The black sedan drove quietly through the rainy metropolis.
Jiang Fei leaned against the window, staring blankly at the raindrops drifting onto the windowpane, her expression vacant and devoid of any emotion.
Lin Jiu carefully sat down beside her, looking at the silent distance between them, her eyes filled with confusion and helplessness.
After Gu Xi uttered the words "surveillance," she stared at him for a long time before silently pulling her hand away from his and refusing to touch him again.
She knows the truth.
She knew that the man she had kindly taken in was nothing more than a "tool" planted by her side to monitor her.
After a long while, Lin Jiu gently reached for his chest with his still intact right hand. The sensation there was somewhat similar to the pain sensation system that humans had recently installed on him.
Dull and painful.
Yet it is somewhat different.
The pain I felt then was like being dismembered... the pain of every bone and muscle in my body. But now, it felt like there was a thread in my heart, pulling at my limbs and bones, a pain that stretched on and on.
After an unknown amount of time, the car stopped in front of the Gu Group building. A bodyguard in a suit and tie, holding a black umbrella, said expressionlessly, "Miss Jiang."
Jiang Fei remained unresponsive, allowing the bodyguard to hold an umbrella and walk towards Gu Xi, who was already standing at the building entrance.
Lin Jiu's lips moved slightly as she glanced at the umbrella in the bodyguard's hand.
In the past, he was the one who held things together.
"Mr. Gu." Jiang Fei walked calmly to Gu Xi and nodded as a greeting.
Gu Xi glanced at her, then at Lin Jiu behind her, and nodded in acknowledgment. Just then, his assistant came over and whispered something to Gu Xi. Gu Xi replied, "I'll go over now." He then turned around and said, "Take Lin Jiu to the lab to re-install her left arm, and take Miss Jiang to her original room on the top floor."
After saying that, Gu Xi left.
Jiang Fei followed the bodyguard into the elevator, while Lin Jiu followed closely behind her the whole time.
Jiang Fei ignored him, but someone reminded Lin Jiu that she should go to the laboratory on the 76th floor. Lin Jiu glanced at the person blankly and followed behind Jiang Fei again.
The elevator doors opened, and Jiang Fei calmly walked back to her room. Lin Jiu's steps faltered slightly as she approached her, saying, "Jiang Fei..."
He murmured her name, but his eyes were full of confusion, and he didn't know what to say.
Jiang Fei finally stopped and looked up at him: "Surveillance?"
Lin Jiu avoided her direct gaze, and her right hand trembled slightly.
"You've only been monitoring the memories in my head all along, haven't you?" Jiang Fei asked again.
Lin Jiu paused, then continued to call her name softly: "Jiang Fei..."
"Is it because the memories in my mind belong to Miss Lin? You want to protect Miss Lin?" Jiang Fei said sarcastically.
Lin Jiu looked stunned, wanting to deny it but unable to say it.
Jiang Fei pursed her lips, her eyes suddenly reddening: "What do you mean now? Are you going to continue monitoring me?"
Lin Jiu's eyes grew increasingly panicked. Helplessly, she reached out her right hand to wipe away the tears welling in her eyes, but each attempt was in vain; the tears continued to flow. "Don't cry..." Lin Jiu said with difficulty, "Don't cry...don't cry..."
He kept repeating that sentence.
Jiang Fei suddenly waved his hand away: "Now that all my memories have been restored, I no longer have Miss Lin's memories, so you don't need to continue being so hypocritical to me."
Lin Jiu's hand was pushed away, and she froze in mid-air. After a while, she lowered her head and called out, "Jiang Fei..." She was still calling her name.
Jiang Fei stared at him for a while, until a small spark ignited from the short circuit in his severed left arm brought her back to her senses: "You should go to the lab." With that, she walked past him and headed back to her room.
Lin Jiu paused, glanced at her left arm, and then carefully followed behind her.
But as soon as she entered the room, the door slammed shut in front of him.
