The Machine Servant on the Second Floor

Ailei had built an exceptionally fine house.

Its style was warm and inviting.

Open and airy, both inside and out.

Every room and hallway was bathed in ample natural light.

But unlike Krisha, who would have prepared everything down to the flower beds, garden paths, and resting pavilions, Ailei had left those unfinished.

It wasn’t an oversight.

It was deliberate.

"Goodnight, Ailei."

"Goodnight, Master. May you have sweet dreams."

On the first night after the house was completed, Xu Xi and Ailei exchanged goodnights under the thick veil of darkness, the mechanical maid’s silver-blue eyes glowing with an otherworldly beauty.

Like twin arcs of sapphire moonlight.

Soft and luminous.

"Good. Everything is going according to plan."

Behind Xu Xi’s back, unseen, Ailei quietly retrieved a new book.

Love was only the beginning.

While others remained stuck on the first step, the brilliant mechanical maid was already studying the second layer.

72 Techniques for a Sweet Married Life

Her slender fingertips turned to the first page.

Printed clearly were the words:

To ensure a sweet marital life, you must master the following small techniques.

Effort is the seed, reward is the fruit. When you and your beloved work together, witnessing each other’s contributions, your bond will grow stronger day by day.

This was precisely why Ailei had only built the house and left the rest unfinished.

In the future she envisioned,

the remaining tasks would be completed slowly, side by side with Xu Xi.

Hah. Those other human machines.

Thinking of the other four Supreme Ones, Ailei felt victory was assured. A faint smile graced her usually calm and composed face.

……

……

The next day.

Just as the mechanical maid had anticipated,

after settling into the simulated world, Xu Xi found the surroundings of the house too barren. So he decided to expand it himself, transplanting flowers from nearby.

"Master, please let me help."

Ailei spoke at just the right moment.

"No need, Ailei. You should rest at home."

The plan had gone awry. Xu Xi refused her assistance with a smile.

Not out of disregard—

but out of excessive care.

Dappled shadows of trees swayed, white clouds drifted, and golden sunlight poured from the sky, illuminating the man’s features as he spoke:

"Ailei, this world was created for your happiness, not to make you work harder."

"You’ve already done more than enough."

"You prepared a home for us to live in and managed it with perfect order."

"I think the rest should be done by me alone."

Xu Xi paused briefly,

his face softening into a gentle smile.

"Ailei, things aren’t like they used to be. No one is restricting our lives anymore. I want you to experience more of life’s freedom."

These words were not unfamiliar to Ailei.

Long ago,

when she was still known as 9090,

Xu Xi had said something similar.

He never treated his mechanical maid as a possession. No matter the circumstances, he always considered her feelings and future.

"Master, you’re still as strange as ever."

Her silver-blue eyes, like a clear pool of water, rippled with emotion.

Ailei remembered something from long ago.

After she had gained her own humanoid body, she no longer needed the base’s cameras to observe the outside world.

But Xu Xi, out of habit, still cleaned the old lenses every day.

Only after Ailei reminded him

did he realize his mistake, offering an apology.

He said it had become a habit, hard to break—he just wanted to clean the cameras so his mechanical maid could see the stars more clearly.

The warmth of that moment had never faded.

"Master."

"Hm?"

"I’ve come down with an illness. I can only function properly when I’m by your side."

……

The summer was quiet, the sunlight scorching.

The greenery rustled under the hot wind, a soft, continuous whisper like waves of green, mirroring the ripples on the lake’s surface.

Xu Xi stood beneath the shade of the tree canopy,

working alongside his mechanical maid to expand the flower beds.

Though he had wanted Ailei to rest at home, she had insisted on helping. In the end, he had no choice but to relent.

"Master, do you think this looks alright?"

"It’s perfect, Ailei."

With the placement of the final brick, the construction of the flower beds was complete.

The space was small.

Unremarkable in appearance.

Bare and empty for now.

But Ailei had already prepared the flower seeds.

"These seeds, which will witness the important moments between Master and me, will be planted by my own hands."

The girl’s expression was calm yet earnest, her every movement illuminated by the dappled light filtering through the leaves.

Holding a small garden trowel,

she dug shallow holes into the soil with just the right amount of force.

Then,

with meticulous care, she sprinkled in the seeds and covered them with soil.

"You’ve worked hard, Ailei."

Once the mechanical maid had finished, Xu Xi brought a damp towel and gently wiped her face, clearing away the dust and sweat.

Ailei didn’t know whether the so-called 72 Techniques for a Sweet Married Life were truly effective.

But she felt,

in this very moment,

that the time spent with her master was extraordinarily blissful.

"Master, Ailei has no strength left."

The clever mechanical maid knew not only how to make use of new techniques but also how to skillfully combine them with old ones, maximizing her potential.

She collapsed expertly into Xu Xi’s arms,

claiming that only this method could replenish her depleted "Master Energy."

"Th-that kind of energy can’t possibly exist…"

Listening to Xu Xi’s words,

Ailei didn’t respond. She simply nestled in his embrace, silently pretending to recharge.

72 Techniques for a Sweet Married Life

Page 2:

Words alone can never compare to physical closeness. Intimate contact between partners greatly enhances mutual affection.

……

The successful construction of the flower beds set a good precedent.

One by one, the remaining areas were expanded and improved through the joint efforts of Xu Xi and Ailei.

Now, the surroundings of their home

no longer looked so desolate.

At the entrance, there was a flower bed waiting to bloom, a quiet path leading to the lake, and to the left, beneath the shade, a small brown wooden pavilion.

Ailei was both pleased and regretful.

On one hand, she was glad her plan was progressing smoothly, putting her far ahead of the others.

On the other, she regretted that the plan had concluded too quickly, leaving no room for further steps.

"Then,"

"it’s time to begin Plan B."

The summer’s stillness was thick with stifling heat, baking the ground until it burned, leaving all things subdued.

So quiet that only the whisper of the breeze through the leaves could be heard.

Dappled light streamed through the window,

illuminating the beautiful, serene face in the kitchen.

The mechanical maid stood before the cooking counter,

gazing at the array of fresh ingredients and kitchen tools, lost in deep thought.

"Master’s glowing cuisine…"

"I must learn how to make it…"

"Only then will I truly be qualified…"