Sitting by the artificial lake, the wind picked up, rippling the water and reflecting a slender moon.
After leaving the Bosen Hotel, she hadn't spoken much until the car passed by here, where she suddenly said she wanted to sit by the lake, so Crescent stopped the car.
This was an abandoned lake, neglected and overgrown due to lack of management.
Estelle sat on the grassy slope, the withered grass covering her ankles. She didn't speak, and neither did Crescent; he just sat beside her, watching the water. Later, when it got cooler, he took off his jacket and draped it over her.
"I'm not cold," said Estelle.
"Just wear it, at least robots don't catch colds."
She paused at his words, then suddenly smiled.
Adjusting the collar of the jacket, she turned to look at him. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"
"Didn't you also stay quiet?"
"I didn't know what to say."
"Yeah, me neither."
The uninteresting conversation continued back and forth without much substance, but Estelle still laughed. She sat up straight and yawned softly, and Crescent immediately asked, "Are you tired?"
"It's okay, no problem," Estelle said. "Let's sit here a bit longer."
However, the drowsiness seemed to come on rather quickly, perhaps because of the alcohol she had consumed.
As Estelle talked with Crescent, she gradually felt her mind grow heavy and her senses numb. Gazing at the lake, her eyes unfocused, and in a daze, she called out his name, "Crescent."
"Yes?"
Estelle waited a moment before speaking.
"There's someone I miss very much, but I know I won't see him again. Do you think... should I forget about him?"
Her voice was soft, and after some thought, Crescent replied, "Forget about him."
After his response, he didn't hear any more from Estelle. Crescent looked down, and as he turned his neck, he felt his shoulder become heavier.
Estelle's head was bowed as she fell asleep leaning against him.
When she woke up, she was in bed in her bedroom. She had slept well, without dreaming, for a long time.
Sunlight streamed in through the window. Her blanket had been carefully tucked in, and Crescent was sitting by the window quietly reading a book. Estelle looked over and saw that it was the book on Artificial Intelligence and Bionics Psychology that she had flipped through that day.
"Can you understand it?" she asked.
Crescent shook his head. "No, I can't understand it. But if it's your book, I want to read it."
It was strange. Last night, Soren had added Red Water to her drink, expecting it to take effect soon, but it hadn't triggered any physiological impulses.
Moreover, it seemed that even the remaining Rosaline in her body had vanished. After waking up, her body had returned to normal, with calm and gentle hormones, seemingly free from forced excitement.
Estelle pondered silently, unsure whether it was due to the drink or the result of her own metabolism. Normally, relying on her bodily functions, it would take 3-5 days for the substances to be fully absorbed. Although her reaction last night had still been strong, compared to the previous few days, it had indeed weakened dramatically.
Estelle felt a little unsettled, but regardless, she should go to the hospital for a check-up.
After breakfast, Crescent accompanied her to the hospital to register, get blood drawn, tested, and wait for the results. The doctor looked at her test report and smiled, saying, "There's nothing to worry about now."
It was the expected answer, but she still confirmed it again, "Really?"
"Yes," the doctor replied. "The concentration of Rosaline has dropped to 0.05%, which is a normal level acceptable by the human body."
Estelle asked again, "You mentioned last time that there are no specific antidotes for prohibited drugs, right?"
"Yes, there aren't."
Estelle nodded. "I understand, thank you."
She left the examination room. On this morning of a day off, there weren't too many patients in the hospital. Estelle stood in the corridor, looking subconsciously toward the end of it, which was empty with no one in sight.
Soren sat in the master's office, where Estelle's test results had been transmitted by the doctor.
The master opened the interface, smiling courteously, and turned the screen toward Soren. "Here are Miss Grey's test results. Mr. Hoffman, since you have a medical background, I won't pretend to be an expert on such trivial matters."
Soren looked at the data for a while, nodding. "Okay."
He then got up and started walking out. "Thank you, Mr. Smith. I came in a hurry today. There are still things to handle at the company. I'll properly thank you at the shareholders' meeting in a couple of days."
Smith hurriedly said, "Not at all, not at all," and ran over to open the door for Soren.
Charlie stood by the elevator, nodding to Mr. Smith. Soren walked into the elevator and turned around. Until the last moment the elevator doors closed, Smith was still smiling in the gap, bidding him farewell.
The elevator descended smoothly, and Soren suddenly asked, "Has she left?"
"Yes," Charlie answered. "That robot is with her."
Soren responded with a "Yes." Charlie looked at him, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "You wanted to give her a sustained-release medication, which is a good thing. Why do it that way? Talking about Red Water and forcing her to drink it... she won't know and won't be grateful to you."
"It's best that she doesn't know." Soren's voice was calm as he looked ahead. "She hates me. If she knew, she wouldn't have drunk it."
