Chapter 24: I Am Waiting for You...

Chapter 24: I Am Waiting for You

As soon as they stepped out of the house, Miss Bai continued to pull Lu Li forward, but she realized she couldn't budge him. She turned back, her eyes filled with confusion. "Mr. Lu?"

Lu Li looked up at the surrounding high-rises, remaining silent.

Luo Qianning, who had followed them, opened her parasol above her head while using a folding fan in her other hand to cover the lower half of her face. "She cannot see it. There isn't much time left."

Indeed, the surrounding high-rise residential buildings, the community gardens, the cars, and the machinery were all blanketed in a layer of twisted, pitch-black plants. Pure white peonies bloomed upon these vines.

The pedestrians on the street who had been rushing to work had also withered into mummified corpses, their bodies overgrown with various twisted flora. Some people and their pet cats and dogs had transformed into shapes where they were fused together with the plants. Yet, regardless of their form, these vibrant white peonies blossomed everywhere.

This scene, a veritable apocalypse, unfolded right before Lu Li’s eyes. He looked up at the pitch-black night sky and the total lunar eclipse, sighing inwardly. It felt similar to the moments in *Dark Souls III* just before the final embers faded.

"Mr. Lu?"

Faced with Miss Bai’s repeated question, Lu Li revealed nothing. "Let’s go. To the Civil Affairs Bureau."

Miss Luo had told him about this before. Everything in the world possesses information, just in varying amounts. The more information something holds, the greater its overall power. Eventually, when the world’s limits can no longer contain them, they are cast out. This is what people call "breaking through the void" or "ascension."

However, Miss Luo and Miss Bai were far too powerful. The amount of information they possessed already exceeded that of the entire world. Thus, the world becoming polluted or inverted was merely a passive effect of their existence, and as the pollution deepened, the inversion grew more severe. But Lu Li could rest assured; the world would crumble long before it reached the point of inversion where breathing would kill one.

The same was true for Miss Bai. She was a spirit of dreams and nature. In the end, everyone would die in their dreams, and the world’s nutrients would be drained by the seeds of dreams, eventually turning the world into what she perceived it to be.

There was only one way to save the world, as Miss Luo had said: just wait for Bai Mulii to die. Concept-level spirits like them left no corpses behind when they died, and naturally, they would leave no information. After Bai Mulii died, she would also depart.

Lu Li certainly wanted her to leave, but he felt a bit conflicted. He asked her why. The silver-haired girl with different-colored eyes just gave a playful wink and said, "Because what I wanted to do is already done."

Lu Li didn't know what she wanted to do. A blind date? Or simply spending less than three days with him? Lu Li couldn't figure it out. But if he couldn't figure it out, he decided not to think about it. He had done his best and left the rest to fate.

They arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau. The building was open, but within the twisted, tree-like structure, there were naturally no living people. Going through the motions, they filled out the forms. Miss Luo helped take the photos and printed the marriage certificates. On the certificates for Lu Li and Bai Mulii, the birth date was listed as December 31, 1992.

"This is mercy for her." Miss Luo closed her left eye and winked at Lu Li, taking the opportunity to show off her own marriage certificate. Her birth date was listed as January 1, 2003. "I am an eternal eighteen-year-old girl, after all." That was her reply to Lu Li’s deadpan stare.

Bai Mulii didn't care about what she said. Or rather, she had never cared about anything other than Lu Li. But now, she had a new treasure: the small red booklet she held in her hands, stroking it gently. The smooth texture didn't allow her to visualize the image, but she still treated it as a treasure, even though in her eyes, she was merely holding a mass of rotting, foul-smelling flesh.

Lu Li’s feelings were complex. Within a single day, he had married twice. One of his new wives was about to die, and the other was about to leave this world, likely never to be seen again. How strange was it to become a widower less than a day after getting married?

To be honest, he felt no internal turbulence regarding the marriage registration. Regarding Miss Bai’s impending death, he didn't feel any heart-wrenching pain, just a faint sense of melancholy. It was hard to describe—perhaps it was just pity.

