The master didn't deceive you, did they

Fang Qi stood blankly in the living room.

He stared at the tightly shut small door... forgetting even to breathe.

"Ring— Ring—"

The cell phone rang over and over again.

Like a death warrant.

But he didn't answer.

So the ringing stopped.

Then—

"Ring—"

It rang again.

Fang Qi finally snapped back to his senses, slowly lowered his head, and glanced at the phone screen on the table.

[An Lian]

It was still her.

The An Lian whose hamstrings and tendons he had ordered Liguang... to sever.

The An Lian who had slumped in the corner, crying and saying "It's all my fault."

The An Lian who, with her last breath... had tried to tell him the truth.

The An Lian who was headshot by the company's sniper.

He remembered the way she sat paralyzed against the base of the wall in the last loop.

With a hole in her temple, those gray eyes looking at him, her lips still moving, telling him...

"I'm sorry."

...The one who should be saying sorry was him.

He took a deep breath... picked up the phone, swiped the answer button with his thumb, and pressed the phone to his ear.

No one spoke.

There was only the sound of breathing on the other end of the line.

Fang Qi didn't speak either.

What could he possibly say?

Say "Sorry, in the last loop I had Liguang cut your tendons and forced you to reveal secrets, which led to you being silenced"?

The two of them just remained silent, with only the sound of each other's breathing coming through the phone.

But just then, Fang Qi's peripheral vision suddenly caught something!

He immediately turned his head and realized...

That small door, which had been slammed shut by Liguang, was actually open a crack!

A thin, narrow crack!

Through the crack... an eye was revealed!

It was Liguang's amber left eye!

That eye was staring straight at him, staring at the phone pressed against his ear, staring at the person he was talking to...

And then... it met his gaze.

The light in that eye instantly panicked!

The pupil trembled! The eyelashes fluttered!

With a creak, the crack in the door narrowed even further, leaving only a tiny sliver!

Yet that touch of amber still hid within the crack!

Still watching him from that narrow slit!

...!!

Fang Qi's heart... felt like it had been struck hard!

His eyes instantly grew hot!

Crazy woman...

She was still looking at him! Still secretly watching him!

Because he was on the phone with An Lian... she was hiding in the small room, staring at him through the crack in the door!

She didn't like him talking to others!

She hated him chatting with that "bad woman"!

...But she didn't dare to come out.

She didn't dare to act like she did in the last loop... sitting in his lap and showing that kind smile of "Master, has Liguang given you too much face?"

And then taking the initiative to pinch his thigh hard.

She didn't dare anymore.

But even so, she was still looking at him!

Hiding behind the door, revealing one eye... secretly watching him!

Even... even though he had broken her heart in the last loop!

Even... though she had watched him raise a gun and commit suicide right in front of her, leaving her all alone in that hell!

Even though she finally saw the "monster" version of herself in the glass curtain wall... and began to loathe herself...

But she still couldn't let him go! She still cared about who he was on the phone with!

She still...

Loved him!

Fang Qi's fingers tightened around his phone!

Crazy woman... I'm truly sorry for the last loop!

But wifey... you are so good!!!

He wanted to rush in right now, hug her tightly, tell her everything, tell her he hadn't lied to her, tell her...!

"Mr. Fang."

A voice suddenly came from the phone, interrupting Fang Qi's impulse.

It was An Lian's voice.

Hoarse, carrying obvious exhaustion and tension.

"Are you... available right now?"

Fang Qi... took a deep breath, and then moved his gaze away from the crack in the door.

In his peripheral vision, that eye was still looking at him.

Watching him all the time!

Crazy woman, keep looking, look all you want!

Your gaze... really makes me feel secure!

"Yeah."

He replied to An Lian, his voice also a bit hoarse: "I'm available, go ahead."

The other side went silent for two seconds.

Then—

"Mr. Fang, can I..."

"Come to your house now?"

Her voice was very light.

"Not to do a check-up for Liguang. Just..."

"I want to talk to you, face to face."

Talk.

Fang Qi's pupils contracted slightly.

Talk about what?

Talk about Liguang's secrets? Talk about his parents' secrets? Talk about that "same path"?

Or talk about—the things they experienced in the last loop?

Did An Lian... also have the dream?

...She definitely did.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have made this call!

Nor would she speak to him in this tone!

Looking at it this way, his original plan... was actually quite successful.

He committed suicide, he rewound time. Then Liguang retained her memories, and An Lian also retained hers...

All of his deductions... were correct!

He had gotten everything he wanted, and also obtained a lot of... unexpected key information!

But at the same time...

He looked again at that touch of amber in the crack of the door.

His crazy woman had also experienced... the pain he wanted least of all.

But fortunately... that touch of amber was still there!

That alone was enough to stabilize his emotions significantly!

He took a deep breath!

Steady.

Steady yourself, Fang Qi.

An Lian must be about to tell him something now.

Was she going to tell him... the words she had wanted to say right before she died in the last loop?

