Chapter 931: The Mandela Effect
"You called me 'wife'... so I lost my temper?"
Yan Zhichun lowered her head in thought, and surprisingly found this chain of events to be oddly reasonable.
At least more reasonable than Jiang Ruoxue saying, "You have to choose between me and Aries."
Jiang Ruoxue had always been an easygoing person; there was no reason for her to force Yan Zhichun into a difficult position with just a few words.
In contrast, Yan Zhichun considered herself someone who cared deeply about boundaries.
If she wanted to be friends with Jiang Ruoxue, she would have needed to establish those boundaries in advance—after all, when she first met Jiang Ruoxue, she had said—
"I like to get the unpleasantness out of the way first."
But at that time, she hadn't actually said anything "unpleasant." So why had she made that point...?
"Zhichun... are you okay?" Jiang Ruoxue asked softly. "Sit down first... take your time explaining things."
She led Yan Zhichun to the side and found a chair for her to sit in.
Yan Zhichun, clearly overwhelmed by her own memories, was expressionless, her entire being inexplicably dizzy.
"Ruoxue..." She reached out and grabbed Jiang Ruoxue's wrist; her fingertips were ice-cold.
"It's okay..." Jiang Ruoxue said. "Zhichun... there's no need to be afraid. Isn't everything still fine right now? You're still here, you haven't lost your mind. You just have some things you haven't figured out..."
Yan Zhichun knew it wasn't that simple. This wasn't just a matter of "not having figured some things out."
This same situation had happened before with Aries—disordered memories beginning to run wild and unfounded.
Aries had once told her that no matter which version of the memory, they were all real.
But if a person's memories contradicted each other and were chronologically confused, were they still real?
"I feel like there's something wrong with my brain..." Yan Zhichun said. "Ruoxue, you might not know how panicked I am. Right now is the most critical moment, and not only is the leader of this plan having problems, but I am too. Two messed-up people together... it's just..."
"What could be wrong with your brain?" Jiang Ruoxue gave a bitter smile. "In this place, we can't even catch a cold. You're expecting your mind to be diseased?"
"But..."
As the three of them fell silent, someone gently knocked on the door.
Jiang Ruoxue and Zheng Yingxiong turned to look. The newcomer wore a dirty white lab coat, like a doctor's uniform, and was holding two somewhat dented cans in his hands.
"I'm not interrupting, am I...?" the man said. "My name is Zhao Haibo. I'm one of the deputy leaders of 'Heaven's Gate'... Just bringing you some food."
No one in the room spoke; they just watched quietly as Doctor Zhao placed the two cans on the table.
"Oh... I didn't realize there were three people here." Doctor Zhao reached out to pat Zheng Yingxiong's head, but the boy dodged.
He gave an awkward smile. "No problem, kid. I'll grab another can in a bit."
The room remained very quiet.
"Well, um, if you need any help, just let me know." Doctor Zhao smiled a little sheepishly. "I've preserved my memories twice now, so I remember quite a bit. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me. Here, we're supposed to help each other out."
Jiang Ruoxue and Yan Zhichun stared at Doctor Zhao without a word. Even if someone had preserved their memories for just two years, they would need to be humble in this room. How could this man be so confident?
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Doctor Zhao tried to make conversation. "I heard you talking about 'something wrong with the brain' earlier... If there's a problem, you can tell me... I do know a thing or two about brains..."
Jiang Ruoxue stared at Doctor Zhao for a long moment, then let out a light laugh. "If you're trying to hit on us, now isn't the time. And your method is a bit low-end."
"No, no... oh dear..." Doctor Zhao quickly waved his hands. "This is different from hitting on someone... Since I've become a deputy leader of this organization, I naturally need to build good relationships with the members..."
"No need." Yan Zhichun said coldly. "Take the food with you. We're not members of 'Heaven's Gate,' and I don't trust you."
"Oh, well..." Doctor Zhao gave an awkward, ingratiating smile, then said, "I really have no bad intentions... You can tell me about any brain problems. I used to be a brain surgeon."
"A brain surgeon...?"
These two words finally piqued Yan Zhichun's interest. She glanced over at Jiang Ruoxue.
"That might not be right either..." Jiang Ruoxue said doubtfully. "Zhichun's problem seems more neurological or psychological..."
"That doesn't mean you can't tell me about it."
Without waiting for an invitation, Doctor Zhao pulled up a chair and sat down. He was gentlemanly enough to keep a distance of two or three meters from the two girls, maintaining a safe buffer. "Like I said, we're all in the same organization. I'll help if I can."
Yan Zhichun thought for a moment, then looked back at Jiang Ruoxue. When it came to social matters like this, Jiang Ruoxue was far more knowledgeable than she was.
A stranger who insisted on helping her no matter what—in Yan Zhichun's eyes, that was absolutely suspicious.
"Well... asking won't hurt." Jiang Ruoxue smiled slightly. "After all, many hands make light work. Maybe this doctor really does have a good idea?"
Hearing Jiang Ruoxue's approval, Yan Zhichun could only nod. Then, with some difficulty, she began, "Doctor Zhao, before I explain my situation, I need to clarify first: I'm not crazy, and I don't have delusions. But I've been experiencing some truly inexplicable things. Things that make me seem like a lunatic."
"Hmm...?" Doctor Zhao had been practicing medicine for many years, but he'd never heard such an opening. "Miss, I think you may have misunderstood. I'm a brain surgeon, not a psychiatrist... I just want to know your symptoms. Your mental state usually isn't that important to me. Besides... judging whether someone is crazy isn't based on their own self-assessment."
Doctor Zhao's professionalism quickly put Yan Zhichun at ease. She nodded and said, "You're right."
She organized her thoughts, then spoke about the predicament that had been troubling her.
"Doctor Zhao, the memories in my mind seem different from everyone else's. But I clearly remember those things happening." Yan Zhichun swallowed. "Even though this place is full of 'Echoes'... I still can't figure out the principle behind it."
"That sounds like the 'Mandela Effect'... isn't it?" Doctor Zhao blinked. "It's normal. When I was a kid, I remembered some favorite cartoon scenes too. When I grew up, I found out I was the only one who'd ever seen them. It's just a self-repair mechanism of the brain."
"The Mandela Effect... No." Yan Zhichun shook her head. "What you're describing, I've seen it too. But at most, those are just fragments of memories. They can't compare to what's been bothering me."