CHAPTER 78: CHAPTER 78: ESCAPE

Ruan Li pulled him and headed back, only relaxing when she saw no trace of Wen, then said to Su Bai: "If Wen Li comes back later, don’t reveal what we just saw."

Her current situation wasn’t looking good. If the signal source could attract another robot, could Wen also detect it?

There’s still more than an hour until the time Bai He mentioned. She must find a way to delay...

Su Bai scratched his head, not understanding why Ruan Li said this, but still nodded: "Don’t worry, I won’t say a word."

When Ruan Li and Su Bai returned to the clinic, it was still pitch black inside.

Ruan Li breathed a sigh of relief, and as soon as she entered, she prepared to turn on the light, pretending they were at home.

"Where did you guys go?"

The sudden voice startled them.

Even Su Bai was affected by this guilty atmosphere, nervously licking his lips, "Nowhere, we just went to stroll through the night market! Yeah, the night market."

Ruan Li nodded in agreement.

Click.

The incandescent lamp in the front hall turned on, and the glaring white light suddenly illuminated the whole room.

Wen Li was sitting on the sofa, looking tall and upright. Even in cheap casual clothes, he managed to highlight his physique perfectly. Each line showcased his perfect broad shoulders and narrow waist, a golden ratio completely different from what he wore during the fight in the sandpit ten minutes ago.

This meant that not only did he arrive home ahead of them, but he also changed into clean clothes.

Ruan Li’s heart skipped a beat, thinking they couldn’t have walked the same path, right? She hadn’t seen Wen Li at all.

Wen Li smiled slightly, "Ruan Li, you don’t look too well. Was the night market not fun?"

Ruan Li shook her head: "It was fun, and there was a lot of delicious food."

"Then next time, I’ll go with you."

"Ah... okay." Ruan Li agreed reluctantly, "Then I’ll go to my room first."

Wen Li nodded slightly, his gaze smiling at her, but the smile made Ruan Li’s scalp tingle, unsure if it was her guilt causing her to feel the intensity of his gaze.

"Wait a moment."

Ruan Li stopped, her heart in her throat. She turned calmly and controlled her facial expression, "What’s the matter?"

Wen Li slowly curled his lips into a broader smile, "Nothing, just noticed your clothes are dirty. Did you accidentally get them dirty somewhere?"

Ruan Li found some dusty spots on herself, recalling that she probably rubbed against something when climbing out of the hole, failing to clean them off properly, which Wen Li noticed.

She tried hard to control her expression and smiled, "Probably."

Wen Li’s gaze lingered on her face like an extended focus camera, making Ruan Li uncomfortable all over.

"I see." He curved his lips and nodded.

Ruan Li, realizing she hadn’t given herself away, turned her head and breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Little did she know, a precious shot of her had already been recorded by the camera, saved in a private file.

Just like in childhood, her climbing actions were quite adorable.

Su Bai rarely acted like a night owl, chuckling as he walked out, then ran back to his room once he left the front hall.

Only after entering the room did he relax.

"What’s wrong with me, being so nervous?" he mumbled.

After returning to her room, Ruan Li changed out of her dirty clothes, noticing the stains on her back and legs were indeed conspicuous, and no wonder Wen Li noticed immediately.

She glanced at the Smart Brain’s time display; there’s still an hour left. Bai He and the others should be arriving on this planet soon... She needs to figure out a way to sneak out, or else Wen Li won’t let her leave.

Ruan Li was racking her brains on how to escape without alerting Wen Li when there was a knock at the door.

"Ruan Li, may I come in?"

"Yes."

The old wooden door creaked open, and Wen Li entered, bathed in moonlight.

"Give me the dirty clothes. I’ll wash and hang them out tomorrow morning."

"Oh, okay." Ruan Li stiffly handed over her changed clothes.

Then Wen Li handed her a bag, "New clothes I bought for you. See if you like them."

Ruan Li took out the clothes, surprised to find a pink frilly dress. This Deserted Star isn’t supposed to have females, is it?

Where did this dress come from?

Wen Li saw her confusion, "Went to an auction tonight and saw this dress. Don’t like it?"

?

??

Ruan Li’s pupils shrank abruptly, her expression froze as she heard herself shakily ask, "Auction? There’s actually an auction here. Quite special, I’ve never been to one."

Wen Li’s smile deepened in his eyes, "Next time I’ll take you. The auction house has some novel items, like..."

Ruan Li stared at him intensely, as if awaiting judgment.

"Some jewelry, clothes and the like, which I think you’d enjoy."

Ruan Li heard her heart resume its beat.

"You look like..." Wen Li hesitated, "You’re not looking well. Should I ask Su Bai to take a look at you?"

Ruan Li shook her head, "No, I feel my face looks quite rosy. You must be mistaken." As she spoke, she pressed both hands against her cheeks, warming them until she released.

Wen Li noticed her little gesture, "I might have been mistaken then."

"Need to wash up? I’ll go heat some water."

Ruan Li quickly nodded, urging Wen Li to step out.

How can she escape under Wen Li’s watchful eyes?

Wait until he sleeps?

Impossible, he’s a robot. Robots don’t need sleep; she’ll be caught once she gets up.

She could get Wen Li to sleep with her, then pretend she’s going to the bathroom.

Ruan Li felt she’d thought of a not-too-stupid plan, hastily washed up, and lay on the bed...

Why is Wen Li still outside?

She ran to the yard and found the diligent domestic robot cleaning up.

"Wen Li, aren’t you resting?"

Wen Li paused sweeping, "Nothing to worry about, I’ll rest soon."

Ruan Li hesitated, "Well, hurry up then."

After finally lying down for a while, Ruan Li heard Wen Li enter the room. He seemed to have activated sleep mode while sitting on the sofa.

Ruan Li waited a little longer, then lifted the blanket covering her head. In the darkness, she could barely make out Wen Li’s sleeping posture, and seeing he was motionless, she relaxed and got out of bed.

She quietly opened the door.

Creak—

The old wooden door issued a harsh squeal in the silence, causing Ruan Li’s heart to race wildly. She froze, afraid to turn back to see if Wen Li had awoken.

After waiting a moment, not hearing any sound, she breathed a sigh of relief and ran outside.

With the cold wind whipping through, Ruan Li tightly wrapped herself in a black cloak and headed out.

She sprinted out of town, aimlessly moving forward. As long as she was far enough from Wen Li, even if he detected her location, it would take time for him to catch up.

As the time approached, Ruan Li reinstalled the signal source on the Smart Brain, notifying Bai He of her specific location.