Lu Zhi had expected to see a terrifying face but was surprised to find a beautiful young woman. Judging by her dressing table and the room's decor, it resembled a wealthy family's mansion during the Republic of China era.
Then, to his astonishment, Lu Zhi saw 'himself' walking step by step towards the young woman at the dressing table. 'His' mouth moved uncontrollably, saying, "Mm, I've come to see you."
And then, Lu Zhi felt 'himself' open his arms and embrace the young woman.
Lu Zhi: ...
Lu Zhi: ???
Lu Zhi: !!!
Damn it, even if it was fake, what would happen if Shen Qi saw it?
Lu Zhi couldn't help but feel fortunate that only he could see this, but why did he have a bad premonition, as if a pair of eyes were watching everything from the shadows!
As Lu Zhi was lost in thought, 'he' suddenly lowered his head and slowly leaned towards the young woman.
Lu Zhi: !!!
This, this was he going to kiss her?
No!
This was fake, fake, all fake!
Perhaps it was due to Lu Zhi's unusually strong refusal, his vision became disoriented, and Lu Zhi found himself in another perspective, standing by the door, peeking through the crack at the bed curtains inside the room.
Lu Zhi secretly rejoiced, wiping a cold sweat from his brow in his heart.
Damn, that was too scary, what the hell was all this?
Wait, who was the 'himself' that was secretly watching? From what standpoint was he observing this bedroom scene?
Did he have to experience all of this from different perspectives, one after another, to regain his senses?
...
At the same time, Shen Lu's office screen displayed a dense array of live broadcast windows. He watched with Xue Jin Huai, with various snacks on the table, making it seem as if they were watching a movie in a cinema.
Shen Qi, sitting beside them, stared blankly at the optical computer on the table.
Du Xi Ming, with a trembling heart, maneuvered the miniature camera to Lu Zhi's position. It transformed into a matchstick figure with a camera for a head, and a small bamboo dragonfly propeller whirred above its head, flying to Hao Yun Yi's side. It then poked Hao Yun Yi's tail feathers with its matchstick-like fingers.
Hao Yun Yi's eyes snapped open. He finally remembered why Shen Qi had sent him to Lu Zhi's side: to protect Lu Zhi while he was caught in a "retrospective empathy," providing a mental connection for Du Xi Ming's abilities to be broadcast live.
One could ask, how could a possessive, overbearing, and fiercely protective deity like Shen Qi allow Lu Zhi to be alone?
Hao Yun Yi dutifully connected his mind with the matchstick figure created by Du Xi Ming's special ability.
Soon, on Shen Qi's optical computer, Lu Zhi's image dissolved like a drop of ink into water, then re-emerged as ethereal mist, only to suddenly darken again.
When it brightened, the perspective was that of an observer watching Lu Zhi's consciousness inhabiting a man who was embracing a woman, about to kiss her.
Du Xi Ming and Hao Yun Yi, whose minds were connected, felt their hearts skip a beat, and the words "It's over" flashed ominously in their minds.
Shen Qi remained expressionless, but the hot water on the table instantly froze and shattered into powder with a cracking sound.
Shen Lu, who was about to take a sip of warm water: ???
"Boss, calm down, calm down! This is all fake." Hao Yun Yi's quivering voice, like a small bird, emanated from the optical computer.
Du Xi Ming, terrified, pulled a chili-flavored lollipop from his pocket and popped it into his mouth, attempting to ward off the chill. He wasn't as fearless as Hao Yun Yi in trying to placate Shen Qi.
Shen Qi said nothing, his gaze menacingly fixed on the two heads drawing closer in the image, as if he would crush them in the next moment.
Just then, the scene abruptly shifted. Lu Zhi appeared outside the room door. The woman's voice from within the curtains, filled with uncontrollable excitement, blared from the optical computer's speakers. Any man would understand.
The biting cold surrounding Shen Qi vanished without a trace, the deep winter instantly turning into early summer.
"You brat, you're watching adult films at a time like this?" Although Shen Lu had noticed something amiss with Shen Qi earlier, he never expected him to be watching a film. And it didn't make sense, Shen Qi wouldn't watch a man and a woman; he'd watch two men, right?
Considering his foster son's personality, Shen Lu walked over to get a closer look. Instantly, he realized that someone was brazenly cheating for his boyfriend right in front of him, Principal Shen: "Why is Hao Yun Yi in the exam hall? You did this? This is blatant cheating!"
Shen Qi, pleased that Lu Zhi had broken free from his mental restraints and changed his consciousness scene on his own, replied with relative good cheer, "If Hao Yun Yi intervenes, Lu Zhi will be immediately eliminated."
Shen Lu huffed, grudgingly accepting Shen Qi's answer. He turned to Du Xi Ming and asked, "What exactly is going on now?"
Du Xi Ming glanced at Shen Qi and explained, "Lu Zhi has entered a retrospective. The current scene is an illusion."
Shen Lu understood, raised an eyebrow, and stroked his chin, a sly smile playing on his lips. "You have this ability?"
Du Xi Ming lowered his eyes guiltily and quickly changed the subject, pointing to the screen in front of Shen Qi. "Principal, look."
Within a mere two minutes, the screen shifted again, and this time, it was filled with blood and terror.
...
After spending a minute in the illusion, Lu Zhi understood the reason. When his consciousness was pulled into an illusion, it was confined within the body of a person. Over time, one would start to feel like that person, becoming assimilated.
As long as one's consciousness firmly broke free from the confinement once, it would be continuously pulled into scenes from different perspectives.
After repeated shifts, Lu Zhi finally realized that his consciousness kept changing because these were people who had appeared in the consciousness of this eerie individual, and within that consciousness, they were perceived as perfect.
Lu Zhi watched the entirety of one woman's life. The earlier part of the story was cliché, but by the end, Lu Zhi was shocked by the woman's jealousy and actions.
It was the story of a woman named Su Huan Yi during the Republic of China era.
Su Huan Yi had a maid named Huang Li, who had envied Su Huan Yi's beauty and background since childhood. When she returned from abroad with Su Huan Yi at the age of sixteen, she fell in love at first sight with Su Huan Yi's fiancé, Chen Yu.
Later, during an argument between Su Huan Yi and Chen Yu, Chen Yu bought a comb as a gift for Huang Li to please Su Huan Yi, inadvertently stirring the long-buried seed in Huang Li's heart.
That day, a charlatan arrived in town, claiming he could grant anyone any wish, but no one paid him any mind.
As Huang Li walked by, she mockingly said, "I wish to be beautiful, can you give me a new face?"
The charlatan replied, "Beauty comes at a price, what are you willing to exchange for it?"
Before leaving, Huang Li casually said, "Anything, as long as I can become beautiful."
The charlatan said meaningfully, "A three-day trial period, I'll wait for you here."
Huang Li didn't take the charlatan's words to heart. The next day when she woke up, she saw a face in the mirror that didn't belong to her.
Pandora's box had been opened, and desire had no end.