Keep Forever

When Fang Qi woke up, it was already afternoon.

His first reaction upon waking was to reach out to the side.

Empty. Cold.

"..."

...No one?

...Huh?

His heart suddenly clenched!

His eyes snapped open!

He whipped his head around!

Aside from him... there was no one else in bed?

Huh?!

He sprang up from the bed!

"Liguang?!"

No answer.

The bedroom was empty. The curtains were still drawn, making the room dim.

He turned to look at the nightstand—

His phone was still turned off, lying there quietly.

He looked at the other side of the bed again... the pillow was so smooth it looked like no one had even slept on it?

That's not right...!

Before he fell asleep, Liguang was clearly in his arms!

She had been humming a song to coax him to sleep!

How...

How could she just disappear?!

In the last loop, when he came back from the island and fell asleep out of exhaustion, when he woke up... Liguang had been lying by his bed, staring straight at him for seven hours!

Why wasn't she here in this loop?!

No...

No, no, no!!

Fang Qi felt his heart tightening!

He remembered the loop before the last one, on the raft, when he woke up... Liguang was gone too.

...Just like now.

Exactly the same!!

Hey, hey, hey...!

"Liguang!!"

He jumped straight out of bed!

Without even putting on his shoes, he dashed out of the bedroom barefoot!

"Liguang, where are you?!"

The living room was empty, the curtains still drawn, the lighting dim.

No one...

No one!!

No, no, no...!!

Why... why?!

"Liguang!!"

He shouted again, his voice trembling and changing pitch!

And then—

"Master?"

A soft voice came from the direction of the kitchen.

Fang Qi whipped his head around!

At the kitchen door, a small silver head poked out.

She was wearing a light pink apron, the straps tied into a small bow behind her back, accentuating the slender curve of her waist.

She was also holding a spatula in her hand.

"Master, I'm right here."

Her heterochromatic eyes blinked, a trace of confusion on her pretty face.

Fang Qi immediately froze.

He just stood there in the middle of the living room, barefoot, wearing a wrinkled T-shirt, his hair a mess like a bird's nest, his chest heaving violently.

He just stared at that small silver head poking out of the kitchen doorway.

And then—

"Phew—"

He let out a long sigh of relief.

His whole body softened, his shoulders slumped, and his back hunched over.

But his heart was still pounding!

Damn it...!

...Damn it...!

He really was...

Feeling so insecure right now...!

He really... had been traumatized by the experiences of the previous loops!

At the kitchen door, the silver-haired girl was still poking her head out to look at him.

Her heterochromatic eyes roamed over his face, from his panicked expression, to his relieved look, to his slumped shoulders...

And then—

The corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up!

A familiar, slightly exaggerated, somewhat morbid curve!

The corners of her mouth tipped high, her eyes narrowed into crescents, her amber eye sparkling brightly, while the crimson in her red eye seemed to flow cheerfully!

"Hehe..."

...She figured it out.

She could see that Master was so panicked because he realized she was gone.

She could see that Master had rushed out barefoot in a panic because of her.

She could see...

Master couldn't live without her anymore.

"Master—"

She dragged out the word, her voice soft and sweet, carrying an unconcealable hint of smugness!

"Liguang won't leave Master~"

Fang Qi: "..."

He rubbed his temples.

Great, he'd been seen through by this crazy woman.

But there was nothing he could do about it, the way he acted just now...

Was indeed a bit embarrassing...!

Tsk!

So embarrassing!

He awkwardly touched his nose, then shot her an exasperated glare!

The silver-haired girl wasn't afraid at all; instead, her eyes curved even more as she smiled.

"Master, go take a seat~"

Her voice was still soft, with a touch of playfulness.

"Liguang is cooking for Master."

She paused, tilted her small head, her heterochromatic eyes sparkling.

"After all—"

"Master doesn't know how to cook~"

After saying that, she stuck out her small tongue, the pink tip flashing past her lips!

