Chapter 555

Fang Qi’s arm was still clutched tightly in Liguang’s embrace.

Liguang’s leg remained pressed across his stomach.

And there he lay on the deck, staring blankly at the silver-haired girl before him, her eyes curved into crescents and the corners of her mouth stretched into a wide grin.

Her warm breath continued to flutter across his face.

It tickled.

And what Liguang had just said…

It terrified him! Made him regret everything! Sent chills down his entire body…!

…Just kidding.

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly as he slowly turned his head toward the star-studded night sky.

Hmm, how should he put it…

His wife’s tone just now had really been frightening!

Her expression had been so sickly sweet, and the things she’d said had been so shocking!

For a moment, his mind had gone completely blank. He hadn’t understood a thing, but somehow felt that it was all incredibly profound!

He’d thought he was done for—that his wife was about to eat him alive right then and there!

But then…

He blinked a few times.

It seemed like… it wasn’t actually that big a deal?

What had his wife said again?

Those Eight Cores weren’t his enemies, but his allies?

Before losing his memories, he had created them as insurance to restrain—or even dispose of—Liguang?

Oh.

Fine, let’s assume Liguang was telling the truth…

So what? What could he do about it?

Fang Qi remained expressionless.

What-does-that-have-to-do-with-me?

Go find the Fang Qi from before he lost his memory! What does any of this have to do with me, a guy whose only talent is playing galgames?!

I don’t want to restrain my wife! I can barely stop myself from spoiling her!

And as for those so-called “allies”…!

Fang Qi raised a hand, intending to rub his round, bulging stomach.

But when he lowered it, his hand landed on the thigh Liguang had pressed against his belly.

Smooth, delicate, warm, and soft.

Fang Qi: “…”

He squeezed it.

Excellent texture. Very springy.

He squeezed it again.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the sickly smile on the silver-haired girl’s face freeze for an instant.

Fang Qi turned to look at her.

She was still staring at him, but the sickly smile had faded a little, and her eyes had become slightly bewildered.

She seemed unable to understand why he was reacting like this.

Fang Qi blinked at her.

So, darling, what kind of reaction were you expecting?

You expected me to burst into tears? To regret everything bitterly?

Then kneel on the ground, hug your leg, and swear that I’d never again think of restraining you, disposing of you, or destroying you?

But, darling…

Fang Qi looked at Liguang with an innocent expression.

I never had any thoughts like that in the first place!

Not even a little!

I never have!

Heaven and earth can bear witness; the sun and moon can testify!

His love for Liguang was as pure as it could possibly be!

“Dispose of Liguang,” “insurance,” “the other eight Cores were meant to deal with you”… Just hearing those things made his ears ache!

And as for Liguang’s claim that the other Eight Cores were actually his allies rather than his enemies…

He didn’t feel any real connection to them at all!

Allies?

What allies?

Had he ever seen them?

Did he know them?

Had they ever shared a meal or a drink?

No, right?

They hadn’t even met face-to-face. How could they count as allies?

As for being “loyal to him until death”… that was probably just something Liguang had made up!

If they were loyal to him, then why had they rushed up and bitten their beloved raft? He’d never ordered them to do that!

At present, he had only one opinion of these so-called “allies”…

They melted in his mouth!

They were really delicious!

There had just been too many of them, and he’d eaten until he was stuffed…

“Buuurp…”

Fang Qi rubbed his stomach and let out another satisfied burp that carried the lingering taste of shark fin. He lay flat on his back on the deck, too lazy to move a muscle.

What?

You expect him to feel guilty toward this “teammate” he’d never even met?

What a joke!

Was Fang Qi some kind of good person?

Was he the sort of kindhearted guy who would spiral into self-blame just because his wife said one thing?

Heh!

He didn’t know anything. Why the hell should he feel guilty?

And that guy wasn’t some righteous companion, either!

He was just a sickly guy who loved living off a woman!

A useless bum who only wanted to stay home playing games with his wife, letting her feed him, kiss him, and cuddle him!

If the people on the other side really were teammates, then charging in to hand over kills was them dragging him down as their teammate!

He was the one getting screwed over!

No way was he going to torment himself over it!

What concerned him more now was—

“Li! Guang!”

