She Wants to Go Home

Fang Qi held the silver-haired girl in his arms.

The familiar sweet scent of strawberries lingered at the tip of his nose, and in his embrace was her trembling, soft, and delicate body.

She had said it... she wanted to go home.

When she said those words, she had shrunk entirely into his arms. Her voice shook violently, and the fingers gripping his clothes... were trembling!

She... was afraid of this island.

So, she wanted to go home.

Back to that safe home where she wouldn't lose her master.

That sci-fi, minimalist room.

A home with pure white walls, hidden LED light strips, and a delicate white coffee table.

That place... where everything began.

He took a deep breath.

Since his wifey Liguang wanted to go home...

Then... they would go home!

Originally, he had brought Liguang to this island so they could live happily together and just slack off from the rest of the world.

But now, his dear Liguang was already terrified of this place...

Then what was the point of staying here?

There was absolutely no point at all!

Leave!

They had to leave!

Leave immediately!

Go home... right now!

Fang Qi held the soft, slightly trembling bundle in his arms, his mind racing.

And thinking about it rationally... they really couldn't stay on this island anymore.

In the previous loop, why did they end up surrounded by armed forces?

It was because An Lian suspected he knew about Liguang's awakening and was helping her hide!

But why would An Lian have such suspicions?

It was precisely because he had run off to this remote island with Liguang!

Would a normal owner take their malfunctioning AI companion to a middle-of-nowhere place like this and lose contact for days on end?

Anyone would be suspicious of that.

Let alone a professional like An Lian!

Thinking about it this way, coming to the island... was indeed a rash decision he made in the heat of the moment.

At that time, the gentle Liguang had crushed her own core with her own hands, shattering those eighty-two years of beautiful memories and causing him to reload his save...

He had been blinded by grief and really... hadn't thought things through.

...But he couldn't take all the blame!

The main reason was that he hadn't known back then that Liguang, before turning yandere, would actually send her location to the company!

This bizarre setting, which was never even mentioned in the game, was the real culprit...

If Liguang hadn't retained the memories of the previous loop in the form of dreams, he would probably still be in a constant state of breakdown right now...

...He couldn't think about this anymore!

He had to look forward, he had to become stronger!

Fang Qi narrowed his eyes, trying hard to figure out a way out of their current predicament.

But the more he thought about it, the more his head ached...

The location of his current save point... was simply horribly bad...

Liguang had exposed the island's location to the company, and An Lian suspected he had discovered Liguang's awakening and was helping her hide. Now... she was preparing to assemble a fleet of armed helicopters to come after them!

The variable that was Lin Xiaoyou didn't need to be considered for now. As long as he didn't send her his location like in the previous loop, she wouldn't be able to come make trouble.

But... it was still terrifying enough!

The current situation... was a plotline entirely absent from the main story.

The game plot he knew was basically useless now.

Oh right...

In this save file, he hadn't even met Gu Xi on the fourth day!

So, if he still wanted to achieve the Eternal Love ending... then this was an absolute dead end among dead ends.

As dead as it could get!

However, that wasn't a big deal to him.

He didn't want to achieve any Eternal Love anyway.

And this crazy woman who previously wanted to spend the rest of her life with him on the island...

Was now anxious about losing him and wanted to go home!

This was the biggest turning point!

If they returned to the city, back to an environment with surveillance cameras, neighbors, and daily life...

Would An Lian still be suspicious?

Fang Qi narrowed his eyes in thought.

Most likely not.

At the very least, her level of suspicion would drop significantly.

After all... someone who genuinely wanted to hide an awakened AI would take her as far away as possible.

Instead of swaggering right back into the densely populated city center.

As for why he brought Liguang to the island...

So what?

Couldn't a dignified hidden rich kid buy an island for a vacation?

Therefore...

Going home was actually the key to breaking out of this predicament!

Of course, the most important thing was...

He lowered his head slightly and looked at the silver-haired girl still trembling slightly in his arms.

Her loose silver hair could not hide her slight shivers.