Lin Jiu stared at the closed door, bowing her head and waiting for a long time, her eyes growing increasingly helpless.
The disconnected arm circuits slowly began to reconnect to other circuits in the body, and Lin Jiu felt a numbing sensation throughout her body, as if she were being electrocuted.
But he stubbornly remained standing there. For some reason, he felt he couldn't leave. If he did, something very important would be lost forever. He didn't know how long he waited, but just as Lin Jiu felt his entire body's wiring was about to burn out, the door was opened from the inside.
He snapped back to reality, stared intently at the woman who opened the door, and after a long while managed to force a smile: "Jiang Fei."
Looking into his eyes, Jiang Fei saw something that resembled a puppy abandoned by its owner in the rainy night. She pursed her lips, silently took his right hand, and walked towards the elevator.
Lin Jiu didn't speak, but just looked at her holding his hand, and after a long while, he chuckled softly.
He knew very well that an emotion called happiness was being generated within him.
Jiang Fei held onto him as they walked to the laboratory, watching the staff examine the wiring and the broken part of Lin Jiu's arm, and then take out a brand new arm to reconnect it to him.
His right hand remained tightly gripping Jiang Fei's.
After the right arm was replaced and the staff left, leaving only the faint blue light of the instruments in the laboratory, Jiang Fei moved his body.
Lin Jiu gripped her even more frantically.
Jiang Fei looked at his right hand, which was gripping hers: "Lin Jiu, it's not your fault that you were controlled by human commands to monitor me."
Lin Jiu's eyes lit up slightly as he stared intently at her.
Jiang Fei continued, "I know you're different from ordinary robots. You have more emotions and your own self-respect." As she said this, she looked up at him and smiled. "Didn't you want to know what 'liking' is? It's making someone disobey human commands to fulfill their wishes. That's what 'liking' is." She explained very seriously.
Lin Jiu's thoughts were somewhat dazed, as if she were pondering something seriously.
“I think,” Jiang Fei looked at him, “Lin Jiu, even if you are a robot, you still have the feeling of ‘liking’.”
Lin Jiu inexplicably felt her heart pounding rapidly, and her data became uncontrollably disordered.
But then Jiang Fei said softly, "However, the memories in my mind now are only my own, no longer Miss Lin's, and Miss Lin and I have no relationship anymore." She smiled, "You don't need to monitor me for Miss Lin anymore."
Lin Jiu stared at her blankly, the chaotic data turning into a stagnant pool due to her frozen thoughts: "What..."
Jiang Fei smiled with her eyes half-closed: "Your feelings for Miss Lin can be called 'like'."
As she spoke, she gently placed her hand on the back of his hand, then completely brushed away his right hand that was gripping hers, and quietly stood up.
Lin Jiu stood up with her, bewildered and flustered, but when she opened her mouth, no sound came out.
Jiang Fei lowered her eyes: "So, don't follow me anymore."
After saying that, she turned and left.
Lin Jiu stared intently at her departing figure, calling out to her, "Jiang Fei..."
Why did she tell him that his feelings for Miss Lin were love?
Isn't liking someone a joyful emotion? Why does he feel so down and hopeless?
"Jiang Fei!" His voice suddenly became louder.
The once-empty corridor was now deserted.
She left without ever looking back.
Lin Jiu's favorability: 85.
On the other side.
Jiang Fei had just returned to his room when he heard the system's notification sound.
She chuckled softly and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. The nearly 100-story building obscured the view of the ground, but she could see other tall buildings shrouded in dark clouds. Blue and red holographic images flickered among the buildings, adding a touch of color to these cold and indifferent structures.
When Gu Xi arrived, she saw Gu Xi standing languidly by the window, her white dress contrasting beautifully with her snow-white skin, adding a touch of softness to the otherwise futuristic room.
Gu Xi lowered her eyes and lightly pressed the button on the door. The window instantly transformed into a holographic screen, replacing the gloomy scene outside with a fake starry sky and bright moon.
