Floating life reflects two lotuses

The laboratory was quiet and oppressive late at night, with only the low hum of the equipment echoing in the corridor. Chu Wanlian walked alone through the empty corridor, her heart beating slightly faster with the excitement and unease of exploration. She had already noticed that most of the researchers in this area were tight-lipped, and even simple greetings were tinged with wariness.

Today, she decided to take a risk and enter the iron gate that few people approach.

Chu Wanlian confirmed that no one was around and quickly approached the iron gate. The security identification device beside the gate flashed a faint red light. She took out the forged experimental card, swiped it lightly, and silently prayed, "I hope this will work."

drop--

The indicator light turned from red to green, and the iron gate slid open silently.

Behind the door was a narrow passageway, the air thick with a faint dampness, as if leading to some forgotten underground space. Chu Wanlian took a step forward, a strange sense of familiarity rising within her, as if certain scents of this place had touched her soul in a dream.

She walked slowly, her steps as light as feathers. Faint sounds reached her ears in the distance; it was several people talking in hushed tones. Chu Wanlian quickly approached the wall of the passage, held her breath, and listened quietly.

"The energy of the runes has stabilized, but there are still problems with the soul-swapping test. The fluctuations generated during the energy transfer process could potentially cause the accidentally swapped individuals to lose control."

“Keep the investigation going! The board won’t wait long; they want results, not speculation.”

"But if an out-of-control soul possesses the test subject, our experiment will be exposed—"

The words abruptly stopped, and the accompanying footsteps faded into the distance. Chu Wanlian's heart, however, pounded wildly because of those few words.

“Soul exchange…out-of-control experimental subject…” she murmured, her mind flashing back to her soul conversation with Xiao Jinlian and the mysterious patterns of those ancient runes.

Continuing forward, she reached the end of the passage, where a tightly closed metal door appeared before her, engraved with ancient symbols. These symbols were complex and intricate, strikingly similar to the runic designs she had seen in laboratory reports.

She carefully took out her phone and photographed the symbols, a sense of unease creeping into her heart.

“These symbols… seem familiar.” Chu Wanlian stared at the runes, the Luo Yuan runes that Xiao Jinlian had mentioned before coming to mind.

A blurry yet clear memory flashed through Chu Wanlian's mind. It was Silan's confession to Xiao Jinlian last night. Through a resonance of souls, she sensed those secrets buried deep in history.

“Luo Yuan…” Chu Wanlian murmured softly, standing in front of the metal door engraved with runes deep inside the laboratory, her fingers lightly touching the ancient symbols. The symbols seemed complex yet regular, intertwining with the remaining memories in her mind to form a puzzle.

“Princess, I must tell you something.” Silan stood in the candlelight, her tone hesitant. Her gaze fell on Xiao Jinlian’s face, yet it was as if she were looking through her at someone else.

"What is it?" Xiao Jinlian looked at her quietly.

“Madam, that is, your mother, is a member of Lingjian, but her true identity is far more complicated than that.” Silan took a deep breath and said slowly, “Madam has never revealed this to anyone, but she is actually… not from this era.”

Xiao Jinlian was stunned. Silan's words struck her mind like a heavy hammer.

"What do you mean?" Xiao Jinlian's voice was low as she tried to suppress the shock in her heart.

Silan continued, “The lady comes from another time and space—just like you. She once said that the power of runes is a bridge, and it was through this bridge that her soul came to the ancient times.”

Xiao Jinlian subconsciously looked at her bracelet, the only keepsake left to her by her mother. Silan seemed to see through her question and added, "This bracelet is the only thing the lady brought with her. It is related to runes and also closely related to the rules of soul exchange."

Standing in the laboratory, Chu Wanlian's palms felt slightly warm, as if the warmth of the bracelet had penetrated time and space and reached her consciousness.

"My mother's soul... actually came to ancient times through runes as well." Chu Wanlian murmured to herself, the image of Xiao Jinlian appearing in her mind. She had never imagined that such a profound destiny was hidden behind this soul exchange.

