Su Lili is an illusion, isn't she?
Cheng Jinyang couldn't answer that question.
But he can say for sure, even if Su Lili is an illusion in his mind...
...he couldn't bring himself to use her for his own gain.
There's a saying, "A man remains a boy until death," which might sound a bit extreme, but it's not entirely without merit.
Before entering society, boys often exhibit a childish and naive mindset, filled with unrealistic fantasies about the world.
However, once they enter society, they are often harshly confronted by the cold realities of life, leading to a sudden shift towards another extreme, becoming excessively pragmatic, utilitarian, and even callous.
Refuting the former, saying "A man remains a boy until death" is overly foolish and idealistic; denying the latter is a refusal to acknowledge reality.
Revealing a tough exterior to the world while keeping a tender heart for cherished ones is the more moderate and fitting path chosen by Cheng Jinyang, reflecting his character.
Su Lili is his softest sanctuary. Unrelated to the memories and emotions of the original owner, he positioned her based on his perception of this Su Lili in the dream realm after crossing over.
Of course, if we set aside his self-justifying mixed with personal bias, criticizing him for being 'guided by his own prejudices,' and 'the lower house ruling the upper house,' really isn't an issue.
After all, my dear Xiao Li is gentle and lovely. Even if he makes her shed a tear because of his selfishness, Cheng Jinyang can't forgive himself.
"Eat grapes, ah!" Su Lili signaled him to open his mouth.
"Ah." *Chew, chew.*
He spat out the grape seeds, and Su Lili obediently reached her hand under his mouth to catch the seeds: "Is it sweet?"
"Sweet."
"Then you should eat more..." Su Lili hesitated as she peeled grapes. "Jinyang, is it really okay for me not to go out with you guys?"
"It's fine," Cheng Jinyang reassured her. "I'm already a supernatural being now. There's no reason for civilians to be involved in battles between supernaturals and demons."
"But I..." Su Lili hesitated again, then relented. "Okay."
"Wait for me at home, I'll go out with them for a while and come back to see you later, okay?" Cheng Jinyang gently hugged her. "You wait for me at home."
"Mmm," Su Lili's face flushed.
Outside the room, Xing Yuanzhi finished bathing in the bathroom, tied her hair with a towel, and said to Wang Wanrou lying on the sofa:
"Your plan failed, so what now?"
"Who said my plan failed?" Wang Wanrou said calmly, "Su Lili can leave, but if she chooses not to, or if she's unable to leave, or if Cheng Jinyang refuses to let her go, these possibilities might have been accounted for in my calculations. Ultimately, the specific outcome isn't important; what matters is the process that led to that particular outcome and the meaning it represents."
"Um." Xing Yuanzhi took some time to digest the meaning of her words. "So, what you're saying is, Su Lili..."
"...Yes." Wang Wanrou sneered. "Contrary to what you originally speculated, she is not a figment rooted deep in Cheng Jinyang's psyche but an objective personality with independent will, one that doesn't intend for us to observe. Of course, whether she split from Cheng Jinyang's original personality or is an external spiritual entity, that's not easy to determine at this point."
Xing Yuanzhi: ???
Wait a minute, I didn't deduce all that! I just meant 'Su Lili has the ability to go out,' by the way, how did you deduce so much from it?
Wang Wanrou continued, "Once I reach the peak of the eighth grade, there's a mind steel seal algorithm that can set interfaces through hypnosis to examine the target's deep thoughts. Then, as long as I check, I can understand Su Lili's true nature."
"Using hypnosis?" Xing Yuanzhi sighed, "Previously, when Jinyang received mental therapy using the Wu family's 'perception manipulation,' nothing problematic was found..."
"You don't understand psychic abilities," Wang Wanrou interrupted, "The characteristic of perception manipulation lies in manipulation, unable to perform detailed analysis and inspection of thoughts themselves, whereas mind steel seal can. This is the foundation of the Taiyuan Wang family as an ancient third-grade prestigious family. The algorithms accumulated by our family over generations can achieve many effects that you have never heard of before."
Xing Yuanzhi isn't speaking anymore. It's precisely because of this that I worry you might tamper with Jinyang's mind under the guise of checking!
"You're worried I'll tamper with his thoughts, aren't you?" Wang Wanrou sneered. "You don't trust me?"
"It's not that I don't trust you," Xing Yuanzhi denied. "It's just that a person's thoughts... after all, they shouldn't be casually tampered with."
"You don't need to worry about this," Wang Wanrou shook her head, "I'm not trying to directly alter his thoughts."
She stood up from the sofa and casually tapped the wall, "You know what?"
"...Dreams, they are also a form of thought, hehe."
"What are you guys talking about?" Cheng Jinyang came out of the study, curious.
"We're discussing brainwashing you," Wang Wanrou said coldly.
"Wow, I'm so scared." Cheng Jinyang feigned terror.
"Less chatter," Xing Yuanzhi interrupted him impatiently. This guy doesn't even have any guard up against Su Lili. Why do I have to worry about this and that for him?"
"What did Su Lili say?"
"She said to let her stay in the safe house for now," Cheng Jinyang replied. "We'll just carry on as usual, going out to hunt demons and monsters."
Xing Yuanzhi reminded him, "You must understand that if we can't find a way to deal with the ghost-level monsters, our night shift bonus wil remain only 10 Ma."
"At this rate, you only have a 30% chance of reaching the fifth grade," she continued.
"It's okay," Cheng Jinyang said confidently. "After all, we're both not even twenty yet. We'll surely find better methods in the future."
"Perhaps." Wang Wanrou neither agreed nor disagreed, "As long as you don't regret it in the future, it's okay."
"Hmm?" Cheng Jinyang immediately felt a bit uneasy.
With Miss Wang's almost 'predicting the future' ability, he didn't have the confidence to say he would 'definitely not regret' in the future, so he humbly asked:
"Wanrou, what do you mean by 'regret'?"
"It's hard to say." Miss Wang, unexpectedly, didn't speak with her usual arrogance and certainty. She just stared at him with suspicion and said, "I just have a feeling."
"What kind of feeling?"
Wang Wanrou bluntly remarked, "I have a feeling you're not a guy who plays it safe. Even with your meager intelligence, you should know that in this world, the more you want to change something, the more you need corresponding power."
"If you just want to go with the flow and live a peaceful life, then steadily growing your strength step by step is fine; but..."
She stared intensely into Cheng Jinyang's eyes, as if probing his soul, and coldly asked:
"Are you really the kind of person who is content with mediocrity?"
Here we go again! Baseless Liu Bang theory! Xing Yuanzhi couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
This Miss Wang, clearly narcissistic and arrogant, looks down on everyone around her, yet why does she place such importance on my family's Jinyang in this aspect?
Thinking about it, she couldn't help but glance at Cheng Jinyang, trying to find any 'great and wise monarch' features on his face.
"Am I not?" Cheng Jinyang was shocked when he heard this and touched his face in confusion.
Xing Yuanzhi: ...
Forget it.
[T/N: Empress Lu was Liu Bang's Wife.]