Early Morning of the Ninth Day

Ding!

Another sound, and the phone vibrated again.

Fang Qi glanced down—it wasn't An Lian, it was Lin Xiaoyou.

[Senior, senior! What time should I come find you tomorrow? Morning or afternoon? Either works for me!]

Fang Qi: ...

Alright, speak of the devil.

Just as he was about to reply, a faint voice suddenly came from his arms.

Master.

Fang Qi looked down.

The silver-haired girl was looking up at him, the faint light of the phone screen reflecting in her heterochromatic eyes, and her expression was quite calm.

No anger, no jealousy, and no friendly smiles. She just looked at him like that, quietly.

Hmm?

Fang Qi responded, his fingers still hovering above the screen.

Liguang looked at him for two seconds, then said nothing and simply nestled closer into his embrace.

With her face pressed against his chest, her small hand rested on his arm, her fingertips gently gripping his wrist. The grip wasn't tight, but it just so happened...

To rest right over his beating pulse, as if declaring her sovereignty!

Fang Qi looked at Liguang's subtle little display and slightly raised an eyebrow.

If this were in the past, she wouldn't have been so calm.

She would either stare at him with flashing red eyes, putting pressure on him...

Or she would pinch his thigh hard, staring at him with that friendly smile!

But now she just leaned in, pressed against him, and held his wrist.

How should he put it... it was a confident, grounded sort of possessiveness!

Her whole being exuded a confident aura of, Master is mine, he can't run away, and those other women aren't even worth mentioning!

Fang Qi blinked.

This crazy girl, ever since she learned the secret of rewinding and became someone who truly walked side-by-side with him, her state had indeed changed.

She became more confident, more relaxed, and also more...

Dangerous?

...and even more lovable to him!

He lowered his head and kissed the top of her hair, then freed a hand to reply to Lin Xiaoyou:

[Tomorrow morning, after ten o'clock.]

Sent.

Then he tossed the phone onto the coffee table, wrapped his arms around the silver-haired girl in his embrace, and slumped back against the sofa cushions again.

Alright, let's keep watching TV!

The silver-haired girl gave a soft Mm in his arms.

The soap opera on the TV was still playing.

Liguang watched intently, her small fists clenched tightly, occasionally muttering things like kill her or show no mercy in a low voice.

Fang Qi listened to these little noises coming from his arms...

Feeling that his wife's reactions were much more entertaining than the TV show.

...

Time passed bit by bit.

Fang Qi's butt was getting a bit numb from sitting, so he shifted his posture slightly while holding Liguang and glanced at the clock on the wall.

It was nine o'clock in the evening.

According to a normal schedule, it was time to start washing up and getting ready for bed.

But to be honest... he wasn't sleepy at all right now, and he still had plenty of energy.

After all, his schedule for the seventh and eighth days had been sleeping in the morning and waking up in the afternoon.

This morning, he had also enjoyed a good sleep, not waking up until the afternoon.

It was only nine p.m. now, exactly when he was at his most energetic.

But he still felt that he had to go to sleep!

He had to adjust his sleep schedule back to normal.

He didn't want to experience that feeling again... the feeling of being so tired after a rewind that he couldn't even open his eyes.

Having to take a nap first right after rewinding, what kind of look was that...

After a rewind, he should be starting a new day and a new journey feeling refreshed and clear-headed!

So...

Liguang.

He lowered his head, rubbing his chin against her soft silver hair.

Hmm?

The little person in his arms responded with a muffled sound, her eyes still fixed on the TV.

I want to fix my sleep schedule.

Liguang blinked, finally moving her gaze away from the TV and looking up at him with her small face.

Fix your sleep schedule?

Yeah.

Fang Qi rubbed his temples.

I'm not sleepy at all right now, but I want to wake up early tomorrow... before seven o'clock.

He blinked at Liguang.

Liguang was absolutely no stranger to the time of seven in the morning.

Previously, she had literally electrocuted him just because he acted abnormally at this exact time...

Sure enough, Liguang blinked as well.

She understood what this meant, but she didn't say anything.

The two of them had a tacit understanding, communicating without words.

So... I have to fall asleep tonight.

Fang Qi rubbed her head:

Can you help me think of a way?

Liguang tilted her head and looked at him for two seconds, her heterochromatic eyes shifting around, and then—

That's easy!

She stood up lightly from the sofa.

The hem of her shirt lifted a bit, revealing her fair, tender waist and cute little belly button.

Master, wait here!

Without even putting on her slippers, she stepped barefoot on the floor and ran into the kitchen with a pitter-patter.

A moment later, Liguang walked back carrying a steaming cup of tea.

She took quick, small steps to the edge of the sofa, sat down beside him, and happily offered the teacup to him.

Master, drink up!

Fang Qi looked down at the cup of tea.

It was a soothing tea.

Rose, goji berries, mulberries, poria... the exact same recipe as before.

But...

Inside the teacup, a small white pill was slowly dissolving, with tiny bubbles fizzing around its edges!

...?

The corner of his eye twitched.

...So this was how she intended to solve it?

Was this right?!

His plan was for Liguang to use that... gentle electrical current to make him physically fall asleep.

But it wasn't physical... it was chemical!

...Liguang.

Hmm? What's wrong, Master?

...What. Is. This!

This time, it was his turn to stare straight at her!

He even pointed emphatically at that... dissolving pill in the cup!

Liguang blinked, lowered her brow to stare at the pill for half a second...

Then her gaze wandered, her small face flushed slightly, and she even started whistling!

Fweee—fweee—fweee—

Fang Qi: ...

Hey!

Li—guang—!

Liguang's whistling grew quieter and quieter, and the tips of her ears gradually flushed red.