Then, with a "whoosh," she pulled her head back into the kitchen!

Fang Qi stood there, blinking.

...?

What did this crazy woman just say?

"Master doesn't know how to cook"?

Ah...!

He immediately remembered the last loop!

He had enthusiastically wanted to cook her a meal, but ended up burning the pan just trying to fry an egg. In the end, she had hugged him from behind, holding his hands...

Turning him into a "human cooking utensil."

After the food was done, she had eaten it with a look of pure happiness, praising wildly, "The food Master makes is so delicious."

And now...

She actually dared to use that to... mock him?!

He widened his eyes at the now-closed kitchen door.

Oh... he got it!

No wonder when he woke up this time, she wasn't by his side staring at him!

It turned out she thought his cooking was too terrible, so she got up early... to cook for him?

Oh ho!

My short temper!

He instantly rolled up his sleeves and marched toward the kitchen!

"Liguang, stop right there! Master must cook this meal himself today!"

...

Five minutes later.

In the kitchen, the crisp sound of the spatula clashing rang out alongside the sizzling of hot oil.

Fang Qi stood in front of the stove, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.

On the cutting board sat chopped green onions and cilantro, next to freshly beaten eggs, with a few unmixed streaks of egg white hanging on the rim of the bowl.

The frying pan on the stove was steaming.

He clumsily flipped the spatula in his hand—but at least, the egg pancake in the pan wasn't burnt.

The silver-haired girl stood by his side, her light pink apron tied neatly.

She didn't lend a hand, just leaned slightly, one hand behind her back, the other lightly resting on the edge of the stove.

Her heterochromatic eyes stared unblinkingly at the egg pancake in the pan.

"Master, you can turn the heat down just a little bit more~"

She said softly, her warm breath brushing past his cheek.

Fang Qi followed her advice and turned the heat down a bit.

"Mhm, now you can flip it~"

"Slowly slide the spatula from the edge, yes, just like that~"

Her voice was gentle, carrying the patience of someone coaxing a child.

Although Fang Qi felt that Liguang's tone was a bit... lacking in respect for him as her Master! He still stared intently at the pan, and carefully flipped it over—

The golden egg pancake flew through the air in an arc and landed back in the pan with a smack!

Perfect!

"Yeah!"

He couldn't help but cheer for himself!

The silver-haired girl next to him burst into a pfft of laughter.

Fang Qi turned his head to glare at her, only to see her covering her mouth, her eyes curved into crescents, eyelashes fluttering, her shoulders shaking as she held back her laughter!

"...Laugh if you want to!"

Fang Qi gritted his teeth.

Liguang immediately stopped holding back.

"Hehe~"

She laughed out loud.

Then she leaned forward, her cheek almost touching his shoulder, looking at the egg pancake in the pan, the corners of her mouth tipped high!

"Master is so amazing~"

She said, her tone filled with the most sincere admiration.

"This time, you've improved so, so much compared to in the dream~"

Fang Qi felt a little light-headed from her praise.

Hmph, of course!

Before transmigrating, he was a bona fide solo-living master chef!

Even though he only knew how to use a beginner-friendly non-stick pan... he still had some foundational skills!

Ten minutes later...

A plate of golden scallion egg pancake was fresh out of the pan!

Although its presentation was average, and a few pieces were slightly burnt, still—

At least he had made it entirely on his own!

Fang Qi held the plate, raised his head, and looked at the silver-haired girl beside him.

"How is it?"

Liguang stared at the plate of egg pancake, her eyes sparkling.

Then she looked up at him with a sweet smile on her lips.

"Master is so amazing!"

She started clapping.

Clap, clap, clap!

Her little hands clapped with sheer delight.

Fang Qi: "..."

Even though he knew she was probably praising him sincerely, but...

Why did it feel like she was coaxing a child?

...Whatever!

It doesn't matter!

Time to eat!

He brought the egg pancake to the dining table and served two bowls of rice.

