Chapter 931: The Mandela Effect

Yan Zhichun lowered her head and thought for a moment, surprisingly finding this explanation unexpectedly reasonable.

At least it was more reasonable than Jiang Ruoxue's suggestion that "you have to choose between me and Bai Yang."

Jiang Ruoxue had always been a capricious person, not one to trap herself in a difficult situation with just a few words without good reason.

In contrast, she herself was someone who cared deeply about boundaries.

If she wanted to be friends with Jiang Ruoxue, she had to set clear boundaries from the start. After all, when they first met, she had said—

"I like to say the ugly things first."

At that time, she hadn't actually said any "ugly things," so why had she expressed that view?

"Zhichun... are you okay?" Jiang Ruoxue asked softly. "Sit down first... take your time with whatever it is."

She pulled Yan Zhichun aside and found a chair for them to sit on.

Yan Zhichun was clearly overwhelmed by her own memories; her face was expressionless, and she felt an indescribable dizziness.

"Ruoxue..." She reached out and grabbed Jiang Ruoxue's wrist, her fingertips ice-cold.

"It's okay..." Jiang Ruoxue said. "Zhichun... there's no need to be afraid. Everything is still fine now, right? You're still here, and you haven't lost your mind; it's just that some things aren't clear yet..."

Yan Zhichun knew it wasn't that simple. It wasn't just "some things not being clear."

This kind of situation had happened before in front of Bai Yang, with chaotic memories suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

Bai Yang had once told her that no matter what kind of memories they were, they were all real.

But if a person's memories contradicted each other and involved time disruptions, were they still real?

"I feel like there's something wrong with my brain..." Yan Zhichun said. "Ruoxue, you might not know how panicked I am. Right now is the most critical moment, but not only is the plan's leader having issues, I'm having problems too... The two of us in this confused state together is just..."

"What could be wrong with your brain?" Jiang Ruoxue said with a bitter smile. "In this place, we can't even catch a cold. Are you expecting your mind to be sick?"

"But..."

As the three of them fell silent, someone knocked lightly on the door.

Jiang Ruoxue and Zheng Yingxiong turned to look and saw a man wearing a dirty white coat, like a doctor's outfit, holding two deformed cans in his hands.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you..." the man said. "I'm Zhao Haibo, one of the deputy leaders of Tian Tang Kou... I brought you some food."

No one in the room spoke; they just quietly watched as Zhao Haibo placed the two cans on the table.

"Oh... I didn't realize there were three of you here." Zhao Haibo reached out to touch Zheng Yingxiong's head, but Zheng Yingxiong dodged away.

He smiled awkwardly. "It's fine, kid. I'll bring another can later."

The room remained very quiet.

"Well, if there's anything you need help with, just say so," Zhao Haibo said, a bit embarrassed. "I've retained memories twice now, so I remember quite a bit. If you have any questions, you can ask me. Here, we're all about helping each other."

Jiang Ruoxue and Yan Zhichun stared at Zhao Haibo without saying a word. Even retaining memories for two years would require humility in this group, so how could he be so confident?

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Zhao Haibo tried to keep the conversation going. "I just overheard you mentioning something about 'problems with the brain'... If there's an issue, you can tell me about it... I know a bit about the brain..."

Jiang Ruoxue stared at Zhao Haibo for a long time before chuckling and saying, "If you're trying to hit on someone, this isn't the time, and your approach is pretty basic."

"No, no... oh..." Zhao Haibo quickly waved his hands. "This isn't about hitting on anyone... Since I've become a deputy leader of this organization, I need to get along with the members..."

"No need," Yan Zhichun said coldly. "Take the food away too. We're not members of Tian Tang Kou, and I don't trust you."

"Ah, well..." Zhao Haibo smiled awkwardly and continued, "I really don't have any ill intentions... As for brain issues, feel free to tell me about them. I used to be a neurosurgeon."

"A neurosurgeon...?"

These words finally piqued Yan Zhichun's interest, and she turned to look at Jiang Ruoxue.

"But a neurosurgeon might not be right for this..." Jiang Ruoxue said doubtfully. "Zhichun's problem seems more like something neurological or psychological."

"That doesn't stop you from telling me about it," Zhao Haibo said as he unceremoniously pulled up a chair and sat down, keeping a polite distance of two or three meters from the two women. "Like I said, we're all in the organization, so I'll help if I can."

Yan Zhichun thought for a moment and looked at Jiang Ruoxue, since she was better at social interactions.

To Yan Zhichun, a stranger who insisted on helping no matter what was definitely up to something.

"In that case... it doesn't hurt to ask," Jiang Ruoxue said with a smile. "After all, more people mean more ideas. Maybe this doctor really has a good solution?"

Hearing Jiang Ruoxue say that, Yan Zhichun could only nod and then speak a bit hesitantly. "Zhao Haibo, before I talk about my situation, I have to make it clear that I'm not crazy and I don't have delusions, but some unbelievable things have happened to me that make me seem like a madwoman."

"Hmm...?" Zhao Haibo, who had years of medical experience, had never heard such an opening. "Miss, you seem to have it backward. I'm a neurosurgeon, not a psychiatrist... I just want to know your symptoms. Your mental state isn't usually that important to me. Besides... you can't judge if someone's crazy based on their own perception."

Zhao Haibo's professionalism quickly put Yan Zhichun at ease, and she nodded. "You're right."

She organized her thoughts and described the dilemma that had been troubling her.

"Zhao Haibo, the memories in my mind seem different from everyone else's, but I remember those events clearly as if they happened."

Yan Zhichun swallowed and continued, "Even in a place full of hui xiang, I can't figure out how this works."

"This sounds like the Mandela Effect..." Zhao Haibo blinked. "It's normal. When I was a kid, I remembered scenes from some cartoons I loved, but when I grew up, I found out I was the only one who remembered them. It's just the brain's way of self-repair."

"The Mandela Effect... no." Yan Zhichun shook her head. "I've seen situations like what you're describing, but those are just memory fragments. They don't compare to what's troubling me at all."