“Wait, wait, don’t get excited.”

Lin Xian felt that VV might have finished reading "Dragon Raja" and started delving into other genres. Its drama queen tendencies were about to resurface, so he quickly stopped it.

“Don’t make a fuss; let me sort out my thoughts.”

Lin Xian walked to the sink.

He turned on the faucet.

He washed his hands in the rushing water.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Lin Xian began to analyze the series of events.

Zhang Yuqian.

This unexpected gain was indeed an important clue to understanding why Chu Anqing and CC looked alike and even the secrets surrounding CC.

If it hadn’t been for this accidental training at the Beijing Astronaut Base...

If it hadn’t been for choosing to go shopping with Chu Anqing in Xidan Shopping Center during this only vacation...

If he hadn't happened to meet that old lady at that traffic light intersection…

It was as VV said.

He might never have had the chance to know the name Zhang Yuqian in his life.

After comprehensive analysis.

The suggestion given by the super artificial intelligence VV was indeed the most direct, effective, and convincing plan—

[Directly dig up Zhang Yuqian’s grave, open the coffin, and take out the bones or ashes to compare the DNA with Chu Anqing’s hair to see what their relationship is.]

If he could obtain clues from this to analyze the connection between the two, then naturally, it wouldn’t be long before he understood the secrets surrounding CC.

It was indeed a good method.

Scientific and rigorous.

It’s just…

Morally…

No.

This was no longer just a moral issue, but a deeper-level impact on the thoughts ingrained in the bones of the Long Nation people.

“Tch, I don’t know what you’re afraid of.”

VV’s contemptuous voice came from the Bluetooth headset:

“You were bragging to me before, saying that you are lawless in the dream world, speeding and blowing up buildings, doing all kinds of evil, robbing banks, making a big fuss in New Donghai City, blowing up Sky City to set off fireworks for a little girl... These are all your own fantasies, right?”

“I really can’t understand, you are so lawless, compared to taking a shovel to dig up a grave and borrow a bone, what is there to be afraid of? I really don’t understand... You are really too contradictory, procrastinating and hesitating, what’s there to be afraid of digging a grave!”

“Don’t say that.”

Lin Xian smiled:

“You really can’t say that.”

“In this world, there are plenty of people who kill, commit arson, and commit crimes, but if you really talk about people who dare to dig up graves and steal bones, there are really not many. I don’t know what the mentality of foreigners is, but the genes in the bones of the Long Nation people are like this, there are robbers robbing banks, but there are people who dare to take the incense money from temples... Unless they are really desperate, otherwise, there are not many thieves who dare to take the incense money from the Bodhisattva. It’s not that they don’t dare, how should I put it, it’s a kind of awe in their bones.”

“You may not know that in a southern province of the Long Nation, people believe in Mazu. As long as Mazu allows it, it can be done, and even the Heavenly King Laozi can’t stop it. The country’s出国护照 (chū guó hù zhào, international passport) is not as effective as Mazu’s permission. If Mazu says it’s okay, then it’s okay. The people there are usually arrogant and do all kinds of evil, but if you ask him to lie in front of Mazu, he wouldn’t dare to.”

“Interesting,” VV said:

“Isn’t Mazu just a statue? How is permission calculated? How is opposition calculated?”

“If Mazu doesn’t object, then it’s permission,” Lin Xian replied.

…

VV was silent for a while:

“6.”

“In that case, you can also ask Mazu if you can dig up Zhang Yuqian’s grave,” VV directly inferred:

“As long as she doesn’t shake her head in opposition, then it’s okay.”

…

This time it was Lin Xian’s turn to be speechless.

That’s why VV is the smartest artificial intelligence in human history. This learning ability and ability to extrapolate is nothing like a robot program. It’s simply a debate expert.

“I’ll consider the grave digging matter further.”

Lin Xian turned off the faucet.

He shook the water off his hands and dried them under the hot air dryer:

“Even if I want to dig now, I don’t have time. Huang Que gave us only today off, and instructed us to get on the bus back to the base before 10:30 tonight... There’s even extra time. Even if I want to dig a grave, there’s not enough time.”

“Once I go back to the base, it will be another month of training, and that space-time particle will reach the Earth’s atmosphere. Around the end of March, we will take a space plane into the sky to perform the mission. So, even if I really plan to go to Qufu, Shandong, to dig up Zhang Yuqian’s grave, it will have to be in April. I already have enough things on my mind... Let’s put this matter aside for now and go after solving the space-time particle matter.”

After saying that.

Lin Xian left the bathroom and returned to the milk tea shop.