...No.

Not necessarily.

If she said those things, she would be silenced.

A sniper rifle... a direct headshot.

Just thinking about that scene now made Fang Qi shiver slightly!

But since she was coming over... she should at least tell him some important information!

He couldn't refuse.

"Alright."

He immediately replied to An Lian.

"Come over."

But as soon as his voice fell—

"Bang!!!"

A loud crash!

It made Fang Qi shudder all over!

That small door was slammed shut viciously! The doorframe was shaking!

Fang Qi almost dropped the phone in his hand from the scare!

But... he suddenly smiled!

The corners of his mouth curled up uncontrollably!

His eyes grew hot, and his eye sockets became even moister!

This crazy woman's little temper... slamming the door so loudly!

She was throwing a tantrum! She was jealous!

She was telling him, "Master, you actually let that bad woman come to the house, Liguang is unhappy now!"

Even though she didn't dare to come out, even though she was hiding in her small room, her little head perhaps covered with a blanket...

She would still slam the door!

She... was still the same her!

That crazy woman who loved him to the bone!

Fang Qi wanted to both cry and laugh right now!

This is great!

This is truly great!!

Slam it!

Slam it hard!

If you break it, Master will buy you another door!

Buy you ten more doors!

Slam it however you want!! Slam it as you please!!

While he was still feeling emotional, on the other end of the phone...

"Phew..."

An Lian seemed to have heard the noise, but she didn't ask anything.

She just breathed a sigh of relief, and then spoke again:

"Okay. I'll be there in half an hour."

Her voice returned to that cold, professional tone.

Then the phone was hung up, very decisively.

Fang Qi... put down the phone.

He stood in the living room, taking several deep breaths.

Half an hour, huh.

He still had time.

Right now... it was time to comfort his wifey!

He walked step by step to that small door, and raised his hand...

After a moment of hesitation, he knocked gently on the door.

"Liguang?"

He called out softly, testing the waters.

There was no reply.

He knocked again.

"Liguang, can I come in?"

Still no sound.

Fang Qi didn't ask again.

He reached out and gave it a gentle push... the door was unlocked.

Unlocked, as expected.

She never locked her door. No matter where she hid, she would never shut him out.

The door opened.

Then Fang Qi saw it... the transparent, highly futuristic charging pod in the corner.

At this moment, the patterns across the entire pod were blinking with a faint blue light.

And the silver-haired girl... was standing right inside!

Her back pressed against the inner wall of the charging pod, both hands hanging by her sides, standing perfectly straight... like a soldier awaiting inspection!

And what she was wearing... was no longer the dark purple dress from the previous loop.

That dress had been bought at the mall in the last loop. In this loop... they hadn't bought it yet.

What she wore now was the original one, that light blue loungewear dress.

Light blue, simple and gentle.

Only, the hem of the skirt seemed... somewhat torn?

But what made Fang Qi freeze completely was her head.

Her long silver hair was draped down, a bit messy.

Wrapped around her head was actually a strip of... light blue cloth.

It had been torn right off the hem of her dress!

It wrapped around her forehead and was tied in a knot at the back of her head.

This cloth... perfectly covered her right eye.

Covered it completely!

Only her left eye remained, tightly shut at this moment, her eyelashes trembling frantically!

The silver-haired girl stood entirely within the charging pod, looking like... a child who had done something wrong and locked herself away.

Fang Qi's breath caught in his throat.

He knew why she was doing this.

She felt disgusted.

Disgusted by that final "self" she had seen reflected in the glass wall.

Her silver hair burned away. Her bionic skin peeled off. Her left eye reduced to nothing but a black hole.

And that right eye...

That crimson, burning, frantically darting red pupil made her feel... like she looked like a monster.

So now, she used a strip of cloth torn from her own dress... to cover her right eye.

She didn't want him to see that eye.

Didn't want him to see... that "monster."

Fang Qi's nose... stung with a sudden, painful ache!

You crazy girl, you are not a monster.

You are not!

He immediately took large strides over to the charging pod!

Inside the transparent pod walls, his crazy girl stood there, eyes closed, eyelashes trembling wildly, her right eye covered by a strip of cloth!

She didn't dare to look at him, nor did she dare to open her eyes.

He leaned against the wall of the charging pod, pressing his face against the cold glass.

"Liguang."

His voice was very soft, afraid of scaring this currently sensitive little yandere.

The eyelashes on her left eye twitched violently!

But the eye still did not open.

...Cute.

So cute!

His wife was so cute!

...He had to coax her and make her feel better!

He had to comfort her! Right now!

So he said softly—

"Liguang, look."

"Master didn't lie to you, did he?"

"Master said..."

"We..."

"'See you in the next life.'"

"Now... we've seen each other."

The silver-haired girl's left eyelashes trembled violently!

And then snapped open!

Amber pupils crashed straight into his line of sight!

Tears were still trembling fiercely within them!

"...Huh?"