Chapter 30: A Frustrating Connection

"Ahem, to be honest, I regret it too. In our family, spanning three generations, my grandfather passed away at ninety-six with deep regrets; he couldn't even close his eyes when he died. My father, though never interested in this research, poured his entire life into it. And now, you see where I am. I’m at this age, and having finally found you, I... I just didn't think it through. I was too excited at the time, thinking that no matter what, the safest bet was to send you over first."

The old man, no longer worried about the time limit, suddenly disconnected. His sense of guilt made him ramble incoherently.

"Heh, sure. You finally found someone, so if you didn't send me over in a hurry, what if I had an accident and died later? You would have died with your eyes wide open in regret, just like your father and grandfather," Hong Xiaoduo sneered.

So, it was just her bad luck. Even if the old man had been rational and hadn't rushed to send her over this time, he would certainly have kept a death grip on her. Otherwise, when the purpose of the experiential pod research became clear and they finally needed her, where would they have found her?

"You only thought about sending me over because it was safe and I couldn't run away. But have you ever thought that in this place, I could encounter all sorts of unexpected dangers? I could die, too. And when that happens, you’ll still end up with nothing. You, too, will be unable to die in peace," Hong Xiaoduo reminded him, her tone sharp.

Hong Xiaoduo’s repeated mentions of the old curator dying with eyes wide open—though unintentional and not a malicious curse—struck a chord.

Every time she brought it up, the old curator saw it: the scene of him attending to his grandfather's final moments as a child. After his grandfather took his last breath, his eyes had been wide open. His father had tried to smooth them shut several times, but failed, and ultimately had to give up.

He had dreamed of this scene countless times over the years. As a child, he would wake up screaming in terror. Even later, when he became a father and now a grandfather, he no longer cried in his sleep, but he still felt a lingering fear, waking up drenched in cold sweat.

It was as if his grandfather were warning him from the beyond to fulfill his final wish. It was precisely because of this that, no matter how stagnant the research became or how monotonous and dull it grew, he never gave up.

Hearing the possibility Hong Xiaoduo posed, he hurriedly waved his hands. "No, that won't happen. Since you are the person who fits this research, you are the protagonist, the most important person. Even if you encounter danger, you will turn bad luck into good fortune. Look, aren't you perfectly fine right now?"

Hong Xiaoduo pointed to her own face and asked the person on the screen, "Me, fine? Ah, right. I’m not injured, not crippled, and I haven't died an unnatural death. Listen, let’s not waste time with useless talk. I have a proposal; see if it sounds feasible."

"Are you trying to say that I should bring you back first? And then, once I crack the archive password and know the ultimate goal of this experiment, I can look for you again?" Being a researcher, his mind was quick.

Hong Xiaoduo nodded. Yes, that was exactly what she meant. By then, if he asked nicely, she might not necessarily object; she might even cooperate.

"Hey? Oh no, the system is acting up again, Hong Xiao..." The old curator looked nervous, and before he could finish his sentence, he vanished. The wall returned to its bare, stark white state.

Hong Xiaoduo frowned. She felt this disconnection wasn't a system error, but rather something the old man had done intentionally because he didn't want to accept her proposal.

However, she had no proof!

"Hmph, will avoidance solve anything? You can hide today, but you can't hide forever. If you've got the guts, don't ever connect with me again." Angry, Hong Xiaoduo could only vent at the bare wall.

With a thought, she exited the space and sat on her bunk, feeling more agitated by the second.

This connection with the old man felt worse than not having connected at all. She had learned a lot, but none of it made her happy; it just left her feeling depressed.

She had originally worried that her parents would be sad or anxious about her disappearance, but as it turned out, they had both remarried and started new lives—one as a doting father, the other as a virtuous wife and mother. She was just an extra; unloved by her father and uncaring of her mother, her existence or lack thereof had no impact on them.

What was even more pathetic was that the old man at the science museum didn't even know the password to the original research files. Did that mean as long as he couldn't crack the code, she would never know why she had been swindled into this?

And she would never know how to go back, or when she could go back?

The successive blows were too much for even the resilient Hong Xiaoduo to process. She sat motionless on her bunk for over an hour.

It wasn't until she heard Grandma Lanhua, the innkeeper's mother, asking why the children were all standing outside that she sighed, rubbed her face, and opened the door.

"Young lady, are you feeling unwell? Your complexion looks so poor. Would you like me to find a doctor for you?" Grandma Lanhua asked with concern the moment she saw her.

Was it that obvious? Hong Xiaoduo thought she had been hiding it well.

"No, it's fine, it's just..." She couldn't think of a reason to explain.

Tian Shu and the others listened to Grandma Lanhua and looked at her with nervous concern. No wonder she had rushed back and stayed in her room; it turned out she was unwell.

Upon hearing this, Grandma Lanhua smiled, stepped forward, and gently patted her hand. "No need to say more, I understand. Being a woman is never easy. Remember to keep warm; I'll have the kitchen brew you some mugwort and brown sugar water."

Ah? Hong Xiaoduo finally realized that her stammering had led the old woman to believe she was on her period.

She decided to let the misunderstanding stand; it saved her from having to rack her brain to invent a lie.

Just as she was about to say it wasn't necessary, someone called her from outside, and she hurried off, distracted by whatever they wanted.

"Mother? If you're not feeling well, go back and lie down. Don't worry about us; we won't wander off," Tian Shu said.

"Mother, are you sure you don't want to see a doctor?" Yu Heng added softly.

Looking at the seven little bald heads worried about her, the heart that had been battered by the old curator's news felt slightly soothed.

"It's nothing serious. Come on, let's go for a walk." The problem was clear, but what good would it do to fret about it in her room? Could sulking change anything?

Hong Xiaoduo was never one to dwell on things, nor did she believe in simply resignedly accepting fate. She believed every problem had a solution. But until it was solved, she couldn't just sit around in despair. Otherwise, by the time the problem was solved, she would have developed a host of ailments herself—why make life harder than it already was?

Hong Xiaoduo tried to reason with herself as she walked, but her thoughts kept drifting back. She couldn't help but think about what that old man had said about her family.

It was as if someone were singing in her ear: "Beautiful Xishuangbanna, cannot keep my father... Shanghai is so big, is there a home for me? Father has a home, mother has a home, and I am left alone, as if I were redundant..."

The sorrow welling up in her heart made her oblivious to the person walking toward her. She had previously thought Tian Shu and the others were pitiful, but it turned out she was a poor soul herself!

Mu Zitao, who was passing by her, had been thinking about the scene at the bun shop the previous day the moment he saw her. He had slowed his pace, intending to change direction to avoid her.

But his male pride reminded him: Why hide? Was he now afraid to face a young lady?

He steeled himself and walked toward her. In that short distance, he was already imagining her reaction and expression when she saw him, but...