"...I still remember."
Russell suddenly recalled, when Cui Que first saw Qiao, she blurted out:
"I distinctly and unmistakably felt the presence of 'Purple thorns' emanating from that man, which means he harbors some intense form of love. But this love is not directed toward any real individual or person, rather it's directed toward something more illusory. Like a certain cause, a certain Path, a certain dream..."
At that time, Russell thought Qiao was a person who could sacrifice everything for the sake of the Path, a heartless person.
But when Russell truly interacted with Qiao later on, he found that was not the case.
He was more like an ordinary person who devoted everything and drained his potential for "love".
Could it be...
"Yes, I planted the Thorny Seed in Qiao a long time ago."
Saran's fingers intertwined in front of her chest.
She spoke calmly, "It was a very long time ago... to be precise, right after he graduated, before he came into contact with Alice.
