You're my wife, don't doubt it!

Little Bear wanted to press for more details about what would happen if he had lied, but Yu Luying interrupted him: "Where is this place? Who are you?"

"This is St. Francis College. My full model number is: Sackler Type 25, Model A, No. 0. You can call me Sackler 250. I am the acting headmaster of the college for the night shift."

"Night shift?" "Acting?" "Principal?"

"I am responsible for all affairs of the college outside of working hours, including but not limited to reception, patrolling, mail handling, cleaning..."

"Isn't that the gatekeeper?" Little Bear seemed to have calmed down and whispered to Xiao Yao.

"I really envy you. You can always accept the setting and get into the situation so quickly..." Xiao Yao replied softly.

That is to say, although the woman in front of him, who should be a robot, had her head cut in half and was unrecognizable, he felt that he had seen her before.

"By the way, um... you're Teacher Sai, right? We're already students at St. Francis Middle School..."

"St. Francis College and St. Francis Secondary School are completely different! Our college is committed to providing honest students with the campus life they truly want, making learning a source of happiness itself, not a means to achieve it. This is true holistic education, and I hope you students will cherish this opportunity and not have any regrets."

The Sackler 250 seems to be trying to express a righteous and indignant attitude, but the broken and uninspired sound produced by the damaged vocal system still sounds somewhat comical.

As they spoke, the three boys obediently followed behind "Teacher Sai" and walked away together.

Although Xiao Yao has been looking for an opportunity to escape, it seems that it will be quite difficult.

"By the way, what year is it in this world?" Xiao Yao asked. "2077?"

“Time has no definite meaning here,” Teacher Sai replied as he walked.

"So, this really isn't a... real world?" Yu Luying asked.

Teacher Sai stopped in his tracks, his green eyes flashing as if he were thinking about how to explain to them: "This is indeed not the 'real' world, but it is the 'true' world."

The little bear tilted its head to prevent it from short-circuiting.

“You can think of this as a world of ‘ideals’,” Professor Sai continued to explain.

"A rational world? Then is reality a world of emotions?" Little Bear asked.

"The world of 'Forms'?" Xiao Yao asked. "Is it the 'Forms' that Plato spoke of?"

Teacher Sai started playing the Super Mario ending theme again, expressing his appreciation.

"What's that?" the little bear asked softly.

“For example,” Yu Luying explained to him, “Plato believed that in the world of Forms there is a perfect horse, and all horses in reality, although each has its flaws, are based on this perfect horse…”

"Oh, prototype number 0, huh?" Little Bear nodded, seemingly understanding.

"If this chubby student is interested, he/she can sign up for our philosophy course. Happy learning doesn't run overtime. Our college only teaches during working hours. After you complete the formalities, you are free to choose your arrival date. We will never force you. You've been standing here for too long. Let's go complete the formalities and chat on the way."

This time, no one said anything more. Whether what Sackler 250 said was true or not, provoking it now would probably not do any good.

The three exchanged glances and reached a consensus to act according to circumstances.

"You mean you have records of all the students?" Xiao Yao suddenly realized something.

“Of course,” Teacher Sai replied gently.

"Is there a student named Zhou Qi?"

"Kala kala, I'm sorry, there's no student in the academy with that name. Is she your friend?"

"Just asking, do you remember Shen Jie, Zhou Xiaoying, or anyone else?"

"Come on, this student should focus more on themselves. What do you think would make you happier?"

Xiao Yao originally wanted to say "writing" or "love", but what came out was "Yes, I'm learning to make money. Money brings happiness, right?"

"This can't be considered a lie, can it?" Xiao Yao thought anxiously.

"I don't think so?" Seckel250 slowed down slightly, but did not stop.

“Many people want to be parents, and they become parents,” Yu Luying, who had been silent for a while, continued, “yet they spend their whole lives without knowing how to be parents.”

"To be a parent, of course," Teacher Sai suddenly became excited, "Our academy offers a complete course from dating to childbirth, with theory and practice, so you can experience the great magic of creating life to your heart's content. It's very popular. Would you like to enroll in this course?"

"A course on love..." Xiao Yao was somewhat interested, but after glancing at Yu Luying, whose face was flushed red, he quickly said, "I don't think that's what she meant by being a parent..."

"Yes, yes, yes, what I want most is the great magic of creating life." The little bear chimed in, somewhat exaggeratedly, "Does our school teach the technique of bringing the dead back to life and healing bones?"

