His voice wasn't loud, but it was firm.
He got straight to the most important point!
He could feel the small hand holding his suddenly tremble—
Those five slender fingers instantly tightened, the nails almost digging into the back of his hand!
But Fang Qi didn't look back.
He just continued to look solemnly at Lin Xiaoyou, speaking every word with absolute clarity:
"In this life, I will not marry anyone."
"I will only... spend my life with Liguang."
"So, please don't waste any more of your time on me."
"You... deserve someone better than me."
After he finished speaking, the coffee shop instantly fell silent.
It was so quiet that the faint clink of a spoon against a cup from the next table could be heard.
So quiet that the sound of someone gasping in the corner was audible.
He could hear his own heartbeat thumping loudly!
The people at the neighboring tables stopped talking, their eyes darting straight over here!
Fang Qi sighed softly in his heart.
Being overheard... couldn't be helped.
But at least it was much better than being surrounded by so many people in the mall earlier.
At least there were no phones pointing at him to record.
Lin Xiaoyou sat there blankly.
On her small, round face... that lively smile was frozen.
As if someone had pressed the pause button on her.
Then...
She actually burst into a chuckle!
"Oh my, Senior, you really know how to joke!"
Her voice was still light and brisk, even carrying a hint of teasing:
"How can a person spend their whole life with an AI companion!"
"An AI companion is a machine. You can't marry them, and you can't have children with them..."
"How could they ever compare to a real person... so... so..."
As she spoke, the corners of her mouth began to tremble.
That smile hung on her face, but it trembled more and more violently.
"Senior... you must be joking, right?"
She stared at Fang Qi.
Her round, almond-shaped eyes were sparkling...
Carrying... a final trace of hope. Like a drowning person desperately waving at the shore.
Looking at her like this, Fang Qi felt a tightness in his chest.
Sigh... the feeling of rejecting someone really isn't pleasant either.
But he still firmly shook his head:
"I am not joking."
His voice was very calm, and very firm.
"Xiaoyou, I am completely serious."
The corners of Lin Xiaoyou's mouth... finally froze completely.
That smile she had tried so hard to maintain just froze on her face.
And then...
It crumbled, little by little.
The light in her eyes also dimmed, little by little.
She just sat there blankly, looking at him without saying a word.
Her eye rims slowly turned red.
Fang Qi felt a bit uncomfortable in his heart and subconsciously averted his gaze.
Then he saw—
Liguang was also staring at him blankly, her small mouth slightly agape.
In her amber left eye, a damp, glistening halo was still quivering.
The scarlet in her red pupil was completely restrained!
Not a disguised restraint, but a genuine, heartfelt... softening.
Then that small hand quietly caressed his arm.
Right where he had been pinched the hardest just a moment ago...
Gently rubbing it, over and over.
The movement carried an obvious sense of fawning and apology, along with a trace of...
Suppressed, joyful trembling!
She even sneaked a glance up at him...
Then quickly lowered her eyelashes, which fluttered gently!
The corners of her lips couldn't help but curl up, then she tried hard to press them down, they curled up again... and she tried hard to press them down again!
They began to tremble uncontrollably!
Those two slender legs under the table were also pressing together, relaxing, and pressing together again—
Her whole being exuded a kind of...
Awkward energy that screamed, I'm so happy but I can't show it!
Fang Qi: ...
Crazy woman... reign it in a little!
She's heartbroken right now!
Show some grace, some grace!
He gently squeezed her hand under the table, signaling her not to get too carried away!
Liguang's body stiffened slightly—
And then, that small hand rubbed his arm even more vigorously!
A fingertip even quietly, gently...
Traced a tiny heart on his arm!
Fang Qi: ...
Fine, fine, do whatever you want.
At this moment, Lin Xiaoyou finally spoke up.
She was still staring blankly at Fang Qi, murmuring softly:
"So... it really is like this..."
"It really is..."
Her lips trembled slightly, her voice soft and airy:
"Senior..."
"I had a dream... yesterday."
Fang Qi was slightly taken aback.
A dream?
What dream?
Wait...
A dream?
Why is it a dream again??
...?!
...Ah?!
He... slowly widened his eyes!
What did she mean?
...No, no, no!
That's not right, that's not right!
He must be overthinking it!
She... she's just sharing a dream she had, that's all!
