Miss Si's feigned innocence went too far, and the aloof Mr. Bo was easily swayed.

On the way back from the mental hospital, Si Yuan developed a fever.

She curled up in her seat, her cheeks burning red, her breathing heavy.

"Si Yuan..."

Bo Yusen sensed something was wrong, pulled her into his arms, and touched her forehead; it was so hot it could warm his palm.

"don't want……"

Consciousness was constantly being pulled between lucidity and confusion; one moment I felt unbearably hot, the next I was shivering with cold.

She frowned, clutching Bo Yusen's clothes tightly, and muttered something in pain.

Bo Yusen told Lan Hai to drive faster and also told the family doctor to wait for him at Yuanshan Dai.

Si Yuan said she liked Bo Yusen's embrace the most. Last time she was not feeling well, she was incredibly well-behaved when Bo Yusen held her.

But today, even when Bo Yusen was holding her, she struggled uneasily, as if she were trapped in a nightmare and in pain.

Tears kept flowing.

"@#￥%……"

She kept talking, but Bo Yusen couldn't hear what she was saying, so he put his ear close to her mouth.

"I'm not... sick... no... don't send me there..."

Bo Yusen frowned deeply. Was he frightened?

Si Yuan kept sobbing uncontrollably, "I...will be good...I'll listen...to you..."

Bo Yusen hadn't expected Si Yuan to be so afraid of mental hospitals. He gently wiped the sweat from her forehead and pulled her into his arms.

Like comforting a child, I gently patted the back of her hand to reassure her, "Don't be afraid, no one will take you there."

"Darkness...I'm scared...Something's watching me..."

Si Yuan huddled closer to Bo Yusen in fear, her burning forehead pressed against his neck.

Bo Yusen hugged her tighter and kissed her forehead. "Ah Yuan, don't be afraid. No one will hurt you anymore."

The gentle voice and the familiar scent of pine wood slowly relaxed Si Yuan's tense nerves.

She unconsciously looked up, and her lips touched Bo Yusen's Adam's apple.

Bo Yusen's breath hitched. He wanted her to behave, but she sat up, cupped his face, and gently kissed his lips.

One after another...

Bo Yusen wanted her to behave herself, but her eyes were red and she looked limp and pitiful, as if she could break at the slightest touch.

He lowered his head and returned her a quiet, lingering kiss.

Later on, it was mostly Bo Yusen who took the initiative, and Si Yuan gradually closed her eyes.

Fell asleep.

The doctor examined Si Yuan and said she didn't have a cold; her fever was probably just psychological.

Fortunately, after taking fever-reducing medicine and applying fever-reducing patches, the fever quickly subsided.

"go out--"

233(๑•́₃•̀๑): [I want to protect A-Yuan. I hope that when she opens her eyes, the first person she sees is me.]

Si Yuan slowly woke up and heard the voices of Bo Yusen and 233.

Do you know 1288?

233: [The 1288 robot is a newly launched robot. Compared to previous robots, this one is more versatile. In addition to its capabilities, it can drive, cook, and even diagnose illnesses, making it the best home assistant.]

After dutifully explaining the facts, 233 looked terrified and asked, "Master, are you going to replace me?"

233(o̴̶̷᷄﹏o̴̶̷̥᷅): 【I'll be good, I'll go out now.】

Si Yuan saw 233 hanging its head, looking pitiful as it was about to leave, and called out to it, "233..."

Upon hearing Si Yuan's voice, 233's eyes lit up, and she instinctively wanted to walk towards Si Yuan's side, but then she was wary of Bo Yusen, so she stood there almost crying.

【Ah Yuan…】

Bo Yusen ignored 233, walked over and bent down to pat Si Yuan's head.

It's stopped burning.

Just as he was about to step back, Si Yuan grasped his hand, her eyes bright and her smile curved. "I heard you call me A Yuan."

Bo Yusen watched Si Yuan quietly, and then, once he regained some energy, he began to speak.

