Shen Quan was a natural talent for scientific research from a young age. He was extremely intelligent and had a photographic memory.

He learns everything very quickly; there's almost nothing he can't do. With his intelligence, excellent academic performance, and handsome face, he can easily win everyone's favor.

However, perhaps due to the cruel twist of fate, Shen Quan's health was very poor.

Headaches and fevers are minor illnesses; even a little wind or sun exposure can make one fall ill.

This kind of depression is making the parents very worried.

In addition, Shen Quan's parents are scientific researchers who have been studying things related to electronic AI.

At that time, Shen Quan was staying at home to recuperate due to health reasons. His health was not good to begin with, so he had to suspend his studies and stay at home to recover.

At that time, Shen Quan was only twelve years old. For a boy in puberty, boys at this age are usually playing basketball and all sorts of games outside.

They might even go online with their best friends, play video games, watch movies, and so on.

But Shen Quan didn't...

At first, he was very popular at school, but as time went by, those friends would still invite Shen Quan to go out and play, but Shen Quan could only stay at home to recuperate because of his health.

Gradually, the boys stopped calling out to Chen Quan and started playing by themselves.

Once, when Shen Quan went to school to pick up his textbooks, he overheard a group of boys talking about him in the corner of the corridor.

"Aze, it's your birthday, are you really not going to call me Shen Quan? I remember you two used to have a very good relationship."

"Hmm, let's not call him anymore. It's been so long since we played together, it would be awkward to play again. Besides, he's not in good health, and you wouldn't want us to have to take care of him while we're having fun, would you?"

Shen Quan used to be the center of attention among these boys because he was good at studying and good-looking, which earned him a lot of fans.

People really like Chen Quan.

But now, their relationship has become like this.

The boy named Aze, if his previous words were just unintentional slips of the tongue, then what he said later sounded a bit too hurtful.

He said, "What if Shen Quan gets sick and dies in my house? His parents are quite powerful, and then we'll be the ones to take the blame."

Shen Quan's back was pressed against the wall as he listened to those words. The voices were so familiar, yet they also made him feel incredibly cold.

Shen Quan had been training very hard, only thinking that one day when he recovered, he could go back to school and play with them.

But after hearing these people's evaluations of him, a piece of Shen Quan's heart broke.

He's still just a young boy at heart, and at that age, he values ​​friendship a lot.

He then quietly left. The group of boys were already chattering about where they were going to play next, but Shen Quan walked alone into the room.

All of this happened so fast and so suddenly.

So when Shen Quan's mother was waiting for him to come home, she saw her son slowly walking back with his textbooks in his arms, his handsome face bearing a sad expression.

At first, she asked what had happened, but Shen Quan was reluctant to say.

But as time went on, she gradually realized that it was really difficult for someone with such a weak constitution as Shen Quan to make friends.

Moreover, even if you manage to make friends, the other person will inevitably dislike Shen Quan.

When Shen's father learned about this from Shen's mother, his face immediately darkened. He had been spending all his time in the laboratory these past few days and had neglected Shen Quan's emotional education.

That's how Shen's father made Shen Quan's first robot.

It was a mechanical bird with a very high level of AI that could grow freely. He handed the mechanical bird to Shen Quan.

“When we’re not home, let this little bird keep you company. Your health isn’t good, so it’s not suitable for you to go out, but I’ll make you lots of mechanical friends.”

Shen Quan looked down at the small mechanical pearl bird in his hand.

This bird looks mechanical, but it's covered in bird feathers, making it look stunning and completely unlike a mechanical object.

Moreover, it feels soft to the touch, and even has body temperature. Just by touching it a couple of times, you can feel that this little bird is not a simple machine at all.

It truly has its own soul.

At the same time, Shen Quan was surprised to find that the little bird actually had a heartbeat.

An ordinary-looking mechanical bird possesses body temperature and heartbeat comparable to a human.

Seeing through Shen Quan's doubts, Shen's father smiled and said, "This was specially made for you. This little bird is very smart and can accompany you for a lifetime."

This is Shen Quan's first mechanical companion, and he really likes it very much.

Wherever he goes, he takes this mechanical bird with him, the two inseparable.

After acquiring this mechanical bird, Shen Quan's heart gradually brightened, and his heart, which had been hurt by his friend, slowly began to recover.

Seeing how much Shen Quan liked it, Shen's father felt happy too.

What name would you like to give it?

Shen Quan hasn't decided yet. "I don't know what I should name them."

He was truly unaware that, during all the days they had spent together, Shen Quan had only called it "Little Bird," but had never given it a proper name.

Later, he only panicked when one of the birds went missing.

Shen Quan was running a fever at the time, his face was flushed red. He instinctively raised his hand to touch the spot next to him, but he couldn't find the little bird that he was already used to.

Shen Quan sat up in a panic, having spent three months with the little bird.

In the past three months, the bird's existence has become ingrained in Shen Quan's very being. Without the bird, he might really have died.

He was already sick, and now he has become seriously ill.

Shen Quan wanted to find the little bird, but he hadn't named it, so he had no idea what to call it. He could only mutter to himself during his fever:

"Little bird, little bird..."

When Shen Quan's father and mother saw Shen Quan's appearance, they immediately became anxious. They created the little bird because they felt sorry for Shen Quan.

But after seeing that Shen Quan's body was almost healed, he decided to destroy the little bird.

Because Shen's father used technology he shouldn't have used; when researching and creating the birds, he used AI that could give the birds self-awareness.

This research has actually been banned.

While humans need to use AI in various aspects, if AI develops self-awareness, it will actually pose a very big threat to humanity.

