Chapter 71
It wasn't until she returned to Shen Shiqian's house, when the motion-sensor lights in the entryway illuminated the empty space, making it bright and quiet enough to hear a dripping sound, that Feng Ran realized she had forgotten to bring the two robots and Xiao Jiu back with her.
Although it wasn't a big deal, and Shen Shiqian, who was at the back, would handle it properly, it was just because of the loneliness she felt for that one minute that she suddenly realized that she had unknowingly developed some dependent habits in this "home." She couldn't say whether it was good or bad, and she attributed this somewhat lonely feeling to the inconvenience caused by not having a robot to serve her.
She went back to her room to change into some casual clothes. When she opened the door, she saw a gift box on her bed. There were exactly seventeen boxes, arranged in a heart shape from smallest to largest, very neatly.
Feng Ran wasn't someone who cared about rituals, but seeing this scene still made her feel uneasy. She stood at the door for a while, pursing her lips, her emotions unreadable: "Why didn't you tell me?"
The terminal flickered.
Xing Tong: "Because in my judgment, a little surprise can keep you happy, and you usually lack this kind of stimulation, so I'm quite curious to see your reaction. But don't worry! I've checked, there's nothing dangerous, and according to my data records, there shouldn't be anything you dislike!"
Sometimes, the sheer number of ideas that artificial intelligence has can be a bit of a headache.
Feng Ran snorted lightly: "If we go by his sense of ritual, he still owes me a gift for twenty-five years."
Xing Tong: "Master, what does this mean?"
Feng Ran never explained to Xing Tong about her rebirth with Shen Shiqian. As the ultimate intelligent system, Xing Tong has a separate set of self-designed thought logic in addition to a deep and three-dimensional logical thinking mode. It automatically rationalizes all of Feng Ran's actions with Feng Ran as the core. Therefore, even if Feng Ran shows a certain intention, inexplicable hostility or favor, it will not ask about the detailed reasons, but will write this cognition into its own program as an instruction.
Shen Shiqian was once its primary target for surveillance and prevention, but ever since Feng Ran started asking it how to get Shen Shiqian pregnant, its comprehension abilities have become somewhat inadequate. Although based on a comprehensive analysis of the data it has collected since birth, Feng Ran must have genuinely disliked Shen Shiqian for a period of time, she also used to dislike Basil, so it's not surprising that her feelings towards him have shifted. Only after thoroughly investigating Shen Shiqian's personal information and confirming that he posed no threat did it place him in a position where it didn't need to pay attention to him except for his physical condition.
After Fengran revealed to Luo Le that she was Enigma, her emotional reactions to Shen Shiqian became increasingly positive. Although there were times when she was unstable, those were the times when she saw pathological factors, or even the most positive fluctuations. Her emotional state was even better than when she was dating Luo Le.
In other words, based on Xing Tong's data, Feng Ran likes Shen Shiqian, but it has never dared to keep this knowledge in mind because there are still many things between them that it cannot understand. For example, they might suddenly chat casually about unrecorded or fabricated things, or intervene in things that were not predicted or monitored in advance. It cannot be rationalized or understood.
Just like now, seventeen has a concrete meaning, but what about twenty-five?
Fengran didn't answer, but instead asked, "Do you think I would accept his gift based on your own judgment?"
Xing Tong: "Yes, Master, because according to my data, you seem to like him, and I think that might make you happy."
Feng Ran took a deep breath. "How does it compare to basil?"
Xing Tong: "Just a little bit more."
Fengran: "What's the basis for your judgment?"
Xing Tong: "...Because you never went all the way with Sleika."
Can something like this be used as a basis for judgment? Feng Ran felt a bit of a headache. He wanted to fix the junk in its data, but looking at the gift on the bed, he felt uneasy and uncertain.
"Are there any other bases of evidence?"
Xing Tong: "In the past six months, you've marked him a total of xx times, including... "
"Stop!" Feng Ran called out urgently. Reporting such data when she wasn't infatuated made her seem like some kind of debauched maniac. Even if she wasn't sensitive enough when it came to emotions, she still had basic common sense. Xing Tong's sudden revelation almost made her blush. Thankfully, Shen Shiqian wasn't there, or he would have been incredibly smug.
With a slightly strange feeling, Feng Ran walked to the bedside and began to unwrap the gifts one by one.
A longevity lock engraved with her name, a pink and white rabbit doll, a box full of jigsaw puzzle blocks, a retro wind-up music box, a basic programming robot, a remote-controlled drone, a smart companion doll, a gorgeous princess dress, an astronomical telescope set, a paper encyclopedia collection, the latest wristwatch-shaped terminal, custom-made figurines, a high-end brand candy gift box, a professionally configured super cloud-based computer, custom-made jewelry, and a customization application form from the research institute.
Feng Ran stared at the custom order, speechless. In silence, she began to unpack the last box, which contained a nesting doll in the shape of Shen Shiqian. She unpacked it layer by layer until she reached the last one, which was about the size of a palm. Inside the small nesting doll was a square velvet box.
