My wife is a witch princess

Once home, Song Che's brows finally relaxed a bit, but he still didn't say much.

Xia Li felt that Song Che had been talking too little lately, and she was a little unaccustomed to his sudden seriousness.

"Are you going to sleep?" Xia Li asked.

"I'm not very sleepy." Song Che's gaze fell on the newly opened computer. "Let me show you the computer."

"Computer...?" Xia Li scratched her head.

"It's not about the brain itself, it's just a metaphor that computers are as sophisticated as the brain."

Song Che plugged in the power and mouse, and turned on the computer.

When the screen lit up, Xia Li took half a step back.

The faint blue light reflected in her blue pupils, as if a magical portal was slowly opening.

She pursed her lips, her gaze shifting back and forth between the keyboard and the "little pebble" with its long tail, finally settling on Song Che's fingers as he moved the "little pebble".

"This is called a mouse." Song Che's voice became calmer, perhaps because his attention had shifted to teaching. "Move it, and the arrow on the screen will move accordingly."

Xia Li stared at the small white arrow on the screen, which slid across the background with the subtle movements of Song Che's wrist, its trajectory incredibly smooth.

She reached out and poked the screen—of course, nothing happened.

"It's not about touching the screen, it's about moving this." Song Che handed her the mouse.

Xia Li took the small plastic-cased object, her movements stiff as if she were holding a magic crystal that might explode at any moment. She tried moving her wrist, and the arrow on the screen suddenly jumped to the upper right corner. She pulled back, and the arrow darted to the lower left corner.

It's clear that Xia Li will be a low-sensitivity FPS player in the future.

"Be gentle," Song Che said from behind her. "Relax your wrist, like this..."

He placed his hand on the mouse, his palm barely touching hers, and drew a small circle on the mousepad. Xia Li's body instinctively tensed. But she quickly relaxed, because Song Che's movements were very light, merely for demonstration.

But Xia Li's hand was also on the mouse.

The arrow drew a crooked circle on the screen.

"I'll try it myself," Xia Li said, her voice filled with a stubborn refusal to admit defeat.

Song Che released his grip, took a step back, and watched her struggle with the mouse. At first, the arrow swam wildly across the screen like a drunkard, but after only a few minutes, Xia Li was able to control it to move relatively smoothly.

She stared at the screen, her brows furrowed, her lips pressed into a serious line—that was the expression she wore when studying magic circles.

"Next is a single click," Song Che pointed to the left mouse button, "just a light click."

Xia Li pressed the button carefully. With a soft click, a small white square appeared below the arrow on the screen.

"Double-clicking means pressing the button twice quickly."

Click-clack.

Xia Li's movements resembled those of someone operating an alchemy instrument.

The "My Computer" icon on the screen opened, and a dense array of folder windows popped up.

Her eyes widened slightly.

"What are all these...?"

"Files. Like the volumes of your magic books." Song Che pulled up another chair and sat down next to her. "Each folder can hold a lot of things—documents, pictures, programs."

"program?"

"It's... something that allows computers to do different things." Song Che thought for a moment, "Like different combinations of runes in a magic circle, which trigger different effects."

This metaphor seemed to resonate with Xia Li's understanding.

She nodded. "So, what kind of magic can this 'iron box' perform?"

Song Che's lips curved into a smile at her statement.

"There are many. You can write, draw, do calculations, play games, watch videos... and even go online."

"Go online?"

"It connects to... a huge information network." Song Che tried to explain in a way she could understand, "It's like connecting all the libraries, markets, and theaters in the world together, so you can see them all through this screen."

Xia Li fell silent.

She stared at the neatly arranged folder icons, her silver hair slipping down her shoulders and gleaming in the screen's reflection.

Song Che knew she was processing this information—for a witch from a magical world, accustomed to parchment and magical communication, the concept of the "Internet" was probably even more difficult to understand than forbidden spells.

"I want to try," she suddenly said, turning to look at him. "That 'bricklaying' thing you mentioned... can this be used?"

Song Che was taken aback for a moment before realizing she was referring to earning gold in games. He suddenly remembered mentioning before that he could teach her how to make money in games once they had a computer. He hadn't expected her to remember.

"Yes." He slid his chair closer and opened the browser. "But before that, I need to teach you the basics first."

For the next hour, the only sounds in the living room were mouse clicks, keyboard taps, and Song Che's occasional explanations.

