Evil thoughts infiltrated his mind, and an indescribable restlessness surged within Yan Xiu’s heart. Chaotic thoughts replaced his calm mind, and the suppressed, forgotten emotions flowed through his veins like water.
His vision blurred, as if he were seeing a deep mountain covered in heavy snow. He held someone hidden beneath thick bear fur, and the person in his arms was soft, flexible, and fragile. The body gradually became cold, and the breath grew weaker.
The world appeared hazy, with fleeting images scattered everywhere. He still remembered that the person looking at him had warm eyes.
An enormous image, standing at the top of the deep sea, an all-powerful ruler, judged life, fate, and everything in the world. He said, “This is a pleasurable game created by the Creator. Everyone is a clown behind the curtain of fate. Fate treats everyone on an equal footing, giving them equal opportunities. However, the rare and precious opportunities are only given once, and they belong to the most deserving person.”
Everyone has an equal chance, able to become the most deserving person.
But only one person, one opportunity.
The golden scales gently swayed and finally returned to balance.
Six golden coins fell onto the soft velvet surface, emitting crisp collision sounds.
In Yan Xiu’s mind, only one voice remained. He deeply loved the thin and weak young man in front of him. He loved his prideful indifference and his clever cunning. Apart from him, Yan Xiu didn’t want anything, and nothing else mattered.
The extra voices and chaotic scenes all faded away. Yan Xiu gazed at Shen Lin with a fiery look. The young man in the uniform was tall and handsome. If he got a little closer, he could easily envelop the slender doctor in his own shadow.
Shen Lin frowned, still dazed. However, this audacious intrusion made him quite unhappy. He took a step back, intending to create a safe distance. However, his retreating steps were captured by the strong arm of the man. His waist was tightly confined, and he couldn’t move.
Yan Xiu repeated sternly, “Who am I? Tell me.”
The cold and fierce voice accompanied by the clear, cold eyes made Shen Lin retort coldly, “Let go.”
Yan Xiu came closer, and his eyes became colder. “Have you forgotten me?”
“I don’t know you.” Shen Lin’s upbringing prevented him from easily expressing his anger. With a polite and distant attitude, he restrained Yan Xiu’s wrist. “Please let go.”
Similar to the previous temporary madness, Yan Xiu’s consciousness was clear. He knew he was forcing Shen Lin to answer compulsively, and he couldn’t stop himself. Even though he knew Shen Lin was temporarily insane and forgot himself, he, who had a clear consciousness, couldn’t accept it, whether it was the seemingly crazy side of himself or the internally calm side when he knew Shen Lin forgot him.
It was as if a cherished and precious memory was callously discarded, and the person still scorned him with a cold hum.
But he didn’t know where this memory came from.
This insane game was really pushing him to the limit.
Yan Xiu sneered, “You don’t remember, but I will make you remember one by one, Dr. Shen. I confessed to you under the tree in the backyard. You responded to me, and we kissed and embraced. I’m familiar with every part of your body. Now you’re telling me you’ve forgotten me and don’t know me?”
“Wait, wait,” KP was stunned and panicked. “This isn’t right. What’s going on? Did I secretly add a love plot for you? You two, this segment, are you adding drama to yourselves?”
As if ignoring KP’s words, Yan Xiu only had eyes for Shen Lin. He chuckled softly, his gaze cold and sharp. “Dr. Shen, are you joking with me?”
Shen Lin, logically, didn’t believe his delusional words, but emotionally, he felt there was some connection between him and the man in front of him. As for the nature of that connection, he couldn’t explain. He could only feel that, in a moment of realization, someone was slowly approaching him in the icy world, with heavy footsteps and a trail of bright red blood.
He threw something in front of himself, and the wind and snow blurred his voice.
Behind him, there was an overwhelming, continuous howling of fine snow.
Sighing, Shen Lin adjusted his glasses and said, “I really forgot about the relationship between us. I can only say sorry; I don’t remember.”
There was a moment of silence as Yan Xiu Yi carefully looked at Shen Lin. After a while, he touched Shen Lin’s cheek and whispered, “Then fall in love with me again, no matter how many memories you lose.”
In the room, Xia He suddenly burst into hysterical laughter. Both of them were stunned. Yan Xiu Yi only vaguely remembered the events leading up to this, and Shen Lin had completely lost all memories, frowning as he looked at Xia He going mad, saying, “She needs treatment.”
Han Qianqiu said, “Needs treatment, and it’s not just her.”
Shen Lin asked, “?”
Zheng De said, “…”
Han Qianqiu’s mind was in chaos. Xia He’s laughter and sudden burst into tears tortured him until he felt like going mad too. “Zheng Ge, have you seen such a scene after playing it so many times?”
Zheng De, in despair, shook his head, “The first time in my life, all four teammates went mad, and three of them at once.”
“Can we still continue to play?” The two of them were sandwiched between Yan Xiu Yi and Shen Lin, one in a mysterious love affair, and the other with laughter and sudden crying. It felt like doomsday.
Zheng De didn’t know how to answer; he also wanted to go mad.