Therefore, research institutes have never allowed these scientists to actively study the self-growth of AI.

The fear is that once AI fully develops self-awareness, it will negatively impact human development.

Mr. Shen thought the same way, but he couldn't bear to see his son become so sickly.

Like a flower that has no more attachment to the world, it may wither away at any time.

So Shen's father secretly used this technology, putting an AI capable of developing self-awareness into the bird's body.

The hope is that seeing such a lifelike little bird will bring comfort to Shen Quan, gradually help him recover physically, and heal his emotional trauma.

But the little bird ran away on its own.

When Shen's father learned of this news, he was furious!

He was indeed merciful, showing mercy to a bird. He should have destroyed the bird back then!

But actually...

On the third day of Shen Quan's serious illness, the little bird returned.

Just as Mr. Shen was about to fly into a rage, he saw that the little bird had a bunch of roses with dew still on them in its beak.

This rose is not something that can be found in this season at all. The bird's feathers are covered with dew and are dirty. It is clear how much effort it has put in for this flower.

The little bird, carrying a flower in its beak, carefully hopped onto Shen's father's shoulder and said in a childish electronic voice:

"Young Master, the young master likes flowers."

At that moment, Shen's father felt extremely conflicted. On one hand, he knew he should destroy the little bird, as it was something that should not be allowed to exist.

If those in power were to discover that they had secretly applied this technology to machines, they would certainly face immense pressure, and might even face a life-threatening situation.

Father Shen should indeed destroy the bird, but in the end, he stared at the bird's eyes, which were made of the finest diamonds, and couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

He didn't destroy the bird; instead, he locked it up.

Shen's father knew that Shen Quan's feelings for the little bird were no longer simple.

If we continue to let the little bird and Shen Quan interact, what will Shen Quan become?

No one knows.

So Shen's father decided to first lock up the little bird, then create an identical little bird and give it to Shen Quan.

This newly created bird does not have high-tech AI; Shenfu only gave it half of its intelligence.

But when creating this little bird, all the materials used were the same.

The father placed the second bird next to his son with great anticipation.

But who would have thought that Shen Quan, who had just regained consciousness after receiving an IV drip, was initially delighted when he first saw the bird, but his expression immediately turned cold after thirty seconds of contact with it.

He put the bird back in Shen's father's hand, saying only, "This is not my bird at all."

Father Shen never expected that Shen Quan's senses would be so sharp!

But he still forced himself to say, "This is your little bird, how could it not be? Look, they're all exactly the same."

“That’s not it at all,” Shen Quan said, his face still cold. “Father, don’t do this kind of thing again.”

In Shen Quan's heart, no one can replace the little bird.

Despite Shen Quan's words, Shen's father was still not convinced, and he made a third one.

This time, without saying a word, Shen Quan threw the bird on the ground and stomped on it until it was smashed to pieces.

Shen Quan was extremely agitated at the time, but his expression was cold and sinister. He slowly began to speak:

“I told my father before that he was not allowed to deceive me with these things anymore. Didn’t my father understand what I meant?”

How could I not understand?

Father Shen squatted down and silently picked up the scattered parts from the ground, one by one, because he was worried about Shen Quan.

I'm afraid of becoming completely immersed in false emotions. No matter how much self-awareness AI develops, it is still AI in the end.

There is no difference from before.

When that time comes, and Shen Quan's body can no longer hold on, the AI ​​will still be as young as before.

How do I complete the process?

Shen's father was also thinking of Shen Quan's sake. He really loved his son, but he didn't want his son to live in pain in the future.

In addition, there was something that Shen's father did not tell Shen Quan: the current development of AI technology is actually imperfect. What should Shen Quan do if the bird shows any abnormalities?

Shen's father was simply paving the way for Shen Quan, hoping that he would be happy without suffering too much.

"You haven't named her yet, so why not take this opportunity to part ways completely?"

Shen Quan listened quietly to his father's words, his upper body hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to see his expression.

“Father, do you want me to die? It is my hope and my life. It kept me alive during my most difficult and painful times, and you put it in my palm yourself. Do you really want me to die?”

Mr. Shen closed his eyes; he knew his son had made up his mind.

Shen Quan has been a very stubborn child since he was a child, and he makes his own decisions about many things.

Once Shen Quan has made up his mind about something, no amount of talk from others will change it.

Finally, Father Shen sighed softly, as if resigned to his fate, and that very night he slept the little bird.

The little bird did not see Shen Quan for a full fifteen days.

But the little bird still held the bouquet of roses in its beak, even though the roses had long since withered.

It persistently placed the rose in front of Chen Quan's eyes and said very seriously:

"Young master, here's a rose for you."

Shen Quan stared at the withered roses for a long time without saying a word, his mind filled with the story he had told the little bird before.

He said roses are a symbol of love, and he hadn't seen roses in a long time. After all, his physical condition was really bad, and he would faint if he wasn't careful.

He was just saying it casually; he didn't even take it to heart.

But the little bird was different; it remembered.

So, the little bird must have put in so much effort and flown so far so that Chen Quan could see the most beautiful roses in this season.

You might have been hit by stones from children or chased by cats along the way, and you might have been covered in dust.

"Young master, you saw the roses, aren't you happy?"

Shen Quan took the bouquet of long-withered roses, brought it to his lips and gently kissed it. "I'm very happy, and I like it very much."

The little bird was happy and gently nuzzled the young master's finger with its head.

"Let me give you a name."

The little bird tilted its head. "Name?"

"Yes, name."

Shen Quan smiled at the little bird, his expression very gentle, and said softly:

"From now on, I'll call you Ruan Tian."