Everything in moderation.

Ding-dong—

When the doorbell rang, Fang Qi was sitting on the sofa, with the silver-haired girl curled up obediently in his arms, basking in a moment of warmth.

He glanced at the time.

…Half an hour.

Not a minute more, not a minute less.

The sunlight outside the window was just right.

The window across the way was still reflecting light, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

[…]Lin Xiaoyou was probably still peeping over there?

Well, it didn’t matter anymore.

If the genius girl wanted to watch, let her watch.

Liguang gracefully rose from his arms, walked to the door, and gently smoothed the bun pinned at the back of her head. She turned back to give Fang Qi a quick wink.

The corners of Fang Qi’s lips involuntarily curled up.

He stood up as well to greet the guest.

Welcoming the guest together with his wife!

Click.

The door opened.

An Lian, his convenient older sister, stood outside.

She was still wearing the standard maintenance specialist uniform from Chenxi Company.

A sleek, dark fitted suit, with legs so long they were dazzling.

In her hand was that silver toolbox.

Her whole demeanor was as cool and pristine as a white orchid.

Fang Qi immediately greeted her warmly:

"Sister An Lian, you’re here!"

An Lian didn’t respond right away.

Her gaze paused for half a second on the silver-haired girl’s face, then shifted to the bun at the back of Liguang’s head.

The bun wasn’t perfectly done—a few loose silver strands hung down, giving off an obvious air of lazy allure and charm.

Liguang lifted her chin slightly.

A warm, composed smile hung at the corners of her lips, and a lingering hint of contentment still remained in her eyes.

She raised a hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, then gently turned sideways, a hint of a smile curving her lips:

"Agent An, please come in. Tea has already been prepared."

An Lian’s gray eyes faltered for just a moment.

Fang Qi blinked.

Yeah.

Liguang had changed so much that An Lian…

She must have noticed something!

But she didn’t say anything.

This older sister just lowered her eyes slightly, gave Liguang a brief nod as a greeting, and then lifted her gaze to Fang Qi, her voice as cool and steady as ever:

"Mr. Fang, sorry to intrude."

…Mr. Fang, huh?

Fang Qi pursed his lips slightly.

There really was a sense of distance now.

Something was definitely off.

Yesterday on the phone, when he told her that his mother had almost adopted her…

She’d had a nasal tone to her voice as she said, "I understand."

The relationship between the two of them had already changed.

But now, the woman standing before him had that cold, professional look, as if to say, "I’m just here to work."

…Something’s wrong!

This time, she definitely wasn’t here just for simple maintenance!

"Sister An Lian, please come in," Fang Qi said with a smile, inviting her inside.

"Liguang is already ready for the inspection!"

An Lian gave a slight nod and stepped through the door.

Behind her, Liguang gently closed the door, then quickly stepped forward and naturally positioned herself beside Fang Qi:

"Agent An, you’ve worked hard." She gave a polite smile and nod. "Liguang has already brewed tea. I’ll bring it to you right—"

An Lian raised her hand and waved it gently.

"No need for tea."

Her voice was still cool.

"Just take me directly to Liguang’s room. We’ll start the maintenance right away."

She looked calmly at Fang Qi, still holding that silver toolbox in her hand.

Yeah.

It was almost exactly like the maintenance sessions before.

She was still just as brisk and efficient.

Fang Qi and Liguang exchanged a quick glance.

—Master, something’s wrong.

—Yeah, let’s go along with it for now.

He gave a slight nod.

So Liguang turned slightly and made a gesture with her hand, indicating, "This way, please."

"Agent An, please follow me," Liguang said as she led the way, pushing open the door to her room.

The room’s setup hadn’t changed much from before.

In the corner was that silver-white charging pod, its metallic sheen still cold and glossy. On the cabinet next to it was the glass container—the one Liguang used at night to store her little stars.

Looking at Liguang’s small room, Fang Qi felt a brief pang of distraction.

Before, Liguang had always felt so insecure. She’d repeatedly moved her charging pod into his bedroom.

