the path into the mountains than she was.
Having walked it for several years, the heavy snow could only slow down her speed in seeing Mr. Qi a little.
But that didn't matter.
For Clarice, for every minute her footsteps slowed, her anticipation increased.
Especially after her mother's amnesia was cured, she was always optimistic.
Although Qi Zhimu had no prior emotional experience, he wasn't entirely oblivious to the girl's frequent visits.
He could faintly sense that Clarice had a significant reliance on him.
In the past few days, she had even been subtly testing the waters.
However, Qi Zhimu, who knew his own state all too well, could only pretend not to understand.
If time could be rewound a hundred or so years, he probably wouldn't refuse such a memorable young girl.
Unfortunately, there were no 'ifs'.
He was dying.
[Remaining Lifespan: 9 Days, 4 Hours, 44 Minutes, 35 Seconds]
When this life ended, he didn't know what kind of trajectory his second life, which awaited him, would take.
He only hoped his family wouldn't be destroyed in his childhood and that he wouldn't become a mere speck of dust amidst the fires of war... After taking the medicine to maintain his youthful physique, Qi Zhimu was just about to step into the hidden folded space when he suddenly noticed a slight movement outside the house.
A small machine, resembling a drone, flickered across the sky.
In less than two breaths, it came to a steady stop in front of Qi Zhimu, who had just walked out of the Bamboo House.
Seeing the unique insignia on the machine, he recognized at a glance that it belonged to Yu Qintu.
The drone's undercarriage brackets transformed and reorganized, extending a mechanical arm that took out an emerald-green reagent from its internal space.
At the same time, a light screen was projected in front, and Yu Qintu's face appeared within it.
"Little Fellow, I have important matters I must attend to and won't make it in time for your birthday."
"This trip will take at least six months or a year, and at most several decades. Time is tight, so use this potion as a gift."
"Drink it and you can remain youthful forever. You won't need any other means to extend your life for at least a thousand years."
"Also, happy birthday. Remember to miss your sister."
"As for that teacher of yours, who is even more eccentric than I am, let him be."
"Alright, it's time to set off. When I come back to find you, I want to eat even more delicious pastries. That certainly won't be a problem for you, right?"
As the words fell, Yu Qintu in the light screen winked gently, and the image immediately vanished.
After Qi Zhimu took the potion, the drone retracted its mechanical arm and instantly ascended, disappearing from sight.
With a complicated expression, he returned to the folded space and carefully put the potion away.
Looking at the figure in the assembly area, Qi Zhimu placed both hands on the control console and began to extract specific memory backups, inputting them into the figure's core.
"...I'm sorry, Se... Sister Qintu."
"I won't be able to personally offer the pastries you like anymore..."