"I wonder how Ailei and Krisha's conversation went."
"I hope everything is fine..."
The morning world was awakened by the warm sunlight.
The display cabinet, outlined in the hazy light, revealed its slightly dark contours, with textures of varying depths supporting the four collectibles inside.
In the room.
A soft sigh echoed.
Xu Xi stood up and drew open the curtains, allowing the already radiant sunlight to fully illuminate every corner of the room.
He stood quietly, gazing at the flowers and plants in the courtyard outside the window.
The crimson and azure Dragon Blood Grass swayed like waves, following the trajectory of the wind.
As the wind gradually subsided, the grassy waves calmed, and the tender tips of the grass touched the blue sky, with glistening dewdrops sliding down the stems and leaves.
Xu Xi watched the scene before him.
His fingers unconsciously tapped on the windowsill.
His thoughts drifted far away, worrying about the relationship between the mechanized servant and the others.
Last night's events were too bizarre—the sudden arrival of the mechanized servant and the subsequent escape through the stars far exceeded Xu Xi's expectations.
"Ailei... she was too concerned about my safety. Her concern made her act rashly."
Xu Xi sighed again.
Reuniting with Ailei should have been a good thing, but the loyal mechanized servant was too loyal.
She accidentally clashed with his sister, the sorceress, and the princess.
The reason Xu Xi went to bed early last night was partly due to exhaustion, but more so to give the girls enough space to communicate on their own.
Xu Xi believed that Mo Li and the others wouldn't give Ailei a hard time.
Well, at least they wouldn't fight to the point of chaos restructuring and the collapse of the heavens, as in his dream.
"After all, it was just a dream. It can't be real."
"Mo Li and the others are quite well-behaved..."
His slender fingers tapped lightly, silently and slowly.
Tick.
Tock.
Time passed.
Xu Xi waited.
After about ten minutes, a faint movement came from beside him, and a figure materialized, taking on a form familiar to Xu Xi.
"...I'm sorry, Master."
Her silver-blue eyes remained lowered, not daring to meet Xu Xi's gaze.
Her voice was filled with apology.
The first thing the mechanized servant did upon returning was to apologize to Xu Xi, saying she had caused him trouble.
Trouble? Indeed, it was troublesome.
What should have been a warm and harmonious reunion had turned into conflict and arguments due to the mechanized servant's impulsiveness.
So, what words and what kind of discipline should be used to criticize and educate her behavior?
Xu Xi did not do that.
"It's been a long time, Ailei. I'm back," he turned around and smiled in the sunlight.
Not "good morning."
But "it's been a long time."
Not a casual greeting.
But a reunion after a long separation.
The haste of yesterday clearly couldn't be considered a reunion, so Xu Xi put a period on his past promise, telling the loyal mechanized servant that she no longer needed to wait.
The mechanized servant was stunned.
Her silver-blue eyes rippled with emotion, her expression trembling uncontrollably, before finally forcing a smile.
"It's been a long time, Master..." Her smile was beautiful.
An intense emotion overflowed.
Brilliant, explosive, echoing in the empty air.
Before returning, the loyal mechanized servant had prepared herself mentally, ready to face Xu Xi's reprimand.
But as expected, her master was still as peculiar as ever.
He had no intention of reprimanding Ailei.
Instead, he apologized, saying he had returned far too late, making Ailei wait for far too long, which led to the series of misunderstandings last night.
"...That's not true, Master."
"...I didn't do well enough."
"...You are always right."
The hollow metal heart cavity had become a real, beating heart.
Because of this.
The sorrow and emotion cut even deeper.
Ailei smiled, trying her best to smile, wanting to show Xu Xi her most beautiful side.
But the deep stirrings from the core of her mechanized soul made tears flow uncontrollably from the corners of her smiling eyes, streaming down her face.
Her smile was radiant.
Her sorrow was equally radiant.
"I'm sorry, Ailei, for making you wait so long..." The flowing tears were so sorrowful, moving anyone who saw them.
Xu Xi comforted her softly, extending his hand as he used to wipe her camera lens.
With a gentle and delicate touch, he wiped away Ailei's tears.
Camera lens.
Mechanized eyes.
And now, real human eyes.
The cold machinery had become a real person.
Xu Xi's wiping bore witness to that growth, drying Ailei's tears, allowing her face, which had been forcing a smile, to face the future with a cleaner, more genuine expression.
"Master, thank you..."
"Could you... please not let go..."
Thank you for returning to my life.
And please, never leave again.
As Xu Xi finished wiping Ailei's tears and was about to withdraw his hand, Ailei took hold of it herself.
Trembling, she moved Xu Xi's hand to the top of her head, feeling that warmth again, pleading for him not to leave.
Autumn is merciless.
The transition from heat to cold, the howling winds take away all warmth.
Therefore, the mechanized servant did not want that warmth to leave, craving more of its presence.
"It's alright, Ailei. I'm here."
Meeting those fragile silver-blue eyes.
Xu Xi comforted her softly.
His hand moved, his palm caressing her smooth hair, bringing warmth to the mechanized servant's soul, dispelling the cold silence.
Only after a long time did that uneasy emotion finally settle.
It shouldn't have been like this.
Before meeting, the mechanized servant had prepared herself mentally, determined to protect Xu Xi and not cause him any trouble.
But when they finally met, the surge of sorrow was impossible to suppress.
"I'm sorry, Master."
"I still have many shortcomings..."
After regaining her composure, having found meaning in life once more, and being bathed in light again, the mechanized servant.
Reflected on her shortcomings with a serious attitude.
Promising never to trouble Xu Xi again.
"It's alright, Ailei," Xu Xi smiled, rubbing the mechanized servant's head.
He never cared whether the mechanized servant had made mistakes. If anything, mistakes were a way to fill in the gaps of humanity.
Rather than focusing on her so-called shortcomings.
Xu Xi was more concerned about something else.
"Ailei, while I was away, how did your communication with Mo Li, Krisha, and Ying Xue go?"
"Did you resolve the misunderstandings and get along peacefully?"
Facing Xu Xi's concern, Ailei nodded slightly.
"Please don't worry. We've cleared up all misunderstandings. What happened last night won't happen again."
"I'm truly sorry for making you worry."
Her calm voice carried sincere apology and obvious guilt.
The mechanized servant apologized earnestly.
Xu Xi breathed a sigh of relief: "It's fine. As long as the misunderstandings are resolved, that's the best outcome."
Indeed.
Things like the chaos battles in his dream were just dreams after all.
How could something like that happen in reality?
He laughed.
The eternal supremes were quite well-behaved.
Feeling relieved, Xu Xi asked the mechanized servant what had happened after the fourth simulation ended, how she had become a supreme.