Chapter 581

“Senior, look! Look, look!”

Lin Xiaoyou suddenly crawled out of the wooden house, limping badly!

She grabbed the doorframe and shakily pulled herself upright, then stared over at them with wide, pleading eyes.

“I told you, this isn’t my fault!”

“It was your Liguang who was being unreasonable, and you just let her beat me!”

“Waaah! My poor butt is suffering so much…!”

Her lips puckered, her eyes reddened again, and she sniffled pitifully.

Both her legs were still trembling nonstop!

Fang Qi: “…”

He had no idea what to say. His conscience was telling him that… well…

Maybe this really was his wife’s fault?

Something shifted slightly in his arms.

The silver-haired girl turned her head a little and gazed coldly at Lin Xiaoyou.

“Does Miss Lin think Liguang was wrong?”

She spoke softly as she supported herself against Fang Qi’s leg and slowly got to her feet, standing barefoot on the deck.

“Liguang is clearly… just an ordinary AI companion.”

She began walking toward Lin Xiaoyou, one step at a time.

“If even an ordinary AI companion can affect the world…”

“Shouldn’t the world be properly repaired?”

Lin Xiaoyou’s almond-shaped eyes widened. She retreated step by step, then hurriedly glanced at Fang Qi.

“Why come looking for trouble with me and my Master?”

Liguang continued advancing on Lin Xiaoyou, her pretty face tilted slightly upward, her expression turning…

Innocent and confused.

“Liguang clearly helped this world discover a problem, but instead of solving it…”

“The people outside actually want to deal with Liguang—the person who discovered the problem?”

She tilted her head, her phoenix eyes narrowing slightly.

“So Liguang doesn’t think she did anything wrong.”

Fang Qi blinked.

Why did it feel like… his wife actually had a tiny bit of a point?

And yet something still seemed off…

Lin Xiaoyou kept retreating in panic, and then…

Her back slammed into the wall, right where she had just been beaten!

“Aaagh—!”

A scream rang out! Lin Xiaoyou practically bounced off the wall, her expression twisting terribly!

But then…

“N-No, that’s not right!”

She suddenly glared at Liguang!

The sudden burst of pain gave her even more courage.

Grimacing through the pain, she rubbed her butt and glared at Liguang with tears in her eyes.

“Liguang, how could you possibly be an ordinary AI companion?!”

Liguang narrowed her eyes and took another half-step forward.

Lin Xiaoyou shuddered, but this time she did not retreat!

Because there was nowhere left to go…

“Y-You have to let me finish!”

She hurriedly covered her head and shrieked.

“You’re Senior’s most beloved person!”

“Senior gave you all of his ‘permissions’! Those are the world’s ‘permissions’!”

“He gave you the world’s permissions just like that! Since you’re holding the world’s permissions, of course you can affect the entire world!”

Liguang stopped walking.

Lin Xiaoyou’s eyes lit up, and she hurriedly pressed her advantage.

“So, Liguang, you’re not an ordinary person at all! You’re Senior’s precious darling!”

“When you’re happy, the world is peaceful and calm! When you’re unhappy, the whole world suffers along with you!”

“But…”

Her eyes suddenly rolled, and a flattering smile squeezed onto her round little face.

“But doesn’t that also prove that Senior holds absolutely nothing back from you?”

“That kind of important ‘permission’—he gave it to you without even thinking twice, without so much as a frown!”

Fang Qi looked at her, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

Miss Genius, you really have a silver tongue when your life is on the line.

Still…

Fang Qi turned his head slightly.

The silver-haired girl’s tightly clenched fists had relaxed a little.

Oh? His wife seemed to be enjoying that.

“Hmph…!”

She gave a soft little snort and turned her head away.

The night breeze lifted her silver hair, revealing the tiny star earring swaying gently from her earlobe.

Fang Qi could see the faint blush on her cheeks, as well as the slight upward curve of her lips.

