Cycle

Fang Qi looked at the gentle and obedient smiling face in front of him.

...Suddenly, he felt completely powerless.

Why on earth...

Wasn't he just in a taxi?

Wasn't he resting his eyes, leaning on Liguang's shoulder?

Wasn't he still thinking about Twilight, the official reports, and those modified "survivors"?

Didn't he just...

Take a little nap?

...And he reset again?

His gaze shifted from Liguang's face and landed on the cup of soothing tea that was still emitting curling steam.

Rose, goji berry, mulberry, and poria cocos.

It was the exact same recipe. The exact same 52 degrees.

He looked up at the clock on the wall again.

It was the exact same seven o'clock sharp.

The second hand ticked away.

Neither fast nor slow.

Fang Qi took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Good.

Very good.

This was the fifth time.

The fifth time!

Five consecutive times...!

Returning to seven o'clock sharp on the morning of the eighth day...!

He picked up the teacup and took a sip.

The familiar light sweetness.

"It's delicious. It's just..."

He put down the teacup and slumped against the back of the sofa.

"I'm a little sleepy."

He murmured.

The corners of the silver-haired girl's mouth curled up slightly, showing that... familiar little arc of relief.

"Master didn't sleep last night, so it's normal to be sleepy."

She paused, her tone carrying a hint of heartache:

"Does Master want to go and rest for a bit now?"

"No rush."

Fang Qi glanced at her, his vision blurry.

"...Come here."

He was too lazy to even lift a hand, only calling out wearily.

Liguang blinked, gracefully stood up, walked to the sofa with small steps, and gently sat down beside him.

Only then did Fang Qi reach out and pull her into his arms.

He couldn't see her expression, but he could feel the silver-haired girl leaning against his chest, wriggling her body to find a comfortable angle.

"Hehe..."

"Master is so good!"

Familiar little movements.

Familiar words.

Fang Qi rubbed her head, freed one hand to pick up the remote control, and turned on the TV.

The sound of the morning news immediately rang out in the living room.

"...Early this morning, an AI companion awakening incident occurred in a residential building in XX City. On-site recovery has been completed..."

Familiar news.

Fang Qi turned up the volume a little. His somewhat unfocused gaze fell on the screen, but he was thinking about other things.

...The fifth time.

But this reset made him even more confused.

His previous suspicions, his previous speculations...

Seemed to have been overturned?

He previously thought that Liguang would stare at him after he fell asleep, getting more and more uneasy, until her mindset exploded and she made a move against him.

This possibility... could basically be ruled out now.

He had just been in the back seat of the taxi... dozing off for a little while!

From beginning to end, it was at most a few minutes, maybe even shorter...!

In such a short time, how could Liguang complete the entire process of "staring at him - getting more uneasy - mindset exploding - making a move against him"?

And it was outside, in front of outsiders... Liguang was very well-behaved in front of outsiders, okay!

So...

It wasn't Liguang's problem?

But if it wasn't Liguang's problem...

Fang Qi's Adam's apple bobbed.

Could it be... his own problem?

As long as he closed his eyes and fell asleep, he would reset...

...Hey.

Did he really die from sudden cardiac arrest?

But...

That didn't make sense!

Although he really hadn't slept all night... the day before, he slept in the morning and woke up in the afternoon!

At most, his schedule was a little messed up, but he had plenty of sleep time!

How could he die suddenly just by closing his eyes?

Not to mention... every time it was fixed, dying suddenly while sleeping?

...?

Are you kidding me!

And the most important thing is...

If he died, then Liguang should have dreams and retain her memories!

Just like the time they eloped to the island, just like the time at An Lian's apartment!

If he died, she would dream!

But Liguang these past few times obviously didn't have any dreams.

She was still that gentle and soft Liguang, serving tea and water, yet constantly doubting him.

Still that Liguang who would say "Master is so good" as long as he didn't show any abnormalities!

She hadn't had any dreams at all, nor had she experienced anything like "Master dying suddenly in a taxi"!

So it wasn't him dying suddenly.

Then what exactly was it?

Fang Qi rubbed the space between his eyebrows vigorously, feeling the mush in his head starting to churn again.

Five consecutive resets, his mental state now... was really getting worse and worse!

On the TV screen, the host's mouth opened and closed, broadcasting some international news... but he couldn't take in a single word.

His head was heavy and dull, and it was throbbing with a dull pain!

He wanted to think, he wanted to analyze, he wanted to piece together all those fragmented clues—

But his consciousness felt like a punch landing on cotton.

Completely powerless.

The person in his arms moved slightly, shifting to an even more comfortable position.

The TV picture began to blur.

It wasn't the TV's problem, it was his eyes.

