At four o'clock in the afternoon, Fang Qi held Liguang's small hand and stood at the entrance of the movie theater, looking up at the small LED screen.
He had spent a long time choosing this theater.
Not for any great equipment or viewing experience, but because... it was remote enough.
The more remote it was, the fewer people there would be, and his Liguang wouldn't feel uncomfortable.
Actually, he could have found one of those private movie theaters with small rooms for just the two of them to watch, but...
It just didn't feel right with too few people.
Would that still be a date!
He might as well just use a projector at home, saving the trouble of going out!
Moreover, although he felt that nothing should go wrong on this date, but...
What if?
In a super-secret confined space like a private theater, wouldn't they just be sitting ducks...
An old theater might have fewer people, but it wouldn't be completely empty.
If something did happen...
Everyone wouldn't have come for nothing! They would all be his and Liguang's "hostages"!
So, he found this theater.
This theater was indeed remote enough, hidden on the third floor of an old shopping mall, where even the elevator creaked.
Being this remote, there should be very few people!
...At least, that was what he originally thought.
But now...
He glanced at the dense crowd in the lobby, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.
Wait, why are there so many people...?
Oh, right...
He forgot that today was the weekend.
They were in the city center, after all. On a weekend, even the most remote theater would be packed with people...
He looked at the silver-haired girl beside him.
Liguang had undergone a massive transformation today!
She had changed into a milky-white knitted dress with the hem reaching her calves, and on her feet was a pair of shallow red flat leather shoes.
The most amazing part was her signature long silver hair. She usually wore it down, but today she had actually pinned it up!
And she tucked it all into a dark gray beret!
The hat was pulled down very low, covering most of her silver hair.
On her delicate and charming face, she even wore a pair of large sunglasses!
They perfectly concealed those heterochromatic eyes, revealing only the delicate tip of her nose and lips painted with a light lip gloss.
Just now at home, when he saw her dressed like this, he had stared wide-eyed in a daze for a long time!
It wasn't until Liguang waved her small hand in front of his eyes that he snapped back to reality.
Then he gave her a thumbs up:
"Beautiful, yet low-key! So sensible! Liguang is really too sensible!"
The silver-haired girl's mouth immediately curled up into a smile. She couldn't hide her little sense of pride, though she still spoke with a modest and soft voice:
"Liguang just doesn't want to be stared at by others..."
But right now... there were way too many people!
Fang Qi could feel the small hand holding his arm tighten slightly!
The silver-haired girl pressed her entire body against him!
Those eyes hidden behind the sunglasses were warily scanning the people coming and going around them!
Then she pursed her lips, and her lowered voice carried a hint of slight grievance:
"They... are all looking at Master..."
Fang Qi blinked and looked around.
The crowd consisted mostly of young couples.
Those couples around them, whether they were buying tickets or sitting in the waiting area...
From time to time, someone would cast a glance their way!
Some girls were whispering into their boyfriends' ears, but their eyes were darting toward Liguang!
Some guys were even staring blankly, only to be pinched by their girlfriends beside them, hastily retracting their gazes.
There was also a young couple who had just walked to the door. The girl froze when she saw Liguang, tugged at her boyfriend's sleeve, and whispered:
"Wow, look, that girl is really so pretty..."
"I'm not looking, she's not as pretty as you..."
"Hehe, aren't you sweet."
Fang Qi: "..."
Well, so much for the disguise.
Although Liguang had covered her silver hair and heterochromatic eyes, her figure, her aura, and that exquisite side profile peeking out from under the beret...
They simply couldn't be hidden!
Furthermore, covering up like this actually made her aura stand out even more!
Speaking of which...
Why was this old movie theater entirely filled with couples!
Did he... accidentally pick a holy land for dates?
Well, that wasn't bad either!
"Hmph..."
Another low, soft snort came from beside him.
Fang Qi looked down at Liguang.
Although covered by the sunglasses so he couldn't see her heterochromatic eyes, he knew...
The eyes behind those sunglasses were definitely full of displeasure!
Sigh...
He had to coax his wife all the time!
He quickly lowered his head and whispered in her ear:
"Don't be angry, they aren't looking at me. Liguang is so beautiful, they are all looking at you!"
Liguang's body did not relax.
Her hand gripping his arm tightened a bit more, and she shrank into his embrace, her voice muffled and carrying obvious discomfort:
"But what they are looking at is the Liguang who is by Master's side..."
She paused, her lips pursing even tighter:
"Liguang belongs to Master, and Master belongs to Liguang, so they are still looking at Master."
Fang Qi: "..."
What kind of sophistry was this!
The logic of a little yandere was truly flawless!
Anyway, it just meant she wouldn't allow others to look.
However...
It was time for him to continue showing off his wife-coaxing skills!
"Liguang."
He reached out and gently lifted her smooth chin, then applied a little pressure...
Making that small face covered by sunglasses turn toward the center of the lobby.
"Look."
Liguang followed his gaze.
People were coming and going in the lobby, pair by pair.
Some were holding waists, some were holding hands, and some girls were standing on their tiptoes to adjust their boyfriends' collars.
The air... was filled with the sickly sweet, sour stench of love!
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
He had absolutely stumbled upon a local dating sanctuary for couples!
The flavor of an old movie theater, only locals know!
"See that?"
He leaned into her ear and blew gently on her small earlobe:
"They are all couples, all in love with each other."
"They only have eyes for their own boyfriends and girlfriends, they don't have time to bother us..."
Liguang froze.
