Floating life reflects two lotuses

The lab's main screen flickered with a cold blue light, data scrolling rapidly across the page. Chu Wanlian's eyes were fixed on one of the encrypted test reports. Every line of numbers and annotation felt like a dagger, piercing her heart.

Soul Energy Test Report: Experiment 2465

Objective: To verify the possibility of stable soul swapping with rune energy.

Her hands trembled slightly, each word on the screen seeming to unveil the entrance to an abyss. This experiment wasn't just exploring the power of runes; it directly pointed to the secret of her soul swap.

"What's going on..." she murmured, her fingertips sliding across the keyboard, trying to access more details. Just as she was about to unlock the next layer of shackles, she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.

"What are you doing?"

Li Chenyao's voice was devoid of any emotion, yet it made Chu Wanlian's hand freeze instantly. She took a deep breath and turned to meet his gaze. He stood a few steps away, his hands in the pockets of his white coat, his expression calm and inscrutable.

"I'm organizing the data." Chu Wanlian tried to make her tone sound relaxed, but her heart was pounding so hard it was almost erratic.

Li Chenyao didn't speak immediately, but slowly took a few steps closer and glanced down at the screen. His gaze lingered on the report title for a moment, then he looked up at her, his tone indifferent: "Experiment 2465...Are you interested in this?"

"I was just browsing." Chu Wanlian turned off the screen, trying to hide her panic.

"Just browsing?" A slight smile appeared on Li Chenyao's lips, but his gaze was as sharp as a knife. "Aren't you taking it a little too seriously?"

Chu Wanlian clenched her fists on her knees, but still maintained a calm demeanor: "This data is all available to internal staff, so I have the right to view it, don't I?"

“Of course.” Li Chenyao nodded slightly, but his tone was more inquisitive. “But what you’re looking at is somewhat different from the field you’re in charge of.”

A subtle tension filled the air as their gazes met in mid-air, like a silent contest.

Li Chenyao raised his hand and turned off the screen. His fingers tapped lightly on the table, his tone calm yet tinged with a hint of approach: "Xiao Jinlian, what do you want to know? Or rather... what do you already know?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Chu Wanlian's tone remained calm, but the panic in her heart was hard to hide.

"You don't know?" Li Chenyao took a step closer, his gaze fixed on her eyes. "If it's just about organizing data, why open a test report of this level? Do you know what these experiments mean?"

Chu Wanlian met his gaze, trying to cover everything with her calmness: "I was just curious about the direction of the lab's research, I didn't expect to touch on any sensitive information. If you think I've overstepped my bounds, you can report it."

Li Chenyao stared at her for a long time, then suddenly chuckled softly, "You're always like this, seemingly flawless on the surface, yet the more people feel you're hiding something." His voice carried a hint of sarcasm, mixed with complex emotions, "Who exactly are you?"

These words made Chu Wanlian stiffen slightly. She tried to calm herself down, but she couldn't ignore the probing look in Li Chenyao's eyes.

"You doubt me?" Chu Wanlian stood up, closing the distance between herself and Li Chenyao, her tone tinged with wariness.

Li Chenyao didn't answer, but looked down at her, the smile on his lips disappearing, replaced by a faint disappointment: "It's not doubt, it's that I can't see through you. You always make people feel... that you don't belong here."

Chu Wanlian's heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but take a step back. She wasn't unaware of Li Chenyao's probing, but at this moment, his words struck at her deepest secret.

"If I don't belong here..." she asked coldly, trying to steer the conversation back to him, "then why do you care what I'm doing?"

Li Chenyao's eyes flickered, and his tone was low: "Concerned about you? Perhaps it's because you remind me of something... something I shouldn't remember."

Chu Wanlian froze. She could hear the struggle and contradiction in his tone, as if he was trying to suppress some emotion. She suddenly remembered the concern he had shown her, those ambiguous moments she had deliberately ignored.

"Li Chenyao..." she began softly, but the words caught in her throat as she struggled to continue.

Li Chenyao looked at her, as if he had made up his mind, and his tone suddenly softened: "Xiao Jinlian, no matter who you are, I just hope you don't get too deeply involved. This place... is more dangerous than you think."

The atmosphere between the two was interrupted by a rapid phone ring. Li Chenyao glanced at his phone, but didn't answer. Instead, he turned around and said, "The surveillance cameras here cover the entire area. Be careful, your every move is being recorded."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Chu Wanlian couldn't help but press.

"The lab's plan is more complex than you see. I can help you, but only if you trust me." Li Chenyao's voice was so low it was almost inaudible, but every word sounded like a test.

Chu Wanlian looked at him, her heart filled with mixed emotions. She knew he was trying to get closer to the truth, but at the same time, she also clearly sensed that his approach was not merely out of curiosity about the secret.