But then…

She had used eighty-two cycles to change herself.

"Hmm."

An Lian walked over to the charging pod and opened her toolbox.

Snapping back to reality, Fang Qi leaned against the doorframe and watched her.

He could sense that An Lian’s breathing was slightly faster than usual, as if she were…

Trying to steady her emotions?

And there was a faint shadow under her eyes, a pale blue-black.

Even though she’d tried to cover it with light makeup, it was still visible up close.

…She hadn’t slept well last night.

Was it because she’d had too many "dreams," worrying that she’d wake up and it’d be the same morning all over again?

Or after hearing that his mother almost adopted her, had she spent the whole night tossing and turning?

Fang Qi didn’t know.

"Liguang," An Lian suddenly said, her tone professional and steady.

"Please stand next to the charging pod."

"We’ll start with a routine scan of the bionic body."

Liguang immediately walked over beside the charging pod and stood up straight.

But she tilted her head slightly, sneaking a quick, furtive glance at Fang Qi.

There was a hint of a complaint in her eyes.

And also some wariness.

—Master, Liguang has to be inspected again…

—Something doesn’t feel right…

Fang Qi pressed his lips together. He was just as curious…

What exactly did An Lian intend to do this time?

She wouldn’t try to harm Liguang, or else why would she come here alone?

At that moment, An Lian held a data cable in her hand and raised her eyes slightly toward the back of Liguang’s neck.

"Port," she said softly.

Liguang lowered her head.

Click…

On the side of her nape, a delicate patch of bionic skin quietly opened.

It wasn’t the core port—just a secondary port.

But Fang Qi’s brow twitched.

Because…

An Lian pinched the connector of the cable and lined it up with the port, then slowly inserted it.

Click.

The data terminal screen immediately lit up!

A dense stream of data began flickering across the screen!

…Tsk.

Fang Qi pressed his lips together.

Even though Sister An Lian was Liguang’s maintenance specialist, even though she’d maintained Liguang many times before, even though that port was just a secondary one…

He still felt very uncomfortable about it!

And…

He frowned slightly, squinting at An Lian’s cool back.

Sister An Lian, are you really just here to do an inspection this time?

Didn’t you already know that something was off with Liguang?

The senior specialist in front of him lowered her gaze to the data as she swiped her finger across the touchscreen.

"Emotion core stability evaluation," she said, in that professional, steady voice.

She pulled open the sub-menu.

"First item: emotional core architecture integrity scan… no significant cracks, noise rate below 0.03%..."

"Second item: emotional threshold check… Normal."

"Third item: emotional expression mode analysis, emotional projection… Hm?"

She stopped talking.

Her finger, which had been swiping quickly, paused for a moment.

Fang Qi’s heart tightened slightly.

What’s wrong? Had something been detected?

An Lian didn’t say anything.

She just stared at the screen, her cool eyes widening a fraction.

Then, she slowly turned her head to look at Fang Qi, who was leaning against the doorframe. Her expression was…

…Faintly amused?

"Mr. Fang," she said. A trace of a smile even appeared at the corners of her lips, a subtle curve!

"Some of Liguang’s functions… seem to have usage time logs?"

The silver-haired girl’s body stiffened!

…Huh?

Huh?

Fang Qi’s brain short-circuited for a split second!

…What logs?

Usage time logs?!

An Lian shook her head, pursed her lips, and chuckled softly:

“According to the records, these functions…”

“were used for the first time last night.”

She paused. Her cool, clear eyes slowly shifted from the screen to Fang Qi’s face.

“Three times total. Average duration per session…”

“Wait!”

Fang Qi instantly realized what she was referring to!

He practically bounced off the doorframe!

The silver-haired girl’s body trembled sharply!

Those heterochromatic eyes, which had been faking docility just moments ago, snapped wide open!

Fang Qi’s eyes went wide too!

“Wait, wait, wait! That can’t be right!”

His face flushed bright red in an instant!