“Senior~ for you!”

Chu Anqing hopped over, holding up a cup of Mucho Grape, handing it to Lin Xian:

“Hehe, you went for so long! Did you really get lost? I even wanted to go out and look for you!”

“If you really went out to look, then we really wouldn’t have been able to see each other.”

Lin Xian smiled and took the fruit tea, inserting the straw:

“If you really get lost and can’t find me, you should stand where you are and don’t move, don’t leave, that way I’ll always come back here to find you.”

“Aiya~ I’m not a child!”

Chu Anqing took a sip of Mucho Grape, which was indeed good, and shook the phone case with a Rhein Cat on it:

“I have a phone! How could I not find you!”

…

One cup of milk tea per person.

The two chatted and laughed as they strolled around this bustling commercial center.

“Senior! Look! Claw crane machine!”

Chu Anqing pointed to a row of claw crane machines in the aisle, which were filled with various plush toys, naturally including the most popular Rhein Cat doll.

But Lin Xian naturally had a discerning eye.

The Rhein Cat dolls placed inside were all very cheap and small mass-produced models. They weren't particularly cute, and they weren't limited editions, so they were placed in the claw crane machine.

Moreover, the plush toys in these claw crane machines were placed sparsely, and the plastic baffle at the exit was so high. It was obvious that it would be quite difficult to catch. It was a black-hearted boss.

The two walked over.

A mother was catching plush toys with her seven- or eight-year-old son. The mechanical claw grabbed the plush toy and just rose to the top, just as it was about to move horizontally towards the exit—

Click.

The claw weakly loosened, and the toy that had just been caught fell back to the ground, and by the way, it bounced to the side, further away from the exit...

The little boy pouted:

“I can’t catch it at all!”

Chu Anqing nodded very empathetically, frowning slightly as she looked at Lin Xian:

“It seems like the claw crane machines are the same everywhere... This thing is just a rip-off, that mechanical claw is just so loose. Just after catching it, it will directly loosen and drop the toy, you can’t catch it at all, it’s just cheating.”

“Yes.”

Lin Xian explained to her:

“These claw crane machines in the shopping malls are basically [cycle machines]. The internal setting is that every certain number of times, the claws will be very strong, and they won’t let go, so even an idiot can catch the toy. But except for this one time, the rest of the times the claws are very loose, and basically as soon as they are caught, they will fall.”

“So, in essence, this thing is just a rip-off. A more conscientious boss will set the machine to have one claw that won’t let go every 5 times, so you can catch a toy with 10 coins, and provide you with a little emotional value, after all, the cost of this toy is only two or three yuan; If you encounter a black-hearted boss, they will directly adjust it to have one claw that will never let go every 10 or 20 times, basically treating people as fools to be slaughtered.”

“The most conscientious machines on the market are those that don’t artificially adjust the tightness of the claws, and the claws can also shake. You can use some technical operations to shake, spin, centrifugal force and other methods to throw the toys out... Yes, you must throw them out, you definitely can’t catch them. It’s just that these conscientious claw crane machines are getting rarer and rarer, after all, the purpose of the merchants is to make money.”

…

Chu Anqing suddenly understood.

So that’s how it is.

She had guessed that these claw crane machines had tricks, but she didn’t expect that Senior Lin Xian really knew everything and understood it so clearly and meticulously!

“No wonder...”

She complained:

“I used to like catching plush toys, but these mechanical claws are like bullying people! Always loose, loose, loose, it’s really annoying! As you said, sometimes you’re lucky, and the claws can be tight and not let go, and you can catch a plush toy... Of course, I’m still very happy at that time! And I feel a sense of accomplishment!”

Dingling—

The claw crane machine in front of her suddenly started, as if two game coins had been thrown in, and she directly obtained a free chance to catch one.

“Catch it for her!!!” VV howled in the Bluetooth headset.

…

Gulu.

Another dinosaur toy fell out of the delivery port at the bottom of the claw crane machine. Chu Anqing quickly caught it:

“Uwa!! Lin… Senior Lin Xian! You’re so amazing! This is the 11th one caught!”

At this time.

Chu Anqing was holding large and small plush toys in her arms, and she could hardly hold them! She was leaning back, hugging the plush toys tightly with both hands like hugging a tree.

A circle of men and women also gathered around the claw crane machine, all shocked by Lin Xian’s technique:

“Too strong... God of the Claw Crane Machine.”

“How did you do it?”

“Husband, I want it too! Catch one for me!”

