Chapter 394 |
Fang Qi’s fingers started kneading Liguang’s face again, hard.
His brow was tightly furrowed.
He didn’t understand.
Himself...
A person who had been laying his plans since infancy.
Someone for whom Gu Xi would sacrifice even her soul without hesitation.
Someone who had personally asked Lin Xiaoyou to seal his own memories...
He had designed all of this, and the ultimate goal was to turn himself into a "pure player"?
To pursue a "silver-haired big sister" he himself had drawn, named, and helped design?
What the hell was wrong with him?!
"Ugh!"
The silver-haired girl in his arms let out a protesting whimper, snapping him out of his thoughts.
Fang Qi looked down and realized he had unknowingly squeezed her face too hard.
Her soft cheeks were badly deformed from his grip!
Liguang tilted her little face up to look at him, tears welling in her amber left eye, while her crimson right eye glistened with grievance.
But her hands still obediently rested on his chest, not pushing him away.
Fang Qi: "..."
Yeah.
Silver-haired big sister good!
Silver-haired big sister great!
Yeah!
He thought he finally understood why he had done all this!
Who wouldn’t want such a wonderful silver-haired big sister!
Who wouldn’t want to start pursuing her from the very beginning!
Who wouldn’t want to make her slowly, truly fall in love with the ignorant version of himself!
His galgame soul was burning!
"Mmgh, masteerr...!"
Liguang opened her mouth, showing her little fangs, ready to bite him again!
Fang Qi quickly loosened his grip and gently rubbed her reddened cheek.
The silver-haired girl let out a "hmph" and buried her face back into his chest...
Her little mouth bit him softly through his clothes.
Fang Qi patted her head and narrowed his eyes slightly.
Alright.
That was all nonsense he just made up.
He still couldn’t figure out why his pre-amnesia self had done all this.
If there was one person who might know...
Gu Xi?
Gu Xi was the most likely to know.
But...
His hand trembled slightly, and Liguang shuddered too, lifting her head, her amber eye looking at him with a watery gaze.
"Master...?"
Fang Qi gently pressed her face back against his chest...
"Mmm..."
Liguang rubbed her cheek against his chest.
It was soft and comfortable.
But it couldn’t rub away that stifling ache in his heart.
...Sigh.
Fang Qi pressed his lips together and let out a sigh.
Gu Xi.
Police flower sister.
Matchmaker sister.
Ghost sister.
Senior from the high school division.
His "assistant."
The most formidable of his "eyes" scattered across the school.
His "right-hand deputy."
She had said herself, "This is a plan we all swear on our souls to help you complete."
She was a core member of this plan.
She must have known the whole story.
But now...
She was gone.
No, not gone.
Turned into a puppet.
Fang Qi started kneading Liguang’s face again, silently pondering.
He recalled the end of the last loop, in that pitch-black void...
Gu Xi was tied to a metal chair, staring blankly into the abyss beneath her feet.
This beautiful policewoman, who had helped him so much...
Now, she was a soulless statue.
Even rewinding couldn’t restore her.
What was she doing now?
Had her colleagues already noticed she had lost all emotion?
Had they found out she had become a puppet?
Were they...
Fang Qi’s heart felt heavy.
It hurt.
He picked up the white porcelain teacup and took a gentle sip.
The tea had gotten a little cold again.
The fragrance of tea spread through his mouth, but the taste was bitter.
Anyway...
Gu Xi had sacrificed herself to stop him from opening that gene door.
"Right now, that gene door isn’t a hope for you—it’s despair."
"Wait until you feel that door absolutely has to be opened, then open it."
She used her soul as the price, just to deliver that warning.
And those words...
"Your parents divided the 'authority' into nine parts! You must gather them...!"
Before she could finish, she turned into a puppet.
Fang Qi put down his teacup and took a deep breath.
Nine parts of authority, huh?
That must correspond to the nine "supercores" his parents created.
One of them was Liguang, his crazy woman.
What about the remaining eight?
Where were they?
Twilight?
Dusk?
What was he supposed to do with them?
Collect all nine cores.
Assemble the "authority."
Then save the world?
...Haha.
Unbelievable!