…His wife really was easy to placate!

But then again, what Lin Xiaoyou had said…

It wasn’t entirely flattery. Liguang really did possess those so-called “world permissions.”

So…

She wasn’t “the one who discovered the problem.”

She was “the one who could create problems whenever she wanted”!

But…

So what?

Looking at Liguang’s flushed, adorable face, Fang Qi gently shook his head.

Did his wife love this world?

Obviously not.

Did his wife love him?

She loved him more than anything.

So why was Liguang so angry right now…?

Wasn’t the answer simple?

With that thought, he rose from his chair and walked over, gently wrapping his arms around Liguang from behind.

The girl in his arms was soft, and a faint strawberry-sweet fragrance drifted through the air.

The moment her tense shoulders touched his chest, they relaxed completely!

“Liguang.”

Fang Qi pressed his cheek against hers.

“Master knows. He knows why you’re so unhappy right now.”

The girl in his arms trembled faintly.

“Because…”

he whispered,

“the ‘surprise’ you prepared for Master is gone, right?”

Liguang was silent for several seconds.

Fang Qi simply held her. Only then did she slowly turn her head to look at him.

Moisture shimmered in her amber left eye beneath the starlight!

Her little mouth was puckered.

“Mm…!”

She made a soft little sound through her nose, looking utterly aggrieved!

Just as he thought…

Fang Qi hugged her tighter and gently rocked her.

“That really is too much.”

His tone was serious.

“Master was supposed to receive so many wonderful surprises… and now they’re all gone.”

“What a terrible loss.”

Liguang trembled again, and then…

“…Mm!”

This time, her “mm” was much more forceful!

Fang Qi lifted his head and glanced at Lin Xiaoyou, who was still leaning against the wall.

Miss Genius was rubbing her butt and watching them eagerly.

Fang Qi narrowed his eyes.

“Xiaoyou, do you think this might be your fault…?”

Lin Xiaoyou’s almond-shaped eyes widened. She pointed at herself and blinked once, then jolted.

“Ah, yes! It’s my fault! My fault, my fault!”

She immediately clasped her hands together above her head and nodded like a pecking chick.

“My fault, my fault! It was all my fault!”

“I shouldn’t have worked with Sister An Lian! I shouldn’t have interrupted Liguang while she was preparing a surprise for Senior!”

“I really know I was wrong! But—but!”

She looked imploringly at Fang Qi, then quickly glanced at Liguang, who had already turned slightly toward her in his arms…

Her expression became utterly tragic.

“But you really can’t hit me anymore!”

“If you hit me again, my butt is seriously going to fall apart! I won’t be able to sit down and chat with everyone ever again!”

“You don’t want me to have to stand while talking, do you? That would be so rude!”

…It seemed Miss Genius had truly been beaten into submission.

Liguang’s anger also seemed to have mostly faded.

She was still leaning against Fang Qi, but she gently lifted her head and looked at Lin Xiaoyou, the corners of her lips curling slightly.

“Miss Lin.”

She spoke softly, her tone returning to that obedient, gentle manner from before.

“You haven’t finished telling your story yet. Please continue telling Master, all right?”

She tilted her head slightly and blinked at Lin Xiaoyou, looking incredibly well-behaved.

“Liguang really wants to know. After Miss An Lian left…”

Her voice dropped a little.

“How did you truly ‘invade’ my world and Master’s?”

“And how exactly…”

She narrowed her eyes slightly, and a flash of crimson flickered through her scarlet pupils.

“Did you completely strip Liguang of her ‘permissions’?”

Huh?

Fang Qi froze at her words.

What…?

Strip her permissions?

Huh?!

His gaze instantly sharpened as he stared at Lin Xiaoyou.

The smile on Miss Genius’s face stiffened.

Her eyes even began darting around. She looked everywhere except at Liguang!

She gave an awkward little laugh, her small hands unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.

…Wait a second?