Bruce dozed off on the sofa armrest, his tail occasionally flicking lazily. Outside, the night deepened, but the room was filled with the warm glow of the screen and the lamp.

Xia Li learned very quickly—so quickly that even Song Che was somewhat surprised. She memorized keyboard shortcuts at an astonishing speed, and her understanding of window operations was almost instantaneous. The only obstacle was typing: she had no concept of the arrangement of letters on the keyboard and could only clumsily poke at them with one index finger.

She used to write on her phone by hand, but she's not very good at typing.

"QWERTY..." she read the letters in the top left corner of the keyboard, her brow furrowing again. "Why aren't they arranged in order?"

"It's a legacy issue," Song Che briefly explained. "Initially, it was to reduce typing speed and prevent the metal rods of old-fashioned typewriters from getting stuck together."

This explanation elicited a "you humans are so strange" expression from Xia Li. But she didn't ask any further questions; she simply began to seriously memorize the key bindings.

Her method was very "Xia Li-style"—she imagined the keyboard partitions as different quadrants of a magic circle, with each key being a specific rune node. Song Che watched her lips move, probably constructing some kind of memory map in her mind.

"Did you learn new magic this quickly before?" Song Che couldn't help but ask.

"Hmm." Xia Li's gaze didn't leave the screen; her fingers hovered above the keyboard, searching for the next key to press. "Magic is about understanding the rules and then applying them. This is the same."

She spoke casually, but Song Che knew it wasn't that simple. Back in Hite, he had seen Xia Li spend three whole days in her research lab trying to master a high-level complex spell, surrounded by piles of calculation papers and depleted magic crystals.

That same obsessive focus is now working on this machine as well.

She finally typed her first line in a simple word processing software.

It uses pinyin, and although it's riddled with typos, it does form complete sentences.

Song Che taught me how to use an electric alarm clock.

Song Che looked at the word "electric alarm" and couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't the heavy, almost non-comfortable expression he'd been wearing these past few days, but a genuine laugh that came from his chest, relaxed and natural.

Xia Li turned to look at him, a look of confusion flashing in her blue eyes, before realizing that she might have written something wrong.

She stared at the sentence for two seconds, put her fingers back on the keyboard, awkwardly pressed the backspace key to delete the character "闹", and retyped it—still "闹".

Song Che laughed even harder.

He reached out and took her hand from the mouse, guiding her to the input method's suggestion box. "Look here, select 'brain'."

Xia Li looked at the row of homophones, then nodded in sudden understanding. She typed it in again, and this time it was correct:

Song Che taught me how to use an electric alarm.

"..."

Song Che sighed, giving up on correcting him completely.

He leaned back in his chair with a smile, his shoulders trembling slightly.

The heavy feeling that had been weighing on my heart these past few days was somewhat eased by this small mistake.

Xia Li looked at him and smiled, the corners of her mouth unconsciously curving upwards as well.

She liked Song Che's smile.

"I made a mistake." She stated the fact, but there was no regret in her tone, only calm observation. "You're happy."

"Hmm." Song Che rubbed his eyes. "Xia Li, do you know that sometimes... you're especially adorable?"

Xia Li blinked, clearly not understanding the assessment. She turned her head back to stare at the screen; she still preferred the word "dignified."

"Let's continue," she urged, as if the little incident just now was insignificant. "I want to learn how to 'go online'."

Song Che sat up straight again and guided her to enter a simple URL in the address bar. During the few seconds the page loaded, Xia Li stared at the spinning icon on the screen, her body unconsciously leaning forward.

Then, a colorful webpage appeared before her.

It was a news portal website, with headlines accompanied by large pictures, and various information and GG scrolling in the sidebar.

Xia Li stared at the screen without moving, remaining silent for a full half minute. Song Che could see the rapidly scrolling text and changing images reflected in her pupils, like two tiny flames burning beneath the surface of a blue lake.

"So much... information," she finally spoke, her voice tinged with surprise, "appearing all at once."

"This is just the homepage." Song Che scrolled down the page with his mouse wheel. "You can keep scrolling down, it'll never end."

This was an exaggeration, but Xia Li clearly took it seriously.

She took the mouse, tentatively scrolled the wheel, and watched as the content on the screen kept moving upwards, with new content emerging from below.

She scrolled for over ten seconds, and the page was still expanding.

"How many 'libraries' does it connect to?" she asked, her eyes still glued to the screen.

"Hundreds of millions," Song Che said, "and it's increasing every single moment."