"This technology is outside the scope of teaching, but if you are interested, the college can support you in organizing related research, and there will always be results."

"Really?" The little bear's eyes lit up.

Xiao Yao tugged at him, trying to remind him not to take these bizarre stories seriously. However, Teacher Sai, who was walking ahead, suddenly stopped in front of a door. It turned out that they had arrived at the principal's office.

"Please come in, don't be shy." Teacher Sai pushed open the door and went inside.

Xiao Yao hesitated for a moment, but to his surprise, Yu Luying and Xiao Xiong followed him in with great interest.

Seriously? These two guys are totally serious and in character...?

Xiao Yao had no way out, so he could only mutter to himself and follow.

But Yu Luying and Xiao Xiong were nowhere to be seen inside the door!

"Where are the two of them!" Xiao Yao called out.

"Please don't rush," Teacher Sai turned around, still smiling, but her eyes turned red again: "The principal's office area uses a mirror copy system, so that every new student can enjoy a private registration space."

"What utter nonsense!" Xiao Yao shouted, unable to contain himself any longer. "Give me back my friend!"

“Before that, I regret to inform you,” Teacher Sai said, emphasizing each word, “you lied just now.”

Xiao Yao's heart sank: "I didn't, I didn't..."

“Unlike your two classmates, you’ve kept it from me. You’re not actually a money-grubber,” Teacher Sai continued. “Does that mean you don’t know what you truly want?”

"I...maybe so." To avoid accusations of "lying," Xiao Yao admitted.

“Alright then,” Teacher Sai’s eyes turned green again, “let St. Francis Xavier’s Academy help you to understand yourself correctly?”

"What are you trying to do!" Xiao Yao looked at the white gas spraying from the surrounding walls, and after saying only this one sentence, his legs went weak and he slowly collapsed to the ground.

Then, his consciousness continued to sink... sink...

Sorry, only one update today. There will still be no update tomorrow morning, but there will be a combined chapter at 3 PM (because it's a single, complete chapter, it's not suitable to split it into two parts, morning and afternoon).

Chapter 52 Love Hotels

2023-07-31

When Xiao Yao regained consciousness, he felt himself being embraced by something soft and smooth.

Subconsciously, he thought he was dreaming, so he couldn't bear to open his eyes.

Gradually, my hearing returned, and a soft rustling sound of water drifted into my eardrums.

This sound made Xiao Yao very uncomfortable. In his familiar sleeping environment, the sound of water was usually associated with a leaky faucet or a chamber pot.

This unreality made him uncomfortable, so he decided to open his eyes.

Xiao Yao found himself in a dimly lit room on a large bed, with bright red duvet cover, bright red sheets, and bright red pillowcases. He looked back at the head of the bed and was disappointed to see no wedding photos.

The room was closed, with heavy curtains drawn, and only pink light shining in from somewhere. The large bed beneath her was heart-shaped.

Xiao Yao deduced that the scene resembled the rooms in so-called "love hotels" that appeared in movies.

The sound of water was coming from the bathroom behind the frosted glass next door, where the light was on. Xiao Yao found it irritating and decided to get out of bed to turn it off.

When I lifted the blanket, I realized that I was completely naked except for my underwear.

Xiao Yao shivered from the cold and shrank back under the covers, teasing himself for letting the air conditioning in the room run like it was free.

Wait, myself? Did I turn on the air conditioner?

Why the hell am I here?

Xiao Yao thought for a long time before he found a clue.

Yu Luying and I went to Qian Gui KTV and met Xiao Xiong. We took him into... the mirror?

In the karaoke room reflected in the mirror, I found Zhang Zhengkai's game console...

Then, we came out of the elevator at the front desk of KTV... We're here... We're here... Where are we? Is this where we are?

Wait, where did the game console go? It was expensive!

Xiao Yao lifted the blanket again and searched around.

I didn't find the game console, but I did find something white.

Upon closer inspection, it featured white lace trim and a pattern of two rabbits, one large and one small...

This is Yu Luying's... Yu Luying's...

Xiao Yao subconsciously brought the thing to his nose and sniffed it, then embarrassedly hid it under the blanket.

I mean, why did I make that gesture...?

Xiao Yao unconsciously turned his head, and the tip of his nose touched another piece of textile.

On the pillow lay a pair of short socks that looked like they had just been taken off.

These are brand-name women's sports socks with a checkmark. Xiao Yao recognized them immediately; they were the same pair Shen Jie had slipped into his pocket at the forest park.

At least... they're the same style.