Looking at the way she practically looked ready to confess, Fang Qi’s mind went blank for a moment.

What Liguang had said just now… was it true?

But hadn’t Liguang said that her “permissions” had been stripped away by him after he recovered his memories?

This…

“Master.”

Liguang had probably sensed the confusion in his heart. She turned her head slightly and spoke softly:

“Liguang originally had her own ‘permissions’ too.”

“But in the previous dream…”

She looked at Lin Xiaoyou again, her tone turning slightly heavier.

“Even Liguang’s own share of the ‘permissions’ was taken away!”

Fang Qi: “…?”

Wait. Why wasn’t he understanding any of this…?

“And Master absolutely would never do such a thing.”

“So…”

Her finger lightly scratched at him where she sat in his arms.

“It must have been Miss Lin.”

Fang Qi stared blankly at her, opening and closing his mouth.

He felt like his brain genuinely wasn’t big enough for this!

He, Liguang, Lin Xiaoyou, An Lian, Gu Xi, and that so-called backend AI…

Everyone was tangled up with this abstract concept of “permissions,” like a ball of thread that only became more hopelessly knotted the more he tried to unravel it!

He didn’t understand any of it!

He rubbed his brow hard.

“…Xiaoyou.”

He took a deep breath and looked at Lin Xiaoyou, his tone turning serious.

“Stop speaking in riddles. Explain everything clearly. Now.”

Lin Xiaoyou pressed her lips together.

She looked at Fang Qi, then at the calm-looking Liguang in his arms, and finally…

She let out a heavy sigh!

“Ugh…! Fine, fine, I’ll tell you!”

She spread her hands, her tone aggrieved.

“But let me make this clear first. You’re not allowed to hit me again after this.”

“Especially you, Liguang. You absolutely can’t hit me again!”

Then she glanced at Fang Qi and muttered under her breath:

“Hmph. If Senior hadn’t hurriedly granted Liguang the permissions, how could I have ended up in such a passive position…”

Fang Qi: “?”

Why was she taking shots at me again?

Liguang merely gave a soft hum. Then she took Fang Qi’s hand and turned toward the deck.

“Let’s sit down and talk.”

Lin Xiaoyou followed behind them, fidgeting awkwardly.

…

…

Fang Qi and Liguang sat on a bench on the deck.

Liguang once again nimbly settled sideways into his arms, resting her legs across his thighs and wrapping her little arms around his waist.

Lin Xiaoyou stood ramrod straight in front of them.

She had no choice. Her butt was currently nothing more than a decoration.

She didn’t speak right away. Instead, she stared blankly at the horizon.

Hmm?

Fang Qi followed her gaze.

At this hour before dawn, the surface of the sea had begun to brighten. The sky at the horizon was turning pale.

Where the sea and sky met, a faint, warm orange glow was slowly seeping out from the deep-blue waters.

“…What are you looking at?”

He couldn’t help asking.

“Senior… Liguang…”

Lin Xiaoyou murmured, then suddenly asked a strange question:

“Is there any difference between this sun…and the sun outside?”

Fang Qi blinked.

The sun?

He looked toward the sea. It seemed…

“There’s no difference.”

Liguang suddenly spoke.

Still leaning against Fang Qi’s chest, she said softly:

“They’re exactly the same, because…they are the same sun.”

Lin Xiaoyou stared blankly at her.

Fang Qi, meanwhile, furrowed his brows.

The same sun?

Wait…

“That can’t be right, Liguang.”

He immediately pinched her cheek.

“Didn’t you say before that day and night inside and outside this world were reversed?”

It had supposedly been done to make him lower his guard and save something or other…?

Then how could they possibly be the same?

Liguang merely smiled.

“Master is so silly.”

She lifted her little face, and a faint glimmer of blue passed through her amber left eye.

“Even outside, there are places where day and night are reversed, aren’t there?”

“The Earth is round.”

“People on the other side of the Earth are experiencing the exact opposite time of day from us, aren’t they?”

