Ning Hangyi: A game that must be fouled

Chapter 13 Dinon's Secret

*Note ①: The historical figures and events involved in this story were all written by the author after checking a large amount of historical materials. They are not fictional, but have been properly adapted and artistically processed.

*Note ②: This story is a special one among the 14 stories - you may need to read it twice.

一
The dean sat behind the large desk, looked at the thin resume in his hand, and nodded silently.The radiance of the autumn sun slanted in from the window, illuminating the whole room, but not his face.This made Wu Leting, who was sitting across from her, even more uneasy.

The air quality is very good, you can even smell the fragrance of earth and dewdrops - of course, this is located on a hill with abundant vegetation - and there was another light rain last night.Today's weather is also very good, the autumn sun is warm and soft, not as hot as summer.If I were here for an outing, how pleasant it would be... It's a pity that I'm currently applying for a job—and, Wu Leting has a faint feeling—the chances of me getting the job are not high.

The dean put the finished resume on the table and stared at the young girl opposite. "Miss Wu Leting?"

"Yes, Dean Ge." Wu Leting sat up straighter.

"You just graduated from medical school?"

"Yes."

"You have been an intern in two hospitals in the city for nearly a year."

"Yes."

"But there is no formal work experience."

"...Yes, this is my first time applying for a job."

Dean Ge is a middle-aged man in his 40s, with a distinct face pattern, and he does not easily show changes in expression.But now he laughed. "It's really interesting, you actually chose a hospital like ours when you applied for a job for the first time."

Wu Leting pursed her lips. "To be honest, Dean Ge, I don't have much choice. Now many hospitals...are overcrowded."

Dean Ge nodded and said, "Very well, you are a frank girl. This is one of the qualities I value most."

Wu Leting saw hope.

Dean Ge propped his elbows on the table and raised his fingertips together. "Now tell me, how much do you know about hospice?"

"Hospice care mainly accepts patients who are terminally ill, who cannot be cured even with all-out treatment, and who will soon die. The hospital's duty is to relieve their physical and mental pain and enable them to overcome the fear of death. We want to What we do is to give these patients the utmost warmth and care before they die, so that they can go through the last journey of life with dignity and even joy."

"That's very good." Dean Ge smiled and said, "You checked it on the Internet?"

Wu Leting blushed. "……yes."

"There's nothing to be ashamed of. Hospitals of our type are difficult for ordinary people to get in touch with. You can learn about them in such detail online, which shows that you are very attentive."

Wu Leting felt that the dean was quite considerate and not as strict as he appeared on the surface.

"Okay, now I want to let you know about our 'Benevolence Hospice Hospital'. The hospital was established in 1998. In order to allow patients to enjoy the peace and comfort before dying, the hospital was built on a mountain away from the hustle and bustle. The air is fresh , the environment is beautiful. The only inconvenience is that you have to walk a section of mountain road to and from get off work every day, but if you can take this as a kind of exercise, it is also a good thing.”

Wu Leting straightened up: "Dean Ge, so you agree with me coming to work here?"

"Why not? We wish for a young and beautiful girl like you who is willing to devote himself to this career." Dean Ge said with a smile.

Wu Leting did not expect that her first job application would go so smoothly, and she was very happy.With a flush on her face, she said, "Thank you Dean for giving me the opportunity to work."

Dean Ge nodded lightly: "Then, you can go to work from today. The next thing is the key point - about your work content."

Wu Leting nodded seriously, with a focused expression.

Dean Ge stared at her. "I want you to be responsible for taking care of a special old man in this hospital."

Wu Leting opened her mouth slightly, looking a little surprised. "Dean, what do you mean... I'm only in charge of taking care of one person?"

"Yes, your job is to take care of him alone." Dean Ge emphasized again. "You don't need to worry about other patients."

Wu Leting showed a puzzled expression: "I learned before that there are currently more than 100 dying patients in the Ren'ai Hospice Hospital—could it be that each patient has a dedicated person to take care of them?"

"Of course not, we can't afford to hire so many medical staff. In fact, the number of dying patients here has increased recently, and there are nearly 200 people. There are now 36 medical staff in the hospital, and they are responsible for almost all of them. Patient—only you."

"why?"

"As I said just now, you are looking after a special patient."

"Where is the special?"

The dean was silent for a moment, then said: "The other patients here are just suffering from certain incurable diseases. But what is special about this old man is that he is not only terminally ill, but also mentally ill."

Wu Leting swallowed. "Is he...difficult to deal with?"

"No, no..." the dean waved his hand, "It's not what you think. Or, even if it is, it doesn't matter. Because——we want to prevent him from acting too aggressively and hurting others or himself, His hands are secured with leather rings. And his legs are somewhat paralyzed, so now he's stuck in bed—so don't worry."

Wu Leting frowned slightly.

"It can't be helped, and we don't want to do it. But if he doesn't fix his hands, it will be bad if he gets sick and attacks people around him-but you really don't have to be afraid. In most cases , he is very gentle, he just likes to talk nonsense. You will know that he is really crazy after hearing what he said. But you can ignore him, or just follow him to make him happy. It’s okay to add a sentence or two to the meaning of it—whatever you want.” The dean shrugged his shoulders.

"Since he has serious mental illness, why not arrange him in a mental hospital, but here?" Wu Leting asked.

"Compared with his terminal illness, mental illness is nothing." The dean said, "A person's life is less than half a year, and the significance of treating mental illness is not great."

"What disease does he have?"

"leukemia."

Wu Leting sighed, "Poor man."

"Yes, poor old man. That's why I ask you to take care of him specially, and hope that he will receive the best care before he dies."

Wu Leting asked: "Dean, do you think I am qualified for this job? What will I do specifically?"

"As long as you have enough patience and love, you are fully capable. In fact, you will soon find that your job is the easiest in the whole hospital. What you have to do every day is to be with this old man and listen to his words." …All kinds of nonsense. Feed him at mealtimes, and when he needs to pee, you put the potty under him. Then, turn him over every day and wipe his body—that’s it.”

Wu Leting nodded and said, "I understand."

"very good."

"So, about the treatment..."

"You saw our recruitment information online, right?"

"Yes."

"Then, the wages and benefits should be written on it."

"Yes, but the recruitment information only says that the salary is 4000-8000 yuan. I don't know how much I can get."

"The average salary of our employees here is about 4000 yuan."

"I understand." Wu Leting nodded.She didn't expect to get 8000 yuan. 4000 yuan is enough for her to live in this city.

"No, I'm afraid you didn't understand." The dean said, "Listen to me. The salary of our general employees here is 4000 yuan, but you can get 8000 yuan."

Wu Leting was taken aback - this was something she hadn't expected at all.She couldn't help asking, "Why?"

"Because your work is very important."

Wu Leting said puzzledly: "Take care of this old man...why is it so important? Who the hell is he?"

"Just an ordinary old man." The dean paused. "But he's very important to our ... hospital."

Wu Leting looked at Dean Ge in puzzlement.

Dean Ge opened the desk drawer, took out a contract, and handed it to Wu Leting. "Look, if we decide to work here, we have to sign a contract. This clearly states some specific issues."

Wu Leting carefully read the contract.Soon she realized that this contract could not be a general contract that all employees would sign, but a special contract for her alone.

When Wu Leting saw one of them, she was very surprised, and she read it out: "...Party B (representing Wu Leting) must strictly keep the secret, and must not let anyone else know that the old man with Dinong (the name of the dying patient) everything about it."

Wu Leting looked up at the dean. "Dean Ge, what does this mean? Taking care of this old man... still need to keep it secret?"

"Yes."

"why?"

"If you went on to read Article [-], you wouldn't ask me this question," said the dean.

Wu Leting read it quickly, and the seventh article reads - Party B is not allowed to ask any questions related to the old man Di Nong.

Wu Leting was at a loss for words for a moment, and the question stuck in her throat.

"Actually, this is the stipulation in the contract, and it's not really so rigid. I can still tell you some basic information about this old man. For example-his wife has passed away and left no heirs. Also, He is indeed very crazy-I believe you will feel it soon. I hope you will not explore and ask other questions. "

Wu Leting is a very curious person, but due to the stipulations of the contract, she can only keep silent.

The dean saw the mind of the girl sitting opposite, and said: "Miss Wu Leting, you are a smart person. I believe you understand this point - to get a high double salary, of course you have to pay such a small price. But It’s an extremely small price to pay—you just need to restrain your curiosity and abide by the terms of the contract. There’s no better deal in the world.”

Wu Leting thought carefully for a while, and asked, "Other staff in the hospital, do they know anything about this old man named Di Nong?"

"The old man Di Nong has been taken care of alone, and most of the staff have almost no contact with him. Only Dr. Ling Di will come to check up the old man on a regular basis - oh, and 'Mrs. Mai' who comes to deliver meals to him every day —that's what we like to call her. She's our cook here."

"Before me, who was taking care of him?"

"A girl about your age. She did a great job, but then she quit and went out of town because of her boyfriend. So I had to rehire someone."

"Oh, that's it."

"You read the contract about working hours. Due to the special nature of this job, you have no holidays and have to go to work every day from nine in the morning to six in the afternoon. Can you accept this?"

"Yes." Wu Leting thought for a while. "Who will take care of him at night?"

"The old man goes to bed early, so he doesn't need to be taken care of. If he needs to relieve himself or something else, he will press the call bell next to the hospital bed, and the night shift staff will come to help him."

Wu Leting nodded to show she understood.She continued to read the contract and noticed that the last item was: if Party B breaches the contract, Party B shall pay 10 times the wages to Party A as compensation.

"Ah, 10 times the salary..." Wu Leting was a little taken aback.

"Don't be afraid," said the dean with a smile. "You know, all contracts have some restrictions on breach of contract. You just don't break the contract. It's not difficult at all, is it?"

Perhaps.I should be able to do it without breaching the contract at all.Wu Leting thought to herself, and nodded.

"Are there any questions? If not, just sign the contract. We can sign for half a year, there is no trial period." The dean handed the pen to Wu Leting.

Wu Leting thought about it for a while before signing the contract.

"Okay." The dean put away the contract. "Miss Wu Leting, you are now a full-time employee of ours, and you are welcome to join. Before starting work, I want to remind you of some precautions that are not written in the contract. There are two points that I hope you can pay special attention to."

Wu Leting listened carefully.

The dean said: "The first is, regardless of whether the old man makes such a request-you must not let him leave the room during your work."

"That is, I can't use the wheelchair to push him out for a walk."

"Yes, you can't let him leave the room no matter what form it takes." The dean emphasized again. "He is a special patient, and we can only treat him specially. If he goes out and happens to be ill, he may do something that we didn't expect-this must not happen."

"I see. What about the second point?"

Dean Ge leaned forward and stared at Wu Leting: "The second point is, if this old man dies suddenly one day, or you have a premonition that he is going to die, you must tell me as soon as possible."

Wu Leting opened her mouth in a daze for a long while, and said, "That's for sure. If he passes away, of course I will notify the hospital immediately."

"I represent the hospital. Remember, I am your direct and only person in charge. If this happens, you must inform me immediately, and there must be no delay."

This is really strange, why should I emphasize this point--the questions are all on the tongue, Wu Leting thought of the seventh point, so she just kept her mouth shut.

"Oh, yes, there is one more thing." The dean remembered something again. "Actually, I mentioned it before—during your time with this old man, you may hear him say some inexplicable things, all of which are extremely absurd and crazy. You have to remember that he passed through After being identified by a psychiatrist, he is determined to be a patient with a mental disorder. So no matter what he says, you must never believe it."

Wu Leting nodded: "Okay, I see."

"It is these points that need special attention." The dean exhaled and stood up from the seat, "Okay, now I will take you to the ward of the old man Dinon."

two

Walking out of the dean's office, Dean Ge said to Wu Leting: "Our other patients all live on the first three floors of this building. The fourth floor—the floor we are on now—is the dean and doctors. office. The fifth floor is used to store equipment and sundries, and there are some vacant rooms. This old man lives in one of the rooms."

"That is to say, he is the only patient living in the entire fifth floor?"

"Yes, he likes a quiet life—his illness does require staying away from noise."

When they spoke, they had already walked up to the fifth floor.Wu Leting felt a little nervous when she thought that she was about to face this mysterious and special old man.

The dean stopped at the door of a room in the middle of this floor.There was a piece of glass above the door, and the dean glanced inside, then knocked on the door.

After waiting for a while, there was no response from inside.The dean shrugged his shoulders and pushed the door open.Wu Leting followed him in.

It was a bright, airy room, neat and tidy.There is a wall-mounted TV, as well as chairs and a coffee table.There are two hospital beds in the house, one of which is empty, and the old man sitting on the other bed looks about 60 years old, wearing a pajama-like hospital gown, thin and thin, with gray and thinning hair, and his mental condition seems to be still. good.Wu Leting noticed that his hands were fixed on both sides of the bed by two leather rings, just as the dean said before.There is no doubt that this hospital bed has been transformed.

The old man was staring at the trees and birds outside the window before, when he saw the dean walking in with a girl, his eyes shifted to them.

"Old Di," the dean said to the old man with a smile, "This is Wu Leting, who is new to our hospital today. She has just graduated from medical university. She will take care of you from now on."

Wu Leting tried her best to act relaxed and natural. "Hello, old Di."

Dinon looked at the girl standing in front of him, his gaze was deep and penetrating, as if he could penetrate the surface and penetrate into the essence.He stared at Wu Leting for a long time, then nodded slightly: "Hello."

Wu Leting secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She felt that this old man named Di Nong—at least at present—was relatively normal, not as neurotic or unapproachable as she had imagined before.

"Let's talk for a while. I have something to do, so I'm going out first—by the way, Wu Leting, at twelve o'clock at noon, Mrs. Mai will bring over lunch. I asked her to bring an extra copy, and you will be here for lunch later eat."

"Okay, Dean Ge, thank you."

The dean left the room and closed the door.

Wu Leting smiled at the old man, and walked slowly to the balcony.She took a breath of fresh air, turned around and said, "The air here is really good, don't you think so, Old Man Di?"

"Yes." The old man replied.

"Did you enjoy your stay?"

The old man was silent for a moment. "Okay."

Wu Leting thought for a while. "The food here should be good, right?"

"You'll find out soon," said the old man, "I hope you like Mrs. Mai's cooking."

They chatted about some ordinary topics again, until Wu Leting couldn't find anything to say.During these conversations, she found that the old man named Dinon had normal thinking and logic, and he could not be seen as a mental patient at all.

At this time, the old man laughed: "Sit down, girl. You don't have to be so stiff, you have to try to find something to say to me-I mean, if you want to talk, we can talk for a while; but if If you don't want to talk, just do your own thing. In short, you are completely free to do whatever you want—but, you'd better not leave this room easily."

Wu Leting sat down as promised. "Do you want me to be with you all the time?"

"Not quite. I'm thinking of you."

"For my sake?"

"Yes. If you haven't been guarding me all the time, the dean will blame you if he finds out."

Wu Leting was silent for a moment. "It seems that Dean Ge really cares about you."

Di Nong raised his head and said with a meaningful smile: "Heh... yes, he really cares about me."

Wu Leting couldn't read his mind, and didn't know what to say.

Di Nong said to Wu Leting: "If you want to watch TV, just turn it on and watch it. The remote control is in the drawer of the cabinet next to me."

Wu Leting said, "Is this okay? The principal said you like quietness."

"It's okay, as long as you don't turn up the volume too loudly."

Wu Leting smiled. "Thanks, I don't watch TV right now."

"Then what are you going to do? Just sit like this all day?"

Wu Leting lowered her head in thought, she hadn't considered this question yet.

"Let me give you some advice," said the old man, "otherwise you will not be able to bear this tedious and dull job. Tell me, what is your hobby?"

"Well... read a book, and travel."

"Traveling is obviously impossible. Reading is a good choice. A good book will bring you wisdom and enlightenment, and illuminate your life."

"Do you like reading too, Mr. Di?"

The old man nodded.

"Then do you want to watch it now..." Wu Leting said halfway, when she suddenly caught sight of the old man's immobilized hands, she quickly kept her mouth shut.

There was an awkward silence in the room.

The old man broke the silence: "It doesn't matter if you don't read books now-I have been dealing with books all my life-this is my job."

"You work in a library?"

The old man laughed: "No, I am a teacher."

"Oh, what do you teach?"

"the University."

Wu Leting was suddenly in awe of Di Nong. "Ah, so you are a university professor. What subject do you teach?"

"History."

"Really?" Wu Leting said excitedly, "I'm very interested in history."

"Then we have a common topic." The old man smiled. "If you'd like to discuss it with me."

"Of course I would. Mr. Di, maybe you don't believe such a coincidence. Although I was studying in a medical university, my elective course happened to be history—and literature."

"There are not many young girls who like history. Like the girls who took care of me before, almost all of them are not interested in history. Most of them like modern and fashionable things. Maybe you don't believe it, you are the only one among so many girls One who likes history."

Wu Leting opened her mouth and was stunned for a long while. "You say—the 'those' girls who took care of you?"

"Yeah, you should know that you are not the first to take care of me, right?"

"Ah, yes, I know. But... how many girls have had this job before me?"

The old man thought for a while. "I can't remember exactly. But conservatively, there are always more than 100."

Wu Leting wondered if she heard it wrong. "You said...how many?"

"Not less than a hundred, you heard me right."

Wu Leting was dumbfounded for a long time, then shook her head and said, "It's impossible, even if you change someone every day..."

"No exaggeration, some of these girls worked for three months - that's a long time. But most of them can only endure this dull job for a week or two. I think one girl worked for four months , she is the one who has stayed here the longest."

Wu Leting stared into the old man's eyes and said, "Old Man Di, you know, this is impossible. According to you..."

"Yes, roughly speaking, I've lived here for 13 years."

three

Wu Leting opened her mouth wide and was stunned for at least half a minute, then she smiled dryly: "Old Man Di, you are joking, right?"

"It's a good bit of dark humor if it's a joke," Dinon said, "but unfortunately, I'm not kidding."

Wu Leting's expression became serious, and at this moment she saw that Dinon's expression also became serious.

"Mr. Di, this is a hospice," she reminded.Though she didn't think she should remind a dying patient that way.

"I know." Dinon said flatly.

"The patients living here are all..." Wu Leting couldn't find the right words to express her meaning.

"They are all people who will not live long." Di Nong said it for her.

The corner of Wu Leting's mouth twitched unnaturally. "Then you say that you have lived here for more than ten years, which is obviously impossible. You know..."

"Your name is Wu Leting?" The old man interrupted her suddenly.

"Ah... yes."

"Okay, Wu Leting." The old man stared into her eyes and said in a low voice, "Remember, there are many strange things in this world, and nothing is absolutely impossible."

Wu Leting looked at him for a moment, and suddenly remembered what the dean had said to her.

The old man is mentally ill.He often speaks some crazy words.

It may be that the previous conversations with Di Nong were so normal that Wu Leting almost forgot about it.Now she understands.

I can't be serious with him anymore.She said, "You are right, Old Man Di."

Dinon stared at her for a while, but said nothing.

Wu Leting walked to the balcony and took a few deep breaths of fresh air.At this time, a burst of brisk music came out of her trouser bag, it was the ringtone of her mobile phone.Wu Leting took out her mobile phone and glanced at the caller ID - it was from grandma.Oh, by the way, she knew I was going to apply for a job today - she must have called to ask about the results.

"Hi, grandma." Wu Leting answered the phone, keeping her voice as low as possible.

"Good granddaughter, how are you? Did you succeed in your first application?" The gentle voice of the old woman came from the phone.

"What do you think?"

"If you ask me to guess, I must have applied for the job, right?"

"En." Wu Leting nodded happily.

"That's great, congratulations, Le Ting!" Grandma said happily, and then asked, "How about the salary?"

Wu Leting glanced back at Di Nong, put her hand in front of her mouth and whispered: "It's good, it's much higher than I expected—Grandma, I'm already at work now, so it's not convenient to talk. When I'm free, come back Go home and talk to you and grandpa slowly."

"Okay, okay. Your grandpa is looking forward to your coming home." When grandma said this, her voice suddenly choked up. "If your mother is still alive, she must be very happy..."

Wu Leting's heart sank. "Grandma, don't talk about these unhappy things, okay?"

"Hey...Okay, let's not talk, you go to work. Call home when you have time."

"I will, Granny, bye."

After Wu Leting hung up the phone, she stood on the balcony in a daze for a while, with a serious expression on her face.She breathed a sigh of relief and quickly adjusted her mood. At the same time, she looked at the time displayed on her mobile phone. It was almost noon.

At twelve o'clock, there was a knock at the door.Wu Leting said, "Please come in."

A fat middle-aged woman opened the door and came in, holding a large tray with two steaming fast food on it.Wu Leting walked over quickly, caught the tray in her hand, put it on the coffee table, and said with a smile, "I guess you are Mrs. Mai?"

"Ah, you knew my nickname from the first day you came here?" Mrs. Mai said with some surprise. "You are such a lovely girl."

"Thank you, my name is Wu Leting."

"It's a beautiful name." Mrs. Mai's kind face was full of smiles. "Actually, my surname is not Mai, but I usually like to cook wheat porridge, so everyone calls me 'Mrs. Mai'."

"I really want to try your wheat porridge."

"It's too easy. Let's try today's meal first, I hope it suits your taste."

"It smells delicious."

"That's really nice," said Mrs. Mac. "Just put the plate away when you're done eating, and I'll collect it when I bring it over."

"Ok."

Mrs. Mai glanced at Dinon who was sitting on the bed.She lowered her voice and said, "He's going to trouble you for feeding. You have to be patient and follow him." Mrs. Mai pointed to her head. "You know, he's kind of..."

"I understand, thank you, Mrs. Mai."

"Okay, let's eat, I'm going out." Mrs. Mai left with a smile.

Wu Leting picked up a plate of fast food.This is a typical fast food plate, with several compartments for meat and vegetables, and the largest compartment in the middle for rice.Today's dishes are roast beef with bamboo shoots, fried lettuce and mapo tofu, which look quite attractive.Wu Leting was already hungry, but she still brought the plate to the old man and said, "Old Man Di, let me feed you."

"Eat first. I eat slowly, and it will delay you for a long time." The old man said.

"It's okay, I'm not hungry now." Wu Leting lied.

The old man no longer shirked.Wu Leting scooped up some rice with a spoon, added some vegetables on top, and stretched it out to the old man's mouth. Dinon opened his mouth, ate into his mouth, and chewed slowly.

He did eat slowly, seemingly savoring every bite.After feeding this meal, it was almost one o'clock at noon.Wu Leting was already hungry, but she kept holding back and didn't show it.

After the old man finished eating, Wu Leting wiped his mouth with a tissue before sitting aside and eating by himself.The food has been cold for a long time, and it might have been delicious, but now it tastes nothing, and it can only fill the stomach.

During Wu Leting's meal, she didn't frown because the taste of the food was discounted.Dinon watched her all the time.

After dinner, Dinon lay down to take a nap.Wu Leting was also a little sleepy. Seeing the bed next to her, she really wanted to sleep on it herself, but she held back.She took out her phone to play games.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Di Nong woke up and told Wu Leting that he was going to relieve himself.Wu Leting took out the bedpan from the bathroom, and she gently lifted the quilt, only to find that the old man's lower body was naked - obviously for the convenience of relief.Wu Leting's face blushed a little, she reminded herself in her heart that she was a medical worker, and there was nothing embarrassing about it.She shoved the bedpan under the old man.Then take it to the bathroom for cleaning.

After a while, Wu Leting fetched a basin of hot water from the bathroom and said to the old man, "Old Man Di, let me wash your face for you."

Dinon nodded.

After Wu Leting washed the old man's face with a hot towel, she asked, "Do you want to wipe your body?"

"Just wipe my chest and back for me," Dinon said.

"Okay." Wu Leting helped the old man unbutton the patient's gown. After opening the clothes, she suddenly saw an ornament hanging on the old man's chest, and couldn't help but shouted, "Ah, the heart of the ocean!"

Dinon was taken aback. "What did you say?"

"Ah... sorry, I was talking about this pendant you're wearing. It's my favorite gemstone."

Dinon glanced down at the beautiful stone on his chest that was glowing blue, and smiled unconsciously, "What do you call it?"

"Heart of the Ocean. I know it from the movie Titanic."

Dinon stared at the pendant, shook his head and said, "No, it's not called the Heart of the Ocean. Its name is 'Hope Blue Diamond'."

"Yes, yes... the Blue Diamond of Hope. It is the prototype of the Heart of the Ocean. It is one of the most famous rare treasures in the world." Wu Leting showed an excited and annoyed expression. "It's a pity that when I saw it a year ago, I didn't make up my mind to buy it, and now I can't find it anymore."

Dinon raised an eyebrow and asked in a tone of great interest, "You saw it a year ago? And you decided to buy it?"

"Yeah, it was summer vacation, and my friends and I went to Dali to travel. In a small jewelry store in the ancient city, I saw this ocean that made me dream... no, I hope the blue diamond. It reminds me of the movie A beautiful and heartbreaking love story. I really want to own it. But the owner of the store asked for 160 yuan, and I think he may have asked me for the price because I like it, so he didn’t buy it.” Wu Leting said a little embarrassedly, “ You know, I was just a poor student traveling with a backpack on my own at that time, and 160 yuan was not a small amount for me. But now I regret it, because I never found such a good imitation Hope Blue Diamond again. It would be a pity to miss that opportunity.”

Di Nong laughed heartily: "So that's the case, I understand..."

"I made you laugh, Mr. Di." Wu Leting said with a blushing face, "It's probably every girl's dream to own such a beautiful and romantic gem—even if it's artificially imitated. However, I didn't expect ...you like this gem too."

"Indeed, it's really nondescript for a bad old man like me to wear a dazzling blue diamond." Dinon laughed again.

"Ah, Mr. Di, that's not what I meant." Wu Leting's face turned even redder.She stared at the dark blue stone as if in a dream. "However, your hope blue diamond is really beautiful. It is more transparent and brighter than the one I saw in Dali. Now this kind of high-quality imitation technology can easily confuse the real one. I dare say, you This pendant must not be cheap."

"Then guess what, how much is it worth?" Di Nong looked at Wu Leting with interest.

Wu Leting thought about it. "I think it costs 300 yuan to buy it anyway."

The old man laughed again, as if he hadn't been this happy for a long time.

Wu Leting realized that she might have made a joke, so she changed her words: "Well...it might cost thousands of dollars."

Dinon laughed so hard that he couldn't straighten up.Wu Leting didn't dare to guess any more.After the old man finished laughing, she asked, "Old Man Di, how much is this pendant worth?"

Di Nong took a deep breath and said, "Actually, I'm not sure. I didn't buy this thing, it was given to me by someone else."

"Oh, that's it."

Dinon stared into Wu Leting's eyes and said, "Do you want to know the story about Hope Blue Diamond?"

Wu Leting was stunned for a moment. "Actually, I seem to have seen it in some book before. This mysterious blue diamond of hope seems to be an unknown thing. It seems to have been cursed, and it will bring bad luck to the holder-of course, I mean the real thing, not the imitation."

"It seems that you know something about it." Dinon said, "That's right, this diamond is also called the 'Diamond of Misfortune'. It is said that the owners who owned it died one after another in strange ways."

"Are these legends true?" Wu Leting asked with wide eyes.

"About 1660, a huge blue diamond was discovered in the famous Krull Mine in India. A French jeweler bought it, processed it, and dedicated it to the then French King Louis XIV. The king was very He liked this diamond, and asked the royal jeweler in the court to process it again, and used it as a pendant for his ceremony. After Louis XIV died, he gave this gem to his great-grandson, Louis XV. "

"Then did they encounter misfortune?"

Dinon said with a smile: "It seems that your elective history course did not cover this part. Louis XIV lived to be 77 years old and ruled for 72 years. He is one of the longest reigning monarchs in the world and is deeply loved by the people. ;As for Louis XV, although he died of smallpox, he lived to be 64 years old, and experienced no special misfortunes other than that."

Wu Leting thought about it and said, "Then what you mean is that I hope that the blue diamond will not bring bad luck to people like in the legend."

"Don't jump to conclusions yet. Let's see what happened next." Dinon said, "The diamond was later passed into the hands of Louis XVI. This is a very famous king in French history. His queen Marie Antony was also famous—famous for her beauty and luxury. As a result, both of them were later sent to the guillotine. And this blue diamond seems to have some subtle connection with their fate."

"Oh, what connection?" Wu Leting seemed extremely interested.

"Marie Antoinete was a great beauty, and Louis XVI pampered her very much. He gave her this magnificent, noble blue diamond, which immediately became her favourite. Empress Marie wore it almost every day , I can’t put it down. At that time, this diamond was not called the Hope Blue Diamond, but the ‘Crown Blue Diamond’.”

Wu Leting listened attentively.

"Later, the French Revolution broke out. Louis XVI and Queen Mary were imprisoned. It is said that they did not carry this diamond with them at that time. It is very strange, isn't it? How could Queen Mary be willing to leave this diamond? And in 1792 In [-]—before Louis XVI and Queen Marie were executed—six thieves broke into the royal treasury with the sole purpose of stealing the diamond.”

Having said that, Dinong stopped as if he was trying to show off.Wu Leting asked eagerly: "And then? Did these thieves succeed?"

"There are rumors that they succeeded - stole the diamond and fled across the sea to London. But in fact, it is not the case."

"They didn't steal it?"

"It was stolen, but it was just some ordinary jewels. The 'Crown Blue Diamond' they never found."

Wu Leting was completely fascinated. "That's weird. The diamond wasn't in Queen Mary's possession, nor was it stolen. Where would it be?"

"It's an age-old mystery. There is no documented record of the whereabouts of the Crown Blue Diamond. People seem to prefer to believe that it was stolen by those thieves than that it disappeared."

Wu Leting thought for a while and said, "But didn't the diamond appear again later?"

"Yes, it didn't appear again until 1830. But the question is, in whose hands have the diamonds been in these 40 years? Why did they reappear later?"

"Yeah, why?"

Dinon raised an eyebrow. "As I said just now, there is no record of this in any book."

Wu Leting looked very disappointed. "So we'll never know the truth."

"No." Di Nong spit out a word lightly.

Wu Leting looked at him.

"I know," said Dinon.

Wu Leting opened her mouth: "But, you said that there is no record in any book."

"Yes. But I know." He reiterated. "And I can tell you how this diamond became the 'Diamond of Doom'."

four

Wu Leting felt that what Di Nong said was very contradictory, and she had to point out: "Old Di, you said that there is no record of this matter in any book, but you also said that you know the truth - how is this possible? How did you know about it? of?"

Dinon was silent for a while. "I told you you wouldn't believe it."

"Are you so sure?"

"Yes, I'm pretty sure. So let me tell you the story, regardless of how I know it. Then you can judge for yourself."

Wu Leting nodded.

"Where did you just say... Oh, Louis XVI and Queen Mary didn't carry this diamond, but those thieves didn't steal it in the palace, so where is this diamond?"

"Yeah, it's puzzling."