Seventeen boxes and the gifts themselves were piled up on her bed in a mess. Feng Ran held the box but didn't open it. She just looked at the other things. Most of them were very ordinary and commonplace, but this kind of commonality didn't really apply to Feng Ran. During the two years she was locked in the attic, she didn't even remember how she spent her birthday, let alone gifts. So everything seemed like she was trying to fill in some gaps.
Once she realized it, Feng Ran couldn't control her emotions. She gripped the box, wanting to smash it away forcefully, but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
In other words, she dislikes people with keen intuition, because they make her feel like she can never win; they're too cunning.
With mixed feelings, Feng Ran drifted from his room to the sofa in the living room, hugged the rabbit doll, and casually turned on a movie program on the StarNet. He seemed to be watching the light and shadow on the screen intently, but in reality, he had no recollection of what the program was about.
This was really not right for her mental strength. Just as she was getting impatient and wanted Xing Tong to check what was going on at the banquet, there was finally some noise at the door.
The electronic door's information recognition was exceptionally accurate and fast. After entering the door, Shen Shiqian habitually changed his shoes in the entryway. The little blue and pink girls following behind him walked straight past him, each dragging two bulging compression bags towards the storage room, which was full of the gifts that Feng Ran had received.
He saw Feng Ran in the living room, put Xiao Jiu and the water tank on the coffee table, and walked towards her. The corners of his eyes and mouth unconsciously curved up, exuding an inexplicably relaxed and cheerful atmosphere.
Feng Ran threw a rabbit at him, glaring at him with a sour face: "Did you die outside?"
Shen Shiqian picked up the innocent rabbit, placed it on the other side of the sofa, straightened its head to comfort it, and then gently hugged Feng Ran: "Sorry, the post-event checks took a little longer than usual. Did you wait long?"
Feng Ran hesitated for a moment between enduring him and kicking him away, but he hugged her even tighter. She clicked her tongue in annoyance: "Who's waiting for you?"
...
You may doubt that the stars are fire, doubt that the sun is turning, doubt that the truth is a lie, but do not doubt my love.
The audio of the program's dialogue sounded particularly jarring during the silence. Feng Ran wanted to tell Xing Tong to turn it off, but then felt it would be a futile attempt to cover up the truth, so he held back.
Feng Ran said fiercely, "If you have nothing to say, then let go."
Shen Shiqian casually scooped up the rabbit next to him and stuffed it into Feng Ran's arms. Seeing the box she was holding, his smile deepened: "Happy birthday, Ranran. Do you like the gift I prepared?"
Feng Ran stared at his gentle smile, at his bright, dark blue eyes, and suddenly her temper vanished. Consciousness is a terrifying thing. When she finally placed Shen Shiqian's affection on an equal footing, she realized that they had been unknowingly in an ambiguous relationship for so long.
Half of my heart wavered, half of my heart was filled with fear, my chest was burning hot, and the sound of the drums was deafening.
In the end, he acted on instinct, grabbing Shen Shiqian's shirt and kissing him.
Like glue and lacquer, honey and poison.
Influenced by Enigma's arousal, Shen Shiqian became dazed and lost in the kiss exceptionally quickly, giving in to her every whim and completely surrendering under the stimulation of the pheromones, feeling wet and warm as if he were about to melt.
Feng Ran leaned most of her body against him, nestled close to him, and looked at him with a rare, innocent and naive gaze as she held up the box.
Would you like to put it on me?
Shen Shiqian's voice was a little hoarse, and his breath was hot with barely suppressed desire: "Is it okay?"
Feng Ran: "It was supposed to be announced today, but I postponed it. You didn't say anything, but you must be very unhappy."
Shen Shiqian took the box from her hand, opened it, and reverently took out the ring and held it in his hand. Unlike the pigeon egg ring that was supposed to be used in the ceremony, this was a simpler ring with only simple carvings and decorations.
“You’re quite perceptive too.”
Feng Ran bristled a little: "Who wants to compare with you!" Despite saying that, he still honestly extended his hand.
Shen Shiqian carefully and tenderly put the ring on the middle finger of her left hand, then held the ring in his hand and kissed it again.
Feng Ran suddenly shoved him, knocking him down onto the sofa. She spread her hands on either side of Shen Shiqian's face, sat on his waist, and looked down at him. Her long hair fell down her shoulders onto Shen Shiqian's chest and sides, dimming the living room lights.
The humid heat and intense passion of Shen Shiqian exuded an almost sweet and decadent aura. His heavy breathing caused his abdomen to contract and expand. The smile on his face was replaced by a purer desire, and he was obedient to Feng Ran's actions, which was beyond belief.
Whether it was a sense of satisfaction or vanity, Feng Ran was always pleased by his submission. It seemed that only such extreme contrast could stimulate her excitement. She was even a little addicted to this excitement, as if all the blocked and damaged nerve endings had become active again and blossomed everywhere.
Her face, backlit, looked sinister and menacing, her eyes as bright as a golden serpent shrouded in dark clouds. Any prey under those eyes would be unable to move, as if its lifeline had been bitten.
She tried to express herself rather awkwardly:
I want to tag you.
"I'll be gentler."
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