... [Remaining Lifespan: 100 days, 5 hours, 20 minutes, 13 seconds]
Qi Zhimu acted as if he didn't see the system notification that was visible only to him.
With a calm and breezy smile on his face, he placed a plate of seasonal pastries on the table.
"Senior, may I ask if Teacher's research... has come to a temporary conclusion yet?"
"It's been over a hundred years; when will you finally be willing to change your address and call me Sister Qintu? That fellow Ruan Mei actually taught such a stubborn and rigid student."
Yu Qintu glanced sideways at Qi Zhimu with a sigh of helplessness.
Trying to get this rule-abiding fellow to change his way of speaking was harder than ascending to heaven. Heaven only knows how many inflexible and dead concepts Ruan Mei had brainwashed him with.
A hint of apology flashed across Qi Zhimu's restrained face, but he did not respond.
Toward the woman before him—who appeared classically elegant and looked to be about twenty-six or twenty-seven—he always maintained impeccable etiquette.
As early as several hundred amber eras ago, Yu Qintu was already a member of the Genius Society.
She enjoyed ancient music and mixing drinks, similar to his teacher Ruan Mei, though their personalities differed greatly.
To the outside world, Yu Qintu was a quirky genius pharmacist.
To him, she had gone from being indifferent at the beginning to being... well, amiable?
It was likely because he was a master at making pastries, which happened to satisfy the picky palate of this senior genius pharmacist.
But no matter what, rules were rules.
Hierarchy cannot be disrupted, and etiquette cannot be broken.
Otherwise, Teacher would be unhappy.
It had been one hundred and fifty-seven years since the last time Teacher was unhappy.
Just as people forget most unpleasant memories from their childhood, after over a hundred years, Qi Zhimu could no longer remember exactly why Teacher had been unhappy, only vaguely recalling it had something to do with breaking a rule.
What followed was a punishment of five days without medicine plus solitary confinement.
It wasn't until a virus was about to claim his life that Teacher finally released him from the small dark room.
In Qi Zhimu's understanding, not adhering to verbal titles was also a breach of the rules.
"I guess you're about to say, 'How could a junior disrupt the hierarchy?'" Yu Qintu said with certainty after seeing his expression.
"Senior is Member #55 of the Genius Society; how could a junior disrupt the hierarchy?"
See, a perfect guess.
"You've already completed your apprenticeship, so there's no such thing as disrupting the hierarchy anymore. Even within the Genius Society, there are plenty of eccentric fellows who show no respect to their seniors at all."
Yu Qintu rolled her eyes even harder and spoke irritably.
"Besides, your teacher isn't a genius, yet I haven't seen her treat me like a respected senior. She doesn't even want to see you now, yet you still favor her so much?"
"A teacher for a day is a father for life; this junior cannot bring shame upon Teacher."
"Stubborn temper. Fine, fine. Your birthday is in another hundred days; what gift do you want?"
"A gift from a genius, no matter what it is, is an honor for this junior."
Qi Zhimu maintained a proper smile on his face as he timely brought the conversation back to the topic.
"Senior has not yet answered me. Teacher's research..."
"It's not over. That woman has locked herself away for decades. If I couldn't still detect her life signs, I'd suspect she had died inside."
"Thank you for informing me, Senior."
"Little Fellow, sit. I have some things to ask you."
Yu Qintu's eyes darted, signaling Qi Zhimu not to just stand there like a fool.
Qi Zhimu hesitated for a moment before sitting down properly opposite Yu Qintu.
"As long as it doesn't involve Teacher's privacy, I will tell you everything I know."
"Don't worry. Although it involves privacy, it's not hers—it's yours."
"Mine?"
"Tell me honestly—"
Yu Qintu narrowed her long, slender eyes, her expression gradually becoming serious.
"Does your sudden completion of apprenticeship have anything to do with you trying to dissuade Ruan Mei from conducting that forbidden research?"
"..." Qi Zhimu lowered his gaze, and after a few seconds of silence, he shook his head slightly. "I cannot fathom Teacher's thoughts."