Gathering his thoughts, Lu Li tucked his two red booklets into his pocket. He took out a cigarette, and the crisp sound of a Zippo lighter echoed. Blue smoke drifted into the night sky.

"Hiss—hoo—" Lu Li exhaled and asked, "There’s still some time left, what should we do now?"

"Naturally, we should do what a married couple does," Miss Luo said with a cryptic smile.

"I must decline that," Lu Li said, cigarette dangling from his lips. "I cannot give you happiness, and I won't do something I’ll regret."

That was how the girlfriend he broke up with after college had ended things with him. He hadn't loved that girl all that much. Perhaps he just wanted a companion, or perhaps he was just following the crowd. Everyone else was dating, so he decided to date too. When she confessed, he agreed. They attended classes, ate together, and went to the library together. That was how four years passed. When she begged him to move to her city, he refused. On graduation day, she cried and wanted to go to a hotel with him. He refused that too. Knowing they weren't meant to be, he felt he shouldn't ruin her life. She said nothing and walked away. He was blocked, and they never contacted each other again. Now that he thought about it, she was probably married with children.

Lu Li’s attitude toward Miss Bai and Miss Luo was the same. If it was destined to have no outcome, he shouldn't hurt them, nor should he leave himself with lingering attachments.

Miss Luo wasn't angry. Neither was Miss Bai. She tilted her head and asked calmly, "Mr. Lu, do you love me?"

"No," Lu Li said, cigarette still in his mouth. "I have a fondness for you—the kind where I find it hard not to like girls who are as kind, beautiful, and charismatic as you, and who are unconditionally good to me." But it was only a fondness. It couldn't be called love. Perhaps if they spent more time together, this fondness would turn into love. But there was no time. Lu Li was twenty-eight; he wasn't a teenager who would chase girls regardless of the consequences just for physical desire or ego. The more mature one becomes, the more one considers. Just like how he felt a fondness for both girls but still believed their departure was the best outcome. That way, the world could return to normal.

He was moved by Miss Bai’s story and felt sympathy for her. But... mature people make choices. If he could, he would want her to live, and he would want them both to stay. But since that wasn't possible, he might as well let things take their course.

Miss Bai smiled. Her smile was as gentle as ever. "As expected, that is something Mr. Lu would say."

Beside her, Miss Luo’s eyes were equally gentle. "That is why you are so irresistible..."

Miss Bai remained silent, stroking the red booklet. Then, she put it away and suddenly sighed in a low voice, "I regret this a little. Suddenly, I don't want to die."

Desires always expand. The pursuits of living beings are never satisfied. She couldn't bear to die; she wanted to live forever and stay by Mr. Lu’s side. But her foundation was almost destroyed. The remaining portion was nearly exhausted. Soon, she would be annihilated.

She turned and "looked" at Miss Luo. "So... can you give your life to me?"

With her back to Lu Li, the expression on her face was visible only to Luo Qianning. Miss Luo’s face showed a hint of sadness and reluctance. But this sadness wasn't for Bai Mulii; it was because she was about to hurt Mr. Lu. She lowered her fan and said, "Bai Mulii will not be killed by Lu Li piercing through her chest."

*Rip!*

The blood flowing from the corner of Miss Bai’s mouth stained her collar. She slowly lowered her head and saw a hand—a hand that had pierced through her chest from behind.

Lu Li pulled his arm back in a panic, holding Miss Bai as she collapsed into his arms.

"This..."

Miss Bai lay in his arms, her smile still gentle. Her golden eyes reflected his shadow. "Mr. Lu, married couples... are allowed to kiss, aren't they? So... could you kiss me?"

Lu Li didn't speak; he simply lowered his head and covered her lips with his. They were soft and moist. But soon, she vanished.

Lu Li remained sitting on the ground, slowly lighting his second cigarette. Blood rain began to fall from the sky, but Lu Li was not touched by it. He turned his head and saw Miss Luo’s bright, smiling face. "Oh my, oh my~~ trying to seek revenge on me is useless, you know~ Mr. Lu, you are just too weak~~"

Although she was smiling, the pain, fear, and unease in the depths of her eyes were clearly visible to Lu Li.

