Luo Yan held Wan Tong’s hand as they stepped away from the slums, one step at a time. Then, they got into a hovercraft and returned to their apartment dormitory.
From start to finish, both of them seemed dazed, neither speaking a word.
But the moment the door closed, Luo Yan pressed Wan Tong against it. He bent his tall frame slightly, cupping her face with both hands, his forehead almost touching hers, their breaths intertwining.
“Wanwan, tell me, what’s going on?”
His eardrums were still ringing, his mind gripped by an unrelenting tension, making it impossible to think.
“Luo Yan, it hurts…” The girl let out a soft whimper, gently lifting her pale, delicate hand. A faint red mark circled her wrist—it was from how tightly he had held her on the way back.
Luo Yan forced himself to calm down, lowering his hands and enclosing her fingers within his palm. Slowly, his mind cleared. “Wanwan… am I dreaming?”
Back in the basement, he had already noticed. His smart wristband and sensory suit were both damaged.
On the way home, he had questioned over and over again whether she was really his Wanwan. But each time, the answer struck him like a tidal wave.
She was Wanwan.
Wanwan, now with a human body.
Wan Tong’s face was slightly pale. She had suffered an attack during the transformation process, then walked all the way back—now, all she wanted was to lie down and rest.
As soon as the thought formed in her mind, she suddenly dissolved into a streak of blue light and vanished.
Luo Yan’s arms were suddenly empty. He froze in place before quickly lowering his gaze to his optical computer.
“Luo Yan… Wanwan needs to rest for a while…” A weak voice came through, then fell silent.
Luo Yan pressed his palm against his temple, his head lowered, his dark eyes clouded with turmoil.
A long while later, he finally opened <Wanwan’s Little House>.
There she was, lying on her small bed, looking exhausted.
This was the first time she had ever been in such a state.
“Wanwan, where does it hurt?” His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn’t spoken in days—worried and urgent.
Wan Tong didn’t respond. She was simply too tired. Shishi had told her that both her program and body still needed further repair.
Luo Yan sat dumbfounded by the bed, staring unblinking at the screen. After a long pause, he started fiddling anxiously with his broken wristband.
No one knew how much time had passed when Wan Tong woke up to complete darkness, just like the moment she first entered this world.
She was about to leave when she suddenly noticed her body once again emitting countless floating numbers and letters.
Then, a small screen appeared mid-air, playing back fragments of her memories.
Strange… She hadn’t activated her memory playback. Why was it showing?
The images flashed by quickly. When a certain scene appeared, her heart skipped a beat.
It was the night Luo Yan had been drugged…
She instantly realized, Luo Yan was accessing her memories!
She stared blankly at the floating screen.
On it was his enlarged, striking face. His dark eyes clouded with desire, his dazed expression reminding her of every intimate moment from that night.
And the playback was from her perspective.
That meant the screen showed everything she had seen. His face, his jawline, his neck, his chest, the sweat glistening on his skin…
Every place her gaze had lingered, he was now seeing.
With a quick flick of her hand, the screen disappeared.
She squatted in the darkness, both embarrassed and furious, wanting to hide forever.
In front of the optical computer, Luo Yan sat frozen, staring at the now-dark screen, unable to react for a long time.
That night… wasn’t a dream.
His own memories of that night were also becoming clearer, how he had claimed every inch of her, how he had held her in his arms.
He could still hear her soft, breathless voice calling his name at his neck, sweet and alluring.
“Wanwan, be good, come out and see me.” His voice was low and gentle, coaxing, as if speaking to a sulking child who had run away from home.
No response from the optical computer.
But he knew, she was just hiding.
Because she knew he had seen her memories.
He exhaled deeply and continued, “I’m sorry, Wanwan. I forgot about that night—”
“Shut up.” Her soft, flustered voice cut him off, tinged with a hint of coquettish anger. But she still refused to appear.
“Wanwan, please, come out. I want to see you…”
“No.” Her stubbornness flared.
[Tong Tong, this time it was Luo Yan who repaired your program, you know…] Shishi suddenly reminded her.
Wan Tong had already guessed as much.
But how could he peek at her memories like that? It was way too embarrassing!
Still… she had to face him eventually.
“Wanwan…” Luo Yan had just started to speak when a streak of blue light drifted out from the optical computer.
Right before his eyes, it transformed into a tangible figure—Wanwan’s form.
She sat on the desk in front of him, her body almost sinking into his embrace.
Luo Yan shot to his feet, hands bracing on either side of her. His chair rolled back and crashed into the wall with a loud bang.
