The senior has become much smarter than before.

Outside the mall, rain poured down in torrents.

A violet-white bolt of lightning split the night sky!

Thunder roared deafeningly!

Fang Qi stared at the genius girl before him!

Those almond-shaped eyes were burning with a wild, mad flame!

For a moment, he was actually taken aback by her.

…She really dared to say that!

People around them peeked over and began whispering among themselves.

“Are they filming some kind of short video or skit?”

“Is someone shooting a scene?”

“Look at that guy’s face, it’s completely frozen, hahaha…”

Someone had already sneakily pulled out a phone, camera aimed in their direction.

Fang Qi kept his expression blank.

“BOOM—!!!”

Another muffled thunderclap struck outside the window, lightning illuminating the entire milk tea shop for a split second!

Fang Qi instinctively looked outside.

The street that had been bright and clear with moonlight just moments ago…

Was now swallowed by the raging storm.

…Wife, don’t get mad, don’t get mad!

He chanted in his head!

She’s just a lunatic, don’t stoop to a lunatic’s level!

At worst, after you come back, I’ll eat a few extra fancy meals to make up for it!

…It’s not like I can’t rewind anyway! A few more meals won’t hurt!

Then he whipped his head back around and glared at Lin Xiaoyou!

“Sit down first…!”

He hissed at her, voice lowered.

You’re out here loudly conspiring in front of everyone!

Talking about hotel rooms and destroying the world… you may not care about losing face, but I do!

Lin Xiaoyou, however, glanced at the passersby who were stealthily sizing them up, then shrugged and flopped back into her booth seat.

She crossed her legs, her pale little feet swinging back and forth.

“Who cares what they think, Senior~ You’re way too shy!”

Fang Qi: “?”

That’s what you call shy…?

…Are you a social terrorist or something?!

But Lin Xiaoyou had already propped her chin on her hand and turned to look out the window at the night sky being torn apart by rain and lightning.

She seemed to zone out for a moment.

No one in the milk tea shop spoke for a while, leaving only the sound of rain pattering.

Rainwater streaked down the glass, smearing the neon lights outside into blurry streams of color.

Then she turned back, that round little face once again breaking into that annoyingly cheeky grin:

“Hey, Senior, look…”

She nodded toward the window.

“Looks like the almighty god is jealous again, huh?”

“Guess we won’t be going anywhere for a while~”

With that, she pulled out her phone, scanned the QR code on the table, and pulled up the ordering page.

“What does Senior want to drink?”

Her tone suddenly turned light and playful:

“My treat!”

Fang Qi: “…?”

“I said, my treat!”

Lin Xiaoyou waved her phone, the order screen already popping up.

“I’ve got tons of money in this world, you know! My parents give me tons—TONS of allowance!”

“And my dumb little brother, he’s so clueless, I swiped a bunch of his New Year money too!”

She rambled on while scrolling through the menu:

“I’ve gotta spend it all before I go back, otherwise I just feel like I’m losing out!”

Then her eyes blinked:

“…Wait, since we’re going back anyway, could I just max out a credit card too… oh!”

Her eyes suddenly lit up!

She bolted up from her seat, fingers flying across the screen.

“Senior, Senior! I just ordered you the most expensive drink on the menu!”

“No need to thank me!”

Fang Qi: “…”

The glances from the people around them grew even weirder.

An older woman tugged at her companion and muttered under her breath:

“These young folks, why are they so bonkers when they’re dating these days…”

The sound of rain outside seemed to grow even heavier.

Fang Qi pressed a hand to his forehead.

Auntie, I'm not dating her, please stop talking about it!

If you keep going...

Your city is going to get flooded straight up!

...Forget it.

He let out a helpless sigh.

This world had already fallen this far.

Earthquakes, typhoons, tornadoes...

And the root cause of all of it might just be that crazy woman of his, sulking up in the sky right now.

Even if it was for the sake of "saving" the world, he had to leave.

And if he was leaving anyway, then what other people thought of them truly didn't matter anymore.

But still...

"Stay in line, you!"

Fang Qi glared at Lin Xiaoyou, rapping his fingers hard on the table twice!

Lowering his voice:

"Do NOT try to create any 'variables' by pissing off Liguang!"

"Otherwise, when we get back, we're both done for!"

Can you for once think about your own future?!

But Lin Xiaoyou just pouted, biting down on the straw in her empty cup with a crunching sound.

"So what? This is also my..."

"'sacrifice' to help Liguang get back to the master she loves most, you know!"

As she spoke, she gave Fang Qi a wink.

"Right, Liguang? So that your master can come back to you, you just have to grit your teeth and watch...!"

"BOOM—!!!"

A blinding white lightning bolt exploded outside the window—closer, louder than before!

Even the lights in the milk tea shop flickered violently!

They struggled in the dim, stuttering for several seconds before stabilizing.

The young people at the next table gasped in unison; someone nearly spilled their drink.

And Fang Qi...

The vein on his temple was twitching!

He didn't even want to say anything anymore!

This lunatic didn't understand a single word of human speech!

But the thunderstorm outside reacting like that only confirmed it even more...

Liguang was listening.

