Chapter 63

Asher now understood—she wouldn't obediently wait at home; she'd even refused his favorite embrace. He still believed she was angry. She was someone who loved to be spoiled, who loved having him around. But this was precisely the one thing he couldn't solve immediately.

In the darkness, Asher went downstairs; the villa's door opened and shut heavily. Meng Ke, finally receiving Asher, let out a slow sigh of relief. He didn't dare ask questions, only silently accelerated according to orders.

Upstairs in the bedroom, Wu Ying lay by the window. She didn't know how long passed before she realized—Asher's hovercar wouldn't pass by here.

The bedroom lights were off. She crouched down, leaning against the corner in silence, like a pitch-black mushroom.

She was hardly a woman of great poise. In her imagination, she should have waved her hand and not taken a single cloud... Not taken a sleeve? Or was it clouds? Whatever. Such an ungraceful person couldn't possibly be her!

In love, she was a woman plagued by anxiety. She was done for! Those with love-struck brains never had good endings. Cherishing a man would bring misfortune for a lifetime. What to do? What to do!

In the corner, Wu Ying's face was expressionless, completely unaffected by the frantic little figure in her mind. She simply stayed silent, silent as she conjured a humorous scene, trying to make her inner feelings seem less pitiful.

Yeah, she was truly done for.

Wu Ying curled up, her arms wrapping around her legs to form a hollow, and buried her head into it.

Her sleepy brain kept sending warnings, but drowsiness had long since fled to the clouds. Wu Ying closed her eyes, yet tears still tried to escape. She tried to hold them back, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't.

She was just a bit clingy and lacked a sense of security. Actually, she was a sensible woman, but reluctance was inevitable. And she and Asher hadn't been together for long at all—at best, not even a week.

At that thought, Lady Ming Yu's words suddenly surfaced: she had said that Wu Ying and Asher were not from the same world and couldn't share the same thoughts. Oh, and that annoying person, Ivy.

This seemed like proof.

The bedroom light turned on by itself. Wu Ying coldly ordered it off. The room returned to darkness. Wu Ying kept her head lowered, not noticing her Light Brain flashing on the bedside table.

Even if she had noticed, what then? Asher's messages were just the same words—useless pleasantries that did nothing.

It seemed dawn had arrived; faint light seeped through the light-filtering curtains. Her brain, having run all night, slowly woke. Wu Ying rubbed her temples without any complaint.

Last night, her feet had gone numb, and she had flopped onto the sofa, half her body hanging off. Fortunately, the room's smart system recognized this and kept the temperature well-regulated; otherwise, she'd have caught a cold today.

Wu Ying stood up, straightened her disheveled pajamas, and after a quick wash, began packing her luggage. She didn't think last night's decision was absurd; the more she thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

Whatever remained, she'd leave to Jiujiu. She needed to arrange the lab work—the initial phase of the grafting experiment was basically complete, and the follow-up observation could be handled by monitors. As for the other interventions, she planned to give them up.

Fortunately, this experiment could be continued later. For now, let her just escape for a while.

Tablet, study machine... she packed them all. With a simple arrangement, her luggage was ready. At breakfast, Wu Ying ate in silence. Jiujiu occasionally spouted its golden lines, but even the ones Wu Ying had previously praised as gold no longer worked.

In the early morning, Beta Star's sky was already a deep blue. The villa occupied the highest and best position in the family quarters. Wu Ying didn't look back; the hovercar began autopilot, destination: the spaceport.

At the entrance, Wu Ying's face was scanned, and the alarm suddenly blared. A robot informed her that she lacked entry-exit permission. Only then did Wu Ying realize with a jolt—she had never submitted an entry-exit application.

She didn't remember doing it at all. With Jiujiu, she stood dumbfounded at the starport entrance. Passersby didn't spare her a glance and continued on their way.

Before long, a middle-aged man walked out from inside the starport, quickly approaching Wu Ying. "Madam, are you in a hurry to go out?"

Wu Ying nodded, her expression calm. She knew who he was. When she had returned with Asher previously, she'd seen him standing near the front in the waiting line at the port, and she had remembered him.

Naturally, he remembered her too. So when he saw the robot report the anomaly and noticed the commander's wife without entry-exit permission yet refusing to leave, he had no choice but to message his superiors for instructions on how to handle this. If it was urgent, they could make an exception.

Wu Ying looked at him, watching as people around her scanned their faces and left, the overhead airships rumbling as they departed.

She turned to leave, but the middle-aged man called out, saying her entry-exit application had been approved and she could now scan her face to leave.

"I believe I didn't submit an application," she stated calmly.

The man let out a puzzled "Ah?" then said, "How could that be? The commander said he forgot to approve it; he said to let you go first, and the procedure will be completed later."

So that was it. Wu Ying nodded, as if she understood.

She lowered her head to think, then decided to leave anyway. Asher had agreed; yesterday she'd been dead set on going. Was she going to turn back now?