Yu Qintu immediately had her answer.
As a genius in the field of chemistry, she naturally had dealings with the field of life sciences.
How could she not see that Ruan Mei was conducting a forbidden project to resurrect the deceased?
The deceased were none other than her own parents.
Never interfering in someone else's project was basic etiquette for members of the Genius Society.
But that didn't stop Yu Qintu from grumbling inwardly: How could someone who herself disregarded the laws of biology teach such a rule-abiding student?
It couldn't be that he was expelled and became like this just because he broke the rules and talked back to her, could it?
"If I had been the one to meet you back then, cured your illness, and taken you as a student, you certainly wouldn't be as rigid as you are now."
Qi Zhimu could only offer a smile in response.
Yu Qintu had long since grown accustomed to his temperament and didn't mind.
After elegantly finishing the delicious pastries, a hint of satisfaction appeared on her brow.
"Alright, Little Fellow, I should be going. But before I leave, I want to ask you one more question."
"Please speak, Senior."
"Do you admire... no, I should say, do you like Ruan Mei? From the perspective of the opposite sex."
"Senior, please do not tease me. I have only respect for Teacher. How could I harbor such disrespectful and absurd feelings?"
"Is that so..."
Gazing at Qi Zhimu's perfectly candid expression, Yu Qintu found no trace of a lie.
Naturally, she couldn't detect any hidden affection either.
Yet, she still felt it was utterly strange deep down.
The primary source was the building not far from this Bamboo House, which was an exact replica of her friend Ruan Mei's ancestral home.
She had been inside; the layout was identical in every detail.
She couldn't tell if it had been moved here intact or if Qi Zhimu had built it himself.
If it were the latter, what was the point of building it but not living in it, yet cleaning it regularly to keep it spotless?
In comparison, Qi Zhimu sending plum blossom brew to Ruan Mei on time every year seemed more like the normal behavior of a student respecting their teacher.
Unable to find a clue, Yu Qintu could only attribute it to the fact that both teacher and student were eccentrics.
"...See you next time, Little Fellow." With a wave of her hand, Yu Qintu took away the ten jars of plum blossom brew beside her.
"Safe travels, Senior. When the plum blossom brew is delivered, please remember to leave a message for Teacher, reminding her to maintain a regular routine and eat on time."
"You've been saying that for decades. Don't worry."
As for whether she would listen, that was Ruan Mei's business.
Qi Zhimu saw Yu Qintu onto the starship and watched her leave before turning back toward that residence.
However, Yu Qintu was still watching.
Seeing Qi Zhimu go to clean the one-to-one replica residence right on time again, she felt that between the teacher and student, the student was actually the more incomprehensible one.
Unable to figure it out either way, she shook her head helplessly and withdrew her gaze.
"Perhaps this is what they call: a genius is not a genius in every field."
Only when he sensed that the subtle presence had completely departed did Qi Zhimu finally breathe a sigh of relief.
His originally healthy and ruddy complexion instantly turned ashen. He transformed from a young man into an old one, his sideburns rapidly turning white.
After a few violent coughs, a metallic taste blocked his throat, nearly overflowing from the corners of his mouth.
He was about to die.
Admittedly, he had learned quite a bit of biological knowledge from Ruan Mei and had many ways to extend his life.
But there was no need.
As a Short-Lived Species, a lifespan of one hundred and seventy-five years was fulfilling enough.
Similar to the protagonists in various novels, Qi Zhimu also possessed his own system.
However, his system did not directly provide powerful cheat-like abilities.
The only thing the system provided was: Life.
To be born like a human, to die like a human, repeating endlessly.
Natural death was a law of intelligent life, as well as a blessing; he would not easily break it.
Setting aside his teacher Ruan Mei, the eccentric Yu Qintu was a different story.
If she learned the truth about his impending death, there was no telling what this genius, who had lived for untold years, might do to him.
Therefore, there was no need to tell them.
But before dying, there were still some things to be completed.
Ruan Mei
Yu Qintu (Imagined)