The hovercar glided smoothly along the main star's wide aerial lane.
In the back seat, the emoji on Xiao Yi's holographic screen flickered like a broken neon sign.
(≧∇∇)ﾉ
"Host! This metal body is awesome! Old Man said he added a micro anti-gravity engine—I feel like I could take off right now!"
Jiang Lijin leaned back in the passenger seat, rubbing her throbbing temples. The chattering voice in her head was gone, but now that the broken system had a physical body, the noise level had doubled.
"Best not fly inside the car." Jiang Lijin didn't even bother opening her eyes. "If you dent the roof, I'm deducting it from your future maintenance budget."
Xiao Yi's screen instantly switched to a pitiful expression.
(╥_╥)
"Host, you've changed. You weren't this stingy before. I'm your only bonded system, and you can't even spare a roof for me."
"The charging station at the villa is civilian standard," Chiron said calmly. "An anti-gravity engine consumes enormous energy. If you use it frequently, it'll trip the entire villa's circuit breaker. Also, military-grade body maintenance fluid is expensive. Since Young Master Tiniya handles the household finances, he probably won't approve that budget."
Xiao Yi froze.
(°Д°)
"Wait—you're telling me my future allowance depends on that Blondie's mood?!"
"You could put it that way." Chiron tapped his fingers on the steering wheel and didn't bother replying further.
Jiang Lijin couldn't help but laugh. She realized Chiron had a dark side underneath—he could wound without drawing blood, and with one sentence, he'd hit Xiao Yi right where it hurt.
The hovercar descended and landed at the villa's main gate.
Ryan was standing guard with two members of the Aegis Squad. The tall, rugged man's face bore a scar that looked fierce in the night. When he saw Jiang Lijin get out first, he straightened up, about to greet her, when a silver-white metal lump jumped out of the back seat.
Ryan furrowed his thick brows, looking the sleek robot body up and down.
"Your Highness, is this new security equipment?" Ryan asked.
Jiang Lijin wrapped her coat tighter and answered casually, "A newly hired nanny."
Xiao Yi was not pleased. It glided in front of Ryan, and a smug face with sunglasses popped up on its screen.
(⌐■_■)
"Big Guy, correction: I'm the head butler. From now on, the rough work outside is yours, the delicate work inside is mine. Don't step on my turf."
Ryan had spent years crawling through the military ranks, and he could tell at a glance that the metallic frame of this bot was no ordinary civilian service model. He rubbed his chin, his professional instincts kicking in as he stared at Xiao Yi's joint drives.
"Solid chassis. Probably takes a good hit. Want to spar sometime?"
Xiao Yi's screen flickered, switching to a contemptuous look.
(눈_눈)
"This system does not spar with brute-force-only fighters. My computing power can analyze thirty-six fatal weak points on your body in one second. You wouldn't stand a chance."
Ryan laughed and was about to reply when Jiang Lijin slapped Xiao Yi's metal head.
"Less talk. Inside."
The door to the villa swung open, and the buttery aroma of freshly baked cookies filled the air.
Tinia was directing the housekeeper to set out the just-baked cookies and tea on the coffee table. The little young master with golden hair and blue eyes lit up the moment he saw Jiang Lijin.
"Sister! You're finally back! I had someone bring the head chef from the best dessert shop in Central Star District to our home, and they baked your favorite..."
His voice caught in his throat. Tinia's gaze moved past Jiang Lijin and locked onto the silver-white robot behind her.
"What's that thing?"
Xiao Yi planted its hands on its hips and glided forward two steps.
(▼ヘ▼#)
"You're the thing! Your whole family's the thing! I'm Host's personal butler!"
"Butler?" Tinia walked over to Jiang Lijin and gracefully looped his arm through hers, resting his head on her shoulder. "I've already arranged staff to take care of Sister here. Why would we need a tin can sticking its nose in? Chiron, why did you buy this scrap? Isn't the house crowded enough already?"
Xiao Yi was about to activate its laser eyes to intimidate this clueless Blondie, when its central processor suddenly recalled Chiron's words in the car: "Young Master Tiniya handles the household finances."
Xiao Yi's data stream screeched to a halt. The rage on its holographic screen vanished in an instant, replaced by a sickeningly ingratiating starry-eyed expression, its metal arms forming a heart in front of its chest.
(✪ω✪)
"Oh my! This golden-haired, blue-eyed, handsome, and utterly money-drenched young master must be the legendary Young Master Tiniya! I've heard so much about you! My name is Xiao Yi, and from now on, I'm your dedicated little henchman! Um... about my monthly maintenance fluid budget—pretty please, dear money daddy, give it the green light~"
Tinia was completely thrown off by the seamless face-turn. His lips twitched as he stared at Xiao Yi like it was an idiot.
Chiron took off his coat and hung it on the rack, leisurely straightening his cuffs.
"I didn't buy it. Lijin brought it back." He paused, then added, "It doesn't need to sleep. It can monitor the villa around the clock and help share the housework bots' load."
Tinia's expression flipped instantly. He looked at Jiang Lijin with teary eyes, his blue gaze shimmering with hurt.
"Sister, are you dissatisfied with what I've arranged? Are you... looking for other... other machines outside?"
Jiang Lijin picked up a cookie and stuffed it into her mouth.
"This tin can is useful for something big."
Just as the bickering was in full swing, light footsteps sounded from the stairs on the second floor.
Rowan came down, clutching a fuzzy teddy bear and rubbing his eyes. The Little Emperor was wearing fluffy pajamas, his red hair sleep-mussed, looking incredibly soft and cuddly.