Fang Qi raised a hand and grabbed Liguang’s cheek!

Then he gave it a firm squeeze!

The silver-haired girl’s grin, which had been stretched wide open, was immediately pinched shut!

That terrifyingly deranged smile, with the corners of her mouth pulled all the way to her ears...

In an instant, it was squished into an adorably pouty face!

“...Mm?”

The madness still lingered in Liguang’s amber eye, while the crimson light in her red eye continued to flicker. But then...

Her eyes suddenly widened as she stared at him in a daze.

She clearly hadn’t expected Fang Qi to do that.

Cute!

So Fang Qi lifted his other hand and tickled her waist!

“Mmph—!”

Liguang’s eyes flew wide open, and her entire body jolted!

The leg she had pressed over his stomach reflexively loosened!

That was exactly what Fang Qi had been waiting for. He shoved her leg aside, flipped himself upright, and with a smooth, practiced motion, pinned Liguang across his lap!

Then—

*Smack!*

His palm came down on her little butt!

The crisp, sharp sound carried far over the waves.

“Liguang! Explain yourself!”

Fang Qi glared at her.

“What did you mean earlier when you said this isn’t your mental world?”

That was what he cared about most right now!

Where exactly were they?

The silver-haired girl abruptly lifted her head, her phoenix eyes wide as she stared at him!

Her lips parted slightly, and she looked as though the slap had completely stunned her. The light in both her amber eye and red eye seemed to freeze as she blankly gazed at Fang Qi.

But it only lasted a few seconds...

Suddenly, her expression sharpened again!

The scarlet glow in her red eye began spreading once more, shining even more brightly than before!

With a forceful twist, she broke free from his lap!

Fang Qi: “?!”

Both her hands still gripped his wrists tightly!

“Master, you...!”

She stared straight at Fang Qi. Blue and crimson light once again twisted together wildly in her eyes!

“You actually... don’t care that you’re supposed to ‘deal with Liguang’?!”

Her voice trembled—more violently than before!

“You actually accept that you’re going to leave?!”

Her breathing turned rapid and uneven!

Her chest heaved violently!

“Master, you... mmph!”

Before she could even finish speaking, Fang Qi grabbed her little cheeks and pinched them again!

Fang Qi leaned forward, bringing his nose right up against Liguang’s!

This time, it was his turn to attack!

He stared into her eyes, able to see every trace of trembling, fear, and madness within those mismatched pupils!

“Liguang.”

He spoke softly.

“I don’t know where you learned all this.”

“But now, your master is going to tell you—”

He took a deep breath and stared straight into Liguang’s eyes!

“No. Way!”

“I. Will. Never. Ever. Abandon. Liguang!”

What a joke!

The silver-haired girl’s expression froze.

She looked completely dazed.

Oh? Looks like... he’d managed to convince his wife?

Fang Qi slowly let out a breath and spoke softly.

“So, Liguang, what exactly is going—?!”

His wrist was suddenly seized again!

The silver-haired girl grabbed his wrist and yanked it down with far more strength than Fang Qi had expected!

She forcibly pulled his hand away from her face!

Fang Qi: “!!”

“Mas! Ter!”

She stared at him fixedly, the crimson light in her red eye flashing wildly!

“You lied to Liguang...!”

“You’re lying to Liguang!!”

And her amber left eye now seemed strangely hollow!

Fang Qi’s pupils shrank sharply!

Wait...!

Her silver hair flew up as she suddenly pounced, crashing into Fang Qi’s arms!

Bang!

Fang Qi’s back slammed heavily against the wooden boards!

Liguang landed on top of his stomach!

In an instant, Fang Qi’s eyes nearly popped out of his head!

A sour wave, tinged with the taste of shark fin, surged straight up his throat!

“Liguang, you—!”

“Master!!”

The silver-haired girl pressed down on him, both hands braced against his chest as she stared directly at him.

Her face hovered only inches above his.

...Huh?

Fang Qi looked at her expression, and his breathing caught.

The expression on Liguang’s pretty face began to turn...

More and more sickeningly twisted.

Her delicate features were subtly contorting!

That hollow gaze, those trembling brows and eyes, that shaking smile born of terror at the thought of losing him...!