An ordinary dream!
That must be it!
"What kind of dream... did you have?"
He asked, his voice a bit hoarse.
Like something was stuck in his throat.
"Mm..."
Lin Xiaoyou's gaze was somewhat unfocused, as if she was looking at...
A very, very distant place.
Through the glass windows of the coffee shop, through the city's clusters of buildings—
As if looking at... the other side of the sea.
"In the dream, Senior and Liguang... eloped."
...?
...Ah?
Ah?!
Ah?!?!?!
Fang Qi's mind instantly went buzz!
It went completely blank in an instant!!
But Lin Xiaoyou kept murmuring.
"I... I went to an island to find you."
"And I even... even played volleyball with Liguang... I even won 1 point..."
As she spoke, the corners of her mouth even curved up slightly.
But that smile was as fragile as a bubble in the sunlight, vanishing in an instant.
"And then... there were so many helicopters chasing you guys..."
As she continued speaking...
Tears suddenly flowed down.
Drop by drop, sliding down her cheeks.
The best friend beside her gently held her hand, looking worried and wanting to comfort her... but not knowing what to say.
She could only hold it tightly, staying by her side.
She continued murmuring:
"Senior just grabbed Liguang... and ran away, leaving me behind. Running and shouting... we're eloping..."
"And then... then you two became wanted fugitives..."
"After that, I never saw Senior again..."
"But it was okay, Senior, you and Liguang in the dream... were always on the run, and you were never caught..."
She was still smiling, curving the corners of her mouth, trying hard to smile.
But on that small, round face that had always been full of vitality, for the first time appeared that kind of...
Precarious, poignant, and heartbreaking smile.
She looked at Fang Qi with teary eyes, murmuring:
"So... dreams can be this real..."
"So Senior... really loves her as much as in the dream..."
"Senior... really is a devoted person..."
By this time, Fang Qi's...
Mind was already completely blank.
He stared blankly at the girl in front of him who was covered in tears but still smiling.
Staring blankly as he listened to her murmur those...
Memories that shouldn't exist!
The island! Volleyball! Helicopters! Elopement! Wanted fugitives!
Every single word was like a heavy hammer, smashing ruthlessly against his chest!
No...
What is going on?!
What is this situation?!
How could Lin Xiaoyou...
Also have that dream?!
Dreaming of her being crushed by Liguang at beach volleyball? She dreamed of him and Liguang eloping?!
She... she...
But why?!
His thoughts instantly turned into a chaotic mess, with countless ideas spinning madly in his head!
Could it be...
Because she was the key NPC?!
That... key NPC in the game who triggered all sorts of bad endings?!
Wait... Liguang!!
He abruptly turned his head to look at the silver-haired girl beside him!
Liguang... was indeed staring blankly at Lin Xiaoyou right now.
Her small mouth was slightly open, and in her amber left eye...
It was full of shock and terror!
Completely different from the panic she showed in the mall earlier when he "wouldn't let her carry the bags"!
That was a kind of—
"How is this possible" terror!
The crimson in her red eye was like a mass of solidified flame, frozen there, unmoving!
She just stared blankly...
Looking at this girl who had also had that dream!
Fang Qi's breath caught in his throat!
He wanted to speak, wanted to immediately comfort Liguang, to tell her...!
The dream wasn't real!
The dream was fake!
Even if it were true, even if it were some sort of prophetic dream...
Right now, they were no longer on the island!
That kind of thing couldn't possibly happen anymore!
But before he could speak...
He suddenly realized a very serious problem.
Very serious.
Hey...
Hey...!
Hey, hey, hey...!
No...
No, no, no!
This was very wrong!
If Lin Xiaoyou was that key NPC, and she could dream of the previous playthrough just like Liguang...
Then...
He tightly gripped the slightly hot coffee cup!
His knuckles turned white!
He abruptly turned his head and looked out the window of the cafe!
Outside, the sun was shining brightly, and pedestrians hurried by.
The mall was bustling with people, lively and extraordinary.
But Fang Qi always felt...
Someone... was watching him.
Then...
What about An Lian?
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
ver to a world of cultivation and returned invincible. Modern medicine is child's play compared to elixirs; technological might crumbles before true cultivation. My name is Qin Ning, Earth's sole cultivator!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
