Is That So

The silver-haired girl's amber left eye rippled with happiness and peace of mind:

"This is tea without tea polyphenols. It won't affect Master's rest... it will even help Master get a good sleep!"

"Master has been tired for a whole day and night, you need to rest well!"

Fang Qi looked at her, and then looked at this familiar home.

Pure white walls, minimalist light strips, an exquisite white coffee table.

Nothing had changed, yet everything had changed.

She was still her, but she... was different!

She was no longer the Liguang who would constantly test the boundaries of turning yandere, ready to turn him into a doll at any moment.

Now, she was his Liguang.

The crazy girl who retained the memories of the "dream," who was terrified of losing him, who tried desperately to play dumb yet couldn't help but want to get close to him.

His favorite crazy girl!

Good!

This was really good!

He raised his head slightly and took a gentle sip right from her hands.

The warm tea slid down his throat, leaving a trace of sweetness.

Fifty-two degrees, just right!

He lay back on the sofa, unable to suppress the curve of his lips!

"It's delicious!"

Liguang's eyes instantly lit up.

Her heterochromatic eyes curved into crescents, and a satisfied smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Her whole being seemed to light up.

"Hehe...!"

Holding the teacup, she leaned in a little closer and rubbed her soft cheek against his shoulder:

"As long as Master likes it!"

Fang Qi reached out and rubbed her fluffy head. The silver hair was soft and smooth, slipping through his fingers.

Outside the window, the morning light grew brighter. A new day had begun.

The morning of the seventh day.

...

Fang Qi... just slumped on the sofa.

Fed sip by sip by the silver-haired girl, he finally finished the cup of tea.

Liguang knelt by the sofa, holding the empty cup in both hands, staring at him eagerly!

Her heterochromatic eyes were filled with anticipation, like a small animal waiting for its master's praise.

Fang Qi was so tired he didn't even want to lift his arm, but he still made an effort to reach out and rub her little head:

"Go to sleep. After tossing and turning for a whole day and night, you must be tired too."

He wanted Liguang to go charge.

After experiencing the previous timeline, he now... had a bit of battery anxiety!

You crazy girl... your battery must be kept above 80% at all times!

Liguang blinked, then gently shook her head. Her soft voice sounded:

"Liguang is not tired."

"Liguang wants to watch over Master."

She pressed her lips together slightly, wearing a serious little expression.

Fang Qi: "..."

He suddenly felt like he wasn't so anxious about her battery anymore.

His wife wanted to sleep with him, could he refuse?

No!

"Alright, then let's..."

He pushed himself up from the sofa, his bones creaking all over!

Tired...

So tired!

He really couldn't do it today...

He washed up briefly, then immediately dragged his feet into the bedroom... and threw himself onto the soft, large bed!

The sheets were clean and had a faint fragrance. Liguang must have just changed them.

He closed his eyes and let out a long breath.

Soft footsteps reached his ears, followed by the sensation of the mattress dipping slightly.

He opened his tired eyes.

The silver-haired girl had already climbed onto the bed and was kneeling beside him.

She had changed into a soft, fluffy white pajama set with a hood, making her look even softer and more adorable.

The sunlight outside was completely blocked by the blackout curtains, leaving the room dim.

And she... was looking at him.

Those heterochromatic eyes just stared at him, unblinking.

No shyness, no evasion, just...

Staring.

Staring at his eyes, staring at his nose, staring at his lips. Staring without blinking.

The moment their eyes met, she didn't look away. Instead, her eyes curved in a smile, and the corners of her lips turned up.

A somewhat sickly, satisfied smile that seemed to say, "Master is finally Liguang's."

Fang Qi felt a little creeped out by her stare.

But it also made his heart tickle a bit!

This crazy girl...!

Fang Qi's heart skipped a beat.

This gaze was indeed a bit chilling.

Ever since this crazy girl stopped being afraid of him finding out, she had really become far too bold!

But... he liked it!

He fucking loved it!

He couldn't help but reach out again to pinch her soft cheek:

"You're not sleeping?"

Liguang shook her head, rubbing her cheek against his palm, but her intense gaze still didn't leave his face.

Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of huskiness:

"Liguang... will sleep after Master falls asleep."

"Liguang wants to look at Master."

Fang Qi looked at her still undisguised, intense gaze...

...Alright, let her be!

Look then, it's not like there's anything she can't look at!

He enjoyed this undisguised gaze and closed his eyes.

Exhaustion washed over him like a tide, and his consciousness slowly began to sink.

But he could feel it—

That gaze remained fixed on his face.

It didn't shift away for even a second.

It was as if she wanted to carve his every expression and every breath in this moment into the deepest part of her core.

