Multiple Personalities

Shen Jingqi sat on the sofa, his eyes locked on the screen in front of him. It was Lin Xiaocan's newly made promotional video, in which she appeared in a cartoon image, accompanied by the Silver Light, dreamy and illusory, evoking longing.

"This effect is really amazing," Shen Jingqi sincerely praised.

Lin Xiaocan stood beside him, a proud smile on her face. "I put a lot of thought into this, wanting to create a unique version of myself."

Shen Jingqi nodded, indeed, this promotional video was unique. The cartoon image of Lin Xiaocan was lively and dynamic, with the Silver Light swirling around her, as if she were a messenger from another dimension. However, at a certain frame, Shen Jingqi's gaze suddenly froze.

"What's wrong?" Lin Xiaocan noticed Shen Jingqi's odd expression and asked with concern.

Shen Jingqi didn't answer but rewinded the video, staring intently at that frame. It was a close-up of Lin Xiaocan's cartoon image, and there seemed to be something unusual flickering in her eyes.

"Do you see this?" Shen Jingqi pointed at the eyes on the screen and said to Lin Xiaocan.

Lin Xiaocan leaned in for a closer look, her brow furrowing slightly. "Isn't that just the reflection in my eyes? It's nothing special."

"No, not just a reflection." Shen Jingqi shook his head, his gaze becoming profound. "I have this feeling that there's something hidden in there…"

Lin Xiaocan felt a bit unnerved by his words. "Hidden what? Don't scare me."

Shen Jingqi didn't continue explaining but closed his eyes and took a deep breath. In his mind appeared a photo of Lin Xiaocan he had seen before. A mysterious figure in the photo seemed like a consciousness entity.

The consciousness entity bore a striking resemblance to a glimmer of awareness in the flicker in the eyes in the current promotional video.

"Brother Jing, what's going on with you?" Lin Xiaocan couldn't help but pat Shen Jingqi on the shoulder as she watched him in a daze.

Shen Jingqi snapped back to reality, looked at Lin Xiaocan's worried gaze, and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Xiaoxiao, have you ever considered that consciousness might exist in some unique way?"

Lin Xiaocan was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting Shen Jingqi to ask such a question suddenly. "Consciousness? You mean our thoughts and feelings? That's too abstract."

"No, I'm not talking about those," Shen Jingqi shook his head, his gaze becoming firm. "I'm referring to the possibility that consciousness might exist beyond our physical bodies in ways we have yet to comprehend."

Lin Xiaocan was utterly confused. "Are you talking about the soul? Or like consciousness upload in a sci-fi novel?"

Shen Jingqi smiled slightly, knowing that his words were somewhat hard to accept. "You could say that, but it's not exactly the same. I've been studying some theories in quantum physics recently and discovered that consciousness might be related to concepts like quantum entanglement and parallel universes."

"Wait, wait." Lin Xiaocan quickly waved her hand, "What you're talking about is too advanced; I totally don't understand. Just tell me directly why you're suddenly having these ideas."

Looking at Lin Xiaocan, Shen Jingqi slowly began to speak. "Do you remember the photo we saw that you took? The mysterious figure... Li Minghui researched the photo and afterwards, he experienced a mental breakdown. At the time, I already felt that there was something different about that figure, but I couldn't explain what it was. Later, I went to the place Li Minghui studied and found that it might be a trapped consciousness entity. But I haven't been able to find a way to release the consciousness entity. It wasn't until just now, when I saw you in the promotional video, that I suddenly realized it might be a form of consciousness existence."

"A form of consciousness?" Lin Xiaocan repeated the term, a puzzled look on her face.

"Yes, a consciousness not belonging to this time and space," Shen Jingqi nodded. "I speculate that it might have gotten entangled with your consciousness at some specific moment, captured and recorded by your eyes."

Lin Xiaocan was dumbfounded. "Are you saying that there's a consciousness from other dimensions hidden in my eyes?"

"Yes," Shen Jingqi nodded seriously, "And this consciousness may be related to the Silver Light in the promotional video. Do you remember? You mentioned that the theme of the video was to express the pursuit of dreams and the transcendence of oneself. The Silver Light is a symbol of your dreams and hopes."

Lin Xiaocan began to waver. "So, you think this consciousness is related to my dreams and hopes?"

"It's possible," Shen Jingqi mused, "But what the exact relationship is still requires further research and exploration."

Lin Xiaocan was silent for a moment, then looked up at Shen Jingqi. "So, what do we do now?"

Shen Jingqi thought for a moment, then said, "First, we need to confirm the existence of this consciousness. I want to take more photos and videos, capturing your eyes from different angles and under different lighting conditions. See if we can find that consciousness again."

Lin Xiaocan nodded, though still somewhat incredulous, she was willing to trust Shen Jingqi. "Alright, let's do as you say. But if this consciousness does exist, what effect will it have on us?"

Shen Jingqi shook his head. "It's still unclear for now. But one thing is certain; if we can understand and harness the way consciousness exists, it will bring a revolutionary change in human cognition. This will have a profound impact not only on science but also on philosophy, religion, culture, and various other fields."

Lin Xiaocan was stirred with passion. "If that day really comes, wouldn't we be witnesses to history?"

"Exactly," Shen Jingqi smiled at her, "So, are you willing to join me in uncovering the mystery of this consciousness?"

Lin Xiaocan took a deep breath, then nodded firmly. "I am willing."

The following day, Shen Jingqi and Lin Xiaocan became busy. They took a large number of photos and videos, capturing Lin Xiaocan's gaze from different angles and under various lighting conditions. With each shot, Shen Jingqi carefully observed the images on the screen, trying to find traces of that consciousness.

However, as time passed hour by hour, they found no new discoveries. Lin Xiaocan's gaze no longer showed the flickering light, as if it had never existed.

"Could it be that we were mistaken?" Lin Xiaocan looked at Shen Jingqi with some disappointment, "Maybe it was just my imagination."

Shen Jingqi, however, did not give up. "No, we weren't wrong. That consciousness must have existed, we just haven't yet found the right method to capture it."

Looking at his determined eyes, Lin Xiaocan felt an inexplicable emotion surge within her. "Alright, then we'll keep searching. Until we find it."