Dinon said: "It's actually not as mysterious as you think. The truth is that Queen Mary guessed her own ending before she was imprisoned-she realized that she might be sent to the guillotine. So she made a decision-she To die with this favorite gem in my life, let it be buried with me."

"Ah, you mean..."

"Yes, Queen Mary would not dare to wear this dazzling diamond into the prison, let alone go to the guillotine with it on - people hate her because of her extravagance and waste. So, she quietly put This diamond was hidden somewhere on his body, and he brought it into Poole Castle, where they were imprisoned."

"Where is she hiding?" Wu Leting asked.

"You can use your imagination."

There was a moment of silence in the room.

Dinon went on to say: "In October of the following year, the Revolutionary Court made a trial and sentenced Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette to death and sent them to the guillotine. This was actually the result they all expected. To be honest, they were not very shocked."

Wu Leting wanted to say, "How could you even know their state of mind", but she didn't interrupt Di Nong.He went on to say: "On the day of the execution, Mary was only 38 years old, and Louis XVI was only one year older than her..." Dinon paused. "Do you know the speech that Louis XVI gave before his execution?"

"I know there is such a thing, but I don't know the specific content."

"That was a deep and sincere repentance. He apologized to the country and the people, hoping to get their forgiveness before he died..." For some reason, Wu Leting felt that when Dinong said this, he unexpectedly There was a faint look of sadness.And his tone didn't sound like he was telling a story, but rather like he was caught in a certain memory. "People always think that Louis XVI is an autocratic monarch and tyrant. In fact, he is just cowardly, not interested in politics, but likes to study locks...Of course, he is indeed addicted to beauty, but in the face of Mary's stunning beauty Beauty, it's hard for any man not to be fascinated by her..."

Having said that, he suddenly stopped, as if he realized that he had strayed off topic, or he might have realized something else.He shook his head slightly, and continued: "After Louis XVI gave this speech, his head was chopped off. Next is her Queen Mary. In contrast to Louis XVI, Queen Mary said: Without saying a word, he quietly put his head on the guillotine and accepted the execution."

"Speaking of which, I think of the records in some books of later generations. When Mary was pushed to the guillotine, she stepped on the executioner's foot. At this time, Mary said, 'I'm sorry, you know, I didn't mean it.'—— This is pure fiction. In fact, Mary didn't say a word at the time. And the people below think that this woman deserved what she deserved, so of course they have nothing to say. But it is not the case."

Wu Leting asked, "Why didn't she say a word?"

Di Nong stared into Wu Leting's eyes: "Did you forget that important thing? 'Crown Blue Diamond'."

"Ah, you mean..." Wu Leting unconsciously covered her mouth.

"Yes, that diamond was in Mary's mouth!"

Wu Leting was stunned for a while.Regardless of whether the story was true or not, she was deeply shocked. "My God, it's unbelievable - how much Queen Mary loves that diamond!"

Dinon said: "Think about it, Dali's imitation Hope Blue diamond can make you fascinated, let alone the real one-this diamond has a captivating charm-especially for women."

Wu Leting lost her mind for a while, and suddenly looked at the "Blue Diamond of Hope" on the old man's chest.The light shining from the crystal clear stone is like an elf dancing in front of your eyes.She said confusedly: "I think the one you are wearing seems to have this kind of charm..."

"Miss Wu Leting, please help me button up my clothes, can you?" Di Nong said gently.Wu Leting complied.

"The story is not over yet." The old man went on to say, "Mary put the diamond in her mouth because she thought that her dead body might be abused and trampled by the people, but no one would pry open the dead man's mouth." .Actually, she guessed right. After the death of the king and his wife, the bodies were buried in a mass grave. But a strange thing happened."

"what's up?"

"The head of King Louis XVI is missing."

"The disappearance you said means..."

"It was not long after the execution that their heads should have been thrown into the mass grave together with their bodies. But it was soon discovered that the head of Louis XVI was not there! Only the body below his head was found in the mass grave. Body."

Wu Leting asked in surprise, "Where did his head go?"

Dinon said: "There was clearly a plan to hide the head in some way immediately after the king's head was beheaded."

Even though it was broad daylight, Wu Leting's back felt a chill."Why would anyone do this? What can a dead man's head be used for?" she asked.

Di Nong stared at Wu Leting, that gaze actually made her feel a little shuddering.

After a while, Dinon's expression relaxed a little.He breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Leave this question alone, and let's talk about the whereabouts of the crown blue diamond."

Wu Leting nodded. "If Queen Mary had the diamond in her mouth and no one found out, then the diamond should have been buried in that mass grave."

"That's right, that's it."

"Then how did the diamond come to light again?"

Dinon pondered for a moment. "This secret was kept underground for 22 years, and no one knew it. It wasn't until the Count of Provence—the younger brother of Louis XVI—was restored to become Louis XVIII that the diamond was found again."

"How did he find it?"

"Easy. He ordered the mass grave to be dug up. Mary's body was obviously left with only bones. He searched through the pile of bones and found that there was something hidden in the mouth of one of the skulls. It was the crown blue diamond!"

Wu Leting thought about it carefully, and felt that there was something wrong with the logic. "At that time, no one else knew this secret, right? Why did the Count of Provence (that is, Louis XVIII) know?"

"Marie hid the crown blue diamond on her body, only two people knew at the time, that is, herself and Louis XVI."

"That's right, how did Louis XVIII know about it later?" Wu Leting repeated the question again.

Dinon thought for a moment and said, "Actually, Louis XVIII ordered the excavation of the mass grave not to find the crown blue diamond, but to find the bones of Queen Mary and bury them properly."

"So he happened to find the diamond in Mary's mouth?"

Dinon replied with some hesitation: "No, he did know that the diamond was in Mary's mouth."

Wu Leting frowned: "What you said is a bit inconsistent. You said that only Louis XVI and Queen Mary knew about it at the time, but now you say that Louis XVIII also knew about it..."

This time, Dinon thought for a while, and finally said: "Sorry, I'm afraid I can't explain this question clearly—just like you asked me why I knew the truth of this matter—even if I told you, you It is impossible to believe it. But I can assure you that everything you have heard is absolutely true."

Wu Leting remembered what the dean had said to herself again, she stopped dwelling on this issue, and asked instead: "After Louis XVIII discovered this diamond, did he keep it for himself?"

Dinon shook his head and said, "Actually, he didn't want to take the diamond out of Mary's mouth. She wanted to follow her wish and make the diamond a permanent burial object for Mary. However, he changed his mind later. Because...he really I miss Mary so much. When he saw the diamond, it was like seeing Mary’s beautiful face again. In order to keep the memory, he kept the diamond with him.”

"Ah, what you mean by that is——Louis XVIII had an affair with Queen Mary?" Wu Leting said in surprise.

"No no no... that's not the case at all. You've misunderstood." Dinon looked a little embarrassed, and this strange reaction seemed to be talking about himself. "This, I can't explain clearly..."

"It's all right. Let's not talk about this-what happened to the Coronet Diamond and stayed with Louis XVIII?"

"If that was the case, it wouldn't have come to be known as the 'Diamond of Doom'," Dinon said.

"Then go ahead and tell me what happened to this diamond?"

"Louis XVIII kept the crown blue diamond with him secretly, and almost no one knew about it. After his death, this treasure was passed on to his nephew, who was later Louis XIX. But at that time the French The feudal dynasty has come to an end. After Louis XIX was forced to abdicate the throne, he took the diamond into exile in Italy - it was 1830. This is how the 'missing' crown blue diamond for 40 years was lost to the people .”

Wu Leting nodded intently.

"In 1844, Louis XIX passed away, and this diamond went to a British collector named Thomas Hope - he was a good friend of Louis XIX during his lifetime. Because the name 'Hope' (Hope) in English means 'Hope', so the diamond has since been renamed by him as 'Hope Blue Diamond'."

"That's how the name 'Hope Blue Diamond' came about." Wu Leting said, "Then, why was it later called the 'Diamond of Doom'?"

"This is because, from the beginning of the [-]th century, many people who owned this diamond—more than a dozen in total—would have died. Car accidents, drowning, suicide, assassination... All kinds of death methods have come to these' Hope for the owners of the 'Blue Diamond'. They have different nationalities, different lives, but in the end they cannot escape bad luck."

"Oh my god, it's really terrible." Wu Leting said in amazement, "Then, is it also related to the shipwreck of the Titanic?"

"No." Dinon said with a smile, "lovely girl, that's a movie. I hope that Blue Diamond never boarded the Titanic. The 'Heart of the Sea' you are obsessed with in the movie is just a fictional one made by the director. It’s just a diamond. But its original form is indeed the Hope Diamond.”

Wu Leting nodded lightly: "I understand - then, why do you hope that the blue diamond will bring bad luck to the owner? Could it be... it is really cursed?"

"That's what people generally think," Dinon said. "It's in line with popular speculation and logic."

Wu Leting heard something in Di Nong's words. "Old Di, what do you mean, it's actually not like this, there's something else hidden here?"

Di Nong was silent for a long time, and said: "Generally people always think that the holders of the Hope Blue Diamond often die in the end because the diamond brings bad luck—but they never thought about it, there is another possibility."

Wu Leting asked, "What possibility?"

The old man said in a deep voice: "These people just have certain characteristics that bring bad luck—and they happen to have the Blue Diamond of Hope on them."

"What?" Wu Leting didn't understand.

"You don't have to figure it out now. If you're smart enough, you'll figure it out later," said Dinon meaningfully.

Wu Leting pondered for a while, and said, "Where is Hope Blue Diamond now?"

"The official story is that in 1958, a jeweler named Winston donated the diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in the United States. It now sits quietly in a bulletproof glass cabinet. Since the diamond was donated , the bad luck will end.”

Wu Leting heard the mystery in Di Nong's words again: "Old Di, is it not true?"

Dinon stared into Wu Leting's eyes. "You are such a sensitive and intelligent girl."

"Is there really something hidden here?"

Dinon lowered his eyes, thought for a long time, looked up at her and said: "Well, usually the story about Hope Blue Diamond ends here. But, I haven't met a girl like you for a long time. I'm going to tell you the truth."

Wu Leting looked at the old man expectantly.

Dinon said in a deep voice: "Actually, for some reason, this jeweler named Winston—maybe just to avoid bad luck—imitated a diamond that was exactly the same as the Hope Blue Diamond, and then donated it to The Smithsonian Institution. And the real hope, the Blue Diamond, has always remained by his side."

"Ah! This is really amazing." Wu Leting whispered, "The Hope Blue Diamond in the Smithsonian is actually a fake?"

"No, no, it cannot be said to be a fake, but an imitation with exquisite workmanship. The 'Hope Blue Diamond' is also made of genuine blue diamonds, and it is also a treasure. It's just that it is not the one with the legendary The blue diamond of color, true hope!"

"So saying that with the hope that the bad luck of the blue diamond will end, it is actually because it is not genuine!"

"Yes. The real owner of the hope blue diamond is still experiencing a mysterious and unpredictable fate that ordinary people don't know."

"So, where is this real blue diamond of hope now?" Wu Leting tentatively asked in a joking tone, "Could it be the one you wear on your chest?"

Dinon smiled mysteriously. "You can use your imagination."

Wu Leting was stunned for a while, and couldn't help asking: "Are these... all true?"

The old man said: "There are many different versions about the experience of this diamond. But I can tell you-you are now one of the few people in the world who know the truth."

Wu Leting stared at Di Nong blankly, feeling that what he said seemed to possess some kind of magic power—an irresistible attraction and an undoubted charm.She wanted to ask, where did you know this?In a book, or on TV?But now she actually thinks that there is no need to verify it.

It's amazing.Although the story told by Di Nong can be said to be completely unverifiable.But all his clear and delicate expressions, as well as the natural expression of emotion, are almost like talking about his personal experience.

Moreover, it is impossible for Wu Leting to know now.It was not long before she understood all that Dinon had said today that she did not understand, and the result was horrifying and horrifying to her.

五

After five days of work in Ren'ai Hospice, Wu Leting felt that she was beginning to adapt.To adapt to the new work and rest time brought to her by this job, to adapt to the content of the work, and-to adapt to the weird old man Dinong.

Every day, at 7:[-] in the morning, she takes a car from her rental house to the outskirts where the hospital is located, and then climbs the winding mountain road for [-] minutes. Before [-]:[-], she can reach the gate of the hospital with ease.Due to the particularity of this job, Wu Leting generally does not stay in other parts of the hospital.She always went straight to the fourth floor, reported to the dean's office, and then went up the fifth floor to Dinon's ward.

Usually at this time, Dinon has already woken up.And breakfast was prepared on the coffee table—it was delivered in advance by Mrs. Mai.After Wu Leting washed and relieved the old man, she fed him breakfast.

The time after that was very idle.Wu Leting chooses various ways to pass the time - watching TV, listening to music, reading books, playing with mobile phones and so on.In fact, besides feeding the old man, taking care of him, turning him over, wiping his body, and talking with him, Wu Leting feels that this job is like a vacation.And the salary is as high as 8000 yuan—it is indeed, as the dean said before, this is a rare job.

And there is one thing I have to mention - originally, Wu Leting felt that this job might be boring after a long time, but at least so far, she didn't feel that way at all.The reason is that the old man will always talk about some interesting topics from time to time-like the legend about the Blue Diamond of Hope a few days ago-this kind of mysterious and wonderful stories emerge in endlessly.The things that Di Nong said often involved real people and events in history, but he told the inside story or secrets unknown to the world, which sounds incredible.

For example, the morning before yesterday Dinon had mentioned Sir Isaac Newton.Newton, he said, was the smartest and craziest person he knew—Wu Leting noticed that he said "among those he knew", not "among those who knew".This wording is very meaningful.On one occasion, Dinon said, Newton inserted a large eye-of-needle needle — a long needle used to sew leather — into the eye socket and rubbed it “between the eye and the bone as close as possible to the back of the eye.” Rub it away, just to see what happens.As a result, Newton saw the rainbow just above the focus of his eye, which miraculously had nothing to do with it.After that, Newton made a prism and decomposed the spectrum from white light-human understanding of light started from such a crazy move.

In addition, there is a story about the well-known "apple falling to the ground" that inspired Newton to discover gravity.Di Nong said with a smile that this matter is purely fictional.The person who made up this story was the famous French writer Voltaire. At that time, he just wanted to make Newton's discovery of gravity more romantic and dramatic. He didn't expect it to have such a big impact on readers.So much so that this fabricated little story has been widely circulated, and it is still regarded as a real thing by the world until now.In fact, there were scientists who had the concept of universal gravitation before Newton, and Newton just summarized and induced it on the basis of his predecessors—but this still doesn't change the fact that he is a genius.

Besides Newton, Dinon also mentioned Dante.He said that the production of the masterpiece "Divine Comedy" is not easy.This long poem was not created by Dante's imagination, but from the bizarre nightmares that have plagued the poet for many years—Dinong told the contents of several of these nightmares, which made Wu Leting get goosebumps in broad daylight— At the same time, he hinted that Dante is not an ordinary person, and the description of hell and heaven in "Divine Comedy" is not completely fictional...

For the "secrets" of these historical celebrities "disclosed" by Dinon.Wu Leting was dubious.Some believe it because Dinon is a professor of history; others doubt it because logically no one will know the things he said (such as the specific content of Dante's nightmare).Therefore, Wu Leting has two understandings about this. The first is that Di Nong is indeed well-educated and knows many historical truths that ordinary people do not know; the second is that these are all lies made up by him, or—as the dean said—it Crazy talk.But no matter what, she got used to it a little bit, so she didn't take it seriously, let alone argue with him, but just echoed and chatted with the old man.

This morning, after breakfast, Wu Leting had just sat down when there was a knock on the door.Wu Leting said "Come in", and a male doctor in casual clothes walked in.

The reason why he could tell that the person who came in was a doctor was because he had a stethoscope around his neck and a medical kit in his hand.This male doctor is in his 40s, wearing a pair of glasses, tall and elegant.He looked at Wu Leting and smiled: "Hi, my name is Ling Di, and I come here every Monday to give Old Di a physical examination."

"Hello, Dr. Ling. My name is Wu Leting."

"I heard that the words of the beautiful woman who just graduated from the medical university—the dean's words are not exaggerated at all."

"Thank you." Wu Leting, who is very talkative, has a good impression of this doctor.

Ling Di walked to Di Nong's bed and asked with a smile, "Old Di, how do you feel this week?"

"It doesn't make any difference. You don't have to give me a medical examination," Dinon said.

"It's better to carry out a routine inspection, this is the hospital's regulations."

"It's your dean's rule." Dinon corrected.

Ling Di glanced at Wu Leting.He silently put on the stethoscope, unbuttoned Dinon's shirt, and stuck the chest piece on the old man's chest.

Wu Leting once again saw the "Blue Diamond of Hope" hanging on the old man's chest, but Dr. Ling didn't look at it at all.He listened intently to the voice in the old man's chest.

Then, Dr. Ling measured the old man's heart rate and blood pressure, checked his mouth, and checked the old man's body for bedsores.After a series of routine checks, he said to Di Nong, "Old Di, everything is normal."

Dinon said nothing.Wu Leting frowned slightly on the side.

Doctor Ling packed up the medical equipment and stood up. "I'll come back next Monday." He smiled at Wu Leting and walked out of the room.

Wu Leting hesitated for a moment, chased after her, and closed the door.

"Doctor Ling." Wu Leting stopped him.

Ling Di turned around. "What's up?"

"Well... after you had a physical examination with Old Man Di just now, you said that he...is everything normal?"

"Yes what's the matter?"

Wu Leting lowered her voice and said, "Didn't he...have leukemia?"

Ling Di was stunned for a moment. "Oh, this—you were by the side just now, you should have noticed that what I did for him was the most routine physical examination, excluding blood tests and bone marrow tests—because his leukemia has already been diagnosed, there is no need for further examinations. So when I say 'everything is normal' I mean everything else is normal."

Wu Leting hesitated and said: "Is he really suffering from leukemia? I can't tell it at all during the few days I have been with him. His physical condition looks very good, no different from normal people."

Ling Di asked, "Which subject did you major in at the medical university?"

"ophthalmology."

Ling Di nodded and said: "No wonder you don't know much about leukemia. Di Lao got chronic myeloid leukemia. The symptoms of this disease are not obvious, and it doesn't cause severe pain like cancer. What it destroys is the normal hematopoietic function of the bone marrow. , infiltrating organs. It will cause anemia, weight loss and night sweats, and internal bleeding will only occur in severe cases—so it can’t be seen under normal circumstances.”

Wu Leting thought about it and said: "Yes...he is indeed prone to night sweats, and I have to wipe his sweat for him every time after taking a nap."

"That's one of the symptoms, and he's getting thinner and thinner."

Wu Leting asked in a low voice: "Then, how long is Di Lao's life?"

"It's hard to say. The medical records show that Mr. Di has lived with us for more than four months. If we look at the general end of life, he should have about five months to live."

"Dying period?" Wu Leting didn't understand what it meant.

"The average time from when a person is determined to be incurable to death is called the dying period. Generally speaking, the dying period is about 280 days." Dr. Ling explained to Wu Leting, "This is a delicate number. Do you know why? "

Wu Leting shook her head.

"A person's time in the womb is about 280 days-conception in October-this is the time needed for a person to be born. And after a lifetime, the last part of the journey is also 280 days-life is so wonderful."

Wu Leting nodded slightly, and at the same time muttered: "Mr. Di has lived here for four months?"

Ling Di looked at Wu Leting. "Any questions?"

"Ah, no. It's just that... he said some weird things to me."

"What did he say?"

Wu Leting stared at Ling Di. "He said he lived here for 13 years."

Ling Di was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "You know, this is impossible."

"Yes. But I always feel... a bit weird." Wu Leting paused and asked, "Doctor Ling, how long have you been in this hospice?"

"Why did you ask me?" Ling Di said with a smile.

"Sorry. Can you tell me?"

"Okay. Actually, I was transferred not long ago. About... more than three months ago."

"After you came, you received old Di's medical records."

"That's it."

"Which doctor gave you the medical records of Old Di?"

"The dean gave it to me personally."

Wu Leting opened her mouth slightly.

"Why are you asking this?" Ling Di asked.

"nothing……"

Ling Di stared at Wu Leting for a while, and said, "You are a serious and responsible girl. The last girl who took care of Mr. Di never cared about these issues."

Wu Leting forced a smile.

Ling Di said: "It's good that you can take the initiative to tell me about Di Lao's condition. You know, after all, I only come here once a week, and I can only learn about his health or mental condition from you."

This sentence reminded Wu Leting. "By the way, speaking of spirit—Doctor Ling, do you think Elder Di has mental problems?"

Ling Di shrugged his shoulders. "Based on my few contacts with him, I can't tell. Besides, I'm not a psychiatrist. But the medical records show that he has a mental illness, and he has been tested by an authoritative organization."

Wu Leting did not speak.

Ling Di asked, "Why, what do you think?"

"I can't tell. His usual behavior is quite normal, and his thinking is very clear and organized. However, what he said sometimes makes me feel..." Wu Leting circled her hands in the air, feeling a little uncomfortable know what to say.

"It makes you think that he does have mental problems, doesn't it?" Ling Di helped her out.

"probably."

Ling Di looked at Wu Leting and smiled meaningfully.

"What are you laughing at, Doctor Ling?" Wu Leting asked.

Ling Di said, "Mr. Di likes you very much."

"how do you know?"

"The last girl who took care of him, Mr. Di hardly talked to her. But you have only been here for a few days, and he is willing to chat with you. And I feel that he talks to you a lot."

Wu Leting said in a low voice: "I just hope that he can be as happy and comfortable as possible before he dies."

Ling Di nodded and said: "It's absolutely correct, this is what our duty is. It seems that you are very suitable for this job. The dean has found the right person this time——Okay, I'm going to another ward, next See you next week."

"Okay, bye."

Wu Leting gently opened the door and returned to the ward.

Di Nong sat on the bed and closed his eyes to rest, and did not ask Wu Leting what he was doing out.

Wu Leting didn't bother him, she sat on the chair, staring at her eyes and resting her chin, thoughtful.

At noon, Mrs. Mai brought delicious meals again.When she went out, Wu Leting followed her out and stopped her.

"What's the matter, dear?" asked Mrs. McGregor gently.

"Well, Mrs. Mai, I want to ask, when did you come here?"

"You mean working at this hospital?"

"Yes."

"More than two months ago. What happened?"

Wu Leting was a little surprised. "You...have only been here for more than two months? I thought you've been here for a long time. I think you know everyone very well."

"That's because I'm a self-acquaintance and an optimist—not to mention more than two months, I can get acquainted with people around me in just one day." Mrs. Mai said with a smile.

"Yeah, I can see that. Thank you, Mrs. Mac."

"It's okay, I'm leaving."

"Ok."

Looking at Mrs. Mai's back, Wu Leting felt a strange feeling in her heart.

How is this going?

Now—except for the dean—the three people who have contact with the old man Di Nong: Dr. Ling Di, Mrs. Mai, and myself—all were recruited recently.In other words, none of the people who took care of Dinon had been working here for more than four months.

This meant that none of them knew exactly how long Dinon had lived here.

Is this a coincidence?still is……

Wu Leting suddenly remembered the special contract she signed - she was required to keep everything about Di Nong a secret.Then a thought popped up—did Dr. Ling Di and Mrs. Mai sign the same contract?
Wu Leting frowned deeply.She gradually felt that there might be some ulterior secret hidden behind this incident.

六

After waking up from his afternoon nap, Dinon sat up from the bed.Wu Leting helped him wash his face and wipe his sweat as usual.Di Nong noticed an open book on the coffee table and asked, "What book are you reading?"

""General History of the World", new edition."

"Did you buy it after hearing the stories I told?"

Wu Leting admitted: "Yes, the topics you talked to me these days have once again aroused my strong interest in history, especially the history of science - I just bought this book last night."

Dinon smiled lightly. "It's a pity that this kind of book can only be used for entertainment."

Wu Leting said, "Old Man Di, I didn't buy this book at a street stall, I bought it at a big bookstore—it was published by a formal publishing house."

Di Nong smiled and said, "I know. The quality of the book is fine. But I'm afraid many of the contents are not true."

"You mean, like the story of Newton being hit by an apple and discovering gravitation, it's a fiction?"

"Not exactly." Dinon shook his head and said, "Newton's story is just an artistic processing of historical facts, and has not changed its essence - because gravitation was indeed first summed up by Newton. But some other things in the history of science are not the same. It's that simple - it's a complete distortion and fabrication of the truth, even conspiracy and deceit."

Wu Leting pursed her lips. "You haven't even read this book, so you know it's not true?"

"Believe me, the content of these books is the same."

After Wu Leting wiped Dinong's body, she went to the bathroom to pour out the water.After she came out, she said, "Old Di, do you want to read this book?"

Dinon spread his hands, reminding her that her hands were immobilized. "What do I think?"

Wu Leting brought the book in front of him and sat down beside him. "I can read it to you."

"Okay, if you want."

"This is my job." Wu Leting said with a smile, "Where do you want to start? From the first page?"

"No, just turn a page and read some fragments to me."

"Okay." Wu Leting said, "Let's just read the page I was looking at just now—"In the summer and autumn of 1859, Wittwhell Irwin, editor of a well-known British magazine "Quarterly Review", received a bibliographic A sample of a new book by the scholar Charles Darwin. Irwin read the book with great interest and found it to be of some value, but worried that its subject was too narrow to appeal to a broad readership. He asked Darwin wrote a book about pigeons...'”

"Okay, please stop." Di Nong interrupted Wu Leting's reading.

"What's the matter, old Di?" Wu Leting asked, he found that Di Nong's face looked a little uncomfortable.

"Turn over these pages, I don't want to hear this passage."

"Just now, you told me to read it casually..."

"Yes, sorry. But... I didn't expect you to be reading this part about Darwin."

"What happened to this part?"

Dinon pondered for a moment. "It brings back some unpleasant memories for me."

"Well, if you don't want to mention it..." Wu Leting was about to turn to other pages.

"I'm afraid it's too late..." The old man looked up and sighed. "From the time you mentioned the name Charles Darwin, I have had a flood of painful memories."

Wu Leting realized that he always wanted to say something.She sat quietly, waiting.

Dinon sighed again and asked, "How much do you know about Darwin?"

Wu Leting shrugged her shoulders. "Limited to textbooks - Darwin, the famous biologist, the founder of the theory of evolution."

"that's it?"

"that's it."

"It's common knowledge about Darwin and evolution, isn't it?"

"Is it not?"

Dinon was silent for a moment. "I am afraid that no one in the world today has a real understanding of Darwin."

Wu Leting glanced at the thick book in her hand. "It says that Darwin's living conditions were good since he was a child, but his academic performance was mediocre. He was interested in all kinds of small animals. He usually likes hunting, teasing dogs and catching mice. In addition, he especially likes earthworms."

"That's true—perhaps that's about as much of the truth about Darwin as there is in this book."

"What happened next?"

"What does it say in your book?"

Wu Leting quickly browsed the contents of the book. "It says that Darwin would have been a country priest—because he studied theology at Cambridge University. But at this time, a very tempting opportunity appeared in front of him, the British Navy' Beagle ' Captain Robert Fitzroy invited Darwin to go on a voyage, actually around the world..."

"Yes, Darwin's fate changed from this voyage." Dinon said.

"That's what it says in the book."

"No, it's completely different. I don't know what your book will say without reading it—"Darwin discovered and collected many very precious ancient animal fossils and discovered some new species through this voyage. These discoveries laid a solid foundation for his later theory of evolution'."

"Indeed...almost." Wu Leting stared at the book and said, then looked up at Di Nong. "You mean that's not the case?"

"When I said that this voyage changed Darwin's fate, I didn't mean that he discovered these fossils. It was because he met a person during this voyage."

"Who?"

"Let me start from the beginning. It seems that Darwin participated in this voyage as a 'naturalist', conducting scientific investigations. But when you think about it, this is really a funny thing. He studied in Cambridge. It's theology!"

"Then what is his purpose?" Wu Leting asked.

"Quite simply, he just saw the voyage as an adventure and a journey. In fact, Captain Fitzroy decided to ask him to go on the voyage, and he was just looking for a table companion. Because the two of them were about the same age--and There is also an odd reason. The captain picked Darwin because he liked the shape of Darwin's nose—he thought it was a sign of strength of character."

"Ha, that's interesting."

"Darwin boarded the 'Beagle' for these reasons. It can be said that at that time, he had no thought of studying the laws of biological evolution at all, and even had no such idea at all-until he was on board. Met the man who changed his life—Dr. Robert McCormick."

Wu Leting flipped through the thick book in her hand. "There is no mention of this person in the book."

"Yeah, compared to the famous Darwin, this is just a little-known little guy. He's just the doctor on this ship."

"Why do you say he changed Darwin's fate?"

"Listen to me and come on slowly. Darwin is on this ship and has the best relationship with two people. One is the captain Fitzroy, and the other is this Dr. Robert McCormick. Darwin is in contact with McCormick In the process of talking, I found that this is a very knowledgeable and very interesting person. He would often talk to Darwin about some weird topics. Some of these topics aroused Darwin's strong interest."

"I guess, could it be..."

"Exactly. Dr. McCormick told Darwin that all animals in this world - including humans - have gradually evolved from ancient animals, which is the result of natural selection. What particularly shocked Darwin was that, He even said that humans evolved from lower primates."

Now it was Wu Leting who was shocked. "You mean it wasn't Darwin who came up with the theory of evolution, but this Dr. Robert McCormick?"

"Yes, that's the truth."

"But, he's just a doctor, not a biologist. How could he know the law of animal evolution?"

"It has nothing to do with his profession. Actually..."

Dinon stopped talking.

"What's wrong?" Wu Leting asked curiously.

"If I told you the truth, you'd think it was pretty crazy."

"It's okay, Mr. Di, you can tell." Anyway, I have long been used to your crazy remarks.

Dinon was silent for a long time, and said: "The reason why Dr. Robert McCormick knows the mysteries about the origin and evolution of species is because he has personally experienced these things - during tens of thousands of years, he has seen them with his own eyes. Witnessed the evolution and change of species. So, without doing any research, he knew this great fact."

Wu Leting stared into Dinong's eyes for half a minute.

"Well, what happened after that? What happened after Dr. McCormick told Darwin?"

Dinon laughed. "You really won't believe it. But forget it, I didn't intend to make you believe it." His attitude was very open-minded, and he continued. "When Darwin heard Dr. McCormick's strange talk, he didn't believe it at first, but he was very interested. When the ship sailed to some islands in the Pacific Ocean, Darwin found some fossils. The existence of these fossils seemed to be Dr. McCormick's theory could be confirmed. This discovery made him extremely excited. So Darwin searched for fossils of ancient animals all over the world."

"During this process, Dr. McCormick gave Darwin a lot of help and support, helped him collect fossils, and helped him analyze, research and explain. Finally, Darwin fully believed in the theory of species evolution and gradually perfected it. Evolutionary ideology. Dr. McCormick did this because he regarded Darwin as his best friend. But he never imagined that this event made Darwin come true, but brought a disaster for himself.”

