His little Ruan is also starting to grow up...

Zhou Ziqi closed his eyes and sighed softly, "Okay, I know. I'll come pick you up, Xiao Ruan."

No one can leave after teasing him. His Xiao Ruan responded to him, so no matter how she wanted to end things or what choices she made, Zhou Ziqi left her with only one option.

After barely managing to suppress his emotions, Zhou Ziqi walked past Shiyi and prepared to return to the research lab.

He certainly has a lot to do.

Just as they were passing each other, Zhou Ziqi paused, his voice low: "My research is progressing very quickly."

"You only have a few days left, you inhuman 'thing,' what will you use to accompany her? A mechanical construct that will never age, the touch of simulated skin, or that simulated heartbeat to prove the stirrings of consciousness—species and reproductive barriers, how many can you overcome, high-tech products from unknown places?"

The moment the words fell, an intense sense of crisis swept over Zhou Ziqi. The space around him rippled, and his figure became somewhat illusory. In the blink of an eye, he appeared several meters away.

Where Zhou Ziqi originally stood, the space was almost shattered by the mutated plants, nearly forming a black hole.

In the distance, the man who dodged the fatal blow seemed to have finally vented his anger—the anger of being forced to give up his little Ruan.

After Zhou Ziqi's figure disappeared, Ruan Qing'an lowered her eyes and walked towards Shi Yi, but just as she approached—

The man pulled her close, his simulated skin so delicate it looked like a real person's, and the high-tech heat circulation system could even simulate a warm, human-like touch.

Shiyi didn't say anything, but simply took Ruan Qing'an's hand and pulled her out of the research institute, even causing her to stumble a few steps.

037: [Ancestor, what happened to him?]

"...Eleven's patience has reached its limit."

Ruan Qing'an said something seemingly out of the blue, without any resistance, his actions subtly revealing a hint of indulgence, and then left the research institute.

Once they were far from the city center and the research institute was no longer in sight, Ruan Qingan tugged at Shiyi's sleeve: "Shiyi?"

"I am here, Qing'an."

His hurried steps finally stopped, and he whispered, "I've always been here, Qing'an."

"What's wrong, Eleven?"

"...I want to go shopping with you and have dinner with you."

As Eleven spoke, her dark green eyes were half-closed, as if she were hesitant and pleading cautiously—he heard her say that she wanted to put an end to things, but he dared not ask her anything.

They didn't even dare to bring up this topic.

Even Ruan Qing'an hadn't expected that Shi Yi, who had been walking with his head down for so long, would only make such a simple request. She was unusually silent for a moment, until the man's grip on her hand tightened unconsciously, even causing her some pain.

Ruan Qingan snapped out of his reverie and nodded: "Okay."

...

It was near noon, and the warm sunlight lazily spilled down, spreading a golden carpet across the ground. As two elongated shadows passed by, the light falling on her beautiful profile made it appear like lustrous white jade.

Shi Yi subconsciously turned her head to look at Ruan Qing'an, whose nose and forehead were covered with a few beads of sweat: "Are you hot?"

"Yes, a bit. We've been walking for quite a while."

As Ruan Qing'an spoke, Shi Yi handed her a handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from her face. She thanked him softly and asked, "I'm fine. Don't you feel hot?"

"……feel."

Eleven paused for a while before speaking softly.

His hesitant attitude made Ruan Qing'an glance at him sideways, only to notice something like sweat on his forehead. She tiptoed and wiped it away, saying, "Strange..."

"What's wrong?"

"You actually have the ability to sweat? The Bureau's technology shouldn't be at this level."

Ruan Qing'an subconsciously frowned. She remembered that she had given everything to create this body, specifically to carry Xie Huainan's consciousness.

Upon hearing this, Shi Yi subconsciously dodged her hand: "Oh, maybe...maybe you're mistaken, Qing An."

How could I possibly be sweating?

Eleven smiled sarcastically and disgustedly to himself. He was just a "tool" that had been created. "Tools" had all sorts of useful functions and discarded the useless ones.

But unfortunately... the "tool" is not human.

Zhou Ziqi's words were like a thorn, almost piercing Shiyi's heart. Just thinking about the insurmountable gap and divide between him and Ruan Qing'an made him feel so much pain that he could hardly breathe.

Ironically, even the heart and breathing are fake.

Noticing Shi Yi's unusual behavior, Ruan Qing'an grabbed Shi Yi's hand and led her around the various pedestrians in the central area, including some who had been sent by Zhou Ziqi to keep watch.

She led Shiyi to a secluded corner.

"What's wrong with you, Shiyi? It's only been one day. Shouldn't you be looking at apartments at the real estate agency? Has something suddenly changed?"

"……No."

The tall man lowered his head, his dark green eyes filled with sorrow, and his fingertips stroked Ruan Qing'an's cheek: "But after leaving you, I realized that I have no value."

"After I became conscious, I was trapped in this world, watching it go through countless cycles, and I was always imprisoned, without even a trace of my existence. The only thing I have is the memory of you and me, which makes me feel that I still have meaning and value in my existence."

"Even my awakening was because you came here. I'm drifting in this world, and you are my only anchor, Qing'an."

"But you still have so much, even Zhou Ziqi is like that, only I... I only have our memories, after leaving you, this world has no connection with me."

Shiyi's voice was hoarse. He leaned down and almost hugged Ruan Qing'an completely, burying his face in the crook of her neck.

Ruan Qing'an remained silent, then raised his hand and put his arm around Shiyi's waist.

The excessively gentle movements seemed to be a soothing kiss on his already bloody wound, causing him intense pain, yet also making him crave and fantasize uncontrollably.

Eleven spoke in a hoarse voice—

"Qing'an, as a 'tool,' as a non-human being, do I have the right to receive and be loved?"

"Would you allow me... to love you?"

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