Chapter 299 Jasmine's Little Secret
at the same time.
In the guest room on the other side of the tower, Feiying sat silently on the large sofa, her hands hanging limply on her knees.
She looked at the night view of the Mechanical City outside the floor-to-ceiling window, her eyes empty and out of focus.
Feiying just sat there motionless, as if she had forgotten the passage of time.
Her thoughts were a tangled mess, constantly replaying every detail of what had just happened in the restaurant.
All these fragments kept churning in her mind, but she could never piece them together into a complete picture.
Jasmine walked over to her with a cup of hot tea and sat down gently.
The sofa was slightly dented, but Feiying seemed not to notice and still maintained that dazed posture.
"Fei Ying..."
Jasmine's voice was gentle and rational, breaking the silence in the room:
"Don't think too much. Sister Qing was once taught by Taoyao, but that's all."
She handed the teacup to Feiying and continued:
"And what you heard from her description was something that happened in pre-civilization times."
"According to the history of the Mechanical City, this happened at least tens of thousands of years ago."
Jasmine sighed softly, her tone comforting:
"Although her connection with Taoyao exists, it may only be limited to the master-disciple relationship in the past."
"She probably doesn't know Taoyao's current whereabouts, otherwise why didn't she just tell us?"
Feiying lowered her head, took the teacup with both hands, but didn't take a sip.
The heat condensed into tiny drops of water on her face, blurring her vision and concealing the loss in her eyes.
"I know……"
Feiying's voice was low and hoarse, with deep fatigue:
"But Jasmine, we have been searching for so long, searching every corner of Coral Harbor, pursuing every possible clue, hoping to find Taoyao's whereabouts."
Her fingers clenched the teacup tightly, almost crushing it:
"But there has been no news, not even a real clue."
"Now that I finally found someone who has some connection with Taoyao, of course I will be anxious and want to know more... Can you understand?"
Feiying raised her head:
“Every time I think I’m getting closer to the truth, it slips through my fingers like a phantom.”
"Will this make me feel better?"
Jasmine looked at Feiying's painful expression and felt a pang of pain in her heart.
Ever since Taoyao disappeared, Feiying seemed to have lost a part of her soul. Although she tried hard to act strong, the scars in her heart never truly healed.
"Okay, Feiying."
Jasmine smiled and held Feiying's hand:
"Taoyao is a fairy, and she is the original fairy."
"Nothing in this world can really hurt her. She must still be alive, waiting for us somewhere."
Jasmine's eyes flashed with determination:
"Aren't we looking for traces of various fairies now?"
"Fairies are naturally attracted to and sensitive to each other."
"As long as we continue on this path, constantly searching for and chasing the traces of the goblins, we will eventually meet Taoyao again."
She patted Feiying's shoulder gently:
"Perhaps, somewhere in the Mechanical City, there is a key clue leading to Taoyao?"
"We've only just begun to explore this city, haven't we?"
Feiying was touched by Jasmine's words, and the haze in her eyes seemed to dissipate a little.
She took a deep breath and nodded slowly.
"Well, I see..."
Although Feiying's voice was still low, it was no longer so broken.
When Jasmine saw that Feiying's condition had improved, the worry on her face eased a little.
"Then I'll go back to my room first? You should also go to bed early, as you still have a mission to perform tomorrow."
Jasmine said softly, still with a hint of concern in her tone.
Feiying looked up at Jasmine and forced a smile.
"Okay, go and rest first, Lily."
"Just leave me alone for a while."
Her voice had become much calmer, although there was still a hint of confusion in her eyes.
Jasmine hesitated, obviously still a little worried.
She carefully observed Feiying's expression and confirmed that Feiying had indeed calmed down and was no longer in such pain.
"Well, if you need anything, feel free to call me."
Jasmine gave a final warning before gently walking towards the door.
Before leaving the room, Jasmine glanced back.
Feiying was still sitting on the sofa, holding the teacup in both hands, looking at the night outside the window.
Jasmine closed the door gently and returned to the room.
……
Jasmine closed the door gently and relaxed her tense expression only after confirming that there was no one in the corridor.
She leaned against the door, exhaled deeply, and rubbed her temple.
A whole day of running around and the emotional conversation just now made her feel tired and had a headache.
She walked over to the bed and took off her boots, laying them out neatly.
This is Jasmine's usual style.
Maintain order and organization no matter what the situation.
But today, she clearly felt that her rational defenses were challenged.
"Ugh……"
Jasmine sighed softly, her voice almost inaudible:
"Feiying is good in every way, but every time she is involved in Taoyao's affairs, she seems to lose herself completely."
