Chapter 586

Fang Qi suddenly laughed.

The corner of his mouth lifted.

“Xiaoyou, I really never thought… you’d ask a question like that.”

As he spoke, he pulled his hand out from behind his head. The lazy, slouched posture he’d been sprawled in against the wall vanished completely.

His back slowly straightened, and he sat cross-legged in a proper position…

With a beaming smile, he looked at Lin Xiaoyou, who was lying across the wooden table, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“I’m really curious, though. How exactly did you…”

“Come on, Senior!”

Lin Xiaoyou glared at him, her almond-shaped eyes round and gleaming!

“No changing the subject!”

“Are you going to answer me or not?”

“This is your last chance!”

She seemed to sense the change in Fang Qi’s mood, and her determination only grew stronger!

Bracing both hands against the table, she leaned forward. Her round little face slowly spelled out—

I’m picking a fight with you today, old lady’s word!

“If you keep giving me vague answers, then when Liguang comes back, I’m really going to blow the whole thing wide open!”

She thrust out her chin and glared at Fang Qi.

“Even if she kicks my head around like a ball, I’m still going to drive a wedge between you and Liguang!”

Fang Qi narrowed his eyes at her.

Lin Xiaoyou kept her chin raised, refusing to back down in the slightest!

The two of them stared at each other for two or three seconds. The air grew taut!

Until…

Tsk.

Fang Qi pursed his lips, then leaned back against the wall again, his shoulders relaxing…

His entire body once more turned boneless and limp.

“Xiaoyou, you’re lecturing me, but what you just said was pretty vague too.”

He turned his head and cast her a lazy sidelong glance, a languid smile tugging at his lips.

“What do you mean by ‘your former senior’? I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Lin Xiaoyou just stared straight at him!

Her almond-shaped eyes… slowly began to light up!

The corners of her mouth gradually curled upward, higher and higher, until she looked more and more excited!

“Senior, I don’t believe for a second that you don’t understand…!”

Her voice began to tremble with excitement again!

“You’re even smarter than I am…! Saying that is basically the same as…”

She stared straight at him!

“Ad-mit-ting-it-by-another-name, isn’t it?”

Fang Qi looked at her with an innocent, bewildered expression and spread his hands.

“No… what are you talking about?”

He put on an aggrieved expression again.

“And when have I ever been smart?”

“I can’t even solve one of those chicken-and-rabbit-in-a-cage problems, okay?”

Lin Xiaoyou glared fiercely at him, then slowly narrowed her eyes!

“…Fine.”

She nodded once. Her tone softened considerably, but she continued staring daggers at him.

“If Senior refuses to cry until he sees the coffin, then I’ll just have to spell it out!”

She drew in a deep breath. Her chest visibly rose, then slowly fell again. And then—

“Senior, just like you said…”

She looked at Fang Qi and straightened her back.

“You and I really are… completely different.”

Fang Qi said nothing. He simply leaned against the wall and quietly watched her.

“As for me…”

Lin Xiaoyou began speaking, her tone soft and slow.

“I fabricated ‘Lin Xiaoyou’s’ memories, fabricated ‘Lin Xiaoyou’s’ life, and even turned ‘Lin Xiaoyou’ into a little idiot.”

Her gaze gradually drifted out of focus.

“You could say…”

She continued speaking softly.

“Lin Xiaoyou is the carefree version of myself I want to become.”

“If possible, in the future I want to become ‘Lin Xiaoyou’—become a…”

At this point, her gaze refocused, and she looked at Fang Qi.

“Carefree little idiot.”

Her almond-shaped eyes were so clear now that they seemed almost unnaturally so.

“But you’re different, Senior.”

She looked at him, her gaze slowly sharpening again…

Her tone suddenly became calm. Calm to the point of cruelty.

“You and I may be complete opposites.”

Fang Qi remained motionless against the wall.

The light on the second floor of the wooden house was dim, and not a trace of light came in through the window.

There was only the sound of their breathing, along with the faintest tremor rising from deep within the wooden floor beneath their feet.

…Opposites, huh?

Heh.

He slowly clenched his fists.

“From my point of view, Senior…”

Lin Xiaoyou lay back down on the table, resting her chin on her folded hands as she calmly watched Fang Qi.

