Si Du had a beautiful, deeply satisfying dream.
In his dream, his little daisy had returned.
Finally, his dreams were no longer filled with bloody scenes, no longer watching the uncle and aunt who loved him as their own son mangled beyond recognition in a car accident.
No longer the cold, empty gray sea surface, where he wandered aimlessly like a walking corpse on the black sand, calling out Tang Tang’s name.
His heart was utterly hollow and lost.
For over four years, his dreams had contained no color other than blood red.
But last night’s dream was so beautiful it felt unreal, making him doubt it was his own dream.
He didn’t deserve it – he had failed to protect his adoptive parents, and even more so, his little sister.
The man slowly woke up, his gaze already returned to calmness.
The room’s heavy curtains weren’t drawn as usual, allowing brilliant sunlight to stream in unobstructed, bringing threads of warmth.
Si Du sat for a while before getting up to wash up. Noticing he had fallen asleep without changing clothes, he couldn’t help but frown.
When he opened the bedroom door, he was startled by the girl curled up outside, his brows deeply furrowing as ferocity spread through his eyes.
He had almost forgotten about this impostor’s existence.
Tang Li was woken by 78, sitting up drowsily and rubbing her reddened Peach Blossom Eyes, her consciousness not fully clear yet.
In a soft, slightly hoarse voice, she greeted Si Du, “Good morning, brother… I want strawberry toast…”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the girl jolted in alarm and hurriedly closed her mouth.
Oh no, how could she have revealed her old preferences!
Anxiously leaning back, she corrected herself, “Si… Mr. Si, good morning.”
The man’s wolf-like eyes fixed on her.
Touched feelings and gloom intertwined in his gaze.
For a moment, he had truly believed this was Tang Tang.
This was his Tang Tang.
But his Tang Tang had already gone to heaven.
Tang Li had managed to escape from his embrace only after Si Du passed out, struggling for quite some time.
She didn’t dare sleep on the master bed, choosing instead to sleep with her own doll.
But since dolls of her were placed everywhere in this manor – guest rooms, sofas, study, every room contained them – Tang Li had to sleep on the floor.
78 said this was quite pitiful too.
Fortunately, the weather wasn’t cold, and having a pillow was enough.
Si Du crouched down and saw the bruises on the girl’s neck.
They were from where he had choked her.
Even her voice was badly hoarse because of it.
The man had shown no mercy.
All his softness, warmth, everything that belonged to a normal person had vanished with Tang Tang’s death.
78 noticed the dangerous shift in Si Du’s expression and mood, urgently prompting Tang Li, [Little Lychee quick, quick, tell him what we rehearsed last night!]
How could this bastard go crazy at the drop of a hat!
Poor our little girl.
“I knew Miss Tang Li. She asked me to come see you if I ever had the chance,” the girl spoke up before Si Du could decide how to deal with her.
Sure enough, the man’s expression paused, shifting from gloomy to confusion, “You knew her?””
“I’ve been an orphan since childhood, with little education or culture. I barely studied nursing and later went to work at Morning Star Sanatorium, which is where I met Miss Tang Li,” the girl said tremulously.
The original character’s illness was a congenital weakness, something basically everyone in Yuecheng’s upper circles knew – that this rose had been frail since childhood.
The male lead of this world, Qi Jue, had established this Morning Star Sanatorium specifically to cure her illness, dedicating all research to finding a cure for her condition.
Number 78 discovered that everything related to the original character in this world had been erased by Si Du, including this sanatorium, leaving not a single trace behind. That’s why he dared to have Tang Li speak like this.
Since there was no evidence to prove otherwise, and with the original character’s influence, it should be enough to deceive Si Du.
Anyway, the man wasn’t in his right mind now—when he was willing to be deceived, he was easily deceived.
“Later, I became friends with Miss Tang Li. She mentioned you often, especially during her final days… She called out ‘brother’ frequently in her dreams…”
The girl spoke softly while observing Si Du’s expression.
The man froze, standing rigidly before her, his eyes filled with profound nostalgia, sorrow, regret, and self-blame.
Tang Li hadn’t wanted to say these things, but Number 78 insisted—this was how she could stay safely by Si Du’s side.
Because Si Du would inevitably question her about everything related to Tang Li.
Finally snapping out of his daze, the man rasped hoarsely, “Tangtang… what else did she say?”
Seeing Si Du like this, the girl’s heart ached so much she nearly cried.
In her memories, though her brother had a tragic childhood, he had always been someone who worked hard to live.
He never yielded, never bowed his head. After enduring hardships, he came to her family and became the best brother in the world.
But the current Si Du had almost become a soulless corpse. The only reason he kept living was probably—
Only by living could he continue to miss her.
Tang Li sniffled, holding back tears as she choked out her reply, “When she first arrived, she begged Mr. Qi Jue not to tell you about her family’s bankruptcy and her parents’ deaths. She was afraid you’d worry.”
“Later, when you returned to the country wanting to take her away, she repeatedly asked Mr. Qi Jue to let her leave, but he refused.”
In the original plot, she had been very weak by then, no longer wanting to entangle with these men and women, just waiting quietly for death.
“Later, her health deteriorated further. She spent less and less time conscious, and when her mind was unclear, she would mistake Mr. Qi Jue for you. She’d tell you to take care of yourself, to live well, not to do anything foolish… that she’d had a very happy life and would never blame you.”
This part was fabricated, of course.
Number 78 had specifically instructed her to include this sentence.
Si Du completely broke down listening to the girl’s husky voice, raising a hand to cover his eyes.
His Tangtang—always so warm, so obedient and sensible, just as he remembered her.
Thank goodness, thank goodness he remembered her so clearly.
Over these past few years, as the Qi family declined and every person and thing related to Tang Li was gradually erased, Si Du grew increasingly terrified that his Tangtang was just an illusion.
Initially, he’d done all this just to possess Tangtang completely.
He couldn’t have her in life.
In death, only he could remember her.
Si Du had no other choice.
If he didn’t do this, if he didn’t vent like this, he would have gone mad!
But four years had passed. Staring at this desolate manor, at this utterly meaningless world, he suddenly felt afraid.
Afraid his past was all false, afraid Tang Li never existed at all.
Then what meaning did his life have?
[Whew… Well done, Little Lychee! Just like this, we’re sure to succeed.] Number 78 heaved a sigh of relief.
“Really?” Tang Li also relaxed slightly.
“Of course, once his emotions stabilize, the impact on the Mission World will diminish. Then specialized maintenance Systems will arrive, and we can leave smoothly!”
Number 78’s voice sounded full of confidence and self-assurance.
The girl hummed in agreement, her mood brightening considerably. “I’ll do my best!”
Master, Little Star, Right Prime Minister, and Lu Li—wait for me!