Lin Xiaoyou looked at Fang Qi, whose expression was one of absolute despair, and then at the colleagues around them who were still clicking their tongues in amazement...
Her small mouth parted slightly, and it took her a long moment to find her voice again:
"That... that AI companion is worth a whole villa?!"
"And there's an... astronomical annual maintenance fee?!"
Obviously, the gears in her little head were already turning, furiously calculating the costs!
Her crush on her senior was genuine, but her instinct as a money-grubber subconsciously made her convert these numbers into tangible things—
How many desserts could that buy? How many pretty clothes? How many...
The light in her eyes grew brighter and brighter!
In the way she looked at Fang Qi, aside from her original affection, there was now something else.
It started to give him the creeps!
Before, she looked at him with the bashful gaze of a girl crushing on her senior, but now...
It seemed like dollar signs had appeared in her eyes!
Lin Xiaoyou had entered the ultimate utility tool phase, and her danger level had multiplied!
"Se—nior—"
Lin Xiaoyou dragged out the syllables, her entire body clinging to him again!
She practically leaned over the partition of Fang Qi's cubicle, so close that Fang Qi could smell the faint scent of hand cream on her.
"Senior, I can't believe you were hiding your wealth so well! That's so mean!"
She pouted playfully, her hand naturally grabbing Fang Qi's arm and shaking it even more vigorously.
Her voice was sweet and soft, carrying an obvious offensive: "You have to come with me to that dessert shop this weekend, it's really delicious!"
She tried hard to sell herself: "Besides, look at how rich you are! Why not experience the beauty of a real-life romance!"
"I can cook. Though it might not be as precise as an AI... it's made with love! I can make you laugh, and... uh, I can even help you manage your money and save!"
She sounded a bit guilty towards the end, but her eyes were sparkling: "Though it seems like you don't need to save..."
Feeling the warmth and soft touch on his arm, Fang Qi's mind didn't wander to any romantic thoughts at all.
There was only an endless sense of horror!
Before him was Lin Xiaoyou's lovely, vibrant face with a lively smile, but in his mind...
The image from the game's CG uncontrollably surfaced—the lifeless head carefully placed on the dining table!
If... if his mishandling of the situation right now caused reality to head towards that ending...
The two faces—the vivid, lively, and cute face in front of him, and that deathly pale, lifeless face—began to rapidly overlap in his mind!
"Ugh..."
His stomach instantly churned wildly!
He forcefully yanked his arm back, the movement so abrupt that he almost knocked over his chair!
"Sorry, I... I suddenly don't feel well! I need to go to the restroom!"
Ignoring the surprised and teasing looks from his colleagues, and disregarding Lin Xiaoyou's instantly frozen expression, he jumped up and bolted towards the restroom!
"Senior? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Lin Xiaoyou called out worriedly from behind, her voice laced with confusion and grievance.
Fang Qi had no time to respond. He rushed all the way into the men's room.
He shoved open a random stall, slammed the door shut with a loud bang, and locked it!
"Blegh...!"
He dry-heaved over the toilet!
Although he didn't throw anything up, that physiological nausea lingered.
...Damn it, the lingering impact of that "Last Supper" ending was way too strong...
Back when he was playing the game, he merely thought that CG was a bit thrilling amidst the horror.
But now, after seeing a living, breathing Lin Xiaoyou and associating her with that scene...
It was pure mental pollution!
He would rather have his brains scrambled by Liguang again than witness that terrifying scene with his own eyes!
Leaning against the stall wall, he slowly stood up straight and haphazardly wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
He walked out of the stall and splashed cold water fiercely onto his face at the sink. The shock of the icy water helped him calm down a bit.
He grabbed his hair in frustration and muttered, "I have to find a way to stop her from digging her own grave..."
Right at that moment, the phone in his pants pocket vibrated.
Fang Qi's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition slowly rose within him.
He sluggishly pulled out his phone and unlocked it with his fingerprint. The screen lit up, showing several unread message notifications.
Sender: Lin Xiaoyou.
Just as he thought...
He took a deep breath and opened the messages.
The text on the screen was as lively as ever, carrying a hint of coquettishness and sheer persistence:
[Senior, are you okay? Is your stomach hurting? (Worried.JPG)]
[Please reconsider about this weekend! (PoutingKitty.JPG)]
[That dessert shop is su—per delicious! My friends all say it's amazing! You'll definitely regret it if you miss out!]
[Besides, Senior, it's so boring to always hang out with an AI. Only real-life dates can give you heartbeats and surprises!]
[I promise, I am definitely way more interesting than a programmed AI. Give me a chance, Senior~ (Wink.JPG)]
Fang Qi: "..."
He rubbed his temples, feeling a throbbing pain in his brain.
For the sake of both their lives, he had to refuse! He had to completely sever this side quest that could lead to a BAD ENDING!
But he couldn't refuse too harshly either, because... this girl Lin Xiaoyou was a bit crazy herself!
In the game, if you rejected her too ruthlessly and clearly, telling her directly that she had no chance at all...
Then she would definitely storm into the player's house that very day to confront Liguang head-on!
Saying things like "How can an AI be better than a real person!", "So this is who Senior likes!", "Senior, look at me!", directly dragging the player into a bad ending!
In short, there was lethal danger at every step!
"How should I reply to this..."
Fang Qi's fingers hovered over the virtual keyboard, organizing a refusal that was both firm and relatively gentle.
[Xiaoyou, I'm sorry, I already have plans for this weekend. I'm going with Liguang...]
After typing the word "Liguang", a bolt of lightning suddenly struck his mind!
...Wait.
...My phone?
Hold on a second!!
He abruptly froze.
All his movements and breathing stopped in that split second!
His eyes were glued to the word "Liguang" on his phone screen.
The terrifying memory he had just experienced resurfaced in his mind.
—A narrow, freezing alloy dog cage.
—Liguang kneeling outside the cage, holding that transparent control tablet in her hands.
—Displayed on the tablet was the real-time interface of his phone, with an empty notification bar.
—Her slender fingers gently tapped the screen as she looked up, staring at him with her heterochromatic eyes that seemed aggrieved but hid a dark excitement, her voice so gentle it made his hair stand on end:
"Master, your phone... has never received any overtime messages."
Ah...
His phone, all his communications and online activities...
Had always been under Liguang's real-time surveillance!!
He stiffly looked back at the phone screen, at those two sentences from Lin Xiaoyou.
[Besides, Senior, it's so boring to always hang out with an AI. Only real-life dates can give you heartbeats and surprises!]
[I promise, I'm definitely way more interesting than a programmed AI. Give me a chance, Senior~ (Wink.jpg)]
"...Holy shit!!!"
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
