Chapter 617

“W-Wait, Master! Why are you dragging me away? What are you going to do…? Waaaah!!”

“Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!!”

“Waaah!!!!”

“Smacksmacksmacksmack!!”

“Waa—! M-Master! It hurts! How could you—ah!!”

“Smacksmacksmack!!”

“Uwaaah…! Master, stop hitting me! Liguang was wrong! Liguang knows she was wrong! Waaaaah—!”

The crisp sound of slaps and a girl’s anguished cries rang out through the apartment living room, rising and falling in an endless chorus.

After quite a while, the noise finally came to an end.

…

“Haaah…!”

Fang Qi sat on the sofa, rubbing his slightly numb hand…

Then he let out a long breath!

He felt…

Much better!

He shook his wrist. The knot of anger that had been lodged in his chest ever since he opened his eyes had loosened a little.

And by his legs…

The silver-haired girl he had just given a thorough “beating” was kneeling on the floor, clutching her butt!

Her whole body had curled into a tiny ball. Her silver hair was a complete mess, and her pale-blue house dress was wrinkled beyond recognition…

She raised her head pitifully. The little star earring at her ear swayed gently.

Her amber left eye was brimming with tears, while the crimson glow in her right eye had vanished. She simply…

stared at him blankly, dazed and dizzy.

Completely bewildered!

“Master, you… I…!”

Liguang’s lips trembled as she spoke in broken fragments. Her voice was soft and shaky, with a nasal whine to it!

The state in which she had nearly fallen into darkness had completely receded.

The electricity crackling from her fingertips had gone out, and the crimson in her pupils had faded. Her entire person…

It was as if that round of slaps had forcibly knocked her from “Danger Mode” back into “Standby Mode”!

She had been beaten senseless!

Her pretty face was flushed, her eyes were spinning in circles, and she looked all dizzy and dazed…

She opened and closed her mouth a few times, but in the end, she lowered her head, her ears turning even redder.

Then Fang Qi noticed…

The corners of her lips were actually curling upward ever so slightly?

…Adorable!

Looking at the little yandere who had been dazed by a beating yet had not forgotten to secretly enjoy it, Fang Qi rubbed his reddened palm.

The heavy gloom in his heart had dissipated considerably as well.

It seemed the method his wife from the previous loop had taught him for disciplining Liguang really did work!

Sometimes, all it took was a beating to make her behave!

Not bad…!

Fang Qi raised a hand and rubbed his brow.

But the faint curve at the corners of his mouth slowly faded.

Thinking back on what had just happened, he fell into a slight daze.

Just now, it had truly felt like a return to the moment when the two of them had first met.

He had nearly been shocked back to a previous save by that crazy woman.

Fang Qi closed his eyes and pressed his lips together.

Of course, he was not afraid of being sent back now.

In fact, he even wanted to trigger a rollback himself!

He wanted to see whether his rollback ability had changed, and whether he could…

save Liguang’s memories.

However…

He lowered his head and looked at Liguang beneath him.

The silver-haired girl was still sitting on her knees on the floor, both hands covering her butt, her face blank with confusion.

The little plastic star dangling from her earlobe swayed gently.

Fang Qi’s gaze trembled slightly, and even his breathing grew lighter.

…What he needed to do now was not roll back time.

He needed to pull himself together first!

He could not fall into despair every time something happened!

He was no longer the useless man he had once been!

First, he had to figure out…

What exactly was Liguang’s current condition?

What memories had disappeared, and what memories remained? He had to get to the bottom of it all!

And the reason he had managed to pull himself together so quickly after breaking down was…

Looking at the silver-haired girl still sitting there in confusion, Fang Qi took a deep breath.

It was because he felt that there was still, still, still a chance!

Things were not as bad as they seemed!

Because that little star was still there!

Fang Qi’s gaze locked tightly onto that cheap—cheaper-than-cheap—plastic star!

It was still there!

It hung securely from Liguang’s earlobe, swaying back and forth with her movements!

And furthermore…!

Fang Qi turned his head toward the cabinet beside them.

The transparent food container was still sitting neatly in the most conspicuous spot on the shelf.

Inside was the egg pancake he had once made with his own hands, its edges slightly scorched.

It had been preserved perfectly!

His breathing hitched slightly.

What did this mean?

It meant that although his wife seemed to have reverted to the Liguang from the very beginning…

He had not returned to the beginning, nor had he gone back to a time before any of this had happened!

Everything had happened!

He had gone to the amusement park and won the little star keychain for Liguang at the shooting gallery!

He had cooked for Liguang for the first time, and Liguang had carefully preserved the result!

All of those things had truly happened!

And most importantly—most importantly of all…!

Fang Qi drew another deep breath!

Even his hands were trembling slightly.

He was calm now.

Very calm.

Extremely…!

…Damn it!

Fang Qi, calm down!

He forcefully pinched the bridge of his nose, making himself suppress the chaotic emotions surging through him!

He looked at Liguang by his feet, his breathing growing slightly labored.

By this point, Liguang was no longer as dazed as she had been moments ago.