He charged two steps toward An Lian, glaring at the data terminal screen!

Those dense rows of data…

He still couldn’t understand them.

But…

“Y-You keep records like this too?!”

He stared at An Lian, his eyes threatening to pop out of their sockets!

What the…?!

Dawn Company! What the hell are you people trying to do?!

You record things like this too?!

Even if you do, is this something you can just say out loud?!

Sister An Lian, you, you, you…?!

You can’t judge a book by its cover!

An Lian was quietly watching Fang Qi, her cool eyes still as calm water.

But the corners of her lips were curling upward in the faintest of smirks!

“Mr. Fang.”

She pursed her lips and said softly:

“As Liguang’s maintenance specialist, it’s my duty to remind you…”

She lifted her gaze slightly, and Fang Qi thought he saw a glint of amusement in those cool eyes.

“To exercise restraint.”

Fang Qi: “I—!”

He felt like he was about to explode on the spot!

“Ding!”

A piercing alarm!

Beside them, the detection USB stick plugged into Liguang’s auxiliary port was frantically flashing red!

In Liguang’s small room, bursts of glaring blood-red light erupted!

The source of that red light…

The silver-haired girl stood frozen in place!

Her phoenix eyes were wide open!

Her lips trembled violently!

Her cheeks were burning crimson!

Redder than a tomato!

Redder than she had been on their wedding night!

Even the tips of her ears were flushed bright red!

Her right crimson eye was flashing wildly!

The scarlet light mixed with the USB’s red glow, nearly dyeing the whole room in blood!

In her amber left eye, a layer of tears swirled frantically.

Fang Qi: “…”

Is this right?

He never expected…

that the one to throw everything into chaos would actually be An Lian?!

Are you sure you’re not Lin Xiaoyu in disguise?!

And Liguang couldn’t keep up the act anymore.

She completely dropped the facade!

Her crimson eye flashed violently!

“You—!”

She lunged half a step forward!

Her phoenix eyes were wide, locked onto An Lian!

“How dare you…!”

Her voice trembled!

“Pry into Master’s personal data!”

“That data was gathered and kept by Liguang… by Liguang…!”

Her gaze flickered, then shifted to Fang Qi…

“It was Liguang who actively collected and saved it…!”

Her tone softened slightly, with a hint of guilt.

…?

Fang Qi stared at her.

Crazy girl, what did you just say?

Ah…!

So it was you…!

I was wondering how Dawn Company could have collected data like that…

So you saved it yourself!

And then got caught!

Liguang’s eyes faltered in panic…

Then she fixed her glare back on An Lian!

Her crimson eye glowed with blood-red fury!

Her teeth clenched!

“Liguang hid it so well…!”

Humiliation turned to rage!

“How did you find it…?!”

A hint of murderous intent even appeared on her beautiful face!

Her eyes began to glaze over, turning hollow!

She had stopped pretending entirely!

“That’s Master’s private data…!”

Fang Qi: “…”

What was he supposed to say now?

Huh?

Had the situation gotten out of hand?

He stiffly turned to look at An Lian…

An Lian, however, remained perfectly calm, her cool gaze fixed on the silver-haired girl before her.

And Liguang…

Her face was so red it looked like it might bleed!

Her murderous intent was completely undisguised!

The detection USB stick at her neck was still frantically flashing red.

“Mm.”

The agent let out a faint, indifferent hum.

Then, as if everything were normal, she casually raised her hand…

and pulled the still-flashing red USB stick from Liguang’s neck.

The USB’s red light went out.

The silver-haired girl froze.

The crimson light in her right eye also stalled.

…Huh?

Fang Qi’s brain was struggling to keep up.

This…?

An Lian put the USB back into her toolbox with a perfectly natural motion.

Then…

in her cool, steady voice, she announced:

“No anomalies detected.”

“Emotional core stability assessment: Passed.”

Fang Qi: “?”

Sis, you were way too obvious with that free pass…

Still, it seemed like no big problem…

An ally, definitely an ally…

An Lian noticed Fang Qi’s gaze.

