Lu Qingtang looked at Lu Wensheng’s vacant, unsettled face and offered a gentle smile. "A person who had the courage in the middle of the night to risk everything and bring a stranger home from a pile of corpses—how could such a person ever lower themselves to soil their own hands for the sake of a vile, malicious wretch?"
Lu Wensheng trembled. A trace of something flickered in her eyes, which had been as stagnant as a dry well. "But they all said... that I was the one who did wrong... that I’ve done so many... so many things wrong..."
Lu Qingtang’s eyes were pitch black. She spoke each word with deliberate precision. "That is because they are the villains."
"What villains love most is to band together to suppress and bully those who are braver and kinder than them, watching as they suffer, struggle, deny themselves, and fall into doubt... until they are ultimately destroyed."
"Once they have completely ruined a person, they hold a collective celebration, toasting to the fact that they’ve added yet another 'amusement' to their own dirty, rotting lives."
Lu Wensheng blinked very slowly. "They are the villains... it wasn't my fault..."
Lu Qingtang walked over, gently stroked Lu Wensheng’s face, and spoke with conviction: "That’s right, Ms. Lu Wensheng. You are wonderful."
"You are kind, strong, beautiful, and brave... you are the treasure that Motherland loves most and wants most to protect."
"Isn't that right, Xingxing?"
Crouching nearby, Xingxing wagged his tail and gave a soft "woof," rubbing affectionately against Lu Wensheng’s leg to show his support for Lu Qingtang’s words.
A jolt of emotion flashed through Lu Wensheng’s desolate eyes.
She looked at the girl opposite her.
They looked remarkably alike. Standing there wearing the same clothes, it felt as though she were looking into a mirror.
The only difference was that while her own eyes were devoid of light, withered and decaying, the girl before her had bright, expressive eyes—vibrant and alive. She was clearly a girl who had been cherished and doted upon while growing up.
If she herself had been born into a normal family, with relatives who protected and loved her, she, too, would have been like this.
Lu Qingtang was watching her, too. She smiled and said, "Hmm... if we truly are blood-related, then I must be your elder."
"Since I’m so beautiful, it’s only natural that you turned out so beautiful. You really hit the jackpot..."
Lu Wensheng was stunned for a long time, then suddenly broke into a smile. "Are you hungry? I’ll cook something for you..."
Lu Qingtang was taken aback, then immediately snapped out of it, clutching her stomach and exclaiming, "Yes, yes, yes! I haven't eaten in two days. No wonder I felt so weak today—I didn't even get to beat those bastards to death..."
Watching her lively, bouncy demeanor, Lu Wensheng chuckled. "Rest for a moment; I’ll go cook."
She turned to leave. Just as she reached the door, Lu Wensheng looked up at the sunlight outside and felt her eyes suddenly well up with tears.
***
An hour later, Lu Qingtang, now well-fed, sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed. "Ms. Lu Wensheng, I have something to tell you."
Worried that she might have overeaten, Lu Wensheng had brewed her a cup of hawthorn tea, then sat down on a small stool in front of her.
Lu Qingtang held the teacup, took a sip, and narrowed her eyes in contentment. She then beckoned to the little dog sleeping in its nest. "Xingxing, this concerns a major matter for Motherland. As a creature of China, you have a duty, too. Come and listen."
Xingxing wagged his tail, trotted over to sit beside Lu Wensheng, and opened his eyes wide to watch Lu Qingtang.
Seeing the woman and the dog before her, Lu Qingtang set down her teacup and her expression turned serious. "Ms. Lu Wensheng, what I am about to tell you is of the utmost importance. Only you, me, and Xingxing can know."
Lu Wensheng, perhaps having mentally prepared herself, remained calm. She shook her head. "If possible, I would prefer you not tell me."
"I am just an ordinary person. Knowing too much won't benefit either of us."
Many people have secrets, but only those who are truly strong can hold onto them.
Lu Qingtang sighed. If she could, she wouldn't want to drag Lu Wensheng into this either.
But the current situation left her no choice.
Lu Wensheng had already seen it. And she was the only witness.
Lu Qingtang looked at Lu Wensheng and said slowly and earnestly, "My name is Lu Qingtang, twenty-three years old, from Country H. I have spent most of my life abroad."
"Three days ago, on the Dark Web, I intercepted a message."
"Country M spent billions of dollars to hire a terrorist organization with a global presence..." A flicker of something passed through Lu Qingtang’s eyes. She paused before continuing, "...to steal something from the Country H Research Institute."
"I stole that item myself. While fleeing back to Country H, I was hunted. In a moment of crisis, I injected that item into my own body..."
"Everything that happened afterward is exactly what you saw."
Lu Wensheng’s eyes widened slightly.
Lu Qingtang looked at her soft, quiet face, and her tone softened. "Ms. Lu Wensheng, do you know what the consequences will be once this news gets out?"
It was clear that Lu Wensheng was exceptionally intelligent. The moment Lu Qingtang finished that sentence, ripples of realization appeared in her once-hollow eyes.
Lu Qingtang watched her eyes and spoke slowly. "Once word spreads that the Country H Research Institute possesses something capable of 'reversing aging,' the eyes of every nation in the world will immediately turn toward Country H."
"Those in power and the capitalists of the world will stop at nothing to seize it."
"Throughout human history, the root of all conflict has always been the struggle for economic interests and resources."
"If you add the massive temptation of 'reversing aging' to the mix, the outbreak of war will become a statistical certainty."
"Country H, which has enjoyed less than a century of peace, will become the primary target of the entire world due to this accident."
"Humanity itself may fall into a new cycle of chaos because of this..."
Lu Qingtang reached out to Lu Wensheng and asked sincerely, "To prevent this from happening, Ms. Lu Wensheng, would you be willing to help me keep this secret?"
"Until I find that genius researcher who created this serum and have her restore me to normal, would you be willing to lend me your identity and let me share the name 'Lu Wensheng' with you?"
"In exchange, I will guarantee your safety during this time and resolve every crisis and trouble that might come your way."
Lu Wensheng reached out and shook her hand. "I am willing."
Lu Qingtang: "...?!"
She had just agreed that easily?
No shock, no curiosity, no questions, no consideration of the consequences?!
Seeing Lu Qingtang’s bewildered expression, Lu Wensheng asked a question even more bewildered than her own: "But you are my elder—I can’t just stand by and watch my elder get into trouble..."
Lu Qingtang: "..."
Watching her look of utter defeat, Lu Wensheng chuckled softly. "Qingtang, you don't need to say so much, and I don't intend to overthink it."
"I only know that I don't want to see anything happen to you."
"It's not just me—as long as you don't keep running into people like Lu Erya, there are many, many people in this country who would be willing to help you."