What he hadn’t anticipated was that a single pill’s dosage was no longer enough to maintain his physical state.
The setting sun hid behind the western mountains, trading shifts with the crescent moon.
The wind grew stronger, carrying more chill.
Qi Zhimu took the opportunity to excuse himself temporarily, urgently increasing his dosage.
He then put on his white coat and brought a jacket for Clarisse.
Clarisse didn’t think much of it.
Wrapping herself in the jacket Qi Zhimu had brought, Clarisse greedily absorbed the lingering, reassuring scent left on it.
In other people’s eyes, she was a somewhat unusual girl.
As a child, she had always loved asking adults strange questions, which often led to teasing from her peers and gradual isolation.
Questions like: Where do people come from?
Who created humans?
How did this world begin?
She also tirelessly asked about stories of the past — things called “once upon a time.” Her father had passed away early.
Apart from her mother, no one understood why a child was so fixed on these things.
Until she met Mr.
Qi — another person in this world who understood her and accepted her.
No matter what questions she asked, no matter how absurd or whether there was a standard answer, Mr.
Qi always answered her honestly.
The five years since meeting Mr.
Qi had been the most carefree and wonderful time of her entire life.
It was also a warmth she could reach in this world, aside from the harbor of home.
In his deep brown eyes flowed a gentleness capable of making one drown.
Yet the girl had a faint illusion — that deep within that gentleness seemed to hide a trace of distance and sorrow.
Whenever she tried to get closer to Mr.
Qi’s heart, she always felt as if she had run into an invisible wall.
Clarisse wasn’t sure whether this feeling she had for Mr.
Qi could be called like, or perhaps love.
Maybe it counted?
Her mother once said: if you can experience an unprecedented sense of peace in the world of that person, then perhaps that is one form of love.
“Mr.
Qi, my mother’s condition is still getting worse, isn’t it?” The girl stopped her wandering thoughts.
“Yes.” “Is there really no way to completely cure it…” “Of course there is.” Qi Zhimu smiled warmly, giving Clarisse a reassuring anchor.
The girl’s eyes lit up rapidly, filled with expectation as she looked at him.
“In two more months, I will definitely cure Ms.
Durand’s amnesia completely and return a healthy mother to you.” “Mr.
Qi is amazing~!” The girl was overjoyed, unable to hold back a cheer.
Her eyes, which seemed to merge sunset with night sky, sparkled brightly and charmingly.
She had absolute faith in Mr.
Qi’s abilities.
“By then, you can return to your home on the neighboring star.
You won’t have to bring Ms.
Durand all the way to my remote mountain wilderness anymore.” “…” Hearing this, the joy on Clarisse’s pretty face froze for a moment.
Home…
There was nothing left there worth missing.
She didn’t want to go back.
Otherwise, seeing Mr.
Qi wouldn’t be nearly as easy as it was now.
She decided — After her mother’s amnesia was completely cured, she would find an opportunity to confess her true feelings to Mr.
Qi.
It might be immature, innocent.
But it was pure.
Her mother once said: endless waiting may ultimately lead to regret.
She didn’t want to leave behind regrets.
“Let’s not talk about that for now.
Mr.
Qi, I want to divine your future for you.
It’s very accurate, you know.” With that, Clarisse took out a set of Tarot cards.
“How accurate?” Qi Zhimu chuckled.
“Accurate enough that five years ago, I roughly divined the area where Mr.
Qi’s bamboo house was located.” “Oh?
That’s impressive.
Alright, let’s give it a try.
But I don’t know anything about Tarot cards.
Is that alright?” “That’s fine, Mr.
Qi.
What aspect would you like me to divine?
How about love fortune first?” Clarisse suppressed the nervousness in her heart, afraid of being rejected.
“Heh…
alright.
What do I need to do?” “Let’s keep it simple.
Mr.
Qi just needs to draw three cards from the deck.
No peeking~” Qi Zhimu drew the cards casually, without hesitation or overthinking.
He smiled and signaled for the girl to proceed.
Clarisse eagerly flipped over the first card.
The moment she saw the card face, the smile on her face froze for an instant.
It was the Three of Swords…
An unlucky start.
She continued flipping the second card.
The Ten of Swords!!
Her small face faintly showed a few shades of pallor.
Her fingers trembling slightly, Clarisse flipped the final card.
The Star, reversed…
“What’s wrong?
Did I draw a very unlucky combination?” Seeing her poor expression, Qi Zhimu asked gently.
“No, no!
It’s very, very lucky!
I’m just shocked that such a rare combination could be drawn…” Clarisse quickly shook her head, secretly gritting her teeth.
She skipped the complex interpretation and gave a conclusion completely opposite to the true meaning.
“Mr.
Qi will walk hand in hand with the one he deeply loves in the future.
You will become each other’s spiritual home.
Simply put — eternal love.” “Is that so…
Then I shall accept the blessing of the great diviner, Miss Clarisse.” Taking in Qi Zhimu’s trusting smile, Clarisse couldn’t help but tighten her left hand beneath the table.
The true meaning of this card combination was that profound heartbreak would lead to the end of a relationship, bringing unforgettable despair.
In the end, the beautiful future once imagined would lose all possibility of becoming reality.
Divination was not omnipotent, nor was its accuracy one hundred percent.
But…
Clarisse found herself trapped in a depth of self-doubt she had never experienced before.
Mr.
Qi treated his patients.
No matter how severe the illness, he always charged only a symbolic fee.
In the five years of treating her mother’s amnesia, the Credits spent amounted to less than one-tenth of what it would cost just to take a starship from their home to this planet.
How could someone so kind, so gentle toward life, face such a future?
…Could it be…
because of herself?
No, that’s not right.
How could she possibly harm Mr.
Qi?
This divination was most likely inaccurate.
Even so, the flame of imagination Clarisse held for the future was temporarily extinguished.
The girl’s thoughts were simple.
Her quietly sinking mood was keenly noticed by Qi Zhimu.
He didn’t expose it — after all, it was the girl’s well-intentioned lie.
Presumably, the divination result was the complete opposite of what she had said.
He was about to die.
Where could he possibly walk hand in hand with a deeply loved one?
Where could there be eternity?
To grow old and die alone was the destined ending he had chosen.
Yet…
even a full/fulfilled life inevitably leaves behind a few regrets.
That research — Teacher most likely wouldn’t change her mind.
He couldn’t persuade her.
Night deepened.
Clarisse, weighed down by many thoughts, slumped over the table and fell asleep from exhaustion.
Qi Zhimu gently lifted her, moved her to a bamboo couch layered with a soft sleeping mat, and covered her with a fleece blanket.
After confirming that Ms.
Durand inside the medical pod was stable, he entered the folded space to continue his unfinished work.
Gazing at the cold, mechanical parts on the alloy workbench, Qi Zhimu put on his goggles and methodically proceeded to the next step.
Warm sunlight pierced through the lush branches, forming golden dappled spots that scattered across the scattered dead leaves on the ground.
Clarisse’s eyelashes fluttered.
She slowly opened her eyes.
She sat up, dazedly scanning her surroundings, then paused at the handsome side profile of the man sitting by the windowsill, gazing into the distance.
The morning light draped him in a layer of golden amber — dreamlike, illusory.
For a moment, Clarisse gradually lost herself in the sight.