The night wind swept through the city streets, making people a little dazed. Chen Hao touched his face and found that a smile was still on his face, as if he hadn't recovered from the applause just now.
He glanced down at the note in his pocket but didn't take it out again. What it said didn't matter anymore; no one was asking him questions anyway.
“Let’s go,” he said. “Let’s sit in the park for a while.”
Susan didn't say anything, but she followed. Carl rubbed his arms and said, "I forgot my coat at the venue."
"Go get it tomorrow." Chen Hao waved his hand. "If you go back now, you'll definitely be surrounded by autographs again. People will think you're a member of a new idol group."
Nana walked last, her eyes flickering slightly, as if a background process was still finishing up. "External communication ports have been closed," she said. "No task notifications currently available."
The four of them turned into the small park on the street corner. The stray cat that always meowed at people at the entrance was not there today. The wisteria on both sides of the path was in full bloom, with bunches hanging down and blocking the light from the streetlights.
Chen Hao suddenly reached out and grabbed Susan's hand.
Susan paused for a moment, then didn't pull away.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
“Holding hands,” Chen Hao said matter-of-factly. “Isn’t that how it is in the park? Look at that elderly couple over there, strolling hand in hand, how perfect.”
Susan glared at him, but the corners of her mouth curled up.
Carl, watching from behind, couldn't help but laugh. He deliberately cleared his throat and said, "I want to hold hands too! Who will hold my hand?"
Nana immediately replied: "The application process is as follows: First, submit a written request; second, pass an emotional simulation test; third, pay a deposit of fifty yuan for possible compensation for wear and tear on the robotic arm."
Carl opened his mouth: "You actually have this process?"
“No.” Nana said without changing her expression, “but I just made it up, and it sounds very professional.”
The three of them burst out laughing, even Susan couldn't help but laugh.
The fountain in front was running, the water splashing gently and making a tinkling sound in the pool. A little girl was squatting by the edge feeding the fish, while her mother stood beside her taking pictures. No one paid any attention to the four of them, and no one came over to ask for autographs or ask questions.
Chen Hao breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling that his head was no longer buzzing.
"It's actually quite nice to be treated like a normal person," he said.
“You’re just an ordinary person,” Susan said.
“But I was on stage yesterday giving a presentation on the model of cosmic energy transfer.”
"And what about you now?"
"Now I want to eat grilled sausage."
Susan rolled her eyes, but didn't let go.
They walked slowly along the path, and when they passed a grassy area, Chen Hao suddenly lay down.
"Don't move," he said. "Let me be a couch potato for five minutes."
Susan stood beside him, watching him: "The ground is cold."
"It feels better when it's cool." Chen Hao said with his eyes closed. "When your mind is racing, you have to let your body stop first."
Carl sat down as well, leaning against the tree trunk. He looked up at the sky through the gaps in the leaves; there weren't many clouds, and he could see a few stars.
"You mean that message from the Deep Space Monitoring Network..." he began.
"Don't mention that," Chen Hao waved his hand. "At least not tonight. We just escaped a dangerous situation; we can't jump into a data pit right after escaping a fire pit."
Nana stood to the side, not sitting down. But she slowed her pace, aligning it with human breathing.
"The ambient noise level was below 45 decibels," she said. "The air quality is good, the temperature is pleasant, and it's a good time to relax."
"To put it another way—you can be lazy." Chen Hao opened one eye. "You can try lying down too."
"My design does not support a flat lying mode."
"Then lie down halfway."
"Joint load-bearing structures are not suitable for prolonged tilting."
"With so many excuses, did you secretly lie there before and get caught?"
Nana paused for two seconds: "...No record in the system."
Everyone laughed again.
Karl stood up, pretended to stumble, and fell towards Nana.
Nana reacted very quickly, lifting the robotic arm to catch him.
"Ouch!" Karl exclaimed dramatically, "I almost fell! Luckily, Sister Na saved me!"
“Your balance system is normal.” Nana released her hand. “That was a performative fall.”
“That was a genuine performance,” Karl chuckled. “Look, I’m even sweating.”
“It’s tension-related sweating, not exercise-related sweating,” Nana said. “A 12 percent increase in heart rate means you’re expecting feedback.”
“You’re such a robot,” Carl shook his head. “You even analyze jokes.”
“I can choose not to analyze,” Nana paused, “but then you won’t be laughing.”
After he finished speaking, everyone fell silent for a moment.
Then Chen Hao got up from the ground and patted the grass clippings off his pants.
"Alright," he said. "No one is allowed to say anything sentimental today. Anyone who says lines like 'I'm a robot' or 'I'm not human' will have to treat the whole team to instant noodles for a month."