She tilted her head slightly, the corner of her mouth lifting a tiny bit.

Then she suddenly turned to face Liguang, who was still frozen stiff.

But Liguang’s pretty face was still bright red!

Her killing intent hadn’t faded!

Her coiled silver hair was trembling!

She glared at An Lian without blinking!

A faint crimson glow even sparked at her fingertips!

Fang Qi was startled!

“Liguang…!”

Honey, don’t do anything rash!

This woman was a bit rude just now, but she—!

“Liguang.”

An Lian’s voice was still so cool.

“I know…”

She looked calmly at Liguang.

“You love your Master very much.”

Liguang’s eyes trembled slightly.

But she kept staring straight at An Lian!

“I also know…”

An Lian continued softly:

“There is no one in this world who loves your Master more than you do.”

The silver-haired girl’s murderous expression froze slightly.

For a moment, she even seemed a little lost?

“But…”

An Lian’s tone turned a bit more serious.

“There’s a limit to everything!”

Her tone was like an older sister scolding an inexperienced little sister!

Her expression even became solemn!

An Lian’s voice dropped slightly:

“You don’t want your love to eventually become a burden to your Master, do you?”

Liguang’s pupils suddenly contracted!

The crimson glow at her fingertips vanished instantly! Her slender hands clenched her skirt!

The red right eye flashed violently for an instant!

An Lian’s cool gray eyes met Liguang’s gaze directly as she spoke softly:

“That kind of thing…”

Her tone was very serious!

“Doing it too much harms your health.”

Fang Qi: “…”

I—!

Not…?!

You say all that with such a straight face, and it comes down to this?!

Liguang was stunned too. Her crimson eye froze.

“Only in moderation,” An Lian continued softly, “can you and your Master…”

“…stay together forever.”

She looked quietly at Liguang.

Liguang stared blankly back at her.

The moisture in her amber eye hadn’t cleared yet—wet, bewildered.

“…Stay together forever?”

She murmured.

“Liguang and Master…”

“Stay together forever…?”

Then…

she moved.

Suddenly she took half a step back! She folded her hands…

and bowed deeply to An Lian!

“Agent An… no, Sister An Lian!”

Her voice was still trembling, but her tone had changed!

The earlier shame, fury, and violence from having her privacy exposed were gone!

All that remained was respect!

“You’re right.”

“Liguang cannot let her love become a burden to her Master!”

She straightened up again.

There were still traces of tears in her heterochromatic eyes, but her expression was solemn!

“Sister An Lian is right!”

"Something like this requires restraint!"

Fang Qi: "I..."

But the silver-haired girl suddenly turned her head to look at Fang Qi.

In her wet, mismatched eyes, a subtle glint of mockery suddenly flashed!

Fang Qi's eyelid twitched!

"However, Sister An Lian..."

Liguang's lips curled up slightly again.

"Yesterday's incident wasn't Liguang's fault."

"So many times..."

The curve of her lips clearly showed a hint of pride and smugness!

"All of them were requests from the Master."

"Liguang never forced the Master."

Fang Qi: "..."

Crazy girl, can you not say it in such a boastful tone!

What's there to boast about!

He glared at the silver-haired girl.

Liguang blinked innocently, her expression as obedient and docile as could be!

—Master, I'm just telling the truth.

—I'm the bullied little wife...

—Liguang has always been good. It's all your fault!

Fang Qi glared at her fiercely!

Don't pin all the blame on me!

Didn't you refuse either!

You were clearly playing hard to get, coming and going, staying and leaving!

Beside them, An Lian's cool, clear eyes swept over him lightly.

...Fang Qi felt like bugs were crawling all over him.

"Same as before."

An Lian withdrew her gaze, her tone indifferent.

"Restraint is needed."

Fang Qi: "I...!"

"Next, there will be a deep check."

But An Lian directly cut him off.

Without even giving him a chance to defend himself.

Fang Qi: "..."