Although her cheeks were still flushed, she was now able to look Fang Qi directly in the eye.

She gently bit her lip and narrowed her eyes at him… The crimson pupil began to flicker again!

…She was calculating. She was analyzing!

It was obvious that this little yandere…

Was showing signs of falling into darkness again!

But because of the “loving education” he had just given her, she had temporarily been beaten into submission and did not dare make a move yet.

So she simply knelt there on the floor, covering her butt…

Like a cat that had just been disciplined by its owner—one that only dared to hiss, but not extend its claws!

Fang Qi’s attention, however, remained fixed on the little star hanging from her ear.

What mattered most was that none of these things had happened in a “dream”!

His mind raced as he continuously sorted through his thoughts!

He had never felt his thinking become so clear!

He desperately racked his memory—

At the very end of the previous loop, the things Liguang had said, those fragmented whispers soaked in blood, should have meant…

The memories concerning “dreams” had been erased from her mind.

That much was certain, right?

But there was a problem here…

Fang Qi narrowed his eyes.

What exactly was a “dream”?

A “dream” was a memory that did not exist in the “save file”!

“Waking from the dream” meant a rollback!

And a “dream” referred to…

The failed experiences that had been reset because of a rollback!

Normally, only he should have been able to remember those experiences!

They belonged to the memories of the “player”!

But Liguang, Lin Xiaoyou, An Lian, Gu Xi… they had been able to retain those memories in the form of “dreams”!

A “dream” was a memory they should never have possessed!

It was a memory they had retained by “bugging” the system!

So…

Fang Qi’s breathing quickened slightly!

So “dreams” did not represent all of Liguang’s memories!

It was just like…

Liguang would not remember how she had broken his leg and locked him in a dog cage, because those experiences had been reset by his rollback!

But she should remember…

He had once taken her to an amusement park and won her a star keychain! And she had turned that keychain into an earring!

Because that memory wasn’t a “dream”!

It was a genuine, real-world memory that belonged to Liguang!

It was an experience she had truly preserved when he successfully made it through the “first day”!

And by the same logic, the second day, the third day, the fourth day…

All the way up to today!

At the thought of this, Fang Qi fell into a brief daze.

Come to think of it, today…

It should still be the morning of the twelfth day, right?

The last time he had saved was on the twelfth day.

So…

The absolute span of time he had actually spent in this world was only twelve days!

But within those twelve days, he and Liguang had already experienced far too many resets.

The memories they shared had far exceeded twelve days in total.

And those extra memories…

Were the “dreams.”

Now, Liguang had forgotten them.

Fang Qi pressed his lips together, and his chest clenched faintly once more.

She had forgotten them.

But…

His gaze suddenly sharpened!

But she should at least still remember the normal memories from the first eleven days, shouldn’t she?!

Memories of things that had actually happened weren’t “dreams,” after all!

Fang Qi lowered his head and met the gaze of Liguang, who was kneeling on the floor and quietly looking up at him.

The silver-haired girl was narrowing her eyes at him.

Her crimson eyes flickered, as if searching for a flaw in him.

He narrowed his eyes at her as well, not looking away in the slightest! His gaze was intense! Fierce!

…

And so, the silver-haired girl’s cheeks flushed.

But she refused to back down and continued staring at him!

The two of them simply sat there, staring each other down!

The little star was still swaying gently from her earlobe, while the sounds of traffic drifted in from outside the window.

Fang Qi finally couldn’t take it anymore!

“Liguang, you…”

Looking at the silver-haired girl before him, he considered all sorts of ways to phrase the question.

Should he be gentler? More careful? Should he test the waters first?

But when he saw that still-glimmering crimson eye, all those roundabout approaches died in his throat.

In the end, he could only ask the most direct question:

“Do you still remember how that little star on your earlobe came to be?”

He stared at Liguang without blinking, unwilling to miss even the slightest change in her expression.

And Liguang…

“Hm?”

She froze for a moment, apparently not expecting Fang Qi to ask such a question.

She blinked and tilted her head. “…The little star?”

She murmured the words with a confused expression.

Fang Qi: “…?”

…Huh?

The thoughts that had been racing through his mind suddenly ground to a halt!

No… wait a second?

Liguang, why do you look so confused?

Liguang had already raised a hand and was touching her earlobe.

Her fingers found the little star.

She blinked, then moved her fingers and carefully removed the little star from her ear.

She spread it across her palm and took another look…

Then she froze.

“Huh?”

She tilted her head and murmured again:

“Why is there a…”

She blinked.

“A plastic little star on Liguang’s ear?”

She even pursed her lips and furrowed her brows slightly.

“It looks so ugly…”

Fang Qi was dumbfounded.

Ugly…?

Liguang had said the little star was ugly?

Ha…

The corner of his mouth twitched faintly. He wanted to laugh, but he couldn’t.

That little star… really was ugly.

After all, it was nothing more than a cheap plastic keychain, one he had won at a shooting stall in an amusement park using the clumsiest method imaginable.

It wasn’t delicate or expensive, and the edges were even a little worn.

But…

But still!

He stared fixedly at Liguang, his lips trembling faintly.

