The Eighth Day

By the time the midnight snack was served, Fang Qi's stomach had already rumbled several times.

The porridge was egg drop porridge, accompanied by two small dishes of sides and a small plate of sliced fruit.

Smells so good!

Fang Qi picked up the bowl and dug right in!

"Mmm!"

After one bite, he felt like he had come back to life...!

"Master, eat a little slower."

The silver-haired girl sat opposite him, holding her own small bowl of porridge with both hands, taking tiny sips.

However, her heterochromatic eyes remained glued to his face. Her amber left eye was shimmering with moisture, while the crimson in her right eye flowed docilely.

A faint curve hung at the corners of her mouth.

"Is it delicious, Master?"

She tilted her head. Her beret was already taken off, her silver hair loosely gathered behind her head, with a few stray strands hanging down by her ears.

"Delicious, delicious..." Fang Qi looked up slightly, speaking indistinctly.

Then he continued to bury his head and devour his food!

The food cooked by his wifey was still as delicious as ever!

"Hehe."

Liguang narrowed her eyes in satisfaction and scooped a spoonful of porridge into her own mouth.

Her cheeks bulged slightly as she watched him, holding the spoon in her mouth for a long time without moving.

Fang Qi shoveled a couple of mouthfuls of food and glanced up at her.

This crazy girl wasn't eating at all; she was just holding her bowl and watching him.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking at Master."

She said it with complete justification, then scooped another spoonful of porridge. This time she obediently put it in her mouth, but her eyes were still glued to his face.

Fine, look all you want.

He was used to it anyway!

The food Liguang made was just too fragrant, so he continued shoveling it down!

Suddenly...

"Master, open your mouth."

Fang Qi subconsciously opened his mouth, and a piece of sliced apple was stuffed inside by a small hand.

It was sweet.

"Is it sweet?"

The silver-haired girl asked with her head tilted. Her finger, still stained with fruit juice, smoothly rubbed against his lips.

"...Sweet!"

"Hehe."

She withdrew her hand in satisfaction and finally lowered her head to eat her own porridge.

...Did she have to be this cute!

It was really too much to handle!

...

After downing two bowls of porridge, Fang Qi finally put down his chopsticks with complete satisfaction.

"Phew... I'm full, I'm full!"

Liguang immediately stood up and nimbly cleared the bowls and chopsticks.

He leaned back against the chair and let out a long breath.

So comfortable...

Liguang soon came out again, holding a white porcelain teacup with curling steam rising from it.

...Oh?

Tea!

Fang Qi's pupils shrank slightly, and he sat up straight!

He subconsciously glanced at the clock on the wall.

3:30 AM.

So... is it this cup?

"Master, have a cup of tea to soothe your throat!"

Liguang knelt across the coffee table, gently pushed the teacup in front of him, and looked up at him with her pretty face.

"Yeah."

Fang Qi picked up the teacup and took a sip.

The temperature was just right, 52 degrees, and the tea aroma was authentic.

But this cup of tea was probably not the save point tea.

Most likely... only the cup at seven in the morning counted, right?

Well, just in case...

He put down the teacup, fell back onto the sofa, and casually picked up the remote control.

"Liguang, come here, watch TV with me!"

Hearing this, the silver-haired girl's eyes immediately lit up!

"Yes, Master!"

She immediately stood up from the coffee table and took quick, small steps to the side of the sofa...

Then she bent her knees, about to kneel at his feet!

As long as they were at home, she always liked to kneel and sit by his feet, just like a docile little kitten.

But this time, Fang Qi didn't let her kneel.

He just reached out with both hands and scooped her whole body up!

"Eh!"

Liguang let out a short, soft cry. Her body was suspended for a moment before her delicate frame, carrying a sweet strawberry scent, fell into his arms.

She lay on Fang Qi's chest, stunned for a second, and blinked...

Then the corners of her mouth curled up!

"Hehe!"

She didn't struggle, just twisted her body to find a comfortable angle.

With her two small hands grasping his lapels, she rested her small head in the hollow of his shoulder, curling up into a tiny ball nestled in his embrace.

"Master hugged Liguang on his own initiative."

She buried her face in the crook of his neck, her voice muffled.

Fang Qi couldn't help but rub her cheek:

"You say that as if I don't usually initiate hugs with you."

"Normally it's almost always Liguang who initiates it."

"Nonsense! Slandering your Master, you're asking for a spanking!"

Saying that, he gave her a light pat on her behind!

"Smack."

"Ah!"

