If Han Yanyan were to reflect on the various worlds she had experienced, she would find countless shortcomings. The first and foremost was her inability to invest genuine feelings into those around her; this was the most critical flaw of all. Fortunately, in the second round of her journey through the mech world, she had almost entirely overcome those weaknesses, save for a tiny part she allowed herself to keep. To be human was to feel, and Han Yanyan permitted herself to hold onto that little flicker of emotion.
The ever-changing worlds felt cyclical, and without some form of support, one could easily go mad.
She observed the climactic battle between Yao Chen and her female student self, Han Yanyan. This immersive experience seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, while only a moment had passed in the real world.
"The faster the time dilation, the more information can be flooded into the brain in a short period. The heavier the burden on the brain," Leo's voice crackled over the comms, frustrated. "That attendant insisted on monitoring his lordship's treatment process in real-time. To protect his brain, the world of Duke Klin could only operate at low speed, dragging on for half a month."
The attendant had forcefully intruded upon his territory, holding his life in the balance, much to his annoyance.
"Leo, did you really restore this technology all by yourself?" Han Yanyan asked over the comms.
Separated by the operations cabin and network cable, Leo felt quite proud of himself.
"Han Yanyan," he said, filled with pride, "do you finally have the right impression of me?"
"Leo..." Han Yanyan sighed, admiring him. "You are a genius."
Leo shivered in delight, barely suppressing his excitement, and opened the cabin hatch.
However, Han Yanyan did not exit her cabin. Leo sensed she had been helped out, and sure enough, she looked pale as if all the power had shut down, and her brain had exited the system’s activation state, feeling the full weight of “burden.”
As Han Yanyan crawled out, she leaned against the wall, her head buzzing painfully.
"You're stronger than that attendant; being a builder means your brain's activity is naturally active," Leo teased, "the attendant nearly vomited the first time he tried it. It was disgusting."
Before he could finish, Han Yanyan, bending down to rub her forehead, grabbed his arm and used his strength to stand up.
Leo stiffened, not wanting her to notice, so he remained still.
Fortunately, Han Yanyan let go once she stood straight and said, "I feel awful! Don’t you feel awful too?"
Leo replied, "I—I’m used to it. Besides, my brain isn't something you guys can compare to."
Han Yanyan asked, "You handled the previous world’s high-speed processing, and you could take it?"
Leo steadied himself and said, "In the previous world, I didn’t look." A builder only needed to be familiar with the world to handle it. Even if things went wrong, he could always restart. Thus, Leo was often too lazy to monitor those worlds. If he had that time, it would be better spent on experiments.
All this pressure came from the attendant.
With a soft "oh," Han Yanyan turned away, rubbing her temples. "I can’t, I need to go back and rest for a bit."
"It's time to eat," Leo called from behind.
"System, please send food to my room, something light. I feel a bit nauseous," she said as she walked out.
"Hey! Hey!" Leo watched her longingly. "You’re not cooking?"
"..." Han Yanyan didn't even glance back as she walked out. "Can you please act like a person? Can't you see I feel dizzy and nauseous?"
Dejected, Leo trudged to the dining area, eating alone the same tasteless food produced by the replicator.
The dining area was beautifully decorated by her, yet without anyone to talk to, it only heightened his solitude.
This was indeed fitting for the phrase, "It's easy to slide into luxury from poverty, but hard to fall back."
"Did she eat?" he asked.
"She did, but her cortex activity is a bit low, so she probably hasn’t shaken off the dizziness and nausea yet," the system reported. "It seems she plans to take a nap to alleviate her discomfort."
"Eh, she’s still unwell?" Leo paused mid-bite, surprised.
Han Yanyan had eaten the light lunch delivered by the robot sent by the system, aiming to take an afternoon nap, but the cabin door suddenly opened.
"Han Yanyan, the administrator ordered me to renovate your bathroom," the system explained.
Without seeking the room owner's consent, the robots flooded in as soon as the system finished its announcement. The sounds of clanging filled the bathroom.
Han Yanyan: … Well, there goes my chance for a nap.
The robots worked quickly, finishing in less than half an hour, then they filed out just as fast.
Feeling a bit sluggish, Han Yanyan crossed her arms and walked in to check it out.
"You took down my bathtub?" she frowned. "Does he have a grudge against me?"
"The administrator has installed an anti-gravity oxygen bath, which helps with stress relief," the system explained.
"..." Han Yanyan raised her brow. "How do I use this?"
With that, the device activated, and instead of the water flowing downward, it formed a floating sphere of water atop the anti-gravity base.