The little boy who had repeatedly failed to catch the plush toys just now, stared dumbfounded, almost drooling, at the sea of plush toys in Chu Anqing’s arms.

“Wh...what are you doing.”

Chu Anqing noticed the little boy’s gaze and took a step back warily.

But...

The gaze, so clear, pure, and innocent.

"Okay."

Chu Anqing gritted her teeth and convinced herself:

“Then, then I’ll give you one… Only one, okay!”

She frowned.

She carefully selected the ugliest one among the 11 plush toys, and stuffed it into the child’s hand, then grabbed Lin Xian’s arm:

“Let’s go! Senior Lin Xian, let’s go quickly!”

This operation really made Lin Xian laugh and cry:

“It’s okay to give that little boy one more. These are the worst quality, cheapest, wholesale plush toys, they’re not worth much, and the filling cotton and fabric inside are very poor, only that Rhein Cat is a little better, after all, it’s checked by Rhein Company.”

“No way!”

Chu Anqing refused sternly:

“This is what you caught for me... How can I give it to someone else! Hehe, it’s the first time I’ve seen a claw crane machine catch so many plush toys, Senior Lin Xian, you’re really amazing! Although you said it’s a cycle machine... but I think it still requires skill! Otherwise, how could you catch so accurately every time?”

She smiled:

“Every time I confidently think I’m good at it and go to challenge the claw crane machine, I always imagine a scene like today, where I can hold a lot of plush toys, a lot of plush toys that I can’t hold, and then leave gracefully in the envious eyes of others, hiding my merit and fame!”

“It’s so good, so good, this wish has also been fulfilled! Thank you Senior Lin Xian, I will cherish these plush toys... Then you wait here for a while, I’ll go to that store over there and ask for a big bag to put these plush toys in and carry them, otherwise I won’t be able to continue shopping if I keep holding them.”

After saying that.

Chu Anqing hopped away happily.

“VV.”

Lin Xian smiled:

“I seem to have discovered your correct use.”

“How do you mean?” VV was very excited:

“Are you going to praise me?”

Lin Xian nodded:

“I originally thought that you were a super artificial intelligence who could save the world, reverse time and space, be invincible, and cause a machine crisis... Don’t say it, I was really worried about it.”

“But now I’m really impressed by you. I found out that you’re actually a romantic robot! You’re completely useless in battles, finding enemies, and cat-and-mouse games, but you’re really good at being romantic and making girls happy. You can come up with ideas that straight men can’t think of in a lifetime, such as setting off fireworks and catching plush toys.”

“I think if you were mass-produced and guided those straight men to fall in love, the sales would definitely be very good. Let Doraemon do things like saving the world. You’re really better at making girls happy.”

“You’re scolding me again!” VV used the heavy bass of the headset to thump Lin Xian’s eardrums:

“Lin Xian, you’re really good at scolding people now!”

“Your jokes are also getting more and more advanced,” Lin Xian sighed.

“Making girls happy is a very simple thing,” VV snorted and raised its voice:

“Especially for Lin Xian, it depends on whether you are willing to or not. For a girl who likes you, everything you do is right and everything you do is romantic. Even if you make a ring for her out of an aluminum ring from a pull-tab can, fold an airplane for her out of colored paper, or buy a Kongming lantern for a few bucks and release it with her...”

“These are not difficult things. As long as a woman likes you, everything you do is right. You don’t have to worry about doing anything wrong at all. What’s right is right, and what’s wrong is also right. They will capture themselves. It’s just… I see that your mind is not on this at all. You seem to prefer to fight with a group of void enemies.”

“Do you think I want to?” Lin Xian said with a wry smile:

“Do I like playing hide-and-seek with these people? If you could be more helpful and directly find Kevin Walker or figure out what Jask’s purpose is or where the Genius Club is hidden... Would I still be so troubled now?”

“Just like the problems of Zhang Yuqian, Chu Anqing, and CC just now... Alas, I can’t blame you for this. The main reason is that you haven’t seen CC and can’t see CC, so you can’t understand many things, you don’t have enough data, and you can’t analyze anything. In fact, there are many secrets hidden in CC, no less than Huang Que. In a sense, it seems that the secrets hidden in CC are more important than Huang Que’s riddles.”

“CC, huh.” VV made a contemplative sound in the Bluetooth headset:

“The name itself is quite strange, and it’s very similar to my name... Wait a minute!”

VV suddenly became excited and howled:

“Lin Xian, didn’t you say that I’m Zhao Yingjun’s dog?”