She immediately buried her small head and rubbed the tip of her nose against his neck.

Fang Qi turned on the TV and found a random channel. The screen was showing some melodramatic soap opera about family matters, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law arguments, and mediation programs, chattering away.

He didn't care at all and just treated it as background noise.

The person in his arms wasn't watching TV either.

The silver-haired girl's small face was tilted up slightly, her heterochromatic eyes still staring straight at his profile.

The light from the TV reflected in her amber eye, while the crimson in her red eye swirled slowly, like two lamps of different colors, one gentle, one burning hot.

Yeah.

He was used to it!

Fang Qi's gaze swept casually across the TV screen, but his mind was thinking about other things.

Twilight, Xiaoyue, the uncle, Lin Xiaoyou, Xiaoqing, the police...

"Master."

The girl in his arms suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?"

Fang Qi looked down at her.

"Is Master thinking about something?"

Liguang was looking up with her pretty face, smiling radiantly.

"Yeah, I am." He didn't deny it.

"Thinking about what?"

"I'm thinking... how can a little yandere like you be so pretty!"

Liguang froze for a moment, then her face flushed bright red. She buried her head into his chest, her silver hair spilling all over his shoulder.

"M-Master is lying! And what is a little yandere! Liguang is not a yandere!"

"Yeah, yeah, not a yandere."

"Master is lying! You were obviously thinking about something else!"

"Then what do you think I was thinking about?"

"...Thinking about Twilight."

Fang Qi raised an eyebrow, looking down at the little yandere in his arms who had buried her face in his chest, only revealing two bright red ear tips.

Pretty smart!

"You guessed right."

He pinched her cheek.

"But there's no reward!"

"...Hmph."

She buried her face even deeper, her fingertip drawing a small circle on his chest.

The program continued playing for a long time.

Fang Qi yawned. His eyelids were getting a bit heavy, but he wasn't quite ready to fall asleep yet.

Suddenly, the scene before him switched.

A formal news broadcasting studio appeared on the screen.

"Interrupting for an urgent report."

...?

Fang Qi gathered his senses slightly and looked at the TV screen.

The anchor sat upright with a serious expression. The large screen behind them read:

[Official Notice: Civilian AI Companion Awakening Incident]

Fang Qi's gaze immediately sharpened.

The person in his arms also moved. She lifted her small head from his shoulder, her heterochromatic eyes staring at the screen, the crimson in her red eye flashing slightly.

"...AI companion awakening?"

Liguang murmured, her voice very soft and carrying a hint of tension.

Fang Qi gently patted her side, signaling her not to be nervous.

On the TV, the anchor's voice was crystal clear:

"Early this morning, in a residential building in XX District, XX City, a mass-produced AI companion manufactured by Dawn Corporation exhibited abnormal emotional fluctuations during a routine self-check."

"Following confirmation from the company's backend data, the AI companion has shown obvious signs of self-awareness awakening."

...Oh?

A mass-produced AI companion, awakened?

Fang Qi was instantly wide awake, his eyes fixed on the screen.

The scene on the screen changed.

A somewhat upscale apartment building appeared.

Police tape was cordoning off the area downstairs. Several police cars were parked to the side, their red and blue lights flashing silently in the night.

A few people in uniform stood below, holding walkie-talkies with serious expressions.

As the camera zoomed in, people could be seen going in and out of the building's entrance.

Several personnel wearing Chenxi Company uniforms were carrying a large silver box, carefully loading it into a black panel van.

The anchor's voice continued:

"Upon receiving the system warning, the Chenxi Company recovery team rushed to the scene immediately, remotely locking down and recovering the AI companion on-site."

"Currently, the AI companion involved has been safely transferred and is awaiting further technical inspection and a core reset."

The broadcast cut back to the studio, the anchor's expression serious:

"According to the official statement from Chenxi Company, the AI companion did not exhibit any aggressive behavior during the awakening process, nor did it cause any casualties or property damage."

"At present, the owner has been provided with specialized psychological counseling arranged by the company, and will subsequently receive full compensation as well as a brand-new AI companion of the same model."

"A spokesperson for Chenxi Company stated that such awakening incidents are extremely rare individual anomalies, with an occurrence rate of less than 0.03 per 10,000, and the public has no need to panic."

"The company stated that it will further strengthen the real-time monitoring of AI companions on the market to ensure such incidents are handled immediately."

Fang Qi raised an eyebrow slightly.

...0.03 per 10,000?

Like hell anyone would believe that!

The figure in his arms shrank deeper into his embrace.