…Why would Liguang say something like that?

She…!

The spirit he had just managed to rally began sliding slowly into the abyss once more.

The thoughts in his mind became a tangled mess again!

He covered his head with both hands.

Had he… been wrong?

But if Liguang had only forgotten the “dreams,” then she should have remembered going to the amusement park with him to win the little star, shouldn’t she?!

Wasn’t that part of her “normal memories”?

Then why…?

Why…?

“But… why…?”

Liguang’s murmuring voice came again.

Huh?!

Fang Qi abruptly snapped back to reality and looked toward her!

She was now staring down at the little star in her palm, her eyes trembling faintly.

“Why does Liguang feel that… this little star…”

Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

“To Liguang, it’s so, so important…”

Fang Qi’s trembling gaze instantly focused.

Wait! She did remember!

He felt his breathing grow heavy!

You crazy woman!! Could you please stop pausing in the middle of your sentences?!

Damn it!

Do you remember or not?!

He didn’t have time to think any further and immediately offered a reminder:

“Liguang, have you forgotten? This is…”

He didn’t even know what to say.

“This is the star keychain your Master won for you at the shooting stall when we went to the amusement park together!”

“You…!”

After his emotions had risen and fallen several times in rapid succession, his mouth was barely cooperating anymore. Even organizing his words had become difficult, leaving him utterly incoherent.

“The amusement park…?”

Liguang continued murmuring, staring blankly at the little star in her palm.

“The amusement park… Master won it for Liguang…”

Her eyes slowly widened, and then—

“Ah!!!”

Her phoenix eyes went round, and her crimson irises suddenly flashed!

Her little hand jerked, and the star nearly fell from her grasp!

She hurriedly fumbled to catch it, then carefully cradled it in both hands.

And then…

She raised her head and stared blankly at Fang Qi.

“That’s right…”

She continued murmuring:

“This is what Master won for Liguang at the amusement park…”

“A star keychain…”

“Liguang turned it into an earring herself…?”

“…Ah!!!”

She suddenly straightened up on her knees, looking at Fang Qi in utter shock.

Fang Qi was stunned as well.

Huh? Had Liguang… remembered?

Wait—what?

Did that mean his guess might actually have been right?!

He…?

The corner of his mouth twitched again, and he instinctively began to smile—

“M-M-Master!”

Liguang suddenly bent forward and slammed her forehead against the floor with a loud thud!

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!!”

“Liguang doesn’t know why, but somehow… somehow…!”

She was flustered and completely tongue-tied.

“I actually forgot something this important!!”

“It was obviously the most precious gift Master ever gave Liguang, and Liguang actually… actually forgot it!”

“I’m sorry, Master…!!”

Her voice trembled!

“It m-m-must be because Liguang hasn’t rebooted in too long! There’s too much data redundancy!”

With that, she hurriedly scrambled to her feet!

“Master, wait for Liguang! Liguang will reboot right now! Just wait two minutes!”

She was still holding the little star with extreme care!

Then she turned around and dashed toward her little room on bare feet, pattering all the way.

Bang!

The door slammed shut.

From behind the door came Liguang’s voice once more:

“Master was right to hit Liguang just now!”

“Liguang really did forget something so important!”

“Liguang deserves to be hit!!”

“Master did a good job!!!”

…Huh?

Fang Qi stood there with his mouth hanging open, staring blankly at the tightly closed door to Liguang’s room.

His brain had completely short-circuited.

...What was going on?

He stared blankly for a long while before slowly pulling his gaze away. Then...

He raised a hand and covered his face tightly!

The corners of his mouth began to curl upward uncontrollably!

No matter how you looked at it, he had at least confirmed one thing...

He didn’t know whether Liguang could recover her memories of the “dream,” but he did know that...

Liguang hadn’t forgotten her “true memories”!

At the very least, although she appeared to have forgotten those “true memories,” he could help her find them again!

Then...!

Fang Qi’s fingers trembled, and his breathing grew faintly unsteady as well!

There were so many things in those memories...

So many incredibly important memories.

For example... the ten years he and “Xiaoguang” had spent together.

And then there was... their wedding night.

Those things...

They were not dreams!

They were memories they had preserved completely in their save data!

So...

At the very least, those memories could still be recovered... right?

...Hahaha!

Fang Qi felt incredibly excited!

At least his Liguang still remembered those things...!

“Ding!”

Suddenly, the sound of his phone interrupted his emotions.

A text message.

...Who was it?

His eyelid twitched as he pulled out his phone and took a look.

[Sender: Lin Xiaoyou]

...Miss Genius?

Fang Qi stared straight at the name.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t reverted to a previous save by killing himself in the last cycle, so... did that mean she didn’t remember what had happened in the previous cycle either?

She...

He tapped open the message.

[Lin Xiaoyou: Senior, what did you and Liguang do?!]

[Lin Xiaoyou: Why does Xiaoqing not remember anything again?!]

[Lin Xiaoyou: Also... tell Liguang to give back the part of my “soul” she confiscated before!!]

Fang Qi: “...?”

...Huh?