Yang Dong gave a light laugh.
David breathed a silent sigh of relief. It seemed that, for the time being, Yang Dong had no intention of taking her own life.
He estimated that by this time, Yang Dong had already learned some of the truth about Trisolaris, knew of the Dark Forest law, and perhaps even understood certain parts of Ye Wenjie's history. Under the weight of failing career prospects and family revelations, she was choosing to end it all in despair.
David pondered how to stop her suicide.
Psionics? Mental suggestion? Or perhaps just talking her through it?
In reality, simple verbal persuasion was the least likely to work. As Ye Wenjie's daughter and a hidden thread in the Trisolaran crisis, Yang Dong knew far more of the truth than she let on.
"I'm sorry about before," David said, looking sincerely into her eyes. "If that caused you any trouble..."
"No, quite the opposite."
Yang Dong's answer caught him completely off guard.
"I'm happy, even grateful, that you... loved me that much."
Yang Dong, the girl David had met back at the almshouse, gave a bitter smile and shook her head.
"To be honest, I've run into some things lately."
Her slender fingers tapped the tabletop. For the first time, David detected a sense of unease from her.
"In the field I study, some very strange things have happened."
Compared to Ding Yi, Yang Dong's response was much more subtle and reserved. She understood the dangers lurking beneath a calm life and was more cautious with her words.
"For a while, I even thought about giving up on life."
David noticed her face turn pale as she spoke, and her dark pupils were filled with sorrow.
"But your arrival reminded me that human life isn't just about scientific research and work. There are other things: love, life, family."
David fell silent at her response. He hadn't expected the butterfly effect of his arrival to be this significant.
Verbal persuasion was impossible; as the daughter of Ye Wenjie and a top-tier national researcher, Yang Dong's IQ was far higher than his own. If he could understand something, she certainly could too. To make her truly abandon the idea of suicide, David would have to reveal powers outside the system she understood.
But... under the surveillance of the Sophons, was it worth saving Yang Dong's life at the risk of the future of all humanity?
David admitted that when he chose to come to Yenching to see her, he had intentionally ignored the risks of the trip. But Yang Dong was a rare light in the first twenty years of his life. Even though she was only three years older than him, her mind was far more mature than his had been. Many people might never reach her level of depth in their entire lives.
Yang Dong's care had ensured that David stayed on a relatively normal path despite his difficult start. In the twenty years before he awakened the system, he completed his education with the help of the foundation. He could not forget the kindness of the mother and daughter.
Hearing her words, David felt relieved. He didn't have to make a choice anymore.
"In that case, then..."
David looked at Yang Dong with feigned surprise, then glanced at Ding Yi, who was whispering with Luo Ji nearby.
"Then you and Ding Yi..."
Yang Dong shook her head.
"During that time when I realized my career was hopeless, I first had the idea of giving up research and starting a family."
Her fingers brushed the rim of her cup.
"Ding Yi was a good candidate. I briefly calculated the cost of starting a family. Even if my research might never advance another inch for the rest of my life, I still can't bear to give up the only career I've ever loved."
She sighed.
"Call it naive or idealistic, but right now, humanity can only hope for a miracle to change..."
She paused and changed the subject.
"Since I've decided to start a family, I'd probably raise three children to fill the void in my heart. That means my partner must have a house with at least three bedrooms near Peking University so I can balance work and give the children a good education."
"I can cover half the cost of the property, but the other half is still a massive expense. Originally, I planned for Ding Yi to handle it—our combined income could easily support a family—but your appearance has made me a bit uncertain."
Yang Dong looked into David's eyes. Her gaze was as clear as a mountain spring of melting snow, leaving David dazed for a moment. He vaguely remembered that in the original story, Ding Yi mentioned he and Yang Dong had bought a house in Yenching within the three months before her death.
So that was it...
"Ding Yi is an excellent scholar, but he isn't a good father. He's an intellectual, and intellectuals always have a certain weakness and unrealistic pride, just like my grandfather."
Her voice dropped lower.
David knew this had touched on her grief again. The shadow of the death of her grandfather, Ye Zhetai, had never left Ye Wenjie, and Ye Wenjie had unconsciously passed that curse down to Yang Dong.
"If the chaotic times truly come in the future, can he protect his family and himself?"
Yang Dong gave another bitter smile.
The experiences of previous generations had left deep scars in her heart. Now, having seen the truths Ye Wenjie had hidden, she could already foresee the coming chaos. The career she wanted to dedicate her life to had reached a dead end. In the foreseeable future, what use were physicists?
"Yang Dong..."
David said her name.
In that moment, he understood her despair. Starting a family in this country was just drinking poison to quench a thirst; it was just involving more innocent people.
She was lost in her future—would she end up like her aunt, Ye Wenxue, betraying her kin and dying miserably? Could she watch Ye Wenjie die?
She couldn't see the future. The future was pitch black. Therefore, she had once decided to die before the darkness arrived.