Liguang obediently sat across from him, pressing her palms together as her sparkling eyes stayed fixed on the egg pancake.

"Food made by Master~"

Her voice was soft and carried a slight tremble.

"I'm so happy~"

Fang Qi was amused by her behavior.

"Alright, let's eat."

He picked up a piece of the egg pancake with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth.

Hmm...

As for the taste, it was ordinary, but passable. Exactly his skill level.

Compared to what Liguang cooked, it was definitely lacking, but...

At least it was edible!

Besides, he was genuinely hungry, so he started wolfing down the rice in large mouthfuls.

Liguang also picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a small piece of the egg pancake, and put it into her mouth.

She closed her eyes and chewed slowly.

Then she opened them, her heterochromatic eyes shining brightly.

"Delicious!"

She said, her tone incredibly serious.

"The food Master makes is truly delicious!"

Looking at her, Fang Qi felt a warm feeling spread through his chest.

Having a wife was great!

Whether she meant it or was just humoring him, he believed it anyway!

He continued to feast!

...

Having eaten and drunk his fill, he leaned back in his chair and sighed in satisfaction.

Then he looked up, only to see Liguang holding a roll of plastic wrap, carefully wrapping up the bowl of rice in front of her, along with a few pieces of egg pancake set aside on a small dish...

She was wrapping them up.

She wrapped them very meticulously, layer after layer, ensuring that every grain of rice and every piece of egg pancake was tightly sealed.

Fang Qi was stunned.

"Liguang?"

He blinked.

"Why didn't you finish eating?"

Liguang looked up at him, her lips curling into a sweet smile.

"This is the first time Master has cooked for Liguang~"

Her voice was soft and sounded as if this were the most natural thing in the world.

"Liguang is going to keep it forever!"

Fang Qi: "..."

What?

The silver-haired girl lowered her head and continued wrapping the plastic wrap, saying as she worked:

"Later, Liguang wants to buy a really big and pretty glass jar~"

She looked up, her heterochromatic eyes sparkling.

"Master will help Liguang buy it, right?"

She tilted her little head to look at him, her eyelashes fluttering.

"It needs to be airtight, transparent, so we can see it when it's placed in the cabinet~"

"Then we'll put this meal inside, so it can be preserved for a really, really, really long time~"

As she spoke, she hugged the bundle of tightly wrapped rice and egg pancake, her eyes curving into crescents.

"In the future, Liguang can take it out and look at it~"

"This is the first meal Master made for Liguang~"

"It will never go bad~"

Fang Qi stared at her, dumbfounded:

"Um, Liguang, rice gets moldy if you leave it out for too long..."

"It's okay, Liguang has preservation technology~"

"But the egg pancake will go bad..."

"It's okay, Liguang can treat it regularly~"

Fang Qi fell silent.

He looked at the silver-haired girl in front of him, whose eyes were shining with the fantasy of keeping it forever.

She hadn't taken off her little apron yet, the straps still tied in a bow behind her waist. Her long silver hair fell slightly messily over her shoulders, with a few strands clinging to her chest.

The corners of her mouth were turned up high, her face practically screaming the words I am so happy.

Suddenly, he smiled.

Whatever.

As long as his wife was happy.

"Alright."

He reached out and ruffled her hair.

"I'll buy it for you, you can pick out whatever kind you want."

The silver-haired girl narrowed her eyes and nuzzled against his palm, then looked down at the bundle of rice and egg pancake in her arms, her smile growing even sweeter.

Seeing her silly little appearance, Fang Qi's heart completely melted.

This crazy girl really could do the most outrageous things.

But...

She was really cute.

He just leaned back in his chair, watching her hug that plastic-wrapped bundle of rice and egg pancake, wearing an incredibly satisfied smile.

She looked just like... a little squirrel that had hoarded enough food for the winter!

Cute.

Too cute!

Then, he suddenly clapped his hands!

Smack!

Liguang was startled, shrinking back a bit while clutching the bundle of food to her chest, blinking her heterochromatic eyes at him.