"Ah! Could it be..."

"Yeah, when Dr. McCormick was keen to share this great truth with Darwin, he had no idea that Darwin was thinking about a question-now, there are two people in the world who have grasped the gist of this great theory Whoever first announces this theory to the world will win a permanent reputation in the scientific community."

"Thus, tragedy happened." Dinon said in a sad tone. "Once, the ship sailed to an isolated island. Darwin asked Dr. McCormick to travel together to investigate a volcano that was still showing signs of eruption. A After an arduous ascent, they stopped in the middle of the cliff to rest. Suddenly, Dr. McCormick felt pushed, and he fell down the steep cliff! However, in a panic, his hand caught a piece of The rock, the body hanging in the air. He shouted to Darwin above for help, but saw a pair of indifferent eyes. Dr. McCormick understood everything, but it was too late. He persisted for about a minute and then fell go down."

Wu Leting was completely dumbfounded.She covered her mouth and opened her eyes wide. It took a long time before she said, "Oh my God, it's really terrible. That Dr. McCormick..."

"Of course he fell to his death. And Darwin carefully climbed down from the mountain, and then flew to the ship, lying that Dr. McCormick accidentally fell into the boiling lava that was about to erupt when he was exploring the crater. The captain was afraid The volcano erupted, and I didn’t dare to stay any longer, and soon set sail and left—and not long after this incident, the circumnavigation of the world ended.”

"After Darwin returned to England, he wrote the book "The Origin of Species" and made this work public?" Wu Leting asked.

"No, that's not the case. Darwin knew that after Dr. McCormick's death, he was the only person in the world who knew this theory. So he was not in a hurry to make it public, but was extremely cautious about publishing the research results. He knew very well what kind of uproar this theory would cause in the society at that time. However, when he was hesitating, a very strange thing happened."

"whats the matter?"

"About this, there should be a record in your book—see, does it mention a man named Alfred Russell Wallace?"

Wu Leting buried herself in the book and read this passage: "Yes, it is a young naturalist. Before Darwin published "Origin of Species", he published an article called "The Tendency of the Eternal Separation of Varieties and Original Species" Thesis. The theory of the origin of species and natural selection proposed in this paper coincides with Darwin's unpublished manuscript. Some sentences are even identical to Darwin's."

Wu Leting looked up at Di Nong: "What's going on? How could there be such a coincidence?"

Dinon stared at her and said, "Smart girl, do you think it's a coincidence? A mystery that humans haven't uncovered for thousands of years was suddenly known—or discovered by two people. Is it such a coincidence?"

"Then what do you think is going on?" Wu Leting really couldn't think of an answer. "According to what you said, only Dr. McCormick and Darwin know this theory. And Dr. McCormick is dead. At that time, Darwin should be the only person in the world who knew this theory—then this How did the scholar named Wallace know about it?"

Dinon raised his chin. "Just to remind you—is Dr. McCormick really dead?"

Wu Leting said in surprise: "As you said, he fell to his death on the spot."

"That's right, he fell to his death."

Wu Leting shrugged her shoulders, expressing that she didn't understand.

Dinon stared at Wu Leting mysteriously and said, "It's not your fault that you can't figure it out. It's because your imagination is not rich enough to this level. You can't imagine it anyway-the dead Dr. McCormick and the What a wonderful connection between Wallace."

Wu Leting was stunned for a while, and said, "I really didn't think of it, so please tell me."

"I'm afraid that's all I can say. For the rest, please use your imagination." Dinon said.

Wu Leting made a dissatisfied expression. "You are like this every time. You don't explain things thoroughly, and you only ask me to guess and imagine—it's a pity that I can't think of anything."

Dinon smiled slightly. "I still say the same thing. If we hit it off enough, you will eventually learn the truth of everything. But now, it's not time yet."

"...Okay." Wu Leting said helplessly.

"Now I want to rest for a while. You don't have to read to me."

"Okay." Wu Leting lifted the chair to a place close to the balcony and read a book by herself.

At five forty, Mrs. Mai brought dinner.Wu Leting fed Di Nong, and she found that Dinong ate dinner faster than lunch every time—maybe it was because she was about to get off work.Wu Leting was secretly grateful.

A little after six, Dinon finished his supper.After Wu Leting wiped the old man's mouth, he offered to leave.

It is customary to say hello to the dean before leaving.Wu Leting walked to the office on the fourth floor and lightly knocked on the open door. "Dean Ge, I'm leaving."

"Oh, okay." The dean raised his head. "Uh... wait a minute, Wu Leting, let me ask you."

"What's the matter, Dean." Wu Leting walked into the office.

"Are you used to the job?"

"Habit."

"That's good. Well... I heard from Dr. Ling Di that Mr. Di really likes you and likes to chat with you—what did he talk to you about?"

Wu Leting paused. "It's nothing...he likes to tell me some historical stories, almost all of them are about this topic."

"Oh, he—didn't say anything that surprised you?"

Wu Leting remembered what Di Nong said he had lived here for 13 years.But for some reason, her intuition told her not to tell the dean about it.She evaded the important point and said, "The stories he told sometimes made me feel that he was not very mentally normal... However, other than that, there is nothing particularly strange about it."

The dean nodded slightly and said, "Actually, you know what—if you don't want to chat with him, just ignore him. You don't have to talk to him so much."

Isn't this my job - Wu Leting thought to herself, but didn't ask.She could understand the dean's meaning - she didn't want to communicate too much with Dinon.

"Okay, I see, Dean."

"Well, there's nothing else to do, you still have to rush home—by the way, you're a foreigner, and you're renting a house now?"

"Yes."

"Is the rented house far from here?"

"It's not too far away. It takes more than half an hour to get there by bus."

"You live by yourself?"

"Correct."

"Where are your parents?"

Wu Leting's lips were tightly closed, forming a line.After a long time, he said: "My parents have passed away."

The dean opened his mouth. "Ah, I'm sorry..."

"It's nothing, Dean. Um... anything else?"

"It's alright, you can go back."

"Okay, bye."

The dean stared at Wu Leting's leaving back, thoughtful.

Seven

On the way down the mountain, Wu Leting received a call from her friend Liu Ling.Liu Ling is her college classmate, one class younger than Wu Leting, and now she is just in her senior year.The two are from the same hometown, and their personalities and hobbies are also very close, so the relationship is particularly good.When Liu Ling heard that Wu Leting had found a good job, she clamored for a treat, and Wu Leting readily agreed.

The two made an appointment to meet at the Music Square in the city center.When Wu Leting arrived, Liu Ling was already waiting there.

"You came fast enough." Wu Leting looked at her watch—six fifty. "I thought I'd be there first."

"In order to keep the appointment, I took a taxi here." Liu Ling happily took Wu Leting's arm and said coquettishly. "I really miss you, Miss Le Ting."

"Come on, the glutton in your stomach misses me, right?"

"Hey, isn't that the same - the school food is the same every day, I've been tired of it for a long time, and I can finally satisfy my craving!"

Wu Leting looked around, this section is the most prosperous area in the city. "You invited me here, it seems that you want to kill me well."

"Where, let's just go to Sutan Turkish Restaurant..."

Wu Leting glared at Liu Ling: "Don't go too far, the minimum per capita consumption in that shop is 200 yuan - I haven't gotten my salary yet!"

"Forget it, or... let's go eat Brazilian barbecue."

Wu Leting thought for a while, that was a cafeteria, which was just right for Liu Ling who was hungry and thirsty, so she agreed.

The two walked across the street for more than ten minutes, and came to this self-service barbecue restaurant.After choosing the location, Liu Ling went to get a lot of barbecue, pizza, salad and drinks.The two sat down, and Liu Ling raised her glass and said, "Sister Le Ting, congratulations on finding a job right after graduation!"

"Thank you." Wu Leting clinked glasses with her, and the two drank the juice.

While cutting the barbecue, Liu Ling asked, "Sister Le Ting, which hospital do you work in?"

Wu Leting took a bite of the salad. "Ren Ai Hospice Hospital."

"Ah, hospice care?" Liu Ling was a little surprised, "Why did you apply for a job there?"

"The recruitment information I saw online."

"I remember that the hospital is on the mountain."

"Well, I was going down the mountain when you called me."

"Then you have to climb the mountain every day, isn't it convenient?"

"It's not inconvenient, just get used to it - besides, the air on the mountain is quite fresh, better than in the city."

"That's true."

The two ate in silence for a while, and Liu Ling asked, "Sister Le Ting, you just went, how much salary do you get a month?"

Wu Leting hesitated for a moment.She had expected that Liu Ling would definitely ask this question, but until now she was still not sure whether she should tell her the truth.I pursed my lips and thought about it, but still felt that I shouldn't deceive my good friend. "...8000."

"What?" Liu Ling almost choked on the roasted meat in her mouth, she swallowed the piece of meat with great difficulty, and said in disbelief, "Are you kidding me?"

Wu Leting shook her head: "I'm not joking."

"How could it be so high?"

"……I do not know either."

"You weren't recruited directly to be the dean, were you?"

Wu Leting rolled her eyes. "Do you think that's possible?"

"Impossible. But your salary is so high just now, it's even more impossible."

Wu Leting stirred the vegetable salad with a fork. "I also think it's weird..."

"What are you in charge of in that hospital?" Liu Ling asked.

Wu Leting froze for a moment, realizing that this was impossible to answer - the contract stipulated that she could not disclose anything related to Dinong.She could only answer evasively: "It is to take care of the patients."

"That's weird. It stands to reason that such an ordinary job shouldn't have such a high salary." Liu Ling thought of another question. "Is this hospital public or private?"

"It should be a public office."

Liu Ling shook her head and said, "If it's a public hospital, the salary standard is fixed, and it's impossible to offer such a high salary to a new doctor—but then again, even a private hospital can't offer such a high salary, unless... ..."

"Unless what?" Wu Leting asked.

"Unless the money for your salary is not paid by the hospital—of course, it is even less likely to be the government—but someone is responsible for paying it alone."

Wu Leting felt that Liu Ling's analysis made sense.Indeed, this explanation is more reasonable.So, who will pay my salary—Dean Ge?Or was it—Dinon himself?
When she was engrossed in her thoughts, Wu Leting heard Liu Ling sigh enviously, "Anyway, sister Le Ting, you are really lucky. You can find a high-paying job just after graduation." She suddenly rolled her eyes He asked brightly, "Is your hospital still short of people? Why don't you recommend me to go too!"

"That will have to wait until you graduate." Wu Leting said with a smile, "But I can help you pay attention, and if you still need to recruit people, I will let you know."

"That's it, Sister Le Ting! If only I could work in the same place as you, then we'll have companionship..."

The two girls talked and laughed happily, chatting while eating delicious food.It took a full hour and a half for this meal, and it was almost nine o'clock when I came out of the restaurant.

"Oh, I'm too full, let's walk for a while. Sister Le Ting, can you accompany me back to school?" Liu Ling said.

Wu Leting thought for a while, and happened to be on the way, so she agreed.

After walking for half an hour, the two came to the gate of the Medical University.Liu Ling said: "Sister Le Ting, you don't need to send me in, you can go back."

"En." Wu Leting nodded. "Bye-Bye."

"Goodbye." Liu Ling waved her hand. "Thank you for inviting me to dinner."

Wu Leting watched Liu Ling walk back to school, and was about to turn around to leave when she saw a familiar figure —— her history elective teacher.She suddenly thought of something and planned to ask the teacher, so she walked over quickly.

"Mr. Qin, hello!" Wu Leting greeted politely.

Teacher Qin, who is in her 50s, adjusted her glasses and recognized her: "You are...Wu Leting, right? Shouldn't you be graduating?"

"Well, I've graduated. Today I'm coming back to get together with my classmates. Teacher Qin, you just finished your evening class?"

"Yeah, have you found a job now?"

"I found it..." Wu Leting and the teacher exchanged a few more pleasantries before turning to the main topic. "Mr. Qin, I have some questions I want to ask you."

"what is the problem?"

"Historically."

Teacher Qin laughed: "I remember you liked history quite a bit back then, and now you're still studying after graduation. It's not easy."

"Mr. Qin, don't laugh at me. I can't be considered a researcher. I just like to think about it by myself."

"what do you wish to ask?"

Wu Leting thought for a while: "Ms. Qin, have you heard of Dr. Robert McCormick?"

Teacher Qin thought about it for a while, and asked, "You're talking about Robert McCormick who sailed around the world with Darwin, right?"

"That's right... I'm talking about him." Wu Leting became a little excited. "Mr. Qin, is there really such a person in history?"

Teacher Qin tilted her head and looked at Wu Leting. "It's not easy for you to know this person."

"How do you say this?"

Teacher Qin smiled: "This person is not considered a famous person in history. Perhaps Queen Elizabeth's servants are more famous than him. Most history books will not mention this person. Only some particularly remote ones Darwin, or some biographical book devoted to Darwin, mentions him—in passing. What do you ask him for?"

"I want to know some facts about his life."

"I'm afraid that won't be recorded. History would do well to record his name. There was nothing special about him - just sailing with Darwin. He was the ship's doctor - that's all. "

Wu Leting looked a little disappointed. "That is to say, there are not many descriptions of him in the books devoted to the study of Darwin?"

"Almost no description at all—why do you care about this person so much?" Teacher Qin asked curiously.

"Well... I just heard that he has something to do with Darwin's discovery of the theory of evolution..."

Teacher Qin thought about it for a full minute, and said slowly: "When you say that, I think of a paper I saw a few years ago. The idea of ​​that paper is very novel. It seems to say that some British historians After research, experts found that Robert McCormick and Darwin may have the same hobby, and they both collected a lot of paleontological fossils... On the issue of evolution, Robert McCormick may have discussed with Darwin..."

Wu Leting suppressed the excitement in her heart and asked, "What does that paper want to explain?"

"I can't remember. I saw it a few years ago. The general idea is that in the course of Darwin's discovery of evolution, he may have been helped or inspired by some people. But this is only a guess, because when the ship sailed to an island , Robert McCormick died unexpectedly, so it became very difficult to verify."

"What kind of accident happened to him?" Wu Leting asked.

"It seems... fell into the crater? I'm not sure."

"Mr. Qin, can you still find that paper?"

"I can't find it. I accidentally saw it on the Internet and didn't save it."

"Then do you remember who the author of the paper is?"

"I can't remember. It's a foreigner with a long name."

"Foreigner? Wasn't it written by a Chinese?"

"Definitely not. I can be sure of this." Teacher Qin said, "You know, historians in every country are generally keen to study their own history. Among Chinese scholars, I don't know any who specialize in Darwin, of course it is Not to mention this eccentric Robert McCormick. Most of the books that record this person are English books that have not been translated—so I said just now, it is not easy for you to know this name."

"……yes."

"Any questions, Wu Leting?"

"No, thank you, Teacher Qin."

"You're welcome. If you have any questions in the future, just come to me. There are fewer and fewer students who are as studious as you are now."

"You are too much, Mr. Qin, goodbye."

Teacher Qin waved his hand and left.

Wu Leting stood there, frowning slightly, lost in thought.

Eight

"Leonardo da Vinci."

Wu Leting tried to pronounce the name.Dinon looked at her. "What's wrong?"

"Do you object to me reading these chapters about him?" Wu Leting asked while holding the thick "General History of the World".

Dinon shrugged. "Why should I object? I don't have a grudge against everyone in history."

Wu Leting smiled. "But it looks like you don't like certain people. Like the other day, you just heard the name Columbus and told me to turn the page."

"Okay, I admit it. But Columbus can't be compared with Da Vinci. Although Columbus also made contributions to the world, he was snobbish and cruel. And Da Vinci is a real genius, he..."

Having said that, Dinon stopped.

Wu Leting asked: "What's the matter, Old Man Di?"

Di Nong pondered for a long time, then slowly said: "He is my friend. He used to be."

Wu Leting rolled her eyes. "What kind of friend do you mean?"

"It's a friend under general understanding. The kind of friend who eats, chats and takes walks together."

silent.

"...Old Di, if I understand correctly—you mean you have seen Da Vinci himself?" Wu Leting asked with difficulty.

"I know what you're thinking." Dinon smiled. "Just think I'm crazy. It's okay, everyone here thinks so anyway. I don't blame you."

It was strange that Di Nong's words did not embarrass Wu Leting.She shrugged her shoulders and said, "You know, it's just... unbelievable."

"It's all right, you don't have to believe it's true," Dinon said understandingly.

"So maybe I should skip this part?"

"why?"

"You and Leonardo da Vinci are friends, so you don't need to learn everything about him from the book." Wu Leting was surprised by this statement - am I involuntarily mocking him?

But Dinon doesn't seem to think so.He thought for a while and asked, "Is this "Global History" the latest edition you bought?"

"Yes."

"Read it to me, then—an introduction to Leonardo da Vinci. I wonder if the world knows anything new about him."

"Okay." Wu Leting cleared her throat and began to read. "Leonardo da Vinci, one of the three masters of the Italian Renaissance. He is both an artist and a scientist. He is almost self-taught in all fields of knowledge. He is the only all-rounder in human history..."

"Okay, thank you." Di Nong gently interrupted Wu Leting's reading. "You don't need to read any further."

"Why?" Wu Leting asked curiously.

"Through this short description, I can guess the content behind it—it seems that the new version is no different from the previous one—at least the part about Da Vinci."

Wu Leting said: "I don't understand. How can you be so sure? I almost read two sentences, and you can guess the content behind it?"

"Yes, based on one of the sentences you just read."

"Which one?"

"'Knowledge in various fields is almost self-taught'." Dinon shook his head slowly and smiled. "Do you believe there is such a thing as 'teach yourself without a teacher' in this world?"

Wu Leting pursed her lips in thought, but did not speak.

"Well, just to be clear. I know there are people in this world who could be called 'geniuses.' But that usually means someone who excels in a certain way. But Da Vinci - he was good at painting, Sculpture, music, proficiency in mathematics, medicine, physics, astronomy, geology, military affairs, and even water conservancy. Would it be too much of a stretch to say that he is 'self-taught' in all of these?"

"You mean, this kind of 'all-rounder' is a bit too much, isn't it? It is impossible for such a person to exist in the world."

Dinon smiled and nodded: "You are very smart. That's what you mean."

"So, the records about him in the book are exaggerated? Da Vinci is not so powerful?"

"No, the descriptions in the book are accurate and concise. I even feel that some aspects have not been mentioned-in fact, Da Vinci is good at far more than these."

Wu Leting frowned, and said puzzledly: "But, you said that this kind of omnipotence is impossible..."

"What I'm saying is—this kind of self-taught all-rounder is impossible," Dinon corrected.

"But you admit that Da Vinci was a genius."

"That's right. Because he has a learning ability and comprehension ability beyond ordinary people, and possesses extraordinary wisdom. But this does not mean that he can master so many subjects without a teacher."

"Then who taught him these things?"

"This is a very interesting question. According to the common understanding, no one in the world at that time could have learned more than Leonardo da Vinci in these fields. So, who can teach him so much?"

Wu Leting fell into deep thought.

Dinon said: "Think about it, Da Vinci was a person who lived in the Middle Ages in Europe. At that time, people's scientific outlook and understanding of the whole world and the universe were still in the beginning of ignorance. However, Da Vinci Finch put forward many extremely advanced ideas and theories.”

Wu Leting listened carefully.

"For example, he proposed that the earth is not the center of the solar system, let alone the center of the universe, but just a planet revolving around the sun, and the sun itself does not move - this theory was put forward earlier than Copernicus' heliocentric theory. But there were no astronomical telescopes at the time, so how did da Vinci know this?"

"The strange thing is far more than this. Before Magellan sailed around the world, Da Vinci calculated that the diameter of the earth was more than 7000 miles. How did he calculate it?"

"In addition, Da Vinci also proposed the idea of ​​using solar energy as energy; he designed the earliest cars, cameras, cranes, excavators and underwater breathing devices, and even made a robot!" Dinon pointed "General History of the World" in the hands of Wu Leting. "See if any of this is mentioned in your book."

Wu Leting browsed quickly. "That's right, da Vinci's inventions are mentioned in the book. It's a pity that he didn't actually make these things, he just drew the design drawings, and the drawings were not published. Otherwise—'these The achievements are enough to advance the progress of our world scientific civilization by 100 years'."

"Because he only has one person. He doesn't have so much time and energy to make so many inventions and creations in the same way."

"Why didn't he publish the blueprints?"

"He was terrified. He was terrified that he had mastered so many advanced technologies. You can try to imagine a person who has surpassed all human beings in the world. The sense of loneliness and fear of being 'too cold'. Da Vinci's life No friends, not even wives and children."

Wu Leting tried hard to understand this feeling, but it seemed difficult.

"Of course, this is one of the reasons. Another reason is that someone asked him not to make these research results public."

"Who is this guy?"

"Guess what?" Di Nong stared at Wu Leting meaningfully.

"A mysterious, hidden expert. This person is Da Vinci's teacher!" Wu Leting gave full play to her imagination.

Dinon lowered his head and smiled slightly. "Actually, it can't be called a teacher, but just a friend of his. This person has a close relationship with Da Vinci. Da Vinci himself is also fascinated by this person."

"Who the hell is he?" Wu Leting asked again.She was just too curious.

Dinon smiled but did not answer.

Suddenly, Wu Leting thought of what Di Nong said before.She blurted out: "This person can't be you?"

nine

Di Nong stared at Wu Leting, noncommittal.

Wu Leting said in a relaxed tone as much as possible: "You just said that. You are a friend of Da Vinci."

Dinon smiled. "It's pointless to talk about it now. Let's move on to da Vinci."

"Okay." Wu Leting didn't intend to dwell on this ridiculous question.She was just joking.The matter she is talking about now, she only regards it as a fictional historical story. "This mysterious 'friend'—actually Da Vinci's teacher—did he teach Da Vinci all these scientific creations and inventions?"

"It can't be said that he was 'taught' to him. As I said before, Da Vinci was a man of extraordinary talent and intelligence. He got enlightenment after talking and discussing many things with that friend, and then He worked it out by himself. So that friend just pointed and inspired him. But even so, it was very important to Leonardo, otherwise he would not have had so many creative inspirations.”

"But that friend asked Da Vinci not to make these research results public?"

"Yes. In fact, that friend didn't know that Da Vinci had done so much research at the beginning. After learning about it, he asked him not to make it public."

"I understand." Wu Leting nodded, "That's why Da Vinci's inventions were neither made nor published."

"Yes. Those blueprints were dug up after Da Vinci's death. It shocked the whole world. Because Da Vinci has passed away, people feel really good about the series of incredible inventions he conceived. It's hard to explain. We can only think that he is a super genius, "the only all-rounder in human history" - until now, it is still written in the book, isn't it?"

"My God, what a pity." Wu Leting sighed.

"What pity are you talking about?" Dinon asked.

"Those researches and inventions of Leonardo da Vinci. Isn't it a pity that he didn't put them into practice until his death?"

Dinon smiled faintly—he often smiled very reservedly, almost never showing his teeth. "He won't feel those pity."

"why?"

"Because he had more important research—the most important research of his life," Dinon emphasized. "For Da Vinci, all the inventions and creations just added up are not as significant as this one."

"What is it?" Wu Leting asked with wide eyes.

Dinon didn't answer her question directly. "It probably says in your book that Leonardo da Vinci was very interested in the study of the human body, especially in anatomy. Isn't that right?"

Wu Leting immersed herself in her book. "Yes, according to the book, Leonardo Da Vinci personally dissected dozens of corpses in order to understand human beings, and accurately understood and mapped human bones, muscles, joints and internal organs..."

Dinon shook his head slowly. "That is the understanding of ordinary people. They think that Da Vinci studied human anatomy in order to better understand the human body, so as to make accurate painting creations, but it is not the case - no one in the world today knows why Da Vinci is so interested in medicine. Showed such great interest."

Wu Leting waited quietly for Di Nong to continue.

"The following content may make you feel uncomfortable." Dinon said, "Da Vinci was almost obsessed in order to carry out this important research. The society at that time did not allow and could not accept public dissection So, Da Vinci would sneak into the cemetery at night and steal freshly buried corpses. But sometimes he was not so lucky, and the stolen corpses were already rotten and smelly. He didn’t care so much, Still carrying the corpse home, dissecting and studying it...wouldn't you feel a little nauseous and nauseous?"

"It's okay." Wu Leting resisted the discomfort and reminded, "I graduated from medical school—but, you said he didn't dissect the corpse to better understand the human body? Then what is he doing?"

"What does your book say? What is the result of his study of physiology and anatomy?"

Wu Leting read the book and read out the contents of the book. "'Da Vinci tried to use wax to represent the internal structure of the human brain, and he also imagined using glass and ceramics to make hearts and eyes.'" She looked up. "What does this mean? Is this what he wanted?"

"Obviously not."

"Then what does he really want?"

"He didn't research it until he died." Dinon was silent for a few seconds, as if his mind had wandered far away and returned to reality. "Forget it, let's not talk about this."

Wu Leting felt itchy, but there was nothing she could do.After so many days of contact, she already knew Dinong very well.It's useless to ask what he doesn't want to say.

After a while, Wu Leting could only divert the topic to another side. "By the way, why did that mysterious friend ask Da Vinci not to disclose these research results?"

"Because these astonishing, advanced studies, if made public, may reveal the true identities of da Vinci's friends."

Wu Leting was even more surprised. "Who is he? Why can't the world know his true identity?"

"Sorry, I can't reveal that either," Dinon said.

Wu Leting was secretly surprised - so, he knew it, but he couldn't say it out.Is he deliberately creating a sense of mystery?

After a moment of silence, Wu Leting asked: "Then, does Da Vinci himself know the true identity of his friend?"

Dinon thought for a while. "He didn't know it clearly, because the friend never told him. But based on Da Vinci's clever mind and his understanding of his close friends, he guessed a little bit. And the friend also thought that he might have guessed—so asked Da Vinci Finch must keep it a secret and cannot tell this secret."

It's getting more and more mysterious.Wu Leting felt itchy. "What's the secret?"

Di Nong smiled mysteriously: "It's a secret, so of course we can't tell it."

Wu Leting sighed helplessly. "Okay. So, did Da Vinci do it?"

Dinon let out a long breath. "On the face of it, it did."

"On the surface?"

"Yes."

"That is to say, he still spread the secret behind his back?"

Dinon frowned. "Actually, it can't be said to spread. He didn't tell anyone directly. But I guess, he was really unwilling to bring this shocking secret into the grave like this, so he used a special method to record this information subtly. come down."

"In what way?"

Dinon raised the corners of his mouth and chuckled. "Have you forgotten what Da Vinci left the world the most?"

"Ah, those pictures of his!"

Dinon nodded slightly.

Even though she thought she was listening to a story, Wu Leting couldn't help getting excited. "Which famous painting did he hide this message in? The Madonna of the Rocks? The Last Supper? Or... the Mona Lisa?"

"What painting is Leonardo da Vinci most famous for?" Dinon suggested.

"Oh my god... "Mona Lisa"!" Wu Leting couldn't help exclaiming.

Dinong let out a long breath. ""Mona Lisa" - the most famous and mysterious painting in human history. From ancient times to the present, scholars from all over the world have tirelessly studied it for hundreds of years, and have made many comments and speculations. How much confusion and confusion has arisen—of course your book mentions the painting, doesn't it? What does it say?"

Staring at the book, Wu Leting briefly summed up: "Many people who have seen the painting of "Mona Lisa" think that from different angles, Mona Lisa's expression will appear subtle changes, her mysterious The smile appears and disappears, making it difficult to understand. Researchers from various countries have different interpretations of Mona Lisa's smile. Some scholars believe that Mona Lisa's smile is to cover up that she has no front teeth; It is believed that she just had a stroke, so the muscles of half of her face are slack, and her face is tilted so that she appears to be smiling; some scholars believe that Mona Lisa is actually pregnant..."

"Okay, okay." Dinon waved his hand. "What nonsense."

"It's also said in the book—in fact, these speculations are groundless." Wu Leting worked hard to maintain the authority of "General History of the World".

Dinon paused for a moment, then said, "What else was said above?"

Wu Leting read: "Silvano Vencetti, president of the Italian National Council of Cultural Heritage, made an amazing discovery at the end of the 72th century. He observed with the help of a microscope that there were mysterious tiny characters hidden in the eyes of Mona Lisa. Her green-brown right eyeball is painted with black letters L and V. The characters on the right eyeball are not yet clearly identified. They may be letters C and E, or B and S. In addition to the eyes, there are also hidden characters in other places in the painting , the number 2, possibly the letter L and the number [-] can be seen on the arches in the background."

Dinon nodded slightly. "That's right. Unfortunately, he found out too late."

Wu Leting shook her head, but didn't understand.

Dinon explained: "Although you haven't seen the "Mona Lisa" with your own eyes, you must have seen it on TV or in books. The "Mona Lisa" we see now is sepia-toned, slightly A turquoise hue. Many people think that paintings have always been like this, but it’s not. When this painting was first painted, the colors were bright and the tone was bright. When did it become what it is now?”

"The reason is that when the King of France got the "Mona Lisa", in order to better protect it, he painted too much varnish on the surface. After hundreds of years, the varnish turned dark brown, just like ours Now you can see this. Moreover, the surface of the painting has cracked, forming a fine texture like a spider web. It should be a pity that this famous painting is in poor condition, but because of this, it accidentally conceals the hidden truth in the painting. The secret of life—something that Leonardo da Vinci could not have foreseen."

Wu Leting struggled to understand and think about what Di Nong said. "You mean that the darkening and cracking of the painting made the hidden characters in the painting difficult to discern?"

"You are very smart." Dinon admired. "Just one click."

"So, the characters observed in the painting by the chairman of the Italian National Cultural Heritage Council are actually not accurate?"

"Correct."

Wu Leting frowned. "How did he think of looking at the Mona Lisa with a microscope? How did he know there were hidden characters in it?"

"Actually, this is not surprising." Dinon said, "Many modern scholars know that Da Vinci was very keen on using symbols and codes to convey information. There are hidden mysteries in many of his famous paintings."

"Ah!" Wu Leting remembered the super best-selling novel a few years ago. "Just like "The Da Vinci Code", the author implies that there is a message about the Holy Grail hidden in the painting "The Last Supper"!"

"That's fiction, a novel," Dinon pointed out gently. "But da Vinci liked to hide messages in his paintings, or to hint at some kind of mystery - this is absolutely true. Like his famous painting "Vitruvian Man", this painting is not only a sketch of the human body, but also reveals The secret of human body proportions, showing the mathematical ratio between the various organs of the human body - this is related to Da Vinci's multiple identities. He is both an artist and a scientist - many of his paintings are not pure works of art, and often There is another meaning."

"So, what mystery is hidden in the painting "Mona Lisa"?" Wu Leting was very curious.

Dinon said: "Scholars all over the world have actually realized for a long time that the painting of "Mona Lisa" must have hidden information. They have made various speculations and conjectures. But unfortunately, no one has discovered it so far. Therein lies the real secret."

