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Soon enough, Lin Qin is at Xü Beijin’s bookstore.
He already has free access to the residence, so he doesn’t need to wait until Xü Beijin is at home, as Xü Beijin gave him the privilege a rather long time ago.
As one of the owners of this bookstore now, Lin Qin actually hasn’t even been back at his own residence for a long time.
Xü Beijin can see that, on the control panel, a shiny glowing name of Lin Qin follows right after the ‘Bookstore (Bottom floor)’ entry.
It’s quite fascinating, really.
When he first met Lin Qin, he thought the young man was unreasonable and a nuisance. Why would someone so insist on fighting with him for so many times?
No matter how many times he refused him, too. Lin Qin was stubborn. Then he started to buy drinks to appeal to him, and inserts himself into his dry, monochromatic life…
All the little details add up, narrowing the distance between them.
Regardless, it seems the moment Lin Qin noticed XĂź Beijin, their futures were destined to intertwine.
They’re both special in the Tower, and special in a way only the other one understands.
Xü Beijin can’t help but feel something tugging at his chest thinking so.
After the momentary distraction, he uses the control panel to first lock up his Nightmare, so that no one can enter.
It’s a shame he can only lock his own Nightmare, because he is technically the ‘Server’ right now, so he can lock up his, Iro’s, Nightmare.
The Server doesn’t have the authority to shut down Nightmares of other Tower residents. It’s the game’s own rules.
Only when XĂź Beijin has such a special identity, plus NE being asleep, does it mean that he will be able to let himself have a good sleep by exploiting the situation.
Then, Xü Beijin modifies the setup of the top floor a little, giving himself an isolated space with a window──
Unlike NE, he would rather not sleep somewhere with only walls and a feeling of confinement and emptiness.
There is a bed by the window’s side, and only a rolling grey fog makes up the scenery outside.
But fortunately, Xü Beijin’s state of mind has changed.
Once, the grey fog was only home to their lost companions.
Now, the grey fog is also home to an NE…
Thinking so, Xü Beijin can’t help but want to laugh at NE’s expense.
An AI? Hah. You still have to deal with useless, junk data.
Though, ‘junk data,’ huh…
Xü Beijin’s smile fades, and he sighs.
He goes to bugger Lin Qin with more conversation instead rather than continuing to wallow in his thoughts.
Finally, he has a chance to have a good, long talk with Lin Qin. He told him what happened in the past, what faces humanity now, and what he talked about with NE. Then, after some consideration, he tells Lin Qin about his memories.
“Do you want to remember the past?”
XĂź Beijin is lying on his bed right now, and so is Lin Qin.
Xü Beijin can feel sleepiness threatening to drag him deep down, but he’s still staving it off for now to ask Lin Qin.
Lin Qin mumbles something.
“What?” Xü Beijin asks, “I couldn’t hear.”
“I’ll do what you want,” Lin Qin says, “it doesn’t matter to me.”
Xü Beijin’s sleepiness is gone in an instant. He explains, “but it’s your own past.”
“I don’t think of it as my past,” Lin Qin says earnestly, “that is… no longer my past. I don’t know what I’ll be like with the memory back.”
XĂź Beijin is quiet.
He’s also worrying about that. He’s worried──Lin Qin with his memories back, would become unfamiliar. What if, Lin Qin no longer likes him once he regains his memories?
But that line of thought is quite selfish, thinks Lin Qin. He should trust Lin Qin more, instead of being so… self-centred.
Lin Qin is clearly aware of the possibility as well.
It’s quite true he might not desire to remember his past either. It’s something that’s already… not him. The old ‘Lin Qin’ has already ‘died.’
XĂź Beijin is quiet for long enough that he feels like he should say something.
Lin Qin is the first to break the silence, though, “I don’t especially want my memories back,” he continues, frankly, “I feel pretty good like this, being with you──And the others, but mainly you. To work together for success.
I think it’s quite pleasant to me already. If my memories came back, it might just throw a wrench in things.”
Xü Beijin isn’t sure what to say to that.
Finally, Lin Qin concludes, with a pretty cheerful tone, “we can talk about it after we’re done saving the world. Oh, and Beijin, you can also help me see what the memories are like, first.”
Xü Beijin is surprised, and awkwardly says, “what do you even mean ‘help you see’ the memories first…”
“I trust you.”
XĂź Beijin falls silent once again.
Lin Qin quietly adds, “if you think that, you’ll still like me with my memories back, then I’ll take them. If you don’t like the me in my memories, then not.”
Xü Beijin furrows his brows, explaining, “Lin Qin, I can’t… It’s your own memories. You can’t just judge it off of what I like…”
“But I’m happy to,” Lin Qin refutes, “my world has always been blank, and you’ve said it as well. You’re my entire world──It’s all you, you and me.
It’s good enough for me, so I don’t really care about my past memories.”
He is really thinking of it like that.
Xü Beijin’s lips tremble a little.
He wants to tell him, the Lin Qin right now doesn’t know about all the grandeur in the world;
He is only someone living in this closed, myopic game world. Only… an NPC.
Xü Beijin really doesn’t want to describe Lin Qin like that, but it is truly an apt description.
Right now, at a moment in time when there is true hope they can leave the Tower, Xü Beijin wishes that Lin Qin’s world could be more colourful.
He never thought about it this way before, having both been long-time prisoners of the Tower, when it would be delusional; however, now, it’s different.
Even if there’s still a possibility neither of them could leave the Tower.
XĂź Beijin is smiling somewhat bitterly.
Lin Qin can hear his love’s self-mocking smile. He knows his love is thinking pessimistically again.
He says, “never mind all that. We’ll think about memories and stuff after we’ve saved the world──No, I mean, after we’ve finished ‘unserious business.’”
Xü Beijin, speechless, asks, “is that all you think about every day now?”
“Because I want to be closer to you,” Lin Qin says quite literally, “to be negative in distance.”
Xü Beijin’s face is burning up. Thank goodness no one can see him hear. Giving up all pretensions of courtesy, he just says, “sure.”
Lin Qin immediately sits back up from his bed, but then morosely says, “but you’re not on the bottom floor right now.”
Xü Beijin sounds quite amused, “that’s why, it is unsuitable to engage in ‘unserious business’ right now.”
Lin Qin “…”
Is it fun to tease him like that?!
Falling back onto the bed with a ‘thump,’ sulking angrily for a bit, he dryly says, “good night…”
Xü Beijin chuckles again, and replies, “good night.”
This has perhaps been the most relaxing and peaceful night he’s spent since entering the Tower.
However, when he wakes up the next day, he’ll still have to face much more pressing issues.