Chapter 812: Two Transformations
Hearing Qin Dingdong's question, Qi Xia stared at her and said, word by word:
"I can't speak for Tian Chuqiu, but I never doubt myself. Even if my personality has been changed, my life cannot possibly be fake."
"What..." Qin Dingdong paused slightly upon hearing this, then turned to exchange a glance with Chen Junnan.
This was clearly a very extreme way of thinking.
No matter how sharp a person's mind was, they couldn't be so confident as to never question themselves.
Seeing the three of them at a loss for words, Qi Xia continued, "I'm afraid Tian Chuqiu is the one who can speak best on this matter. He didn't just change in 'temperament'—he even changed in 'ability.'"
After saying this, he looked at Chen Junnan again and said softly, "Remember when we reunited, how did you introduce Tian Chuqiu to me?"
Chen Junnan thought back carefully and replied, "I said... seven years ago, he was crying and begging to shine our shoes... but when we met today... that guy was putting on quite an air..."
Qi Xia nodded, raised one finger, and pointed at Chen Junnan. "That's exactly the sentence. There are far too many doubts in it."
"What do you mean?" Chen Junnan asked.
"In your memory, Tian Chuqiu was a nobody." Qi Xia tapped his own temple with his finger and said, "But from what I've observed, no matter how you look at him, he doesn't seem like someone without renown. He wasn't bluffing—he definitely possesses intelligence beyond the average person. If that's the case, why would Tian Chuqiu back then cry and beg to shine our shoes? Are you lying to me?"
"I wouldn't go so far as to lie to you about that kid Tian Chuqiu," Chen Junnan replied. "But 'shining shoes' was a bit of an exaggeration. He was just begging us to take him in."
"Then when you saw him again, why weren't you surprised?" Qi Xia asked. "He was clearly different from before."
"Maybe I just thought he was a 'small man drunk on power,'" Chen Junnan said. "You smart types can spot other smart people, but a brute like me can't."
"You've always had prejudice against him," Qi Xia said. "But I've been observing him all along. Besides this change, Tian Chuqiu also underwent a transformation from the 'Kind King' to a complete madman. No matter how I think about it, it's too abnormal. Perhaps, like Qin Dingdong, there was a trigger for these changes."
Qin Dingdong thought for a moment, then asked, "What do you think the trigger was?"
"If you can find evidence of your own 'errors' from the clues, Tian Chuqiu certainly can too. All those clues are the 'triggers' for his transformation," Qi Xia replied. "Perhaps he discovered the trigger during his first transformation. That change made him someone with the qualities of a leader. But the 'trigger' for the second transformation was even stronger—it came from Wen Qiaoyun. His consciousness was shattered by the person most important to him, eventually driving him mad."
"So you've been paying that much attention to little Chu all along?" Chen Junnan frowned. "Is he that important?"
"I can't say for sure," Qi Xia shook his head. "In my memory, I've consciously protected many people because they were useful to me. But I don't recall ever consciously protecting Tian Chuqiu."
Chen Junnan pondered this for a moment. "You mean that little Chu got to where he is today entirely on his own."
"That's right," Qi Xia nodded. "I can see traces of many people in him. He's experienced things that many have gone through, but none of them ever truly defeated him. Besides, the fact that he's still standing here today is proof enough of his strength."
"What about you?" Qin Dingdong changed the subject and asked, "Compared to Tian Chuqiu, do you think your life is fake?"
"My life cannot possibly be fake," Qi Xia said. "I have to believe in my own life—I have my reasons."
"You're being too arbitrary..." Qin Dingdong said.
Chen Junnan seemed to realize where the problem lay. The idea of a 'fake life' seemed to have triggered Qi Xia's defense mechanism. He had entered a defensive state again.
This state had appeared many times before, but unfortunately, no one had ever been able to talk Qi Xia out of it.
Now that Qin Dingdong had raised the concept of 'fabricated memories,' maybe this was a good chance to test Qi Xia's attitude again.
"Old... Old Qi... how about you listen to your buddy's advice?" Chen Junnan said. "Whether you believe it or not, at least your buddy won't lie to you."
"If you're going to judge my two lives, I don't want to hear a word," Qi Xia said.
"You... you're too stubborn, kid!" Chen Junnan exclaimed. "You've got a vague answer buried in your own heart, but you're not willing to lift a finger to dig it out."
"I have no choice," Qi Xia said. "I can only do this."
"You can find flaws in anyone's words... but you refuse to acknowledge the sense of dissonance in your own self." Chen Junnan frowned. "Old Qi, your current state is very strange..."
"Enough," Qi Xia interrupted. "I told you, my life cannot be fake. Otherwise, nothing would hold together—not even the fact that I'm standing here."
"What...?"
"If I dig out that answer, the person standing here would vanish into thin air," Qi Xia said with a dim expression. "I would instantly become someone else—a walking corpse without goals, motivation, direction, or any fighting spirit. I wouldn't even be sure if I was still me."
Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin naturally understood what Qi Xia meant. The two exchanged a glance, then silently lowered their heads.
"So not only must I bury that answer, I also want you to help me bury it," Qi Xia said, his gray-white eyes open wide. "Only by pressing that answer tightly into the depths of my heart can I possibly save everyone."
Chen Junnan nodded upon hearing this. But Qin Dingdong clearly didn't understand what Qi Xia meant—after all, she couldn't comprehend the significance of "Yu Nian'an."
"Classmate Qi..." Qin Dingdong asked, "Aren't you even a little curious about what's happening to you? Like, why do we have this feeling? And why the three of us specifically?"
"Not curious," Qi Xia replied decisively. "I advise you not to be curious either."
"How could I not be curious...?" Qin Dingdong frowned. "Qi Xia, you and I are completely different types of people. I really want to go back to the real world and continue my own life. But if my life has been fabricated... how exactly are we supposed to go back? Is the life I'm returning to really my life? If it's completely made up... how can I go on?"