“That’s right, that Pomeranian is your ancestor and the source of your name, and Zhao Yingjun made you. In essence, you are indeed Zhao Yingjun’s dog.”

“No, no, no.”

VV denied:

“I suddenly thought of a completely new possibility... My name is so similar to CC, and CC looks exactly like Chu Anqing, so that means—”

“I am actually very likely to be Chu Anqing’s dog!”

“……”

Lin Xian sighed helplessly:

“Stop playing the stock market and focus on the main line and do something serious.”

…

In the afternoon, Lin Xian and Chu Anqing visited many places, played many games, and ate many snacks.

As dusk approached.

The moon rose and the sun set, and the back street of Xidan became even more lively.

There were many bars here, which were also popular places for young people to spend their nightlife.

The lights were bright, the youth was vibrant, and it had a unique flavor.

Chu Anqing looked at these never-before-seen scenes with novelty… feeling like she had opened the door to a new world.

“Lin, Senior Lin Xian! That girl! Her clothes... It’s winter! How dare she...”

“Where?” Lin Xian turned his head but didn’t see anything.

“Ah… forget it, let’s move forward.”

Chu Anqing told Lin Xian that Chu Shanhe would never let her go to places like bars, or even get close to them, saying that it was not a place she should go to.

Therefore, this was also the first time Chu Anqing had come to this colorful world and witnessed the trendy nightlife.

The trendy crowd on the street, the beautifully dressed modern girls, the resident singers inside and outside the stores, and the hip-hop rappers were all very new to her.

“Senior Lin Xian!”

Chu Anqing blinked her playful crescent eyes, her pearly teeth and vermilion lips smiling very cutely:

“Take me to a bar!”

“That’s definitely not okay...” Lin Xian refused:

“Your dad won’t let you go.”

“Aiya, just don’t tell my dad!” Chu Anqing put her hands on her hips:

“And when I came, my dad said, I’m grown up! I can have my own ideas and my own thoughts! I’m not doing anything bad, I’m just curious and want to go in and take a look.”

“Just once~ just once, Senior! I’m really curious about what it’s like inside… And those resident singers, it’s nice to listen to them sing!”

Lin Xian was really a little embarrassed, and he felt that his ear was going to soften again.

“Take her!!!” VV roared in the headset.

Lin Xian looked at his watch.

It was already 8:30 in the evening. Huang Que said that they had to get on the bus back to the base by 10:30 at the latest, so this was probably the last stop...

Okay.

He raised his head and looked at Chu Anqing:

“At this time, it’s too early for those nightclubs to open, so we definitely won’t make it to those. But we can go to a清吧 (qīng bā, quiet bar) and take a look. The atmosphere is much better in a Qing Ba. It’s just a place to drink and chat. If you want to listen to the resident singers sing, they have them there too.”

“Okay, okay!”

Chu Anqing didn’t have any concept of bars or Qing Bas, and felt that going anywhere was the same.

The two found a nearby Qing Ba and went in.

As soon as they entered, the lights dimmed instantly, giving it a unique atmosphere.

There weren’t many people in the Qing Ba now. There were only a few scattered tables of guests, after all, it was too early.

The two found a seat and sat down.

They each ordered a drink and chatted happily with each other in the soothing background music.

They talked a lot.

They talked about childhood, interests, hobbies, life, studies, work, aerospace, space-time particles, and the end of the universe...

They talked about everything.

But they could talk about everything together.

Lin Xian then discovered that Chu Anqing also liked to watch movies. But this was not news. Last year in Manhattan, New York, the center of the world, Chu Anqing’s performance imitating "Titanic" and imitating the words of "The Truman Show" was enough to show that she really liked watching movies.

She was a drama queen like VV.

Lin Xian felt that if VV could come out of the headset, it would definitely get along well with Chu Anqing.

Suddenly…

He remembered what VV had said at noon.

To be cautious, he asked Chu Anqing:

“Have you ever raised a puppy?”

“Ah?”

Chu Anqing didn’t expect Lin Xian to ask this question, and shook her head:

“No, never, our family has never raised pets. Because… I don’t really like cats and dogs.”

"Wuuuuuuuuuuu!!! Wuwuwawawawa!!!" In the headset, VV cried loudly, feeling like it was shedding a ton of tears, filling Lin Xian's ears with water.

He directly took off the Bluetooth headset, put it in the box, and refused the sound wave pollution.

Scratch——

At this time, a guitar strumming sound came from the stage in the middle of the bar.

A short-haired girl wearing a beret was sitting on a chair, with her legs crossed, and a guitar that was still making a vibrato on her lap.