He walked up to Jiang Fei, looked down at her, and said, "The starry sky you like."
Jiang Fei looked outside, then lowered her head after a long while: "It's all fake."
Gu Xi frowned slightly, his cool and elegant features still carrying a hint of aloofness and nobility. He reached out and touched her left eye: "I used to really like these eyes..."
He didn't finish his sentence.
Jiang Fei quickly avoided his hand, as if... she didn't want to be touched by him.
Gu Xi narrowed her eyes, a strand of long hair that was originally combed back brushed against her face, her dark blue pupils clearly showing some displeasure, her exquisitely sculpted face completely expressionless.
Jiang Fei pursed her lips and remained silent.
Gu Xi smiled faintly and withdrew her hand: "Get some rest."
After saying that, he turned and left, his gaze instantly becoming calm.
Something is more easily exploited when it has weaknesses.
He didn't want Jiang Fei's affection at all, but he needed Jiang Fei's affection. Human emotions are the strongest yet most fragile and easily controlled part of our being.
He wouldn't mind using some tricks; just like how Jiang Fei fell for him back then, he would do it again.
Thinking of this, Gu Xi turned on her portable video call, and the background of the black market and Chen Tong's figure appeared almost immediately: "Mr. Gu?"
Gu Xi sat calmly on the sofa: "I want a prosthetic eye."
Chen Tong nodded hurriedly: "I'll send someone to deliver it to you tomorrow, but Mr. Gu, about the money..."
“I’ll give you the money,” Gu Xi said, lowering her eyes. “I’ll go to the fighting arena.”
Chen Tong was stunned: "Mr. Gu?"
"I know what I'm doing."
...
the next day.
A car came to a smooth stop at the exit of the black market.
Jiang Fei sat in the car, a light rain still falling outside. She looked out the window at the chaotic black market and raised an eyebrow inwardly.
Although she didn't know why Gu Xi had brought her here so early in the morning, the thought that he still had zero goodwill towards her meant nothing good.
Dark shadows were moving about in the distance.
Jiang Fei looked up and saw a person walking towards her in the misty rain, holding a black umbrella, wearing a sharp black suit, with long hair neatly combed back, and a pair of captivating clear blue eyes on her somewhat mixed-race-looking, cold face.
Gu Xi.
He had already walked to the car, opened the door, and then extended his hand to Jiang Fei: "Miss Jiang."
Jiang Fei looked up at him, a sense of understanding creeping into her heart.
Back when the original owner was wandering in the slums, Gu Xi reached out a hand to her, just like he is now, and pulled her out of her miserable life. The original owner fell in love with him.
Now, Gu Xi seems to be trying to repeat the same trick.
Thinking of this, Jiang Fei sneered inwardly, pursed her lips, and did not take his hand. She simply lowered her head and got out of the car.
Gu Xi wasn't annoyed by the rejection. She calmly withdrew her hand and held an umbrella for Jiang Fei beside her, saying, "He wants one of your eyes, so I'll give you one."
Jiang Fei turned her head in surprise.
Gu Xi didn't look at her, and walked into the building in the center of the black market with a cold expression.
The building's owner, Chen Tong, personally came out to greet them, his demeanor one of utmost respect and trepidation, a stark contrast to his attitude when Jiang Fei came to request a prosthetic eye last time.
If Jiang Fei previously thought Gu Xi was using the same old tricks, then after Chen Tong "reluctantly" said, "I can have a prosthetic eye, but we have to follow the rules, otherwise we won't be able to establish ourselves in the future," Jiang Fei understood.
It's a self-inflicted injury ruse, isn't it?
If it were the original owner of this body, seeing Gu Xi risk her life to enter the fighting arena to get a prosthetic eye for her, she might have been moved and touched.
Unfortunately, she wasn't the original owner of this body.
