Chapter 10

After Wu Ying's thorough investigation, she found that the courses after military training had become significantly more practical and dangerous. In the past, because students of plant science generally had gentle mental power, the early training period was actually stretched out. Students from other colleges would typically have their military training in the first semester, and their courses were mostly held offline.

For plant science, the entire first year had been online courses. After military training, the proportion of offline lectures and field practice courses shot up dramatically.

The pressure hit her like a wall. Wu Ying was already struggling to keep up with this semester's coursework. She'd ordered boxes of brain supplements, and next semester would probably kill off a whole battalion of brain cells.

"Ah, I'm going to die."

Wu Ying wailed, pounding her head with both fists, looking absolutely miserable.

"Master! Master! What's wrong? Should I call emergency services? Should I call emergency services?"

Jiujiu circled behind her, unsure of what to do, its facial display cycling frantically through 'panic,' 'fear,' and 'danger' expressions.

"What's going on?"

Even Asher, who had just finished showering and was heading to his study, was startled. He came striding over in his pajamas, face stern, hand reaching out quickly to support her head.

Just as he was about to lift her up, the fuzzy head beneath his hand moved. Wu Ying cautiously looked up, gave him a small smile at the sight of his face, and nuzzled against his palm, speaking in a sugary voice: "I'm fine. I didn't know you cared so much. I'm not afraid of anything now. It's so good to have you."

Asher's hand snapped back, swinging behind him and smacking Jiujiu, who had been following him. "Sir, are you hurt?" Jiujiu asked.

Asher shook his head. "You should be more careful next time. The robot's programming seems to have an issue. We should be wary of situations like this. I'll fix it."

He didn't remember setting such a reaction protocol for Jiujiu. Shouldn't it immediately call for help and send the injured person to the hospital in an emergency?

Wu Ying stopped him. "But this is more fun! I'm home alone, and if Jiujiu is this boring too, what am I supposed to do?"

Asher stared at her, disapproval clear on his face. Matters of life and safety were no joke.

"And if Jiujiu doesn't hear my reply, it'll immediately activate emergency mode."

"How long is the interval? Five seconds? Ten seconds? In an emergency, time is life."

Asher's face was cold, his gaze heavy as iron. His tall frame made him overwhelmingly imposing. Wu Ying shrank back a little in fear, then glanced at Jiujiu beside her. Jiujiu had gone quiet, seemingly unsure of the situation, its face reverting to the default expression.

Both faces looked equally serious. Wu Ying lowered her head in admission. "Fine, you fix it then. It's a little program I bought online last time—it shouldn't be too hard to change."

"Bought online? Wu Ying, perhaps I should have a proper talk with you about safety."

What now?

"Are you done eating?"

Wu Ying glanced at her bowl, then at Asher's expression, and quickly picked up her bowl again. "Not yet."

"We'll talk after you finish."

Asher didn't leave. He sat down across from her, clearly determined to have that 'proper talk.'

Wu Ying ate with unprecedented focus. Asher sat silently, and for the first time, the two of them were quiet without it being awkward. The atmosphere was eerily harmonious.

While waiting for her to finish, he browsed something on his Light Brain. It was the first time Asher realized how weak his wife's safety awareness was. He should have blamed himself—he'd assumed she knew and had neglected the issue.

"Let's go."

Asher urged her when he saw her dawdling after putting down her bowl. Wu Ying could only stand up, her mind racing: he wasn't planning to retaliate, was he? This posture of his looked a lot like hers when she'd come up with some excuse to 'chat' with him.

Seeing her slow down with every step, Asher frowned, and with a helpless sigh, he gave her a gentle push. If she walked any slower, she'd be falling right into his arms.

Wu Ying turned back in shock, as if she'd been terribly frightened. Asher instinctively explained: "I almost stepped on you."

"Oh."

Wu Ying nodded guiltily and led him to her study. Inside, she'd decorated it in a riot of colors, with an entire wall of plush toys. Beneath it sat a beanbag chair and a small mobile coffee table.

A proper desk and bookshelf occupied only a tiny corner. Asher avoided stepping on her rug, walking over to the desk and transferring a series of educational videos about home safety, personal privacy, and state secrets onto her computer.

"Sit and watch properly."

Asher gripped her shoulders and guided her to the chair. Now the tables had turned—it was exactly like when she'd made him sit down to eat.

"Okay."

Wu Ying cooperated, sitting upright at the desk as the video began to play on the screen in front of her.

This felt a bit like those lecture videos, Wu Ying thought, her mind starting to wander. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Asher's hand and realized he was still standing behind her. He was so big—his palm alone could cover both of hers.

"Why don't you go sit over there? Standing must be tiring."

Wu Ying tilted her head up to look at him, earnest eyes and a warm smile, pointing to the spot covered in her pink rug, where a warm yellow beanbag sat with a string of pretty wind chimes hanging beside it.

