9: Chapter 9:How to understand it?
9: Chapter 9:How to understand it?
For Clarisse, walking side by side with Mr.
Qi through the cold morning — her heart was warm.
As they drew closer to their destination, Clarisse pretended to speak casually.
“Mr.
Qi, let me help you when we get there.” “How could I let a visiting friend do the heavy lifting?” “Then, Mr.
Qi…
between friends, helping each other is normal, isn’t it?” “…Yes.” “Exactly.
So I’ll help clean up Mr.
Qi’s teacher’s home, and in return, Mr.
Qi has to help me with a small favor.
Alright?” Clarisse curled her lips into a smile, her brows arching.
She had known Mr.
Qi would refuse — that was exactly why she said it that way.
“What small favor?” “I recently signed up for a clothing design class.
I’m missing male model body measurements for different heights…” As she spoke, Clarisse looked Qi Zhimu up and down.
“…Mr.
Qi, I estimate your height is no less than 180.
Your figure is tall and well-proportioned — it perfectly meets one of my required standards.” Knitting a scarf doesn’t need these measurements, but a sweater does.
She had started learning hand knitting some time ago.
While she was still in the stage of gaining experience and improving her skill, she could put it aside for now.
But she was progressing quickly.
Now she could take Mr.
Qi’s measurements and work toward the final product.
“Just giving you my body measurements can hardly be considered a favor,” Qi Zhimu said.
He guessed it again.
Yes!
The girl’s heart leaped with joy.
She felt she was starting to master a small part of the “instruction manual” for dealing with Mr.
Qi.
Next, she could smoothly propose the next step.
“Then, Mr.
Qi, could you make a little more sacrifice and be my model…!” Clarisse’s eyes were full of anticipation, fixed intently on the side of Qi Zhimu’s face.
“…” Qi Zhimu thought about his own situation, considered for a moment, then readily agreed.
“Alright.
But I can’t be your model for long.” “That’s fine.
Just this winter is enough.
Are you planning to take care of something important?” “…Yes.
I’ll be traveling for a while after some time.” “Can I ask how long exactly?” “Hard to say.” “Oh, then I won’t ask.” Wanting to know was one thing, but Clarisse understood that it wasn’t good to be too persistent.
Mr.
Qi clearly didn’t want to go into details.
As they chatted, they reached their destination.
Qi Zhimu unlocked the Energy Lock.
“It’s open.
Go inside.” The cleaning work wasn’t complicated — just sweeping and mopping the floors, wiping down furniture, decorations, and so on.
After they finished, Clarisse took advantage of the break to measure Qi Zhimu’s shoulder width, chest circumference, waist circumference, neck circumference, and other measurements.
She seemed to be in a bit of a hurry.
She didn’t linger and quickly took her leave.
Three days later, in the evening.
Qi Zhimu sat against the windowsill out of habit, holding the Chinese lute in his arms, his fingers brushing rhythmically across the silk strings.
The sky was growing dark.
The lights were off.
His figure unconsciously disappeared into the shadows.
Qi Zhimu’s gaze had no clear focus.
At some point, the melody slowed by a few beats, each note dragging noticeably heavier, standing out sharply in the night.
Clearly, his mind was elsewhere — adrift somewhere unknown.
“Meow~” A round, plump orange cat leaped up from the floor and landed precisely on Qi Zhimu’s thigh.
It arched its back, tucked its paws beneath itself, and curled into a furry sea cucumber of the land.
The weight pressed down solidly.
Looking from above, the outline of Qi Zhimu’s thighs had mysteriously vanished.
As if deciding it wasn’t warm enough, Xiao Ju shifted closer to Qi Zhimu’s warm abdomen.
Only then did it settle down, squinting contentedly, emitting a tiny purring engine sound.
A few minutes passed.
The melody, which had slowed by several beats, gradually returned to its proper rhythm.
