Fang Qi slowly opened his eyes.
Familiar ceiling.
Simple light strips.
White coffee table.
The tenth morning.
He was back.
His mind still retained the sensation from the previous second: the sharp sting of Liguang's fangs sinking into his neck as she bit him, and the burst of eerie blue light exploding before his eyes...
And now...
The silver-haired girl was kneeling across from him at the coffee table.
She wore a light blue house dress, her silver hair loosely tied up at the back of her head. Her hands were holding that white porcelain teacup, steam rising from its rim.
"Master, your tea."
Her voice was soft and crisp.
"The temperature has been adjusted to your favorite 52 degrees Celsius."
She looked at him gently.
...Everything was normal.
Exactly the same as every time he woke up from a reset.
He was back, back to save Sister An Lian.
But...
He was still a bit dazed.
...Huh?
That last ending... why did it feel...
A little off?
Fang Qi's pupils contracted!
No!
It was very off!
The 【Ending】, the world's logic—it clearly...
Already knew everything!
It knew they were using resets, knew they were trying to save An Lian, knew those so-called "dreams"...
Were never dreams at all.
It had fully understood what he and Liguang were doing!
So...
He suddenly stared at the silver-haired girl kneeling before him!
His mind snapped to full alertness!
Liguang...
Now, her memory... it should...!
The excuse of "dreams" had been exposed...
Did she still remember?
She must still remember, right?!
He immediately leaned forward, cupping her face in both hands!
His fingers sank into her soft cheeks, squeezing her little lips into a pout. The speed made the silver-haired girl let out a soft "mmn," and even the crimson in her pupils froze for a moment.
"Liguang!"
It should be fine, right?
...It shouldn't go wrong!
But his hands tightened slightly.
"Do you still remember those things?"
He asked nervously.
"The island, the apartment, and what we just discussed...!"
The silver-haired girl, with her face held in his hands, blinked her phoenix-like eyes.
Then...
She tilted her head slightly, and her expression suddenly became confused.
"...Master?"
Her voice was faint.
"What are you talking about?"
"What island? What apartment?"
...?!
"What just discussed... Master just woke up today, didn't he?"
Her eyelashes fluttered, her expression innocent, her heterochromatic eyes filled only with bewilderment.
Huh?
Fang Qi felt his mind go blank for a moment.
Wait...?!
Liguang, you...!
"Pfft...!"
Suddenly, a very faint sound of suppressed laughter.
Fang Qi: "?"
He stared dazedly at the face before him.
Liguang, who had looked so confused just moments ago, now...
The corners of her mouth were twitching slightly!
There was even a hint of tears welling up from holding back laughter!
"..."
Fang Qi's expression froze.
You've got to be...?
"Hee hee..."
The silver-haired girl finally couldn't hold it in!
Her lips immediately curled upward!
They stretched all the way to her ears!
Then she raised both hands and firmly grabbed Fang Qi's hands that were cupping her cheeks!
She winked cheerfully at Fang Qi!
"Master, of course Liguang remembers!"
Her voice returned to its usual lightness, tinged with a hint of pride.
"Liguang remembers everything!"
"The island, the apartment, the tea every morning, and..."
Her crimson eyes narrowed slightly, the red dancing merrily in her pupils.
"This time, we're going to save Miss An Lian, aren't we?"
...?
You...
I...!
She...?
Fang Qi's train of thought short-circuited for a full three seconds.
Then he slowly widened his eyes!
Holy crap!
"Li! Guang!"
He gritted his teeth and roared on the spot!
"Mmn...!"
Liguang flinched, shrinking her head.
Fang Qi kept glaring at her!
"You...!"
He fumed, rubbing her face forcefully with both hands, causing her mouth to deform and her cheeks to squish between his fingers!
"Is this something to joke about?!"
"Huh?!"
"You, you, you...!"
He couldn't go on.
That moment of suffocating emptiness from before was still lingering in his chest!
Liguang let out a couple of muffled "hmphs," then raised a small hand...