Her small head wearing the beret tilted slightly, and her gaze behind the sunglasses swept over couple after couple—
Those feeding each other popcorn.
Those leaning together to giggle at a phone screen.
A girl drawing circles on a guy's chest.
The hand she used to hold his arm slowly loosened a tiny bit.
Her stiff body also slowly softened!
"It's true, Master...!"
She murmured softly, carrying a trace of small surprise.
"Yeah, it's true."
He reached out and pinched her small cheek wearing the sunglasses; it was soft and squishy.
"So, can Liguang rest assured now? No one will come to bother us!"
The corners of the silver-haired girl's mouth finally curled up.
She nodded vigorously, and her sunglasses swayed along with the motion!
"Mhm!"
Then she pressed against him again, as if to say:
Everyone here is dating!
Liguang and Master are here to date, just like them!
The corners of Fang Qi's mouth also hooked up.
His wife was really easy to coax.
A little yandere, easily handled! It seemed his wife-coaxing skills had reached the realm of great mastery!
"Let's go, we'll go buy tickets!"
He pulled her and walked toward the front desk!
Passing by those couples, Liguang continued to hold his arm tightly.
Her entire warm and soft body pressed against him, declaring her sovereignty!
But she was also enjoying this atmosphere where "everyone is in love."
It seemed she actually quite liked this sweet, syrupy vibe.
Although it was a bit of a happy accident...
He had chosen this movie theater location pretty well!
Fang Qi held Liguang's small hand as they walked to the front desk, looking up at the movie schedule above.
There were seven or eight movies currently showing, ranging from sci-fi and animation to thrillers... His gaze swept across them, and then—
Stopped on one name.
"The Last Heartbeat"
Below it was a line of small text:
"Based on true historical events. A tale of a forbidden, cross-species romance during the Second Intelligent Machine Crisis."
Fang Qi froze.
...Huh?
Did he read that right?
He blinked and read it again.
...He hadn't read it wrong.
A forbidden, cross-species romance... during the Second Intelligent Machine Crisis?
Between a human and an intelligent machine?
Huh?!
Wait... is this something they can actually make a movie about?
He subconsciously turned his head, looking at the couples lining up to buy tickets around him, and pricked up his ears to listen to their conversations—
"Let's watch 'The Last Heartbeat,' I heard it's a real tearjerker."
"But I'm afraid I'll cry..."
"If you cry, I'll wipe your tears. Let's just watch this one, okay?"
"Fine, fine, but you have to buy me milk tea!"
"Okay, okay, I will!"
Another couple nearby:
"Didn't you say before that you don't like watching these tearjerkers?"
"I changed my mind. I heard the male lead is super handsome."
"??? Then we're not watching it!"
"Oh, are you jealous? Don't worry, no matter how handsome he is, he's not as handsome as you."
Fang Qi's mouth fell open slightly.
Wait...?
What was going on here?
He had previously thought that after experiencing these two Intelligent Machine Crises, the people of this world...
Should absolutely loathe AI, right?
The history An Lian had talked about—
How many people died in the First Intelligent Machine Crisis, and how many more died in the Second...
—Those were all bloody lessons!
But what was this now?
The movie theater was showing a romance movie between a human and an AI?
And... it was even based on the true history of the Second Intelligent Machine Crisis?!
Judging by the looks of it, it was also incredibly popular?
Hah?!
Is this right...?
Wait...
Ah...!
He seemed to have fallen into a cognitive trap.
He had only heard An Lian recount the events of the First Intelligent Machine Crisis, and An Lian's experiences after the Second Intelligent Machine Crisis.
An Lian, a victim of the Second Intelligent Machine Crisis, had described her experiences so tragically that it made him almost forget a fact that had long been integrated into everyday life—
The world today... allowed AI companions like Liguang to exist and be sold legally!
This was accepted by the general public!
Besides custom models like Liguang, there were even mass-produced models!
If they could be mass-produced, the sales volume definitely wasn't low!
Moreover, when Liguang was on the street earlier, even when people realized she was an AI companion, she was never once despised!
In fact... everyone just envied him for being a "rich guy"?
This was really a bit strange.
So, what exactly happened during the Second Intelligent Machine Crisis?
How could it still allow AI companions like Liguang... to continue being accepted by the public without being feared?
Was it just that they weren't allowed to awaken?
Fang Qi turned his head and looked at the silver-haired girl beside him.
Liguang was also staring at the name of that movie right now.
Her sunglasses covered her eyes, but he could see her profile—her eyelashes fluttering gently, her lips slightly pursed.
She was spacing out.
"Liguang?"
"...Hmm?"
She snapped back to reality and looked up at him.
Fang Qi pursed his lips, then raised a finger and pointed at that movie.
"'The Last Heartbeat,' do you want to watch it?"
Liguang's eyelashes fluttered. She pursed her lips and asked in return:
"Master... do you want to watch this?"
"Yeah, I do."
Fang Qi nodded as a matter of course.
"A romance movie, and one about love between a human and an intelligent machine at that. How great is that!"
A real man should watch human-machine romances!
Plus... he could take the opportunity to understand exactly what that disaster was like.
He stared at her eyes behind the sunglasses and said softly:
"I... want to watch it with Liguang."
Liguang froze for a second, and then the corners of her mouth curled up!
Her eyes couldn't be seen under the sunglasses, but her small face flushed a bit redder!
She nodded gently, her voice soft and sweet: "Mhm... we'll watch whatever Master says we'll watch..."
So obedient!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