“‘Lin Xiaoyou’ is the carefree future I long to become.”

“And ‘Fang Xiaoqi’…”

She looked at Fang Qi, her eyes carrying even a hint of pity.

“Is the carefree past you long to return to.”

Fang Qi continued looking at her with an impassive expression.

But…

His fists were already clenched tight. His fingernails bit painfully into his palms.

Lin Xiaoyou clearly noticed his fists.

Her gaze flitted to his hands for an instant. She pressed her lips together, the corners of her mouth trembling slightly, as if she wanted to smile…

But soon, she raised her eyes again and continued staring into Fang Qi’s.

Her expression turned serious!

“So ‘Fang Xiaoqi’ isn’t like ‘Lin Xiaoyou’…”

Her voice was almost cruel in its gentleness.

“He isn’t a personality you fabricated, nor a life you invented.”

She paused.

Outside the wooden house, everything was silent.

“He is you.”

Lin Xiaoyou spoke each word distinctly.

“He is the you from the past.”

Her gaze burned as she stared at Fang Qi, a spark of fire blazing within her eyes!

“The you who once believed that…

“The world would always continue on like that, and that you would always remain so carefree!”

The room fell completely silent.

The expression on Fang Qi’s face remained perfectly calm, so calm that it seemed frozen in place.

But…

His heart was pounding wildly!

Thump, thump, thump—each beat struck against his chest, leaving him slightly breathless!

Heh heh…

He slowly closed his eyes, calming his racing heartbeat.

…What a crazy woman.

Lin You, Miss Genius, you really are worthy of being the smartest person in this world…

“So, Senior!”

Lin Xiaoyou suddenly spoke again. She pushed herself up from the table, her eyes blazing as she looked at him!

Her voice rose several notches!

“You, right now…!”

“Stop!”

Fang Qi abruptly raised a hand, palm facing her, making a gesture for her to cut it out!

“Hey, don’t say anything more!”

He returned to his earlier casual manner and looked helplessly at the genius before him.

“All right, all right, that’s enough. Keep going and you really are going to expose me completely!”

He shook his head, looking as though he had finally admitted defeat.

“We can’t keep talking about this, okay?”

As he spoke, he winked at Lin Xiaoyou and lowered his voice…

“Even though it looks like there are only the two of us here…”

He cast a slight glance at the ceiling…

His smile took on a meaningful edge.

Heh heh. Someone is watching us, after all.

Aren’t they?

Lin Xiaoyou froze.

She looked at Fang Qi’s expression, then slowly followed his gaze upward toward the ceiling of the wooden house.

Her eyes suddenly lit up. She lowered her head and looked sharply at Fang Qi!

“So Senior admits that what I said just now was true?!”

Her voice rose with excitement!

She looked like a tiny firework that had just been lit, practically bursting with excitement!

Honestly…!

Fang Qi hurriedly waved his hands.

“I admit it, I admit it! Fine, now stop talking!”

“Hee-hee!”

Lin Xiaoyou happily sat upright, but she moved with too much force, and her butt hit the stool—

“Hiss—!”

The pain immediately scrunched up her entire little face!

But even so, the corners of her mouth still refused to stop curling upward!

“So it really is true… it really is! Hee-hee!”

She rubbed her poor aching backside with both hands, smiling so brightly that her eyes curved into two slits!

And then…

She glanced at Fang Qi and gave a soft snort.

“Senior, what are you so afraid of? It doesn’t really matter anyway, because…”

She raised her head again, looking at the ceiling…

At that patch of empty space overhead.

“…all they can do is watch.”

Her tone was airy, and the corners of her lips slowly curled upward.

“They can’t do anything.”

Oh?

Fang Qi raised an eyebrow, looking at her with an amused, knowing smile.

“You seem to know quite a lot.”

Lin Xiaoyou lowered her head and met Fang Qi’s gaze. A dazzling smile blossomed across her round little face.

“Of course!”

She puffed out her chest, then immediately drew back with a hiss. There wasn’t the slightest trace of guilt on her face, though.

“I’m the smartest person in the world—the one you acknowledged yourself, Senior!”

Seeing her smug expression, Fang Qi couldn’t help laughing.