Han Yanyan stripped off her clothes, followed the system’s instructions, and stepped onto the platform. There was no gravity at that height, and she effortlessly floated into the water sphere. As she breathed, a stream of bubbles escaped her lips, and the oxygen-rich water filled her lungs, providing her cells with much-needed oxygen.
Han Yanyan closed her eyes, savoring the experience, floating peacefully within the water sphere.
"The water temperature will remain constant, and the oxygen concentration will stay the same," the system informed her. "You don’t need to worry about drowning; you can even take a nap in there."
Han Yanyan had decided to nap in the water sphere.
She kept her eyes closed and said, "Please thank him for me."
"Alright, I’ll pass that on," the system answered.
"Hmph." Leo paused his calculations, raising his head to complain, "Can’t she say thank you in person? How rude of her!"
The system went quiet.
"Why have you been so quiet lately?" Leo complained again.
The system shot back, "I usually reply after you speak. However, you've reduced your remarks by forty percent, so my responses have correspondingly decreased, creating the illusion that I speak less."
Leo was taken aback, irked, he lowered his head to continue calculating, ignoring the system.
When he finally pulled himself out of his wonderful scientific world, rubbing his neck, he casually asked, "How’s she doing?"
"Warning, Han Yanyan is now in possession of a lethal weapon," the system chimed in confidently. "Warning, Han Yanyan is now in possession of a lethal weapon."
Leo’s eyes lit up.
Indeed, Han Yanyan was cooking. Dressed in a new beautiful dress, she had her hair tied up, revealing her graceful neck.
The anti-gravity oxygen bath claimed to be a super stress reliever, and it certainly was not boastful. Her complexion looked fantastic, as if she had just come out of a beauty treatment. She seemed in high spirits as she hummed a little tune while stirring the pot.
Leo stood outside the kitchen, trying his best to keep a straight face, fighting his urge to smile.
He knew he was safe standing outside. With the door between them, if Han Yanyan wanted to come out and stab him, she couldn't do so under the system’s watchful eye.
He felt pride in his constant alertness and awareness.
When Han Yanyan turned around and saw the young man grinning stupidly outside the door, she was momentarily speechless.
"You showed up early. I was going to call you later," she remarked.
The young man, maintaining an aloof demeanor, haughtily replied, "I’m hungry; why isn’t the food ready yet?"
Han Yanyan couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth at the silly words he spoke while wearing that smile. She held back and said, "Just a bit longer. Go wait over there."
Leo quickly moved to sit at the dining table. He took a spot directly facing the kitchen, keeping the kitchen door open. Watching her busying about brought him silly joy.
This happiness felt more intense than at any time he concluded a research project. It was quite strange.
One could say that this was the most delightful meal the two had shared since Han Yanyan had awoken from the hibernation pod.
Leo sensed a change in Han Yanyan ever since she admitted, "You’re a genius." Her attitude toward him transformed completely. His heart soared inexplicably, and he greedily hoped for even more.
Unfortunately, Han Yanyan then asked a question.
"Do you wake up late every day?" she inquired.
"My sleeping schedule has been chaotic for decades," Leo replied.
Han Yanyan pondered, then asked, "What did you mean when you talked about a twenty-hour and thirty-hour system? Which time zones are those?"
Leo answered, "The twenty-hour system is from my hometown, and the thirty-hour one is from Loni Star, where I went to university. The twenty-four-hour system you’re asking about is the standard for the Renia system."
"You don’t eat breakfast every day because you can’t get up?" Han Yanyan remarked with a curious look.
"I sleep late every day, several hours later than you, so I wake up late, too. I can’t adjust quickly," Leo said, feeling a bit down. He genuinely wanted to have breakfast with Han Yanyan.
Han Yanyan looked at him with a strange expression.
Leo sensed something was off and asked, "What’s wrong?"
"My hometown's technology is outdated and hasn’t even moved beyond the stellar system," Han Yanyan stammered. "But I just don’t understand. Since we’re in outer space with just the two of us, why must we stick to these time systems? If we push the time back a few hours, I could sleep in tomorrow, wake up later, and then our schedules could sync up, right?"
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
Leo Parker, who possessed intellect that could rival a third of the known universe, felt an unusual ache on his face for the first time.
Those who gaze upon the stars can easily trip over a small stone beneath their feet; that was not uncommon, he silently told himself. Then, donning his usual aloof demeanor, he calmly replied, "I wasn't keen on changing things, but since you want to, let's adjust the time tonight."
