Upon hearing Ma Hongxin’s words, Yan Qi—who, like her mother, disliked accepting things from others without reason—replied:
“I appreciate your gratitude, but as for the gift, you can keep it.”
“How can that be? If you don’t accept my thanks, I’ll feel terrible,” Ma Hongxin insisted.
“I said it’s unnecessary. If you keep pushing, I’ll get angry,” Yan Qi warned, her tone firm as she watched him through the camera.
Realizing that the virtual diva who had saved him was no ordinary person, Ma Hongxin wisely fell silent, afraid of provoking her further.
“Alright, enough of that. Miss Ma Fangfang, could you now give me the book I asked for?” Having fulfilled her end of the bargain, Yan Qi cut straight to the point.
“Of course! I’ll go get it right now,” Ma Fangfang replied eagerly before hurrying back to her room, phone in hand.
Seeing this, Ma Hongxin followed.
Once in her bedroom, Ma Fangfang—still unsure which book Yan Qi wanted—asked, “By the way, Miss Virtual Diva, which book did you want again?”
Yan Qi answered promptly, “The Tranquil Heart Qi Condensation Manual you bought online last week.”
“The Tranquil Heart Qi Condensation Manual? That old, tattered book on Daoist cultivation?” Ma Fangfang recalled the worn-out manual written in classical Chinese among the pile of books she had purchased from an online secondhand store.
“Yes, that’s the one. Speaking of which, why did you buy so many old books on mysticism, the supernatural, and Daoist arts last week?” Yan Qi asked, having checked the store’s transaction records earlier.
Ma Fangfang didn’t hesitate to explain. “Well, I thought my dad might’ve been cursed, so I bought these books hoping to find a way to help him.”
“Oh, that makes sense. No wonder you bought so many. By the way, did you ever try any of the methods in them?”
Ma Fangfang scratched her head sheepishly. “Uh… no. Honestly, I couldn’t understand any of it, so I never even attempted.”
“Well, that figures. With your airheaded loli brain, deciphering and applying those ancient techniques would’ve been impossible,” Yan Qi thought to herself, amused.
As the two chatted about the books, Ma Hongxin—still weak from breaking free of the supernatural control—finally caught up and entered his daughter’s room.
Catching his breath, he asked, “So, Fangfang, did you find the book Miss Virtual Diva wanted?”
“Yep, I found it!”
“Where is it?”
“Right here in this safe,” Ma Fangfang said, pointing to the metal box beside her.
“Do you need help getting it out?”
“Nope, I can handle it myself.”
Without delay, she crouched down, opened the safe, and revealed the dozens of old books she had bought the previous week. After rummaging through them, she carefully pulled out the one Yan Qi wanted and placed it on the desk.
“Miss Virtual Diva, is this the book you were looking for?” She lifted her phone from the bed and angled the camera at the book.
After verifying the contents by having Ma Fangfang flip through a few pages, Yan Qi confirmed, “Yes, this is the one.”
“Great! But… how are you going to take it?” Ma Fangfang asked curiously.
“Just take photos of each page and save them on your phone. That way, I can retrieve them,” Yan Qi explained.
“Ohhh, so that’s how you’ll ‘take’ it! Got it.”
Though not the brightest, Ma Fangfang quickly grasped the idea. She and her father then proceeded to photograph all hundred-plus pages of the Tranquil Heart Qi Condensation Manual, saving the images on her phone.
Once finished, Ma Fangfang asked, “Miss Virtual Diva, I’ve taken pictures of the entire book. Does that mean you can take it now?”
Yan Qi—who had already secretly transferred the files to her computer—replied, “Yes, I’ve got it now.”
“Um, Miss Virtual Diva… can I ask why you wanted this book?”
Now convinced that Yan Qi was indeed a sentient virtual diva, Ma Fangfang couldn’t resist her curiosity.
Yan Qi made up an excuse on the spot: “A friend of mine needed it.”
“Wait, you have friends?” Ma Fangfang blurted out in surprise.
“Of course. I’m not just some soulless code, you know.”
Hearing this, a bold idea struck Ma Fangfang.
“Miss Virtual Diva… can I be your friend?”