Zhang Chenze stared at the open door for a moment before turning back to look at Chu Tianqiu.
“Can you really let go?”
“What?” Chu Tianqiu frowned.
“Loving someone… can you truly let go?” Zhang Chenze asked. “Are you just going to leave Qiaoyun there forever?”
Outside the door, Jin Yuanxun, seeing that their conversation wasn’t over, took a few more steps back.
“Attorney Zhang,” Chu Tianqiu called out. “You think you’re enlightening me, but you don’t realize I’ve already agonized over these very thoughts countless nights.”
“Is that so…”
“Telling you all this today isn’t because I expect you to actually help me,” Chu Tianqiu sighed. “I just want you to understand that no one here can help me—I can only rely on myself.”
“But Qiaoyun…”
“In these days since regaining my memories…” Chu Tianqiu shook his head. “You might not know how many choices and struggles I’ve endured… Do you think I don’t want to live here with Qiaoyun forever? But would that be fair to anyone?”
He let out a bitter laugh. “She can’t go on living… Liberation here is her best end. I shouldn’t be so selfish, clinging to ways to keep her alive. For her… it’s truly unfair.”
The words “unfair” landed like a heavy weight in Zhang Chenze’s heart.
Yes, letting Qiaoyun linger in a dazed existence… might indeed be worse than letting her die.
Her life should have ended the moment she “failed.” Surviving in this state wasn’t a blessing—it was a curse.
“So you’ve really made up your mind…?” Zhang Chenze sighed as well. “Right now, Qiaoyun can still talk to you. She can still smile while looking into your eyes. But if you give up, she’ll turn into a pile of bones.”
“But I’ll stay with her here forever,” Chu Tianqiu said. “I’ll become the ruler of this place, clear every obstacle from this land, leaving only me and that pile of bones behind. She’ll remain eternal, and I… will be undying.”
Zhang Chenze nodded quietly, murmuring, “I’ve troubled you,” before stepping out and closing the door behind her.
Jin Yuanxun, standing not far away, hesitated before asking, “Sis… are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Zhang Chenze replied. “Thanks for your concern.”
She walked down the hallway, her thoughts in turmoil.
Before coming here, she’d hoped to find a way with Chu Tianqiu to wake Qiaoyun. But the reality had completely blindsided her.
Forget the fact that reviving Qiaoyun seemed impossible—even if they could, would it be fair to her?
She’d already suffered so much. Would dragging her back into this fight be any better?
“What should I do…?” Zhang Chenze groaned in frustration, hating her own inability to think of a solution.
As she turned the corner, she spotted a slender, plain-looking girl standing at the school entrance, staring straight at her.
Zhang Chenze felt a flicker of recognition but couldn’t place her.
“Attorney Zhang?” the girl called.
“Yes,” Zhang Chenze nodded. “You are…?”
“Xu Liunian,” the girl answered. “Were you looking for me?”
“I—” Zhang Chenze started to nod, then paused. “How did you know?”
“I…” Xu Liunian smiled. “I overheard you talking by the door earlier, so I waited here for you.”
“Oh… I see,” Zhang Chenze said slowly.
“What did you need?”
“I…” Zhang Chenze faltered, Chu Tianqiu’s words still echoing in her mind. “I’m not sure if it’s something or nothing… There’s just too much I can’t figure out.”
“You want to know why I reverted to being a ‘participant’?”
“Yes…” Zhang Chenze nodded. “I came here seeking answers, but now…”
“This is something only I can do,” Xu Liunian replied. “You must realize—if there were a way to turn ‘natives’ back into ‘participants,’ why would there still be so many ‘natives’ here? How many people beg every day for their teammates to wake up? How many powerful figures have tried and failed?”
“Right…” Zhang Chenze murmured, dazed. “I was being naive.”
“So what if…” Xu Liunian leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper.
“What?”
“We leave Qiaoyun as she is… and create a new Qiaoyun instead?” The words slithered into Zhang Chenze’s mind like a haunting melody.
“I… I don’t understand,” Zhang Chenze frowned. “What do you mean by ‘create a new Qiaoyun’? Is that even possible?”
“For most, no…” Xu Liunian’s voice grew even quieter. “But for Qi Xia, it is.”
“Qi Xia…?”
“You don’t know yet…” Xu Liunian whispered. “Qi Xia’s ‘Echo’ can use subconsciousness to create a person…”
Zhang Chenze’s eyes widened. She stared into Xu Liunian’s gaze, her mind racing to process the implications.
“Xu Liunian… I don’t fully understand ‘Echoes,'” Zhang Chenze admitted. “But I’ve seen a few people manifest extraordinary abilities. Could someone really have the power to ‘create a person’?”
“If ‘Nuwa’ could create humans…” Xu Liunian smirked, “why couldn’t we ‘Echoers’?”
“What?” Zhang Chenze’s brow furrowed—for a moment, she wondered if everyone in “Paradise Port” had lost their minds. “Just because ‘Nuwa’ could, doesn’t mean we can!”
“What ‘Nuwa’ could do… ‘Echoers’ can too,” Xu Liunian said. “This plan I’m telling you… it’ll determine the final outcome of this land. Whether you can pull it off or not, you must keep it secret.”
“But… why tell me something this important?” Zhang Chenze asked, bewildered.
“Because you have the trust of both Qi Xia and Chu Tianqiu,” Xu Liunian said, patting her shoulder. “You shared a room with Qi Xia, and you played a key role in Chu Tianqiu’s memories… Neither of them will stand in your way.”
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