Qiu Tu felt his worldview had suffered a massive shock. Everything that had happened since his transmigration seemed to have been overturned by Qin Shuman's story.
He rapidly re-deduced the truth of the whole story according to what she had just revealed.
The result—well, it was surprisingly self-consistent.
Qiu Tu was slightly dazed.
He felt this was just too surreal.
So, what on earth had happened that day? Why had he not only transmigrated, but Qin Shuman had also ended up trapped in this body?
Just then, while Qiu Tu was questioning reality, Qin Shuman spoke.
Her red lips lightly touched the rim of her glass, a mysterious yet teasing smile in her eyes as she asked, "Qiu Tu, I've told you everything about my identity. Isn't it time you opened up to me and told me about your origins?"
Resting her cheek in one hand, she looked at him with an amused glint. "Who exactly are you? And why are you trapped in your current body, just like me?"
Qiu Tu was struck silent.
Hearing the question, Qiu Tu instinctively wanted to fabricate a lie to brush it off. But catching sight of Qin Shuman's eyes, he paused.
What kind of eyes were those?
Lost, melancholy, adrift... with a flicker of yearning hidden deep within.
At that moment, Qiu Tu seemed to understand the beautiful woman before him:
A proud prodigy from the sanctuary, suddenly trapped in a cloned female body with only two years left to live, surrounded by danger.
Not knowing whether she could return to her original body, not knowing the future fate of this vessel, and not knowing whether her soul would disperse when this body died. She had to be in utter despair.
Yet right at this moment, she had discovered someone beside her who shared her exact predicament.
At that moment, in her despair, she must have felt a sudden, profound sense of relief, of having ground beneath her feet.
It was like... one lonely soul encountering another lonely soul.
That was why she relied on him so much.
Because he might be the very last ray of light in her life.
Thinking of this, Qiu Tu took a deep breath and said softly, "My situation might be even more complicated than yours.
"I really did enter this body only after its previous owner died.
"But I'm not from Xinjie; I didn't even know where Xinjie City was.
"I don't know why I ended up in this body, either.
"If I hadn't discovered his leftover memories after entering his body, I wouldn't even have been able to keep up an act."
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Qin Shuman gently swirled her glass, a radiant smile appearing on her face. "My instincts were right after all. We're the same kind."
As she spoke, she raised her glass toward Qiu Tu.
Smiling, Qiu Tu picked up his glass and clinked it against hers.
A clear *clink* rang out.
Looking into each other's eyes, the two drained their glasses in one gulp.
At that moment, both felt as if the distance between them had closed considerably.
After a few more drinks, buoyed by the alcohol, Qiu Tu brought up the topic he was most curious about: "Have you thought about returning to your original body?"
Qin Shuman gently caressed the rim of her glass, her gaze hazy, breath fragrant as an orchid. "Of course I have.
"In fact... over the past few days, I've tried every method I could think of, but all of them failed.
"Otherwise, I wouldn't be this despondent."
Qiu Tu sighed softly and asked, "Have you thought about seeking help from the Military Department, or the Security Bureau?"
Qin Shuman shook her head gently. "I know full well how many Cataclysm-users the Security Bureau has, and what their abilities are. None of them can help me." Exhaustion showed in her eyes. "As for the Military Department, they won't lift a finger for me."
Curious, Qiu Tu asked, "Why?"
Qin Shuman gave him a profound look. "Have you forgotten what my identity is right now?"
Hearing Qin Shuman's words, Qiu Tu paused, then realized he had asked a rather idiotic question.
Qin Shuman's current vessel had been Yan Chen's mistress. Was her possession of this body really just to investigate the Qin family, as Lin Zuo had suggested?
How could that be?
If the goal was to investigate the Qin family, why wouldn't they choose another angle?
The Qin family was huge—virtually any other entry point would be better than a Qin-manufactured cloned female body that spent every day at Yan Chen's side.
Therefore, the real reason Qin Shuman chose to possess Yan Chen's mistress was to investigate Yan Chen.
In other words, the Security Bureau's initial target was Yan Chen all along.
But who was Yan Chen? He was the chief executive of the Xinjie City Investigation Bureau. He was also one of the three magnates of Xinjie City, standing on equal footing with General Ye of the Military Department!
For the Security Bureau to secretly investigate such a prominent figure was fine as long as nothing went wrong. But the moment something happened, whether General Ye or the director of the Security Bureau, they would immediately disavow all connection, writing it off as 'Qin Shuman's unauthorized personal action.'
In the face of such high-stakes political fallout, no one would spark a collision between two major departments just for a mere section chief.
Nor would anyone secretly take Qin Shuman away for treatment: her vessel had been Yan Chen's mistress. Taking his mistress behind his back—had they gone mad?
That was why Qin Shuman was so despairing.
Because she had found that whether she moved forward or backward, every path was blocked...
Thinking of this, Qiu Tu also fell silent.
He pondered in silence for a moment before saying, "So, only by bringing down Yan Chen can you be accepted back by the Military Department to get treatment?"
Qin Shuman spread her hands. "It's only a sliver of hope. After all, nobody knows how to recover from a situation like ours.
"Maybe... it'll resolve itself naturally over time?
"Maybe it takes a Cataclysm-user of some specific path using their ability to restore me?
"Maybe... it requires some precious Cataclysm item?
"Or maybe I'll never recover for the rest of my life."
At that point, Qin Shuman's eyes dimmed. "Besides, even if there really is a way in this world to cure me, this body's lifespan is too short. I might not live to see that day."
Perhaps influenced by Qin Shuman's mood, Qiu Tu could not help but sigh deeply upon hearing her words.
He consoled her, "Actually, there's no point in overthinking it. We've been walking a tightrope from the start. Who knows—before this body's lifespan even runs out, Yan Chen might already have gotten rid of us."
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Qin Shuman laughed too. Slightly tipsy, she raised her glass. "Right. So I've stopped worrying—seize the day!"
"Seize the day."
Having gotten Qin Shuman drunk once more, Qiu Tu watched with a complicated gaze as the maid helped the poor woman into the bedroom, then turned and left the courtyard residence.
Perhaps because of their shared experience, Qiu Tu felt much more sympathy toward Qin Shuman.
He figured that if an opportunity presented itself, he should help this woman if he could.
After all, she was a section chief in the Security Bureau. If he could win her over, there was so much that could be accomplished...
Chapter 38