“I often eat instant noodles,” Nana said.
"Then let's change it to hot pot."
"Hot pot is also good."
Susan smiled and shook her head, pulling Chen Hao along as they continued walking. Carl followed behind, skipping and hopping along the cracks in the paving stones.
There was a bench by the lake, and the four of them squeezed down to sit. Chen Hao took a bottle of juice out of his bag, unscrewed it, took a sip, and handed it to Susan.
Susan finished her drink and passed it to Carl, who then drank it and handed it to Nana.
Nana took the bottle, gently touched the lip sensor to the bottle opening, and then handed it back.
“I don’t actually need to drink any fluids,” she said.
“But you have to participate.” Chen Hao took the bottle back. “We’re drinking from the same bottle, that’s what unity is.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Nana said. “Sharing containers increases the risk of bacteria transmission.”
“But we’re happy,” Susan said.
“Happiness is an unnecessary but high-priority emotional output,” Nana said. “I choose to accept it.”
As the sunset faded, the lights on the opposite shore shimmered on the lake's surface.
No one spoke.
In the distance, the sounds of children chasing each other and bicycle bells rang out. A breeze carried the scent of flowers and the dampness of the air.
Chen Hao leaned back in his chair, legs stretched out, his whole body sprawled out.
"Let's just enjoy this moment," he said. "Don't think about tomorrow."
The others didn't answer, but they all nodded.
Nana's gaze swept across everyone's faces, recording their facial expressions: Chen Hao's lips were upturned at a 17-degree angle, Susan's brows were relaxed, and Karl's eyelids trembled slightly, indicating he was in a state of mild drowsiness.
She did not bring up any analysis interface, nor did she synchronize any data.
He just sat quietly, like a real person.
After a long while, Chen Hao suddenly said, "Do you think we'll be this idle every day from now on?"
“Impossible,” Susan said.
"I know," Chen Hao sighed. "When I open my eyes tomorrow, I'll probably get ten collaboration offers shoved into my head."
“We have not received any external contact so far,” Nana said.
“Let’s keep quiet until it rings.” Carl leaned back in his chair, letting me have some peace and quiet.
Night had completely fallen.
The streetlights were all on, casting four shadows very close together on the lake.
Chen Hao yawned and said, "I think I can fall asleep."
“You’ve only been lying on the grass for five minutes and you’re already saying you’re tired,” Susan said.
"That's mentally exhausting," Chen Hao said, rubbing his eyes. "I talked for two hours, said eight hundred sentences, and had to pretend to be profound. It's too difficult."
"You seemed really excited when you were talking."
"Hey, that's an act. My legs go weak as soon as I see the audience is full."
Carl laughed: "I thought I was the only one who was afraid."
“We were all scared,” Susan said softly, “but we still went up there.”
Looking at the lake, Nana suddenly said, "I've noticed something."
"Huh?" Chen Hao asked.
“You no longer deliberately avoid me when you speak.”
The three of them were taken aback.
“Before, when you discussed plans, you would go to the other side and whisper,” Nana continued. “Now you don’t. Just now, Chen Hao said he wanted to eat grilled sausages, right in front of me.”
"That's because you can eat grilled sausages now," Chen Hao laughed.
"I don't need to eat."
"But you are here."
Nana paused for a few seconds, as if processing some new data.
"Thank you," she said.
This is not a programmed response, nor is it a standard answer from a database.
These were words she chose herself.
Susan placed her hand on Chen Hao's shoulder and gently squeezed it.
Carl let out a long yawn.
“Let’s go back,” he said. “I’m really sleepy.”
"Sit a little longer," Chen Hao said. "Anyway, we have nothing to do when we get back."
“You’ll dream about formulas,” Susan said.
"Then you dreamed about me too."
"I can't dream about you snoring."
"I don't!"
"have."
Karl laughed out loud, and Nana also slightly raised the corners of her mouth.
A ripple appeared on the lake's surface; it was unclear whether it was caused by a fish or the wind.
Their shadows swayed in the water, but remained connected.
Chen Hao suddenly said, "What if bad guys come looking for trouble again?"
“Then let’s do it again,” Susan said.
"I don't want to play anymore," Chen Hao said. "I want to sit here every day."
"Then let's try to sit here every day someday."
"You make it sound so easy."
"Things aren't that easy."
They quieted down again.
The clock tower in the distance struck eight.
A glint suddenly flashed in Nana's eyes, as if she had received some kind of signal.
But she didn't move.
He didn't say anything.
He simply placed his fingers lightly on his knee, as if waiting for the next second to arrive.
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