She looked at the symbols, those ancient patterns that seemed to echo the bracelet that Xiao Jinlian and Silan had mentioned last night.

“I see.” Chu Wanlian said softly, a resolute glint in her eyes. “These runes are not only records, but also guidance; they are the keys to the true secrets left behind by my mother.”

Chu Wanlian's thoughts were pulled back by the whispers in the laboratory corridor. She gripped the recorder in her hand, carefully preserving these symbols. Whatever these runes concealed, they had become her only bridge with Xiao Jinlian, and would be the key for her to uncover the truth.

As Chu Wanlian was pondering, a familiar sound of footsteps came from afar. She quickly put away her phone and looked up to see Li Chenyao standing at the end of the corridor, looking at her with a complicated expression.

"What are you doing here?" His voice was deep, with an undisguised hint of doubt in his tone.

Chu Wanlian tried to calm herself down and casually said, "I got lost and was curious about this passage, so I came in to take a look."

Li Chenyao raised an eyebrow slightly, clearly unconvinced by her explanation. He slowly approached, his gaze sweeping over the rune gate behind her, his tone becoming more serious: "Lost and managed to wander into the depths of the experimental zone's restricted area? Chu Wanlian, you certainly have a lot of curiosity."

Chu Wanlian lowered her head slightly to hide her unease: "I just want to learn more about the working environment here, which might help my research."

Li Chenyao's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then he chuckled softly, his tone softening: "You always surprise me, Chu Wanlian. However, there are some places you can't just wander into. Don't take the risk next time."

He held out his hand, gesturing for her to follow: "Let's go, I'll take you home."

Back in the main laboratory area, Chu Wanlian forced herself to remain calm, trying to quell the turmoil within her. However, her gaze kept drifting to a certain spot, as if she were still savoring the secrets of those runes.

Li Chenyao escorted her to the rest area, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed and a faint smile playing on his lips. He looked at Chu Wanlian for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Chu Wanlian, have you developed any new hobbies lately?"

Chu Wanlian was taken aback, but tried her best to remain calm: "What hobby?"

"For example, you have a particularly strong interest in those runes?" Li Chenyao raised an eyebrow, his tone teasing and mischievous. "You stare at them more intently than you stare at experimental data."

Chu Wanlian gave a dry laugh: "I just find these runes mysterious and want to know the scientific principles behind them."

Li Chenyao chuckled and slowly walked up to her, getting a little closer: "Oh? Scientific principles? But I feel... you're more like you're chasing a mysterious treasure hunt."

"Treasure hunting?" Chu Wanlian forced herself to remain calm, trying to hide her inner panic.

Li Chenyao looked down at her with feigned seriousness: "Yeah, the way you stared at those runes was practically screaming, 'I need to get into the core area to get the answers.' What, do you think I have some special treasure here?"

Chu Wanlian was speechless for a moment at his blunt teasing, and could only smile helplessly: "Are you being self-deprecating, or are you just too narcissistic?"

“Nothing like that,” Li Chenyao shrugged, his tone suddenly becoming serious. “I’m just reminding you that there is indeed ‘treasure’ in this place, but some things, if you know too early, can cause serious trouble. Especially for someone as new as you, taking too big a step can easily lead to a mishap.”

Chu Wanlian frowned slightly: "You mean, you can't rush things?"

"That's roughly the idea." Li Chenyao glanced at her, then suddenly smiled and added, "Or, I could offer some help, after all, I don't want to see you stumble because of your curiosity."

Chu Wanlian looked at him, her gaze carrying an unfathomable emotion. Li Chenyao's joke seemed to be releasing goodwill, but it also contained a hidden warning. He knew far more than he showed, and she knew even better that the secret of the runes was definitely not just the "treasure" he spoke of.

Li Chenyao patted her shoulder one last time, his tone still relaxed: "Remember, Chu Wanlian, there are some doors you can't open unless you have a key—and I happen to know whether you have a key or not. Take your time, don't rush."

After saying that, he turned and left, leaving behind a meaningful sentence that echoed in the air: "If you ever find the key, don't forget to take me to see it."