And gently grasped his wrist.
"Master."
Her voice was a bit muffled because her cheeks were being squished.
"Didn't I say... you need to trust Liguang..."
She fluttered her eyelashes.
"Liguang said it would be fine. For you to ask like this..."
She pouted slightly.
"Means you don't trust Liguang...!"
Her face was deformed, and she looked thoroughly wronged.
"So..."
She gave a soft hum.
"This is Liguang's little punishment for Master!"
Fang Qi stared at her.
Punishment?
Punishment?!
You nearly gave me a heart attack from fright!
And you call this a "little punishment"?!
"You...!"
He gnashed his teeth, pressing harder with his fingers, kneading Liguang's face like dough!
"Who taught you this?!"
"Lin Xiaoyou?!"
"You've been corrupted by Lin Xiaoyou!!"
How dare you!
Looks like your backside wants to follow in Miss Lin's footsteps!
If I don't spank...
"...Hmph!"
The silver-haired girl, her head bobbing back and forth under his kneading, let out another soft hum.
"Liguang didn't learn it from Miss Lin. Liguang came up with it herself."
Her tone even carried a hint of pride!
Fang Qi stared at her for several seconds, and finally...
"...Fine."
He let go, let out a long breath, and slumped back against the couch.
Fine, fine...
Whatever the wife says is right!
What else could he do?
Couldn't bring himself to hit her, couldn't bring himself to scold her.
And after all, she had said "it would be fine"...
He was the one who didn't trust her enough.
But...
That was way too terrifying!
"Next time, no more jokes like this!"
He raised a hand and tapped her firmly on the nose!
"If there's a next time, I'll... I'll...!"
He racked his brain for a threat, but finally just gave up.
"Forget it, figure it out yourself."
The silver-haired girl blinked at him...
Then let out a "hee hee" and rubbed her cheek against his palm!
"Master is the best."
Fang Qi shot her a look.
He reached over, picked up the teacup from the table, and took a sip.
To calm his nerves...
52 degrees, perfect temperature. The tea's aroma spread through his mouth, slightly bitter with a lingering sweetness.
...Alright.
Since Liguang's memory was fine, there was nothing more to worry about.
The world's logic already knew what they were doing, but it didn't seem intent on stopping them...
It was just...
Watching them?
...Let it watch, then.
Show the world's logic a thing or two!
Now...
Time to get down to business!
He set down the teacup and picked up his phone...
Scrolling to the name in his contacts.
【An Lian】
Seeing those two words, Fang Qi's finger paused briefly.
Sister An Lian.
His fingertip hovered over the screen for a few seconds, as his mind echoed what Lin Xiaoyou had said during their discussion in the last cycle.
—"Senior, don't expect to save your Sister An Lian in one try."
—"First, we need to confirm whether this matter is even fact!"
He trusted Gu Xi.
Gu Xi had once offered him her soul; she probably wouldn't harm him.
But...
Trust didn't mean blind faith!
Gu Xi knew many things, but that didn't make her infallible.
Her theories about "fate," her judgment of a "modified fate"—all needed to be verified.
And there was only one way to do it.
Replaying over and over again.
Trying again and again.
Until the answer was found.
He lifted his head and met the gaze of the silver-haired girl beside him.
Liguang had already recovered from the earlier "punishment" joke, and her heterochromatic eyes were calmly fixed on him.
The crimson in her right eye flowed steadily like a slow-moving tide.
She nodded gently at him.
—Master, Liguang is ready.
Fang Qi took a deep breath and pressed the dial button.
The phone rang a few times before connecting.
"...Xiao Qi?"
This time, the voice on the other end was no longer the cold and steady "Mr. Fang" greeting.
"I..."
A bout of rapid, shallow breathing.
An Lian's voice was trembling.
An unmistakable tremor!
Her words broke off mid-sentence, as if she wanted to say something but didn't know where to start.
Fang Qi's breath caught slightly.
