“But it’s all just speculation, though this guess can be retained. Based on our current experiences, I think this possibility is very high.” Xiao Muyu felt this guess, though crazy, was very logical.
After finishing her soup, Shen Qingqiu thought of something in the previous level that had always troubled her.
She felt that it had something to do with her and couldn’t help but ask, “Muyu, I’ve always wanted to ask you, when you unlocked your memory, did you remember something else that made you so distressed?”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Muyu fell silent, her expression becoming somber. Shen Qingqiu’s eyes softened, and she didn’t urge Xiao Muyu, just looking at her gently.
Xiao Muyu kept calming herself, but seeing the unusually gentle Shen Qingqiu in front of her, along with the overwhelming memories, the continuous pain made her eyes instantly red.
Shen Qingqiu’s previously gentle expression also stiffened, visibly panicking, “What’s wrong, I… don’t be sad, I won’t ask anymore. If you don’t want to talk about it or want to wait, we can talk about it later, okay?”
Shen Qingqiu regretted bringing it up now, unable to bear seeing Xiao Muyu sad.
She didn’t know what could make the strong-hearted Xiao Muyu so fragile in an instant, just looking at it made her feel sad.
Xiao Muyu endured it and shook her head, her voice strained when she spoke again, “Those memories are painful, but they must be talked about because the information in them is very important.”
She looked up at Shen Qingqiu, her eyes filled with suppressed emotion, as if just looking at Shen Qingqiu was painful.
Shen Qingqiu understood that those memories were related to something, feeling equally bad.
It wasn’t just Xiao Muyu, she herself also had a vague feeling about their matter.
After a while, she placed her hand on Xiao Muyu’s and then slowly tightened her grip, “Those memories are related to me, right?”
Xiao Muyu nodded, “When I unlocked my memory, not only did my character’s information flood in, but there were also many other scenes, without exception, they were all about you.”
Shen Qingqiu’s face changed again and again, finally showing a bitter smile and helplessness, “So we really have met before, we just don’t remember, right?”
Xiao Muyu nodded with difficulty, the redness in her eyes deepening, “Yes.”
Shen Qingqiu’s eyes also reddened. She smiled at first, but as she smiled, tears fell uncontrollably, “I knew it. I couldn’t control myself. I knew it was a task and I shouldn’t break my principles, but I just couldn’t help it. I didn’t want you to get hurt, I didn’t want you to be sad. I easily fell in love with you.”
After saying that, she choked up, forcing a smile, “Then what did you remember about me? We were together before, right? So I felt… felt like last night was our first time, but it seemed like we’d done it many times.”
Xiao Muyu somehow felt her painful emotions suddenly made her want to laugh at this last sentence, and she couldn’t help but laugh.
But thinking of the fragments in her memory, Xiao Muyu’s smile faded. She didn’t hide it from Shen Qingqiu, looking at her with both pain and guilt, “I saw you in those memories, heard what you said to me. Although I don’t yet know what we went through, Qingqiu, I can feel that I treated you badly.”
At this point, Xiao Muyu couldn’t continue. Her expression was painful and regretful as she lowered her head and said, “You looked so sad. It seemed I broke your heart.”
This realization wasn’t pleasant. When she remembered those fragments, an indescribable pain and suffocation overwhelmed her, making her so out of control and distressed.
Shen Qingqiu was stunned, she didn’t expect this, feeling momentarily at a loss.
But she was astute and articulate, immediately looking at Xiao Muyu with a gentle smile.
When Xiao Muyu looked at her in confusion, she blinked and said, “Isn’t that normal? You are so reserved and always say the opposite of what you feel. When I first met you, you broke my heart. Even though I felt you liked me, you were still cold to me.”
Xiao Muyu looked at her aggrievedly, was this person really comforting her?
Seeing her expression, Shen Qingqiu burst into laughter again, her eyes curved, “But even during that time, I could feel your silent care for me. Although I had to guess and think, it was a bit torturous, but once I thought of it, the happiness and joy I felt was all the more satisfying.
