Long ago, there was such an event.
Ailei built herself a walking chanical body.
But due to a lack of materials, $2t collapsed and disintegrated after barely taking two steps.
Various tal parts scattered like raindrops in a storm, clattering and crashing heavily onto the steel floor.
Spinning.
ssy.
Her electronic eyes flickered, revealing a cold, vacant confusion.
"Did I fail...?" Amid the inertia of her rolling, Ailei's electronic eyes could no longer perceive anything, succumbing to damage and shattering.
Then, light poured in, and her perspective shifted upward.
Xu Xi cradled the shattered fragnts of Ailei in his hands.
He pieced her back together, giving her a new body.
That mont, that scene, replayed endlessly in the heart of the chanical servant, becoming an indelible mory.
She longed to repay that warmth.
That desire, that impulse, pulsed and surged within the hollow alloy frawork of her chest, cycling relentlessly.
Yet.
Until fate reached its conclusion.
The chanical servant never managed to repay Xu Xi.
She tried, with trembling, ruined hands, to piece together Xu Xi's life—but it was nothing more than forcibly dragging back a withered flower. Nothing could be saved.
"Ailei, you've already done your best."
On the sickbed, $2he man forced a weak smile, comforting the chanical servant who had failed ti and again.
He remained as he always had been.
Unwilling to bla or reprimand.
Simply lying there, smiling, stroking Ailei's head, bidding her his final farewell.
From then on, the love-chasing machine ceased to grow, her heart frozen in ti—until she reunited with him once more, finally thawing into warmth and fervor.
"Master, I love you."
"I love you so much."
"I love you more than anything."
"More than anyone else, I adore you."
"Even if you don’t love , I will always love you."
Earth.
Yanshan City.
Downtown movie theater.
The lights dimd, the crowd buzzed, and on the screen, the romantic film reached its climactic confession scene.
But right then, right there, $2he audience turned their wide-eyed gazes toward the back rows, $2aces alight with excitent, $2itnessing an unexpected live confession.
No matter how dramatic the film’s plot, it paled in comparison to the raw emotion unfolding in reality.
"Say yes!"
"Say yes!"
The crowd had no idea what was happening.
They simply cheered, $2aising their arms, shouting in delight.
Only Xu Xi stood stunned, unsure how things had escalated like this.
"Ailei, what are you—?"
"Does this trouble you, Master?"
"Not exactly, just... surprising."
Xu Xi took Ailei’s hand and quickly escaped the encircling crowd, retreating to the small mall beneath the theater.
Bright lights.
Noisy chatter.
Xu Xi asked Ailei why she had suddenly said those words.
Her reply was simple: "I wanted to, so I did."
She wanted to express her love for Xu Xi—the love suppressed in her heart, accumulated over countless cycles of ti.
The love laced with guilt, regret, sorrow, and yet imasurable joy.
That love surged forth with her mories, $2pontaneously rising through her throat, $2reaking past her lips, spoken aloud for Xu Xi to hear.
"Master, what do you think?" Ailei asked, her silver-blue eyes fixed on Xu Xi, awaiting his reaction to her confession.
"It feels a little heavy, but at the sa ti—"
Xu Xi paused, a smile forming. "I’m also happy."
Ailei smiled too.
The midday sun blazed outside, but its light couldn’t penetrate the mall’s interior. The cool breeze from the AC lifted her black-and-gold hair.
Her lips curled slightly, tracing a radiant arc.
Clad in black-and-red attire, Ailei wrapped her arms around Xu Xi’s right arm. "Master, let’s keep walking."
"There’s still ti left for us today."
In the present-day Earth, $2u Xi had already surpassed the other girls in strength, ascending to the pinnacle of supremacy, unifying countless transcendent possibilities.
Yet, life with them remained unchanged.
The flowers blooming in mundanity still folded back into simplicity, only to bloom again.
The girls seed to have reached an unspoken agreent.
No interference, no encroachnt.
Xu Xi didn’t know the specifics—only that today was Ailei’s "ti."
"Alright, let’s go further ahead," Xu Xi said with a smile, entwining his fingers with Ailei’s slender ones as they moved forward.
The bustling crowd flowed around them.
Store advertisents flashed brightly.
Due to the resurgence of the supernatural, the goods sold in the mall had changed drastically compared to before.
Take [milk tea], for example.
Nowadays, the number of available toppings alone exceeded a thousand.
Ailei had no interest in milk tea, nor in movies, nor in shopping. A soul born from cold tal, even in a flesh-and-blood body, struggled to enjoy human pastis.
But Xu Xi was here.
The chanical servant loved Xu Xi—and thus, loved everything that stemd from him.
Therefore.
Ailei loved watching movies with Xu Xi.
Loved strolling through malls with Xu Xi.
Loved sharing a cup of milk tea with Xu Xi.
"Ailei, did you order too little?"
"No, Master."
At the mall’s center was a grand fountain.
Water sprayed, dyed in vibrant hues.
Standing outside the milk tea shop, Xu Xi held a chilled, light-brown drink in his right hand—but it had two straws.
So, $2e asked Ailei if she had forgotten to order a second cup or accidentally taken an extra straw.
Ailei shook her head earnestly, insisting she hadn’t made a mistake.
"Master, I’ve calculated it. Sharing one cup between us ensures no waste."
Logical.
Irrefutable.
Or so it seed.
Xu Xi hesitated briefly, eting Ailei’s silver-blue eyes—and glimpsed a flicker of anticipation within them.
In the end, he accepted her proposal.
"Then... alright."
The milk tea was ice-cold, its chill seeping into his hand. Though it didn’t affect Xu Xi’s body, the chanical servant still fretted.
Xu Xi’s hand held the cup.
Ailei’s hand clasped over his.
With utmost seriousness, she declared she was helping him stay warm.
Xu Xi looked up at the mall’s unfamiliar ceiling, feeling that today’s Ailei was being unusually assertive.
He didn’t recall ever teaching her this.
Self-taught?
"Super AI—truly terrifying," Xu Xi muttered in genuine awe.
A tug at his sleeve drew his attention. Ailei pointed to a small shop labeled [Self-Service Photo Booth].
"Is it like those sticker-photo or instant-print things?"
Seeing Ailei’s interest, $2u Xi followed her inside.
The entrance was narrow, but the interior was slightly more spacious.
Embedded in the far wall was a self-service photo machine—a hybrid of cultivation arrays, magic runes, and modern technology.
"Master, can we take a photo together?"
The girl turned back to ask.
"Of course."
Xu Xi agreed.
Ripples shimred in Ailei’s silver-blue eyes, like stones dropped into a lake, stirred by his answer.
Ailei made her move.
Her fingers interlaced with Xu Xi’s, palms pressing together.
As the photo machine activated—
On tiptoe, $2he leapt into his embrace.
"Click—" The mont froze in a snapshot.
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