She sat on the edge of the bed, hugged her knees with her hands, and her eyes became a little unfocused.
Jasmine has always prided herself on being calm and rational.
For her, emotions are something that need to be properly controlled, instead of letting emotions influence her judgment and actions like Feiying did.
Because of this, she sometimes felt a little puzzled, and even worried, about Feiying's desperate attitude for Taoyao.
Jasmine was afraid that she would become like that.
Lose your mind and yourself for someone or something.
That feeling of dependence and those uncontrollable mood swings were simply a nightmare for her.
She shook her head, trying to clear the thoughts.
Now is not the time to dwell on such thoughts.
Jasmine stood up and walked towards the suitcase placed in the corner of the room.
This was a very ordinary-looking metal box, but when she entered the password and opened it, the contents inside were surprising.
In addition to neatly stacked clothes and necessary daily necessities, most of the space is occupied by various plush dolls, exquisite figures and doll pillows.
These dolls come in a variety of colors, from small palm-sized dolls to large pillows that require your arms to wrap around them.
They were carefully maintained, without a wrinkle or dust, and were obviously well cared for by their owner.
"Come on, my little darlings."
Jasmine's voice suddenly became much softer, with a hint of girlish innocence, completely different from her usual rational and calm image:
"I miss you guys so much."
She carefully took out a large doll pillow wearing a white dress from the box. The fabric was soft and fluffy, and the workmanship was so fine that it was almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
Jasmine held it in her arms, rubbed her cheek against the head of the pillow, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously raised.
"Well... satisfied!"
Jasmine let out a contented sigh, looking like she had let go of the fatigue and stress of the entire day.
She placed the pillow on the bed and gently pinched its soft cheek, her eyes revealing a rare tenderness and attachment.
"You're the best! You save me a lot of trouble and worry, and you won't embarrass me or have any negative impact on me."
Jasmine said softly, with a hint of coquettishness in her tone:
"Unlike some people, who are always worried about a missing fairy..."
This is Jasmine's long-hidden secret.
Beneath her calm and rational appearance, she has a soft heart that is little known to others, and an obsession with exquisite dolls and figurines.
This collecting hobby can almost be called an obsession.
She spent a lot of time and energy searching for various limited editions and rare styles, but never let anyone know.
In Jasmine's world, these inanimate companions are the most perfect existence.
They won't betray, leave, let you down, or cause painful emotional upheavals.
They are always waiting for her, satisfying her deep desire for security with their silent companionship.
Jasmine took out a few small figures from the box and placed them on the bedside table.
These are her treasures, each of which has its unique meaning and value.
Carrying them secretly with her during her travels would give her a sense of security, as if she could return to her safe haven at any time.
After rolling around on the bed a few times while hugging the soft pillow, Jasmine's expression gradually changed from relaxed to serious.
She thought about the information she found in the East District today.
Among the records of those materials.
Doesn’t it just record the production materials of many dolls?
Thinking of this, Jasmine put away the smile on her face, gently put down the pillow, and took out a thin electronic device from her backpack.
This is an advanced data terminal that can store and process large amounts of information.
She operated it skillfully and quickly retrieved the information obtained in the East District today.
The screen displays detailed production information of various mechanical life forms in the Mechanical City...
From the most basic labor machines to advanced management AI, we have everything.
Jasmine gently placed her index finger on her chin, her brows slightly furrowed, and she fell into deep thought.
According to the information collected so far.
There are still many ambiguities in the identity of the doll.
On the surface, she is the manager of the central tower of the Mechanical City, an advanced mechanical life form known as an "emotional doll".
But tonight's events made Jasmine doubt this simple explanation.
She quickly flipped through the information and finally found the section about emotional dolls.
Just like what I saw briefly in the archives before.
According to records, emotional dolls were advanced service dolls from pre-civilization periods, used primarily for companionship and emotional comfort.
They have a highly advanced emotion simulation system.
But they do not have the ability to make advanced decisions, let alone shoulder the responsibilities that puppetry carries today.
Jasmine compared this information with the behavioral patterns of the puppets she had observed and found that there were obvious differences between the two.
The decision-making ability, strategic thinking and comprehensive control of the Mechanical City demonstrated by the puppets far exceed the design scope of ordinary emotional puppets.
Moreover, the way of referring to oneself sounds very strange - "this body".
And her almost pious description of Taoyao made Jasmine feel deeply puzzled.
After all, it seems like there's nothing else besides love.
She hadn't discovered any other puppets calling themselves that.
“Is it really an emotional puppet?”
Jasmine murmured, her voice full of anticipation and excitement, which was in stark contrast to her usual calm image.