Therefore, when she saw that Gu Xi agreed without hesitation that he would not mind going to the fighting arena as long as he could get the prosthetic eye, she was not moved at all, but rather excited.
It must be said that Gu Xi, dressed in a fighting uniform, lost some of his aloofness and coldness, and instead became more handsome. Especially after his waist was cinched, his broad shoulders and narrow waist made him even more alluring. His light-colored long hair was tied back, making him look like a nobleman in a medieval oil painting.
The fighting AI defending the arena has clearly evolved compared to last time, with its attacks becoming more swift and fierce, and its ability to recognize the opponent's moves more accurately.
Jiang Fei followed Gu Xi nervously, watching the atmosphere reach its peak with the challenger's appearance, with countless people placing bets and shouting wildly, creating chaos around them.
Just as the fighting bell rang and Gu Xi went on stage, Jiang Fei suddenly reached out and grabbed the hem of his clothes.
Gu Xi turned around, then lowered her eyes and smiled faintly: "It's nothing." Her tone was gentle, yet it couldn't hide the sarcasm in her bones.
What a scoundrel.
Jiang Fei sneered inwardly, but outwardly looked at him with a mixture of resentment and worry.
"Worried about me?" Gu Xi asked back.
Jiang Fei looked like she'd been hit where it hurt, and abruptly withdrew her hand.
Gu Xi glanced at her, then got up and went onto the fighting platform.
The roars and screams around them seemed to lift the roof off.
The fight began.
Jiang Fei watched the battle with great interest.
Gu Xi is very skilled, her fighting techniques are superb, and even...
Jiang Fei narrowed her eyes. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Gu Xi was very skilled and at ease on the fighting stage. She seemed to have a more restrained ruthlessness and madness than usual, and even a sense of exhilarating lethality. Her clear blue eyes were tinged with bloodlust.
It seems... he was born in this chaotic and filthy place.
The overwhelming shouts around her brought Jiang Fei back to her senses. Jiang Fei looked intently at the stage and saw that Gu Xi had already found her opponent's weakness and was attacking relentlessly. Her fists were covered in blood, and she seemed to have victory in her grasp.
Jiang Fei raised an eyebrow and looked at Gu Xi. Perhaps it was the few drops of blood from his fist that splattered on his cheek, which inexplicably gave his face a captivating charm.
So clean.
"System, don't let him win so easily," Jiang Fei thought to himself.
After all, battle-worn beauties are the most beautiful.
【system:……】
On the fighting stage, Gu Xi was handling the situation with ease; such fights were nothing out of the ordinary for him in the past.
As his opponent threw a punch, Gu Xi blocked it with his arm, but the next moment, a sharp pain shot through his arm.
Gu Xi narrowed her eyes and almost immediately noticed that the opponent's strength had increased several times in an instant, and even the attacks had become more and more fierce, even exceeding the current limit of the fighting AI.
But the opponent continued to attack, so Gu Xi quickly dodged to the side, and at the same time, she unleashed a powerful blow to the opponent's chest.
This time, however, the other party simply shook himself off and then rallied again.
The fighting is becoming increasingly intense.
Gu Xi was hit several times by the fighting AI's punches, and her mouth was full of the taste of blood.
He licked the blood from the corner of his lips, the metallic taste sending a thrill of excitement through him.
From below the stage, Jiang Fei watched as Gu Xi's wounds multiplied, her eyes filled with worry, yet she couldn't help but smile inwardly.
Just as the AI threw another punch at Gu Xi, Gu Xi suddenly reached out and caught its heavy punch, while simultaneously striking the AI with her other hand.
The AI's body swayed slightly before finally collapsing limply to the ground.
The screams around them seemed to drown out everything else.
Gu Xi narrowed her eyes, coldly glancing around. A strand of wet hair fell across her forehead, exuding a hint of sexiness.
Countless people screamed, their cheers growing louder and louder as the host proclaimed, "Cheers to our heroes!"