Xia Li was silent for a moment. She suddenly closed the browser, returned to her empty desktop, and then opened a new blank page. This time, she slowly typed in the search box—still using one index finger, but with more practice than before.

The first term she searched was: "How to extend human lifespan".

Song Che watched as she pressed Enter, and the search results page refreshed—a screen full of health supplement ads, pseudoscience articles, and health regimens.

Xia Li clicked on the top item and quickly browsed through the exaggerated promotional text, her brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"These are all fake," Song Che couldn't help but say.

"I know," Xia Li said calmly, closing the page. "The Magic Mirror gave me a similar answer before."

She then typed in a second term: "[Modern alternative materials for potion recipes]".

The results this time were even more chaotic, a mix of game guides, novel settings, and scattered bits of real pharmaceutical knowledge. Xia Li opened a few pages, quickly scanned them, then shook her head and closed them.

"There's too much information," she concluded. "The real and the fake are mixed together, making it hard to tell the difference."

"That's the internet," Song Che said. "You need to learn to judge."

Xia Li typed in the search box for the third time. This time she typed very slowly, as if carefully considering: "[How to make someone happy]".

Song Che was stunned.

The search results popped up, mostly motivational articles, relationship advice, and short videos. Xia Li didn't click on any of them, but just stared at the titles for a long time. Then she closed all the windows and returned to her blank desktop.

She turned around, her silver hair tracing an arc with the movement. Her blue eyes looked directly at Song Che, filled with no confusion or doubt, only a clear and earnest seriousness.

"Song Che," she said, "have you been unhappy these past two days because of what I said this morning? About how I've been searching for you for a hundred years, and about the longevity potion."

The question was so direct that Song Che was momentarily speechless.

He instinctively tried to avoid her gaze, but Xia Li's eyes seemed to possess some kind of magic, making it impossible for him to look away.

"Not entirely." He finally chose to tell the truth, but only part of it. "I was just... thinking about some things."

"About the fact that you will die while I will live a long time," Xia Li finished speaking for him.

Song Che's breath hitched.

"Yes." He admitted, his voice lowering, "Xia Li, have you thought about it? Decades from now, I will grow old, I will get sick, I will..."

He paused, then rephrased, "I will leave. And you... will probably remain the same as you are now."

Xia Li listened quietly, her face expressionless, as if he were merely discussing tomorrow's weather. Only after he finished speaking did she begin to speak:

"I've thought about it."

Song Che looked at her.

"I thought about this back in Hit," Xia Li continued, her gaze falling on the keyboard, her fingers tracing the undulating surface of the keys. "I know that human contractors have short lifespans. That's why I researched lifespan potions. Although I failed, I know where the problem lies—it requires a price, a huge price, possibly violating my principles as a witch."

She looked up at Song Che again: "But now I'm thinking about something else."

"What?"

"You're afraid," Xia Li said. "Not afraid of death, but afraid of the thought that 'I'll be sad if you die.'"

Song Che felt something blocking her throat and said yes.

"Song Che." Xia Li tilted her head slightly, her silver hair sliding down to one shoulder. "You taught me so many things. You taught me that humans can be afraid, sad, happy, and joyful. You taught me that these emotions are precious, even the sad parts are proof of being alive."

She paused, as if organizing her thoughts. This was unusual—Xia Li usually spoke directly and rarely needed to think about her words.

"If you're going to push me away now because I might make you sad later," she said slowly, each word clear. "Then what's the point of all that I've learned?"

Song Che was completely speechless.

He looked at her, at the light reflected in her blue eyes, at her slightly pursed lips as she focused, and at her straight, slender yet resilient back.

"And..." Xia Li added, her tone returning to its usual bluntness, "I'm already very upset that you're ignoring me now."

These words were like a dull knife, stabbing into Song Che's heart.

There were no accusations, no complaints, just a calm statement of fact—her sadness.

He suddenly realized that his silence and aloofness over the past two days might be more cruel to Xia Li, who was trying to learn about emotions, than he had imagined the "future."

She is trying to understand joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, and trying to build a connection between herself and the world, while he, out of fear of separation decades later, is destroying the real "now" she is experiencing right now.

"I'm sorry," Song Che said, his voice a little hoarse.

Xia Li shook her head: "Don't apologize. You taught me that apologizing means admitting you've done something wrong and making amends. You haven't told me how you plan to make amends."

Song Che was speechless again.

This kind of logic, reminiscent of Xia Li's, always manages to outmaneuver him in the most unexpected ways.