...It's just a very ordinary medicine... that helps someone get a good night's sleep.

She muttered softly.

Her gaze drifted from the ceiling to the curtains, from the curtains to the TV, from the TV to the floor...

But she just didn't dare look at him!

We already had it at home...

Her voice was as quiet as a buzzing mosquito.

Master bought it before, Master just forgot about it...

Fang Qi: ...

Bullshit!

I never bought that!

But, how should he put it...

He raised his hand and rubbed the space between his eyebrows hard.

He really wasn't surprised at all!

Wasn't it perfectly normal for this crazy girl to have something like this?

So normal that... he felt he shouldn't even ask where it came from!

And speaking of which...

Hadn't she used this before?

Hadn't she... served him a sleeping black tea before?

...When was that again?

Oh...

He remembered!

It was that time he met with An Lian at the cafe!

An Lian had even given him a diagnostic USB drive back then, which he had lost somewhere by now!

After saying goodbye to An Lian, he went home and put on a whole performance to coax his little yandere. Just as he was about to drink his tea... she took it away, saying it was cold and she would get him a fresh cup.

Only then did he realize that it was a cup of sleeping black tea!

Tsk tsk tsk...

That was such a long time ago!

Back then, Liguang was still a little yandere who would turn dark at the drop of a hat. It really was...

A bit nostalgic!

Thinking this, Fang Qi looked down at the pretty, guilt-ridden little face in his arms...

This crazy woman had indeed changed!

Now she actually dared to drug him right to his face, and with such righteous confidence too!

However...

It seemed like he was the one who asked for it?

"...Alright then!"

He picked up the teacup, blew on it, and then—

Tilted his head back and took a large gulp.

It was still tea at exactly fifty-two degrees, with a faint sweetness. He couldn't taste anything unusual at all.

Hmm...?

This drug was colorless and odorless?

Tsk, tsk, tsk...

Where did this crazy woman even get this kind of...

Liguang watched him swallow the tea, and the light in her heterochromatic eyes instantly brightened!

Then it quickly faded, replaced by a cautious, slightly fawning little expression.

"Master... are you not angry anymore?"

"What is there to be angry about?"

Fang Qi placed the teacup on the coffee table and reached out to pinch the tip of her nose.

"Isn't it perfectly normal for you to have this kind of thing?"

It couldn't be more normal.

For her... not having it would be abnormal!

Liguang's eyelashes fluttered, and then—

The corners of her mouth curled up.

She shrank her entire body further into his embrace, burying her small face in the crook of his neck and rubbing against it.

"Master is the best..."

Her voice was muffled, carrying an unconcealable sweetness.

Fang Qi rubbed her head and didn't say anything.

As for the drowsiness... it came faster than he expected. In just a few minutes, his eyelids started to droop.

That feeling...

It was very natural and comfortable, a lazy sensation that made one want to close their eyes.

It felt like his whole body was soaked in warm water, relaxing little by little.

Hmm... Liguang's drug was actually quite effective...

It felt like...

For someone with insomnia, this would be a miracle drug...

"Liguang."

His voice was already starting to slur a bit.

"Hmm?"

"I'm going to wash my face and brush my teeth, and then go to sleep."

He leaned against the sofa, trying to stand up.

Liguang immediately bounced up from his arms and reached out to support his arm.

"Liguang will help Master go!"

"Mm, alright..."

Liguang supported him as he walked into the bathroom.

He simply washed up, then returned to his room and lay down on the bed.

The blanket had just been changed. It had a faint, fresh scent of laundry detergent, strawberry-scented, very much like the scent on Liguang's body.

He closed his eyes, and the drowsiness immediately washed over him.

In his daze, he felt the mattress dip slightly, followed by the rustling sound of fabric rubbing together, very softly.

Next, a warm and soft body slipped into his embrace. Silver hair brushed past his chin, tickling him.

A small hand even felt its way to his lapel and gripped it.

Fang Qi groggily reached out, wrapped his arm around her slender waist, and pulled the person in his arms closer to him.

"Goodnight, Master."

The voice by his ear was very soft.

"Mm... goodnight..."

He fell asleep very easily.

The efficacy of this drug...

Was really not bad...

...

He slept very deeply.

A dreamless night.

...

Early morning.

When Fang Qi opened his eyes, his vision was clear, without the slightest blurriness.

His mind was still a bit blank. After staring blankly at the ceiling for two seconds... he turned his head to look beside him.

The space beside him was empty, and the blanket was folded neatly.

He buried his face into the pillow next to him...

Mm... it was the sweet fragrance of strawberries...

Liguang's scent...

Liguang...

He instantly snapped back to reality!

He immediately rolled over and sat up abruptly, looking up at the clock on the wall!

It was almost seven o'clock!

It was the morning of the ninth day!

He had finally reached the morning of the ninth day!

Now... it was time to save the game!

Then was Liguang currently...!

He immediately threw off the blanket, stepped barefoot onto the floor, and in two steps reached the door, pushing it open and rushing out!

The morning light of the ninth day poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the entire living room in a warm, sunny hue.

On the coffee table, a white porcelain teacup was emitting curling steam, and the aroma of black tea drifted over.

And across the coffee table—

The silver-haired girl was kneeling there, holding a white porcelain saucer in both hands.

Her back was straight, her knees were together, and her silver hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall. On her earlobe, that cheap little star earring twinkled in the morning light.

The expression on her pretty face was no longer that gentle, submissive, disguised smile from before, but rather...

A lively smile with a hint of coquettishness! Those beautiful heterochromatic eyes had also curved into crescents!

"Master, your tea~"

Her tone was playful. She even winked at him deliberately, a red light faintly flashing in her crimson eye.

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