"Then why are we here? Can we still go back?" Rong Xingyu asked somewhat urgently.
He looked around at their surroundings.
They were still trapped in this place that resembled nothingness and a stretch of boundless darkness.
It was just that now Ding Yixin was by his side, and Rong Xingyu no longer felt the initial panic and unease.
But Rong Xingyu didn’t want to stay here forever either. He still wanted to go back and see his eldest brother and the others.
Thinking of how he had once seen, in this very space, his brothers running around everywhere, pushing aside all their work for the sake of his unconscious self, growing thinner and more haggard by the day, Rong Xingyu’s heart clenched painfully.
"Just where is this place? And how exactly can we get back?"
One question after another spilled from Rong Xingyu’s mouth.
Ding Yixin, meanwhile, raised a hand and soothingly stroked Rong Xingyu’s back.
"As for these questions," Ding Yixin said, "why not let it answer them for you?"
Rong Xingyu froze for a moment, then repeated in confusion, "It? There’s someone else here?"
As he spoke, Rong Xingyu also glanced around.
It was pitch black all around. Aside from him and Dr. Ding, who else could possibly be here?
Then Rong Xingyu saw Ding Yixin reach out into the darkness and give it a casual grab. Suddenly, there was an extra snow white something in his hand.
Rong Xingyu: "..."
Since when did Dr. Ding learn magic?
When Ding Yixin handed the thing in his hand over in front of Rong Xingyu, Rong Xingyu finally realized that it was a chubby, round, plush toy???
Rong Xingyu: "Huh?"
Dr. Ding had just said "let it answer," right?
Rong Xingyu couldn’t help but start doubting whether he had heard wrong.
Then he saw Ding Yixin pinch the plush ball with his fingers and shake it left and right a few times, the movement utterly cold and merciless.
"Stop playing dead," Ding Yixin said coldly.
He showed not even a shred of the gentleness he had when facing Rong Xingyu.
Rong Xingyu’s eyes widened, and then he heard the plush ball let out a sniffle, as if it had been terribly wronged.
Rong Xingyu: "..."
Why did this affected and overly dramatic sniffle sound so damn familiar?
The plush ball finally stopped pretending to be dead and instead floated up into midair.
When it saw Rong Xingyu, it couldn’t help but let out a sharp cry and immediately tried to fly toward him.
"I’m Little Ai! Boss!!! I’m Little Ai!!!"
But how could Ding Yixin possibly allow such a noisy thing to get close to Rong Xingyu?
He stretched out his hand and, with just two fingers, pinched the tiny tail behind the plush ball, preventing it from advancing even half a step.
The plush ball who is struggling desperately yet unable to escape from Ding Yixin’s claw let out a pitiful, "Waa."
Rong Xingyu: "..."
That electronic voice... Sure enough, it was the same System520 that had appeared in his mind before.
Back then, the system had said it was going to look for a way to help him recover his memories, and then it had vanished without a trace.
Rong Xingyu had almost forgotten its existence.
Thinking about it now, it seemed that the series of events that followed had all begun on the very day that system left.
Rong Xingyu’s face instantly turned cold.
He fixed a sharp gaze on the plush ball still flailing in midair and said word by word,
"So it was you stirring up trouble?"
Rong Xingyu’s sharp gaze made the plush ball tremble all over.
Help! That look was way too similar to the one worn by the great demon king who was currently holding it up by the fingers!
Should it be said that they truly deserved to be a pair?
The plush ball was scared out of its wits, its tears only able to flow silently back into its own belly.
"No! It—it wasn’t me!" It was so frightened it felt like it was about to die, and hurriedly struggled as it denied it. "It really wasn’t me causing trouble!!"
Rong Xingyu narrowed his eyes and looked at the plush ball with clear hostility, even though it appeared extremely aggrieved.
Even if it wasn’t directly because of it, the matter definitely couldn’t be separated from it.
"Sit down and listen to it explain things slowly," Ding Yixin said as he casually tossed the plush ball he was holding outward, then walked over to Rong Xingyu’s side and wrapped an arm around his waist.
The plush ball that had been thrown out let out a small whimper, and then the pitch black space instantly changed in appearance.
When he looking around, it was actually exactly the same as the Rong family’s study.
But Rong Xingyu knew they were still inside the space and had not returned to the real study.
Ding Yixin held Rong Xingyu as they sat down on the sofa. The two leaned against each other, calm and composed, as they looked at the plush ball in front of them.
"Alright, you can continue now," Ding Yixin said. When he looked at the plush ball, his gaze was extremely calm, and there was no expression on his face.
"My master, I’ve been wronged!" The plush ball’s electronic voice even seemed to carry a sense of grievance.
For some reason, Rong Xingyu suddenly felt as if he and Ding Yixin were holding a trial, while the plush ball in front of them was a commoner beating the drum to cry injustice, it’s an oddly surreal sense of déjà vu.
It was only missing kneeling on the ground and kowtowing a few times.
The plush ball had originally wanted to fly over and nuzzle up to Rong Xingyu, acting cute and coquettish, but Ding Yixin’s terrifying gaze froze it in place.
Plush ball: The great demon king is too scary! T-T
"I—I..." The plush ball was still stammering, not having confessed anything yet, when it was unexpectedly interrupted by Rong Xingyu.