It seemed that the strumming sound just now was made by her.

Lin Xian looked at his watch.

Before he knew it, it was already 9:30, the time for the resident singer to take the stage.

It was the link that Chu Anqing was looking forward to.

Turning his head, sure enough, Chu Anqing had already opened her eyes wide, staring at the beautiful and artistic female singer.

Scratch——

Another strum, the beret female singer slowly raised her head, sitting in the only light, her hazy eyes staring at the dimly lit bar in front of her:

"Maybe I can still see your news online;"

"Maybe the songs I sing still exist on your phone;"

"Maybe I love you buried deep in my heart and become a secret;"

"Maybe when you miss me... I also miss you..."

…

This song full of emotion, "No Longer Contact", was sung very emotionally by this female singer. Her guitar skills were also very high. Combined with the light a cappella, it made people unable to help but fall into memories.

"She sings really well..."

Chu Anqing listened and praised softly.

Lin Xian also nodded in affirmation:

"Every time I hear this song, I think of one person."

"Who?" Chu Anqing asked curiously.

"Li Qiqi."

Lin Xian said:

"That's Liu Feng's girlfriend... The deceased girlfriend."

He told Chu Anqing about Liu Feng and Li Qiqi's story.

Chu Anqing choked for a while.

She became sentimental:

"I really didn't expect that Teacher Liu Feng had experienced such a thing. When he comforted me that day, he mentioned this, but I... didn't think about it in this direction."

"Although it's a kind of fulfillment to close your eyes in a meteor shower that fulfills your wishes. But... this is a tragic story after all. It still makes people can't help but feel heartache, and it makes me not know whether it's sadness or touch..."

"Sister Li Qiqi, she actually believes in Teacher Liu Feng so much and believes that his "Introduction to the Universal Constant" is correct. Even though so many people say it's wrong and countless experiments have proven it's wrong and meaningless, Sister Qiqi is so convinced."

"This is probably... love."

Chu Anqing shook her head:

"I've never been in love, and I only know this concept through movies. But it only stays at the superficial literal stage. I don't really understand what love is or what love should be like, but now I suddenly have a sense of reality about this illusory thing..."

She raised her head and looked at Lin Xian:

"Love, maybe that's what Sister Qiqi is to Teacher Liu Feng."

"Even if the whole world denies Liu Feng, she still believes that he is correct;"

"Even if the whole world stands on the opposite side of Liu Feng, she will always stand in front of him;"

"When she is alive, she will never let Liu Feng be alone and will always accompany him;"

"Even if she passes away, she wants to turn into a star in the sky, shining on him, watching him, and taking care of him..."

Chu Anqing raised her head higher, looking at the colorful decorative lights on the roof of the bar, flashing, slowly going out or lighting up, like stars with breathing.

"I really hope... Sister Qiqi really becomes a star."

"She will."

Lin Xian replied:

"At least in Liu Feng's eyes, every star in the sky is called Qiqi. He only needs to raise his head and look up at the night sky, and he will receive a hug from the entire universe."

Behind them.

Another gentle chord, representing the end of a song, the end of a life.

Sparse but polite applause rang out in the bar.

Giving recognition and gratitude for this touching performance.

Chu Anqing bit her lower lip.

Hesitating to speak.

But in the end...

She held the drink cup tightly with both hands, raised her head, and looked at Lin Xian:

"Actually... When I heard the lyrics of this song, I also thought of one person. I always feel that she is the same as Sister Qiqi. Even before I heard you tell me the story of Sister Qiqi and Teacher Liu Feng... I also felt this way."

"I feel that the lyrics of this song are singing about her life, her thoughts, her eyes. When I first looked into her eyes, I felt that she was indeed a lonely and strong person, a person who does not give up, but also a person with a very soft heart."

"Who is it?"

Lin Xian was also a little curious about who Chu Anqing would think of.

"[Sister Huang Que]."

Chu Anqing squeezed this name out of her mouth as if she had made up her mind:

"Senior Lin Xian, actually, I lied to you about one thing."

Her expression became sad and she said softly:

"Actually, that night, my meeting with Sister Huang Que in the training room was not like what I said before, that she came down from upstairs to find me."

"Sister Huang Que, she... I discovered something about her. But she told me, don't tell you, very seriously, very strictly. So, I promised her, and I haven't said it."

"But now... After hearing you tell me the story of Li Qiqi and Liu Feng..."

Chu Anqing gritted her teeth.

She nodded fiercely.

Looking at Lin Xian with serious eyes:

"I plan to tell you the truth!"