"Master?"

Fang Qi looked at her, his eyes lighting up.

"Liguang, the weather is so nice today—"

He pointed out the window. Even though the curtains were drawn, the sunlight peeking through the gaps was quite bright.

"Let's go out on a date!"

Liguang's eyes instantly lit up, her heterochromatic eyes looking as if two little flames had been ignited within them!

"A date!"

Her voice went up an octave!

But the next second, she seemed to realize she had overreacted. Her small face flushed slightly, and her voice softened again:

"Is M-Master going to take Liguang on a date, just like in my dreams...?"

She said this while lowering her eyelashes, but she just couldn't suppress the curve of her lips, which were turned up high!

The little star earrings on her earlobes bobbed along!

"That's right, a date!"

Fang Qi put his hands on his hips and announced:

"Today, Master is taking you to..."

"Watch! A! Movie!"

Liguang stared at him blankly.

And then—

Her small face flushed red at a visible speed!

The redness spread from her cheeks all the way to the roots of her ears, and even her neck took on a faint pink hue!

The hand holding the plastic wrap even trembled slightly!

"W-Watch a m-m-m... movie?!"

She stammered, her voice pitching up.

Seeing her looking so shy that she was about to start steaming, Fang Qi couldn't keep his own smile down!

"Yeah, watch a movie."

He deliberately leaned in a little closer, staring into her eyes.

"What's wrong? Doesn't Liguang want to go see a movie with Master?"

"I do!!"

The silver-haired girl shouted almost as a reflex!

Her voice was so urgent and loud that it made Fang Qi's eardrums ring!

Then she realized she had reacted too strongly. Her face turned even redder, she lowered her head, and her voice softened again:

"Liguang wants to go see a movie with Master..."

She said, raising her head again, her heterochromatic eyes sparkling and glistening with moisture.

"Liguang has actually... never seen a movie before..."

Fang Qi froze for a moment.

Right.

Even though she was an AI, even though she had a massive reservoir of knowledge, even though she could access the data of every movie in the world...

But... she had never actually set foot inside a cinema.

She had never sat in a dim theater hand-in-hand with someone she liked, watching the light and shadows dance across the big screen.

Fang Qi reached out and firmly ruffled her hair.

"Alright, then today, Master will take Liguang to watch the first movie of her life!"

Liguang immediately narrowed her eyes and happily nuzzled against his palm.

After rubbing against him affectionately, she looked down at the bag of rice and egg pancakes in her arms and hesitated for a moment...

Then, she carefully placed it on the dining table.

"Then I will... deal with this when we get back...!"

She muttered, then looked up at him, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

"Master, Liguang is going to change clothes again!"

After saying that, she turned around and trotted toward the bedroom!

Her long silver hair fluttered behind her, and the little star on her earlobe bobbed up and down as she dove headfirst into the room!

Fang Qi leaned against the dining table, watching her retreating back disappear...

A doting smile appeared on his face.

How wonderful!

Then...

His smile faded slightly as he narrowed his eyes.

Watching a movie...

This arrangement was, of course, a date with Liguang.

But it was not just a simple date.

An Lian had been through so much in the last playthrough, and in this playthrough, she was his older sister, so she definitely would not apply for any backend data extraction again.

Therefore, there should not be anyone from the company intercepting them on this outing.

But, what about Lin Xiaoyou?

Would they... accidentally run into Lin Xiaoyou again on this trip?

In such a huge city, with so many movie theaters and so many showtimes, if she still managed to coincidentally appear in the same theater, in the same screening room...

Or if they just happened to bump into her somewhere...

Then he would not need to doubt it anymore!

Fang Qi narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling up into a smirk.

Xiaoyou, my good teammate, today...

Let me properly verify this!

Of course...

The main priority was still his date with Liguang; he was taking his little yandere to see a movie!

Lin Xiaoyou, you had really, really better... not come and bother us!