"Could this secret be..." Wu Leting somewhat guessed.

Dinon nodded and said, "You've figured it out—hidden in this painting is the shocking secret that Da Vinci's mysterious friend asked him not to tell!"

Wu Leting asked with all her concentration: "Old Di, do you know what this secret is?"

Dinon pondered for a moment. "Yes, I know. But I didn't know it from the beginning. It's ridiculous to say that I didn't know Da Vinci until I learned about the discovery of Silvano Vencetti, the chairman of the Italian Heritage Council. It turns out that there is such an important message hidden in this painting."

Wu Leting looked at Di Nong in surprise. "You said...you didn't know it from the beginning, what do you mean?"

"When Da Vinci first started painting this painting, I didn't expect him to do this kind of manipulation in the painting."

Wu Leting was stunned for a while—even though it was absurd, all the logic at the moment caused her to ask this question: "Mr. Di, have you ever seen Da Vinci draw this painting with your own eyes?"

Dinon was silent for a while. "yes."

Oh my god. "You mean, you were by Da Vinci's side when he painted the "Mona Lisa"?" Wu Leting's voice trembled a little.

"I'm afraid I can't live without him. If I leave, he can't go on painting."

"why?"

"The model is gone, of course he can't paint."

The room was silent.

Time seemed to stand still.

Ten

Wu Leting stared at Di Nong's face, and could not see any sign of joking.At this time, she noticed a detail - when Dinon smiled, the corners of his mouth were raised slightly, without showing his teeth - exactly the same as the smile on the famous painting that people all over the world are most familiar with.

There was a full minute of silence.Wu Leting covered her mouth, opened her eyes wide and said, "God...you can't be serious."

Dinon exhaled. "I said, you don't have to believe it's true. Isn't it good to just treat it as a story?"

"However, this story seems to be beyond my acceptance..."

"Then you don't intend to listen any more?"

"No, of course!" Wu Leting said hurriedly—the next sentence was almost hard for her to say. "You...you are the prototype of the painting "Mona Lisa"?"

"Yes. For more than 500 years, historians have been arguing about the prototype of the "Mona Lisa". Some people say that she is the wife of a friend of Da Vinci's father; A famous courtesan of Da Vinci; some even say that she is a self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci himself - these speculations are absurd and ridiculous."

"Actually, the real prototype of "Mona Lisa" is you?" Isn't this absurd?

"Yeah, it's the bad old man in front of you now. It's surprising."

"But, Mona Lisa is a woman." Wu Leting reminded.Even if you are crazy, you should be able to tell the difference between male and female.

Dinon pondered for a moment. "The name of Mona Lisa (Mona Lisa) actually has a hidden meaning. In Egyptian legend, the god in charge of the male genitalia is called Amon (Amon), and the god in charge of the female genitalia is called Isis (Isis). It is read as LISA, so Mona Lisa implies AMON LISA, that is, Mona Lisa is neither male nor female, but a combination of both sexes. This painting actually shows a community of men and women-in fact, some scholars have long discovered this I just don’t understand the point of da Vinci implying that the Mona Lisa is co-ed.”

Wu Leting spent a long time thinking about what Di Nong said, and then followed his logic and asked: "If you are really the prototype of the Mona Lisa, why didn't you know that Da Vinci painted this painting in the first place? What's the purpose?"

"He hid something from me, and I was kept in the dark for a long time." Dinon said, "At that time, Da Vinci just said that he wanted to paint for his good friend—that is, me— A portrait. You know, there were no cameras back then. The only way to preserve your image was to paint. Of course I said yes."

"I sat down. Da Vinci asked me to put myself in a comfortable position. So I folded my hands naturally and put them lightly on my abdomen. The facial expression remained normal. Da Vinci thought it was very good, so Start painting. This painting is very detailed and it took him many years to complete. Of course, I can't be a model for so long. So after da Vinci completed the basic shaping of the characters, I didn't have to sit It was in front of him. The background, coloring and detailing were all done by Da Vinci himself."

"It took Da Vinci nearly ten years to finish this painting. When he showed me the painting, I was very moved, thinking that he spent so much time for my friend. Time and effort. At the time, he didn't tell me at all that he called the painting "Mona Lisa" - which is not my name. And he used characters and Passwords leave messages, and I don't know anything about them—that's how it is."

After listening to Di Nong's calm narration, Wu Leting was too surprised to speak.It was impossible not to be astounding—what he said, judging by common sense, was utterly absurd.However, these contents are reasonable and logical-it is amazing that a mental patient can make up such a wonderful and perfect lie and tell it in an orderly manner.

Seeing that Wu Leting hadn't spoken for a long time, Di Nong asked, "What are you thinking?"

"Ah..." Wu Leting shook her head slowly, "I just think it's incredible."

"Hearing now, you should know who Da Vinci's friend is?"

Wu Leting opened her mouth and thought for a while. "My God, the Mona Lisa is his mysterious friend—actually, you."

Dinon pulled the corner of his mouth and smiled. "From the perspective of the story, isn't it a very bold idea?"

Wu Leting looked at him. "Is this a story you made up?"

"You can understand it that way."

Wu Leting paused. "What if my understanding is just the opposite?"

"what?"

"What if I believe all this you're telling is true?"

Wu Leting and Di Nong looked at each other for half a minute.

"If we can have this kind of fate..." Dinon pondered for a moment. "Do you have a pen and paper with you?"

"Well... yes, what do you want to do?"

"give it to me."

Wu Leting took out a black signature pen from her purse. "Are you going to write something?"

"Yes. Where's the paper?"

"I don't have the right paper. Otherwise, you can write it at the back of this book." Wu Leting memorized "General History of the World" and turned to the last page, which was a blank page. "is it okay?"

"Yes. Take the book and paper to my right."

Wu Leting complied.Di Nong wrote the following characters on the back of the page with a signature pen——

α, δ, τ, ν, α, λ, τ, α.
Wu Leting held the book in front of her eyes, looked at it carefully, but couldn't see why. "Old Di, what do these characters mean?"

"Smart girl, can't you think of it?" Di Nong looked at Wu Leting with a pair of wise eyes.

"Ah...God! Could it be...the characters hidden in Mona Lisa's eyes (and in the background of the painting)!" Wu Leting exclaimed, covering her mouth.

"These nine characters are all the secrets hidden in the Mona Lisa." Dinong stared into Wu Leting's eyes and said, "And I want to tell you——you are the only one in this world who knows exactly these nine characters." characters—except me, of course."

Wu Leting concentrated for a moment and asked, "But what do they mean? It seems...not in English."

"Yes. It's ancient Greek—da Vinci wouldn't have left English letters, and he couldn't have expressed it in Italian."

"why?"

Dinon smiled and said, "I can't tell you more. For the first time in many years, I have written these nine characters in full for a single person."

"You...why did you write it for me?" Wu Leting asked.

Dinon stared ahead. "If we are lucky enough, you may understand the meaning of these characters in the future. At that time, you will understand the amazing secret that Da Vinci wanted to pass on."

eleven
It was another Monday, and Dr. Ling Di came to give Di Nong a routine physical examination as usual, and concluded that "everything is normal".Wu Leting didn't want to get entangled in this issue, she had other things to ask Dr. Ling about.

Wu Leting sent Ling Di out on the pretense.They walked to the far right end of the empty corridor, talking in low voices.

"Doctor Ling, every time you come to give Lao Di a physical examination, does it only include physical aspects?"

"what do you mean?"

"His spirit, do you need another appraisal?"

"There's no need for further identification. It's very clear in the medical records that he's mentally ill. Besides, I'm not a psychiatrist, so I can't do a psychiatric assessment—I told you, remember?"

"Hmm..." Wu Leting lowered her eyes, her brows furrowed deeply.

Holding the medical kit in both hands, Ling Di asked, "What's the matter, do you think it's necessary to re-appraise his spirit, do you think his behavior is too normal, or is it the opposite?"

Wu Leting frowned and said: "I can't tell. During the many days I have been in contact with him, I think he is very normal most of the time, no different from ordinary people. But when we talked about certain topics , what he said, and it does appear to be mentally problematic-this makes me feel very conflicted."

"Actually, this is not surprising. Mental illnesses are often intermittent. When patients are not ill, they are just like ordinary people; but when they develop an illness, they will be insane, and they will naturally speak nonsense."

"But...he's not talking nonsense. He's thinking clearly, logically, and expressively—it's just that what he says is unbelievable."

"What did he tell you?" Ling Di asked curiously.

Wu Leting pursed her lips. "Take the most recent one. He told me...he was the Mona Lisa."

"What?" Ling Di didn't understand. "He said he had the Mona Lisa?"

"No, he said he himself—himself was the model for the painting of the Mona Lisa."

Ling Di opened his mouth in a daze for a long while, then burst out laughing. "God bless...he didn't say he was the Virgin Mary?"

Wu Leting didn't find it ridiculous. "Not only that, but I suspect he also implied that he sailed around the world with Darwin."

"It's not surprising. A person who claims to be the Mona Lisa, what else can't he say?" Ling Di tilted his head and looked at Wu Leting strangely. "I don't understand. Miss Wu Leting, in this case, do you think he still needs to undergo a psychiatric appraisal? Don't these make you judge?"

Wu Leting sighed. "If you get in touch with him in person and hear what he said with your own ears, you will understand that my confusion is not unreasonable."

"I can understand." Ling Di nodded seriously. "Actually, although I am not a psychiatrist, I do know a little about mental illness. From what you have said, it is obvious that Dinon suffered from severe hysteria—a common mental disorder."

Wu Leting said: "To tell you the truth, I have thought of this too, and I have learned about the characteristics and symptoms of hysteria through consulting various materials. But I found that the situation of Di Lao is completely different from that of hysterical patients."

Ling Di looked at Wu Leting and listened carefully to what she said.

"First of all, hysterical patients are often quite manic. When they have an attack, they may vent their emotions to their heart's content—crying bitterly, making noise, or expressing their grievances and unhappiness to others in an extremely exaggerated manner—this is the most Common manifestations. Another situation is that they may be unconscious, drowsy, or even fainted suddenly when they have an attack. At this time, let alone asking them to describe a thing completely, even ask them some of the most simple and basic things. The patient may also have a childish expression and answer irrelevant questions."

"I have never seen these symptoms and manifestations in Di Lao. On the contrary, he has clearer thinking and logic than ordinary people, and he looks calm and expresses fluently-so Dr. Ling, no matter how I look at it, he is very I don't think Di Lao is like a hysterical psychopath."

After hearing what Wu Leting said, Ling Di was a little surprised. "How do you know so much about hysteria?"

"As I said just now, I checked the relevant books and materials."

"That's all?"

"I also called the professors of the medical school, hoping to get a more accurate and comprehensive understanding."

Ling Di nodded slightly, showing an expression of appreciation and admiration. "You are really a girl who is good at research and inquiry. Rigorousness and perseverance are very valuable qualities that only many researchers possess."

Wu Leting didn't understand why Dr. Ling Di suddenly praised herself.

"From this point of view, Mr. Di may not be a hysterical psychopath, and his illness may not be as simple as we imagined." Ling Di said.

"Maybe he is not as simple as we imagined." Wu Leting said meaningfully.

Ling Di thought about it.

Wu Leting said: "Doctor Ling, I trust you very much, so I tell you these things. Please don't let other people know—especially...the dean. He doesn't want me to talk about Mr. Di with others."

Ling Di stared at Wu Leting and nodded slightly. "I understand. I won't say it, so don't worry." Said it very firmly.

They stared at each other for a moment.

Dr. Lingdi didn't ask me why I couldn't let other people know about these things, he just said he understood.Wu Leting thought to herself.Maybe... as I guessed before, he also signed the same contract.

"Miss Wu Leting, is there anything else?" Ling Di asked.

"Oh, yes, there's one more thing. I've wanted to say it for a long time—is it necessary to keep Di Lao's hands fixed all the time? For so many days, I didn't feel that he was aggressive or dangerous. His mind It's normal and rational. Why do you keep him fixed? Does this count as elder abuse?"

Ling Di said embarrassingly: "Sorry, this was arranged by the director. I'm afraid I have no right to interfere. He said that some doctors and nurses had been attacked by Di Nong before."

"I don't think that's ever happened."

"You mean...the dean lied? But why did he do it?"

Wu Leting was silent for a moment, and said, "I think the dean may have some special purpose in putting Mr. Di under house arrest."

Ling Di seemed taken aback: "You said 'house arrest'? Could it be too serious?"

Wu Leting said in a low voice: "It's not bad if I didn't say 'imprisonment'. Doctor Ling, don't you think so?"

Ling Di frowned. "I thought the dean was doing it for the good of Mr. Di and the people around him..." He paused. "What's Di Lao's own attitude? Does he have an aversion to having his hands fixed?"

"This... I can't see it. I never asked him, and he didn't mention it himself."

"Maybe you can try to ask him how he feels." Ling Di suggested.

"Is there a need to ask?" Wu Leting felt a little ridiculous. "Is he going to say - 'Thanks, I'm very comfortable with my hands bound'?"

Ling Di said, "Then what do you think we should do?"

"Maybe we can go together and suggest to the dean to let him loose the shackles on Di Lao."

"In this way, he will know that we discussed about Mr. Di together." Ling Di reminded.

Wu Leting opened her mouth. "However, we can't let a poor old man suffer all the time because of our own interests."

Ling Di thought for a while. "Well, you are right. Let's do it this way. You try to ask Di Lao how he feels, if he is very disgusted with fixing his hands. We will go to the dean to suggest."

Wu Leting nodded and said, "Okay."

"That's it, I'm leaving." Ling Di went downstairs with the medical kit.

twelve
Wu Leting quickly returned to the ward.

This time, Di Nong asked, "Why do you go out to talk to this doctor every time he comes?"

Wu Leting walked to Di Nong's bed and said hesitantly, "I'll ask him... something."

"What? About me?"

Wu Leting lowered her head, thought for a while, then raised her head. "Old Di, I don't know if you would mind talking about this issue."

"what is the problem?"

Wu Leting hesitated for a while. "Your hands have been pinned to both sides of the bed. Do you...do you have any objections?"

The room fell silent.

About a minute later, Di Nong said something that shocked Wu Leting: "Yes, I have no objection."

Wu Leting was tongue-tied, and said involuntarily, "Do you think it's more comfortable to have your hands fixed...?"

Di Nong smiled wryly, "Silly girl, who would feel comfortable with their hands fixed all the time? I just said I have no objection, it doesn't mean I feel comfortable."

"Why don't you mind?" Wu Leting asked in wonder.

Di Nong took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled: "When I was young, I did a wrong thing, which made me regret for the rest of my life. For this, I am willing to use my whole life to redeem the sin. Don't talk about fixing my hands, even if it is I am also willing to accept even greater pain and suffering. You won't understand..."

Dinon fell into a sad thought.Wu Leting stood aside blankly, speechless.

After a while, Dinong breathed a sigh of relief. "Forget it, let's not talk about this." He smiled and stared at Wu Leting. "You ask me how I feel about this matter, can I understand this as concern for me?"

Wu Leting said sincerely: "Mr. Di, I hope to do my best to make you comfortable and happy."

Di Nong stared at Wu Leting for a long time, then said deeply, "Thank you."

Maybe it was Wu Leting who touched him, and Di Nong said kindly: "I rarely talk about my family with others. But you, I would like to share with you."

"It's a great honor." Wu Leting said with a smile.

Dinon pointed to the cabinet on the left side of the hospital bed. "This cabinet has a little secret."

"Oh?"

"Before I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone."

"I promise."

"Okay," said Dinon, "you open the bottom drawer."

Wu Leting bent down to open the drawer, and saw a dark leather bag inside, as well as daily necessities such as basins and cups.

"Take out these clutter."

After Wu Leting emptied the cabinet, Di Nong said again: "Have you noticed the wooden board below? Hold it down and press it outward."

Wu Leting complied.There was no response at first, but as she increased her strength, with a "wow", the floor slid outwards, revealing a hidden interlayer.

"Ah!" Wu Leting exclaimed in a low voice. "This cabinet actually has a mezzanine."

"It was my stealth," said Dinon. "Now you should see what's in there. There's a photo album, and there's a little wooden box, right?"

"Yes."

Dinon's expression suddenly became very serious. "Don't touch that little box. Just take out the photo album. Then close the cabinet."

Wu Leting carefully took out this thick photo album.She glanced at the small wooden box and thought to herself—what's in it?
This photo album is not big, but it is so thick that it feels like a brick in your hand.Its outer shell feels like sheepskin or cowhide, which has been yellowed, and it is obviously old stuff from many years ago.

"Don't rush to open it." Dinon said, "Let me tell you how to read this album."

"Do you need to follow a certain order when looking at the photo album?"

"Yes. My photo album is like this. You can't open it from the front, you have to read it from the back."

"Back?" Wu Leting said, flipping through the photo album.

"Yes, this photo album has to be read backwards. Now you can open it."

Wu Leting flipped through the photo album from left to right, as if reading an ancient book, which felt strange.

What caught her eye was a group photo.color photo.Two middle-aged men in their 40s—a man and a woman—stand by the sparkling lake.Wu Leting recognized at a glance that the man among them was the middle-aged Dinong.

"Old Di, this is you and your wife, right?"

Dinon nodded. "This is the last picture she took with me before she died."

"Feel sorry……"

"It's okay. It's been so many years." Di Nong introduced, "This photo was taken after we traveled to Ganas Lake in Xinjiang after she suffered from advanced liver cancer—and it was incurable. My wife is a A strong and optimistic person. After learning that she had cancer, she did not blame others, give up on herself, and did not want to spend the rest of her time in the hospital bed. She told me that she wanted to travel and see those beautiful, pure The place……"

Wu Leting sat next to Dinon, listening quietly.

The second photo is what Dinon looked like when he was young.He was wearing a white shirt, dark suit pants, and shiny leather shoes.With a big banyan tree as the background.It looks like a jade tree facing the wind and looking radiant.

Wu Leting smiled and said, "Old Di, you were quite handsome when you were young!"

"Young people full of vigor are very handsome. This photo was taken after I graduated from university. The banyan tree is an ancient tree in our university with a history of thousands of years. I like reading books under this tree very much."

Wu Leting jokingly said: "I guess, if you look forward, it must be a photo of you when you were a child."

Dinon was silent.After a long time, he said slowly, "I don't have any photos of my childhood."

Wu Leting froze for a moment. "The photos of your childhood have been lost?"

"No, I don't have any at all, there can't be..." He sighed. "Forget it, let's not talk about this. Let's take a look at these two photos today. I plan to share the rest with you slowly."

"Okay." Wu Leting closed the album.

"By the way, where is your family?" Dinon asked, "It's been a long time, and I've never heard you mention your family."

Wu Leting tightened her lips, and after a while, she whispered, "My mother died shortly after giving birth to me..."

Dinon apologized. "I'm sorry. So... where's your dad?"

"Old Di, I'm sorry, I don't want to talk about my father." Wu Leting showed a disgusted expression. "He's... an asshole."

There was a few seconds of silence.Dinon said, "Okay, let's not talk about that."

Wu Leting walked to the low cabinet and squatted down. "I'll help you put the album back in place."

Just as she was about to put the photo album into the interlayer at the bottom of the cabinet, Wu Leting suddenly noticed that there seemed to be a line of text written on the wooden board at the bottom.She took a closer look and found a line of English written with a blue ballpoint pen - "QIANLI".

Di Nong found Wu Leting staring blankly at the bottom of the cabinet and asked, "What's wrong?"

Wu Leting raised her head and said, "Mr. Di, there are 6 English letters written on the bottom of the cabinet. Did you write them?"

Dinon shook his head. "No, I never wrote in this cabinet."

"Ah..." Wu Leting was puzzled.Didn't only Di Lao know the secret of this mezzanine?

"Which six letters are they, read them to me."

"QIAN, there is a gap in the middle, and then LI." Wu Leting read it out.

Dinon thought for a few minutes, then suddenly burst out laughing. "I know what's going on."

Wu Leting looked at him.

"It's not English, it's Chinese pinyin." Di Nong said.

Wu Leting spelled: "qian—thousand; li—li?"

"It's not 'Qianli', it's 'Qian Li'—a girl's name."

Wu Leting showed a puzzled expression.

Di Nong smiled while shaking his head: "If you didn't find out today, I would never know that this ghost girl made such a mark on the bottom of the cabinet."

"Who is this Qian Li of yours?"

"Same as you. It was a little girl who took care of me before."

"The last girl who took care of you?"

"No." Dinon smiled and shook his head. "She was one of the first few girls who took care of me. Let me think... about ten years ago."

Wu Leting stared at Di Nong dumbfounded.She thought again of what Dinon had said on the first day—he had lived here for thirteen years.

Dinon does not seem to intend to stress the question of how long he has lived here.At this moment he was immersed in pleasant memories. "I almost forgot about this girl. Now I think of it again - big eyes, round face, ponytail, likes to wear flowery skirts. She is a quirky girl, energetic, lively and generous, who loves to joke with me, and also Love listening to my stories. Of the girls who took care of me in the past, she is the one I like the most, just like my granddaughter.”

"How old was she at that time?" Wu Leting asked.

"I remember that she was a student in the health school at that time, about 16 years old. She came here to work as a temporary worker during the summer vacation and only took care of me for two months. I was very happy during those two months."

16 years old.Wu Leting thought to herself.If Dinon was telling the truth, the girl would be 26 by now.Just one year older than me.

"Old Di, you also shared the secret of this cabinet with her?"

Dinon nodded. "Yeah, I also asked her to take out this photo album and read it a few times." He laughed again. "But I didn't expect this ghost girl to secretly write the pinyin of her own name on the bottom of the cabinet with a pen. When you read it, it's all in capital letters? Ha, this girl doesn't want to imitate Da Finn Qi, use 'password' to leave a message?"

"You also told her about Da Vinci at that time?"

"Well. Remember, I told you that I haven't told anyone about these things for more than ten years. In fact, for more than ten years, I have only told you and this girl named Qian Li through these stories."

Wu Leting thought for a while, and reminded: "But you said, you only told me about the characters in Mona Lisa's eyes."

"Yes, that's right." Dinon said, "I told Qian Li the story about Da Vinci, but I didn't tell her the secret of the Mona Lisa."

what does that mean?Wu Leting was thinking—does he trust me more?She then asked: "Why do you think she left her name on the bottom of the cabinet?"

Dinon shrugged. "I guess it's just a joke. Maybe she knows she can only stay here for two months and wants to leave a little mark; maybe she wants to make a joke. When someone opens this compartment again, it will Surprised to see the marks she left behind."

Wu Leting nodded slightly. "So, do you have her contact information now?"

Di Nong shook his head and said, "No, she didn't have a mobile phone at that time." He paused for a moment. "Also, she may think that there is no need to leave contact information with me, because she thinks it is impossible for me to live for half a year..."

Wu Leting thought blankly, is what he said true?It doesn't sound like crazy talk, let alone made up.

Dinon reminded at this time: "Restore the cabinet to its original shape, it's almost lunch time. Remember, this is my little secret between you and me."

"Oh, okay." Wu Leting put the photo album back to its original position, then closed the partitions, put a bunch of things back into the cabinet, and closed the cabinet door.

Ten minutes later, Mrs. Mai brought lunch.Wu Leting feeds Dinon.Afterwards, Dinon took his usual afternoon nap.

Wu Leting sat on a chair, looking out the window in a daze, planning something in her mind.

thirteen
After returning home at night, Wu Leting called her friend Liu Ling.

"Liu Ling, you don't have evening class tonight, do you?"

"No, it's in the dormitory. Is there something wrong, Sister Le Ting?"

"Before you went to medical school, you went to medical school, right?"

"Yes."

"What level are you at?"

"Let me think about it...level 05. What's wrong?"

Wu Leting didn't answer her question, and continued to ask: "Do you know any classmates who are a few years older than you? For example, those from 03 and 02."

"Get to know some."

"Then do you know Qian Li?"

"I don't know." Liu Ling asked back on the phone, "Who is it?"

"Don't worry about who she is." Wu Leting said seriously. "I want to find her now. Help me ask those senior seniors you know to see if they know this person."

Liu Ling thought about it. "I'll try. But I may not be able to ask."

"You try to ask for me. Liu Ling, this matter is very important to me. If you ask, I will treat you to a big meal."

"What are the two words of the name you said?"

"Qian Li. Coin money, beautiful Li. A girl." This is what Wu Leting asked Di Nong in the afternoon.

"What do you want to know about her?"

"Her contact information, and...where she lives or works."

"Is this person your rival in love?"

"Don't talk nonsense! Where did my boyfriend come from?"

"Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore. Let me ask for you, and I will answer your questions when I ask."

"Please, Liu Ling."

After hanging up the phone, Wu Leting lay down on the bed and let out a long breath.All she can do now is wait.If there is such a person as Qian Li, and if she can be contacted, then many things can be verified by her.

However, after waiting all night, Liu Ling did not call.Wu Leting couldn't help but feel disappointed - it seems that it is not so easy to inquire about a person.

The next day, when Wu Leting was taking care of Di Nong, she tried not to be so preoccupied.But until the afternoon, after taking a nap, Di Nong didn't wait for Liu Ling's call.Wu Leting thought dejectedly that there might be no hope for this matter.

Unexpectedly, after four o'clock, the phone rang suddenly.Wu Leting's heart was shocked, and she quickly took out her mobile phone—it was indeed Liu Ling's call!She was secretly happy in her heart, but on the surface she pretended to be calm, and said to Di Nong, "Old Di, I'll answer the phone at the door."

"Go ahead," said Dinon.

Wu Leting walked quickly to the end of the corridor and answered the phone: "Liu Ling, did you ask me?"

"I asked no less than ten people for you, and I finally found out." Liu Ling said in a tired tone.

"Great!"

"Don't be so happy. I didn't ask about her phone number, I only asked about her place of work-my senior sister only knows so much."

"It's okay, tell me, where does she work?"

"The third city hospital, I heard that she is a nurse in the obstetrics and gynecology department."

"That's enough, thank you, Liu Ling! Next time I'll treat you to that... Which one do you want to eat, what's its name?"

“Sultan Turkish Restaurant.”

"Yes. Let's go eat another day. That's it, hang up."

Putting down the phone, Wu Leting's spirits lifted.Sure enough, there is Qian Li, but I don't know if it's the Qian Li I'm looking for... But now that I know where she works, I can go find her.

After get off work today, I will go to the Third Hospital... Oh, and I have to make a phone call first to confirm whether she will go to work tonight.Yes, just do it.

Wu Leting made up her mind, turned around, and suddenly saw a person standing behind her, she screamed in fright, the hairs on her back stood on end.She took a closer look and saw that it was the dean.

"Ge... Dean Ge, why are you here?" Wu Leting said hesitantly.

"I'm going upstairs to take a look." The dean said with a sullen face, "Why aren't you in the ward?"

Wu Leting was very embarrassed: "I... came out to answer the phone."

"Do I need to go to the end of the corridor to answer the phone? Can't I answer it at the door?"

Wu Leting opened her mouth, speechless.

"Do you do this often?"

"No, only this time today." Wu Leting felt aggrieved.

"Who are you calling?"

"My college classmate."

"What are you talking about?"

Wu Leting raised her head and looked at the dean in surprise. "This is my private matter, Dean Ge."

There was a brief silence. "Since it's a private matter, don't gossiping during working hours, and you're so far away from the ward. Miss Wu Leting, you're leaving your post without authorization." The dean pointed out sternly.

God, I'm just a paramedic, not a prison guard.Wu Leting held back and didn't say anything.

"Okay, I hope this will not happen again in the future." The dean said, "Go back to the ward."

Wu Leting nodded and left quickly.

"Wait..." The dean suddenly stopped her.Wu Leting turned around.

"I think it's necessary to remind you. Miss Wu Leting, you haven't forgotten what's in the contract, have you?" the dean stared at her and said.

He... guessed the content of my call?Wu Leting was secretly surprised.No, it's impossible - she quickly thought back - none of what I said on the phone just now would reveal what I wanted to do... Thinking of this, she became more confident, and responded: "Yes, Dean Ge, I haven't forgotten."

"That's good. You know, if you break the contract, you have to pay 10 times your salary as liquidated damages-I hope you keep this in mind."

"I understand. Is there anything else, Dean Ge?"

"No, you go."

Wu Leting walked to the ward, pushed the door in, and closed the door.

Dean Ge stared blankly at the direction of Wu Leting's departure, thoughtful.

fourteen
After get off work in the afternoon, on the way down the mountain, Wu Leting dialed 114 and found the number of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of the Third City Hospital.She called immediately.

"Hello, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Hospital." The other party answered the phone.A woman's voice.

"Hello, I'm a friend of Nurse Qian Li." Wu Leting lied, "I want to ask, is she going to work tonight?"

"Let me see..." The other party seemed to be looking up the list. "Well, she's on duty tonight."

Very good! "Okay, thanks!" She hung up the phone.

On the road, Wu Leting hailed a taxi and went straight to the Third Hospital without even thinking about dinner.

Sitting in the car, Wu Leting imagined how to talk about this matter with Qian Li.Just to confirm that she took care of Dinon in the first place - or to talk to her in depth to find out more?Of course, the more detailed the better.But—Wu Leting was a little worried—this way, the fact that she was taking care of Di Nong might be exposed.If the dean finds out...

Forget it, it depends on the situation.Don't think so much anymore.

When they arrived at the Third Hospital, Wu Leting asked about the building where the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department was located at the consultation desk in the lobby.She took the elevator to the obstetrics and gynecology inpatient department.As a graduate of medical university, she knows very well that nurses are generally not in outpatient clinics, but are much more likely to be in inpatient departments.

The inpatient department of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department is full of expectant mothers.Wu Leting initially estimated that there would be no less than 100 wards here.It seems impossible to find them next to each other.She came to the nurse's station to ask.

"Qian Li? She is mainly in charge of wards 702-705." An old nurse told Wu Leting.He asked again, "What are you looking for her for?"

"I'm a friend of hers, come and see her."

"Do you want me to call her for you?"

"Can you? Thank you very much."

The old nurse grabbed the phone on the table and dialed a series of numbers.After connecting, she said: "Qian Li, are you free now?... Very busy? Then come to the nurse's station after you are done. One of your friends came to see you...well, girl. She is Here..."

The old nurse looked at Wu Leting. "She asked what your name was."

Oops.Wu Leting's heart skipped a beat.I lied about being her friend, but she didn't expect her to ask my name.Up until now, she could only bite the bullet and reply, "My name is...Wu Leting."

The old nurse told Qian Li this name.Sure enough, she quickly looked at Wu Leting suspiciously and said, "Qian Li said she didn't know you."

"I'm a friend of a friend of hers." Wu Leting said awkwardly, "I have something to do with her, so I'll hold her up for a while."

The old nurse conveyed Wu Leting's words.This time she hung up the phone and said, "Qian Li, please wait for a while, she will come over when she finishes her work."

