You Who Don't Want to See Tomorrow

He understood.

Gu Xi knew a lot.

She understood the true nature of this world.

She had just mentioned… “soul”?

She had even used her own “soul” before!

Those cerulean codes!

She had even created a void of pitch-black darkness, one that even the world’s rules couldn’t probe!

She had used her own “soul” to devour the reality around her, just to force the truth of this world into his mind within that emptiness!

So now, when she said “soul”…

It wasn’t some mystical nonsense.

“Soul”…

Was just a hazy term to deceive the world.

What she truly meant…

Was the essence of every person in this world.

That which wove them from countless zeros and ones into living, breathing beings…

That thing!

Maybe it should be called…

Soul Code?

And the so-called “fate” written into that “soul”… could it be…

Fang Qi’s pupils shrank slightly.

Were those life scripts written within the code?

They were NPCs!

They were the natives of this digital world!

Their lives and deaths, their joys and sorrows, the day and manner of their end—

Perhaps…

It could all be found within their “souls”!

So…

His parents were destined to die in that car accident.

And An Lian…

She was destined to die today?

These were all settings in their “souls”…?

Suddenly, Fang Qi’s hand was gripped tightly!

A hand that was usually soft and boneless was now squeezing so hard it nearly crushed his fingers!

He turned his head slightly.

Liguang’s small face was right next to his.

Her gaze trembled as she looked at him!

In her crimson pupils, the scarlet was clotting into a piercing red light.

Fang Qi squinted slightly under its glare.

“…Master.”

“If fate truly exists, then Liguang and Master’s fate…”

Her breath was a little hot.

“Will surely be… to stay together forever.”

“It must be.”

Her nails dug into the back of his hand, gripping him tightly!

“Even if it isn’t…!”

She clenched her teeth suddenly.

Her crimson eyes flashed for an instant!

A blinding scarlet dyed half the living room blood-red!

“Liguang will make it so!”

“Even if it isn’t, it must be!”

“Liguang says so!”

She held his hand firmly, her phoenix eyes staring straight at him.

Fang Qi stared back at her, dazed.

Looking at the tears still swirling in her left eye, and the blaze in her right…

That nearly burning-through-everything scarlet!

And then…

He smiled.

He reached out and fiercely rubbed her silver hair bun!

He tousled it so hard that the silver-haired girl’s head swayed, and her solemn little expression froze!

But Fang Qi kept rubbing!

That’s it.

That’s the spirit!

That’s right, darling!

Yes!

What had he been worried about?

He, Fang Qi, was an outsider from beyond this world!

His arrival had already changed so many things!

Take Liguang, for example!

She was supposed to be stuck in countless bad endings, making him reload over and over, until they reached [Eternal Love] through all the hardships, and then he would leave!

But now…

[Eternal Love]?

What was that?

He had almost forgotten it!

And Lin Xiaoyou!

He was supposed to stay hidden beside her forever as a “naive rookie junior partner.”

But now, she had become…

A crazy teammate who would kneel and offer him cards?

Gu Xi, who was meant to be the silent guardian in the shadows…

Now, she was crying on the phone, begging him to save An Lian!

His very existence was a massive change.

What was there to fear?

He was no longer the same person he had been back then.

Now…

He had Liguang!

His crazy wife!

His partner walking by his side!

With her, what fate couldn’t be changed?

“…Mm.”

Fang Qi tightened his grip on Liguang’s hand, feeling its cool, soft touch.

“We can definitely change it,” he said.

“We can change An Lian’s fate, for sure.”

They could.

Even if it was a setting in her “soul”…

Even if An Lian was fated to die today, even if that fate was written in the code, even if it was incredibly hard to change—

But…!

…Huh?

Wait a moment…

Fang Qi’s gaze froze slightly.

A setting in An Lian’s “soul”?

…She was to die today?

Huh?

Today…

What day was it?

…Hey?

No!

He suddenly held his breath!

Today was only Day Ten!

It was the tenth day in the game!

In the game My Yandere Mechanical Wife, Day Ten…

Wasn’t even halfway through the normal plot!

And the character “An Lian” was a key NPC who only became a real threat in the late game!

But her “fate”…

Was to die today?

Fang Qi’s pupils slowly contracted.

…Is that right?

That’s…

“That can’t be right, can it?!” He blurted out!

He immediately asked Gu Xi on the other end of the phone:

“You said An Lian’s ‘fate’ is to die today?”

“But…”

Wait, what was An Lian’s role in the game…

How could she die on Day Ten?!

She was the final boss preventing the player from achieving [Eternal Love] with Liguang!

“Absolutely impossible! She should…”

“Mm, that’s right,” Gu Xi’s voice suddenly cut in.

“That’s impossible.”

There was even a subtle hint of relief in her tone.

As if Fang Qi’s reaction had just confirmed something she suspected.

“An Lian… should not have died now,” she murmured.

“She shouldn’t have.”

“That’s why I’m begging you to save her…”

Her breath trembled.

“Fang Qi, her ‘fate’…”

“Has been forcibly ‘altered’ by something.”

Fang Qi: “…?”

“That’s why she’s dying today,” Gu Xi continued.

“And when ‘fate’ is altered like this, it almost always shows the same pattern…”

Her voice dropped:

“Accidental death.”

“A car crash.”

“And…”

“It’s always getting hit by a truck!”

Fang Qi’s gaze wavered.

“Fang Qi,” Gu Xi’s voice came through the receiver, tinged with bitterness.

“Just like…”

“What happened to your parents back then.”

The living room fell silent.

Fang Qi held the phone, his mouth opening and closing, but no words came out.