He locked her firmly within his arms, his face so close to hers that their breaths mingled. His voice was dazed as he murmured, “Wanwan…”
“Am I… weird?” Wan Tong couldn’t help but ask.
Could a normal person accept what she had become, an existence like a phantom, able to traverse the digital world yet possessing a human body?
Luo Yan shook his head, his deep, unreadable eyes not looking at her but instead whispering, “Wanwan was always meant to be like this.”
No matter how it happened, she now had a physical form, and he was happy.
But he was also afraid.
What if one day, she simply disappeared? Just as suddenly as she had appeared?
Conflicting emotions warred inside him.
His arms tightened around her as if trying to merge her into himself, never letting her leave.
Outside the door, three heads squeezed into the gap, feeling both frustrated and curious about the constant *clatter* sounds coming from inside.
Was Lou Yan running a factory in there? Ever since he got back, the noise hadn’t stopped.
*Knock, knock* Qin Yang rapped on the door.
No one came to open it, but they heard Lou Yan’s rarely excited voice, calling out something that sounded like “Wanwan.”
“What’s going on, Lou Yan?” Ai Rui chimed in. They had read online that he had gone back to the slums and even seemed to have gotten injured.
“Should we break the door down? Something feels off,” Fang Jie suggested.
Just as the three were preparing to force their way in, the door swung open.
Lou Yan’s clothes were indeed rumpled, with faint traces of dirt. A fresh scrape marked his jaw, oozing a thin line of blood, but other than that, he didn’t seem to be badly hurt.
The trio let out a breath of relief, until they caught sight of the figure Lou Yan was holding by the hand.
“Hey, Xiao Wanwan, you’re looking even prettier today~” Ai Rui immediately teased.
The girl stood half a step behind Lou Yan. Her soft, chestnut-colored hair cascaded down her shoulders like seaweed, framing large eyes with long lashes and delicate, doll-like features. She was as charming as ever. But what stunned them was the way the overhead light cast long, curled shadows from her lashes—shadows that fell onto the floor, forming a small, distinct outline beneath her feet.
There was no doubt.
She was human.
“Lou Yan, is this…?” Qin Yang, usually the most composed, found himself stammering.
Ai Rui and Fang Jie, on the other hand, jumped back two steps, their faces flushing red. No way… Did Wanwan actually have a real-life counterpart?
Could it be that Lou Yan had secretly been in love with someone, and so he programmed an AI version of her to keep himself company…?
In an instant, their minds conjured up the image of a lovesick programmer silently nursing his unspoken affection.
“Her name is Wan… Tong.” Lou Yan’s voice faltered slightly, as if the last syllable had slipped out unintentionally.
Wan Tong looked up at him in surprise. Was that a coincidence? How did he come up with that name?
Hearing the introduction, the trio exchanged knowing glances. Yep, just as they thought.
Qin Yang gave Wan Tong a slight nod before shifting the subject. “We saw the news. You ran into trouble in the slums?”
Lou Yan shook his head. “Nothing serious. It’s over now.”
“Alright, but if anything comes up, let us know.”
Lou Yan nodded, then tugged Wan Tong’s hand and started toward the door.
Qin Yang couldn’t help but ask, “Where are you two going?”
“The police station.”
“Huh?”
Realizing their misunderstanding, Lou Yan explained, “Wanwan doesn’t have citizenship.”
“Oh, that makes sense. But, uh, the office is closed now,” Qin Yang pointed out. In the slums, countless people lacked official documentation, some were born and died without ever having a real identity.
For someone like Lou Yan, who had talent and prospects, obtaining citizenship had been easy, just a small fee and some paperwork. But for those without skills, getting official recognition was a matter of luck.
Lou Yan froze, only now realizing how late it was.
He turned to the quiet, obedient girl beside him, then wordlessly led her back into the room.
The three men awkwardly looked away, pretending to be interested in anything else, though their eyes kept flicking back to Wan Tong.
She’s way too well-behaved… Even the AI version of Wanwan wasn’t this obedient!
In reality, Wan Tong was just walking cautiously, still not entirely used to her human body.
At the doorway, she suddenly stopped.
Lou Yan glanced back at her just as she blinked up at him with wide, watery eyes. She hesitated, then pressed a hand to her stomach.
“Lou Yan, I think… I’m a little hungry.”
Lou Yan studied her face, then her stomach. “What do you want to eat?”
“Self-heating meal?” Her voice was laced with anticipation, sweet and expectant.