"Hey, okay." Wu Leting breathed a sigh of relief.She sat on a row of chairs in the corridor and waited.Now her stomach is growling a little, but she doesn't know when Qian Li will come, so she has to hold back and dare not go out to eat.

While waiting, Wu Leting kept paying attention to every young nurse coming and going in the corridor, trying to recognize Qian Li through intuition.About four or ten minutes later, a beautiful female nurse came from the left aisle.Wu Leting's eyes lit up - big eyes, round face - similar to Di Nong's description.Could it be her?
The female nurse walked to the nurse's station and asked the old nurse who called just now: "Sister Yuan, is the person who called for me still there?"

It's really her!Wu Leting felt excited.Before the old nurse could answer, she stood up from the chair.Walking up to Qian Li, she smiled and said, "Hello, is this Nurse Qian Li? My name is Wu Leting."

"Hello." Qian Li replied in a friendly manner, and she seemed to be a very easy-going person. "Are you looking for me?"

"Well... I found out about your workplace through a friend of mine in the health school. I want to delay your time and ask something."

"What's the matter, you can ask." Qian Li said generously.

Wu Leting looked around and said, "Can we find a quiet place to talk?"

Qian Li thought about it for a while. "Okay. But I'm really busy—there are a lot of pregnant women having babies at this time. Can't wait too long."

"I know, just a few minutes, not too long."

"Well then, let's talk on the terrace."

Qian Li took Wu Leting to a wide terrace next to the corridor.This is a place for patients to take a walk, but now because it is dinner time, there is no one there.They walked to the flower bed, and Qian Li faced Wu Leting. "Can we talk now?"

"En." Wu Leting nodded. "That's right, I want to confirm one thing to you."

"what's up?"

"You went to medical school before, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"About ten years ago, you were on a summer vacation before graduating from the medical school—have you ever worked in the 'Renai Hospice Hospital'?"

Qian Li was taken aback for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Yes, there is such a thing."

Wu Leting suppressed her excitement. "So, were you responsible for taking care of a special old man called Dinon?"

"Ah..." Qian Li exclaimed, "You... how do you know?"

"Why are you so surprised?" Wu Leting stared into Qian Li's eyes, "Shouldn't someone know about this?"

Qian Li suddenly became embarrassed, she avoided Wu Leting's gaze. "I... don't know what to say. This matter is a..."

"It's a secret." Wu Leting told it for her. "Is it right?"

Qian Li opened her mouth wide in surprise. "You... who the hell are you? How do you know everything?"

"Don't worry, I don't mean any harm. I just want to understand what happened in the first place."

"Sorry, I'm afraid it's not convenient for me to tell you about this."

"I understand." Wu Leting nodded, "Because you signed a contract at the beginning, it stipulates that this matter must be kept confidential, right?"

Qian Li was already stunned in shock. "My God, you really know everything!"

"Yes, I know. So you don't need to hide it from me. Besides, it's been so long, even if you breach the contract, you don't have to pay 10 times your salary as liquidated damages."

"You have read this contract." Qian Li said with wide eyes.

"You can say that." Wu Leting nodded.

After a moment of silence, Qian Li asked, "What exactly do you want to do when you ask me about this matter?"

"Nothing. I just want to know why you went to work there in the first place; what is your job content; and, some details about how you got along with the old man Dinon—that's all, can you tell me?"

"Why should I tell you?"

"Just take it as a favor for me, okay? This matter is very important to me." Wu Leting said sincerely.

Qian Li and her looked at each other for a moment. "Well. It's been ten years since this event, but I'm still impressed. I have rarely encountered such special and fortunate events in my life."

"Lucky?"

"Isn't it?" Qian Li looked up at the night sky and recalled, "I was only 16 years old. Before the summer vacation came, I saw a revelation from the school bulletin board to recruit summer nurses. I wanted to train myself , also wanted to earn some pocket money, so I applied for the job, and I didn’t expect to succeed in a short time.”

"I was very happy to be able to apply for the job. But what surprised me even more was that the director of the hospice hospital offered to give me a high salary. At that time, I was just a student—a naive little girl .Even if I was only given three or four hundred yuan a month, I would be very satisfied. However, I actually got a salary that was unimaginable——400 yuan per month! A summer vacation is 2000 yuan! Did you know that At that time, my parents’ monthly salary was not so high!”

Wu Leting nodded, expressing her understanding - the same feeling I had at that time.she thought to herself.

After Qian Li opened the chatterbox, it seemed that she couldn't close it: "Of course, the price of getting a high salary is to sign a contract that looks a little weird-you already know the content. However, in my opinion, the contract The terms stipulated in the above are really too easy to fulfill—isn’t it just confidentiality? What’s so difficult about it? Besides, the job content is very simple, just need to take care of an old man—this kind of good thing doesn’t happen often .”

Wu Leting realized that the next part was the key point. "How do you take care of old Di?"

Qian Li recalled: "It's very easy and relaxed. I remember, I just fed him, wiped his body and so on. Then, I just chatted with him."

Wu Leting cleverly reminded: "Why do you feed him? Can't he eat by himself?"

Qian Li thought for a while, and said "ah" in a low voice: "I remembered, his hands were fixed on both sides of the hospital bed, and he couldn't move freely. The reason seems to be... because he has mental problems."

All right.Wu Leting took a deep breath to further confirm. "That dean told you, didn't he?"

"Yes, he told me."

"Then what do you think? Do you think Mr. Di has mental problems?"

Qian Li replied almost without thinking: "To be honest, I really don't feel that he has mental problems. He is very amiable, and his speech and behavior are quite normal. Except... sometimes he will say some weird things."

"What did he tell you?"

"It's actually about telling me stories. He is very good at telling stories, and he often fascinates me."

"Do you remember the content of those stories?"

Qian Li shook her head. "I can't remember clearly, it's been too long. But I have a vague impression-those stories are quite magical and unbelievable."

"Like a story about Da Vinci?"

Qian Li was stunned for a moment, then nodded again and again: "Yes, he told the story about Da Vinci...God, how do you know this? Who are you from Old Di?"

Wu Leting didn't know how to answer.She changed the topic: "I also know that you shared the little secret of his short cabinet. And, you quietly wrote the pinyin letters of your name on the bottom of the cabinet with a ballpoint pen."

"Ah... oh!" Qian Li put her hands on her cheeks, her face flushed slightly.Her expression now is very complicated - moved, surprised, and a little embarrassed. "God, this is incredible. I almost forgot about it! Yes, I did. I wanted to poke fun at whoever later found out about the secret of the cabinet. But I didn't expect anyone to know that it represented me name……"

Suddenly, she realized something and asked Wu Leting: "Are you the one who discovered the secret of the cabinet?"

Wu Leting hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"How did you find out?" Qian Li asked, suddenly seeming to think of the answer. "Are you Di Lao's granddaughter?"

"Didn't Mr. Di tell you? He doesn't even have any children. Where's the granddaughter?"

"What's going on?" Qian Li just asked, and guessed another possibility. "Before Mr. Di died, did he give you this cabinet?"

Until now, Wu Leting couldn't bear it anymore.She stared into Qian Li's eyes and said, "If I told you that Di Lao didn't die at all and is still alive and well, would you believe me?"

Qian Li opened her eyes wide, stared at Wu Leting for half a minute, then shook her head and said, "No, it's impossible. He was terminally ill at the time, it seems..."

"leukemia."

"Yes, and it's incurable. That's why he's in the hospice. There's no way he's... alive now."

Wu Leting has no intention of continuing to talk about this matter, what she wants to prove is very clear.She smiled at Qian Li: "Thank you, Nurse Qian Li, that's all I want to know. I won't disturb your work. Thank you very much, goodbye."

After speaking, Wu Leting walked towards the corridor.Qian Li stood there in a daze, staring at her back in a daze.

Walking out of the Third Hospital, Wu Leting walked slowly on the street.With so many thoughts in her mind now, she even forgot the hunger in her belly.She had to clear all the doubts and confusions in her mind.

So far, one thing is for sure—Dinon said he lived in the hospice for 13 years, and that's true!He didn't lie to me, let alone talk crazy.On the contrary, the person who lied was Dean Ge!He knew very well how long Dinon lived here, and cheated every girl who came to take care of Dinon.Let them all think that Dinon died of illness not long after they left.

The question now is - why did Dean Ge do this?He fixed Dinon's hands, and every once in a while, he found different people to "take care" of him—in fact, he might be monitoring him—so what is the purpose of controlling Dinon with such deliberate efforts?Could this be a conspiracy?

And, oddly, there was another thing—why didn't Dinon take offense to this?By the way, he said that he had done a wrong thing before.For this reason, he is willing to use his life to atone for his sin.What is this "wrong thing"?Is it related to Dean Ge?

Suddenly, Wu Leting suddenly remembered one thing Dean Ge told her when she applied for the job on the first day——

If this old man dies suddenly one day, or you have a premonition that he is going to die, you must tell me as soon as possible.

Ah——Wu Leting was startled, and a thought popped up in her mind—could it be that the purpose of the dean to "raise" Dinong is to wait for him to die?

But what happens when Dinon dies—suppose he dies?
At this time, Wu Leting thought of the confusing and unbelievable stories that Di Nong told her—the truth about the Blue Diamond of Hope; Darwin's unknown secret; the "message" left by Da Vinci— — God, if it's true that he said he spent 13 years in a hospice, are these things true?
A series of unknowable questions intertwined and circled in her mind, making Wu Leting feel deeply confused.What made her even more perplexed was that now that she had been involved in this matter, should she get out of it as soon as possible, or stay and find out more about it?
A breeze caressed Wu Leting's cheeks, as if blowing away some of her troubles and confusion, and made her sober up a lot.

How could I just leave like this?There must be a big secret behind this incident.Now that I have come into contact with this matter, I should use this opportunity to find out the truth.

Without solving this mystery, I will never feel at ease for the rest of my life.

fifteen
"...the height of the Great Pyramid is approximately equivalent to a 40-story building, and it is built from 2 million rectangular limestone blocks, each weighing about 3 tons on average. Layers of polished limestone panels make the pyramid sparkle in the sunlight and can be seen from far away. Napoleon once described it as a shining diamond on the distant horizon. It is said that it could be seen from Palestine at that time To it. Its side walls form an angle of 2.5 degrees with the ground, and the bottom surface is an almost perfect square plane. Its architectural data is extremely accurate, and it can be said to be "unprecedented and unprecedented" in world architecture. Even if modern lasers are used Orientation method, and it is impossible to build an architectural work comparable to it in terms of size orientation. About the orientation method of its bottom square and horizontal plane, it is still a mystery..."

A popular science program called "The Great Pyramid of the World Miracle" was playing on TV.Wu Leting accompanied Di Nong to watch.She glanced at Dinon sitting on the bed from time to time, and found that he was staring intently, obviously in great interest.

Wu Leting picked up the apple and fruit knife on the table, and asked in a low voice, "Old Man Di, do you want an apple?"

"Don't talk." Dinon quickly waved his hands, keeping his eyes on the TV screen.

Wu Leting shrugged her shoulders and put down the knife and apple.She continued watching, feeling a little suspicious, wondering why the show had caught Dinon's attention so much.

"...a large number of slaves used animal power and rolling logs to transport the boulders to the construction site, and they piled up the natural sand around the site into an inclined plane, and pulled the boulders up the pyramid along the incline. In this way, one layer of slopes was built and one layer was built. Stone, gradually heighten the pyramid. It took a full 20 years to build the Pyramid of Khufu..."

Wu Leting noticed that when the construction process of the pyramid was introduced on TV, Dinon frowned and kept shaking his head.

The show continued.

"...the 'king's room' inside the Great Pyramid is located in the middle of the entire pyramid, like a heart. This is where the pharaoh's sarcophagus is parked. When you visit the Great Pyramid, you must go to the king's room. Here, you can feel the world The shock brought by the largest mausoleum in the world..."

Seeing this, Dinon pulled the corners of his mouth and smiled, which seemed to have some ironic meaning.Wu Leting really couldn't read his mind.

After a few minutes, the show ended.Dinon said, "Turn off the TV."

Wu Leting turned off the TV with the remote control.After a while of silence, she asked, "Old Man Di, what were you laughing at?"

Di Nong smiled wryly while shaking his head: "Humanity's technology is already very advanced and developed, but the research on some ancient civilizations is still at the level of elementary school students-these popular science programs are basically like travel guides. The so-called" Knowledge' is really childish and absurd—it has nothing to do with the truth."

Wu Leting asked: "Which parts of this program are wrong?"

"Except for the introduction at the very beginning, the rest are almost unreliable."

"for example?"

"Like how the pyramids were built. The show said it was done with animal power and rolling logs—absolute nonsense. You know, rolling logs need the trunks of big trees to make them, and the Nile valley is sparsely treed. The most widely distributed on the banks of the Nile, Palm trees grow the most. However, it was impossible for the ancient Egyptians to cut down large areas of palm trees, and the soft palm trees could not be used as rolling logs. Moreover, the fruit of palm trees was an indispensable source of food for the Egyptians, and the leaves of palm trees were hot The only material that can shade the sun in the desert. How can such a precious tree be used to make logs?"

Wu Leting thought about it, and thought what Di Nong said made sense.She asked, "Then how were the pyramids built if it wasn't done this way?"

Dinon blinked. "What do you think?"

Wu Leting thought seriously for a few minutes and said, "I really can't figure it out."

Di Nong said with a smile: "Actually, this method is not difficult. You know reinforced concrete, right?"

"Ah... I know. But reinforced concrete is a technology invented in modern times. How could the ancient Egyptians master this technology 4500 years ago?"

"I'm just using an analogy. The ancient Egyptians didn't use reinforced concrete, but they used a similar mixture."

"What did they mix it with?"

Dinon smiled mysteriously. "This technology has been lost now. In fact, it was also a secret in Egypt at that time. No one knew about it except the craftsmen who built the pyramid. However, these craftsmen were executed after the construction was completed. Just to keep the secret from leaking out."

Wu Leting showed a puzzled look: "Why should this technology be kept secret?"

"Because this is a technology that humans should not have mastered at that time. If it is leaked out, many secrets will be exposed."

Wu Leting stared blankly at Di Nong—this mysterious tone came again.

"However, the technology of reinforced concrete has been invented now, so there is no need to keep this technology secret." Dinon continued, as if he was the master of this technology. "Let me tell you, this mixture is formed by mixing some rough raw materials and plant extracts in specific proportions."

"Plant extract?" Wu Leting felt very fresh. "What plant?"

"Several kinds of plants unique to Egypt." Dinon introduced in detail, "lime magma, kaolin, sand and Egyptian alkali salt decomposed by water... Stir these materials together with plant extracts to form a fluid The mixture. This concrete-like mixture, which is easily transported in barrels and poured into wooden molds, can be made into a specific structure and shape, and the walls of the pyramids are built from this mixture."

Wu Leting listened fascinated.Di Nong's detailed and specific explanation makes it difficult for people to think that this is a made-up.It sounds like this was the most likely way, if not the only way, the ancients could have built.

"Then...Old Di. You said this is a technology that humans should not master, so how did the ancient Egyptians know?" Wu Leting asked.

"It was apparently provided to them by someone 'special' for a special purpose."

"Special person?" Wu Leting forced a smile. "It's not an alien, is it?"

Dinon shook his head. "How could aliens know that the plant extracts on the earth have this kind of use? Humans who have lived on the earth for so long don't know."

"Then this 'special person' refers to?"

Dinon remained silent.After a while, he opened his mouth and said, "I can't tell you this for now."

"Okay." Wu Leting didn't force it. "Then what is the special purpose you mentioned?"

"It is the purpose of building the pyramid."

"Aren't the pyramids the tombs of the pharaohs?"

Dinon shook his head and said, "This is the biggest misunderstanding of the pyramids."

Wu Leting asked in amazement: "Could it be...you mean that the pharaoh didn't build the pyramid with the intention of using it as a mausoleum?"

Dinon smiled. "You know Qin Shihuang, right?"

"Of course I know." Wu Leting didn't understand why the topic suddenly went to ancient China.

"After Qin Shihuang destroyed the six kingdoms and became the first founding emperor of the Qin Dynasty that completed the unification of China, what is his greatest wish?"

Wu Leting thought for a while: "The country is stable?"

"It's certainly his wish, but it's not the biggest wish."

Wu Leting recalled the legend that Qin Shihuang ordered Xu Fu to go east to search for the elixir. "I see," she said. "His greatest wish was to live forever."

"Yes." Dinon affirmed. "For any monarch who holds great power and is admired, there is nothing more tempting than immortality. Not only Qin Shihuang, but kings and emperors all over the world are dreaming the same dream."

"So, the Egyptian Pharaoh built the pyramids for this purpose?" Wu Leting felt incredible. "But, how could the pyramids make people live forever?"

Dinon looked at her and said, "Do you know 'pyramids can'?"

"Ah, I've heard of it." Wu Leting recalled, "I saw an introduction about the power of pyramids in a popular science magazine before. It seems to be about a pyramid-shaped structure, which will produce an invisible, Special energy."

"Well. This is no longer a secret. Researchers from various countries have concluded that pyramid energy can dehydrate and dry meat, fruits, milk, etc. without decay; it can also keep precious metals in their original state for a long time. The original metallic luster. What’s even more amazing is that this energy can enhance the vitality of human cells and tissues, improve the body’s own immune function, and delay the aging process—a little exaggeration is that it can make people rejuvenate.”

"Is this really possible?" Wu Leting frowned.

"What do you think?" Dinon asked back.

"I think it's obviously impossible. Otherwise, wouldn't humans have found a way to live forever?"

Dinon smiled and said, "Your logic is very correct."

"So saying that the pyramids are actually exaggerated by scholars? Pharaoh's desire to achieve immortality through the pyramids has also failed just like Qin Shihuang." Wu Leting said.

Dinon was silent for a moment, and said: "Well, let me tell you the whole story from the beginning to the end, and you will know the secret of the pyramid."

"Great." Wu Leting said expectantly.

"Pharaoh is the general term for the kings of ancient Egypt. I'm going to talk about the most famous Egyptian pharaoh—Pharaoh Khufu." Dinon began to talk. "The ancient Egypt during his reign was powerful and centralized. This made Khufu one of the most powerful pharaohs in Egypt. Of course, he was also an out-and-out dictator. In many ways, he It has a lot in common with Qin Shihuang."

Wu Leting nodded, listening very carefully.

"As mentioned earlier, Khufu, like Yingzheng, has the greatest wish of immortality. For this reason, he has worked hard and tried to find various ways and methods, but the result is always counterproductive. Until one day, he heard rumors that a person appeared in Cairo. 'God-man'. This man seems to be omniscient and omniscient. Moreover, he also uses various unheard of methods to treat people and teach people some advanced techniques."

"Khufu's intuition told him that this 'man of God' might be able to help him realize his wish of immortality. So, he ordered this man to be 'invited' into the palace—in fact, he was taken into the palace by force."

"This person is the 'special person' you mentioned earlier." Wu Leting guessed.

"Yes. Khufu met this 'man of god' in secret. He was very cunning, and he didn't go straight to the point at first, but asked many questions in various aspects, hoping to get answers. The 'man of god' didn't know that Khufu was He was testing himself and told the answers to all the questions honestly—this made Khufu firmly believe that he is indeed 'omniscient'. At this time, he asked the 'man of gods' about the law of immortality. And hinted that People, if he can't help him realize his wish, he will be imprisoned for life, or even killed."

"It's like coercing that person."

"That's it. Therefore, considering the safety of himself and his family, the 'man of God' had to compromise. He told Khufu that there is a way to achieve immortality. But for this, it is necessary to build a huge building that consumes a lot of manpower and material resources objects. The name of this building is 'Pyramid'."

"Khufu heard of this strange name for the first time. When he saw the pyramid structure diagram drawn by the 'man of God', he was even more shocked. But at the same time, he also doubted that only such a building could really realize Immortal?"

"The 'God Man' told Khufu that the unique shape of the pyramid can absorb electromagnetic waves, the earth's magnetic field, and mysterious cosmic energy. Various energies gather inside the pyramid, interact with each other, and finally form a wonderful 'pyramid' Energy'. This energy can make people stay young forever and live forever!"

"However, the 'God Man' also pointed out an important point-although all pyramid-shaped buildings can produce pyramid energy, the effects are far from each other. For example, small pyramids may only store some food and delay it. It’s nothing more than corrupt time. In today’s words—it can be used as a refrigerator. If you want to make people immortal, only a huge pyramid built according to a certain proportion and size will do!”

Wu Leting was dumbfounded. "This pyramid is the later Khufu Pyramid!"

Dinon nodded slightly. "Listen to the end of this matter. After listening to the explanation of the 'God Man', Khufu believed that this building called the pyramid can realize his wish of immortality. So he mobilized a large number of slaves and appointed the 'God Man' Man' is the prime minister and is responsible for building the pyramids."

"The method of construction, as I have said before, is to use some rough raw materials mixed with plant extracts to make huge stones-this is undoubtedly a method only known by this 'man of God'. With this technique, In less than 10 years, more than 90 large and small pyramids have been built. Of course, there are three pyramids that are the largest, namely the Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafre and the Pyramid of Menkaura. His sons, grandsons. And the biggest one is the Pyramid of Khufu."

"There are more than 90 pyramids in different sizes?" Wu Leting asked puzzledly, "Why do you build so many? Isn't it only the pyramids with specific proportions and sizes that can achieve immortality?"

"That's right," Dinon said, "but Khufu is a very cunning person. He knew that the only thing he really needed was the Great Pyramid. But in order to deceive others, he declared that the construction of the Pyramid was to serve as the Pharaoh of the past dynasties. Therefore, except for one or two close relatives, no one knows the real purpose of his construction of the pyramid-this secret is still unknown to this day."

"Why did Khufu keep it so strictly secret?"

"Because he is very selfish. But having said that, who is willing to share such things as immortality with the people of the world? In order to deceive people, Khufu, in addition to building multiple pyramids, moved the sarcophagi of the previous pharaohs In the repaired pyramid (because of the function of the pyramid, these corpses were later mummified), it can be said that the trick was performed at home. In this way, no one doubts the 'fact' that the pyramid is used as the tomb of the pharaoh."

Wu Leting sighed, "It's really a deliberate effort."

Dinon nodded. "So this also explains another problem. Archaeologists now believe that the earliest pyramids in Egypt were built before Pharaoh Khufu, because the corpses and coffins of his previous pharaohs had already appeared in the pyramids. But in fact , the reason is as just said - it was deliberately arranged by Khufu. The first person who advocated the construction of the pyramid was Khufu."

"So, after the pyramid is finished, what's next?" Wu Leting asked.

"The first thing Khufu did next was to bury all the slaves who participated in the construction of the pyramid alive—of course, to silence them. Maybe you will immediately think—what about that 'man of God'? What is his fate?"

"Yes." Wu Leting nodded repeatedly. "That's exactly what I wanted to ask."

"In order to verify whether the pyramid really has the power of immortality, Khufu took the 'man of God' to live in the 'king's room' of the Great Pyramid. He lived there for 30 days and personally felt the power of the pyramid. The miraculous effect brought to him. At this time, he had no doubt that the pyramid could make him immortal. At the same time, in these 30 days, he set out all the secrets of the pyramid through the conversation with the "man of God". Khufu consciousness The use value of the 'God Man' ends here. In order to monopolize this secret, he must kill it."

Wu Leting showed a worried expression, completely immersed in the story.

"Actually, the 'God Man' had anticipated this a long time ago. So, after leaving the pyramid, he made a request to Khufu."

"any request?"

"He said to Khufu—'Dear Pharaoh Khufu, my mission has been completed. Please, for my sake of helping you build the pyramid, grant me one request—cut off my head and discard the body The wilderness will do.'”

"Ah...then Hufu agreed?"

"Actually, Khufu thought of his meritorious deeds. He originally planned to execute him and bury him richly—that is, move him to a certain pyramid to make a mummy. But since the 'God Man' made such a request, he agreed So, Khufu asked the executioner to behead the 'man of God', and then ordered the body to be secretly thrown into a canyon."

Wu Leting sighed: "The final ending of this 'man of God' is so sad."

"Don't worry, I haven't finished yet." Dinon continued, "Things have changed dramatically. After executing the 'God Man', Khufu regretted it again. He recalled all these years, 'God Man' People' tried their best to help him build the pyramid; he knew that he was being used, but he had no regrets... Thinking of this, Khufu felt that he had killed a rare loyal minister by mistake. But the matter is now, and regret is useless. The only What can be done is to retrieve the body of the 'man of God' and bury him in the pyramid like a pharaoh."

"Actually, it was only less than a day before the execution of the 'God-man'. Therefore, Khufu immediately ordered people to go down to the canyon to retrieve the body of the 'God-man'. As a result, a strange thing happened—one of the people who went to find the body When the team returned, they only brought back the body of the 'God Man'. They told Khufu that the head of the 'God Man' was gone."

"Khufu was furious, thinking that these people were incapable of doing things-he didn't believe that the head would disappear in such a short time-even if it was eaten by a wild animal, the skull should be left. So he severely punished After killing these people, another group was sent to look for them. This time, the people who went there almost searched the canyon, but they still couldn't find the head—or the skull. They went back and reported. There is nothing left to do but accept this fact.”

"Khufu ordered people to mummify the body of the 'God-man', put it in a sarcophagus, and place it in a pyramid. Thousands of years later, archaeologists discovered a headless mummy in a pyramid, which is this' gods'."

"The disappearing head..." Wu Leting frowned deeply, and muttered, "I seem to have heard this part somewhere..."

Di Nong watched Wu Leting silently.

After 1 minute, Wu Leting suddenly raised her head and said, "Ah, I remembered! In the story you told me about the Hope Blue Diamond, the head of Louis XVI disappeared shortly after he was executed!"

Dinon nodded slightly.

Wu Leting asked, "Old Man Di, why do these two stories have similar plots?"

"Because that's the way it is," said Dinon.

"Is there any connection between these two stories...?"

Di Nong pondered for a while, and said, "Actually, it's not just these two stories, I'm connected to all the stories you tell."

Wu Leting asked in a daze, "What connection?"

"I'm the one who tells the story."

Wu Leting frowned, thinking that this answer seemed to be a joke.

Di Nong laughed: "Okay, don't worry about it. I told you, you don't need to delve into these things, just listen to them as stories."

"...Okay." Wu Leting pouted. "The story about Pharaoh Khufu and the pyramids, is it over?"

"Of course it's not over. I haven't talked about the main point yet. Don't you care whether Hufu has achieved his goal?"

"Of course I care!" Wu Leting concentrated her attention. "Go on, please."

"As I said just now, Khufu claimed that the pyramid was the tomb of the pharaoh in order to enjoy the law of immortality for himself. But the queen is the only one who really knows the inside story. Khufu's son Khafre and grandson Menkaura are both I don’t know—that is to say, among the three great pyramids, only the largest Khufu Pyramid has the function of “immortality”, and the other two—the Khafre Pyramid and the Menkaura Pyramid, can only be used as It's just a mausoleum."

"This is exactly Khufu's shrewdness. He knows very well that the more people who know the secret, the harder it is to keep it secret. Therefore, he doesn't even trust his own son and grandson. The reason why he let the queen know is probably to let the queen know. She's just accompanying him. In other words, he thinks that only he and his wife are eligible to enjoy 'immortality' in this world."

"What a terrible person." Wu Leting sighed.

"In order to enjoy and 'eternal life' in the pyramid. When Khufu was building the pyramid—especially the Great Pyramid, he ordered the craftsmen to carve exquisite and gorgeous reliefs inside it, and arranged the room he would live in in the future beautifully. And secretly stored a large amount of water and food (these foods will never spoil in the pyramid), enough for two people to eat and drink for thousands of years."

"When Khufu lived to be more than 50 years old, he thought the time had come. In order to cover up the truth, he asked the queen to announce his sudden death, and then found a substitute to deceive everyone. Everyone regarded the substitute as Pharaoh Khufu and made the corpse mummified and placed in the Great Pyramid."

"In fact, the real Khufu has already lived in a secret room of the pyramid. And the queen also announced that she would be buried with her - in fact, she took the opportunity to live in the pyramid. After Khufu 'died', his two sons Jed Fula and Khafre successively succeeded to the pharaoh - none of them knew the truth. Of course, it is even less likely that people in later generations will know."

Hearing this, Wu Leting asked suspiciously: "They live in a pyramid... Is there ventilation there? Is there enough air?"

Dinon laughed. "Obviously you lack knowledge of pyramids. Give me the pen and paper, and I'll draw a simple diagram for you."

Wu Leting took out the paper and pen from the purse and put them on Di Nong's right hand.

Di Nong drew a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the pyramid, and said to Wu Leting, "Look at it."

Wu Leting looked at the schematic diagram carefully and said, "I understand, the two ventilation shafts connecting the royal room and the passage below can circulate air."

"No, the passage to the inside of the pyramid is sealed, and the only two ventilation shafts that can circulate air-at that time, the pharaoh's tomb was not used as a sightseeing spot like it is now. After Khufu was 'buried', there was no one. People can enter it. Until modern archaeologists opened the door of the pyramid again."

"What did those archaeologists discover after entering the Khufu Pyramid?" Wu Leting asked with great interest.

Dinon shrugged his shoulders: "Nothing was found, including Khufu's coffin, which was supposed to be in the king's chamber."

"How is this possible? The coffin should have been put into the pyramid at that time!"

Dinon said: "If you travel to Egypt and visit the Pyramid of Khufu, you will find that the passages and chambers inside this 'mausoleum' are like a maze. The schematic diagram I just drew for you is only currently explored. It’s just a small part of the interior of Khufu’s Pyramid. When the “man of God” designed the interior of the pyramid, he designed many hidden secret rooms and organs. This is because, after deceiving everyone, Khufu needed to make the king’s room The coffin moved to another 'hidden tomb' - don't forget, he and the queen will live here. The royal family is their main place of activity. It's unlucky to have a coffin in front of you all the time."

Wu Leting opened her mouth wide. "So, the coffin is actually in a secret room that the archaeologists haven't found. So, what about Khufu and the queen?"

Dinon raised his head, stared at the ceiling, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "It's been more than 4500 years, and they..."

"Dead already?"

Di Nong looked at Wu Leting. "I didn't say they were dead."

Wu Leting covered her mouth in surprise. "My God... are they still alive? Are they still living in a hidden chamber inside the pyramid?"

Di Nong sighed: "I don't know if they are still alive. I have never been to Egypt, let alone the Pyramid of Khufu. I don't know if they are really 'immortal'."

Speaking of this, Di Nong stared at Wu Leting. "Did you know? Except for Khufu and his queen, there is no third person in this world who has tried this kind of thing-whether the (Khufu) pyramid can make people live forever, even I am not sure. "

"You..." Who are you?who are you? ——Wu Leting and Di Nong looked at each other, wanted to ask this question, but found it difficult to speak.

There was a long silence.Dinon said in a relaxed tone: "However, I saw some interesting reports on TV and books, and I don't know if it's true—if it's true, maybe we can find out about the problem just now. Answer."

"What report?"