After Han Yanyan took a good nap, their schedules finally aligned! Leo could finally share breakfast with Han Yanyan!
Early in the morning, he even swapped out yesterday's flowers in the vase for fresh flowers he had recently cultivated using his organic light ray technology. The dining area was filled with a gentle fragrance.
When Han Yanyan entered, she inhaled deeply. The aroma seemed to lift her mood.
"Good morning!" she walked over with light steps and greeted him. "How about some porridge? I’m cooking it now."
Leo was already seated at the dining table, a few light screens pulled up in front of him. The screens were filled with complicated data that Han Yanyan could not comprehend. Research was different from executing experiments; as long as he had a chair, he could work on the screens without needing a specific place.
Of course, he couldn’t focus on calculations before Han Yanyan arrived; he was just putting on a show.
"Mm." He kept his eyes glued to the screens, putting on an act, as if casually saying, "You manage it."
Breakfast consisted of clear porridge and side dishes, creating a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere.
Leo truly believed that since Han Yanyan recognized he was a genius, her attitude toward him genuinely changed. She no longer regarded him with disdain, and their interactions became significantly easier.
"Are you still busy?" Han Yanyan asked, observing the young man who seemed engrossed in his screens.
He merely replied with a soft "Mm."
"Then I’ll leave you to it," Han Yanyan announced, preparing to get up.
Finally, he took a moment from his busy work and, with an air of reluctance, glanced over at her, asking, "Where are you going?"
Han Yanyan replied, "I’m tired of watching dramas; I'm just going to stroll around the ship." With that, she hurried out.
What stroll? She simply wanted to take the opportunity to familiarize herself with the ship, searching for something she could control or utilize. Leo rolled his eyes. But he wasn’t worried; no matter how she struggled, she would not escape his grasp.
Soon enough, alarms blared.
"Han Yanyan has entered a restricted area."
"Han Yanyan wants to enter the conversion chamber."
"Han Yanyan kicked the door of the conversion chamber."
The ship’s owner rubbed his temples and viewed the surveillance footage, seeing Han Yanyan kick the door of the place she was trying to enter in frustration.
What a sight.
Leo chuckled helplessly and said, "Give her clearance."
As Han Yanyan kicked the door, it swung open.
The dynamic between Han Yanyan and Leo suddenly shifted.
She cooked elaborate meals for him, they shared meals without sarcasm or ridicule, occasionally chatting, often with Han Yanyan asking questions and Leo explaining.
She never abandoned the idea of escaping, exploring the ship while gradually pushing the boundaries of the "restricted area."
Leo never gave her full access. In truth, aside from the bridge and armory, Leo deemed other areas as generally safe for her exploration.
No matter how she floundered, she could never break free from his grip on the ship.
Leo thoroughly enjoyed each time she triggered alarms, smiling in resignation when saying, "Give her clearance," laced with a teasing affection.
Until, a few days later, Han Yanyan found herself before a door.
"Is this the one?" she asked with a smile.
"… Yes," the system replied.
Han Yanyan triggered the alarm. Leo, now accustomed to it, gave a doting grin, barely lifting his head as he said, "Give her clearance."
After all, most of the rooms held nothing but mundane items that would benefit her little. She would surely leave disappointed, soon triggering another alarm in the next room.
But this time, the quiet stretched a little too long.
When Leo finally noticed, he pulled his attention away from his thoughts, casually inquiring, "Where is she?"
The system honestly responded, "In your bedroom."
Silence gripped the air for a moment before Leo tumbled down from his chair.
By the time he rushed over, it was already too late.
The hatch swung open, revealing four women inside the room.
One woman said dryly, "You're back?" This was the apocalypse version of Han Yanyan.
Another chimed, "Well, you’re back." An air of superiority lingered; this was the chaebol’s daughter version of Han Yanyan.
Yet another, with charming eyes and a gentle voice, said, "Welcome back. You must be tired." This was the married student version of Han Yanyan.
The last woman said nothing, arms crossed, facing away from Leo, admiring the grand display screen showing images of Leo engaged in vigorous activity with various versions of Han Yanyan in bed, moans echoing throughout the bedroom.
This was the genuine Han Yanyan.
Your grandpa always remains your grandpa; your grandmother always remains your grandmother.
After a few gentle days, Han Yanyan made Leo forget she was Han Yanyan.
But she was still Han Yanyan.
When she finally turned to face him, a slight smile gracing her lips, she murmured, "Your inflatable doll is truly advanced."