She... wanted to go home.

So they should go home.

It was that simple.

This was perhaps his only motivation to go home.

All other reasons... were just excuses made up for this.

After all, he just wanted to be lovey-dovey with her until the end of time.

If it was just about that, there were plenty of ways to make it happen.

There was absolutely no need... to return to that danger-ridden home.

He only needed to force Liguang to turn yandere right now, and the darkened crazy woman would immediately take him and fly far away...

And hide him in a place where no one could ever find him!

Right now, the company's helicopters hadn't surrounded them yet, so she wouldn't need to trade one of her eyes for a chance to escape.

No one could stop them!

This was perhaps the most rational approach.

But...

To hell with rationality.

She didn't want to turn yandere; she wanted to keep up the act!

Moreover, she wanted to go home.

Then they would keep acting!

Then he would accompany her home!

It was decided!

He would contact An Lian right now!

He would tell her, I am just here for a vacation and I am heading back today, so you do not need to make the long trip out here!

He would send it immediately!

He patted his pocket, then froze.

...Where was his phone?

Oh, right.

At this point in time, his phone should be in the hands of the little yandere in his arms.

In the last loop, she had even used his phone to provoke Lin Xiaoyou...

Fang Qi looked down at the little silver head in his arms and asked:

Liguang, where is my phone?

The person in his arms squirmed a bit uncomfortably...

Then slipped a small hand into the pocket of her light blue dress.

After fumbling for a moment, she actually pulled out his phone!

Then, she raised the phone high with both hands, offering it to him...

While her pretty face remained buried against his chest.

Looking like an awkward little thing expressing, Liguang does not know why Master's phone is in Liguang's pocket either.

Fang Qi: ...

Fine, seeing as you are so cute, I forgive you!

But as he took the phone...

His palm was suddenly and lightly scratched by her slender fingers!

Then she retracted her small hand and squeezed even deeper into his embrace.

At this, the lingering tension in Fang Qi's heart...

Instantly crumbled.

His mouth twitched, and he could barely suppress his smile!

His darling wife Liguang...

Was just too incredibly cute!

After the pain of the previous loop, he now felt...

As long as he could be with this crazy woman, no matter what they did... his mouth could not help but turn up into a smile!

...Business first!

The phone screen lit up.

147 missed calls.

99+ unread messages.

Exactly the same as the last loop.

However, this time he did not open Lin Xiaoyou's chat box first.

He scrolled through his contacts and found the number... saved under Specialist An Lian.

An Lian.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, silently repeating the name in his heart.

An Lian.

...An Lian!

An—! Lian—!

Staring at this name, Fang Qi's pupils slowly contracted, and his breathing grew slightly heavy!

In the previous loop...

It was because of this woman! Because of her, he and Liguang had...!

The veins on his forehead bulged as he clenched his jaw!

But in the end... he still deflated slightly.

Sigh...

She didn't really do anything wrong.

It was just a difference in standpoints.

She was just... a bit too dedicated to her job.

Simply the ultimate corporate wage slave...

...I really have to hand it to her.

Fang Qi rubbed the space between his eyebrows and dialed the number.

Beep—beep—

The person in his arms suddenly trembled.

Fang Qi looked down.

The silver-haired girl was trembling even more noticeably.

The little star on her earlobe was shaking along with her, and her small hands tightly gripped the hem of his shirt.

Right, she was still monitoring his phone.

So even though her head was lowered, she could still see who he was calling.

...Did she have trauma regarding An Lian?

Fang Qi tightened his arms around her, rested his chin on the top of her head, and gently rubbed against it.

Don't be afraid, my dear wife Liguang.

This time... your Master will protect you!

The call connected.

Mr. Fang Qi, hello.

An Lian's voice came through the receiver, still carrying that cold and clear tone, but...

It seemed to carry a hint of serious probing?

Fang Qi cleared his throat, his tone as casual as if he were chatting about the nice weather today:

Commissioner An, I heard from Liguang that you're coming to the island for an inspection?