Was this some kind of hot-blooded shonen manga setup?!
But...
Fang Qi hugged Liguang tightly in his arms.
I promise you, Gu Xi.
My true "matchmaker sister."
It was your help that brought me and Liguang together, that made me fall in love with my crazy woman.
And it was you who used your "soul" to tell me the truth.
So I promise you this:
For now, I won’t open that door.
But...
Fang Qi took another sip of tea.
Then he narrowed his eyes and looked toward the balcony’s sliding glass doors.
He would still go back to that underground lab!
Not opening the door—fine, that meant not opening the door! But it didn’t mean he couldn’t read the notes!
He still had half the notes left to read!
Even the fact that Gu Xi was his "assistant"—he had only learned that from the notes!
His mother’s yellowed leather notebook—he had only flipped through half of it in the last loop!
There was so much more content! Lin Xiaoyou had babbled a whole bunch of stuff in the hallway earlier!
He really, really wanted to read it!
But...
Fang Qi pulled his gaze back from the window, shifting his focus to the building across the street.
That window.
Where Xiaoqing had set up her sniper rifle. Now, it was still too bright with reflected sunlight—he couldn’t see anything.
Lin Xiaoyou.
Last loop, that round-faced girl had stood holding the notebook in front of the dark abyss of the door, red-eyed but forcing a playful smile, saying, "Hurry and wake me up."
The genius girl had protected the notebook, not letting it fall into the void, and told him to rewind fast—
So now he was back at the morning of Day Nine.
And that white keycard was back in Lin Xiaoyou’s hands.
So should she be about to...
"Ding."
His phone suddenly rang.
Fang Qi lifted his head from Liguang’s hair, reached over the coffee table, and grabbed his phone.
The silver-haired girl in his arms also stuck her little head out, resting her chin on his chest, her heterochromatic eyes glancing at the screen.
[Lin Xiaoyou]
Fang Qi raised an eyebrow.
Oh ho.
Speak of the devil.
The morning of Day Nine was always the fixed time for this genius girl to show up.
He could already guess what she would send.
"Are you up?" "I asked for leave." "Can I come to senpai’s place?" "Can’t wait until ten."
The usual four lines.
He opened the message.
[Lin Xiaoyou: Senpai, senpai!]
[Lin Xiaoyou: The card is right here, the card is right here, the card is right here!]
...?
Fang Qi’s eyelid twitched.
Oh, changing things up?
And somehow, he felt like she was about to...!
[Lin Xiaoyou: Senpai! Do you want it, do you want it, do you want it?]
[Lin Xiaoyou: Senpai, beg me! Tell me you love Xiaoyou the most! Say it!]
Fang Qi: "..."
The corner of his mouth twitched!
I knew it!
Here she goes again!
And this girl, at the end of the last loop, hadn’t she been really down?
How come this time around, right after loading back to this checkpoint, he immediately reverted to that same infuriating attitude?
Was he asking for death again?
Seriously, was this desire to court death just hardwired into him or what?
“Crack.”
A crisp sound of knuckles being popped.
In his arms, the silver-haired girl was cracking her pale, slender fingers.
Her heterochromatic eyes remained fixed on the messages on the screen, as she smiled warmly, moving with an elegance and composure that was almost theatrical!
Fang Qi: “...”
Miss genius.
You really don’t care about your own ass anymore, do you.
She got addicted to this, huh...
I’d already figured, this girl definitely has some weird little kink...!
“Ding!”
His phone finally rang again.
“Lin Xiaoyou: Ah, Liguang, don’t be mad, I was just joking!”
“Lin Xiaoyou: Xiaoqing almost smashed my phone just now...”
“Lin Xiaoyou: Plus, I had a nightmare last night where Liguang beat my butt all bloody. I don’t dare provoke Liguang anymore!”
“Lin Xiaoyou: So, to make it up to you, I’ll come over right now! Immediately, right this second!”
“Lin Xiaoyou: Senior, wait for me, accept my tribute!”
“Lin Xiaoyou: Ah, sorry, typo! I meant offering!”
“Lin Xiaoyou: I’ll be there soon!”
“Lin Xiaoyou: Right away!”