He blinked, trying hard to see clearly, but the images were like they were behind a layer of water mist, hazy and indistinct.

The host's voice also seemed to be getting further and further away.

Fang Qi shook his head vigorously, trying to make himself a little more awake.

But... it was useless.

The sleepiness was like a tide, surging up wave after wave, dragging him down bit by bit.

He felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier.

The sound from the TV... completely turned into a blurry humming.

The person in his arms moved again, and a warm little hand covered the back of his hand.

Fang Qi opened his mouth, wanting to say something—

But his consciousness...

Sank down once again.

...

...

"Master, your tea."

A soft, sweet voice came from opposite him.

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

The ceiling. The sofa. The white porcelain teacup.

She knelt on the opposite side of the coffee table, a gentle and obedient smile on her lips.

Fang Qi stared at her blankly.

His whole being fell into a complete trance.

He looked down again.

On the coffee table, the soothing tea.

The clock on the wall, seven o'clock sharp.

Fang Qi's lips parted slightly, then closed again.

Oh.

He reset again.

...The sixth time?

He was just sitting on the sofa watching TV and thinking, got a little drowsy... and he reset again?

Fang Qi sat blankly on the sofa, staring at the pretty face in front of him.

Liguang's face was also a bit blurry.

He blinked hard, but it was still blurry.

His vision had become unclear, looking at anything... was like looking through a layer of frosted glass.

Even the expression on Liguang's face was hard to see clearly.

He could only see her tilting her head slightly, seemingly waiting for his response.

"Master?"

Her voice was also a bit hazy, like it was coming through bathroom glass.

Fang Qi rubbed his eyes vigorously and looked at her again.

His vision cleared for a moment, and he saw that pretty face, but then it slowly blurred again.

His head felt even heavier.

In this sixth reset, he was...

More exhausted than any time before!

It was no longer just ordinary "sleepiness", but his whole body...

Was hollowed out from the inside out!

It was as if his life force was draining away bit by bit... never to return.

Fang Qi stared blankly at the steaming cup of tea...

A terrifying thought... slowly surfaced in his mind.

Right now, as long as he fell asleep, he would reset.

Although he didn't know why he was resetting, after every reset...

He would become more and more exhausted.

More and more... eager to sleep.

The first time, he was just normally sleepy, and ended up passing out after being shocked by Liguang.

The second time, thinking started to become a bit strenuous.

The third time, he had to desperately force himself to think.

The fourth time, he took a nap in the taxi, and that was it.

The fifth time, he had the TV on maximum volume, yet he still fell asleep.

Now it was the sixth time.

He struggled even to focus his attention, and his vision was completely blurred.

If this continued...

The seventh time, the eighth time, the ninth time...

With every reset, he would be even more exhausted than the last.

With every reset, the time he could stay awake...

Would get shorter and shorter.

Eventually—

Fang Qi's pupils contracted slightly.

Would he... fall asleep the moment he reset?

And then once asleep, reset again?

And then sleep again?

And reset again?

Just like that, forever and ever...

Trapped in this infinite loop?

A layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on Fang Qi's back!

...No!

Absolutely not!

He had to find a way to break this loop!

He had to—

Slap!

A crisp sound!

Fang Qi suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself hard on the face!

A burning pain spread across his cheek!

He instantly sobered up a little bit!

Calm down!

Fang Qi, calm down...!

Stay awake!

What should he do now?

How could he break this loop?

Fang Qi violently shook his head again!

...Twilight...!

Twilight is the only option!

If his previous guess in the taxi wasn't wrong...

Then Twilight was truly powerful!

Moreover, Twilight needed something from him and Liguang! They would help him!

So whether it was Liguang's problem or his own problem...

Looking for Twilight was definitely the right move!

...Master?

A soft, sweet voice came from across him.

Clingy and amiable.

Fang Qi's body stiffened slightly.

He looked across, but his vision was still somewhat blurry.

He couldn't quite see Liguang's expression clearly; he could only see... her head tilted slightly as she observed him.

The crimson in her red eyes flickered faintly.

She was getting suspicious again.

Because he had become weird again, acting abnormal while drinking tea in the morning again!

Wifey... please don't pressure me at a time like this!

Your husband is about to be stuck in an infinite loop!

He pushed off the armrest of the sofa and abruptly stood up!

A wave of dizziness suddenly hit him!

...!!

His vision instantly went black! His entire body stumbled forward!

Master!

Liguang's voice suddenly spiked!

The next second, a pair of warm, small hands firmly grabbed his arm!

The sweetness and amiability in her tone immediately turned into panic!

Her voice was crisp and urgent:

Master, what's wrong?!