“Memories are fake?”

Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin asked the question in unison.

“Yeah.” Qin Dingdong nodded. “The reason I went to find Wei Yang, on one hand was indeed because I was pissed off by you, this bastard… On the other hand… it’s because I really wanted to understand what mindset a ‘con artist’ has.”

“I don’t understand.” Chen Junnan said. “When I met you, you always called yourself a con artist. Don’t you know what mindset a con artist has?”

“This is exactly what I find strange…” Qin Dingdong said. “In my subconscious, I’m a con artist, because I’ve always vaguely remembered that in the real world, I worked at a very run-down matchmaking agency, specifically being introduced to old men from other places, responsible for marriage fraud to extort money.”

“Huh?” Chen Junnan was stunned. “Marriage fraud…? Why haven’t I heard you mention this?”

“Because I never mentioned it at all.” Qin Dingdong answered. “This wasn’t a glorious memory to begin with. There was no need for me to tell everyone I met.”

“Then why do you say your memories are fake?” Chen Junnan asked again. “Did you discover you weren’t conning old men but young guys?”

“No, if it were that simple it would be better. It’s just that I spent a very long time recalling my life…” Qin Dingdong said softly. “Only to discover that no matter how I recall, there’s no experience of me becoming a con artist anywhere in my life.”

“I’m having trouble understanding…” Chen Junnan said. “The memory of you becoming a con artist was taken away?”

“No… not exactly…” Qin Dingdong said. “This feeling is very hard to describe. Even I don’t know where to start… Chen Junnan, Ajin… do you know? My life is complete. There are no gaps anywhere. I can even recall the first part-time job I did after graduating high school, and recall my first internship job in college… until later when I resigned and opened a bubble tea shop myself, and finally experienced an earthquake in the bubble tea shop… All these experiences exist completely and wholly in my memory.”

“That, that’s pretty good, isn’t it?” Chen Junnan said.

“Yes, if this is my life experience…” Qin Dingdong said with a serious expression. “Then why do I keep calling myself a con artist?”

Her brief question left Chen Junnan and Qiao Jiajin speechless for a moment.

Qiao Jiajin pondered for a while, then spoke: “Pretty lady, maybe… maybe your personality is just like that? Pretty carefree, you know. Saying you’re a ‘con artist’ might just be to intimidate people.”

After hearing this, Chen Junnan slowly scratched his head. He knew Qin Dingdong was right.

Normally speaking, a “con artist” is a “con artist.” If this identity was fabricated, there was no need to make it up to the point of “marriage fraud.” She could even directly claim to be a fraud criminal, which would sound much more intimidating than “marriage fraud.”

“Wait a minute…” Chen Junnan suddenly thought of another matter, feeling even more confused in his mind. “Sister Dong… what did you do wrong?”

“Wrong?”

“If your life developed as you said it did… you were just a bubble tea shop owner. Why would you come to the ‘Land of the End’? Did you break the law? Did you put herbicide in your bubble tea?”

After hearing this, Qin Dingdong narrowed her eyes and said: “This is exactly the problem… Chen Junnan, I didn’t commit any crime. If I were a ‘con artist,’ I should rightfully appear here. But now in all my memories, I can’t find any stain. This is what puzzles me the most.”

“So you suspect your memories are fake.” Chen Junnan said. “You suspect you really are a con artist?”

“Right.” Qin Dingdong nodded. “I suspect that the ‘marriage fraud’ in my hazy memory is my real life. After all, you know me. I’m not an exceptionally clever con artist, but when it comes to defrauding betrothal gifts from old men, I think my success rate would be extremely high.”

“You sound quite proud…” Chen Junnan helplessly shook his head. “If you put it that way… you’re fundamentally ‘innocent’?”

“Yes, but I don’t believe it.” Qin Dingdong said decisively. “Do you think there are flawless people in this world?”

“I… don’t know…” Chen Junnan shook his head. “You’ve never even done anything wrong in your entire life?”

“Right.” Qin Dingdong nodded. “According to my current memories, my life is too perfect. Although I’m not wealthy and noble, everything went smoothly. Can that smooth sailing be called a life? If every step can develop according to your expectations, what’s the difference from dreaming?”

After saying this, Qin Dingdong paused, then said: “No… many times even dreams can’t develop according to our thoughts, let alone the ever-changing life.”

Chen Junnan didn’t understand what situation this was at all.

The idea that “memories are fake” sounded too absurd. It would be understandable if it were “amnesia” or “split personality,” but the entire life being fake—what situation would cause this?

“Even for an ‘Echo,’ this is too absurd…” Chen Junnan said in a low voice. “This ‘Echo’ didn’t act on the ‘Land of the End,’ but instead acted on a person?”

“How should I put it…” Qin Dingdong said. “If you think this was caused by an ‘Echo,’ the bigger problem isn’t that it ‘acted on a person,’ but that it acted on ‘the past,’ acted ‘outside,’ acted in other places we can’t see or touch. Although it seems fake, it really happened.”

After hearing this, Chen Junnan sighed and asked again: “Sister Dong… we can’t draw a conclusion yet. I think there’s another possibility.”

“What possibility?”

“How long has it been since you’ve lost your memory?” Chen Junnan asked. “Could it just be that you’re too tired?”

“I…?” Qin Dingdong thought for a while and said, “At least seven or eight years. Since I met you, this bastard, I remember everything. The first thing I learned from Wei Yang was how to maintain sanity.”

“What the hell?” Chen Junnan was stunned. “You learned ‘maintaining sanity’ from Wei Yang?”

“Yeah.” Qin Dingdong nodded. “What’s wrong?”

“Learning to maintain sanity in his ‘Farm Choir’?” Chen Junnan’s face was filled with speechlessness. “Then this young master knows—you might have already gone crazy and are now in a state of confused memories.”

“Stop fucking talking nonsense.” Qin Dingdong flew a kick at Chen Junnan. “Don’t you know whether I’m crazy or not?”