Chapter 637

A long line stretched out beneath the Ferris wheel.

It was made up entirely of couples.

They stood close together, two by two. The girls leaned into the boys’ arms, while the boys wrapped their arms around the girls’ shoulders.

Some whispered to each other, some took selfies, and some were sharing the same stick of cotton candy.

Fang Qi and Liguang joined the line.

Fang Qi was still wearing the dark blue baseball cap she had given him, one hand pressing the brim low over his eyes.

No matter what his wife’s reason for giving him the gift was…

A gift from his wife had to be worn for the rest of his life!

He tilted his head slightly to glance at the girl beside him.

The silver-haired girl was clinging tightly to his arm, practically hanging off him.

The corners of her lips were turned up, her eyes curved into crescents, and her smile was sweet and adorable.

If not for her silver hair and heterochromatic eyes, she would have looked just like an ordinary girl out on a date with her boyfriend.

But that was merely the surface.

Her attention was still focused entirely on one thing: making sure he did not come into contact with anyone else!

Whenever the crowd shifted and grew a little more cramped, or someone’s body came close to brushing against his arm…

She would casually tug him away without leaving a trace, her movements so natural that no one would notice.

She was guarding her food!

And Fang Qi had long since grown used to it. After all…

That was how the entire day had gone!

He kept one hand on the brim of his cap, feeling the gift his wife had given him, while considering another matter.

The incident at the shooting stall just now!

When he saw that Liguang’s emotions seemed stable and that she was still smiling brightly, he had immediately tried to play it off.

He had told her emotionally that it was absolutely the best gift he had ever received in his life!

Then he had hugged Liguang and planted a loud mua! right on her forehead!

…He hadn’t dared to kiss her on the lips. He was afraid of Eternal Slumber.

He absolutely could not reload this time! Absolutely not! Otherwise, the gift Liguang had given him would disappear too!

But even a kiss on the forehead had been enough to make the Little Yandere blush scarlet and become all dizzy and flustered on the spot.

So at the time, he had immediately pointed toward the slowly turning Ferris wheel in the distance.

“Let’s go ride that!”

He had deliberately put on an expectant expression.

“Once we’re up there, it’ll be just the two of us! Then we can talk about whatever we want!”

And so, here they were.

Fang Qi looked up at the enormous Ferris wheel turning slowly overhead and narrowed his eyes slightly.

It was here.

It had finally arrived.

…

It was evening now.

The sunset was beautiful, painting the horizon orange-red. It was also the busiest time of day for the Ferris wheel, and there were countless couples waiting in line.

Almost all of them…

were drawn to Fang Qi and Liguang the moment they saw them!

Liguang’s appearance attracted far too many eyes.

“My goodness, that girl… Her hair is silver!”

“Is it a wig? It looks completely real! Where can I buy one…?”

“And her eyes! Those colored contacts are gorgeous!”

“Her boyfriend’s pretty handsome too…!”

Several girls exclaimed in hushed voices.

One boy even stared secretly at Liguang, becoming so absorbed that he failed to notice—

“Ahhh!”

His girlfriend pinched his ear and dragged him back.

“What are you looking at?!”

“Ow, ow, ow, ow! I wasn’t looking! I wasn’t!”

The waiting area instantly became lively.

Listening to the commotion around him, Fang Qi raised a hand and rubbed his brow.

How should he put it?

He had gotten used to scenes like this a long time ago. He turned his gaze back toward the slowly rotating Ferris wheel and narrowed his eyes.

It was finally time.

Today’s objective.

He took a deep breath inward.

The Ferris wheel.

A place that held countless memories between him and Liguang.

And also the place where he was going to…

make trouble today!

As for how exactly he planned to make trouble—

“Aqi.”

A soft voice suddenly came from beside him.

Fang Qi lowered his head slightly.

Liguang wasn’t looking at him. She was merely hugging his arm, her cheek resting against his shoulder, while strands of silver hair drifted gently in the evening breeze.

“Aqi.”

She called him again, her voice trembling faintly.

“After the Ferris wheel ride, can we end today’s outing?”

“Liguang wants to… ride the Ferris wheel with ‘Aqi’…”

Her voice was so quiet that it was almost drowned out by the noisy crowd around them.