She really was.

Much smarter than him.

The two of them exchanged a smile.

“So, Senior!”

Lin Xiaoyou was clearly getting excited!

“It looks like our goals are exactly the same!”

She had even forgotten about the pain in her backside. Planting both hands on the edge of the table, she stared at Fang Qi with shining eyes.

“Senior wants a New World, and so do I! We can work together!”

“I know what Senior’s goal is. Isn’t it to make Liguang…!”

“Ah!”

Fang Qi hurriedly cut her off.

“We can talk about working together later!”

He waved a hand, but his expression was very serious.

“Don’t worry. I’ve always considered you a good teammate.”

Lin Xiaoyou’s eyes lit up.

“Then…!”

“But right now, there might…”

Fang Qi turned his head, his gaze settling on the tightly shut wooden window.

Hmm…

It was happening again.

That strange feeling—something was flowing out of his mind.

Like fine sand slipping through his fingers, impossible to hold on to.

His memories…

They were beginning to fade, bit by bit.

Thoughts that had been crystal clear just moments ago—memories of the past, of his plans, of the moves in this game—were becoming blurry piece by piece, like writing soaked through by water.

He was going to change back again.

And that meant…

His wife was coming back.

She had… returned victorious.

So Fang Qi turned to Lin Xiaoyou and winked.

“There might not be enough time.”

“…Ah!”

Lin Xiaoyou understood at once. Her eyes flew open, and her entire body tensed.

“Liguang is back?”

Fang Qi nodded solemnly.

Then, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed, he rubbed the back of his head. He could feel his memories vanishing at an astonishing speed, like waves being dragged back into the sea by the receding tide.

He hurriedly spoke, his words coming faster now.

“Xiaoyou, there’s something you may need to explain to Liguang…”

“Hmm?”

Lin Xiaoyou blinked.

Fang Qi opened his mouth, but the shape of the question had already disappeared from his mind.

His eyes became completely blank.

“Explain what…?”

He asked himself.

Lin Xiaoyou stared at him blankly as well. Then… her almond-shaped eyes slowly widened!

“Wait!”

Terror instantly spread across her face.

“Senior, don’t tell me you mean…!”

“BANG!!!!”

A deafening crash!

The wooden door to the second-floor terrace was kicked open by a bare foot!

The sea wind came roaring inside!

It blew so hard that Fang Qi could barely keep his eyes open!

In the doorway, silver hair whipped wildly in the wind!

A crimson light suddenly exploded within those scarlet eyes, dyeing the entire wooden house blood-red!

The silver-haired girl was drenched from head to toe. Seawater dripped from the tips of her hair, her chin, her arms, and her thighs, striking the floor one drop at a time.

Her cream-colored swimsuit clung tightly to her body, outlining her graceful curves, yet…

There was not the slightest hint of allure in the scene!

Because…

Her expression was simply too terrifying!

A ghostly blue light still flickered in her amber left eye, but it could do nothing to suppress the fury blazing in her red one!

She stared fixedly at Fang Qi and Lin Xiaoyou.

That gaze looked as though she intended to tear them both apart and devour them alive.

“Why…”

Her voice was frighteningly soft—the calm before the storm.

“Liguang’s perception of everything inside the house…”

“would be… blocked?”

She slowly turned her head, her scarlet eyes locking onto Lin Xiaoyou.

“Miss… Lin…”

Every word was forced out through clenched teeth!

“What… did… you… do?”

Lin Xiaoyou: “…”

She stood frozen in place. Her mouth opened and closed, but not a single sound came from her throat.

Fang Qi was still sitting on the floor in the same position, his face filled with bewilderment.

Hmm?

He… had absolutely no idea what was going on.

As for Lin Xiaoyou…

She slowly, stiffly turned her head toward him… her face filled with indignation and anguish!

…

…

Outside the wooden house, the sea wind howled and the waves churned!

The entire surface of the sea looked as though something had enraged it. Wave after wave slammed into the platform!

The little white boat rocked wildly in the wind and waves, creaking and groaning in protest!

Then—

From inside the wooden house on the sea platform came a shrill scream!!!

“Aaagh!!!! It wasn’t me!!!!”

“Senior, I hate you!!!!”