Gu Xi lowered her eyes and looked at Jiang Fei below the stage. She was also looking at him, but there was no joy in her eyes. Instead, she looked at him expressionlessly.
Gu Xi frowned, finding it impossible to understand what this woman was thinking for the first time.
He had thought she would be moved to tears, but now…
Jiang Fei walked up to him on stage, her lips still tightly pursed, a stark contrast to the celebrations around her.
Gu Xi: "How..."
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Fei suddenly lifted his arm and asked, "Does it hurt?" Her voice was so soft that only Gu Xi, who was closest to him, could hear it.
Gu Xi was taken aback.
Jiang Fei looked up at him and was about to roll up his sleeves.
Gu Xi noticed her movement, her face turned cold, and she tried to pull her arm away from her.
Jiang Fei thought to himself, "Now!"
Then, everyone saw the fighting AI, which had been lying on the ground, suddenly get up out of control and attack Gu Xi again.
"Watch out!" Jiang Fei whispered, grabbing Gu Xi's arm and spinning him around to shield him behind her.
The AI, struggling to its feet, punched Jiang Fei hard in the back.
Gu Xi's body trembled, not only because she protected him, but also because... she was holding his arm.
"Are you alright..." Jiang Fei was about to ask when she suddenly noticed something and looked down at his arm.
A deep wound on his arm was particularly glaring, but even more glaring was the metal at the junction of his arm and limb, deeply embedded in his arm and replacing his original flesh and bone.
It seems... someone precisely severed his bones and replaced them with a stronger metal.
Jiang Fei was genuinely surprised.
I thought Gu Xi was just born cold-blooded, but now it seems he has been... modified?
"You..." She was about to say something when Gu Xi suddenly looked up, her eyes cold.
Those who knew his secret either feared or mocked him, but they all disappeared.
The next second, Jiang Fei casually covered his arm so that no one could see, and then gently took his hand: "Let's leave here."
As she spoke, she looked up and glanced at the fluctuating favorability rating above Gu Xi's head.
That's what you call a self-inflicted injury strategy.
The two walked towards the door.
at the same time.
A limousine pulled up in front of the building, and an assistant, holding an umbrella, respectfully greeted the visitor: "Mr. Ji."
Ji Wei got out of the car, and the next second she seemed to realize something and turned her head to look, only to see the door of a black sedan being closed.
Gu Jia's car.
Ji Wei paused, then frowned. He was overthinking again. Now everything was back to square one, and those irrelevant past events were not worth dwelling on.
He turned and went into the building, but was stunned when he saw the crazy scene in the fighting arena.
Countless people screamed and cheered, and the fighting ring was covered in blood and sweat.
Was this the prosthetic eye that Jiang Fei brought for him back then?
How dare she...?
"Mr. Ji, what brings you here?" Just then, a voice came from inside.
Ji Wei quickly composed herself and looked at the person who had arrived.
When Chen Tong heard that Ji Wei had arrived, she was still in the fighting arena. He hurriedly went upstairs.
Gaining power is certainly different from losing power. The Ji family is a force to be reckoned with; he cannot contend with them. "Mr. Ji?"
Ji Wei lowered her eyes and said succinctly: "Prosthetic eye."
Although he can see with his left eye, the prosthetic eye is only for a year. He will still need the prosthetic eye until his sight is truly restored.
The bodyguards had already placed several boxes of cash on the conference table. When they opened them, the sight of money was overwhelming.
Chen Tong's eyes lit up, but reason quickly prevailed: "Can't Mr. Ji see now?"
Ji Wei said calmly, "This prosthetic eye was damaged before."
Chen Tong was surprised. He carefully examined the man's eyes, then fell silent. After a long while, he said, "...Mr. Ji, once a prosthetic eye is damaged, even the slightest damage, it can never be repaired."
"What..." Ji Wei asked, but then stopped abruptly, as if remembering something, and unconsciously touched her left eye. "But this eye..."
Chen Tong: "It's intact."
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