…Hm?

Fang Qi stared at her, momentarily stunned.

She still didn’t raise her head, but…

the hand wrapped around his arm tightened.

…Ah.

Fang Qi’s gaze trembled slightly, and he suddenly understood.

He got it.

She was asking him…

Once they boarded the Ferris wheel, inside that small space where only the two of them would be together and no one else could see them…

Could they also be a “pretend couple”?

She wanted to ride the Ferris wheel with “Aqi.”

She wanted to accompany him through the entire ride as his “girlfriend.”

…Rather than as an “AI companion.”

Fang Qi looked at the crown of her head, his expression shifting slightly.

He hadn’t expected that Liguang, who was still pretending to be an “AI that hadn’t awakened” and acting like a lively little girlfriend…

would actually make a request that could give her away.

If she really were nothing more than an ordinary AI companion, she wouldn’t have said something like that, would she?

An ordinary AI companion would only obey its master’s arrangements. It wouldn’t say…

“I want to ride the Ferris wheel with Aqi.”

But she had said it anyway.

…How cute!

Looking at her, Fang Qi’s lips curved upward before he even realized it.

“What are you saying, Liguang?”

He pressed down the brim of his cap and reached out to gently pinch her cheek.

“Until we get home…”

He leaned close to her ear and whispered:

“This outing won’t end. You’ll always be my little girlfriend…”

The silver-haired girl’s body trembled slightly.

Then…

she finally lifted her face.

Her smile was radiant, her eyes curved into crescents, and her heterochromatic eyes sparkled brightly!

“Mm!”

Her voice was crisp and clear.

“Aqi is the best!”

Looking at her brilliant smile, Fang Qi suddenly felt a faint ache in his heart.

…Wife, you really do look beautiful when you smile.

No matter which version of you it is.

You’re always this beautiful.

He pressed down the brim of his cap once more.

…

The line inched forward little by little.

At last, it was their turn.

The attendant opened the cabin door and smiled at them.

“Please, step inside.”

Fang Qi nodded, took Liguang’s hand, and led her into the cabin.

It wasn’t very large, just big enough for two people. All four sides were transparent glass windows, offering an excellent view.

The setting sun shone through the windows, bathing them in warm light.

Click.

The door closed behind them.

The two sat close together as the cabin began to rise slowly.

Fang Qi leaned against the seatback and looked into the distance through the glass.

The entire amusement park spread out beneath them. The distant roller coaster, pendulum ride, and carousel had all become tiny models.

The sun hung at the edge of the sky, while the clouds glowed golden-red.

…What a familiar sight.

His thoughts drifted away despite himself.

How many times had he and Liguang ridden the Ferris wheel?

He didn’t know.

Back then, in Liguang’s amusement park illusion, it was inside this very Ferris wheel that she…

had suddenly changed everything and begun weaving eighty-two years of illusion for him.

Childhood sweethearts. Growing up together. Marriage and children. Growing old side by side.

Although those eighty-two years had been fake, and he had already forgotten most of the details, remembering only scattered fragments…

the feeling of warmth and happiness, filled with the little realities of everyday life, was still deeply etched in his heart.

A flicker of wistfulness passed through Fang Qi’s eyes.

It really was nostalgic. So very—

…Hm?

He suddenly felt that a certain Little Yandere was staring at him.

He came back to himself and looked down…

Sure enough, Liguang was gazing up at him with a bright smile.

Her heterochromatic eyes sparkled as she stared unblinkingly at his face.

“Aqi.”

Her voice was soft and sweet.

“What are you thinking about again? It seems like you’re… reminiscing about something?”

“Aqi…”

She tilted her head, her eyes curving into crescents.

“How many times have you ridden a Ferris wheel?”

…Gah!

Fang Qi instantly snapped out of his memories, cold sweat breaking out across his forehead!

This was bad!

He had forgotten again that he couldn’t reminisce in front of Liguang!

Oh no. He had just remembered riding a Ferris wheel with his ex-girlfriend again!

And she was asking how many times?

…Tsk! Crazy Girl, give it a rest already!

He suddenly raised his hand and curled his index finger—

“Smack!”