"Don't be foolish." Lu Li reached out and flicked her forehead. "It was Miss Bai who wanted to die by my hand, wasn't it? She must have told you something while her back was turned to me."

Luo Qianning froze, and the pain, fear, and unease in her eyes vanished. She just stared at Lu Li, whispering, "As expected... you are Mr. Lu." Always so mature and reliable.

"It’s just... I still feel a bit uncomfortable." Lu Li puffed on his cigarette, looking up at the night sky through the rain. "I feel empty inside. Miss Bai... Bai Mulii, she really is irresponsible."

He smoked silently, quietly experiencing the melancholy in the depths of his heart. After a long time, Luo Qianning suddenly said, "Bai Mulii isn't dead."

Lu Li startled, looking up immediately. "What do you mean?!"

"That idiot has no common sense at all," Luo Qianning pouted. "We are concept-level spirits; as long as our concepts don't perish, we never truly die. She is the spirit of dreams and nature. As long as dreams and nature exist, she will not die. Right now, she is probably being reborn somewhere."

Luo Qianning snapped her fingers, and suddenly a pot appeared in Lu Li’s arms. It was a pot containing a blooming peony emitting a faint white light.

"As long as this flower doesn't wither, she is still alive."

Lu Li stared blankly at the peony in his arms. After a long while, he covered his face, not letting Miss Luo see his expression. "That is... wonderful."

Luo Qianning watched his profile, her brows slightly furrowed, wearing a smile that looked like she was about to cry.

*Sixty thousand "first meetings," Mr. Lu, will you ever show that expression for me?*

Yes. She had already repeated her "first meeting" with Lu Li over sixty thousand times. Before she had found the passage, she could enter this world because she was a spirit with the ability to "invert degrees." Therefore, she had already experienced sixty-six thousand, five hundred and thirty-five "first meetings" with Lu Li.

But this world could only withstand her for three days. Once the three days were up, the world would collapse and reset. Along with it, Mr. Lu’s memories would also reset. Every single first meeting, she had to hide her sadness and show her brightest side to Mr. Lu. Every time... every time.

Later, she found a good solution. She knew another spirit who had an obsession with Mr. Lu no less than her own. So, she induced the other party. Yes, it was Bai Mulii. Bai Mulii had indeed followed her script and squeezed into her passage, and just like her script, she had met her "end" after three days—dying by Mr. Lu’s hand.

In this way, her remaining broken core would enter Mr. Lu’s body under Miss Luo’s arrangement! Because the core was so broken, the world would not reset. And because the core’s status was so high, if the world were to reset, Mr. Lu’s memories would not be reset!

That was her ultimate goal! She wanted to ensure that Mr. Lu would no longer be reset along with the world! That way, the next time they met, she wouldn't have to say "nice to meet you."

But it wasn't time yet. The current Mr. Lu was not yet the true Mr. Lu. So, for the final step, she would cause this world to explode and reset! But Mr. Lu would not be reset! Then, she would wait. Wait until Mr. Lu became the true Mr. Lu!

She suddenly kissed Lu Li’s lips, biting down hard in the midst of his surprise. Releasing him, she licked the blood from her lips, a cryptic smile on her face. "Mr. Lu, this time... you won't forget me, will you?"

"It’s hard to forget a person as incomprehensible as you." Lu Li licked the wound on his lower lip, the slight pain causing his eyes to twitch. "So what exactly are you trying to do? Honestly, compared to Miss Bai’s frantic obsession, Miss Luo, you are the woman who scares me more."

"What for? I am searching for the answer to that myself." She leaned close to Lu Li’s ear and whispered, "Mr. Lu, I am waiting for you in the past."

Lu Li was stunned and was about to ask, but Miss Luo had already vanished. At the same time, the world began to collapse. Everything began to reset. Except for Lu Li’s memory.

Somewhere. Sometime.

A mass of rotting, twisted flesh suddenly condensed into a human shape. She stroked the small red booklet in her hands, looked up, and her unfocused golden eyes stared into the unknown.

"Mr. Lu..."