Of course, she remembered.
An Lian could "dream" too.
She also had memories.
The deaths in the last two timelines...
The first time at the east city crossroad, the second time outside her own apartment building.
She remembered them all.
The moment the heavy truck slammed into her...
If she hadn't died from the impact, the cold sensation of the white cloth covering her face, the last remnants of consciousness as she was rushed into the ambulance...
She would remember all of it.
"Sister An Lian, it's me."
Fang Qi tried to keep his voice as steady as possible.
"There's something... it's not easy to explain over the phone. Right now, remember—"
"Don't leave the house!"
His tone was decisive and final!
"Just stay at home, don't go anywhere!"
"Liguang and I are heading over right now!"
On the other end, her breathing slowed a little.
"You two..."
An Lian's voice softened slightly, as if loosening from the height of tension in a slow release.
"...you're coming?"
The barely controlled tremor eased a fraction.
But then—
"Wait!"
Her tone suddenly turned serious.
"To where? My place? The employee apartments at Chenxi Company?"
Her voice grew frantic.
"No! You can't come here! To come here is not just—!"
She didn't finish the sentence, but Fang Qi understood her meaning.
Chenxi Corporation had already set its sights on him and Liguang.
The last time, using a sticky note, An Lian had warned him that the board of directors had issued a secret order to implant a remote control program into Liguang's crimson eye.
Going to the Chenxi employee apartments now would be like...
Barging right into their lair?
But Fang Qi just tilted his head slightly and exchanged a glance with Liguang.
They both chuckled softly.
Tacit understanding.
"Miss An Lian..."
It was the silver-haired girl who spoke first.
Her voice was gentle but unwavering.
"Wherever Master goes, Liguang follows."
Her crimson eye flickered subtly.
"Even if it means dying there with Master, I do so willingly."
Fang Qi looked at Liguang, the corners of his mouth curling up even more.
He didn't say anything sappy; he simply continued into the phone.
"Don't worry, Sister An Lian. I'm strong. You won't die, and neither will I."
He said it casually, but...
An Lian would certainly understand.
She had already died twice—and both times, she had been "revived" because of Fang Qi's replaying.
Even if they were cornered and attacked in the Chenxi apartments, the worst that could happen...
Was pulling the trigger again! Being bitten again! Replaying one more time!
"...Alright."
An Lian finally spoke. Her voice was still slightly unsteady, but much calmer than before.
"Xiao Qi, make sure you're careful. I won't leave the house."
She paused, and her tone dropped even softer.
"It's just that this phone call... probably this..."
Fang Qi narrowed his eyes.
He understood An Lian's implication perfectly.
This call was almost certainly being monitored by Chenxi Company.
As their maintenance specialist, her communication device would likely be under the company's surveillance!
The last time, she had used handwritten sticky notes to convey key information...
Wasn't it because oral communication wasn't safe?
But this time...
Fang Qi had no intention of hiding!
Throw whatever you've got at me!
I don't plan on surviving anyway!
"Sister An Lian, just remember—don't leave the house. Don't open the door for anyone except me."
His voice dropped lower, turning heavy.
"Otherwise..."
"What happened in your 'dream' will happen again!"
There was silence on the other end of the line.
An Lian's breathing was audibly heavier.
She knew exactly what Fang Qi was referring to.
She didn't fully grasp terms like "replaying" or "last timeline," but after dying twice only to be brought back to life by Fang Qi, she must have already realized one thing...
Fang Qi could turn back time.
He could turn death into a mere nightmare.
He could make her...
Open her eyes again to face yet another morning.
"Alright, Xiao Qi."
An Lian's voice had regained its usual cool steadiness, but Fang Qi could still detect...
The trace of a suppressed tremor buried within.
"But don't push yourself."
"I'm safe at home."
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
ver to a world of cultivation and returned invincible. Modern medicine is child's play compared to elixirs; technological might crumbles before true cultivation. My name is Qin Ning, Earth's sole cultivator!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