Xiao Yi's radar locked onto its target instantly. It abandoned Tinia, who was still vying for attention, its wheels spinning as it glided to the bottom of the stairs. Its holographic screen bloomed with a ring of pink flowers.
(✿◡‿◡)
"Ohh, Young Highness is awake! Would you like some warm water or juice? Shall I tell you an interstellar fairy tale? I have a hundred thousand bedtime stories stored in my memory! I can even imitate all kinds of animal sounds!"
Rowan stared blankly at the faceless robot, then turned to Jiang Lijin for help. "Sister, this is..."
"The new floor-sweeping bot," Jiang Lijin said after swallowing her cookie, putting the matter to rest.
Xiao Yi let out an electronic whine of protest.
(╥_╥)
"Host, I'm clearly a special reconnaissance model! Old Man Sai En promised to install a high-frequency cutting blade for me..."
"Go sweep the floor. If I find even one hair on the carpet, I'll pull your charging plug tomorrow."
"On it!" Xiao Yi immediately turned around, extending a tiny ionic vacuum brush from its right arm, and began diligently tackling the enormous wool carpet in the living room.
...
After dinner.
Rowan was coaxed to sleep by Xiao Yi. Gotta admit, the system really had a way with kids—it even used holographic projections when telling stories, completely captivating the Little Emperor.
In the living room, Jiang Lijin sat cross-legged on the sofa. Tinia was on the carpet, dutifully massaging her calves. Chiron sat in a single armchair nearby, holding a light-brain to process hospital emails, occasionally taking a sip of tea.
Tianyan and Tianque had just returned from outside and were also in the living room.
"Sister, can you tell us now?" Tinia's hands worked with just the right pressure, but his gaze kept drifting toward the second floor as he lowered his voice. "Where did that metal tin can actually come from? I checked its shell material—that's the highest-grade classified military-grade mech from the Academy of Sciences. You can't get it on the market at all. Did you go to the Academy today for it?"
Jiang Lijin leaned back, finding a comfortable position.
"It wasn't bought. It was already with me." She raised a finger and pointed at her head. "Before, it lived right here."
Tinia stopped massaging. He looked up, his blue eyes wide with shock.
Chiron lifted his gaze, his eyes settling on Jiang Lijin, his fingers tightening slightly around his teacup. He already knew the truth, but he wanted to hear how she planned to explain it to them.
Tianyan's apple-tossing motion paused too, a flicker of interest in his jade-green eyes. "Lived in your brain? That means it knew everything—even the times you secretly cursed us out in your head?"
Jiang Lijin rolled her eyes. "Secretly? I never hold back. When have I ever not cursed you to your face?"
Tianque added coldly, hitting the nail on the head. "So it's a symbiotic-type high-level artificial intelligence data."
"You could say that." Jiang Lijin's tone was casual. "A long time ago, it existed in my brain as data."
Tinia opened his mouth, struggling for a moment before squeezing out a sentence. "It lived in your brain? That means it could see every thought you had? Even when you were showering, changing clothes, and... it knew all that?"
This kid's focus was always oddly specific.
"Relax, it's a harmless green system. Anything it shouldn't see gets automatically filtered out." Jiang Lijin ruffled Tinia's hair. "Today I went to the Academy to get Dean Saien's help—found it a physical body and peeled it out of my brain."
"Why peel it out?" Tinia looked confused. "Was it hurting you?"
"It was too noisy." Jiang Lijin made up an excuse.
She didn't want to bring up heavy topics like "soul fragments" or "the return of all things."
"If it was noisy, you could've just formatted it. Why go to all the trouble of giving it such a good body?" Tinia muttered reluctantly, grabbing Jiang Lijin's ankle again with an even gentler touch. "Now it's got a body, wandering around the house every day. Annoying just to look at."
But soon, Tinia lowered his eyes, his golden lashes hiding the emotions beneath. He could hear the depth of Jiang Lijin's feelings for Xiao Yi—unmatched by anyone.
"Fine... then keep it." Tinia pouted, his tone softening. "But let's get one thing straight: it only does the heavy lifting. Massages, sleeping with you—those are still mine."
Tianyan chuckled and took a bite of his apple with a crunch. "Little Young Master, don't make promises you can't keep. Tianque and I just completely opened up the underground routes on the main planet today. All the shadowy businesses of the old nobles are under our control now. With such a big accomplishment, tonight should be our turn, right?"
Tinia shot him a glare. "Get lost!"
Chiron turned off his light-brain and spoke up unexpectedly. "Work related to sleeping arrangements should not have a clear schedule. It all depends on... Her Highness's wishes."
The atmosphere in the living room grew subtly tense as several pairs of eyes fixed on Jiang Lijin.
"Enough." Jiang Lijin cut them off. "I had a whole bunch of data pulled out of my head today. My head hurts. Tonight, I'm sleeping alone. Anyone who dares knock on my door, I'll have Xiao Yi greet them with a high-voltage stun baton."
Just then, Xiao Yi slid down the railing. Its full-screen interface displayed a big question mark.
(・_・?)
"Host, did you call me? Who needs electrocuting? Old Man hasn't installed the stun baton yet, but I can still physically dispatch them!"
Tinia grabbed a sofa cushion and threw it at the robot. "Go charge!"
Xiao Yi dodged agilely, its screen switching to an extremely smug, mocking expression.
(≖ᴗ≖)✧
"Missed me~ nyah nyah nyah~ This system is an advanced lifeform with a real body now. I don't bother with jealous males fighting for attention."
With that, it glided smoothly into its dedicated little room and closed the door behind it.
