45: Chapter 45 My wife took out black stockings, but I said I was sick?

The corners of Su Qingxue's mouth curled into a triumphant arc.

She produced an unopened package of nude-colored stockings from who knows where, her fingertips gently tracing the packaging, her voice so soft it could drip water:

"Of course it's the full set. The elegance of China Eastern, the form-fitting style of Korean Air, the romance of Air France... As long as you are willing to stay at the company, I can wear different styles for you every night."

This was absolutely killer!

Thinking of that little girl Su Qingxue, dressed in a tight uniform, her beautiful legs wrapped in black stockings swaying before my eyes...

Lu Li felt his sanity teetering crazily on the edge of a cliff.

Agree to her!

As long as he agreed, tonight would be an imperial-level enjoyment!

But—

Deep in his mind, the pain of cardiac arrest from his previous life, along with the image of the cold morgue, poured over him like a basin of icy water.

Compared to black stockings, his life was more important.

Only by staying alive could he enjoy black stockings for a long time.

If he agreed now, he would definitely be worked like a donkey on a production team by this girl in the future.

For the sake of long-term happiness, he had to be ruthless!

Lu Li closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, his eyes had regained clarity (though it was very difficult).

He turned his head and looked at Su Qingxue with a straight face, his expression filled with sincerity and pain:

"Wife, I really can't."

Su Qingxue was stunned, the allure in her eyes freezing for a moment: "Why?"

"Actually, I'm sick."

Lu Li clutched his chest and started spouting nonsense: "I have a severe case of work phobia. Whenever I work, my whole body hurts."

Su Qingxue's hand stopped.

She didn't roll her eyes as Lu Li had expected; instead, she reached out with her cool hand, gently stroking Lu Li's cheek, her eyes filled with heartache.

"Where does it hurt? Is it your chest? Or do you have a headache?"

Her voice was so gentle it could drip water, her eyes slightly red, and that cautious expression was completely genuine.

Lu Li's heart was struck hard; he could naturally tell that Su Qingxue truly believed him and was worried about him.

In matters like this, Su Qingxue trusted him unconditionally.

Damn it.

Why did Su Qingxue become so easy to fool when he mentioned he was sick?

This feeling of being unconditionally trusted and cared for by someone caused his internal defenses to collapse instantly.

He felt even more like a jerk.

"It's not that painful..." Lu Li avoided her gaze, feeling a bit ashamed, "It's fine as long as I rest at home."

"Okay, then don't go to the company; you can be my advisor at home." Su Qingxue broke into a smile through her tears, leaned in, and planted a firm kiss on his lips.

"As long as you are well, anything is fine. Even if Guanghui Technology goes bankrupt, we won't go hungry."

Lu Li sighed, feeling a bit congested in his heart.

It seemed he had no choice but to eat this "soft rice."

Just as the atmosphere between the two was perfect and the ambiguity was escalating, a burst of noisy exclamations and piercing sirens suddenly came from outside the car window.

"Oh my god! It's on fire!"

"There's someone up there! It's a little girl!"

Lu Li and Su Qingxue slowly parted their lips, then looked at each other; that amorous atmosphere instantly dissipated for the most part.

This was an old district of Mingzhu City.

In a nearby old residential building, thick smoke was billowing out of a fifth-floor window, and tongues of fire were frantically licking the outer wall.

And at that smoke-filled window, a little girl was sitting astride the window sill, crying her heart out.

"Mom! Help! Cough, cough, cough..."

The downstairs area was surrounded by an anxious crowd; although the fire trucks had arrived, the roads in the old residential area were narrow, and the ladder trucks couldn't get in for the time being.

Lu Li pushed the door open and got out, his brows furrowed tightly.

The situation was extremely critical.

The fire was too big; it was definitely impossible to enter the room. The little girl had been forced into a desperate situation and could fall at any moment.

At this moment, a firefighter with a safety rope tied to his body was trying to lower himself from the roof, wanting to grab the girl.

Closer! Just a little bit more!

Everyone's heart was in their throat.

Su Qingxue nervously grabbed Lu Li's sleeve, her knuckles turning white: "He must catch her..."

Lu Li stared fixedly at the scene.

That familiar sense of oppression regarding life and death instantly took him back to the laboratory of his previous life.

The instinct from countless crisis management situations left his mind blank for a moment, and he subconsciously shouted at the air in a low voice:

"Android 18! Power at 100%, go catch her!"

The voice fell. Only the night wind blew past.

There was no such simulation Robot with denim shorts, black leggings, and short blonde hair resembling the Dragon Ball Android 18.

Nor was there her low, gentle, and calm mature-woman voice replying "Understood."

Lu Li was stunned for a moment. His outstretched hand froze in mid-air.

At this moment, the coldness of reality was like a basin of icy water, waking him from the dream of rebirth.

This was 2017. Not 2035.

That Android 18 was still in the cabinet of the nanny's room in the villa, not yet activated.

Just at this fatal moment of distraction.

The firefighter on the roof lunged out, his glove almost brushing the girl's clothes.

But the thick smoke was too choking. The little girl was dizzy from the smoke, and her hand slipped.

"Ah—!!" The childish scream pierced the night sky.

The small figure, like a kite with a broken string, fell from the fifth floor amidst the desperate screams of thousands.

The young firefighter on the roof frantically pounded on the window frame, emitting a beast-like wail: "No!!! Just a little bit!! I was just a little bit away!!"

Lu Li stood in the crowd, watching the figure falling at high speed, his pupils contracting violently.

At this moment, his heart, which only wanted to be a slacker, seemed to be pricked, sinking into deep thought.

"Don't look." Lu Li suddenly turned Su Qingxue's head away and pulled her into his arms.

He possessed technology fifty years ahead of this era, but now he could only stand here, like an ordinary person, watching the tragedy unfold.

... In the villa's living room. Lu Li calmly watched the phone screen; the news was replaying the footage of the fire just now.

The childish scream had been muted, but the sound flashed through Lu Li's mind from time to time.

He pressed his thumb against the phone screen, wondering what he was thinking about.

At this moment, a warm palm gently covered the back of his hand.

Lu Li looked up and collided with Su Qingxue's eyes, which were full of worry.