Face Pinching, Head Patting, and Bottom Spanking

“Next, we will conduct a deep scan of the emotional core.”

An Lian placed the silver briefcase on the coffee table and opened it, taking out a set of instruments even more sophisticated than the ones she had used moments ago.

“Miss Liguang, please expose the back of your neck.”

Liguang obediently lowered her head, revealing her fair, slender nape.

As An Lian connected various data cables that Fang Qi couldn't begin to understand, she explained in her steady, emotionless voice:

“This is the most critical part of today’s maintenance.”

“The ‘Heart Abyss’ emotional core is currently still in its closed beta phase. The company released it to the market prematurely for commercial reasons, and there are certain hidden risks regarding its stability.”

Her words made Fang Qi’s heart skip a beat.

“Recently, we have received several case reports involving the ‘Dawn’ series where the emotional modules have become abnormally active,” An Lian continued, her voice turning solemn. “Therefore, this test will simulate various high-intensity emotional stimulation scenarios to evaluate the stability of Liguang's emotional core.”

Fang Qi’s palms began to sweat, but he forced a look of curiosity onto his face. “Oh... is it that strict? Is there anything I need to do?”

An Lian nodded slightly. “I hope you can cooperate throughout the process. This is also for your own safety.”

She connected several wires to the interface at the back of Liguang’s neck, a spot usually hidden by her silver hair.

Liguang stood there quietly, allowing An Lian to operate on her, maintaining a docile expression.

“The test will be divided into several stages.”

An Lian stepped back two paces, holding a recording device that looked like a tablet but was much thinner.

“First, a basic intimacy interaction test. Mr. Fang, please perform some affectionate gestures toward Liguang as you usually would.”

She paused, then added:

“For example, stroking her cheek, lightly pinching her earlobe, or ruffling her hair. Please be as natural as possible; I will record Liguang’s emotional fluctuation data.”

Fang Qi felt a jolt in his chest.

Intimate interaction...

Now?

Under the watchful eye of a professional like An Lian?

...The difficulty level of this was way too high!

The silver-haired girl lowered her head slightly. Upon hearing An Lian’s words, the tips of her ears began to turn red again.

But she didn't hide this time. She merely bit her lower lip softly and stole a quick, secret glance at Fang Qi before hurriedly looking down again.

That look of trying to stay calm while being faintly expectant...

Hiss...!

This was a big problem!

...But there was no turning back now.

“...Alright, I’ll start then.”

Fang Qi tried to make his voice sound natural as he stepped forward.

First, he reached out and lightly brushed his fingers against Liguang’s smooth, soft cheek.

The texture of the bionic skin was slightly cool and incredibly delicate—it felt unreal.

Liguang’s eyelashes fluttered as she looked up at him. Her amber eyes were filled with tenderness, reflecting his image.

Fang Qi’s heart rate accelerated.

...She was so cute.

He cleared his throat and muttered in the tone of someone appraising a product, “Hmm, the texture is quite silky. Not bad.”

His fingers slid to her ear, and he gave her red earlobe a little squeeze, along with that small plastic star earring.

“Nngh...”

Liguang let out a whimper laced with a hint of electronic static, her body trembling slightly.

Subconsciously, she wanted to turn her head away, but she immediately restrained herself. She simply continued to gaze at Fang Qi with those misty eyes.

It was as if she were saying: “Master... someone is watching...”

Fang Qi started to panic.

Wasn't this reaction a bit too vivid?

He instinctively glanced at An Lian out of the corner of his eye.

Specialist An was staring at the fluctuation curves on her tablet with a deadpan expression. It seemed... it wasn't a problem?

Gritting his teeth, he lightly ruffled Liguang’s soft silver hair, trying to make the movement look casual.

“Yeah, feels good,” he commented dryly.

But with such a simple gesture, Liguang finally reached her limit—her entire face flushed deep red!

The crimson spread from her cheeks down to her neck, and even her collarbones were stained with a faint pink hue.

