Chapter 30: A Depressing Connection

"Ahem, actually, I regret it too. In my family, across three generations, my grandfather passed away at ninety-six with deep regrets; he died with his eyes wide open. My father, though he never had much interest in this research, dedicated his entire life's work to it. As for me, you can see—I am at that age too. Having finally encountered someone like you, I... I just didn't think it through. I was too excited at the time. I just thought that no matter what, the safest course of action was to send you over first."

The old man didn't seem to care about the time running out; he suddenly went offline, his speech becoming somewhat incoherent due to his guilt.

"Heh, right. Since it was so hard to finally get here, if you hadn't rushed to send me, what if something happened to me and I died? Then you might die with your eyes wide open too—your son, your grandson," Hong Xiaoduo sneered.

So, it was all just her bad luck. Even if the old man had been rational this time and hadn't rushed to send her, he certainly would have kept a death grip on her. Otherwise, once the purpose of the experience pod research was revealed and could be utilized through her, where on earth would he find her?

"You only think about how sending me here first is the safest way to ensure I can't run away. But have you considered that in this place, I will encounter all sorts of unexpected dangers? I could die too. When that happens, you will still be left with nothing, and you will still be unable to die in peace," Hong Xiaoduo reminded him in a sharp tone.

Hong Xiaoduo repeatedly mentioned the old curator dying with his eyes wide open, though it was unintentional rather than a malicious curse.

However, every time she mentioned it, a vision would appear before the old curator's eyes: his childhood memory of attending his grandfather's deathbed. After his grandfather drew his last breath, his eyes remained wide and staring. His father had reached out to close them several times but failed, eventually having to give up.

He had dreamed of this scene many times over the years. As a child, he would wake up crying from the terror.

Even after he became a father himself, and now a grandfather, he no longer cried from fear when he saw this scene in his dreams, but he felt terror every single time, waking up drenched in cold sweat.

It was as if his grandfather was, through some unseen force, warning and reminding him that he must fulfill his final wish.

It was precisely because of this that, no matter how little progress the research made, or how monotonous and tedious it became, he never gave up.

Hearing the possibility Hong Xiaoduo presented, he hurriedly waved his hands. "That won't happen. Since you are the person who fits this research, you are the protagonist, the most important person. Even if you encounter danger, you will turn misfortune into blessing. Look, aren't you perfectly fine right now?"

Hong Xiaoduo pointed to her own face and asked the person on the screen, "I'm 'perfectly fine'? Ah, right. I'm not injured, nor have I met a violent end. Anyway, let's stop wasting time on useless talk. I have a proposal; listen and see if it's feasible."

"Are you trying to say I should bring you back first? And then, once I crack the archive password and discover the ultimate purpose of this experiment, I'll come looking for you?" Being a researcher, his mind reacted quickly.

Hong Xiaoduo nodded. Yes, that was exactly what she meant. At that time, things could be negotiated; she might not necessarily object, and might even be quite cooperative.

"Eh? No, the system is acting up again, Hong Xia—" The old curator grew nervous and vanished before he could finish his sentence, leaving the wall bare and stark white once more.

Hong Xiaoduo frowned. She felt that this disconnection didn't seem like a system error, but rather something the old man had done manually because he refused her proposal.

But she had no proof!

"Hmph, can escapism solve anything? You can run from the first of the month, but you can't hide from the fifteenth. If you're so capable, then don't ever connect with me again!" Hong Xiaoduo was angry, but she could only direct her threats at the blank wall.

With a thought, she left the space and sat on her bunk, feeling more and more agitated the more she thought about it.

This connection with the old man felt worse than not connecting at all. She had said a lot and learned a lot, but none of the things she learned made her feel even slightly better; they only left her depressed.

She had originally worried that her parents would be worried or heartbroken over her disappearance, but it turned out they had all moved on—one was a devoted father, the other a virtuous mother. She was the outlier, unloved by both; her existence or non-existence had no impact on them.

Even more tragic was that the old man at the science museum didn't even know the password to the original research data. Did that mean that as long as he couldn't crack the password, she would never know the true purpose of being tricked here?

And if she didn't know that, how would she know how to get back, or when she could return?

The succession of blows left even the thick-skinned Hong Xiaoduo unable to recover for a while. She sat motionless on her bunk for over an hour.

It wasn't until she heard the voice of the innkeeper's wife, Granny Lan Hua, asking the children why they were all standing outside, that she let out a soft sigh, stood up, rubbed her cheeks, and opened the door to walk out.

"Little lady, are you unwell? Why is your complexion so poor? Do you want me to find a doctor to take a look?" Granny Lan Hua asked worriedly the moment she saw her.

Was it that obvious? Hong Xiaoduo thought she had masked it quite well.

"No need, I'm fine, it's just... it's just..." For a moment, she couldn't find a reason to explain.

Tian Shu and the others all looked at her with tension and concern upon hearing Granny Lan Hua's words. No wonder they had rushed back so suddenly; they had been alone in the room because she was feeling unwell.

Hearing this, Granny Lan Hua stepped forward with a smile and gently patted her hand. "No need to say anything, Granny understands. It's not easy for us women. Remember not to catch a chill. I'll have the kitchen boil some mugwort and brown sugar water for you later."

*Huh?* Hong Xiaoduo finally understood. So, her stammering and hesitation had led the Granny to misunderstand that she was on her period.

Well, if she misunderstood, so be it; at least she didn't have to strain her brain to make up a lie.

Just as she was about to say it wasn't necessary to trouble her, someone outside called for her, and she was whisked away in a flurry of activity.

"Mother? If you're unwell, go back to your room and lie down. Don't worry about us; we won't wander off," Tian Shu stepped forward and said.

"Mother, do you really not want to call a doctor?" Yu Heng also stepped forward and asked in a low voice.

Looking at the seven little bald heads who were so nervous and worried about her, the heartache caused by the old curator's news was slightly soothed.

"It's nothing serious. Come on, let's go shopping." The problem was clear, and even if it couldn't be solved right now, what would it achieve to sit in her room wallowing in her thoughts? What would getting angry change?

Hong Xiaoduo was never one to dwell on dead ends, nor would she try to comfort herself with platitudes like "making the best of a bad situation." She firmly believed that every problem had a solution. But before the problem was solved, she refused to wait around in depression.

Otherwise, by the time the problem was resolved, she'd have a body full of stress nodules. Why make life harder for herself?

As she walked, Hong Xiaoduo tried to reason with herself, but for some reason, her thoughts drifted back to what that old man had said—about her family!

It was as if someone was singing in her ear: *"Beautiful Xishuangbanna, cannot keep my father. Shanghai is so big, is there a home for me? Father has a home, mother has a home, and left with only myself, it seems I am redundant..."*

The sorrow welling up in her heart made her fail to notice the person walking toward her. She had previously thought Tian Shu and the others were pitiful, but it turned out she was a pitiful child too!

Mu Zitao, who was passing her, had instinctively thought of the scene at the bun shop the previous day when he saw her. His pace slowed, and he considered turning around to avoid her.

But his masculine pride reminded him: why hide? Was he now unable to even face a young lady?

Bracing himself, he walked toward her. In that short distance, his mind was already racing, wondering how she would react and what expression she would wear when she saw him. And then...

(End of Chapter)