Di Nong looked into Wu Leting's eyes again. "It is said that many tourists who have visited the Pyramid of Khufu have heard strange sounds somewhere in the pyramid - it sounds like someone is whispering. They think it is the pharaoh's ghost, or a psychological effect - But actually, have you thought about it?"

Wu Leting was tongue-tied and her eyes widened in horror.

sixteen
It was Monday again, and Dr. Ling Di came to Di Nong's ward on time at ten o'clock in the morning to do a routine physical examination for the old man.After it was over, when he was packing up the medical equipment, he turned his back to Di Nong and said to Wu Leting in a low voice: "Come out for a while, I want to tell you something."

Wu Leting looked at him and nodded.

After Ling Di walked out of the ward, Wu Leting said to Di Nong on the bed, "Mr. Di, I'll go out for a while."

Di Nong seemed to be getting used to it—almost every time after Ling Di came, Wu Leting would go out and talk to the doctor for a while.He nodded.

Wu Leting and Ling Di walked to the end of the corridor.Wu Leting remembered the last time Dean Ge saw her go out of the room to answer the phone.She said to Ling Di: "What's the matter, Doctor Ling? I can only come out for a while."

"I know. It won't delay you for too long." Ling Di said while holding the medical kit, "I feel a little strange about Dinon's physical condition."

"what happened?"

"You know, Dinon's medical records say he has chronic myelogenous leukemia, and it's in an advanced stage of incurable disease. I didn't pay much attention to it at first, but now that I figure it out, I come in for his physical every week. It's been almost two months. I'm starting to see... something's not right."

Having said this, Ling Di stopped, frowning deeply.

"What's wrong? Go ahead, Doctor Ling." Wu Leting asked eagerly.

Ling Di pursed his lips. "Maybe you don't know much about this disease, but I know it better. Patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia generally have anemia. But Dinon's face is rosy, and there is no sign of anemia; in addition, Patients with this disease tend to bleed easily, such as nosebleeds, bleeding gums, etc.—for so long, have you ever seen him bleed?"

Wu Leting shook her head. "Not once."

"Then did he show fatigue, dizziness, or shortness of breath?"

"No, he is in good spirits and can often chat with me for an hour or two."

"I think so. I can see he's in good spirits. And if he's had any of these before, you'd have told me."

"Yes, Doctor Ling, what do you think this means?"

"Very strange...don't you think? His medical records say he has chronic myelogenous leukemia, but he shows no symptoms of the disease--other than the occasional night sweat, which is more in line. But, Night sweats are not a symptom of chronic myelogenous leukemia patients, many elderly people have night sweats - this does not explain the problem."

Wu Leting stared into Ling Di's eyes, and asked again: "Doctor Ling, what do you think these circumstances indicate?"

"I wondered, could he have been misdiagnosed? Maybe he didn't have CML at all."

Wu Leting looked at Ling Di, opened her lips a little, then closed them again.

Ling Di saw that Wu Leting hesitated to speak."Do you know something?" he asked.

Wu Leting shook her head slightly. "I'm just guessing..."

"Guess what?"

Wu Leting hesitated, and said, "I doubt he was misdiagnosed. That medical record may have been forged."

Ling Di was taken aback. "You mean, someone did it on purpose?"

"Please keep your voice down, Doctor Ling." Wu Leting said anxiously, "I don't have evidence, I'm just guessing."

"But there must be a source for this guess—based on what you've learned about Dinon in the past two months, right?"

"Maybe..." Wu Leting said, "Actually, I told you a long time ago that Mr. Di—including what happened to him—may not be as simple as we imagined." I think so, and after hearing more of his story, I'm almost convinced of it."

"What stories did he tell you?"

"Some stories about famous people in history. Perhaps it is indeed like what you said, Mr. Di prefers to chat with me. He told me many wonderful stories--Darwin, Da Vinci, the Pyramid of Khufu... Although these The protagonist of the story is different, but I always have a feeling, as if he is talking about what he has experienced, it is really..."

Speaking of this, Wu Leting seemed to realize something suddenly, and stopped.

"What's the matter, Miss Wu Leting?"

Wu Leting lowered her eyes. "I... shouldn't have told you so much."

Ling Di nodded and said, "I understand. But, Miss Wu Leting, you should have already guessed it."

Wu Leting looked at him. "Guess what?"

Ling Di put his face close to her and said in a low voice, "I signed that special contract just like you."

Wu Leting stared at Ling Di with wide eyes.Indeed, she had already thought of it.Now Ling Di has put it through.

"So, the two of us are actually 'alliance comrades-in-arms'—maybe we should keep it secret from the outside world, but there is absolutely no need for us to hold anything back." Ling Di said in a low voice, "Just like I told you that Dinon's condition is not right. This is also a 'breach of contract'. But I believe you will not tell others. Just like you told me, of course I will not say it."

Wu Leting was stunned for a while, then said, "You mean, we can communicate in private?"

"Exactly. Anyway, I am very willing. You know, I can only tell you about this, otherwise it will be really uncomfortable in my heart. I don't know what you think?"

This sentence resonated with Wu Leting. In fact, she had long wanted to find someone to confide in and talk to, but due to the terms of the contract, she could only keep many words in her heart. It was really a painful thing.Now Ling Di's proposal like this is exactly what she wants. "Okay, Dr. Ling. I would also like to communicate with you privately."

Ling Di nodded. "Then let's stop talking here. I know you can't leave the ward for too long, and this is not the place to talk."

"Ah."

"Can you tell me your cell phone number?"

Wu Leting told Ling Di a series of numbers.Ling Di took out his mobile phone and immediately called Wu Leting.

After Wu Leting's cell phone rang, Ling Di hung up the phone. "Save my mobile phone number, if you need anything, just call me."

"Okay, Doctor Ling."

"Then I'll go down." Ling Di nodded at Wu Leting and walked downstairs.

A person hiding at the bottom of the stairs quickly retracted and walked back to his office quickly.

After closing the door, Dean Ge walked slowly to the desk.With a gloomy expression and deep frown, he picked up a pencil on the table, turned it slightly, and then snapped the pencil into two pieces.

Seventeen
The next morning, when Wu Leting came to work, she passed by the fourth floor.She found the dean standing at the stairs, as if waiting for her specially.

"Miss Wu Leting, please come here." After Dean Ge said this to her, he turned and entered the dean's office.

Wu Leting's heart skipped a beat, with a bad premonition.She bit the bullet and walked into the office.

Dean Ge was already sitting behind the desk. When he saw Wu Leting come in, he took out a stack of money from the desk drawer and placed it on the desk. "This is the salary for this month, 8000 yuan, you can count it."

Wu Leting's heart sank. She guessed what it meant, but she still said, "Dean, it's only the 23rd of this month, and it's not time to pay wages yet."

Dean Ge folded his hands and propped his chin, showing an incomprehensible smile. "You know what I mean, Miss Wu Leting."

"You want to fire me?"

Dean Ge stood up, walked up to Wu Leting, and shook his head. "No, it's not that you're fired. It's that your current job will soon cease to exist. So—sorry, I don't need to hire you again."

Wu Leting was stunned. "Dean, I don't understand what you mean."

Dean Ge said, "Well, it's your job to take care of Mr. Dinong, right? But he's going to be transferred in a few days—to another hospice. So, you understand? "

"Transfer?" Wu Leting asked in surprise, "Why?"

"Because the hospice is larger and equipped with psychiatrists, it is obviously more suitable for old Di than ours."

"Then... what does Old Man Di mean?"

"He has a mental illness. Originally, his family members should be consulted on such matters. But you know, he has no family members, so our hospital decided for him."

Wu Leting said anxiously: "Principal, Mr. Di... is not mentally ill—I... think. And, anyway, this kind of thing should follow his own ideas, right?"

"How do you know he doesn't want to?"

"Based on what I know about him, I know he will definitely not be willing." Wu Leting said affirmatively.

"However, it is our duty to provide him with a better environment and services." The dean said righteously.

"But, Dean..."

"Okay, stop talking." The dean stretched out his palm, signaling her to shut up. "Miss Wu Leting, this is our hospital's decision. To put it bluntly, you have no right to participate in opinions."

Wu Leting opened her mouth, speechless.

Dean Ge's tone softened a bit at this moment: "Actually, you have done a good job in the past two months. You come to and leave work on time every day, and you have never been late or left early once. Moreover, Mr. Di likes you very much—— Over the past few months, you may have had some feelings for Mr. Di. However, what I want to remind you is that Mr. Di is a dying patient, and it is impossible for him to live here for too long. Sooner or later, you will still face parting."

Wu Leting looked into the dean's eyes, trying to find traces of lying in them.But she couldn't see anything.

Dean Ge handed the money on the table to Wu Leting. "Take it, Miss Wu Leting. Your first job is a success."

Wu Leting took the money silently, and asked, "When will Mr. Di be transferred?"

"The car from that hospital will pick him up tomorrow."

"So, I won't use it tomorrow?"

"Yes, today is your last day working here. When you leave in the afternoon, say goodbye to Mr. Di."

Wu Leting nodded, turned and left with a depressed expression.

"By the way, Miss Wu Leting." The dean stopped her. "There is one thing to remind you-the confidentiality clauses in the contract you signed are not only for the working period-even if you don't work here, you still have to abide by the provisions of the contract. Otherwise, I will You can be sued for breach of contract."

Wu Leting said flatly: "I see." She left the dean's office.

Wu Leting walked up to the fifth floor with heavy steps.She couldn't explain why she was so lost and melancholy.Just because of losing this job?Obviously not.Perhaps it is true as the dean said, in the past two months, I have been with this old man every day, and I have developed some feelings.Thinking of Dinong telling stories to himself like a grandfather to his granddaughter, thinking of his kind face and gentle smile—to Wu Leting, a girl raised by her grandparents, this old man is as kind as a grandfather—however, After today, maybe I will never see him again...

Throughout the morning, Wu Leting tried not to let herself appear listless and unhappy.But in the afternoon, when Wu Leting got off work, Di Nong still saw something.He asked, "what's the matter with you today, you look very preoccupied."

Wu Leting asked: "Old Man Di, don't you know?"

"what do you know?"

Wu Leting was very surprised. "You really don't know?!"

"what are you talking about?"

"This morning, the dean told me that you will be transferred to another hospital tomorrow. Hasn't he told you yet?"

Dinon looked a little shocked, but immediately, he lowered his eyes and said sadly: "It's not surprising. He has told this kind of lie for countless times - every girl who took care of me might have been taken away by this lie .Tomorrow, a new girl will apply for the job, and she will take care of me."

Wu Leting was stunned for a moment, and suddenly realized: "So it's like this... I understand."

Di Nong was surprised by Wu Leting's reaction: "You believe what I say, but not the dean?"

Wu Leting looked at the old man and said, "Of course, I believe in you, Old Man Di."

"Trust me I've lived here for 13 years?"

"Yes."

"Believe I'm not mentally ill?"

"Yes."

Wu Leting answered without hesitation.Dinon and her stared at each other for a full minute.

"Heh..." The old man laughed and shook his head slightly. "You're a special girl. None of the girls used to really believe me. They all thought I was an old madman."

"Old Di, why did the dean let me go so soon?"

Dinon sighed, "Probably because—he sees that you're different from those other girls. You believe me—that's the last thing he wants."

Wu Leting couldn't help asking: "What is the relationship between you and the dean? Why does he keep doing this to you?"

Di Nong lamented again: "It's a long story. Forget it, I don't want to talk about it..."

Wu Leting couldn't force it.But Dinon said to himself after a while, "But I can tell you a secret—"

Wu Leting stared at Di Nong.

"The dean kept me 'raised' here in order to ask for one of my things."

Just as Wu Leting was about to speak, Dinong said, "Don't ask me what it is, I don't want to scare you."

Wu Leting had no choice but to keep her mouth shut.Then she remembered something in the secret compartment of the low cabinet, the little wooden box. "Don't touch it" - that's what Dinon said at the time.

Could it be that what the dean wanted was in that little box?
Seeing Wu Leting in a daze, Di Nong said: "I'm sorry, that's all I can tell you. There are some things that you don't know. It's good for you, or me—"

Perhaps.Wu Leting comforted herself in her heart.She adjusted her mood and said, "Old Man Di, I won't be coming tomorrow. Is there anything you want me to do for you on this last day?"

"Thank you, girl." Dinon nodded gratefully. "What you can help me is to find a good job and live a good life. Forget about me and the stories I told you."

Wu Leting felt a little moved and sad.She tried to hold back the tears. "So, Old Man Di, can you promise me a request?"

"What request, child?"

"Can you tell me one more story?"

Dinon smiled, "Of course. What story do you want to hear?"

"A story about yourself." Wu Leting stared at him. "is it okay?"

Dinon was silent for a long time, and sighed on his back: "Okay. After so many years, you are the only one who let me recall and tell this story again - after listening to this sad story, you will know why I am willing to spend my life Come to atone."

I did a wrong thing when I was young, which made me regret for the rest of my life - Wu Leting remembered what Di Nong once said.Obviously, what he was going to talk about next was this matter.She watched Dinon intently.

"25 years ago, I was teaching in a university." Di Nong said in a slow and sad tone, "At that time, a girl from the history department often came to ask me questions, and I was very willing to study and discuss with her. As time passed, our relationship became better and better, from teachers and students to friends. Finally, we fell in love with each other."

Wu Leting listened intently.

"It's nothing new for a young university teacher to fall in love with a student. I started an open relationship with her and got everyone's approval and blessing. This girl is beautiful, generous and lovely. I love her deeply. Can Say, I never loved a woman so deeply except Mary..."

"Who? Who are you talking about?" Wu Leting asked in amazement, "'Mary' means..."

Dinon shook his head, as if he was deep in memory just now, and accidentally said something that shouldn't be said. "Ah, it's nothing, we'd better not drag the topic too far..."

He quickly brushed it off, and then continued: "Of course, that girl also loves me deeply. During her last semester of university, we had made a private decision for life, and planned to get married as soon as she graduated. Actually At that time, we were already living together. And..." He paused. "The girl is pregnant with my child."

Wu Leting stared at Di Nong intently.

"Originally, everything should go on in a logical way - get married, have children, and then live happily as a family. Unfortunately, something unexpected happened..." Di Nong said sadly, "Just as we are planning a better life in the future At that time, the ruthless reality brutally destroyed all of this."

"At that time, the girl - actually my fiancée - spent a lot of time studying because she was preparing for graduation exams. But I found a lump on the right side of my stomach, and the appearance of Intermittent fever, fatigue, loss of appetite and other symptoms. I felt a little bad. I went to the hospital alone for an examination. The doctor told me that I unfortunately suffered from advanced liver cancer-this was impossible according to the medical technology at that time. Healed. I may only have a year to live, at most."

"For me, who was looking forward to a happy life, this news is undoubtedly a bolt from the blue. What is even more cruel is, what should my fiancée and future children do? I thought about it and felt that I should not implicate them. My wife became a widow, and I couldn’t let the newborn child have no father. But I also know the character and behavior of my fiancée—she will never leave me because of my terminal illness...After careful consideration, I made a decision A painful decision."

"I kept it from her and didn't mention anything about my terminal illness. At the same time, my attitude towards her changed 180 degrees. I pretended to be indifferent to her, got angry with her for no reason, and even had frequent sex with another woman on purpose. The contacts made her think that I had changed my mind—everything I did was to hope that she would give up on me completely, and then forget about me and start a new life."

"There is no doubt that these actions of mine hurt her deeply. She didn't believe it was true at first, that I would betray her and abandon her. But my drama became more and more real. I also said coldly Telling her I'm tired of her and telling her to kill the baby and stop messing with my 'new girlfriend' - my heart bleeds when I tell her! But I I think it's for her own good."

"In the end, she was heartbroken and completely convinced that I had abandoned her. She didn't even take her graduation exams, so she returned to her hometown. I endured the pain—both physically and mentally— —I never contacted her again, but I miss and bless her every day. And I went to another place, silently waiting for death.”

Dinon stopped here.He looked sad, with tears in his eyes.And Wu Leting stared at him without saying a word, and asked, "What happened next?"

Dinon let out a long sigh. "I was wrong. What happened later made me regret it too much. I thought that after returning to her hometown, after a period of spiritual healing, she would regain her strength and start a new life. However, I underestimated her love for me. Love, I didn't expect that she would..."

Dinon lowered his head in pain, and tears finally flowed down. "A few months later, before I was dead myself, I heard the sad news about her—she... threw herself into the river."

"Where is the child in her belly?"

"Of course, with her..."

The old man in his 60s finally couldn't bear it when he said this, sobbing and crying bitterly.All these years later, it still pains him to recall the incident.When he looked up, he saw that Wu Leting was also full of tears.He said: "Now you know what this wrong thing that I regret for life is. You also understand why I am willing to 'redeem' here."

However, what Di Nong did not expect was Wu Leting's reaction at this time.She stared into Dinon's eyes, and said in a tone she had never heard before, "I want to ask you two questions."

Dinon looked at her.

"First, didn't you say that you had liver cancer and could only live for about a year? Why are you still alive now?"

Di Nong felt a little surprised - Wu Leting had never been so rude to him for a long time.He thought for a moment, then replied in a deep voice: "I did have liver cancer at the time, and I died a year and three months later."

Wu Leting and him stared at each other for a full minute.

"So, what are you in front of me right now?"

Dinon lowered his head in thought, and said, "This is a secret, I can't tell you."

"Then, the second question—what's the name of the girl you just mentioned?"

Di Nong resolutely shook his head and said: "I don't want to mention her name again. Miss Wu Leting, you seem a little strange today. I told you that if I don't want to say something, you can't force me..."

"Is her name Wang Jingqiu?"

Di Nong opened his mouth wide, and his eyes suddenly widened.He asked in astonishment, "How...how would you know?"

Tears welled up in Wu Leting's eyes again, and she covered her mouth. "That girl's name... is really Wang Jingqiu?"

"Yes, yes, Jingqiu...Jingqiu! It's been so many years, and I haven't forgotten her for a moment!" Di Nong became excited. "Tell me, why do you know her name?!"

Wu Leting stood up from the chair slowly, looked at Di Nong, tears could not stop falling down. "I can also tell you that she didn't kill the child back then, nor did she commit suicide with the child...Before that, she gave birth to the premature child and gave it to her parents to raise..." Her voice He was getting more and more choked up, and could barely speak clearly. "Two old people who are heartbroken, brought up this girl who was born without parents. This girl, after her grandmother's surname 'Wu'... Do you want me to continue?"

"My God... my God..." Dinon's eyes widened in shock, his body trembled violently, and his head shook in disbelief. "This can't be true...you, it's mine..."

"I don't believe it's true either." Wu Leting cried, "Grandma told me that my father, whom I have never met, is a big bastard!"

"Your grandma is right, he is a big bastard." Di Nong burst into tears. "His stupid idea back then killed your mother...and made you an orphan. Oh, my daughter..." Dinon opened his immobilized hands tremblingly towards Wu Leting.Wu Leting couldn't bear it anymore, she threw herself into Dinong's arms, wept bitterly, and beat the old man's shoulder with one hand. "Why are you so stupid? You not only killed my mother, but also caused my grandpa and grandma to misunderstand you for a lifetime! They still don't know the hidden truth of that incident until now!"

Dinon closed his eyes and wept silently. "Then don't tell them. It's been so long, don't touch the wounds in their hearts. It doesn't matter if they misunderstand me, as long as they have a good granddaughter like you and can live happily with you... ..."

Wu Leting wiped away her tears and looked at Di Nong: "Now tell me, what happened to all this? Didn't you die of liver cancer back then? Why are you alive now? Also...why do you live here? You What do the stories you tell me mean?"

Facing this series of questions, Dinon opened his mouth, not knowing where to start.He said slowly: "Yes, I should tell you... For so many years, I have hidden in my heart, about my secret, I have never told anyone. Because after experiencing many things, I feel that everyone They cannot be trusted—but, Le Ting, you are my daughter, and I can trust you!"

Wu Leting sat down on the chair next to the bed again, waiting for Dinon to tell her the secret.But at this time, the door of the ward was pushed open.Dean Ge stood at the door.

"Miss Wu Leting, aren't you planning to leave work today? It's already a quarter past six." Dean Ge reminded.

Wu Leting took out her mobile phone and checked, sure enough.What happened before made her completely forget everything, unknowingly, it was past get off work time, and she didn't realize it either.

"Well... Dean, I won't be coming tomorrow, so I want to spend more time with Old Man Di."

Dean Ge frowned. "There should be a limit to farewell." He looked at his watch. "I'll give you another 5 minutes. Mrs. Mai will be delivering dinner soon."

"Okay, I see, Dean."

Dean Ge looked at Wu Leting, then at Di Nong on the hospital bed, closed the door without saying a word, and left.

After the dean left, Wu Leting immediately looked at Di Nong. "What to do? I only have 5 minutes. I have no reason to come here again tomorrow."

Di Nong beckoned to Wu Leting, beckoning her to come closer.He whispered: "Le Ting, I originally planned to tell you all the secrets, but now it looks like I don't have time. Besides, I don't know if the dean overheard our conversation just now. No matter what How, he must be suspicious. In this way, he may really transfer me to a place that you never think of tomorrow, and we will never have a chance to meet again. "

Wu Leting asked anxiously: "Then what should I do?"

Di Nong frowned, thought for a moment, then raised his head to look at Wu Leting. "Do you believe I'm your father?"

"I believe it." Wu Leting said with certainty.

"That's good. I dare not entrust anyone with this matter, but my own daughter is worth entrusting." Di Nong looked at Wu Leting thoughtfully. "Maybe you come to this hospital to work and take care of me—all of this is an arrangement of fate in the dark. God has mercy on me and arranged for my own daughter to help me." After sighing, he suddenly looked serious. "Le Ting, I want you to do me a favor."

"What are you busy with?"

"Listen, if you believe me. Next, do as I tell you." Dinon glanced at the fruit knife on the low cabinet, and said in a low voice, "Use that knife to fix my hands. The ring is cut."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't have time to explain. Hurry up, Leting! Mrs. Mai is coming soon!"

Wu Leting did not dare to neglect, and did as Di Nong said.

"Okay." Now Dinon's hands can move freely, but he still maintains the fixed appearance before - obviously to create an illusion that he is still imprisoned. "Now, listen to me carefully."

Wu Leting leaned her head closer.

"After you leave for a while, pretend to leave this hospice. Then quietly find a place to hide, so that no one can find you. At 09:30, the staff on duty here will no longer come to my ward, then... ..."

"You want me to come quietly to your ward at night?"

"Correct."

"What am I doing here?"

"Listen, here's the main point." Dinon said in a serious tone that he had never seen before. "You came to my ward at 09:30 to get something. It will be in a dark In the leather bag." He grabbed Wu Leting's hand and opened his eyes wide, "You have to remember——when the time comes, you don't turn on the light in the ward, take this leather bag and leave, don't worry about anything else. Besides, no matter you Don’t be afraid of what you see! Remember, Le Ting, this is very important! By the way, after you get the things, you can’t go through the main entrance. There are security guards there—there is a low wall behind this building, and it’s easy to get in. If you can turn it out, you can go out from there, and then go down the mountain immediately!"

Although she hasn't actually done it yet, what Di Nong said has already made Wu Leting's back feel numb.She asked tremblingly, "What do you want me to take? What should I do after I get it?"

"Of course you'll know when the time comes." Denon whispered, "As for this thing, destroy it as soon as you get it! Burn it or bury it—it doesn't matter, as long as it makes you feel better." This thing just disappears from the world!"

Wu Leting nodded in amazement.

At this time, the door of the ward was pushed open, and Mrs. Mai came in with dinner.Seeing Wu Leting, she was a little surprised and said, "Hey, you haven't left yet?"

"I... I'm leaving now." Wu Leting stood up.

Mrs. Mai walked over with a smile and said, "You go, I'll just feed Mr. Di today."

"That troubles you, Mrs. Mai."

Wu Leting picked up her purse and walked to the door.She and Dinon looked at each other again, and Dinon reminded her of the secret plan discussed just now.Wu Leting nodded slightly towards him, and walked out of the ward.

Eighteen
After Wu Leting went downstairs, she went to the dean's office to say goodbye to Dean Ge, and pretended to leave the hospital.Then, following Dinon's instructions, she searched for a place to hide in the building.

The Ladies' Restroom - Without a doubt, this is one of the safest hiding places.At least it is absolutely impossible for Dean Ge to come here.Wu Leting entered the women's restroom on the second floor, hid in the innermost single room, and locked the door.She sat on the toilet lid, took out her phone, set the ringer to vibrate, and checked the time—it was six forty, and it was nearly three hours before 09:30.

It was the first time in Wu Leting's life that she had to spend so long in the toilet.Still, it gave her enough time to think and sort out what was going on.

This is really incredible.I came to work in this hospice to take care of a special old man. This old man is obviously not an ordinary person. He hides a big secret-and the most amazing thing is that I didn't find out until the last day that he turned out to be... The father I never met!God, is there anything more shocking in this world than this?
Perhaps, as Di Lao...or what my father said, all of this is predestined and arranged by God.But what is the purpose of God's arrangement?To do my father a favor as a daughter of mine; or to let me unravel some great secret?Next, what kind of weird situation will I encounter?
By the way, Wu Leting suddenly thought of it - today, Old Di said a word: The dean has been 'raising' me here in order to ask for one of my things.

She opened her mouth, and suddenly realized that what Elder Di told her to go to the ward at night must be the thing that the dean has been waiting for for many years and is very eager to get!
What could it be?Wu Leting secretly guessed - Di Lao specially reminded me, no matter what I see, don't be afraid... Could it be that this thing is very scary?
She couldn't help shivering.She didn't dare to think about it anymore - she was hiding in the single room of the toilet by herself, and the more she thought about it, the more she became afraid.Besides, it was already past seven o'clock, and she was already hungry. It was only because the current environment suppressed her appetite that her stomach was not so uncomfortable.

Wu Leting closed her eyes, thinking to herself—maybe all the answers to the mystery, when I get that thing tonight, Elder Di will tell me...

Waiting tediously, even closing her eyes for a nap, and then using her mobile phone to pass the time—finally, she waited for that moment.

It is nine twenty now.

As this moment approached, Wu Leting became more and more nervous.She stood up from the toilet, rubbing her tingling legs, getting ready for what was to come.

At 09:30, Wu Leting walked out of the women's restroom.At this time, there was no one in the corridor. As Di Lao said, the duty personnel downstairs had already rested in the duty room.No one will be patrolling the building now.

Wu Leting walked up the stairs to the fifth floor, trying not to make a sound of footsteps.

Dim blue-and-white streetlights lit the corridor on the fifth floor.Wu Leting walked slowly to the door of Di Nong's room.

She took a deep breath and gently opened the door.

The ward was pitch black, and Wu Leting tried hard to adapt her eyes to the darkness.She remembered what Dinon had said—don't turn on the lights in the room.

After about half a minute, some moonlight from outside the window came in, and Wu Leting could basically see the outline.She groped and walked towards the hospital bed, and she could vaguely see Dinon lying on the bed covered with a quilt, and above the quilt—that is, the position of Dinon's chest—was the dark leather bag that he had agreed upon before.

Strange...why isn't this purse placed beside him, why is it pressing on his body?Wu Leting walked over suspiciously, hesitating whether to wake up Dinong.However, at this moment, she found that the white quilt covered Dinon's head—no, the quilt above did not seem to be white...

Wu Leting stretched out her hand slowly, and touched the quilt covering Dinon's head, her body trembled like an electric shock.

It feels wet and greasy, and it seems to be red...could it be—blood?

Her mind started buzzing.She lifted the leather bag on Dinon's body, forgetting what Dinon had reminded before, don't worry about anything, just take the bag and leave.

Her right hand involuntarily lifted the quilt.

When her eyes came into contact with the scene under the quilt, the blood in her whole body froze into ice in an instant, and a red curtain appeared in front of her eyes.Her eyes widened beyond measure, and the whole world began to swirl before her eyes.

Omg... OMG!Hidden under the quilt is a headless corpse!And judging from the clothes, this is undoubtedly Dinon!
Wu Leting trembled all over, and the leather bag in her hand slipped to the ground.She covered her mouth in horror, trying her best not to scream out, only letting the tears flow down.This is really terrible!She had never experienced such a horrible thing in her life, and she was completely scared out of her wits.

After a while, trembling, she lifted the quilt a little further, and she saw that Dinon had gloves on both hands, and in his two hands, he was holding a thin silver thread.That's... piano wire! ?God, where did he get the piano wire? ——The locked wooden box suddenly appeared in Wu Leting's mind—could it be...

Did he cut off his head with piano wire?So... this head is now...

Wu Leting stared in amazement at the bulging leather bag on the ground - there was clearly a round thing in it.

Wu Leting felt that she was going to be unable to hold on anymore, the huge shock and shock almost made her faint.She had to support the edge of the bed with her hands to keep her body from falling.With her confused mind, she really couldn't judge what was going on in the current situation.Could it be that the most important thing that Dinon wants me to take away is his head! ?

Louis XVI... and the "man of God" who built the pyramid for Pharaoh Khufu—Wu Leting suddenly remembered some plots in the story Dinon once told—their heads also mysteriously disappeared for some reason. Disappeared.

Could it be... this head is the key?Dinon's secret is hidden in his head?

I can't hesitate anymore, I have to leave as soon as possible.Wu Leting supported her body and stood up. She glanced at the dark leather bag on the ground, as frightened as she saw a cobra on the grass.But she had no choice—this was Dinong, and it was also something her father entrusted her to take away, no matter how scared she was, she had no choice but to take it away!
Wu Leting summoned up her courage and picked up the leather bag.She walked to the door, with tears in her eyes, looked at Dinong on the hospital bed for the last time, opened the door, and left.

Wu Leting carefully carried the purse and went downstairs.According to Di Nong's instructions, she didn't go through the main entrance, but quietly walked around to the back of the building.After searching carefully, she found it, and there was a low wall!She moved a stone under her feet, flipped out easily, and then rushed down the mountain along the mountain road.

Wu Leting was extremely nervous, her heart was beating wildly.She felt like a murderer on the run.The key is that the purse in her hand does contain a dead man's head!Although she didn't open it to see it, she was sure of it.And it was past ten o'clock in the evening, anyone walking alone on the mountain road with a bag was obviously very suspicious.Under such circumstances, if you encounter a policeman who asks to check the contents of the bag, you will not be able to clean it up by jumping into the Yellow River!

Thinking of this, she became even more nervous.Inadvertently, she tripped over a rock under her feet, Wu Leting staggered and fell to the ground.The leather bag in his hand was thrown out.Enduring the pain, she got up and hurriedly picked up the bag. She was shocked to see that a head rolled out of the bag in front of her—it was Dinon's head, lying on the ground at the moment, staring at herself with her eyes open. !

