For a Perfect World

The rain was falling with absurd intensity.

The milk tea shop had closed early due to a power outage.

The moment Fang Qi and Lin Xiaoyou burst out of the mall, they were completely drenched!

Luckily, Lin Xiaoyou had driven.

That familiar little "chopped chili fish head" car—small and pink—was parked in the farthest spot.

A tiny blob of pink in the storm.

Lin Xiaoyou unlocked the car, and the two of them practically scrambled inside!

Fang Qi yanked open the back door and plopped himself down!

He was dripping from head to toe, and the seat cushion was soaked through in an instant!

Lin Xiaoyou slipped into the driver's seat.

Her hair was plastered to her face, her wet coat clinging tightly to her body.

She quickly pulled a towel out of the glove compartment, and while drying her hair, she muttered:

"Senior, your Liguang sure has a temper...!"

Fang Qi: "..."

He roughly wiped the water off his face!

Who's to blame for this?!

He was so speechless he didn't even want to talk anymore.

"Here you go, Senior!"

Lin Xiaoyou draped a towel over her head, leaned over from the front seat, and handed him another one.

Fang Qi took it and carelessly dried his neck and arms.

"Hey, Senior."

Lin Xiaoyou sat back in the driver's seat, still drying her hair, and winked at Fang Qi in the rearview mirror:

"My little car here—it's not what it used to be, you know."

She patted the steering wheel, her tone as light as if she were talking about something trivial.

"It's just a regular little car now!"

Still drying her hair, she grinned cheekily:

"If we get rammed by a big truck now, we're really gonna get squashed flat!"

"Then, Senior and I... we'd become a pair of star-crossed lovers!"

Fang Qi: "..."

He pressed hard on his temples!

Are you never gonna let it go?!

I'm so damn done...!

"...Lin! Xiao! You!"

His voice was heavier now.

"Stop saying stuff like that to deliberately provoke Liguang!"

Seeing his darkened expression, Lin Xiaoyou shrank back a little.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop, I'll stop! Don't be mad, Senior!"

She grabbed the two ends of the towel on her head.

"Um, Senior..."

Her voice turned a little more docile.

"Just now in the milk tea shop, I was only joking, you know."

"I believe you're a good man, you'd never do something like that!"

Fang Qi paused mid-motion while drying his neck.

...Oh, really?

I don't buy that for a second!

"Then..."

He narrowed his eyes at Lin Xiaoyou in the rearview mirror.

"What if I agreed?"

Lin Xiaoyou's hand froze as she rubbed her hair!

Her almond-shaped eyes lit up instantly!

"Then I'll pay for it!"

She spun around from the front seat, one hand gripping the headrest, the other still holding the towel on top of her head!

Her expression was ecstatic!

"I'll take you right now, Senior...!"

"Get lost!!!"

Fang Qi roared again with full force!

I knew it!

The rain outside seemed to intensify at that very moment.

Raindrops battered the roof of the car, crackling loudly.

Startled by his roar, Lin Xiaoyou shrank back, both hands holding the towel up to her chest.

Then she sat upright again, resumed drying her hair, and muttered:

"Fine, if you don't wanna go, you don't wanna go. No need to yell at me... It was you who said you'd agree..."

"I never said I agreed!"

Fang Qi took a few quick, sharp breaths!

Then he slumped backwards, his back thudding against the seat, making the whole car wobble.

Then...

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

His collar was clammy and sticking to his neck. The leather of the back seat was damp and cool against him.

He regained a bit of composure, steadied his breathing, and then—

In as even a tone as he could manage, he spoke:

"Lin Xiaoyou, what exactly... are you trying to do?"

He opened his eyes and stared at the towel-covered head in the front seat.

"You figured out a way long ago, but you never said a word. You..."

He recalled how she'd acted toward her family earlier and paused.

"...You still can't bear to let go of this world, can you?"

Understandable, sure.

But the way she was showing it...

Was rea-lly, rea-lly asking for a beating!

Lin Xiaoyou's drying motion stopped.

The car went quiet for two seconds.

"Senior, that's not it."

The towel was still on her head, covering most of her face.

"I admit... I do have some reluctance."

Her voice was much softer now.

"Dad, Mom, my little brother—they're all here. They're still alive."

Her fingers gripped the ends of her hair through the towel.

"...But that's not the main reason!"

"I've already made up my mind. Reluctance is reluctance, but when it's time to go, I go!"

"It's just..."

She paused for a moment, then raised her hand and pulled the towel off her head.

Her wet black hair spilled over her shoulders.

She didn't turn around, just stared at the rain-blurred windshield ahead.