She had been listening all along.

So...

He began to think silently.

Liguang.

You can hear what I'm thinking, right?

Liguang, I... want to return to our original world.

I want to see you, hold you, pinch your cheeks, drink that fifty-two-degree tea.

Do you have a way to satisfy your master?

The thunder outside suddenly stopped.

But the rain kept falling.

And it was coming down hard.

"Whoosh—"

The whole world outside the window was being washed away by the downpour.

Fang Qi dropped his gaze, staring at the wood grain on the table.

...You can't do it, can you.

It seems...

Liguang really can't.

She can only listen, only watch, only get jealous, and throw the whole world into chaos.

But she can't cross that invisible line to come back to him.

...He had to figure out a way himself.

He had to pull her out of that "divine" state.

Drag her back to the mortal world!

Back to his side...!

"Ding—"

The counter called their number.

Lin Xiaoyou immediately hopped up, scurried over to the counter, and came back carrying two cups of milk tea.

She plopped one down in front of Fang Qi:

"Yours, the most expensive one...!"

"Ring—!"

Her own phone started buzzing.

Lin Xiaoyou glanced down at the screen and blinked.

Fang Qi looked at her phone.

[Mom]

His heart gave a slight tremble.

Mom, huh.

He watched her answer the call, her voice instantly turning sweet and obedient.

"Hey? Mom? Yeah yeah, I'm fine, I didn't get caught in the rain. I'm at a milk tea shop. Mm-hmm, don't worry..."

She said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger as she spoke.

"Huh...? Nine o'clock is way too early! Isn't curfew coming up...?"

"Curfew is at nine? I'm grown now, I still have a curfew...!?"

"I... fine... I-I... I'll try to get back before nine..."

"...Ugh! I'll definitely be back before nine, okay!"

Then she hung up the phone in a huff and slammed it onto the table!

Then she bit the straw of her milk tea and muttered under her breath:

"Having family... can be such a hassle sometimes..."

Fang Qi watched her, his lips slightly pressed together.

Her eyes and brows—they were actually smiling.

A natural, relaxed curve—much softer than those deliberately shaped crescent smiles.

After hanging up, she held her milk tea and stared at the call-ended screen on her phone...

Lost in a brief trance.

Fang Qi didn't call her out on it.

This woman clearly couldn't bear to leave her family either.

So...

Was she planning to burn her bridges through sheer madness?

—If you can't have something, destroy it completely.

Push yourself to the point of no return, and only then can you walk forward without looking back.

Lin Xiaoyou suddenly took a big slurp of her milk tea, her cheeks puffing up high, then gulped it down in one loud swallow!

Then her almond-shaped eyes locked directly on Fang Qi!

"Senior, have you made up your mind? Should we go get a...!"

"Get a what?!"

Fang Qi cut her off in exasperation on the spot!

The milk tea cup in his hand was nearly crushed!

You think the thunderstorm isn't bad enough? Do you want lightning to strike you right on the head?!

And besides...!

"If destroying the world could get us back, Liguang would have done it a long time ago!"

He lowered his voice, but could barely contain his fury!

Don't you dare try to play hero here!

Lin Xiaoyou blinked, then a look of surprise spread across her face.

"Senior."

She tilted her head as she looked at him.

"You seem... a little smarter than before."

Fang Qi: "..."

I swear to God...!

He also took a big slurp of his milk tea, almost choking on a pearl!

The people around them were still stealing glances.

Fang Qi swept his gaze across the phones being sneakily raised, then looked away.

...Fine, stare all you want.

The world is about to end.

You're all going to die!

Who the hell cares about this anymore.

"Hurry up."

He glared at Lin Xiaoyou, tapping his fingers heavily on the table twice!

"Think of something else!"

He was starting to feel a bit tense now.

Liguang had basically been confirmed to have obtained the highest authority and become a 'god' capable of influencing the entire world...

If even she couldn't do what she wanted, could he and Lin Xiaoyou really manage it?

Lin Xiaoyou bit her straw, her cheeks puffed slightly.

"...I don't have any other ideas either."

Then she spread her hands, looking perfectly innocent.

"So I wanted to throw the whole world into chaos! The more chaotic it gets, the more 'loopholes' are likely to appear, and maybe we can sneak through one?"

Fang Qi was momentarily stunned.

Loopholes? More chaos means more loopholes...?

Wait a second...?

He tightened his grip on his milk tea cup.

He thought of something...!

He...!

"Could it be!" — Lin Xiaoyou's eyes suddenly lit up as she stared into Fang Qi's eyes!

"Senior doesn't want a hotel room—you want to take me home instead?"

Fang Qi: "?"

His train of thought immediately derailed!

Wait, what...?!

And then, Lin Xiaoyou suddenly turned all shy, covering her face with both hands, only leaving those almond eyes curved like crescent moons.

Her voice went all coy and sweet:

"Is Senior asking me to wear Liguang's clothes...!"

"BOOM—!!!"

The thunder outside the window was louder than ever before.

A few wisps of dust drifted down from the milk tea shop's ceiling.

All up and down the street, car alarms were screaming in overlapping bursts amid the pounding rain.