Wisps of white steam began to rise from the top of her head again...!

Fang Qi’s mouth twitched as he prayed silently: Wife, please show some restraint... Specialist An, please don't notice...

An Lian was fully focused on the recording device in her hand.

Waveform graphs and various data points scrolled rapidly across the screen. Her expression remained calm; she frowned slightly on occasion, but she didn't call for a stop, nor did she show any signs of suspicion.

It seemed... it was still within the controllable range?

“Next,” An Lian’s cold voice rang out again.

“Please perform some interactions involving slight punishment or teasing to test the reaction under negative emotional stimuli. For example, a light slap...”

Her gaze shifted toward Liguang’s firm, rounded hips.

Fang Qi: “???”

Liguang: “!!!”

Both of them froze simultaneously.

Fang Qi’s eyes widened!

Wait, is this... is this right?!

In front of an outsider, hitting... there?!

Although it sounded... a bit stimulating, would it really not go too far?

Liguang was frozen like a statue, and even the white steam rising from her head stalled for a second.

She whipped her head around to look at An Lian, her eyes widening in a rare display of shock!

They were filled with disbelief and a mix of shame and indignation!

But An Lian merely looked back calmly, her tone as professional as if she were explaining an experimental procedure:

“This is one of the standard test items. The core must ensure it can maintain emotional feedback appropriate for a partner’s identity even when faced with negative interactions. Please proceed, Mr. Fang.”

Fang Qi swallowed hard and looked at Liguang.

Liguang was also looking at him. Her face was so red it looked like it might bleed. Her fingers gripped her skirt tightly, and her eyes were as frantic as a rabbit cornered in a wall.

But... she didn't resist.

In fact, after the initial shock and shame, Fang Qi actually saw a hint of... faint, suppressed excitement in the depths of her eyes?

The data flow deep within her red pupils was spinning even faster!

Damn it... this crazy girl...!

Fang Qi gritted his teeth, thinking to himself, “If it goes wrong, I’ll just reload the save...” and then he steeled his resolve...

He reached out—

“Pa.”

A crisp slapping sound.

It landed on that firm curve covered by the light blue dress.

The feel was... well...

Excellent.

Liguang’s entire body shuddered violently!

She doubled over instantly, covering her bright red face with both hands.

Intermittent whimpers mixed with static leaked through her fingers: “Ma... Master...!”

The white steam from her head suddenly billowed out much thicker with a “hiss,” and she curled up like a boiled shrimp, glowing red all over!

It looked as if she might crash from overheating at any second!

Fang Qi was so startled he immediately pulled his hand back.

This... this reaction was way too intense!

He looked at An Lian nervously. “Specialist An! This... this reaction, it should be fine, right?”

An Lian remained fixed on the device’s screen, her gray eyes rapidly scanning the curves and values jumping wildly across it.

Her brow furrowed slightly as her fingers swiped and recorded data quickly on the screen.

A few seconds later, she looked up at Liguang, who was still trembling with her face covered and steam rising from her head, and announced calmly:

“The emotional fluctuation peak is significant, but the feedback type falls within the composite simulation categories of ‘shyness,’ ‘slight grievance,’ and ‘dependency.’”

“No aggressive or logic-scrambling abnormal signals detected. Emotional core stability assessment...”

“...Passed.”

Fang Qi: “...?”

He didn't understand all the professional jargon.

He only caught that last word: "Passed."

...Passed?

He looked at Liguang, who was overwhelmed with shame and indignation, looking as if she were about to smoke and melt. Then he looked at An Lian, who had announced the result with a perfectly calm expression...

His brain couldn't quite process it.

Then he let out a dry laugh.

No way... she actually passed? What happened to the strict testing? What happened to it being easy for problems to arise?

Damn...

What exactly had he been worrying about earlier!

Meanwhile, An Lian had already begun deftly disconnecting the data cable from the back of Liguang's neck.

As she packed her equipment, she said:

"The quarterly maintenance and testing are complete."