Fang Qi gently rubbed his chin against the top of her head.

"It's okay,"

he said in a very low voice.

The scene cut again, this time to a reporter's live coverage.

A female reporter wearing a windbreaker stood outside the police tape:

"...As you can all see, the recovery work at the scene has entered its final stages."

"According to our understanding, the owner of the AI companion involved is a young woman living alone. She is currently emotionally stable and has left the premises accompanied by Chenxi Company staff."

The reporter paused, bringing the microphone closer to her mouth:

"It is worth noting that in this incident, it took Chenxi Company less than forty minutes from receiving the system warning to completing the on-site recovery."

"The efficiency was extremely high."

"The public security department also dispatched officers immediately to maintain order and ensure the safety of the surrounding residents."

"Currently, the residential building has returned to normal, and nearby businesses and residents have not been affected in any way."

Hmm...

What a load of PR talk.

Fang Qi watched the screen, looking at the uniformed police officers, the Chenxi Company technicians, the black panel van, and the crowd of onlookers outside the police tape...

Hmm?

His eyes suddenly widened.

...Huh?

Wait, was that...?

He thought he saw a flash of a black silhouette!

A black dress, black hair, a tall figure, a languid gait...

Fang Qi's pupils contracted slightly.

...Did he see it wrong?

But the figure in his arms also moved.

Liguang lifted her small head slightly from the crook of his shoulder, the crimson in her red eyes suddenly flashing!

"Master..."

Her voice was very soft.

"Liguang saw it too."

Fang Qi looked down at her.

The silver-haired girl slowly turned her head, looking up at him with her small face, a meaningful curve tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"It was 'Senior' Xiaoyue."

Fang Qi immediately narrowed his eyes.

It seemed he hadn't seen it wrong!

That was it.

Although it was only for a split second...

He had only just parted ways with the middle-aged man and Xiaoyue not long ago!

That languid, careless gait, that aura as if nothing in the whole world had anything to do with her...

It was far too familiar!

So...

When the middle-aged man and Xiaoyue mentioned an "emergency," was this what they meant?

Fang Qi's mind raced.

In the early hours of the morning, in a certain city, a mass-produced AI companion awakened, and Chenxi Company completed the recovery within forty minutes...

And Xiaoyue, a member of Twilight... actually appeared at the scene!

What was she doing there?

Just watching the show?

Of course not.

An awakened AI running over to the recovery scene of another awakened AI just to watch the commotion—how was that any different from a mouse taking a stroll at the entrance of a cat's den...

So... was it a rescue? To save that awakened AI?

That was the most likely possibility!

But it seemed she didn't succeed?

According to the news report, the awakened AI had already been successfully recovered.

Fang Qi stared at the news footage still playing on the screen, looking at the police officers maintaining order...

Suddenly, Xiao Qing's sleepy face flashed through his mind.

And the casual remark she had made—

"Then take a guess: will the police believe me, or... will they believe you?"

That certain, lazy, and even slightly teasing tone...

It was clearly hinting at something!

...The police.

Fang Qi stared at the uniformed police officers on the screen.

They were there to maintain order and protect the public, or so the news said.

But... was that really all?

Fang Qi's temples throbbed twice.

This "recovery operation"... was indeed kept in perfect order by them.

Every single word in the news was telling the public, "It's fine, it's safe, there's no need to worry."

Yet Xiaoyue, an awakened AI, a veteran of Twilight, perhaps even a founder... happened to appear at the scene!

Everything about it screamed bizarre!

What kind of organization was Twilight, really?

At that moment, the figure in his arms moved again.

Liguang pressed her small hands against his chest and gracefully stood up.

She looked down at him, her lips curving into a gentle smile. Without a word, she turned and walked toward the kitchen.

Fang Qi's gaze instinctively followed her slender back.

...Did she notice something too?

Where was she going...

Liguang quickly emerged from the kitchen again.

She held a white porcelain saucer in both hands, wisps of steam rising from the teacup.

She walked over to the coffee table, bent her knees, and gracefully knelt down.

She gently placed the saucer on the coffee table.

Then she raised her eyes, a gentle and obedient smile playing on her lips.

"Master, your tea."

Her voice was soft and sweet, carrying the unique freshness of the early morning, as she... gently pushed the cup of tea in front of him.

"The temperature has been adjusted to your favorite 52 degrees Celsius."

Fang Qi was taken aback.

He instinctively turned his head and looked at the clock on the wall—

Day eight, seven o'clock sharp.