Chapter 94 Evening was covered with a layer of white...
As evening fell, a layer of white mist covered the area, the night lights shone like stars, and the traffic flowed into several long rivers.
After Cheng Mingdu took over, the company's internal technical pace suddenly accelerated, like rusty gears suddenly being filled with lubricant and running smoothly.
The dozen or so newly recruited technical staff were assigned to him almost without hesitation. Within Ashera, this was an almost implicit declaration that Ye Yuying had placed resources and trust in his hands.
He did not disappoint this trust.
The multimodal speech understanding module has finally stabilized, resolving the previous issue of sudden changes in tone. Once this detail was overcome, the entire project was accelerated.
*
The two left work together almost every day, leaving traces of their heartsbeats in Cheng Mingdu's home every short night.
Cheng Mingdu is increasingly understanding Ye Yuying's psychological quirks. After taking a shower at home, he will continue to put on a sharp suit and go downstairs. The reason is that Ye Yuying is generous with her praise for his appearance in a suit, and occasionally she is even more aroused.
Even with their legs impaired, they remain as crazy as they were years ago, or even more so.
After removing his contact lenses, Cheng Mingdu would put on frameless glasses. His sharp eyes, reflected in the lenses with a faint purple light, took on a mysterious and dangerous quality, especially at midnight.
Ye Yuying chuckled softly, pulled him to sit down beside her, and stroked his thin chin with her fingers. The pulse under his neck quickened, and Cheng Mingdu closed his eyes almost unbearably.
She looked at his expression with satisfaction, wishing he would become even more depraved.
Their movements, like building a bonfire, ignited a raging inferno every night, upon which they danced barefoot.
As my fingers slid down to his Adam's apple, his breath returned to normal, and the lines of his jaw tightened to their limit.
She seemed unsatisfied, so she lowered her head, opened her mouth slightly, and gently bit his earlobe.
Cheng Mingdu stiffened, his eyes behind his glasses slowly opened, revealing a face that was neither smiling nor breathing. He exuded an unfathomable danger.
Ye Yuying felt that danger slowly creeping into her heart like a demon awakening. It wasn't the kind of torrential rain that hit her face, but rather the uneasy atmosphere around the prey before a beast made its move.
He suddenly raised his hand and gripped her wrist, the strength of his knuckles just right—a strength that made Ye Yuying feel scared but not painful.
"Are you done?" His voice was low, like a warm murmur, yet it was hard to tell whether it was a dissuasion or a seduction.
Ye Yuying's lips curled slightly, as if she had heard sarcasm, and a sly smile appeared in her eyes. She did not pull her hand away, but instead moved closer, her nose almost touching the curve of his chin.
Her voice carried a soft laugh, "Brother, I love seeing you so restless. If only you could be a little more decadent."
Cheng Mingdu looked at her, his eyes behind his glasses as deep and unfathomable as the currents beneath the surface of the sea.
The next second, he suddenly leaned down, as if abandoning his last bit of restraint, and pressed her against the back of the sofa with a force.
The nightlight outside the window flickered in the white mist, reflecting on the cold, handsome profile of his face. It was an expression that was both controlling and indulgent, as if he had finally accepted the fact that his inner desires were already irreversible.
He reached out and dimmed the lights; the air was filled with the mingling of breaths.
The evening lights in the courtyard blended into countless invisible veins, entwining them inch by inch.
"Do you want to see the most depraved moment...?"
This wasn't a question; it was more like a prelude to preparing her mentally.
In the darkness, all senses are magnified infinitely.
She opened her hazy eyes, ready to receive his kiss, but he kissed her elsewhere.
"...No." Her limbs seemed to be out of control, she couldn't even speak coherently, and her heart was trembling uncontrollably.
It had come to this point; her reason and dignity were completely lost in that instant.
"...I can't."
However, Cheng Mingdu's silence had already made her sob and wail, and she reached out helplessly.
Cheng Mingdu didn't look up at her, but simply placed his hand in hers.
She used to think Cheng Mingdu's lips were thin and soft, but she never imagined they could replace fingers, plunging her into a deep sea of shyness, making her afraid to think about it for even a moment—
What exactly are they doing in the darkness right now?
She never imagined under what circumstances he would bend down.
He was noble and self-possessed, as pure as frost and snow, but now he, like her, has fallen...
That night, Cheng Mingdu carried her to the bathroom to clean her, carefully washed her with a soft, clean cotton cloth, dried her off, and carried her back to bed.
That night, the neuralgia briefly subsided, but her flushed cheeks, almost bleeding, kept her awake for a long time with a trembling heart. She even covered herself with the blanket, too ashamed to face his gaze any longer.