“Burning passion wine, a thousand cups down the throat…
What does the departing one seek, whose heart is torn to pieces.” Qi Zhimu lowered his eyes, his deep voice melted into the thickening night, unconsciously singing a song that seemed written for no one in particular.
When Clarisse arrived with Durand, she heard the singing and couldn’t help but stop in her tracks.
The Bamboo House was completely dark.
Both of them silently agreed not to interrupt.
From that melody, Clarisse felt as though she could hear a sense of loss — loving and not being able to have.
“…” She was silent.
Almost instinctively, she wiped the corner of her eye, only then realized that her eyes had become moist without her knowing.
It wasn’t that she had never heard Mr.
Qi play this piece before — but hearing him sing it was the first time.
When the final harmonic trembled in the air, the sorrowful melody finally fell silent.
“…Dr.
Qi, we’re here.” Clarisse composed herself.
The Bamboo House was silent for a moment.
Then came the soft sound of an object being set down, and the lights turned on.
“Please come in.” “Meow~” The voices of the man and the cat sounded one after another.
Qi Zhimu’s tone returned to its usual gentle calm.
To fulfill the promise he had made to the girl, he had prepared for this day for a long time.
The success rate of treating amnesia approached infinity close to 100%.
As Durand lay down in the medical pod, Qi Zhimu attached various electrodes to specific positions on her head.
“Ms.
Durand, the procedure can begin at any time.
Are you ready?” “Thank you for your trouble, Dr.
Qi.
I’m ready.” “Drink this.” Qi Zhimu handed her a tube of medicine.
Without hesitation, Durand drank it and let out a soft breath.
“See you tomorrow, Ms.
Durand.” With those words, Qi Zhimu activated the pre-written program.
Durand’s vision quickly blurred, and her consciousness sank into peace and darkness.
Seeing a trace of worry on Clarisse’s face, Qi Zhimu comforted her in a gentle tone.
“There won’t be any accidents.
I promise you.” “I believe you, Mr.
Qi.” Over the next period of time, Qi Zhimu became busy, his focus utterly concentrated.
It was true that the procedure wouldn’t fail — but that was based on the premise that the first half of the treatment had no errors.
He needed to integrate the memory archives left behind from Durand’s previous treatments, then digitize and back them up.
After that came the treatment method he had used when he personally served as a clinical trial subject.
Back then, he had written automated programs, and not a single experiment had encountered any problems.
But everyone’s memories were different.
Although he already had Durand’s memory backup, he still felt that manual operation was safer.
Most of the time, Clarisse’s gaze remained fixed on Qi Zhimu.
The code on the screen — composed of numbers and letters — she couldn’t understand half of it.
All she could understand was the sight of Qi Zhimu’s long, slender ten fingers constantly dancing across dozens of different keys on the central control panel.
In previous treatments, Mr.
Qi had never been this busy.
Right now, as he focused intently on the procedure, Mr.
Qi was filled with the intellectual aura of a scholar.
Clarisse watched him like this, her gaze growing softer and softer.
She didn’t know how much time had passed.
Qi Zhimu lightly tapped a key with his finger, and a green progress bar appeared in the center of the screen, beginning to rise from 1%.
“All right.
The only risky part of the treatment is safely over.
Now we just need to wait nine hours.” Only then did Clarisse check the time and realize that three hours had already passed.
“Thank you, Mr.
Qi…” Finally seeing this day arrive, Clarisse’s heart was filled with a mix of emotions.
“The night is long.
Go get some sleep,” Qi Zhimu said softly.
“I can’t sleep.” Clarisse looked at her mother’s face, her expression serious.
“My mother is at a critical moment that will shape her future.
As her daughter, of course I have to stay by her side.” “That’s true.” “Mother once told me: ‘Life is a winding labyrinth.
Aside from memories, we have nothing.’…
Mr.
Qi, how do you interpret that sentence?” “…” Qi Zhimu was silent.