More importantly, once you really acknowledged me, the joy I got made me forget about and not care about the initial bitterness. If I had to choose again, I would still choose you.”
She was smiling at first, but then she became increasingly serious and focused, the expression in her gray eyes making one believe every word she said.
“I don’t know what happened before, but the fact that we were together is undoubtedly true, right?” she asked Xiao Muyu, vaguely seeking confirmation.
Xiao Muyu’s cheeks flushed slightly as she nodded, inexplicably feeling embarrassed. She had previously felt a sense of familiarity and understanding with Shen Qingqiu, and had wondered if they had a past together, but having a past didn’t necessarily mean they were lovers.
It was only after last night that she confirmed it. The body has its own memories, especially feelings that are deeply ingrained.
Last night, under the light, when she saw Shen Qingqiu’s sweaty back, she suddenly remembered the scene in Replica 002 where she bandaged Shen Qingqiu’s wound. At that moment, she was struck by a vision that was exactly what she was seeing now.
Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help but smile as she reached out to take Xiao Muyu’s hand in hers, looking at her with a tender smile, “So, no matter what happened before, no matter if you made the old Shen Qingqiu sad, you have made up for it now. She would definitely be as happy and joyful as I am now.”
Xiao Muyu looked at her intently, the hint of a smile in her eyes turning into a wave of emotion, her eyes reddening and filling with mist.
Shen Qingqiu, fearing Xiao Muyu’s reaction, quickly reached out to wipe her eyes, “Don’t cry. If you’re sad because of these things, you don’t have to be. Seeing you like this makes my heart ache too.”
Xiao Muyu stepped back a little, denying in a low voice, “I’m not going to cry. I won’t cry just because of a few words from you.”
Shen Qingqiu couldn’t help but laugh at her stubbornness. She couldn’t help but love this tsundere side of her.
After a pause, Xiao Muyu’s expression turned serious, “The memories I have are fragmented and incomplete, so I can’t piece together the whole background of these events.
I haven’t told you much before, but in fact, I’m not only familiar with you, but also with Tianwang, especially those replicas. I always feel like I’ve seen such settings somewhere before.
Sometimes this sense of familiarity is strong, sometimes it’s just a vague feeling, but the strongest is in ‘Xi’.”
“You’re familiar with the replicas?” Shen Qingqiu was a bit stunned.
“Yes, those settings and plots feel very familiar. But what bothers me is that the familiarity in ‘Xi’ is not with the strange plot settings, but with the character settings and background of you and me.”
The more Xiao Muyu spoke, the stranger it felt. The biggest contrast in this replica was with Shen Qingqiu. She should have found it strange.
But as she had wondered before, at first, she found it amusing that Shen Qingqiu was set up this way by the system, but later, Shen Qingqiu’s timid, spoiled, lively personality in the replica was completely different from the Shen Qingqiu she liked, yet she didn’t feel any inconsistency, even feeling familiar. It was as if she had seen this version of Shen Qingqiu before.
After listening to Xiao Muyu, Shen Qingqiu felt confused. She wrinkled her nose, reluctant, “I’m not that delicate lady, timid and soft, and calling…” She stopped herself quickly, closing her mouth.
Xiao Muyu, realizing what she was about to say, couldn’t help but laugh uncontrollably, “Still bothered by that? I told you, only I know, and it’s very cute.”
Shen Qingqiu pouted reluctantly.
But this wasn’t the time to dwell on this. Although she was unwilling to admit it, according to Xiao Muyu, “You’re saying that my memories might also be unreliable, that the reality I believe in is fake, and my supposed personality might not be what I remember. Maybe I really was like the delicate Miss Shen?”
Shen Qingqiu took a deep breath, struggling to speak.
Xiao Muyu nodded, her eyes slightly downcast, continuing, “I’m very familiar with you because this isn’t the first time we’ve met. What does my familiarity with the replicas mean?”