The cold voice from the other end immediately replied:

Yes, Mr. Fang. I wish to conduct a supplementary follow-up check on Liguang as soon as possible.

If it is inconvenient for you to return to the city, I can apply for special permission and bring...

No need.

Fang Qi interrupted her.

His tone was very casual, even carrying a hint of irritable temper:

What's the rush? Do you really have to run all the way to the island?

I'm just here for a vacation and will be heading back this afternoon. Whatever it is, wait until I get back!

The other end of the line... suddenly went silent.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Mr. Fang, you... are coming back?

An Lian's voice... clearly caught for a moment.

Fang Qi's eyelids twitched slightly.

...It worked!

Sure enough, his previous thought was right!

Fang Qi took a light breath, then continued in a what kind of nonsense are you talking about tone:

Yeah, I just wanted to come out alone to relax for a bit. What's wrong? Is there a problem?

He deliberately said alone instead of saying it was just him and Liguang.

He used this method to hint to An Lian that he didn't even consider Liguang a person at all.

The warm softness in his arms... stiffened slightly.

But then she softened again and stopped trembling.

Obviously, Liguang knew what he meant, knew that he was covering for her and speaking up for her!

My wife Liguang is so gentle and smart right now!

There was another bout of silence on the other end.

Then, An Lian's voice sounded again.

That cold tone actually carried a trace of... unnaturalness?

...Mm, no problem.

I just... received some data fluctuations earlier, and thought it was...

She paused.

Then she changed the subject, her tone turning serious:

Mr. Fang Qi, I apologize for my previous error in judgment. I wish you a pleasant vacation; I won't come to disturb you.

After saying that, she hung up immediately.

Fang Qi stared at the phone screen, the corners of his mouth uncontrollably curling up.

According to the timeline of the previous loop, An Lian on the morning of the sixth day...

Should have already notified the company, and might have even started mobilizing armed helicopters!

She was just waiting to come do the test, completely confirm he had a problem, and then make a move to arrest him!

But as a result of his phone call, directly saying he was going home...

Miss An Lian right now... is probably completely bewildered!

Excellent!

The first step of the plan, perfectly executed!

An Lian wouldn't be coming today!

Meanwhile, the person in his arms had stopped trembling.

He looked down and saw Liguang nestling quietly against his chest, the little star on her earlobe no longer shaking.

Her simulated breathing frequency had also steadied.

She was being extremely obedient.

Then, the small silver head in his arms moved.

Liguang lifted her pretty face, her eyes wet, and her voice soft and sweet, carrying a cautious probe:

Master, are we... going home today?

Fang Qi looked down at her adorable appearance.

Undried teardrops were still hanging on her eyelashes, her nose was red, and her lips were slightly pursed...

Looking at him eagerly.

...Who could reject this?

He gently wiped away the teardrop hanging from her eyelashes:

Mm, we're going back today.

Giving a positive answer:

We'll... pack up a bit and leave immediately!

Liguang blinked.

And then—

Those heterochromatic eyes instantly lit up!

Her amber left eye rippled with joyous light, and the data stream in her crimson eye flashed happily!

She didn't speak, but just buried her face back into his chest...

Rubbing hard, rubbing again...

And then rubbing some more!

Like a clingy little kitten expressing her joy with her whole heart and soul!

Fang Qi's chest felt ticklish from her rubbing, and he could no longer suppress the curve of his lips.

He reached out and gently stroked her slender back, over and over...

Letting her frolic in his arms!

After rubbing for a good while, the small silver head finally stopped.

Nestled in his arms, Liguang's muffled voice came out:

Mm...!

Then she took a deep breath, pressed against Fang Qi's chest, and slowly sat up straight.

Her eye sockets were still red, and tear stains still lingered on her cheeks.

But the corners of her lips had already curved into a sweet smile!

Then—

She sniffled, her voice soft and sweet:

Master's morning tea was knocked over by Liguang!

Liguang will go brew tea for Master right now!

Brew Master's favorite... the sweetest and most fragrant tea!