A slight chill crept up his spine.

“Fate”… altered by something?

Thankfully, the silver-haired girl pressed close against him.

His wife’s warmth slowly calmed his shaken mind.

So Gu Xi meant…?!

“…Ha.”

A faint laugh came from the other end of the line.

A forced, self-deprecating laugh.

“Fang Qi, look at me, spouting such superstitious nonsense.”

“I’m a cop. How can I believe in such… absurd things?”

Her voice, pretending to be light, still trembled.

“I’m sorry…”

“Maybe it’s because An Lian was truly a good friend of mine.”

“I really… I…”

Her voice suddenly choked up.

Then she quickly inhaled, forcefully suppressing that sob.

“I’ll hang up now. Let me calm down first.”

“You…”

“You have to save An Lian.”

Her voice started to break again.

“You have to.”

“Please.”

"This is the first time... I don't want tomorrow to come so soon."

"If you want to come see me, then come today."

"Has to be today, it has to be..."

"I..."

"I don't want to see the you of tomorrow so quickly."

And then...

"Beep—beep—beep—"

She hung up.

Fang Qi listened to the dial tone for a long time.

Then, slowly, he lowered his phone.

He stared at the screen displaying "Call Ended," his mind slightly blank.

...What was that.

This was really...

One hell of a phone call.

An Lian was dead.

Died for no apparent reason.

Gu Xi said this was a "fate that had been altered."

Gu Xi wanted him to change this "altered fate."

So...

What was he supposed to do now?

Kill himself on the spot to reload?

Or...

He needed to verify what Gu Xi had said...

Whether An Lian's death was "fate."

Whether she had been "altered by fate," and whether...!

Fang Qi felt like his brain just wasn't enough for this.

He was just a Galgame player!

He...!

"...Master."

A soft voice sounded beside him.

Fang Qi was startled for a moment, then turned his head.

The silver-haired girl stood next to him, slightly leaning forward...

Her hands gently cupped his right hand.

Her movements were very light.

"Master."

The amber color in her left eye shimmered with moisture, while the crimson in her right eye pulsed steadily.

—It's okay, Master. Liguang is here.

"Liguang right now..."

Her voice was soft and sincere.

"The core is difficult to awaken. And the crimson eye... is unstable."

There was no bravado.

"There are some things Liguang can't figure out yet either. For now..."

She lowered her head slightly, looking at the hand she held in her own.

"Liguang can't be of help to Master."

...Huh?

Impossible!

Just having my wife by my side is a huge help!

"Liguang, you...!"

Fang Qi was about to argue seriously...

"But...!"

Liguang lifted her eyes again.

Those two different-colored eyes stared straight at Fang Qi.

"Liguang thinks there's someone who can definitely help Master."

She blinked gently at him, then glanced subtly toward the window.

Fang Qi stared blankly at her gentle yet determined mismatched eyes.

He was dazed for half a second, then...

His pupils slowly focused!

He locked eyes with Liguang.

And then, together, the corners of their mouths lifted slightly.

...Ha ha.

Liguang was right.

There was someone who could help.

That person who had always been hung up on her father's death!

That girl who used her own intellect to deduce everything!

She would help.

She would definitely help!

Because—

Fang Qi took a deep breath.

He picked up his phone again, scrolling to the familiar contact.

Then he began typing quickly on the screen!

[Fang Qi: Get here within ten minutes. It's about the truth behind my parents' and your father's deaths.]

[Fang Qi: If you're even one second late, I won't tell you a thing!]

Click, send!

He squinted at his phone.

"Ding!"

Sure enough, an instant reply!

[Lin Xiaoyou:???????????]

A string of question marks filled the entire screen.

Then a second message chased right after it!

[Lin Xiaoyou: Master Fang Qi!]

[Lin Xiaoyou: Five minutes! No, I'll be there in three!]

[Lin Xiaoyou: Wait for me! I'm coming right now!]

[Lin Xiaoyou: Senior, you know me—Lin Xiaoyou has always been your most loyal servant!]

Fang Qi: "..."

He twitched at the corner of his mouth.

Miss Genius...

You really have no dignity!

Still...

He could understand.

Lin You.

Lin Xiaoyou.

She had been troubled by her father Lin Zhouyuan's death for so many years.

She had once said herself... "It was already too late to turn things around."

She seemed to have accepted it, but when she saw that young ghost who looked exactly like her father in the hallway last cycle...

Her eyes were very red.

And now...

The information he held was directly tied to her father's death.

To Lin Xiaoyou, this information might be...

the answer she had been searching for half her life?

It was just that her dignity had completely hit rock bottom!

And then...

He turned slightly to look at the silver-haired girl beside him.

Liguang was tilting her little head, her eyes fixed on the phone screen.

A familiar curve slowly crept onto her delicate face.

Oh...

It was the long-lost benevolent smile!

Such a friendly smile!

"Master is truly amazing."

Her voice was syrupy sweet, soft and gentle.

"You just had a wedding with Liguang, and now..."

"You've gained yourself another genius servant~"

Fang Qi: "..."

You were the one who told me to call Lin Xiaoyou!

And now you're jealous again!

...So cute!

Ha ha...

He rubbed his temples and helplessly lifted the corner of his mouth.

Honestly...

The heavy, serious mood from earlier had been completely stirred into chaos by Miss Lin's antics and his own wife's teasing...

And he had a feeling...

A certain genius girl was about to screw something up again?

...Whatever.

If she screws up, it's her own butt that suffers, not mine!

Lin Xiaoyou, Lin You...

Miss Genius, this time, let me make good use of that brain of yours!