The hairs all over Wu Leting's body stood on end, feeling terrified.She approached in fear, closed her eyes, held up the head with trembling hands, then quickly stuffed it into the purse and zipped it up.Through the moonlight, she saw that the leather bag was stained with bright red blood - she didn't know if it was there from the beginning, or it was just put on when the head fell out.She frantically took out the tissue and wiped the purse carefully.After completely wiping the purse and the blood on her hands, she carried the purse and continued on her way.

Thank God, I finally came down from the dark mountain.When she came to the road with street lights, Wu Leting felt a little more at ease. She told herself that she must stay calm and never show timidity.As long as she doesn't look flustered, no one will think about what is in this bag.

After standing on the side of the road and waiting for about 10 minutes, a taxi drove over.Wu Leting hurried to catch the car.After getting in the car, she pretended to calmly tell the driver the destination.After a few 10 minutes, she returned to the place where she rented the house.

Open the door, enter the house, and lock the door.Wu Leting's tense nerves finally relaxed.She put the purse on the shoe cabinet in the hallway, and immediately collapsed on the sofa.The night was just too weird and crazy.It was like going through a nightmare.

Now, Wu Leting could smell the faint smell of blood on her hands, which was obviously left by the paper towels that hadn't been wiped off thoroughly before.Wu Leting secretly sighed in her heart, fortunately, she is a medical student, so she is somewhat adaptable to corpses and bloody things.If an ordinary girl encountered such a thing, she might not be frightened faintly, but would also be frightened stupidly - it is impossible to go home with this bag.

While taking a bath in the bathroom, Wu Leting washed her body carefully.At the same time, he was thinking about what to do next.

Before her, there are two choices:

First, according to what Dinon said before, get rid of this "thing" - that is, Dinon's head.According to himself, burn it, bury it—whatever it takes, as long as the thing disappears from the world.

If this is done, it will naturally conform to Dinon's wish, or last wish.But the secret of Dinon, and all that is mysterious about him, can never be clarified.

The second option is to notify Dean as soon as possible after Dinon's death, as agreed with Dean Ge.

Now, Wu Leting is almost sure that Dean Ge must know Di Nong's secret.And obviously, the thing he wanted was Dinon's head!Then, if I hand over this head to him, I can naturally obtain Dinon's secrets on this condition... But wouldn't this be against Dinon's wishes?
Just when Wu Leting was in a dilemma, she suddenly thought of something - Dean Ge will go to the ward tomorrow morning and see the shocking scene, he will definitely guess - Dinong's head will not disappear out of thin air, The greatest possibility is in my hands!

Thinking of this, Wu Leting felt uneasy.Standing under the bubbling, steaming shower, she was still chilled.She was thinking anxiously—what would Dean Ge do?Will he call the police?If he charged me to the police with murder or the theft of a body, I would never have been able to tell!Dinon is dead, no one knows or believes that he himself ordered me to do this!

Wu Leting raised her head, closed her eyes, and let the thin stream of water wash over her from head to toe.Trying to figure out the best solution as quickly as possible.

A few minutes later, she made a decision - tomorrow morning, I will call Dean Ge to test his attitude, and then act accordingly.

Having made up her mind, she turned off the shower, dried her hair and body with a towel, and walked out of the bathroom in her nightgown.

Lying on the bed, Wu Leting believed that she could fall asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.Today, I have really experienced too many things.At this moment, she was so exhausted that she didn't want to think about anything, she just wanted to fall asleep immediately.

At the same time that she turned on the bedside lamp, Wu Leting fell asleep.Sleep soundly.

At night, Wu Leting had a nightmare.In her dream, she saw that Dinon was sitting on the hospital bed, wrapped the piano wire around his neck with both hands, and pulled it hard-the head rolled off the neck and fell into the open leather bag in front of him.And Dinon, who was gushing blood from his neck, did not die immediately. He fell asleep slowly, grabbed the quilt with both hands, and covered his body...

Wu Leting woke up screaming, sweating profusely.Recalling what he saw in the dream, maybe it was the real scene when Dinon died.She was cold, frightened and sad, sobbing under the covers.

Nineteen
In the early morning of the next day, Wu Leting was awakened by the rapid ringtone of her mobile phone.

For a moment, she lost all sleepiness and immediately realized who made the call.When I looked at the caller ID, it was as it should be—Dean Ge.

Wu Leting's heart skipped a beat, the time displayed on the phone was [-]:[-] in the morning——

Dean Ge went to the hospital so early?He had gone to Dinon's room to see it?Did he guess something was going to happen?

Wu Leting answered the phone nervously.

"Hello, Wu Leting?" Dean Ge's anxious voice came from the other end of the phone. "Where are you!?"

"What's the matter, Dean Ge?" Wu Leting asked tentatively.

There was a sigh on the other end of the phone, followed by Dean Ge's impatient voice. "Okay, Wu Leting, stop pretending. I already know what's going on. I should have guessed it a long time ago! I heard the two of you whispering in the room yesterday, so I should have thought what you were discussing! I returned last night After I got home, I have been restless and always have an ominous premonition. I went to Di Nong's room early this morning to check, and it really happened! Well, now I don't blame you, Wu Leting. I just I hope you hand over that 'thing' to me immediately!"

Wu Leting held her phone, her lips tightened as she listened to the dean's words.She hesitated for a moment, and decided to open the skylight to him. "Okay, Dean Ge, I won't hide it from you. The 'thing' you want is indeed in my hands."

"Very good, very good! Wu Leting." His voice was extremely excited. "Tell me where you are now, and I'll come and get it right away."

"Why should I give it to you?" Wu Leting asked.

"That thing is useless to you, trust me, it is worthless to you!"

"Then what's the use of it?"

"You don't need to know this, Wu Leting—we have an appointment. If Dinon dies, you must inform me as soon as possible."

"Yes. But it didn't say that I must give you something. This thing was given to me by Di Lao."

"But he told you to destroy it, right?" Dean Ge became nervous. "You must not do this! You didn't do it!?"

"Not yet." Wu Leting realized that she had the initiative. "But if you don't have a good enough reason to convince me to keep it, I can only destroy it."

There was a moment of silence on the phone.Dean Ge's tone of voice suddenly became fierce. "Listen, Wu Leting, you are not qualified to bargain with me. You are very aware of your current situation. If I call the police, the situation will only be against you!"

Wu Leting guessed that Dean Ge was just threatening her.She said: "Okay, then you should call the police. If the police intervene in this matter, let me see if you can still get this 'thing'. And, to remind you, Dean Ge, I have evidence to prove that—you used Dinon was secretly imprisoned for 13 years with authority and methods. If you are not afraid of these things being exposed, just call the police.”

As soon as these words came out, Dean Ge's tone softened immediately.He actually begged: "Yes... I'm sorry, Wu Leting. It's my fault, I take back what I just said. I beg you, give it to me... It's almost twelve hours, no later If you do, I'm afraid it will be too late!"

Before Wu Leting could speak, he continued, "As long as you give me this item, I'll give you 100 million! Okay? Please!"

Wu Leting pursed her lips and thought for a moment, then said: "If you want me to give you this thing, just tell me, what's going on with all this? What's the use of this thing to you?"

There was another brief silence. "...Okay, I'll tell you, but I can't make it clear on the phone. Tell me your address, and I'll come and talk to you in person, okay?"

Wu Leting could tell that this was a tactic he used to delay the attack in an extremely urgent situation.She wondered if she should trust him.

Dean Ge said anxiously: "Tell me the address! I'll bring 100 million over here right away! Please!"

Wu Leting frowned deeply. After she pondered again, she said, "Well, I'll think about it. Then I'll contact you."

After finishing speaking, she hung up the phone without waiting for the dean to speak again, and then quickly turned off the phone.

Wu Leting let out a sigh of relief.She could imagine that Dean Ge must be very anxious now.

However, she did need to stop and think.

100 million, this is not a small temptation for anyone.But Wu Leting hasn't reached the point where she's so overwhelmed.She believed that Dean Ge said this number casually, just like promising to tell her the truth, just to trick herself into giving her address.If he really came here, he might snatch it up, or even do something even more terrifying...

Wu Leting has no doubts now that Dean Ge will do anything to get this "thing".

In addition, Wu Leting noticed that a piece of information was inadvertently revealed in what Dean Ge said just now.

It was almost twelve hours.

Looking at it now, the reason for his great anxiety was obviously that he wanted to use Dinon's head for something.And it's time-limited.

Wu Leting frowned.What on earth should I do?Do you want to take some measures?Or... on this matter, is there anyone who can help me out?
Suddenly, she thought of someone.

Lindy!

By the way, Dr. Ling Di and I are both people who signed that special contract, and we can be regarded as "alliance comrades in arms".We have made an appointment before, and we can communicate about this privately.

Wu Leting found Ling Di's number in the phone book.Before making the call, she hesitated again—this matter was too terrifying and bizarre, would Ling Di believe what I said?Would it be wise to tell him this?

After hesitating for a moment, Wu Leting thought that there was no other choice, Ling Di was the only one who was still involved in this matter, so she could only consult with him.

The phone got through.Wu Leting heard Ling Di's listless voice: "Hello, Wu Leting?"

"Yes, Dr. Ling, are you in the hospital now?"

He pondered for a moment. "No, I'm at home. I don't work at that hospital anymore."

"Huh? Why?"

"...I was fired."

Wu Leting cried out. "You were fired too? Was it yesterday?"

Ling Di seemed a little surprised. "What? Could it be...you were fired too?"

"Yes! But I didn't expect you to be like me."

Ling Di was silent for a moment. "It appears that the two of us who were connected to Dinon were fired on the same day."

Wu Leting is now very convinced that Ling Di is on the same side as her.She said urgently: "Doctor Ling, I was just about to tell you about Mr. Di. This incident is really...unbelievable. But I hope you can believe what I say and give me some advice .I really don't know what to do now!"

"Don't worry, speak slowly, what happened?"

Wu Leting shook her head slowly. "I'm afraid I can't make it clear on the phone. Can you come to me now?"

"Okay, where are you?"

Wu Leting told him her address.

"It will take 40 minutes at the fastest from my house to your place, if there is no traffic jam." Ling Di said, "I'll come here as soon as possible, okay?"

"Okay, thank you, Dr. Ling."

Wu Leting hung up the phone and let out a soft breath.She got out of bed, took a quick shower in the bathroom, and walked into the hall.The dark leather bag containing Dinon's head was in its place.Wu Leting thought about it, picked up the leather bag, and hid it under the bed.

After that, she went out and ate something casually at the breakfast shop downstairs.She calculated that Ling Di would still be here for a while, so she planned to go to a nearby hairdresser to have her hair washed.Whenever she feels tense, a gentle head massage always relaxes her a lot.

While washing her hair, an idea occurred to her.

twenty
At [-]:[-], Ling Di came to the place where Wu Leting lived.After entering, Ling Di closed the door.He had no time to visit Wu Leting's residence, and after sitting on the sofa, he asked, "Do you know why the dean fired both of us at the same time?"

"What else could it be? Of course it's Old Di." Wu Leting said.

"What happened to Old Di?"

"Dean Ge told me that Mr. Di is going to be transferred to another place, so there is no need to hire me to take care of him - isn't that what he told you?"

Ling Di shook his head in frustration. "The dean just said that my probationary period has passed, and he is not satisfied with me... But I think he is not telling the truth."

"Yes, it was a lie. What he told me was also a lie," Wu Leting said.

"Then what's the real situation?" Ling Di asked.

Wu Leting said: "Mr. Di said that he didn't know about the transfer. And, not only that, a lot of what the dean said before were lies. We were all kept in the dark by him."

"For example? What lies did he tell?"

Wu Leting stared at him: "We discussed it that day. It was later confirmed by me—in fact, Mr. Di didn't suffer from chronic myelogenous leukemia at all. He was secretly imprisoned here by the dean for 13 years! "

Ling Di opened his mouth wide, looking very surprised.

"So, do you understand? The two of us were dismissed not for any other reason, but because anyone who is responsible for taking care of Mr. Di can't stay there for too long, otherwise this matter will be ruined."

Ling Di was stunned for a long time, and asked, "Why did Dean Ge 'raise' Mr. Di there for so many years?"

"Because he wants something from Old Di." Wu Leting stared at him and said.

"What?" Ling Di asked suspiciously.

Wu Leting took a deep breath. "The next thing I'm going to tell you is about this 'thing'. Doctor Ling, these things happened yesterday. It sounds crazy. But I hope you can believe me. I swear, I'm not crazy. I said It's all true!"

Ling Di swallowed, as if mentally prepared. "Go ahead."

Wu Leting began to describe the terrible things that happened yesterday. "Old Di knew that the dean used lies to send me away. He also realized that he might never see me again, so he asked me to do something for him..."

Then, Wu Leting explained the whole process in detail, including the fact that the dean called her this morning.While listening, Ling Di screamed out several times.In the end, the whole person froze.

After a while, the pale Ling Di asked with staring eyes: "So, Old Man Di is dead, and his head..." He swallowed hard. "Is it here with you now?"

"Yes, this is the 'thing' Dean Ge wants."

Ling Di showed an unbelievable expression. "What does he want a dead man's head for?"

"I don't know either. Moreover, what makes me more confused is, what should I do now? Should I do as Mr. Di told me, or give this head to the dean? Dr. Ling, I need your advice and help."

Ling Di stared at Wu Leting for a moment, and said in a low voice: "I'm sorry, I really want to believe what you said, but...well, let me take your temperature, okay?"

Wu Leting turned her head to one side, and sighed irritably, "God, do you think I'm talking nonsense?"

Ling Di said in embarrassment: "Wu Leting, this kind of thing... If it were you, or anyone else, I'm afraid it would be hard for you to accept and believe it."

Wu Leting thought for a moment, then said, "Okay, I'll show you the evidence."

As she spoke, she walked to the bed, took out the dark leather bag from under the bed, and handed it to Ling Di. "Old Di's head is placed inside."

Ling Di hesitated for a few seconds, then took the purse.Wu Leting was surprised to find that the expression on his face changed just after he took the bag.

"Huh..." Ling Di let out a long breath. "I finally got it. Twelve hours have passed, and it will be too late."

Wu Leting felt a chill rising from the soles of her feet.This cold air is gradually freezing her body from bottom to top.She stared dumbfounded at the person in front of her, and slowly asked, "What did you say?"

Ling Di was a completely different person at this moment, he pulled the corner of his mouth and smiled.Suddenly, he turned his head and shouted at the door: "Okay, here's the thing, come in."

With a "bang", the door was pushed open.Dean Ge walked in with a blank expression while carrying a medical kit, then quickly turned around and locked the door that had been ajar before.When he saw the leather bag in Ling Di's hand, he immediately showed joy. "What's inside is 'that', right?!"

Ling Di nodded slightly.

Wu Leting's eyes almost burst open, she pointed at the two people with bloodless face, and tremblingly said: "You...are in the same group!"

"Sorry, Ms. Wu Leting, I didn't let you know until now that besides me, there is this kind-hearted Doctor Ling who has been deceiving you." Dean Ge sneered. "But you know too late."

With that said, he opened the medical box and took out a needle tube from it.He put the medical kit on the coffee table, and walked slowly towards Wu Leting. "Take it easy, it's not going to kill you, I just want you to sleep."

Wu Leting backed away in horror, but only a few steps back to the wall. "You...don't come here!"

"I didn't lie to you, really." Dean Ge made a "sincere" expression, and slowly approached Wu Leting. "I won't kill you, you sleep well, and you won't remember anything after you wake up."

"No!" Wu Leting grabbed a chair beside her and blocked it in front of her. "If you take one step closer, I will fight you hard!"

Dean Ge sighed, and said to Ling Di who was standing aside: "Come here and help me, this girl is not so honest."

Ling Di silently walked to the coffee table, put the leather bag on it, then took out another needle stopper from the medical box, and walked towards Wu Leting.

It's over.Wu Leting let out a desperate cry from the bottom of her heart.In any case, I am no match for two big men!
Seeing Dean Ge and Ling Di slowly approaching her one after the other, the fear and despair in Wu Leting's heart made her feel weak.Let alone wrestling with them, even the chair in his hand would be unsteady.

Dean Ge was less than one meter away from Wu Leting.That sharp needle was about to pierce her...

At this time, something unexpected happened to Wu Leting.The position of the artery on Dean Ge's neck was suddenly pierced by a needle.With a cry of surprise, he turned his head away and looked at Ling Di behind him in astonishment.Within five seconds, he collapsed, unconscious.

Wu Leting looked at the scene in front of her in astonishment, her brain was in a mess, she really didn't understand what was going on.At this moment, Ling Di had already thrown the completed needle aside, and said to Wu Leting: "Okay, don't be nervous, I won't hurt you."

Wu Leting was still holding on to the chair tightly, blocking in front of her, with a posture of guard.

Ling Di laughed, sat down on the sofa a few meters away, and said gently: "Wu Leting, please put down the chair and sit on it, and listen to me carefully, okay? Now, I will tell you everything exactly. you."

Wu Leting hesitated for a moment, then, as he said, sat on the chair for self-defense, staring closely at the man she couldn't understand.

Ling Di seemed particularly relaxed.He smiled and said, "You really don't have to be nervous. If I want to harm you, I've already done it just now. Why wait until now?"

Wu Leting didn't dare to take it lightly, she couldn't believe what this unpredictable man said.

Ling Di said: "I know what you're thinking now—what song is this man named Ling Di singing? At the beginning, I was a comrade-in-arms in the alliance; in a moment, he became an accomplice of the dean; and now The situation is even more confusing.”

He smiled again. "You will understand after listening to me."

Wu Leting's vocal cords can finally make a sound. "Go ahead."

Ling Di was silent for a few seconds, as if his mind traveled far away and returned to reality. "Have you heard of 'memory transplants'?"

Wu Leting looked at him suspiciously, frowning slightly.

"Let me explain to you." Ling Di said, "Scientists have actually discovered a fact a long time ago - the memory space in the human brain is actually very large. For example, suppose there is a person with an extraordinary memory He can memorize the Encyclopedia Britannica completely, and the 'memory hard drive' in his brain only uses less than 10% of the space."

Wu Leting didn't understand what Ling Di said had anything to do with what she had encountered.

"Listen to me patiently." Ling Di stretched out his fingers and gestured. "Scientists in many advanced countries are trying to perform memory transplantation with various techniques - surgery, memory chip transplantation, etc." Ling Di looked at Wu Leting. "Do you know why these scientists are so keen on this research? Because, if the memory of a dead person can be transplanted to another, it means that this person is 'reborn' in a special form ' is."

Wu Leting opened her mouth slightly.She understood a little bit.

Ling Di continued: "Unfortunately, scientists in our most advanced countries have not really found a safe and secure method to perform memory transplantation. Some scientists have even given up on this research, thinking that it is too difficult. but--"

Having said this, he became excited. "No one knows—or rather, the vast majority of people in this world don't know—that someone had mastered this great technology more than 1 years ago!"

Wu Leting stared at Ling Di in surprise, as if looking at someone she had never seen before.

"It's unbelievable, right. If I tell others what I said, it won't be surprising if they are questioned or ridiculed. But you—" Ling Di pointed at her and said, "Wu Leting, only you shouldn't doubt what I said. If so. Your experience in the past two months is the best proof!"

Wu Leting opened her eyes wide and said, "You mean, the stories Mr. Di told me are actually his own personal experience, because he..."

"Because he's an Atlantean. You never dreamed of that, did you?"

Wu Leting's breathing stopped. "You said... who is he?"

"You heard me right—the Atlanteans. Of course you know about Atlantis, but you never imagined that you would get along with an Atlantean for such a long time."

"The lost ancient continent... Atlantis, does it really exist?" Wu Leting was astonished.

"Of course it existed, there is no doubt about it." Ling Di said seriously, "Scientists have long found the remains of Atlantis at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean - underwater cities, temples, pyramids, and the mysterious subsea The civilization of Atlantis—isn’t that enough proof of its existence?”

Wu Leting's mind was spinning hard. "You said Di Lao was from Atlantis, but according to records, didn't the continent of Atlantis sink to the bottom of the sea more than 1 years ago?"

"Yes, this continent sank to the bottom of the sea. However, the Atlanteans were not completely extinct. A small number of lucky people survived."

"Even if this is the case, it is impossible for Di Lao to live for more than 1 years!"

Ling Di smiled and said, "Of course. Atlanteans are not immortal." He leaned forward and stared into Wu Leting's eyes. "However, they have found a special way to achieve 'immortality'."

"Memory transplant." Wu Leting understood.

"Yes! Atlantis has an advanced civilization that surpasses ours by several times. They have many great inventions and magical technologies. One of them is memory transplantation!"

"Is Di Lao one of the targets of the memory transplant?"

"Not one of them, but the only Atlantean who has received a memory transplant." Ling Di stared at Wu Leting. "Do you know why? Because he is an experimental subject."

Wu Leting's eyes widened. "Experimental subject?"

"That's right. Scholars in Atlantis have developed a method for memory transplantation. So, they selected a person as an experimental subject. However, what they experimented with was not just memory transplantation, but— —How many memory transplants can this person perform—that is, how long can a person 'live' through this method!"

Wu Leting was shocked and speechless for a long time.After quite a while, she finally said: "As a result...he has 'lived' for more than 1 years, until now?"

"Yes!" Ling Di became excited again. "I'm afraid this result is something that the scholars of Atlantis did not expect. The method they conceived has really achieved 'immortality' from a certain angle!"

Wu Leting thought for a moment and asked, "How does the memory transplant work?"

"This is the great thing about this technology! It can be done without complicated surgery, just a small prop!"

While talking, Ling Di carefully took out something from the inner bag of his jacket - it was a small prop like a syringe, but it was not transparent.Its front end is even more slender than the needle tube, and there are wonderful patterns painted on the whole body.At first glance, it was an extremely ancient and mysterious item.

"This is the tool for memory transplantation." Ling Di pinched the special "needle" with two fingers. "It's called the 'Memory Injector.'"

Wu Leting said: "You mean, this was invented by the Atlanteans more than 1 years ago? How could it be in your hands? Who are you?"

"The 'memory transplantation method' invented by the people of Atlantis is very simple. But the problem is that the memory transplantation can only be carried out after the death of the experimental subject. After his death, the 'Executor' helped him perform memory transplants."

"Are you the 'executor'?"

"To be precise, I am one of countless 'executors' over the past 1 years." Ling Di said proudly. "You can imagine—through memory transplantation, the experimental subject was reborn in different people again and again. It has been 'living' until now. But the executor obviously cannot live for so long. Therefore, each generation of executors will choose a 'Successor'. This successor will continue to wait by the experimental subject's side, and when the experimental subject dies, he will help him complete the memory transplant."

"This kind of thing... has been going on for more than 1 years?" Wu Leting's vocal cords were trembling.

"It's unbelievable, isn't it. It's truly a miracle. And, it's been a long, dramatic process."

Ling Di went on to say: "The original subjects and executors were all Atlanteans. But this experiment was only carried out once or twice, and a huge natural disaster fell on Atlantis. Just Like the legend, this continent sank to the bottom of the sea. Most of the Atlanteans died in the bottom of the sea along with their advanced civilization. However, a small number of people escaped using advanced escape equipment. Experimental subjects and The Executor is one of those lucky ones."

"In the following years, these surviving Atlanteans gradually merged with our current humans. The subjects of the 'rebirth' of the experimental subjects also became our current humans—and so did the executors."

Wu Leting remembered the stories Di Nong told her, and she understood. "This experimental subject has experienced countless 'rebirths', and some of the bodies he 'occupied' were once important figures in human history."

"That's right." Ling Di smiled lightly. "It's not just him. Many of the executors in the past are also famous figures in history."

In an instant, Wu Leting thought of many things - Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, Dr. McCormick, Wallace, Mona Lisa, the god who built the pyramid... She also remembered the "hope" on Dinon's chest. Blue Diamond"—God, are these people the subjects of this experimental subject's rebirth?And the one waiting by their side—such as Da Vinci—is one of the executors?

"I know what you're thinking." Looking at Wu Leting's expression, Ling Di guessed it. "That's right, the stories that Dinon told you are obviously not made up by him, and you now know what's going on."

There was a long silence.Wu Leting said: "This experimental body has been reborn to the present, it is Dinong. But, I am afraid that he does not really want to be an experimental subject? Otherwise, why would he ask me to take his head away and destroy it? Isn't this just wanting to be a test subject?" End it all?"

"That's right." Ling Di admitted, "This experimental subject was very willing to cooperate with this experiment at the beginning. But as the number of rebirths increases, after a few years, he may feel tired or tired. He expects To be able to die completely like an ordinary person, without waking up from another strange body again. That's why he made such a request to you."

"But you, the executor, cannot fulfill his wish. You must continue this experiment."

Ling Di stood up and walked in front of Wu Leting. "Let me ask you, if you are the entrusted executor, will you let this miracle that has existed for tens of thousands of years end in your own hands?"

Wu Leting opened her mouth, unable to speak.

Ling Di looked at the dean who was unconscious on the ground. "Perhaps you have guessed it, Dean Ge is the next rebirth target."

"Did you choose this?"

"No." Ling Di shook his head and said, "When Dean Ge was young, he was a student of Mr. Di, and he had a good relationship with Mr. Di. Like you, he has heard the stories told by Mr. Di. He is very smart and conscious. It is impossible for these stories to be made up, but Di Lao learned about them through some magical means."

"So he got the secret about 'memory transplantation' out of Old Di's mouth?"

"No, Dinon's trust in him has not yet reached this level. In fact, after 'living' for so long, it seems that he doesn't trust anyone anymore." Having said this, Ling Di looked at it with great interest. Wu Leting. "Except for you. He actually asked you to do such a favor, which shows how much he trusts you. This is really rare."

Wu Leting remained silent.After a while, he said, "Then how did Dean Ge know these secrets?"

"Can't you figure it out?" Ling Di said a little strangely, "Of course I told him."

"What's your purpose in doing this?"

Ling Di heaved a sigh of relief. "As the executor who hides beside Di Nong, I have been trying my best to complete my task - to choose a suitable rebirth object by his side. Dean Ge is the most suitable candidate for me over the years. He is also very willing .Because, once his memory and Dinon's memory are fused together, it means that he also becomes a part of 'eternal life'. So..."

"So he used this hospice hospital to secretly put Dinon under house arrest. And you are the real mastermind behind the scenes." Wu Leting said angrily, "For every new girl who comes to take care of Dinon—first by the hospital The chief told me that Dinon was mentally ill; then, in front of everyone, you pretended to be a new doctor, but you were actually spying on him.”

"That's right, that's what you said." Ling Di stared at Wu Leting, "But do you know why I did this?"

Wu Leting looked at him.

"I'm choosing the next 'executor'." Ling Di leaned down, leaned close to Wu Leting's face, and stared at her. "And I found it. It's you."

21
Wu Leting was astonished. "……what?"

Ling Di said: "I've been trying to choose an executor who can take over from among the girls who are in charge of taking care of Dinong. But unfortunately, those girls before were all mediocre. But you are different—through these two I have been in contact with you for months, and I found that you are a girl who is good at thinking and has the spirit of research. You are not like other girls who just treat the stories that Dinon told you as jokes or crazy things. You are not interested in unknown things. With a rigorous and persistent attitude, these are all in line with the conditions of a scientific researcher—that is, an executor.”

Wu Leting stared blankly at Ling Di, and suddenly remembered that he had praised herself like this before.

Seeing that Wu Leting was a little moved, Ling Di continued to persuade: "You have to know, not everyone has such an opportunity. Some famous great men and scientists in history have served as executors—for example, the Darius you know. Finch. Think about it, Wu Leting, one of the longest and greatest experiments in human history, and you are one of the participants-you and Da Vinci are conducting the same experiment-isn't this a great deal? Is it an honor?"

Wu Leting looked at Ling Di. "Is that why you told me all this, exactly and in detail?"

"Yes." Ling Di looked at her. "Well, tell me, would you like to?"

Wu Leting glanced at Dean Ge who was lying on the ground. "Then what should he do?"

"He is the target of rebirth. But he is different from what I thought. He didn't realize that you are a talent. So when he wanted to attack you just now, I stopped him."

"What did he want to do to me just now?"

"Makes you sleepy. Then makes you lose your memory completely."

"How can I lose my memory?"

Ling Di shook the memory pump in his hand. "Of course I use this."

"Can this thing still make people lose their memory?"

Ling Di said: "Let me tell you the principle. In fact, the memory transplant method invented by the Atlanteans is to use this needle-like prop to insert it into the head of the deceased—a certain part of the back of the head. in a special location—then extract a part of the brain containing the memory of that person, and inject the brain into another person's brain. This completes the memory transplant.”

"So simple?" Wu Leting was incredulous.

"Yes. The magic of Atlantis."

"If you take out that part of the brain of a living person, this person will lose their memory." Wu Leting speculated.

"Totally correct, you really have the talent of a scientific researcher."

Wu Leting continued to ask: "So, doesn't this experiment have to wait until the subject dies before it can be carried out? Then why did the dean wait for Dinon to die?"

Ling Di replied. "Because I have continued the principle that every generation of 'executors' has followed so far—memory transplantation can only be performed after the subject dies naturally, and cannot be artificially advanced. So the dean can only wait."

Wu Leting nodded thoughtfully.

"Okay, now I have answered all your questions. Can you tell me? Are you willing to be the 'executor' of the next generation?" Ling Di said, "If you agree, I can now Teach you how to perform a memory transplant."

Wu Leting lowered her eyes, pursed her lips and thought for a long time, then raised her head and said, "Okay, Doctor Ling, I am convinced by you. I am willing."

"Great." Ling Di said happily. "Then it's not too late, let's do it now."

Wu Leting said: "It's been 12 hours, is there still time?"

"No problem, it's not too late within 24 hours."

After finishing speaking, Ling Di walked slowly to the coffee table, then turned around and said to Wu Leting, "Come here."

Wu Leting came over and sat on the sofa, and unzipped the leather bag, the back of the head was facing outside.She said, "Just do it like this, okay? Don't take this head out, I'm... a little bit scared."

"You are a graduate of a medical university." Ling Di smiled. "Okay, that's it."

Ling Di sat next to Wu Leting and said, "I'll guide you how to pump the brain, and you do it."

Wu Leting seemed a little nervous: "I've never tried it before, so you just let me do it?"

"Trust me. You have to believe in the wisdom of the people of Atlantis. This method is really simple and easy to operate. Otherwise, why have so many generations of executors never made a mistake?"

Wu Leting nodded.Ling Di began to teach her: "Put your hand on the nape of this head's neck, have you found it?"

Wu Leting felt her head with her hands. "Okay, I found it."

"Yes, this is the place." Ling Di handed the memory pump to Wu Leting. "You insert it in the nape of your neck."

Wu Leting held the syringe and did not dare to do it. "From which angle do you insert it?"

"Any angle is fine."

Wu Leting frowned. "Is this okay?"

"I said it, trust me."

Wu Leting carefully tried to insert the long and thin needle into the back of the neck.

"Okay," Ling Di further instructed, "Now, you move the syringe slowly, up, down, left, and right, just like looking for something in the brain with a needle."

"Why do you want to do this?" Wu Leting asked.