"so?"

Si Yuan followed his body, got up, wrapped her arms around Bo Yusen's neck, and rubbed her nose against his.

Bo Yusen didn't push her away, which emboldened her. "I'm very happy."

Si Yuan's face was still somewhat pale. Bo Yusen picked up a coat and draped it over her shoulders. "Are you hungry?"

Si Yuan nodded, "Hungry..."

Before Bo Yusen could even speak, 233 quickly replied, "Ah Yuan, I'll go get you some porridge right now."

Si Yuan smiled at 233, "Okay, thank you 233."

After 233 left, Si Yuan looked at Bo Yusen and said, "233 is just an innocent and cute robot. It will be sad if you scold it."

Bo Yusen sometimes couldn't understand Si Yuan's thought process; she was ruthless towards people, yet showed great care for a robot.

"You said it yourself, it's a robot. Robots can be sad?"

"Yes, lol, it really will."

Si Yuan gently shook Bo Yusen's hand, "When I wasn't around, you only had 233 by your side. It's not a robot, it's your... no, it's our family."

"You're quite good at winning over machines."

"I really want to win your heart..."

Si Yuan kissed Bo Yusen's face. "Ninth Master, should we try to win him over?"

Bo Yusen gazed at Si Yuan silently, their eyes meeting.

Si Yuan wondered if it was just her imagination, but she actually saw something like tenderness in Bo Yusen's eyes.

I thought Bo Yusen would refuse as usual, but to my surprise he said—

"Then we'll have to see what you're capable of."

Si Yuan was delighted that no one addressed her as "Miss Si" in a cold, impersonal way, and she made a fist and gave a thumbs-up.

"I will try my best."

"Let's eat."

"Um……"

Si Yuan doesn't like eating in bed, as if she were a patient.

Because she had been drinking and her stomach was empty, Bo Yusen cooked her some seafood and shrimp porridge.

Si Yuan took a bite, her eyes lighting up. "Ninth Master, did you make this especially for me?"

"takeout."

"Oh... the takeout is delicious too. May I ask for two glutinous rice balls?"

"no."

Glutinous rice balls are difficult to digest and are not suitable for Siyuan at present.

Si Yuan lowered her eyes in disappointment. "Oh... I like to eat glutinous rice balls, but my mother always thinks they're hard to digest and won't let me eat them..."

Bo Yusen: "...Eat!"

Si Yuan was happy. "Thank you, Ninth Master."

After eating the porridge and two black sesame-filled glutinous rice balls, Si Yuan was even happier.

Seeing that 233 was hiding far away and dared not go forward, fearing that Bo Yusen might change his appearance in a fit of anger.

Si Yuan smiled and waved to 233, "233, come here."

233 walked up to Si Yuan, o(〒﹏〒)o: 【Ah Yuan, I can't bear to part with you.】

Si Yuan patted its head. "Don't worry, your master won't replace you."

233╰(°▽°)╯: 【Really? Master——】

Si Yuan frantically gave Bo Yusen meaningful glances, and only then did Bo Yusen hum in response.

233 was instantly happy. [Thank you, Master. My Master is the most handsome, charming, and courageous man in the world.]

The robot has no brain and completely forgets that the source of its frustration is its own master.

When the time came, Si Yuan had to leave.

But she had finally made some progress with Bo Yusen, and she was really reluctant to let go.

She nestled in Bo Yusen's arms, greedily absorbing his warmth. "I feel like a poor Cinderella."

"Um?"

"Cinderella's pumpkin carriage stops working in the early morning, and she must leave the prince before midnight."

"And I'm even worse off than Cinderella; I have to get home before 10 o'clock."

233(✧ω✧): [But A-Yuan doesn't need to ride in the pumpkin carriage. If Master takes A-Yuan back, you can stay on the road for a while.]

Si Yuan looked at 233 in surprise. Could this robot have really become sentient?