“Sorry,” at this moment, Shen Lin said, “I’ve forgotten everything here. Can you tell me what happened?”
Han Qianqiu saw that he looked calm, with only the appearance of temporary madness, much less than the other two. His eyes brightened, and hope surged in his heart. He quickly grabbed Shen Lin and told him everything in detail.
After listening, Shen Lin silently thought for a while and said, “The mapping between the two worlds, maybe we can explore what happened in the outer world through the inner world. I seem to have had this idea before, but now I can only vaguely recall.”
“Unbelievable,” Han Qianqiu couldn’t believe the discovery was so significant, and he wanted to cry, “Lin Mei, you’ve lost your memory, but you are still so reliable.”
In the evening, Shen Lin returned to his doctor’s resting room, recording everything he found on paper. He was afraid he would forget again and felt more at ease if he noted it down.
Yan Xiu Yi stood behind Shen Lin, with a cold and indifferent expression, but his gaze was hot as he looked at Shen Lin.
After adapting for an entire afternoon, Shen Lin had completely filtered out the burning gaze from that person…
Not at all.
He pressed the pen firmly and couldn’t help but say, “Excuse me, stay away.”
Yan Xiu Yi moved closer, bending down to look at the notes Shen Lin was writing, unexpectedly saying, “The one you’re looking for is in the opposite building.”
Shen Lin was stunned, frowning and asking, “Why?”
Yan Xiu Yi replied, “Intuition. There’s an unusual aura there.”
Shen Lin made a clicking sound, saying, “I don’t believe in intuition. I need evidence, enough evidence. There are still too many mysteries here, too many things I want to know.”
There was a knock on the door. Shen Lin paused, closing the notebook on the table, and asked, “Who?”
A boy’s tender voice came from outside the door, “Brother Xiao Lin.”
Shen Lin looked puzzled and glanced at Yan Xiu Yi.
Yan Xiu Yi said, “Liu Xiaotao, a patient here, he knows you.”
Shen Lin stood up from the bed, opened the door, and when Liu Xiaotao saw Yan Xiu Yi, he turned and ran. Yan Xiu Yi grabbed the collar of his clothes and pulled him back.
Liu Xiaotao, with fear in his voice, said, “Let me go!”
Liu Xiaotao was pulled in front of Shen Lin, hiding behind him in fear.
He was a child who seldom showed emotions and was now trembling slightly, evidently very frightened.
Shen Lin asked him, “Do you need something from me?”
Liu Xiaotao reached out to hold Shen Lin’s hand, seemingly finding comfort in this way. “I heard that Brother Xiao Lin forgot everything. I came to see you; I don’t want you to forget me.”
The child’s hand was cold and pale. Shen Lin tightened his fingers, still holding it. “Sorry, I’ve forgotten everything.”
Liu Xiaotao shook his head, looking at Shen Lin with his pitch-black eyes. “Brother Xiao Lin, don’t be afraid; it will get better.”
Liu Xiaotao stayed with Shen Lin for a while, leaving only when it was completely dark outside.
Yan Xiu Yi said, “I’ll escort him.”
Shen Lin raised an eyebrow and looked at Yan Xiu Yi.
The door closed in front of him. Liu Xiaotao walked briskly ahead, and Yan Xiu Yi, with long legs, walked slowly behind him.
Liu Xiaotao felt a chill all over, but he dared not look back. Changing from walking to running, he closed his eyes and rushed forward.
“Hey,” Yan Xiu Yi called out to him, his voice echoing in the empty corridor.
Liu Xiaotao pretended not to hear and ran even faster.
Yan Xiu Yi continued to maintain an almost fixed distance, regardless of how hard Liu Xiaotao ran, he couldn’t escape Yan Xiu Yi’s field of vision.
Eventually, Liu Xiaotao rushed into his ward, and the door snapped shut with a click.
Yan Xiu Yi’s right hand was in his pocket, fingers rubbing the uneven pattern on a folding knife. He stood sideways in the corridor, his figure elongated by the light.
In the end, Yan Xiu Yi turned around and walked back to Shen Lin’s room.
Once again, he went against his instincts, just like in the previous world.
As night fell, Shen Lin lay on the bed and quickly entered a dream.
In the middle of the night, KP jumped out again, disturbing his sleep with a Listen Check.
The sound of ticking and dripping rang out, waking Shen Lin from his sleep. In his memory, it was the first time, but the uncomfortable feeling of being disturbed from a pleasant dream was not the first time.
“Do it during the day next time; you’re always doing underworld operations.” Shen Lin had to get up and pressed his slightly painful forehead.
But the moonlight tonight was exceptionally bright, slanting into the room. Shen Lin stood up and walked to the window, looking up at the sky. A star was hanging there, particularly bright in the night. In Shen Lin’s mind, a black star rose, suspended in the vast universe like a visiting deity, filled with mystery and an indescribable sense of terror.
Suddenly, there was a sound at the door. Shen Lin turned slowly.
The doorknob turned, and the dripping sound got closer.
The door swung wide open, and a dark mist drifted towards Shen Lin.