Asher didn't accept her offer. Instead, he criticized her lack of focus. "Pay attention."

"I'm just worried about you!" Wu Ying protested.

"I'm not tired."

Seeing she was about to argue further, Asher reached out and straightened her fidgeting head for her. Her restless nature was giving him a headache.

The educational video gradually got to the important parts, and Wu Ying slowly quieted down. So this was how much safety had changed since the 21st century. Information security, privacy security, program security, and even the confidentiality involving Asher's identity—technology had advanced, people's mindsets had changed, and the concepts and measures for all kinds of safety protection were entirely different.

The program she'd bought online alone—if exploited by someone with ill intent—could cause incalculable risk.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know it would be like this. How can I make up for it? I won't do it again."

Wu Ying wasn't the type to stubbornly dig in her heels. Once she knew she was wrong, she'd seriously correct it.

"It's fine. I've already activated Jiujiu's self-diagnostic system. Jiujiu's security clearance is very high, so there's no problem. But from now on—"

"It won't happen again!"

Wu Ying cut him off immediately, nearly raising her hand to swear an oath.

She'd overlooked these issues. To err is human; to correct is divine. She'd be more careful from now on.

"Good."

That was that. Asher still had things to do, and since she seemed sincere, he didn't press further.

Wu Ying watched him leave her study, the door clicking softly shut behind him. She let out a small sigh of relief. When Asher was serious, his presence was overwhelming—his tall figure had seemed to fill the room, and now that he was gone, the space felt brighter.

She watched the videos Asher had transferred again, only closing them once she was sure she'd remembered everything.

Once in the study, she didn't leave. She still had plenty of coursework to finish.

It had to be said, technology advancing was a different beast. In the past, classes were just recorded. Now there were holographic classrooms—one-click login, one-on-one tutoring. The system monitored your focus during class, and the instructors recorded a wealth of content, tailoring different plans based on student responses and absorption to optimize the course difficulty.

Wu Ying took the advanced online courses seriously. She genuinely wanted to learn how to grow plants. She'd studied horticulture before, but this was the interstellar age now—her old amateur skills couldn't compare.

She was starting from scratch. Perhaps it was the change in environment, but Wu Ying, who used to just scrape by with passing grades, now felt a constant drive. She wanted to truly master this.

The two of them each occupied their own study. The living room was quiet, save for the occasional sounds Jiujiu made when passing through on Wu Ying's orders.

That night, Wu Ying lay in bed, her study-fogged head finally able to rest.

Asher was even quieter than Jiujiu. Over the course of the day, the only difference was an extra person at the dinner table, and if Wu Ying didn't initiate conversation, he'd finish eating and leave.

Wu Ying had no time to bother him either, because she'd been so loaded with classes today that she hadn't had a moment to ask him to check her mental power training progress. Fortunately, tomorrow had a mental power training session scheduled, so she'd have time then.

After sorting out her practical matters, Wu Ying turned her thoughts to the current situation between her and Asher.

She'd been using plenty of little schemes. She wanted to know where Asher's limits were. In this marriage, she gained more—and before she truly strengthened her own wings, she wanted to maintain it as best she could. But she refused to grovel or play the submissive role, so with Asher, she always tried to gain the upper hand.

Wu Ying had noticed that Asher's understanding of marriage seemed to come from books. Books always portrayed family relationships as harmonious and stable, so whenever Wu Ying told him something would affect family harmony, he'd seriously consider her words, even deciding to give in to her.

People always push their luck. That was probably why Wu Ying had gotten a bit full of herself—when Asher said he wanted to talk earlier, she'd actually thought he was trying to get back at her.

Wu Ying laughed at herself. Judging a gentleman's heart with a petty mind, wasn't she?

Before going to sleep, Wu Ying gave herself a very satisfied 'excellent' rating, with the comment: Progress going smoothly; keep it up.

"Asher, Asher, are you up yet?"

The next morning, Wu Ying got up early and lurked outside his door for reconnaissance. Jiujiu arrived promptly and reported: "Good morning, Master. Up extra early today, aren't we? Another early day! The master rose at five-thirty, had breakfast at five-forty, and is currently working out in the gym."

Wu Ying muttered: "Eating that early? Could it be he doesn't want to have breakfast with me?"

"How could that be? With a master as adorable as you, who wouldn't want to share breakfast with you?"

Jiujiu certainly knew how to talk. Wu Ying's lips curved up, her amber almond-shaped eyes crinkling at the corners. She couldn't help but admire her own skill in training—even a robot spoke so sweetly. Clearly it wasn't that her skills were lacking, but that a certain someone never came home enough to appreciate them.

"Jiujiu, you're so sweet. Keep it up."

"Will do!"