The Liguang he had first met—the darkened, crazed, utterly unrestrained yandere Liguang...

It seemed she had returned?

Fang Qi looked at her like this, his gaze trembling as his breath began to falter.

Liguang... what exactly did you find out...?

“Liguang...”

Liguang suddenly spoke in a trembling voice.

Then—

“Liguang won’t believe Master anymore!!!”

She stared at Fang Qi, screaming with near-total loss of control!

“Everything Master has done was only to use Liguang!!”

“From the very beginning, Master only wanted to leave!!”

Her hands seized Fang Qi’s shoulders, gripping them tightly!

Fang Qi could feel her hands trembling!

Trembling violently!

The glow in her red eye became brighter and brighter—so bright that he could barely keep his eyes open!

“Liguang... Liguang will never let Master leave!!!”

The silver-haired girl’s voice tore through the air beside his ears, echoing in the sea breeze!

“Master has to stay with Liguang forever!!”

Her nearly hysterical scream was so sharp that her voice cracked!

“Forever!!! Master, don’t even think about leaving! Never, ever—!!”

“Liguang!!!”

Fang Qi suddenly roared!

He shouted with all his strength, his own voice cracking as well!

Then, with both hands, he pulled Liguang—the one pinning him down—tightly into his arms!

His stomach was still bloated, and being crushed beneath her was unbearably uncomfortable...

But he still held her with all his strength, pressing her entire body against his chest!

The soft, warm body in his arms was trembling violently, shaking like a leaf!

Then...

“Whimper...”

A muffled sob rose from Fang Qi’s chest.

“Master...!”

Her voice was buried against his chest, thick with tears.

“Master, you can’t leave Liguang...”

“You can’t...”

“Liguang... Liguang knows...”

Her fingers clawed desperately at his back, gripping so hard that her nails nearly sank into his skin!

“Master loves Liguang very much... Master wouldn’t want to leave Liguang...”

“But...”

Her voice caught, and her entire body shuddered violently.

“But if Master regains his memories...! If Master...!”

“Wah... sob...!”

She tried to suppress her sobs, her face buried in his chest as she trembled without stop.

Her tears quickly soaked through the front of his clothes.

Fang Qi held Liguang tightly.

He lay on the deck, looking up at the brilliant star-filled sky. In his arms was her endlessly trembling body.

The sea breeze was gentle. The raft rose and fell softly. At his ears was the sound of her stifled crying.

Fang Qi’s heart ached terribly.

Only now did he realize what the problem was.

He knew that he loved Liguang. He could never abandon her, never leave her, never hurt her...

But Liguang was afraid.

So afraid. So, so afraid.

She was afraid that he really would leave her—afraid that he... would choose to leave her of his own accord.

That Fang Qi would make the plan himself, carry it out himself, take that step himself...

And then walk away without ever looking back?

Heh. How could something like that possibly happen?

But of course Liguang would be afraid.

Their relationship seemed, all at once, to have returned to the very beginning.

Back to when he wanted to leave her, and she had used every possible means to make him stay.

He had carefully pretended to be a player unaware that she had awakened, while secretly trying to win her over...

So that he could leave her.

But later, he fell in love with her, and she came to know that he loved her too.

They had chosen each other. They got married, consummated their marriage, endured so many life-and-death trials, risked their lives for each other so many times...

He had thought he had given her enough security. He had thought he would never have to see her like this again.

But now, it seemed...

He had been wrong.

Deep within Liguang’s heart, that first, deepest fear...

Had never truly disappeared.

It had merely been buried beneath the warmth of their everyday life, beneath the dangers they faced day after day, carefully hidden away by her.

And now, because of some unknown information she had read through those permissions...

That fear had been dragged back into the light and magnified countless times over.

Magnified until...

She had become like this again.

His heart hurt so much.

“...Liguang.”

Holding her close, he spoke in a trembling voice beside her ear.

“Master promises you—Master absolutely has no such thoughts now!”

“Without Liguang, Master truly couldn’t go on living!”

“You know that, Liguang...”

He paused, his Adam’s apple bobbing.

“You just toyed with me for so long.”

“Master broke down back then.”

“You knew that.”