Tuotuo Star, here she came.

The trip had been hasty. On the ship, Wu Ying finally pulled out her Light Brain to look up the planet—one of the most technologically backward planets, remote and hidden. A planner had commented that this planet was safe, but so safe it was unremarkable.

Clearly, that evaluation considered strategic location and planetary resources—needs for human development. Tuotuo Star was remote and lacked rare energy; even today, some people there still burned wood for warmth.

It was full of primitive charm, which would have interested no one in the past. But exactly now, when the war had finally transitioned to a stable phase, some people could no longer contain themselves and started to think beyond safety—though only among the upper echelons, the wealthy.

Some began to embrace Tuotuo Star's unique environment. It snowed all year round, and small hills like low shrubs were draped in snow, looking delicate and charming.

There were springs on the hills and trees. Perhaps due to the harsh environment, the local plants had evolved all their energy into thermal insulation.

When the ship arrived at the port, Wu Ying finally posted an update in her dorm group chat—a live photo of Tuotuo Star.

Soon, her wrist Light Brain vibrated wildly. Cynthia was screaming in the group, both scolding Wu Ying for leaving without a word and then laughing excitedly, declaring she'd set off right away.

Cynthia's emotional richness made Wu Ying feel inferior. She had once thought she'd misjudged interstellar people—emotionally cold? Cynthia seemed to be an exception. But obviously, she was a special case. Su Yi had once genuinely wondered why Cynthia was so sentimental.

More importantly, it was social-level emotional coldness that overshadowed individual traits.

Wu Ying raised her face and looked around. The port seemed smaller in scale, but it was about the same as an old-world airport. Despite the technological lag, there were taxis and even well-developed buses and light rail.

She walked out with Jiujiu, not knowing the rental process here. Fortunately, the Tuotuo Star official website had relevant introductions.

It was her first interstellar escapade, and she felt an inappropriately excited flutter mixed with a bit of unease. Fortunately, Jiujiu was reliable—with clear map navigation and compiled information, it had already analyzed the most suitable locations and listings.

"Then let's go!"

A little cabin in the mountains stood at the end of a winding path, perched amidst a quiet world covered in snow.

Wu Ying pushed open the door. The snow on her head gradually melted, dampening her hair. Inside, a smart robot immediately stepped forward with a dry towel. A warm fireplace crackled slowly, the burning firewood popping with soothing, hypnotic sounds.

Jiujiu entered and immediately took over the room's smart system. The robot slowly retreated to a corner. Jiujiu introduced the house in an excited, cute voice.

It was a two-story, single-family house with an attic under the roof. The second floor housed the bedrooms and a playroom; the first floor had a living room and a tea room. Wu Ying loved it, especially the playroom—she'd taken a fancy to it at first sight.

After a quick tidy, Wu Ying had the robot move the sofa to the floor-to-ceiling window, leaving the rest to Jiujiu. Clutching a throw pillow, she curled up on the sofa and watched the snow outside. The soft snow fell like goose feathers, fluffy and light; when the wind picked up, it drifted off course.

Wu Ying watched the snow drift down gracefully. In the yard stood a snowman—apparently a model underneath, though she couldn't tell now. On its shoulders and head sat three piles of snow, and the only bright color was the axe in its hand. Oh, and the blood-red nose and eyes barely visible beneath the snow. Wu Ying wondered, is this even cute?

A kindred spirit of the chainsaw maniac?

She really couldn't see the cuteness. "Jiujiu, let's knock down the snowman in the yard and build a new one."

Build a snowman?

Jiujiu's system stuttered a few frames—a rarity. It tilted its mechanical head in confusion. Wu Ying couldn't help but laugh, patting its metal head. "If I build one, you'll see. Now, you have to be my laborer and get rid of that ugly snowman in the yard."

This command it understood.

Wu Ying wore specially made warm clothes and gloves—soft, skin-friendly, and flexible—perfect snowman-building gear.

Jiujiu pushed over the axe-wielding snowman, revealing the model inside: cheap assembly, shoddy craftsmanship. Wu Ying shook her head in disdain. No wonder it lacked any charm.

"Now leave it to me. Jiujiu, start recording and make sure you capture the entire process of me building it. Oh, and mind the aesthetics—remember the techniques I taught you?"

Jiujiu replied with certainty, assuring her it would record everything by the rules.

Wu Ying trusted it completely on following rules.

She spread her fingers, hands blooming open in the air before closing. The yard was untouched, the snow uniformly deep. She easily rolled a small snowball, which grew larger and larger. Jiujiu extended several mechanical arms, determined to capture every move.

"Camera here, Jiujiu, over here."

"Okay, okay."

"Record the wide shot, the one that captures the whole yard."

"Okay." Jiujiu replied while controlling the cabin's cameras to swivel.

"Alright, now let's go immersive. No talking from either of us."

...