He flicked Liguang hard on the forehead.

He flicked her so hard that his own finger hurt!

“Waaah!”

The silver-haired girl let out a startled cry and immediately covered her forehead with both hands.

Her eyes widened, instantly filling with tears, and she gazed at him with watery eyes.

“It hurts…”

“You deserved it!”

Fang Qi glared at her, his tone fierce.

“What are you suspicious about? In this lifetime, I’ve only ever ridden a Ferris wheel with Liguang!”

His voice was full of conviction!

What was the problem? It was the truth!

No matter which loop or which world line it was… Fang Qi had only ever ridden a Ferris wheel with Liguang!

As for how many times…

Ahem. That wasn’t important.

Liguang covered her forehead, her eyes brimming with tears. His fierce expression was reflected in her wet, mismatched eyes, and the red one flickered faintly.

Then…

“Heehee!”

She suddenly broke into a smile through her tears.

She lowered her hands and threw herself into his arms!

“Aqi is so nice…!”

She wrapped both arms around his waist and buried her face against his chest!

Good. He had managed to get away with it!

Pleased with his own cleverness, Fang Qi reached out and stroked her smooth hair—

“If Aqi could tell Liguang where Miss Lin lives…”

Her muffled voice came from against his chest.

“That would be even better.”

Fang Qi: “…”

His hand froze on top of her head.

Crazy Girl, you really are obsessed with this!

“Why do you want to see her?”

He spoke gruffly.

“Wouldn’t that be awkward?”

Liguang lifted her head from his embrace and looked up at him, her little face full of grievance.

“But Liguang wants to see her. Liguang really wants to have a little chat with her…”

Fang Qi’s lips twitched.

What are you acting all wronged for?!

I’m pretty sure you just want to kill her!

I don’t want to end up eating braised Liguang’s head!

…

For the next few minutes, neither of them said a word.

Liguang buried her face in his chest again, her arms still wrapped around his waist.

Fang Qi leaned back against the seat, one hand resting on her shoulder as he gazed through the glass window at the distant view.

The Ferris wheel slowly rose, passed its highest point, and then gradually descended. The setting sun was still just as warm.

It was quiet. Warm. Comfortable.

Fang Qi narrowed his eyes slightly.

This feels so nice… If only time could stop here…

But he knew it couldn’t. He still had something to do.

Now… it was time to start making trouble!

He turned his head slightly and looked down at the ground beneath their cabin.

The Ferris wheel was slowly descending, and the ground was gradually drawing closer.

Fang Qi silently calculated the height in his head.

Fifty meters.

Forty-five meters.

Forty meters…

The height would soon be just right, so…

“…Liguang.”

He suddenly spoke in a soft voice.

“Hmm?”

Liguang had been leaning against him, immersed in their little world together. At his words, she raised her head in confusion.

“Mas—Aqi, what’s wrong?”

Looking at her dazed little expression, Fang Qi suddenly smiled.

“Liguang…”

He looked into her eyes and spoke softly.

“There’s something thrilling I’ve wanted to do ever since I was little. But… no one has ever been able to help me make it happen.”

“Now that I think about it, the only person who can…”

He reached out and gently tapped the tip of her nose.

“The only person who can help me is Liguang!”

“So…”

He gazed seriously at her as she suddenly froze.

“Liguang, will you help me?”

Liguang stared blankly at him. Then…

The confusion in her mismatched eyes gradually faded.

She slowly straightened up and sat properly across from him, staring straight at him!

“…Aqi.”

Her expression and tone suddenly became completely serious.

“What is it? What is this thing… that only Liguang can do?”

Her heterochromatic eyes focused on him without blinking, the red one flickering rhythmically.

“Liguang can definitely do it!”

“Liguang… will definitely satisfy Aqi!”

She stared straight at him, her tone filled with determination, and gripped his wrist tightly.

The corners of her lips kept curling upward.

—Master, tell Liguang right now!

Fang Qi looked at her, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

This really is something only you can do, my Crazy Girl. And that is…

He raised his hand and pointed toward the glass window beside them, then took a deep breath.

“Liguang, we’re going to…”

“Jump down from here together!”

“Master wants to fly!”