[Ending : Meaningless]

Fang Qi stared at the mischievous-looking Miss Genius in front of him.

The sheer audacity was too much!

Fang Qi took a deep breath...

"...Lin Xiaoyou."

He decided he wasn't going to keep pestering her about this topic!

"Let's talk business!"

...Saving lives came first!

He sat back down on the sofa and pulled Liguang back to his side as a matter of course.

The silver-haired girl leaned against his shoulder naturally.

The scent of her coiled-up hair was pleasant, a sweet strawberry fragrance lingering at the tip of his nose.

"Right, business!"

Lin Xiaoyou also curled back up into her single-seater sofa.

She even kicked off her dirty white socks, barefoot on the cushion!

Fang Qi: "..."

He glanced sideways. Liguang's eyes clearly twitched slightly too!

But...

In the end, she just smiled mildly and didn't lose her temper.

However, Lin Xiaoyou's expression did turn serious.

"So... Senior."

Her eyes still faintly red from crying earlier, she looked at Fang Qi.

"You yourself can't be completely sure, right?"

She blinked.

"Whether that 'senior sister and helper' of yours was telling the truth?"

Fang Qi frowned slightly.

...She was starting to doubt from that point?

"Gu Xi..."

He chose his words carefully.

"She shouldn't hurt me."

After all, in that previous timeline...

Gu Xi had used her own soul as the price to create that "island unreachable by the rules"!

If he hadn't suddenly and inexplicably pushed through...

She would have been gone right then and there!

She had even risked her life!

A sacrifice like that...

Couldn't be an act.

Otherwise, she'd be way too terrifying...

"Oh, I'm not saying she's trying to hurt you, Senior."

Lin Xiaoyou quickly waved her hands.

"What I mean is..."

She tilted her head, tapping a finger to her lips.

"Even if that 'undercover lady' really is holding nothing back from you, Senior..."

Lin Xiaoyou blinked her almond eyes.

"How can she herself be absolutely certain?"

Fang Qi lowered his eyebrows.

True.

On Gu Xi's side...

It really was just speculation.

You could tell that from what she'd said earlier.

"The 'modified fate' she talked about, the 'death written into the soul'..."

Lin Xiaoyou pursed her lips.

"That all sounds pretty impressive, yeah."

"But..."

Her almond eyes narrowed slightly.

"But 'all of them died by getting hit by a big truck'? Even just that is weird enough!"

"Think about it, Senior!"

Lin Xiaoyou looked at Fang Qi and wagged a finger!

"If something really is 'changing their fate,' why..."

"Why pick a big truck specifically?"

"Is a big truck some kind of super-advanced weapon?"

"Or does that thing changing fates have some kind of weird fetish for big trucks?"

She fired off questions rapid-fire!

Fang Qi: "..."

How the hell was he supposed to know!

"And! Another thing!"

Lin Xiaoyou raised one finger!

"If some power could really make a person 'destined to die today'..."

Her almond eyes flickered slightly.

"Its methods must be way too one-dimensional!"

A bit of disdain crept onto her chubby face.

"A car accident? That's it?"

"Can't it mix it up?"

She started counting on her fingers, sounding more and more contemptuous!

"Poisoning can't work? Falling off a building?"

"Can't An Lian accidentally slip in the bath and hit her head?"

"It has to be a big truck!"

"Hits her once, then has to hit her twice!"

Then she put her hands on her hips and delivered her own guess!

"This is way too weird!"

"It totally doesn't fit an ability that sounds so powerful, 'changing fate'!"

"The quality level is way off!"

Fang Qi was silent.

Yeah.

She did have a point.

Liguang gently squeezed his palm, red light flickering faintly in her data-flow eyes.

"...That's true."

He nodded slightly.

"So..."

He looked at Lin Xiaoyou.

"What are you getting at?"

That this wasn't some fate-modification thing, but...

Man-made?

That is...

Someone wanted to kill An Lian?

"Wouldn't that be even better!"

If so, saving An Lian would be way too easy!

He didn't want it to be "changing fate" either!

But...

Was it really that simple?

"What I'm saying is—"

Lin Xiaoyou crossed her arms, a slightly solemn expression on her chubby face.

"Senior, don't expect..."

"To save your An Lian sister in one go, okay!"

She wagged her index finger.

"We need multiple experiments!"