But another demon inside is screaming, this is the ultimate thrill!
*
After resolving the most challenging technical difficulties, the Ashera team immediately launched the first round of large-scale, small-scale testing.
One thousand single young urbanites were selected to become Echo's Beta users. Their testing features were carefully chosen, including phrases like "daily greetings," "conversations in a romantic context," and "late-night calls." These seemingly simple terms directly address the nerves of urban loneliness, allowing those with social anxiety or no time for socializing to cope with those moments of late-night emo.
After an exciting analysis and wait, the data quickly appeared on the team's back-end dashboard: users spent an average of 2.3 hours per day using the product, and the paid renewal rate was as high as 72%, more than three times the average of similar products.
Some people chat with Echo with a "Good morning" before their first cup of coffee in the morning; some let it whisper "Good night" before turning off the lights late at night; and some use it as a confessional, expressing any emotions and details they cannot confide in humans.
Loneliness is the most expensive ailment of our time.
Soon, the Echo app officially launched, adopting a business model of free limited use and paid emotional packages. The emotional packages included selectable dating styles, frequency of flirting, emotional sensitivity, etc.
Some people share their romantic partner profiles on social media platforms, which has even led to the development of a rather complex strategy system.
Such achievements attracted a frenzy of investment to Echo.
Echo's team expanded, with more and more graduates in natural language modeling joining the team. Soon, they launched the Advanced Customized Lover Model, a version that was enough to change the industry's ceiling. Users could import the characteristics of a specified person, including voice, chat habits, and language style. Echo would learn and optimize based on this information over a long period of time, gradually shaping a unique personality.
The demo was already available, and after users were asked to test it, someone posted a video online titled "I resurrected my girlfriend with Echoes".
The post was short and told a sad story. The poster's girlfriend had passed away twelve years ago, and he spent those lonely days remembering her through photos and videos of her. The video ended with an audio recording of a gentle female voice laughing and asking, "Why aren't you asleep yet? Don't stay up late, or I won't want you when you become ugly."
The caption reads: "I thought I'd never hear her speak again... Little did she know, twelve years later, I'm living a good life and working out. I've aged a bit, but I haven't become much uglier..."
This video made Echo a controversial yet incredibly impactful phenomenon. Its new features propelled it beyond simply accompanying lovers, allowing those who have lost loved ones to find echoes from heaven within Echo.
Some call it a "ghost app," while others call it a great leap forward in human emotional technology. Psychologists believe it may delay the process of recovering from bereavement and cause people to become trapped in false relationships.
Ironically, capital and the media saw an almost boundless blue ocean amidst the controversy.
Cheng Mingdu walked over and handed her a newly released data report, his voice very low:
"This is the next big thing. Before your exoskeleton even came out, I never expected it to be the first to emerge."
Ye Yuying looked down at the report, where a few words stood out: "Global simultaneous launch."
She returned to her office and solemnly registered for the app with the mindset of a player, then followed the instructions step by step to try it out. For personalization, she used Cheng Mingdu's voice.
The progress bar on the screen moved forward slowly, and the data flashed as lines of text on a black background.
"What are you doing?" he asked in a low voice.
Ye Yuying didn't look up; her eyes remained fixed on the progress line.
“Let Echo, in your own way, speak to me.” She paused, as if afraid that speaking too quickly would reveal her smugness. “If only it could have been as perfect as it is today sooner… For more than half of those eight years, I was thinking of you, but all I faced was emptiness.”
The air was so quiet it was as if the night had absorbed all sound.
The progress bar jumped to 100%, and the system emitted a soft beep. A familiar, steady voice came through the headphones—not the person in front of me, but an echo of numbers pieced together from countless fragments:
"Aying, how have you been lately?"
She slowly closed her eyes, a slight smile curving her lips, but her eyes were slightly red.
“Listen,” she whispered to Cheng Mingdu, “it imitates it very well.”
Cheng Mingdu stood behind her and gently stroked her cheek.
That moment seemed to remind her that the real person was standing in front of her, not the sound waves in her headphones.
He reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder: "I'm here now, why do you still need to listen to the synthesized version?"
Ye Yuying gave a soft "hmm," without turning her head, and simply handed him the earphones.
"Listen to how it imitates you."
Cheng Mingdu took it, but didn't put it on. He lowered his head, kissed her temple, and whispered in her ear in a genuine voice:
"I don't need echoes to repeat what I've said. What I want to say to you, I will say in person from now on."
Ye Yuying suddenly turned around, stared at the page with the echo, and felt a lump in her throat.
She wanted to say something to the endless night, but in the end, she had nothing to say.
-----------------------
Author's Note: 50~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com