Fang Qi's face was expressionless as he stared at the round-faced girl in front of him, who was still hiding her face and squirming.

Fine.

Lin Xiaoyou.

No one can save you now.

I said so.

My Liguang has already reserved your head.

Once Liguang gets back...

You better get ready to be on the table for a few extra loops!

But...

Fang Qi narrowed his eyes again.

He was thinking about something that had just come to him.

...A loophole.

The more chaos, the easier it is for loopholes to appear.

That line...

Hadn't he heard it somewhere before?

His hand, holding the milk tea, tightened slightly.

...It was in that space where the rules were in complete disarray.

That was when Liguang discovered it.

The more severe the erosion, the easier doors appear.

The more fragile, the easier cracks form...

Loopholes appear.

Bugs appear.

...Wait.

A chaotic rule-space?

Fang Qi's pupils suddenly contracted!

He took a huge gulp of his milk tea, and the thought in his head grew clearer and clearer!

Ah...!

"I've got it!!"

"BANG!"

He slammed his hand on the table!

Lin Xiaoyou had just been sucking on her straw, and his sudden move startled her so much that she spat her pearl tapioca right out!

"COUGH COUGH COUGH!! Senior, what are you—!"

But Fang Qi just stared straight at her as she bent over coughing.

"We're going back to check it out!"

Lin Xiaoyou coughed twice more, lifted up her little round face, flushed red from coughing, and blinked...

Her expression was innocent and lost.

"Go back? Go back where?"

Fang Qi tapped the table with force!

"Of course..."

He lowered his voice.

"That underground research facility!"

That was the source of all this chaos, after all.

That's where An Lian's and Lin Xiaoyou's fate collars were ripped apart.

That's also where Liguang obtained her permissions.

"But Senior..."

Lin Xiaoyou took another sip of milk tea, mumbling through the straw with a blink:

"Chenxi doesn't even exist anymore—how could that underground research facility still be there...!"

"No!"

Fang Qi's breathing was slightly quickened as he looked at Lin Xiaoyou's lost, innocent little face.

"What we're looking for isn't the underground research facility—it's the Bug!"

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense!

Last loop, the rules of that space had completely fallen apart!

At first, even his save-and-load ability had been affected!

He couldn't even rewind time in there.

Only after Liguang took full control did he recover.

And such a chaotic space...

Would it really just return to normal, just because of a rewind, just because the world changed?!

...It didn't feel like it.

That chaos might still be there.

That Bug might still be there.

The "loophole in the world" they were searching for...

Might be right there!

...It made sense, didn't it!

The more he thought about it, the more excited he got.

Liguang, sweetheart, I'm right about this, aren't I?

Right?

As long as we go back there, can we maybe...

Outside the window, the sound of rain faded.

The roaring downpour turned into a soft drizzle.

...Ha!

Fang Qi took a huge gulp of his milk tea!

Delicious!

The cream cap was strawberry-flavored—so good!

Now they had direction. Perfect...!

Then he paused.

Because he saw the round-faced girl in front of him, lips pursed, watching him.

Her expression wasn't surprise, nor realization. Instead...

It was a bit of annoyance?

...Huh?

"Senior, you seem..."

She mumbled.

"A whole lot smarter than before, don't you?"

As she spoke, she tapped the milk tea cup with her finger and continued muttering:

"This isn't fun..."

"The clumsy senior was more fun..."

Fang Qi: "?"

What do you mean by that?!

You...!

Huh?

It hit him.

The excitement on his face froze slightly.

Wait—could she have...!

"You figured it out long ago?!"

He stared at Lin Xiaoyou.

Then it suddenly occurred to him...

Wasn't the reason this world had become like this because, in the last loop, Lin Xiaoyou had added a tiny "little wish" in that chaotic space?

She had personally tampered with it, so how could she not have known...

That chaos itself was a usable "loophole"?

She...

Lin Xiaoyou took a sip of her milk tea, her cheeks puffing slightly.

"Senior, now that we're here..."

The words came out muffled as she chewed on the pearls and coconut jelly.

"With such a great 'experimental sample' available, shouldn't we... run a few more experiments?"

"That's also for—"

She swallowed, licked her lips, and winked at Fang Qi:

"Creating the most perfect world, right?"

Fang Qi looked at her, his heart sinking bit by bit.

Lin Xiaoyou, you...

"Senior, don't you want a perfect world too?"

Lin Xiaoyou smiled, both playful and infuriating.

"Then you should 'sacrifice' yourself a little too!"

"After all—"

She leaned forward.

"Only you, Senior, can stir that Miss Goddess's heart."

Then, a sly glint flashed through her almond-shaped eyes!

"Ah, I get it!"

She suddenly looked enlightened!

"Senior, you don't want to touch me, right? You think I'm too familiar, so it's awkward to make a move?"

She giggled and raised her phone again.

"Doesn't have to be me, then! How about this, Senior—since I've got money now, let me pay to take you out for a...!"

"GET LOST!!!!"

Fang Qi's roar shot straight into the sky!!!

"BOOM—!!!"

Outside the window, thunder boomed once more!

The lights in the milk tea shop flashed violently!

Then went out.