Ling Di explained to her. "Do you know? The fundamental difference between this memory injector and ordinary syringes is that the needle inserted into it has the function of identifying 'memory brain juice' and 'ordinary brain juice'. When the needle tube finds 'memory brain juice', The end of the aspirator you are holding now will emit a warning yellow light. At this time, you can just draw out this part of the brain just like using a normal syringe. After the pumping, the light will disappear—— Do you understand?"

Wu Leting nodded in shock. "It's amazing - when you inject it into another person's head later, it's the same way?"

"You're very smart, that's all. Do it."

As Ling Di said, Wu Leting carefully moved the syringe and searched carefully.But 5 minutes passed, and the tail did not turn on the yellow light.

"It's weird, when I was performing the memory transplant, the yellow light came on in less than half a minute." Ling Di's forehead was covered with a layer of sweat. "Why haven't you found it yet?"

Wu Leting said, "Could it be that my operation was wrong?"

"No," Ling Di shook his head and said, "I've been watching, your operation is absolutely correct."

Wu Leting said, "Why don't you try it."

Ling Di took the memory pump in her hand, and explored it carefully, concentrating on it.

At this time, a needle was inserted into the artery in his neck, and he was defenseless just like Dean Ge just now.

"Ah!" Ling Di exclaimed, and turned his head to look at Wu Leting. The effect of this super-strong anesthetic made him unconscious in an instant. "when will you……"

"Just when you walked to the coffee table with me on your back, I quietly picked up the syringe in the dean's hand." Wu Leting said coldly, "You want to know why? Let me tell you—Dinong is My father, you never dreamed of it, did you?"

Ling Di probably couldn't hear the latter words, and he collapsed on the sofa.

Wu Leting let out a long breath of relief.Her tense nerves could finally relax.

She leaned on the sofa, closed her eyes and rested for a minute.Next, it was time to deal with the two unconscious men in the room.

She fully opened the dark leather bag on the coffee table, and took out the “human head” inside—this is the simulated human head that she bought at the hairdresser for 500 yuan in the morning.

Fortunately, I have a long-term mind.Wu Leting rejoiced in her heart.As expected, Ling Di could not be completely trusted.

She pulled out the memory injector from the dummy's head, then went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

In the refrigerator is Dinon's head.

Wu Leting looked at this head, and suddenly burst into tears.

Mr. Di, I know what the characters you wrote at the back of that book—that is, the characters hidden in Mona Lisa’s eyes—mean.

α, δ, τ, ν, α, λ, τ, α—reversing these characters will form a Greek word—Ατλαντδα.
Atlanteans.

Di Lao, now I know everything.But how do I do it?

Can you tell me?

end
a week later.

Red wine and delicacies are placed on the table.This is a newly rented house, much larger than the original single room.Because there are two people who want to live here.

Wu Leting and a man in his 30s sat on both sides of the dining table.They smiled and clinked glasses.

"Everything is over, we can finally sit down and have a good meal." Wu Leting said.

"Yes, to celebrate our reunion."

The person who spoke was "Ling Di".

"Try my craft." Wu Leting said.

"I can't wait a long time ago." "Ling Di" cut the steak on the plate with a knife and fork, and sent a piece to his mouth. "Well, it's really good. The meat is very tender and the taste is just right. Le Ting, I really didn't know that your western food is so good."

Wu Leting said with a smile: "My dream before going to medical school was to be a chef of western food."

"A major loss for the western food industry." "Ling Di" was chewing on a large piece of juicy beef.

"As long as you like to eat, Mr. Di... Ah, Dad."

"Ling Di" stopped eating and looked at Wu Leting kindly. "Le Ting, I told you, don't call me daddy. I'm in Lingdi's body now—in fact, the previous 'Dinong' is not your father either."

"I know...but, in your memory, there is my father." Wu Leting said, "Besides, you also know that your identity is too special, what should I call you?"

"Since you are used to it, you can still call me 'Di Lao'. I also hope that you will always regard me as Di Nong."

Wu Leting pursed her lips and smiled. "Ok."

Di Nong sighed: "I didn't expect that I would be 'reborn' again."

"But this rebirth is different from the past. You don't have the memory of Ling Di in your mind. You are the old Dinong I was familiar with."

"You used the syringe to extract Ling Di's memories and brains first, and then threw them away—it was the same for Ge Li (Dean Ge). Then, you transplanted the memories in my brain to Ling Di, who was blank." Dion asked curiously. "Why are you doing this, Le Ting?"

Wu Leting said sadly: "I hate them and don't want to keep their memory. They deceived and used me—and you, they put you under house arrest for so many years."

Di Nong lowered his head and said, "Actually, I did it for atonement..."

"Okay, Old Man Di, don't talk about the past anymore." Wu Leting said, "I don't blame you anymore."

They were silent for a while.

Di Nong took a sip of red wine and asked, "So, Dean Ge has completely lost his memory?"

"Yes. This is his retribution."

"The... suicide corpse I left in the hospital didn't cause you any trouble, did it?"

Wu Leting shook her head. "No. According to the signs at the scene, the police classified it as a suicide—and it is true. It's just that the missing head has become a mystery. But, speaking of this, I really want to know—Old Di, why did you ask me Do I do such a favor?"

Dinon lowered his eyes, looking very heavy.After a while, he slowly said: "I'm sorry, Le Ting. I know you will be scared... But, forgive me, the situation was too urgent that day, and I don't have time to explain it to you. I'm afraid to see you again I can't see you anymore, so I lost the only person who can be entrusted to, so... I made this bad move."

"I can understand that, Old Dee. I mean, why do you want me to take your head and leave, and then destroy-end this?"

Di Nong put down the tableware and stared deeply at Wu Leting. "Le Ting, I am a person who has 'lived' for more than 1 years. My experiences and feelings are beyond your imagination and understanding. How lonely and painful and sad."

Wu Leting stared at Di Nong intently.

"Countless times, I watched my relatives and loved ones around me die, leaving me alone; I transformed into different people, inherited their memories, and finally doubted whether I was a human or a monster; I bear endlessly the sickness and suffering of the world."

"If nothing else, let's take death as an example - I have experienced beheading, drowning, black death and cancer... I have experienced all the ways of death you can think of in this world. Please note , I am not really 'immortal', but after a painful death, I 'woke up' again from another person."

"In other words, ordinary people only face the fear of death once in their life, but I - died thousands of times! How terrible and sad it is! People like Ge Li obviously don't have these experiences, but they still yearn for it. This kind of 'eternal life'. How would he know that this is the greatest misfortune and torture in the world!"

Wu Leting covered her mouth with her hands and wept sadly. "Old Di, I understand. That's why you want me to help you end all this."

"Yes." Dinon said, "Actually, I have long wanted to end all of this, but I have always been unable to do so. Because the 'executor' who is waiting by my side can make me die again. Rebirth. And later on, I have no idea who is the executor, so I have no way to guard against it."

"Da Vinci - he once told me on his deathbed out of guilt that he was the 'executor' hiding beside me. For his beloved science, he betrayed me. He begged my forgiveness, but He didn’t tell me until the end who the next executor he entrusted was because he hoped that the research would continue.”

Wu Leting asked: "So, when you were in that hospital, you didn't know that Ling Di was the 'executor'?"

"I can only guess, but I can't be sure." Di Nong looked at Wu Leting. "Le Ting, I don't blame you, but can you tell me?—Why didn't you do what I said, and let me be born again?"

Wu Leting's tears flowed down: "I... didn't think that you would be so tired and hate this state of life before. I didn't think about it so much. I just want you to come alive and talk to you again..." Her voice Choked up, almost speechless. "I just want to spend this life with my father..."

Di Nong left his seat and walked to Wu Leting's side, we embraced her tightly. "Okay, Le Ting, I promise you, I will accompany you through this final journey of life."

Wu Leting threw herself into Dinong's arms and said, "Yes, the last time... that memory pump, I destroyed it after I finished using it. No one will use it again, and never will There is an 'executor'."

Dinong took a deep breath, and tears welled up in his eyes.

After they separated, they looked at each other, and both of them smiled knowingly.

"Old Di, the steak is getting cold." Wu Leting said as she wiped away her tears.

Dinon said, "Don't worry, I have something for you."

He took out the sparkling Hope Blue Diamond from his trouser pocket.Wu Leting said in surprise: "Ah...how did you bring this out?"

"That day, I put this thing in the inner layer of the leather bag I gave you. You obviously didn't find it." Dillon hung the necklace around Wu Leting's neck. "It has been with me for hundreds of years. Now, I give it to you, my daughter."

"Ah, Old Man Di...this..."

Dinon waved his hand lightly. "Don't talk about it, treasure it. You know its value."

Wu Leting caressed this huge blue diamond, full of emotions.

Di Nong smiled and said, "Let's appreciate it slowly in the future. Eat something now, don't waste this delicious food."

The two sat down again, chatting and eating like father and daughter.

After dinner, Dinon insisted on doing the dishes.He said to Wu Leting: "Before you get a boyfriend, let's make an agreement - you cook, I wash the dishes, don't argue."

"Okay." Wu Leting said with a smile, "I'll trouble you then, Mr. Di. I'll go back to my room to rest for a while."

"Go."

Dinon came into the kitchen with the tray.

Wu Leting entered her room and locked the door.

She leaned against the door and thought for a moment, then knelt beside the bed and took out a small box from under the bed.

She opened the box and stared at the memory pump inside.

No, I have to hide it somewhere more secluded.

I'm sorry, Mr. Di.

I hate Ling Di, but one thing he said is true.

I can't let this miracle that has existed for tens of thousands of years end in my own hands.

I must continue this experiment.

forgive me.

(End of the ninth story)
The story of Beidou is over.There was silence in the hall, and the eyes of the other eleven people were all focused on the narrator.

Beidou was so stared at, he twisted his body uncomfortably, and asked, "What's wrong with you? Why are you just staring at me and not talking?"

Sajia opened her mouth wide in surprise and said, "How...how could you come up with such a story? It's unbelievable."

Before Beidou could answer, Ryoma, who had been in charge of recording the story, stood up excitedly at this moment. He looked at his notebook, then looked at Beidou: "Yes, how could you come up with such a story out of thin air? Suspense, originality, and subject matter aside, this story simply couldn't have been done in a place like this!"

Longma compared the content recorded in his notebook and said: "This story involves a lot of historical figures, events, various historical materials, and background materials. If you sit in front of a computer with Internet access, or in a library, of course It is possible to complete this novel with a lot of research - but we are now in a closed place without any books or Internet resources to consult. How can you possibly create it?"

"Besides, although I can't fully judge whether the time, place, events and characters in his stories are all accurate, I also know that he is definitely not talking nonsense." Xia Houshen added, "Because I also like to read historical stories. Novels and books, those are more familiar. But to create such a story from memory-it's impossible."

Dark Fire also stood up at this time, looked directly at Beidou, and asked: "Beidou, are you hiding something from us? On the surface, you look carefree and informal, but from the story you told , you are definitely not a simple person!"

Gott put two fingers on his cheeks, tilted his head, squinted at Beidou and said, "I think he may have already created this story before entering here, right? That's why he was so fully prepared."

Xia Houshen looked at Gott: "Don't you mean that he is the organizer?"

Facing everyone's doubts, Beidou seemed a little at a loss.He also stood up and said, "Didn't I tell it before I told it? Not everyone can think of this story."

"Then why did you figure it out?" Nan Tian asked.

"Let me tell you the truth." Beidou said helplessly, "I didn't want everyone to know——I have a photographic memory."

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, a little shocked, and at the same time seemed dubious.Beidou went on to explain: "All the knowledge and memories I have read, TV programs or received will be retained in my mind. I don’t want to tell anyone.”

Chris thought briefly and said, "Can you let us verify it on the spot?"

"How to verify?"

"In the story "Mystery Dream" told by Xia Houshen, what is the name of the first student who died?"

Beidou thought for a while: "It seems to be called Lan Tianyu?"

Xia Houshen said with embarrassment: "Yes, I just remembered after you said that. I even forgot myself..."

Chris nodded and continued to ask: "What is the name of the protagonist's brother in the "Law of the Living Dead" that Ryoma talked about?"

"Lawson."

"In "The Covenant of Hanging the Neck" that Qian Qiu talked about, what are the names of the three novels with the same theme?"

Beidou seems to be participating in a quick question and answer show, and has already entered the state. "The one written by Qianqiu is called "Reflection Light"; the one written by An Wen is called "The Woman in the Mirror", and the one written by Fisherman's Song is called "Sneaky Face"."

Qianqiu stared at Beidou dumbfounded, stunned.

Chris's speech picked up speed. "What's the name of the hero's girlfriend in the story of Lake's The Medium?"

"Xiao Fan?"

"Dark Fire's "The New Tenant", what's the landlady's name?"

"Wei Jun."

"What number is the number I drew?"

"13."

"Where's the dragon horse?"

"6."

"Who among us is the sponsor?"

Beidou opened his mouth, and was about to speak, when he was startled suddenly and was stunned.After a few seconds, he said slowly, "... I don't know."

Chris stared at Beidou sharply.

Beidou wiped the cold sweat off his forehead and said, "Chris, what do you mean? You want to test me in this way?"

Chris lowered his eyes, didn't speak, and seemed to be thinking.

Longma said at this time: "Anyway, the field test just now should prove that Beidou does have the ability to never forget his eyes and ears. I remembered that when Yu Chicheng was killed, I also once I asked Beidou a question - the general plot of the book I wrote "Escape from Evil Spirit Island", the ending of the story, the names of the hero and heroine and the murderer - he answered all of them correctly, which shows that he really has an extraordinary memory."

"Yes," Sajia said, "When the 14 of us just got together, Beidou was also the first to recognize some of our star faces, such as Mr. Araki Shune, Ryoma, Moby Dick, Goth and others."

Beidou breathed a sigh of relief - he finally gained trust.

"No wonder you created a story related to 'memory transplantation'." Qianqiu said, "It should be inspired by yourself?"

Beidou nodded. "Of course because—I think only I can come up with a story like this in this situation."

"Indeed." Nan Tian said in an appreciative tone, "it's a very good story. Just now we have been discussing about your photographic memory. But in fact, the plot, suspense, imagination and structure of your story are inferior. Call it superior."

"Yes, among us people, there are really hidden dragons and crouching tigers. No one can be underestimated." Xia Houshen said with emotion.

"It's getting late, let's score with Beidou's story." Lake said.

"Okay, I'm going to get the paper and pen." Beidou walked to the cabinet on the side of the hall, took out a pair of signature pens and blank paper, and distributed them to everyone.

Except for Beidou, the other eleven people wrote down a number on white paper.Then Nan Tian and Ryoma collect statistics and calculate the average score.

Hokuto's final score was 9.2—a score as high as Ryoma's.But because Ryoma has already fouled, Beidou has become the winner of the highest score so far.

Beidou didn't seem to expect that, as the least famous of the 14 people, he could get such a high score and affirmation.His face flushed with excitement, and he kept rubbing his hands.

Xia Houshen looked at his watch. "It's already one o'clock in the morning on May 5st. That's a long story—tomorrow, no, who's tonight?"

"It's me." Araki Zhou said unhurriedly while standing up. "I'm going back to my room to rest and recharge my batteries."

The other people in the hall also dispersed and returned to their rooms.

Nan Tian lay on his bed with a worried expression on his face, feeling melancholy and sad.

It was very late now, but he didn't feel sleepy, because the story Beidou told before made him feel uneasy.

In Beidou's story called "Di Nong's Secret", there are many plots about the relationship between parents-this reminds Nan Tian of his own parents.

I'm stuck here and it's been 9 days.Although my parents are away from home, they usually call me every few days.After such a long time now, they must be very anxious if they can't contact me.

Nan Tian exhaled annoyedly.In his mind, a warm and happy picture emerged - he and his parents were in the house of his hometown, as well as relatives at home - everyone happily chatted, ate and drank together, played cards and watched TV together... His tears flowed down unconsciously.

Can I get out of here alive?Can the pictures in memory become reality?

He misses his family, his parents, and wants to get in touch with them and talk to them—but it's obviously impossible.

and many more.

Nan Tian's heart trembled.It's not necessarily impossible.

He remembered an incident many years ago.

That was the year Nan Tian took the college entrance examination.Because the college entrance examination is one of the most important things in life, parents naturally care and value it very much.After the first Chinese test, Nan Tian had just walked out of the test area when his father, who had been waiting outside, greeted him.Nantian's conversation at that time is still fresh in his memory.

Nan Tian: "Dad, you don't have to wait for me at the door on such a hot day."

Dad: "It's okay! Tian'er, tell me, does the topic of the composition have something to do with urban architecture?"

Nan Tian was taken aback: "How do you know? Did you ask other students?"

Dad said excitedly: "No—so I guessed right, it's really about urban architecture?"

Nan Tian asked suspiciously, "How could you guess it?"

Dad laughed loudly: "It is said that there is telepathy between father and son. It seems that it is true! You must have thought about this topic carefully during the exam just now. But in my mind, something similar to this appeared inexplicably. I guess the relevant words and sentences are related to the topic of your composition, but I didn’t expect it to be so, it’s amazing!"

Nan Tian: "There is such a thing? It's amazing!"

Dad: "How is it? Did you do well in the exam?"

Nan Tian: "Chinese is my best subject, of course there is no problem..."

……

Nan Tian suddenly sat up from the bed.Telepathy between father and son... If there is such a thing, why don't I try it? !

Nan Tian's heart beat faster.He thought he might have found a way to get in touch with the outside world!Although he doesn't know if he can succeed, even if there is only a glimmer of hope, he will try his best!

Maybe, when I concentrate all my energy on thinking about one thing, I can pass this thought on to my father far away!
Just do it.Nan Tian sat on the edge of the bed, closed his eyes, got rid of all distracting thoughts, and repeated a sentence in his heart——

Dad, I'm stuck in a big closed house.There are 14 people here including me.

Nan Tian didn't dare to think too much about complicated content.He intends to try first to see if he can convey the most basic information.He repeated this sentence in his heart ten times, twenty times...

……

On a big bed thousands of miles away, a middle-aged man in his 50s or [-]s suddenly sat up from the bed. He was short of breath, sweating profusely, with a dazed expression, staring straight ahead blankly.

The wife who was sleeping next to him was awakened. She turned on the bedside lamp and asked, "What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

"No..." The middle-aged man turned to look at his wife. "I was asleep just now, and I seemed to hear Nan Tian's voice. He was talking to me!"

The mother immediately sat up and asked with concern: "What did Tian'er tell you?"

The father frowned and put his hands on his forehead: "The specific content is not very clear. But I can feel that he is in trouble, and I can feel a very strong number-14."

"14?" Mother asked eagerly, "What does it represent?"

"I don't know." Father got out of bed, completely sleepless. "However, I'm sure it's not a dream. Tian'er is sending me some kind of message!"

Mother was a little frightened: "What do you mean?"

"I mean, he's communicating with me telepathically. Tell me he might be in danger right now!"

"telepathy?"

"Yes, it happened to me and him before. Tian'er must have thought of this, so he used this method to get in touch with me!"

The mother also got up from the bed and said worriedly: "So, I couldn't connect to his mobile phone when I called him two days ago. It's not because the phone is in arrears or the phone is lost, but because something happened to him?"

Father was silent, anxious and restless.

"Then what should we do?" Mother asked anxiously.

The father thought for a while, and took the clothes from the hanger beside the bed. "Go to the police now!"

"Tian'er is not in the same city as us." Mother reminded.

"Yes, I'm talking about going to his city to call the police!"

Mother looked at the wall clock on the wall. "It's past one in the morning!"

"It's okay, I can contact the car. It will be there in a few hours." The father said, "You stay at home, I will go."

"No," the mother picked up the clothes and was already putting them on. "I'll go with you and take care of each other."

Father hesitated. "Okay, let's go."

In the dark rainy night, a private taxi was driving on the highway, rushing to S city where Nantian was located.

At 5 o'clock in the morning on May 1, the taxi arrived at Nantian's residence in S City.After the parents confirmed that their son was missing, they rushed to the S City Public Security Bureau to report the case.

"Your son is missing?" Police Officer Wu from the Criminal Investigation Section of the Public Security Bureau received them. "Don't worry, sit down and talk slowly."

Nan Tian's parents sat on the bench with anxious faces.Officer Wu asked a female police officer to take the record, and he began to ask, "How old is your son?"

"I'm 27 years old this year."

"What is your name?"

"Nan Tian. The south of the south, the sky of the sky."

"What is your occupation?"

"Freelance writer."

Hearing this answer, Officer Wu raised his eyes and asked, "What type of novel did he write?"

"Suspense novels." Nan Tian's father replied.

Officer Wu took a deep breath, and exchanged a stern look with the policewoman beside him.

Nan Tian's father noticed the difference in the expressions of the two police officers, and asked, "What's the matter, officer?"

"You answer my question first." Officer Wu said, "When did your son disappear?"

Nan Tian's father frowned and said, "I'm not sure. I only know that we called his cell phone three or four days ago, but we couldn't get through. At that time, we thought he might just be in arrears or lost his cell phone, but it didn't happen. We care. But today we felt something was wrong, so we rushed to his residence and found that he was not at home."

Officer Wu said: "Your son is almost 30 years old. How do you know that he is missing if he is not at home? What I mean is that he may have just gone out of town and changed his mobile phone number before he was notified. Just you."

"No, it's impossible." Nan Tian's mother said firmly, "My son is a very filial and sensible child. Although we don't live in the same city as him, he always misses us in his heart. Every three, three, He will call once every four days. If he changes his mobile phone number, he will definitely inform us as soon as possible, so that we won’t worry about him.”

"Yes, police officer, we can neither find anyone nor contact him now. There is only one possibility, that something happened to him!" Nan Tian's father said anxiously.

Officer Wu nodded slightly and said: "I understand. This matter—" He paused, "Of course, if your son's disappearance is really related to this—our police have long been investigating this case gone."

Nan Tian's parents looked at each other in astonishment.

Officer Wu looked at them seriously, and said, "Maybe you don't know that besides your son, more than a dozen people have gone missing recently—some from locals, and some from nearby cities. Their ages, genders, and backgrounds All different, but disappeared on the same day - April 4 - and if I'm not mistaken, your son also disappeared on the same day."

"Ah... So, my son has been missing for more than a week?" Nan Tian's mother looked worried, her voice trembling.

"It's possible."

"What is the reason for these people's disappearance?" Nan Tian's father asked eagerly.

Police officer Wu said: "Strictly speaking, this incident should not be a disappearance case, but a purposeful and premeditated kidnapping case. To be able to kidnap so many people on the same day - it is obviously impossible to rely on the strength of only one person .So we suspect that this major kidnapping case was committed by a certain criminal gang and organization."

"What is the purpose of the kidnapping?"

"I don't know. Our police are investigating with all our strength."

"My son is just an ordinary novelist, and not the eldest son of a rich family. How could someone kidnap him?" Nan Tian's mother shed tears.

Officer Wu hesitated for a moment, as if considering whether to tell them the following.In the end, he spoke out: "Speaking of this, the kidnapping cases this time have one thing in common. Or, the kidnapped people have one thing in common—among them, there are well-known writers, college students, and editors-in-chief of magazines. , company employees, heirs of the consortium... Although their identities and status are different, they have one thing in common - they are all writers who have written suspense novels."

"Ah... the same as my son?" Nan Tian's mother exclaimed.

"Yes. It's very strange, isn't it?" Police Officer Wu said, "According to our investigation, among these people, there are very rich second-generation rich and famous writers, and there are also college students who live on only 600 yuan a month. There are also ordinary employees who buy houses with mortgages and paycheck-to-payers with zero savings—obviously, the kidnappers are not looking for money, but something else—something that can be provided by a mystery writer.”

Nan Tian's parents looked at each other anxiously for a moment.The father asked: "Officer, you just said that a dozen people disappeared together - can you tell me exactly how many people are?"

Officer Wu thought about it. "13."

"13..." Nan Tian's father frowned. "You mean, including my son, there are 13 in total?"

"Yes."

Nan Tian's father lowered his eyes and muttered to himself: "It's weird, isn't there 14..."

"What?" Officer Wu heard what he said. "You said there should be 14 people?"

Nan Tian's father hesitated, not knowing how to explain it to the police.But at this moment, Officer Wu stared at her fiercely. "Why do you think there will be 14 missing people?"

Nantian's father decided to tell the truth, whether the police believed it or not. "Officer, I believe there is a telepathic connection between me and my son. In fact, the reason we are here today to call the police is because early this morning, I sensed that my son was in trouble, and I could feel it very strongly. A number was sensed—14."

"Telepathy?" Officer Wu narrowed his eyes, looking dubious.

"Yes, something like this has happened between me and my son before."

Officer Wu pressed his index finger to his lips, thoughtful.

After several minutes, Officer Wu was still in deep thought, Nan Tian's mother couldn't help asking: "Officer, what are you thinking?"

Officer Wu raised his eyes and stared at them. "Actually, after we received several previous reports and knew that many people disappeared on April 4, we found out in the investigation in the next few days that among the people who disappeared recently, in addition to these suspense novel writers, There is another person. It’s just that this person is not a suspense writer. Therefore, it is impossible to judge whether the disappearance of other people is the same incident. But if there are really 22 people, then this person may be among them.”

Nan Tian's father felt that when the police officer mentioned this person, his tone and expression were a little dignified, as if he was referring to an unusual person."Who is this man?" he asked.

Officer Wu hesitated, and decided to tell them: "It is a dangerous person with a super high IQ who has been suspected of murder many times, but was convicted every time because there was no evidence. This person is also missing. .”

"Ah..." Nan Tian's parents gasped, their faces turned pale from the police's words.

Police officer Wu said: "Don't be nervous. It is still uncertain whether this dangerous character is really related to this multi-person kidnapping case. You can go back to your residence first, and our police will definitely try our best to solve this serious case. One If there is any news, we will notify you immediately.”

On May 5, it was the 1th day that Nantian was trapped in a closed place.

After eating at noon, he was lying on the bed in his small room with his eyes closed, and suddenly a sentence flashed through his mind like an electric current.

The police are already investigating the matter with all their might.

Nan Tian trembled all over, and the pores on his body shrank one after another—this...is this the telepathy between my father and me?He took my message and now responds to me in the same way? !
He was so excited that he immediately jumped off the bed and paced back and forth excitedly in the room.Very good!If the information sensed just now is true, it means that the police have already known and paid attention to this matter, and have taken action!
i did it!I literally communicated with my father telepathically - the host would never have dreamed that I would be able to communicate with the outside world in this way!

Nan Tian was overjoyed and excited beyond control.He knew what the success of this magical contact meant-if the police could find this place before the end of "14 days", they would be able to rescue them!
In other words, the possibility of leaving here alive has increased by one-in addition to defeating or finding out the sponsor, you can also look forward to the arrival of the police!
At a time like this -- with only four days left in the brutal death game -- any subtle hint of a way to increase the chances of survival can bring a glimmer of hope.

Nan Tian was so excited that he wanted to share this joy with others immediately, the first person he thought of was Sajia.

He was about to open the door to go out, but the movement stopped.

Can I really trust her completely?What if... He frowned, thinking.However, even if I tell everyone this news—including the sponsor, of course—he (she) can't stop the actions of the police outside.Instead, the news may have some deterrent effect.

After thinking about it for a few minutes, Nan Tian decided to tell Sajia about it first.As for the others, it will not be too late when the time comes.

Sajia stayed in her room, when she heard a knock on the door, she walked to the door and asked, "Who is it?"

"I."

Sajia heard Nan Tian's voice, she showed a joyful expression, and immediately opened the door.

Nan Tian walked into Sajia's room, closed the door, looked at Sajia and said, "I want to tell you something."

Saka nodded. "Sit down and talk."

One of them sat on the edge of the bed and the other sat on the single sofa.Nan Tian told Sajia that he had contacted his father telepathically and that the police had launched an investigation.

"Ah, that's great!" After hearing this, Sajia was as excited as Nan Tian, ​​her cheeks flushed.But what shocked her was not that the police had intervened in this matter, but the incredible telepathy between Nan Tian and her father.

"I've only read about telepathy in novels and movies before, but I didn't expect it to exist in reality!" Sajia was amazed. "It's amazing!"

Nan Tian said: "Perhaps only under certain special circumstances and conditions can we communicate successfully."

Sajia nodded her head thoughtfully.After several minutes, she raised her head and said with some embarrassment: "Nan Tian, ​​I have an idea, and I need your approval."

"What? You say."

"What you just said has inspired me to write. You know, it's my turn to tell a story tomorrow night, but I haven't fully conceived it until now, and I'm in a hurry. But after hearing what you said The telepathy between father and son, I suddenly think this is a very good point! If you don't mind, can you let me create a story based on this?"

Nan Tian smiled and said, "Of course."

"However, this means that you cannot use this subject matter."

"It doesn't matter, I didn't plan to use this subject." Nan Tian said, "Besides, I am the last one to tell the story, and I have much more time than you. I am very happy to help you."

Saka folded her arms happily. "It's very kind of you! I'm going to write down the outline of this story right now."

Nan Tian remembered Xu Wen's manuscript, and reminded: "If you write it on paper, you must put it away, and don't let others see it."

"I understand." Sajia said, "I will keep it in my pocket and never leave it."

"That's good." Nan Tian said, "Then I'm going back to my room, you can create slowly."

"Oh...wait a minute," Sajia called to him. "Why don't I tell you the story first?"

"Didn't you just think of this theme? How come you have already conceived it?"

"I've already conceived a prototype before, but it's not complete. But the inspiration you gave me just now made me connect all the plots in the story—do you want to hear it?"

Nan Tian smiled and said, "Okay."

"I'm telling you this story now. On the one hand, I want to hear your opinion. Of course, there is another point - if you know my story, you won't have a plot similar to mine when you conceive it."

"En." Nan Tian nodded. "You can tell me with confidence, this is a secret between the two of us."

Saka looked very happy. "Okay, here I go, this story is about..."

At 7pm, it's game time again.Twelve writers of suspense novels gathered in the lobby and sat in a circle.

Tonight's narrator is the great writer Araki Shune.If the genius boy Chris is excluded, he is the biggest one among the 14 writers.At this moment, he looked down at everyone, and said slowly: "I have to say, this game is much more exciting, exciting, and challenging than I imagined. Not to mention anything else, judging from the stories everyone told in the previous 9 days , the people who were chosen here are indeed not just for nothing."

He paused, and then said: "The meaning of what I said before I started the lecture is actually to show that this game has completely aroused my fighting spirit. No matter what the purpose is, I will go all out. So , I can tell you that the story I am going to tell next should be a suspense story that can represent my highest level. I believe that once this story begins, you will be able to hold your breath and sweat."

Araki Zhou's words obviously brought a lot of pressure to everyone present, and at the same time brought motivation - at least for Nan Tian.I look forward to a super exciting story from you.However, I will not lose to you, I will do everything to surpass you!His blood was boiling and his heart was surging.

"Okay, let's stop talking nonsense." Arakaki began, "The name of this story is 'Return'."

(End of this chapter)