Returning to the Bamboo House and entering Qi Zhimu's research lab, Yu Qintu conducted a brief inspection and discovered that all the data on the equipment had been formatted.
Her fingertips hovered over the control panel for a moment, but in the end, she chose not to restore it.
Entering the internal folded space, she saw certain things inside that made her heart feel heavy.
The aging Qi Zhimu, nearing death, must have lain on the cremation platform, waiting in solitude for his life to reach its end.
Perhaps... only that Orange Cat stayed with him until the very end to see him off.
Exiting the folded space, Yu Qintu unknowingly arrived at the wine cellar.
Seeing dozens of wine jars neatly arranged in the corner, a look of confusion crossed her face. She instinctively stepped forward, opened the seal of one jar, and took a sniff.
The fragrance of the wine wafted out, carrying the unique scent of plum blossoms.
One year old... this is definitely a one-year-aged wine!
The plum blossom brew brewed by Qi Zhimu spanned from one to six years of age. She had tasted every kind; each had its own flavor and left a deep impression on her.
But he has been dead for twenty years. Where did this one-year-aged plum blossom brew come from?
Could it be... Yu Qintu thought of Qi Zhimu's automaton creation and recalled something it had said.
Using Qi Zhimu's memories as a power source... So, it was following the instructions left by its master, brewing wine for him year after year, and finally... sending it to Ruan Mei?
Everything suddenly clicked into place.
An inexplicable fire of jealousy suddenly flared up in Yu Qintu's heart, and her jaw tightened involuntarily.
"You little bastard, even in death you're still thinking of her, but has she ever—"
Mid-sentence, Yu Qintu swallowed the remaining words that were about to slip through her teeth and gave a dejected sigh.
A fool, a hopeless romantic.
She turned and left the Bamboo House, walking toward Ruan Mei's home.
The entire residence was spotlessly clean; even under the trees in the courtyard, not a single fallen leaf covered in thin snow could be seen.
Yu Qintu's brow couldn't help but twitch.
So that's what it meant to use Qi Zhimu's memories as a power source... As all the clues connected, a sudden impulse to smash Qi Zhimu's automaton with a single palm strike arose within her.
However, she quickly calmed down again.
What would destroying the automaton accomplish? It wouldn't change anything.
The Little Fellow wouldn't want her to do that either. After all, Ruan Mei was his most respected teacher.
She was also the person buried deep in his heart, someone he loved so profoundly that perhaps even he hadn't realized it.
"I want to see if you can still be as calm as you are now when you learn everything, Ar-Ruan..."
If her friend was truly heartless, then so be it.
But if she did have feelings, Qi Zhimu's death and everything he left behind would be enough to make her fall into an abyss and taste the bitter fruit she had sown.
"You've been observing for so long, isn't it time to come out?" Yu Qintu turned her head, her gaze piercing directly into the shadows by the corridor pillar.
"Ms. Yu Qintu, I mean no malice..."
A figure in a long, deep purple dress slowly emerged, lightly lifting her skirt and bowing elegantly.
"My name is Black Swan, a Memokeeper of the Garden of Recollection."
"Who are you to him?" Yu Qintu didn't care about her origins.
"Twenty-five years ago, I was a family member of one of Mr. Qi's patients, as well as his friend."
"Twenty years ago, I was the one who accompanied Mr. Qi to the end, the one who loved him deeply."
"Now, I am the one who carries the vast majority of his memories, the one who vowed to remember and protect him forever."
Black Swan replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.
Only then did Yu Qintu narrow her eyes and seriously size up the other woman.
"Ms. Yu Qintu, I believe that for Mr. Qi, you were the second most important person in his heart. Therefore, there is no need to harbor... hostility toward me."
"If you want to say jealousy, just say it. There's no need to beat around the bush, Memokeeper."
"Forgive my rudeness," Black Swan did not deny it.
"Tell me, those last few days before he left this world, what were they like...?"
"Please, see for yourself."
Black Swan lightly tapped her forehead, and a glow at her fingertip quickly formed a memory bubble, which floated toward Yu Qintu.
Regarding this genius before her, she actually didn't have much to say.
Had she not seen Yu Qintu's true feelings for Mr. Qi, she wouldn't have intended to approach her of her own accord.
Yu Qintu took the memory bubble and received the memories within without hesitation.
With her abilities, she wasn't worried about Black Swan playing tricks.
As the past images within the memory bubble appeared before her eyes, Yu Qintu immediately lost herself in them, remaining silent for a long time.
It took a good while before she composed her emotions, her face showing a complex expression.
"In any case, thank you for being able to accompany him through the final moments of his life, Miss Black Swan."
Learning that Qi Zhimu had passed away peacefully and hadn't waited for death in loneliness finally provided some solace to her terrible mood.
It was also an acknowledgment of Black Swan's feelings for Qi Zhimu and her right to preserve these memories.
Black Swan shook her head slightly and dropped a bombshell in a soft tone.
"In Mr. Qi's memories, there are hidden details about a special past between him and Ms. Ruan Mei."
"As a senior whom Mr. Qi respected and a close friend of Ms. Ruan Mei, you perhaps have the right to know. If you have no interest, I will not force the matter."
"Oh?"
Yu Qintu's gaze sharpened. A special past between Qi Zhimu and Ruan Mei?
Could it be that incident from back then, the one that always felt off to her... "Give me all of his memories... No, forget it. I only want the full sequence of events regarding that past."
Yu Qintu originally wanted all of Qi Zhimu's memories, but on second thought, what right did she have to possess them?
To say she was the second most important person in Qi Zhimu's life was merely taking advantage of having known him for a long time.
If one were to be truly critical, she didn't even compare to the Black Swan standing before her.
In the final days of Qi Zhimu's life, the things Black Swan did for him and her companionship were all things Yu Qintu had witnessed through the memory bubble.
If it were a fabricated memory, there was no way it could have been hidden from her.
Black Swan produced another temporary memory bubble but did not release it immediately.
"Ms. Yu Qintu, the pain brought by this memory spanned Mr. Qi's entire life..."
"I originally intended to bury it forever. The reason I am willing to inform you is very simple—"
Black Swan's tone took on a hint of unquestionable authority as she added very seriously:
"In my heart, Mr. Qi is perfect. In that past, he was never the one in the wrong."
"Are you speaking up for him?" Yu Qintu was somewhat surprised.
"Indeed."
After saying this, Black Swan sent the memory bubble out.
Yu Qintu nodded silently and prepared herself mentally.
Even so, when she learned the full truth of that past, she was still shocked beyond measure.
"Ar-Ruan, you will definitely regret this."
Yu Qintu murmured to herself, allowing the memory bubble in her hand to dissipate.
When she looked at Black Swan again, there was a bit more genuine kindness in her eyes.
If not for 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 cannot do it," Yu Qintu sighed.
"I understand. I simply did not want the image of Mr. Qi in Ms. Yu Qintu's heart to be stained by a blemish that shouldn't be there."
Black Swan bowed, her figure gradually fading and merging into the light and shadows.
"Then, I shall take my leave."
Yu Qintu returned to the Bamboo House, looking at the empty rooms and letting out a long, melancholy sigh.
From this day forward, she would live here.
Until the moment she saw a certain person regret with her own eyes.
From this day forward, Yu Qintu never visited Ruan Mei again.