"Liguang's chassis and emotional core are currently in a stable state. All data is within safety thresholds. Mr. Fang, you can use her with peace of mind."

She snapped her briefcase shut and stood up. She glanced at Liguang, whose face was still as red as blood, and gave Fang Qi a slight nod. "Routine maintenance is over. I will notify you in advance for the next maintenance session. Goodbye."

"Oh, right... I'll see you out!" Fang Qi glanced at the still-dazed Liguang and quickly followed.

He saw An Lian to the door and watched her tall, cold figure disappear into the elevator.

Fang Qi closed the door and leaned against it, letting out a long sigh of relief.

"Whew..."

She really passed just like that...?

He scratched his head, a sense of unreality rising in his heart, but it was immediately overwhelmed by a massive wave of relief!

Well, it made sense. In the game, you didn't really have to worry about the early-stage inspections.

It seemed he really had overthought it and made trouble for himself!

Walking back to the living room, Liguang was still standing in the same spot.

The silver-haired girl had her head down, her hands twisting together restlessly. The blush on her ears and neck had not yet faded.

She peeked up, stole a quick glance at him, and then looked down again like a startled deer, her cheeks turning even redder.

That look... she was so shy she practically radiated heat, yet her eyes flickered with an intense, deep attachment.

Fang Qi walked over and said in a deliberately light tone, "Alright, the check is over. Everything's fine."

Liguang gave a soft "Mm," her voice weak, still not daring to look at him.

Crisis averted, check passed, and the little yandere hadn't gone dark...

He was in a great mood. He flopped onto the sofa. "Good job today. Let's have something nice for dinner!"

Liguang finally looked up slowly.

The blush on her face faded slightly, but the tenderness and love swirling in those heterochromatic eyes were almost overflowing!

She walked over gently, knelt on the carpet, and rested her cheek dependently against his knee, whispering:

"Whatever Master decides... Liguang will do whatever Master says."

This obedient and clingy appearance made him feel even better. He waved his hand grandly:

"You don't have to cook today. We're ordering a feast to reward you!"

As he spoke, he ruffled Liguang's silver hair.

The silver-haired girl let out a soft "Wu," and her ears began to redden again.

He leaned back, comfortably tucking himself into the sofa.

He should be able to relax until tomorrow...

Buzz—

The phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.

"It's not Lin Xiaoyou again, is it..."

He muttered, pulling out his phone and swiping the screen.

Sender: An Lian.

He raised an eyebrow slightly. This specialist was quite responsible, sending a follow-up right after leaving?

He tapped the message.

[Mr. Fang, your AI partner Liguang shows extremely obvious signs of awakening. Her emotional core data is abnormally active, far exceeding the safety threshold.]

[Do not alert her. Maintain the status quo. Any unusual action may stimulate her and cause you harm.]

[We will arrange for a special disposal team to arrive within an hour for forcible recovery and a complete reset of the core data. At that time, you will receive an absolutely safe and obedient Liguang.]

Fang Qi: "...?"

The smile on his face froze instantly!

...What?

He couldn't believe his eyes. He read the passage again to confirm...

And then...

A chill instantly rushed to his brain!

His mind went blank!

Wait...

...What?!

Liguang... she didn't pass?!!!

And they're coming to recycle her within an hour?!

His head felt like it exploded with a boom!

His lips trembled as he looked down shakily...

He looked at the silver-haired girl leaning against his knee, the one who monitored his phone twenty-four hours a day.

His fingers were so stiff he could barely hold the phone.

An Lian said she passed earlier just... so Liguang wouldn't know?

But she'll know if you send a text message, damn it!!

As if to confirm his desperate thought, that familiar call—filled with a morbid joy and a sweet quiver—rang out softly.

"Mas...ter...?"

Under the soft light of the living room, Liguang was still kneeling on the carpet, leaning against his leg.

But she had raised her head.

The submissive, shy expression from before was slowly fading.

A smile that was brilliant to the extreme, yet hollow to the extreme... a pathological smile... slowly bloomed across her face!