As Xiao Muyu spoke, she kept looking at Shen Qingqiu, both of them falling silent but seeing in each other’s eyes the unbelievable answer they were thinking of.
“This is too bizarre, really crazy.” Shen Qingqiu rubbed her face with both hands, murmuring.
Xiao Muyu didn’t clarify everything because the information she had was too limited. She urgently needed concrete evidence to prove whether all this fear was true or not. Drawing conclusions too early would only mislead them.
Despite the great mental pressure she had been under recently, she was good at adjusting her emotions. No matter what the past or future holds, she needed to cherish the present. She didn’t want Shen Qingqiu to be dragged down.
Their future was already uncertain, and if they both immersed themselves in pain, it would be too pointless.
So she didn’t continue discussing this matter but suddenly changed the topic, “By the way, Qingqiu, what was that card you drew?”
Shen Qingqiu was caught off guard. How did they go from such a serious analysis to talking about the card?
She couldn’t control her expression, her eyes flickering.
“Nothing, just a normal card, very boring, useless.”
Xiao Muyu, seeing her feigned calmness and indifference, couldn’t help but chuckle.
She looked at Shen Qingqiu with rare mischief in her eyes, “Do you think I believe that?”
Shen Qingqiu: …
Xiao Muyu took her bowl, speaking leisurely, “Su Jin and the others will come for lunch later. Are you planning to satisfy all our curiosity then?”
Shen Qingqiu: …
Shen Qingqiu looked at Xiao Muyu incredulously, then skillfully put on a pitiful face, pouting, “You’re bullying me.”
Xiao Muyu held back her laughter, waving her finger, “I don’t admit it. I cherish you too much to bully you. If you don’t want to say, I won’t ask, okay?”
Shen Qingqiu looked at her suspiciously, feeling that Xiao Muyu wouldn’t be so kind. Sure enough, Xiao Muyu said seriously, “Let me guess, it must be because it undermines our deputy leader’s dignity, too embarrassing to say. Let me think, what could make our deputy leader feel most embarrassed.”
Xiao Muyu’s eyes sparkled, her face smiling, while Shen Qingqiu quickly adjusted her expression, “No, you’re wrong.”
“Is it related to calling for help?”
As Xiao Muyu finished speaking, Shen Qingqiu’s expression froze. She pressed her lips together and eventually gave up struggling, looking defeated.
Xiao Muyu wanted to laugh but tried to be considerate, leaning in, “Alright, I won’t tell them, okay? Don’t be upset.”
Shen Qingqiu sighed, “If I ever find the system, I’ll dismantle it.”
Then she pulled out a card, handing it to her, “Alright, I know you’re curious, here you go.”
Xiao Muyu took it and burst into suppressed laughter. Shen Qingqiu, feeling exasperated, said, “Alright, you’re smart, you guessed it right.”
The card was named “Scream to the Top of Your Lungs,” with a rarity of A. It had a very low drop rate when a player shouted for help three times in the replica.
Item description: When encountering a bad guy, they always say, “Shout, scream all you want, no one will come to save you.”
But with this card, when you encounter a bad guy, just shout “Help!” three times.
It can summon a guard with combat power comparable to the enemy unit in front of you to protect the holder! Duration: three minutes, cooldown: 24 hours.
Xiao Muyu couldn’t stop laughing. She wasn’t someone who laughed easily, but seeing Shen Qingqiu’s aggrieved and angry face, she couldn’t help it.
Soon there was a knock on the door; Chen Kaijie and the others had arrived. Xiao Muyu quickly looked up at Shen Qingqiu, handed her the card, “Put it away.”
When she stood up to open the door, her face was already serious and calm.
Shen Qingqiu thought to herself: Too good at pretending. But she also found it sweet, she was hopeless.
Author’s Note: Many of you guessed this card correctly, haha.
Baili Shangyu, Yuki Yuna is a Hero, Shuang’er, Two Bowls of White Rice 1.