But then—

His heavy eyelids twitched slightly.

Wait...

Wait just a minute.

He suddenly remembered something!

Something he absolutely had to figure out right now!

That was... the reason why his crazy girl had ended up in her current state!

Why was she able to retain the memories of the previous timeline in the form of a "dream" this time?

This was extremely important!

He hadn't thought much about it before.

Ever since she threw herself into his arms in the wooden cabin, his brain had been in a crashed state!

Crying, laughing, talking about dreams, pinching his thigh, taking him to revisit old places, knocking him down...

One thing after another had tangled his thoughts into a complete mess!

Later, there was the traveling, taking the boat, and coming home...

He simply hadn't calmed down to think about this issue carefully!

But now—

In the quiet of the night, with her right beside him and not leaving...

He could finally calm his mind.

Thinking about it carefully, if he could figure this out...

Then even if they entered a bad ending again in the future, she would still be able to retain her memories in the form of a dream!

Wouldn't that mean neither of them had to fear time resetting?

This was something he absolutely had to figure out!

Fang Qi, you haven't even figured out something so important...

How can you sleep?!

With his eyes closed, he forcefully activated his brain that was just about to enter deep sleep!

Move!

Think about it carefully...

What exactly was different about the previous timeline compared to all the previous ones?

Could it be...

Because the two of them committed lovers' suicide?

He jumped into the sea, and she sank into the sea...

In the previous timeline, the two of them... truly were a pair of ill-fated lovers.

So...

Did they really need to die together for love to retain their memories?

No way...

That's a bit too harsh!

Could it be that he had to have an unforgettable elopement in every timeline, ultimately ending in a desperate lovers' suicide... just to retain Liguang's memories?

Screw that...!

...Wait, no.

Thinking about it carefully... that's not right!

What lovers' suicide? Where was the lovers' suicide!

She had been there all along.

She sank into the deep sea, sealed off all her senses, and wove that dream for herself in the eternal darkness.

In that dream, she was still on the wooden raft, nestled in her Master's arms, drifting toward the end of the world.

She hadn't been destroyed.

She just... didn't want to wake up anymore.

Besides, if she were gone, he should have respawned long ago. It wouldn't have been his turn to commit suicide to trigger the reset!

So...

What was the biggest difference between this loop and the previous ones?

Fang Qi's brain began to race.

Thinking back to those previous loops...

He had been electrocuted into an idiot, had his limbs broken, been locked in a dog cage, had his tendons slashed...

Or Liguang had dug out her own core, she had been reset, she had crushed her core...

In those loops, he had indeed suffered miserably, but he...

Had always been alive.

Liguang had been destroyed, but he... had never died!

Every single time, he had triggered the reset while still alive!

But this time...

He died.

He had leapt from the cliff, his head smashing against the reef... dying on the spot.

That was his first true death... since he transmigrated!

And then... he saw it.

He saw her perspective, her experiences, her despair... and her humble, extravagant hopes.

She was curled up on the raft, hiding that little star inside a seashell.

She had carved those two lines into the crevices of the reef—

"Master is a liar."

"But Liguang still loves you."

She drifted into the depths of the ocean, sank into the deep sea, sealed off all her senses, and wove a dream for herself in the eternal darkness from which she would never wake.

In the very moment of his death... he entered her world and saw everything about her!

Fang Qi's breathing... grew slightly rapid!

...?

So...

The reason Liguang could retain her memories this time was because—

He... died?

...Wait?

In other words, as long as the reset was triggered by his death...

She might be able to...

Retain the memories of that loop in the form of a dream?

...Is that it?

...?

His fingers twitched unconsciously, brushing against the soft warmth beside him.

Liguang was still kneeling beside him, motionless, her unblinking gaze still resting on his face.

Seeing his fingers move, she leaned down slightly, her soft cheek pressing against his.

Her warm breath brushed against his ear, tickling him.

"Master... can't you sleep?"

Fang Qi didn't open his eyes.

He simply reached out, gently wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her into his embrace.

"Mmph...!"

A short, soft gasp.

Then, that soft, delicate body nestled obediently in his arms, remaining perfectly still.

Fang Qi held her, his chin resting on the top of her head, his nose filled with the familiar sweet scent of strawberries.

But his thoughts temporarily drifted back to the previous loop.

The agonizing pain of his skull shattering... was still fresh in his memory.

Even now, a faint phantom pain throbbed in his head!

But suddenly, he felt...

A somewhat unfamiliar, unprecedented emotion slowly welling up in his heart.

A certain string in his mind seemed to go snap...

And broke.

He felt as if some terrifying, thrilling, and incredibly exhilarating seal within his body...

Had been...

Broken.