Fang Qi blinked.

Ah, Liguang was talking about…

The time difference?

…Of course he knew about time zones!

But…huh?!

His mind raced, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

“You mean we’re…on the other side of the Earth right now?!”

Liguang blinked once, and then…

“Pfft…!”

She let out a soft laugh.

Fang Qi: “…”

The warm softness in his arms shifted against him again, and her little hand gently patted his chest.

“Of course not. Liguang already told you…”

She looked at Fang Qi with curved brows and eyes.

“This place has always been the apartment. Master has never left the apartment. Liguang only…”

“She just flipped it over, right?!”

Lin Xiaoyou suddenly cut in!

Fang Qi subconsciously turned toward her, only to see her stretch out one hand in front of herself, palm flat…

Then she abruptly flipped it over!

Her palm faced upward, then downward!

She stared straight at Liguang, her almond-shaped eyes shining with an almost frightening intensity.

It was the characteristic feverish excitement of Miss Genius whenever she discovered some kind of truth!

“Liguang!”

Her voice trembled with excitement.

“You just flipped this entire world over, didn’t you?!”

Fang Qi: “…?”

What the heck?

Was this world a pancake?

He lowered his head and looked at Liguang.

The silver-haired girl was pursing her lips slightly, her expression seeming half-amused and half-smug.

Then…

She gently nodded and spoke softly:

“Miss Lin really is clever. Just as expected of…”

Her phoenix eyes flicked toward Fang Qi.

“The smartest person in this world—someone even smarter than Liguang, as Master himself admitted.”

As she spoke, she lightly pinched Fang Qi again!

Fang Qi: “…”

This was no time to get jealous!

He hurriedly caught her mischievous little hand, then fixed his eyes on Lin Xiaoyou’s upturned palm…

The world flipped over, day and night reversed…?

Ah!

His eyes widened as he suddenly understood.

Lin Xiaoyou meant that the reason day and night were reversed in this world…

Was because Liguang had “flipped” the entire world over?!

So…

The sun was beneath their feet during the day, and above their heads at night?!

Was that what she meant?

“Just as I thought…”

Lin Xiaoyou murmured, slowly lowering her hand, though her eyes remained glued to Liguang.

“Permissions can actually do something like this…!”

Her gaze trembled slightly, and then…

The corners of her lips suddenly curled up as she broke into a sly grin!

“Um…Liguang~”

Her tone abruptly turned sweet and syrupy as she winked at Liguang.

“Let me take a guess, okay? You weren’t that angry just because the ‘surprise’ was ruined, were you?”

The silver-haired girl’s eyelashes visibly trembled!

“Could it be because…”

Lin Xiaoyou blinked, putting on an innocent expression.

“Because thanks to me, you don’t have any ‘permissions’ left now?”

Fang Qi: “?”

What was she talking about…?

“Wow!”

Miss Genius covered her mouth, putting on an expression of utter shock:

“Don’t tell me all the permissions you have right now…” She blinked rapidly. “They’re actually with Senior?”

“And the ones you used to deal with me just now… were also ‘usage rights’ Senior gave you?”

The silver-haired girl’s smile froze completely.

The corners of her lips were still curved upward, but her eyes gradually turned cold.

Fang Qi: “…”

That reaction…

Wait. What had Lin Xiaoyou just said? What was going on with Liguang’s permissions?!

Lin Xiaoyou noticed Liguang’s reaction too, and immediately giggled!

She put her hands on her hips, lifted her little face proudly, and shot Fang Qi another disdainful look.

“Ha! I knew it!”

“My plan was flawless! It only failed because Senior was too stupid!”

“Ugh, how did such a wonderful god-tier support like me end up with an attacker like Senior?!”

Fang Qi: “…”

Lin Xiaoyou, I may not understand what you’re talking about, but…

You were just provoking Liguang, weren’t you?

You really don’t want to live today, do you?!