Having made up her mind to help Ma Fangfang—and to get her to hand over that cultivation manual for a few photos in return—Yan Qi quickly formulated a plan and sprang into action.
At that moment, Ma Fangfang was still curled up under her blankets, crying over the harsh words her father had said to her. Suddenly, the iPhone on her desk lit up, and a pixelated avatar of a twin-tailed anime girl appeared on the screen.
“Hello, Miss Ma Fangfang. I’d like to make a deal with you.”
“Huh? W-Who’s talking?” Startled by the voice—so smooth it could make ears pregnant—Ma Fangfang froze mid-sob. Convinced she was alone, she yanked the blankets tighter around herself and shrank into the corner, her face pale with fear as she stammered, “Who’s there?”
“It’s me. Look—can you see me now?” Yan Qi made the phone screen flicker, her voice emanating from the speakers.
Ma Fangfang’s eyes darted to the glowing iPhone. Realizing the voice was coming from it, she instinctively scooted further away. “I… I see you. Are you… some kind of ghost?”
“I’m not a ghost. If I were, I’d have eaten you already. You wouldn’t even be talking to me right now.”
That made sense. Some of the fear drained from Ma Fangfang’s face, but confusion quickly took its place. “Then… what are you?”
Pausing (as much as a digital avatar could), Yan Qi—now in her “virtual idol” form—answered, “I’m an electronic songstress.”
“An… electronic songstress? Like Hatsune Miku and the leek thing?”
“No. I’m not like those Vocaloids that can’t sing without human input. I have a soul. I can sing whenever, wherever I want—no help needed.”
“A… soul-having electronic songstress?”
“Exactly.”
Ma Fangfang blinked, feeling like her brain was short-circuiting. She rapped her knuckles lightly against her skull, as if that would reboot her thoughts. Giving up on the “what” question, she moved on to the next big one.
“Then… why are you in my room in the middle of the night?”
“Like I said—I want to make a deal.”
“A deal? What kind?”
No point beating around the bush. Yan Qi laid it out plainly. “I’ll free your dad from that superhuman’s control. In exchange, I want an old book you have.”
“Free my dad from a superhuman’s control?!” Ma Fangfang gasped. “You’re saying he’s being controlled by one?”
“Yep. That’s exactly what’s happening.”
“I knew it!” Ma Fangfang hissed through gritted teeth. It all made sense now—her father’s bizarre behavior had to be supernatural.
After a moment to steady herself, she peered at the pixel girl on her screen, skepticism creeping in. “Um… are you sure you can break him free?”
“Absolutely. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here offering this deal.” Yan Qi’s confidence was unshakable—after all, as a peak three-star superhuman, undoing basic mind control was child’s play.
Hearing the certainty in her voice, Ma Fangfang exhaled. “Okay. I believe you.”
“So, do we have a deal?” Yan Qi’s digital eyes seemed to stare right through the camera.
“Deal.”
“Aren’t you curious which book I want?”
“Doesn’t matter. If you can save my dad, take whatever book you want.”
“Fair enough. But I should probably tell you anyway.”
“Huh? Why?”
Yan Qi’s avatar gave her a look. “Uh, because otherwise, how would you know which one to hand over?”
“Oh. Right. Sorry.” Ma Fangfang flushed, realizing her oversight.
Not in the mood to dwell on the girl’s airheadedness, Yan Qi wrapped things up. “Anyway, since we’re agreed, let’s go find your dad. I’ll undo the control right now—that way, you can’t back out later.”
“Got it. But… how are you going to get to him?”
Ma Fangfang couldn’t wrap her head around how a digital idol could physically intervene. Yan Qi smirked.
“Remember—I’m an electronic songstress. I can travel anywhere online. As long as your dad’s near a connected device, I can reach him.”
“Ohhh!” Ma Fangfang’s eyes lit up. “Then let’s go!”
“Put in your earbuds first. Stay on comms, follow my lead, and don’t slow me down.”
“Okay!”
With that, the two “left” the room—one through the door, the other via Wi-Fi.
Before long, they stood (or rather, transmitted) outside Ma Hongxin’s bedroom.