"I..." He took a deep breath, "I won't ignore you anymore."

"Okay." Xia Li nodded, accepting the promise. "Anything else?"

"And... I'll try not to... worry so much about the future." Song Che said it with difficulty, but after saying it, a tight knot in his heart seemed to loosen a little. "Cherish the present."

Xia Li stared at him for several seconds.

"Okay," she said.

Then she turned back to face the computer screen. "Now, teach me that game where you can 'move bricks' (i.e., play a game where you can 'work bricks').

The topic changed so quickly that Song Che couldn't keep up for a moment.

He blinked and saw that Xia Li had already opened her browser and was looking at him with a questioning gaze.

"……Now?"

"Now," Xia Li said firmly, "you said that learning this could make money. I want to start as soon as possible."

Looking at her serious profile, Song Che suddenly felt that those heavy thoughts about life and death were replaced by something simpler and warmer in that instant.

That's Xia Li for you—she doesn't dwell on anxieties about the future; she directly tackles what she can do. Whether it's researching potions or learning to use a computer, her approach is always direct and pure.

"Okay." Song Che slid the chair closer, picked up the mouse again, and said, "I'll register an account for you first."

In the time that followed, the atmosphere in the living room completely changed.

Song Che's voice returned to its usual gentle tone with a hint of teasing, and Xia Li would occasionally ask some questions that made people both laugh and cry.

"Why can this character jump so high while wearing armor?"

"Didn't anyone pick up those gold coins that fell on the ground?"

But most of the time, she was focused on observing and memorizing.

She created a character with silver hair and blue eyes—completely based on her own appearance. Song Che suggested she choose a mage class, but Xia Li shook her head and chose a warrior instead.

"Why?" Song Che asked curiously.

"Because I want to try what it's like to fight without magic," Xia Li replied earnestly.

Song Che smiled and helped her adjust the skill key bindings.

As Xia Li stumbled around in the beginner village, clumsily attacking the scarecrow, Song Che leaned back in his chair, watching the screen light reflect on her focused face.

Bruce woke up at some point, jumped off the sofa, rubbed against Xia Li's feet, and made gurgling noises.

Song Che freed one hand and habitually rubbed its head, but his eyes never left the screen.

The night outside the window had grown completely dark, and the lights of thousands of homes flickered in the cold.

In this small living room, the light from the screen, the lamplight, and the heating create a warm atmosphere.

The sounds of keyboard typing, game sound effects, occasional conversations, and Bruce's snoring...

Song Che suddenly felt that perhaps Xia Li was right.

The future is too far away, and there are too many variables, but at this moment—she frowns as she struggles against the monsters in the game, her silver hair sways slightly on her shoulders, and her blue eyes reflect the light and shadow of the pixel world—this moment is so real that you want to hold on to it tightly.

"Song Che..." Xia Li suddenly spoke, her eyes still fixed on the screen, "This task asks me to mine. Is this how you mine in real life?"

"Uh... more or less, but it's more dangerous and more tiring."

"Oh." Xia Li nodded and guided her character towards the mine. "Then I'll practice in the game first."

"Even if you practice, there are no mines for you to mine in reality; mines are usually owned by the state."

Song Che couldn't help but laugh when he saw her expression, which looked like she was about to seriously "practice mining".

Perhaps teaching a witch how to play video games is also a solution to the problem of "how to get along with immortals".

However, Xia Li suddenly stood up again, seemingly lost in thought.

"I need to use the restroom."

Song Che made room for her, but it turned out she was going to the toilet.

He started playing games. To be honest, Song Che felt that playing games was just so-so, but it felt different and more fun when he was with Xia Li.

Xia Li came out of the bathroom and instead of continuing to play the game, she paced back and forth in front of Song Che.

"You...aren't coming to play?"

"I'm thinking."

"What are you thinking about?"

Xia Li suddenly bent down and hugged Song Che's head. The gentle touch almost made Song Che's nose burn, and he couldn't control himself.

"Xia Li, move aside, something...something...what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, Song Che, I'm not very good at comforting people." Xia Li hugged him tighter. "I'm not good at this kind of thing, so I asked Aunt Lan. Aunt Lan said that a hug would make you feel better. Although you seem a little happier, I feel like you'll be unhappy again tomorrow. If I hug you, will you be happy tomorrow too?"

Song Che suspected that Xia Li was flirting with him.

"Song Che, will you be happy tomorrow?" Xia Li asked again.