"Thank you for reminding me," she said softly, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

Li Chenyao said nothing more, but turned and left. His figure appeared particularly lonely in the blue light, while Chu Wanlian's heart was in turmoil.

She reopened the test report, her gaze falling on the last line of notes:

"The essence of the soul is balance. Breaking the balance comes at an unbearable price."

Chu Wanlian's fingertips traced across the screen as she murmured to herself, "Perhaps, I have already broken the balance."

At this moment, the image of Li Heng, the man she loved, appeared in her mind. But the Li Chenyao before her stirred an uncontrollable, ambiguous feeling within her.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Whether in the past or present, she could not escape this struggle between soul and destiny.

Chu Wanlian pushed open the door, and a familiar fragrance wafted towards her, carrying a hint of warmth. She looked up and saw Xiao Jinlian's mother in the living room, holding a cup of hot tea, her gaze fixed on the window. Hearing footsteps, she turned around, her face showing familiar concern.

"Lian'er, you're back," Xiao Jinlian's mother said gently, putting down her teacup. "You've seemed very tired lately, and your complexion isn't good either. Have you been working too hard?"

Chu Wanlian smiled slightly, trying to make her tone sound relaxed: "Mother, don't worry, I've just been busy lately and haven't had much rest."

Mrs. Xiao sighed, patted the seat next to her, and gestured for her to sit down: "You always report good news and never bad. You seem very troubled lately, have you encountered some difficulties?"

"No." Chu Wanlian shook her head, but couldn't help looking down at her fingers, her gaze falling on the slightly white marks on her fingertips. She really had changed and was no longer like Xiao Jinlian; this change had probably already been noticed by her mother.

"There are some things I don't know if Mother would be willing to tell me," Chu Wanlian said tentatively, looking up at her mother. "I never asked before, but lately I feel there are some things I should know."

Xiao's mother was taken aback for a moment, then gave a gentle smile: "What do you want to ask? I will answer whatever I know."

Chu Wanlian asked in a low voice, "I want to know more about Father. Mother has never mentioned him. What kind of person was he?"

Upon hearing this question, Xiao's mother's smile froze slightly. After a moment of silence, she slowly said, "Your father... was an outstanding man. He was very knowledgeable, kind to his family, and also very protective of the royal family's secrets. But one day, he received a mission, and then... he never returned."

"Missing?" Chu Wanlian frowned slightly and asked, "What was the mission? Does anyone know where he went?"

“Nobody knows.” Mother Xiao lowered her eyes, her voice tinged with weariness. “Lian’er, I don’t want you to be troubled by these things. Father’s matter has long been a mystery; perhaps this is fate.”

"Did Mother just mention anything that Father left behind?" Chu Wanlian stared intently at Xiao's mother's expression, trying to find more clues.

Xiao's mother's eyes flickered slightly, then she said in a low voice, "They're just some old things, nothing special."

"An old item?" Chu Wanlian's curiosity grew even stronger. "What is it?"

Xiao's mother sighed softly: "There was a key that you loved to play with when you were little. Later, I put it away because looking at it... made me sad."

"A key?" Runes and clues flashed through Chu Wanlian's mind. She vaguely felt that this key might be related to her father's disappearance.

"Mother, may I take a look?" she asked tentatively, her tone pleading.

Mother Xiao shook her head, her expression gentle yet firm: "Lian'er, that's just an ordinary object, really nothing special. I hope you can put these complicated things aside and live a good life."

Chu Wanlian didn't press further, simply nodding in agreement. But as she returned to her room and closed the door, her doubts grew even stronger. She searched her memory thoroughly, but couldn't find any clues about the key.

"What is she protecting?" Chu Wanlian murmured softly, talking to herself, "Is Father's disappearance really just a simple case of mission failure?"

At that moment, Xiao Jinlian's voice suddenly echoed in his mind: "Don't ask too many questions. Mother has always kept Father's affairs very secret; she must have her reasons."

"But don't you want to know the truth?" Chu Wanlian retorted, her tone now accusatory. "He might be connected to the runes, and perhaps this key is the key to unlocking the secret."

"Of course I want to." Xiao Jinlian's voice was low, but it carried a complex emotion. "But my mother hasn't mentioned it all these years, and I don't want her to get hurt again."

Chu Wanlian fell silent. She could sense Xiao Jinlian's struggle and understand the deep-seated pain that Xiao's mother endured. But at the same time, she became even more certain that the secret hidden in this family might be one of the mysteries she needed to unravel.

Night had fallen, and Chu Wanlian stood by the window, gazing at the hazy moonlight outside. Her fingers clenched slightly, a series of questions churning in her mind.

“If the key really is related to runes, then I must find it,” she said softly, a resolute look in her eyes.