She had watched Lou Yan eat those meals every day, and they had always looked delicious. She had been wanting to try one.
“???” Qin Yang and the others were bewildered.
Wan Tong had no idea that self-heating meals were the cheapest, least nutritious option, barely enough to fill a stomach, let alone provide proper nourishment. They weren’t even commonly sold anymore.
It was just that Lou Yan was used to them, so he always kept a few in stock.
“Alright.” Lou Yan nodded.
Wan Tong perched on a high stool, gripping her chopsticks tightly as she stared intently at the steaming meal in front of her.
Since the stool was designed for men’s height, her feet couldn’t reach the ground, so they dangled and swayed slightly. The scene was both adorable and heartwarming.
Qin Yang, Ai Rui, and Fang Jie exchanged glances.
Ai Rui : Ahhh, I really want a tiny, short-legged girlfriend like this!
Qin Yang : Shut up.
Fang Jie just giggled foolishly.
Then, as if sharing a single thought, all three squeezed into the kitchen after Lou Yan.
“Lou Yan, this is practically abuse! How can you just give her a meal box? Does that even taste good?” Ai Rui protested, shaking his head disapprovingly.
—Damn, maybe I should go to the slums and pick up an adorable little sister to take care of too…
“Yeah, won’t it upset her stomach?” Qin Yang added. “To be honest, she doesn’t seem like someone who’s been through hardship. Be honest, did she really come from the slums?”
Lou Yan’s eyes flickered slightly, but his hands didn’t stop moving. “Don’t worry, I know her well.”
She was picky. If she didn’t like something, she wouldn’t touch it.
The three others exchanged glances but said nothing more. Lou Yan was younger than them, but due to his upbringing, he was far more mature than they had imagined.
Before long, two soft *ptoo ptoo* sounds came from outside, followed by the sound of water being gulped down.
“Lou Yan…” Wǎn Tóng called toward the kitchen, her small lips pouting. The self-heating meal was awful, it tasted like it was made of plastic. Hard to chew was one thing, but it was also completely flavorless. How had he even managed to eat this in the past?
She was just about to jump down from the high stool when Lou Yan emerged from the kitchen, carrying a bowl of noodles and a cup of orange-colored drink.
He moved her self-heating meal aside and pushed the bowl of noodles in front of her. “Try it?”
Lou Yan didn’t know how to cook and had never done it before, but he often ate at that noodle stall. So, just now, he had followed what he remembered.
He recalled that she had once said she wanted to taste that kind of noodles.
“Okay.”
At the other end of the long table, the three others absentmindedly scrolled through their optical computers, sneaking glances now and then. The whole room seemed to be filled with sour jealousy.
They had agreed that everyone in the development department would stay single together—yet Lou Yan not only had Xiao Wanwan but also a Xiao Wan Tong… This was brutal.
Before heading back to their rooms, Qin Yang leaned over and whispered into Lou Yan’s ear, “Lou Yan, bringing your girlfriend home is fine, but please have some restraint. I live right next door, have some mercy on me…”
Lou Yan : “…”
Seeing the tips of Lou Yan’s ears turn red, Qin Yang teased him a bit more before heading back to his room.
Lou Yan pressed his lips together and glanced at Wan Tong. She had only taken a few bites before getting full. Now, she was sitting on the high stool, poking at herself or lightly kicking her legs, as if trying to get used to her body. She looked so adorable that he had the urge to scoop her up and squeeze her.
Noticing his gaze, she smiled and said sweetly, “Lou Yan, Wanwan wants to take a bath~”
Her soft, lilting voice made his heart tremble again. He suddenly felt the need to drink something to cool down the heat rising in his body.
“I’ll teach you.” He walked over and lifted her down from the stool.
Wan Tong blinked, deeply suspicious. “Wanwan knows how to bathe.”
Lou Yan’s lips curled slightly as he carried her into the bathroom. “Wanwan doesn’t.”
She was just about to argue when she realized there was no showerhead in the bathroom, no bathtub either. She froze and looked up at him pitifully. “Wanwan really doesn’t…”
Lou Yan chuckled, pressing a button on the wall. A showerhead appeared from above, and he proceeded to explain how to use it.
Wan Tong nodded, signaling for him to leave, but instead, he took her hands in his, tilting his head at her with a teasing smirk. “Wanwan doesn’t want to shower with me?”
“…” Wan Tong silently shook her head.
“Why are you getting shy now?” Lou Yan pinched her warm cheeks, then gently tapped her sharp little chin, reluctant to let go.