"Senior, this kind of opportunity truly comes once in a lifetime."

She murmured.

"An entirely different worldline, a parallel world born from my wish..."

"Do you know what this means to me?"

Her tone turned suddenly serious.

So serious that Fang Qi felt a little dazed.

"This is a priceless experimental sample."

She stared blankly ahead, whispering.

"Only here can I gather enough data—especially..."

"Chaotic data."

"How Liguang's 'authority' affects the world, where her ability's boundaries lie, the interaction patterns between her 'authority' and the 'world's rules'...!"

Her voice trembled slightly, as if suppressing something.

"These things... In a normal worldline, they'd be utterly impossible to observe!"

Her hand clenched the towel.

"To create a truly perfect world..."

"I need samples. I need more, and more samples!"

Fang Qi silently watched the back of her head.

Her soaked ponytail was still dripping, spreading a small dark patch of moisture on the driver's seat back.

What a reasonable justification.

So reasonable that Fang Qi really wanted to ask her...

"...Why didn't you just tell me directly?"

Lin Xiaoyou's shoulders stiffened just a little.

Fang Qi frowned, watching her back.

Something like this—you could've just... discussed it with me, right?

Why did you have to go and pull all this...!

Then she suddenly turned around, facing Fang Qi directly in the back seat.

Her bangs were still damp, stuck to her smooth forehead.

"Senior, I..."

"I have already told you some things, haven't I?"

Her gaze was earnest.

"I told you that Liguang has been watching over you all along."

"I wanted you to know she's still by your side, so that..."

"At least you wouldn't panic."

Fang Qi lowered his gaze slightly.

Hmm...

That much she had indeed told him.

"But then, it's like this..."

The round-faced girl in front of him bit her lip.

"If I'd told you directly that there might be a way back to the original worldline on that mountain..."

Her voice grew even softer.

"...Senior, you would've just gone straight there, wouldn't you?"

Fang Qi said nothing.

Lin Xiaoyou looked at the silent Fang Qi and bit her lip again.

Then, suddenly, she lowered her head!

Lowered it very, very deep!

Her still-damp black hair covered her face.

"Senior, for hiding it from you all this time... I'm sorry!"

Her voice was muffled, deadly serious.

"But... Senior, could you give me two more days... no, one day!"

Her words came faster, her voice trembling slightly.

"Just one day!"

"Don't go there yet!"

"I want to gather more data on this world!"

Her shoulders rose and fell gently.

"I'm begging you, Senior! For the sake of..."

"...a beautiful and perfect world."

The carriage fell completely silent.

Only the rain on the roof continued to patter.

Fang Qi stared blankly at the top of her bowed head.

This seemed to be the first time Lin Xiaoyou had begged him so earnestly.

In the past, she'd done far more over-the-top things—she'd even slid to her knees and presented him her access card, shouting, "Lord Fang Qi, please accept my offering!"

But that had been a joke, a typical Lin Xiaoyou bit of comedy.

This time was different.

This time, she meant it.

She just kept her head down, waiting for his answer.

Fang Qi pressed his lips together.

"Honestly, I hate apologizing after the fact."

His voice carried a note of helplessness.

Damn it. When this woman got carried away, she completely ignored how everyone else felt!

She'd completely wasted the "emotional intelligence" she'd learned from his mom!

Lin Xiaoyou's shoulders gave a slight tremble.

"But then again..."

Fang Qi leaned back, his soaked back pressing against the seat.

The chill snapped him back to clarity.

"Fine, I guess."

As an ordinary mortal, supporting the research of a genius...

Wasn't really a problem.

After all...

Liguang was always watching him.

Even though he couldn't touch her, couldn't hear her voice, she was still there.

She was still seeing this world through his eyes.

Still getting jealous for him.

Still controlling every cloud over this city for him!

He truly wasn't in a hurry.

If it was really for a perfect world...

One day, he could afford to wait.

Lin Xiaoyou jerked her head up!

"Thank you, Senior!"

There were still unshed tears glistening in her almond-shaped eyes, but the corners of her mouth had already curved upward again!

Then she twisted around from the front seat!

Gripping the seat back with both hands, she blinked at him rapidly.

"So, Senior, since you've already agreed, could you...?"

Her cheeky grin was back!

"Support me even more? Like, for example...!"

Her eyes curved into crescents, and her tone started getting punchable again.

Fang Qi's eyelids twitched hard!

Oh no—what the hell were you about to say?!

You're really going to push your luck—!

"How about doing more things to make your Liguang jealous? I'm serious, Senior! What I said before still counts! I really do have money—!"

"GET LOST!!!"