Episode 21 recap: Jiang Xiaoyuan found the truth.
Jiang Xiaoyuan discovered several papers placed the day before signing the contract, and astonishingly, they depicted an identical life to hers. She couldn't accept this reality and stomped on the papers with her feet in frustration, causing dizziness due to her heightened emotions. Qi Lian noticed something was wrong and quickly carried Jiang Xiaoyuan to lean against the flower bed, embracing her tightly to provide comfort and assuring her that he would always be by her side.
After returning home, Jiang Xiaoyuan's emotions calmed down considerably. She hoped that Qi Lian would accompany her to visit the laboratory. Only by seeing the lighthouse system with her own eyes would she believe that everything was real. Qi Lian was concerned that Jiang Xiaoyuan might be overwhelmed and suggested that she rest for a couple of days first. He mentioned that Huo Baiyu's suicide was due to an emotional breakdown.
Jiang Xiaoyuan's grandmother specially cooked two bowls of noodles and brought them over to Jiang Xiaoyuan and Qi Lian. Seeing that it was already late, she insisted that Qi Lian stay at their house for the night. Qi Lian asked Jiang Xiaoyuan if she minded him staying, but she felt that her parents' room was vacant anyway, so it was fine for him to stay.
In fact, Qi Lian really liked Jiang Xiaoyuan's home, which reminded her of Qi Lian growing up without any family by his side. Qi Lian received a photo from his professor and recognized that Noah, the person in charge of the Guangming Laboratory, was Xu Jingyang. That night, Qi Lian and Jiang Xiaoyuan embarked on a nighttime exploration of the Guangming Laboratory. By then, the laboratory had become overgrown with weeds. Qi Lian and Jiang Xiaoyuan entered the laboratory through an unlocked door and discovered a series of clay tunnels and stairs extending deep underground. Jiang Xiaoyuan felt a sense of unease in this place and couldn't help but feel afraid, but having Qi Lian by her side provided her with some courage.
While descending the stairs, Jiang Xiaoyuan accidentally twisted her foot. Qi Lian initially planned to take Jiang Xiaoyuan back, but she insisted that they had come all the way to the Guangming Laboratory and couldn't return empty-handed. Qi Lian helped Jiang Xiaoyuan sit down and quickly used a flashlight to investigate.
The hallway lights flickered on and off, causing Jiang Xiaoyuan to become extremely frightened. She immediately got up and walked forward, unexpectedly stumbling upon a familiar laboratory. As she entered, memories flooded back to her when she was a subject lying in the experimental chamber of the lighthouse system, experiencing the rewriting of her memories over and over again. Once, as soon as she crawled out of the chamber, she fainted. She accidentally overheard a slip of the tongue from a doctor, revealing that her memories were being implanted. Doubts arose in her mind, so she intentionally eavesdropped on related information and even approached Huo Baiyu to test him. However, Huo Baiyu continuously assured her that the lighthouse system was a game module he had developed over five years and was completely safe and reliable. Seeing that Huo Baiyu seemed unaware as well, she secretly hid a notebook outside the ventilation duct and recorded her experimental progress every day. If one day her virtual memories were to overwrite her real memories, she hoped that the diary she wrote could help her find the truth.
Jiang Xiaoyuan felt that her moments of clarity were becoming shorter and shorter. She didn't want to become insane, nor did she want to die there. She seized an opportunity and escaped from the laboratory. Jiang Xiaoyuan, in a panicked state, ran through the woods and arrived at a barren land. Just as she stopped to catch her breath and drink some water, she suddenly felt dizzy. When she fell, her forehead hit a stone on the ground, causing an injury. From that point on, she always believed that she was Jiang Xiaoyuan, the heiress of the Jiang Corporation. The contrasting happiness from her actual life made it impossible for her to remain clear-headed. It was only today, after reading the notebook, that she realized everything she had firmly believed to be true in the past was actually false. Jiang Xiaoyuan couldn't handle this blow and fainted.
Qi Lian returned to where Jiang Xiaoyuan had been sitting and noticed she was missing. He quickly searched for her, and when he found her, she had already fainted. Qi Lian hurriedly carried Jiang Xiaoyuan back. As he walked out of the Guangming Laboratory's gate, there were a pair of eyes in the darkness witnessing everything.
When Jiang Xiaoyuan woke up, she was already aware of her situation. She knew she couldn't return to her identity as the Jiang Corporation heiress, and she could potentially go insane at any moment. Overwhelmed with sadness, she cried in Qi Lian's embrace. Qi Lian already knew everything that had happened to Jiang Xiaoyuan and held her tightly, promising to support her in every way. Qi Lian called the professor to inquire if there were any medical interventions for cases like Jiang Xiaoyuan's. At that moment, they heard the sound of a cup breaking in the room. Qi Lian rushed in to investigate, only to find Jiang Xiaoyuan appearing guilty for accidentally breaking the cup while trying to drink water. Qi Lian approached to assist Jiang Xiaoyuan, hoping to help her regain her lost memories. However, Jiang Xiaoyuan couldn't bear to part with those beautiful memories and wished to preserve them.
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