"We need patience!"

"Haste makes waste!"

"Senior, your ability is so strong, isn't it a waste not to use it?"

Fang Qi squinted at her.

Oh, saying all that...

So you just want me to "die" a few more times and let you rewind more times?

So I'm your "rewind tool"?

Whatever.

It was mutual exploitation anyway...

Miss Genius, you're also my "external brain"!

"Besides, from what I see..."

Lin Xiaoyou suddenly turned to look at Liguang.

"Liguang seems to enjoy 'offing' you quite a bit, doesn't she? Right, Liguang?"

She even winked playfully at Liguang!

The silver-haired girl was sitting beside him.

Hearing Lin Xiaoyou's words, the corner of her mouth curled up into a tiny, faint arc.

The red gleam in her pupils flashed quickly.

Then, sensing Fang Qi looking her way, her mouth immediately drooped, and she blinked innocently at him.

— Master, don't listen to her, Liguang didn't!

Fang Qi: "..."

Crazy girl, I don't believe a word you say!

And besides...

Why couldn't she admit it!

He admitted it. He liked being "offed" by his wife!

And he liked "offing" his wife too!

The feel of the core interface on the back of his wife's neck was really nice!

But...

"Bam!"

He glared at Lin Xiaoyou and slammed his hand on the table!

"Enough with the nonsense! Focus on the matter at hand!"

Lin Xiaoyou giggled.

"Oh, the experimental conditions aren't even clear yet. There's really nothing to say~"

"For now, we can only first..."

Her almond eyes flickered slightly.

"First confirm whether all this is actually real."

"Whether An Lian will die every time, and whether..."

She glanced briefly at the window.

"She'll get hit by a big truck every time?"

Fang Qi narrowed his eyes.

Liguang gently held his hand, her red eyes flickering.

"...What's the verification method?" he asked.

"Simple."

Lin Xiaoyou spread her hands.

"First, you 'resurrect' Miss An Lian, Senior, and then..."

She grinned.

"Just make her stay home for a while, won't that work?"

Fang Qi blinked.

Lin Xiaoyou swung her bare feet, her tone light.

"She lives on a high floor, like the tenth or something. It's not like a big truck can just 'whiz' up there and run her over, right?"

"Then, in the meantime, we rush over!"

Fang Qi: "..."

Seriously, Miss Genius...

Your method is so basic and obvious!

Even I would have thought of that!

You...!

"Anyway, Senior. The first time, we just observe!"

She pointed a finger at Fang Qi, her expression suddenly serious!

"Senior, don't think you can solve it all in one go!"

"The first step is always gathering information, verifying hypotheses, eliminating variables!"

"Without enough data, there's no basis for analysis!"

"No analysis, no conclusion!"

She looked really earnest!

Seeing Lin Xiaoyou like this, Fang Qi was taken aback for a moment.

At this moment, the grinning, joking Lin Xiaoyou seemed to vanish.

Sitting before him now...

Was it the legendary Lin You—the eight-year-old who could solve calculus, the seventeen-year-old who invented cognitive interference technology, the genius who had spent years alone researching the underlying code of this world?

He took a deep breath.

"...Fine."

He nodded slightly.

"We'll do it your way."

After all, what she said made sense.

Lin Xiaoyou blinked.

Then, that round little face broke into a dazzlingly bright smile—the kind of infuriatingly mischievous, playful smile that made you want to pinch her cheeks.

"Alright! It's settled then!"

She bounced up from the sofa, barefoot on the floor, bending down to pick up the shoes she had kicked off.

"Senior, you think over the details!"

"And then..."

"Let's get started right away!"

Hoppong toward the door while putting on her shoes, her ponytail swinging behind her.

"I'll head back first!"

"While I have the chance, I'm gonna tickle Xiaoqing!"

She turned her head, her apricot eyes crescent-shaped with mirth, and winked playfully at Fang Qi.

"Then, Senior can just shwoosh and make the 'dream' end!"

"Xiaoqing won't be able to fight back! Hehehe..."

Bam.

The door closed.

Fang Qi: "..."

To have such a master really was hard on Xiaoqing!

The sound of Lin Xiaoyou's cheerful footsteps was swallowed by the opening and closing of the elevator doors.

The living room fell silent again.

