If you answer one question wrong, you won't be able to get out of bed for a whole day.
The morning light poured in through the half-open glass window, casting a somewhat dreamlike glow over the two figures.
Herta picked up a silver fork and speared a piece of bacon, bringing it to her mouth. The aroma of the fat spread between her lips and teeth, and a look of satisfaction appeared in her eyes.
She then turned her attention to the thick and soft seafood porridge, scooping up a spoonful and blowing on it slightly to cool it down before taking it into her mouth.
The fresh porridge slid down her throat, warming her all the way to her stomach.
The lingering trace of laziness between her brows from waking up early quietly dissolved at this moment.
Herta didn't eat slowly, yet her movements were elegant and composed.
The fried egg on the plate was soon cut open, the golden yolk mixing with the baked beans in tomato sauce, creating distinct layers of flavor.
Having finished tasting the two very different styles of breakfast, the fullness in her stomach made her squint her eyes comfortably.
"If I can maintain this standard every day in the future..."
Herta put down her utensils and leaned lazily against the back of the chair, a clear smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"This genius might consider sparing a tiny bit of her precious time to have breakfast with you."
"Let me state this beforehand: I simply acknowledge your culinary skills. I absolutely have no intention of indulging in gluttony."
Qi Zhimu chuckled, breaking Herta's composure with a single sentence.
"It's one thing for you to set my character as a duplicitous tsundere, but why are you learning it yourself?"
"Don't you like tsunderes?"
"I don't hate them, it just doesn't suit you. Just be your truest self."
Before she could speak, Qi Zhimu propped his face on one hand: "No jokes, which style of breakfast do you prefer?"
"They both feel average. They're not as delectable as you. If I could eat you every day when I wake up, I wouldn't need breakfast."
"Uh... I didn't expect you to say such flirtatious words." Qi Zhimu's composure was also broken.
"With such a big change in me, do you feel a serious psychological gap?"
A meaningful curve rose in Herta's brows.
He seemed to have taken what she just said as a joke...
"No matter how much you change, Herta is still the Herta of back then. I've changed quite a bit too. If not for my firm will, I might have been influenced even more by my colleagues."
Herta took another sip of porridge. Seeing Qi Zhimu eating extremely fast, she asked with interest: "Besides eating like a wolf, in what other ways?"
"That would definitely be having a mouth coated in honey," Qi Zhimu said solemnly.
"I get it, spitting fragrance—foul-mouthed."
"Most Galaxy Rangers don't like playing games. They're straightforward and say whatever's on their minds. Their speech contains a very high level of crude profanity."
"That's good. Aside from the swearing, my way of doing things is similar to the Galaxy Rangers you described."
At this point, Herta's eyes curved slightly.
"Besides, my Brother Zhimu said back then that he liked the confident and flamboyant Herta the most. Now, I like myself like this too."
"You still remember that sentence..."
"I remember everything you've said. Don't tell me you've forgotten the important experiences and promises between us?"
"Hard to say..." Qi Zhimu rubbed his chin, falling into deep thought.
Herta pouted, feigning anger, unaware that in the former's eyes, her cute little expression was incredibly interesting.
"Hard to say, is it? Next, I'll ask and you'll answer. If you can't answer or answer incorrectly, humph humph..."
"What will the consequences be?" Qi Zhimu raised an eyebrow.
"For every question you answer wrong, you won't be able to get out of bed for a day," Herta said, her words shocking.
Whoa?
Qi Zhimu was surprised, trying to find a blush or shyness on Herta's face.
However, there was none.
She seemed to be serious...
Qi Zhimu felt a bit faint of heart.
He understood the weight of a genius too well. For a genius to achieve something like that was not difficult at all; there were countless methods.
But don't misunderstand—he was only feeling guilty imagining the days of not being able to get out of bed, not because he had forgotten anything.
Because—it was impossible for him to answer incorrectly.
"Then go ahead and ask. I'm ready."
Seeing his confident appearance, Herta threw out the first question.
"What was the first gift I gave you?"
"A wizard hat."
"On my 8th birthday, you..."
As time passed, Herta became more and more unhappy as she asked.
Qi Zhimu really remembered even the most trivial matters and could answer them all. Wouldn't her intentions be nipped in the bud then?
Last night's second attempt was interrupted, and she didn't intend to let it go just like that.
Reservedness could just go to hell; that was all just an act for others. She only wanted to put a seal on this reunion after several centuries, and—
Make Qi Zhimu stained with her colors, and warn those women who had designs on him.
Gradually, Qi Zhimu also felt that something was wrong.
He could see Herta's intention, but there shouldn't be a need for a reason for this kind of thing. It was as if... she was deliberately wanting him to answer a few questions wrong.
At this moment, no matter how much Qi Zhimu racked his brain, he would never have thought that Herta's current behavior all stemmed from his personal belongings.
On the string of ornaments at his waist, besides the key she gave him, there were two other things...
With Herta's brain, what possibility could she not guess?
She didn't care how Qi Zhimu carried important items from his previous life into his new one.
She only needed to know that she wasn't the only one!
That sachet must have been given by some woman, and that shattered jade pendant too. To be shattered like that, heaven knows how twisted the story behind it was.
Perhaps... it was even more twisted than the two main experiences between her and him.
She didn't want to know the specifics; she only felt a sense of crisis.
Seeing that Herta showed no signs of stopping, Qi Zhimu felt helpless and had no choice but to deliberately answer a few questions incorrectly.
"Three, oh, my Lord Zhimu..."
"Mm, three. So... what do you plan to do next?"
Qi Zhimu reached his slender fingers to his neck, undoing two buttons of his shirt, revealing his collarbone and half of his firm chest silhouette.
The movement, full of tension, combined with his body that looked lean in clothes but muscular when undressed, made his intention self-evident.
The hint was also laid on thick.
Herta didn't lose herself because of this, though her gaze wavered.
"...I can't guess what you're truly conflicted about. We don't need to worry too much between us; you can just say it," Qi Zhimu sighed.
A woman's heart is hard to guess, even for a genius.
He didn't want to guess; it was exhausting.
"True, hesitating is not Herta's style."
Herta pushed aside her messy thoughts and looked seriously at Qi Zhimu's face.
"Those ornaments at your waist—besides the key I gave you, the other two items, and that musical instrument that looked like a weapon last night—I'm quite concerned about their origins."
Qi Zhimu was slightly stunned. He hadn't expected the reason for Herta's internal conflict to be so simple.
It's just that...
"I can wait for the day you're willing to speak. If you never want to say it, I won't ask again," Herta added.
Qi Zhimu candidly took off the ornaments and placed them gently on the table.
"To be honest, I don't know. It was only when I saw your puppet on the Space Station that I remembered the experiences of my previous life with you and this key."
Herta's expression froze: "Wait, saw my puppet?!"
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