“Lin Xiaoyou: Wait for me!”
Fang Qi: “...”
Why did she seem a bit excited this time?
Her mood wasn’t down at all, more like she was on some kind of adrenaline high...
But...
Fine.
Come on, then.
Business as usual.
Fang Qi leaned back into the sofa, crossed his legs, and lightly tapped his foot in the air.
Anyway, she had his bank card on her. Let her talk as much crap as she wanted.
Just bring the card over.
Given that she’d protected his notebook last timeline...
He wouldn’t let Liguang beat her up today!
Of course, that was on the condition that she stopped asking for—!
“Thump, thump, thump!”
A frantic knock at the door.
The sound of palms slapping against wood!
She wasn’t even bothering with the doorbell; the knocking was urgent and heavy, practically pounding on the door!
Fang Qi blinked.
...That fast?
It had been only seconds since the text was sent, and she was already at the door?
In his arms, the silver-haired girl stirred.
She lifted her head from Fang Qi’s chest, squinted toward the door, and her crimson right eye started flickering rapidly!
Then, that meek, gentle smile curled at the corners of her lips.
Her little hand reached up, took hold of his still-rubbing her cheek, and gave it a light squeeze...
Lowering his hand from her face.
Then, gracefully, she rose from his embrace.
“Master.”
Her voice returned to its sweet, docile tone.
“Liguang will go open the door.”
The crimson in her eye flickered cheerfully, bright and dark!
The curve of her mouth carried a subtle delight, like saying “we meet again”!
Fang Qi leaned back on the sofa, watching her walk toward the entryway in her fluffy white pajamas.
Oh? Not changing clothes this time?
Well, that made sense.
After all, they were already familiar.
Liguang and Lin Xiaoyou were old friends.
They’d gotten to know each other through a fight, after all.
This time...
Would his crazy girl not end up turning that genius lady’s ass black and blue?
Of course...
Only if that genius lady didn’t go asking for it again!
“Click.”
The door opened.
Fang Qi lounged lazily against the sofa, expecting to see that familiar round face peek out from behind the door.
Then he saw who was outside.
Long legs, tight black trousers, a dark leather jacket.
Yeah, the usual outfit, she was still wearing the same clothes...
...?
Fang Qi froze for a moment.
Wait...?
Then his eyes shot wide open.
Huh?!
He sprang up from the sofa!
Staring at that heroic face!
...Wait?!
No...?!
Outside the door, the policewoman was bracing herself against the doorframe!
Her chest was heaving violently!
She was gasping for breath!
Large patches of her white undershirt were soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to her frame, outlining that rather impressive figure!
Her black, short ponytail was slightly crooked, as if tied in a hurry. Her face was flushed from intense exercise, her lips dry, and her eyes faintly rimmed with red...
But those eyes were alive!
In the pale brown irises were urgency and anxiety, a lingering trace of fear!
And she was staring straight past the door-opening Liguang, fixed on Fang Qi in front of the sofa!
Her lips were trembling, her expression one of dazed shock!
Fang Qi stared back at her, eyes wide!
He was completely frozen.
The silver-haired girl, however, was still smiling meekly.
She showed not a trace of surprise!
As if she had long anticipated Gu Xi’s arrival!
She even stepped gently to the side, clearing the way through the entryway, her hands folded over her lower abdomen as she gave a slight bow.
“Miss Gu Xi.”
Her voice was soft and gentle.
“Please, come in.”
As if she were entertaining a scheduled guest!
Gu Xi took several more deep breaths, and finally the heaving of her chest slowed a little.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead, straightened up, glanced at Liguang, then looked at Fang Qi...
She opened her mouth, then wavered and looked away.
“Um...”
She hesitated, then turned her head back to him, her face still flushed from exertion.
“Hey? Long... time no see?”
Her tone and expression were awkwardly unnatural.
Then, her eyes wandered over Fang Qi’s face...
She blinked, her expression slightly startled.
“Um...”
She raised her hand and pointed at his face:
“Your face...?”
She forced a casual tone, as if trying to break the tension.
“Why is it so swollen?”
The atmosphere only grew more awkward.
Fang Qi: “...”
The air solidified.