The scent of black tea still lingered in the air, along with Liguang's sweet strawberry fragrance.

Fang Qi leaned back against the sofa, letting out a long breath.

His mind was still turning over what they had just discussed.

An Lian, the big truck, the experiment, verifying the hypothesis...

Lin Xiaoyou was right. They needed data. They needed patience. They couldn't expect to succeed in one try...

Suddenly, a weight settled on his thigh.

The silver-haired girl had risen without him noticing.

Her skirt swirled as she lightly straddled his lap.

Her coiled silver bun was right before his eyes, a few loose strands hanging by her ears, framing her slightly flushed cheeks.

Almost reflexively, Fang Qi's arms circled her waist.

Beneath his palms, he could feel her warm body heat through the thin fabric of her loungewear.

"Master."

Her voice was soft.

A pure, gentle call.

"We..."

Her amber left eye gazed at him, glistening wetly, while her red right pupil pulsed steadily, data streams flowing stably in its depths.

"...Going to save Master's sister."

Fang Qi looked at her, and a wave of guilt suddenly surged through his heart.

"...I'm sorry."

He said quietly.

Liguang blinked and tilted her head, as if asking why he was apologizing.

"We've only just been married. The wedding was just held."

He reached up and gently brushed the little plastic star on her earlobe.

"And now I have to ask you... to go through this again, and again..."

He didn't finish.

But Liguang understood.

A soft, warm, and ever-so-slightly unhinged smile curved her lips.

A smile that belonged only to him.

When Lin Xiaoyou was around, she never smiled like this.

Her small hands gently cupped his face.

Her palms were cool, yet they made him feel completely at peace.

"Master."

She looked him straight in the eyes, her voice earnest.

"To fight side by side with Master is Liguang's..."

"Best wedding gift!"

His face was reflected in her amber pupils, shimmering with a watery sheen, yet unwavering in its determination.

"Liguang is not afraid of death."

"Liguang is only afraid... of not being able to face things together with Master."

"So..."

The corner of her mouth lifted a little higher, taking on a playful edge.

"Please don't say sorry."

Fang Qi stared at her, stunned.

Then he, too, smiled.

...Right.

Between them, there was no need for "sorry."

Because they were always together.

Together in life...

And together in death!

"Then..."

He raised his hand and pressed it against the back of Liguang's head.

His fingers slipped through her coiled silver bun, gently guiding her face down to his neck.

Feeling the softness against his skin, Fang Qi let out a soft breath.

Actually...

He had originally wanted to talk to Gu Xi to get more information.

But...

Lin Xiaoyou was right.

At the very least, he needed to verify whether Gu Xi was correct first.

He couldn't rule out the possibility that Gu Xi was wrong.

Or even... trying to harm him.

So...

"Liguang, let's go."

He whispered.

Let's go back to the morning after our wedding night.

Beside his cheek, a scarlet light flashed fiercely!

Two soft lips pressed hard against his neck!

Her teeth gently sank into his skin, bringing a faint numbness.

He could feel her breath on his skin.

Warm, rapid.

"Master's life..."

She murmured against his neck, her voice trembling, slurred.

"Liguang will take..."

"Again and again...!"

Fang Qi's fingers slid down the back of her neck, touching the delicate artificial skin.

It was warm, trembling slightly.

He pressed gently...

Click.

The protective skin opened for him.

A faint blue glow seeped from the interface, reflecting off his fingers.

His fingertips slipped into that interface.

"And Liguang's life..."

He said softly.

"Is also Master's."

Zzzzzt—!!!

See you after the dream ends.

...

...

[Ending ??: Meaningless]

You hold her again.

Her nape opens beneath your fingertips.

Her teeth tighten at your neck.

Her core fragments merge with your blood.

A ritual that has been repeated countless times.

You collapse together on the living room floor, the sweet strawberry scent overpowering the metallic tang of blood.

You know you will wake up.

You know she will be there, with that cup of tea brewed to fifty-two degrees, kneeling across the coffee table, greeting you with her docile smile.

Death can be undone.

Pain can be reset.

Mistakes can be erased.

...Can they really?

When death itself becomes your most familiar tool, when blood becomes the decoration of your wedding, when every embrace may end in a double suicide...

Can you truly save the one you want to save?

Or...

Was this whole struggle, from the very beginning...

Meaningless?

BAD ENDING