early morning.
Dark clouds shrouded the metropolis, obscuring the distant skyscrapers.
Lin Jiu sat quietly on the sofa, his back straight and calm, his hands placed neatly on his knees, his gaze fixed on a certain corner, his eyes not in contemplation, but in the coldness and emptiness of a machine.
Last night, when he interfered with Ji Wei's prosthetic eye, he peeked into a corner of his memory.
He saw Lin Ran in Ji Wei's memory.
They were childhood sweethearts and a perfect match.
Lin Jiu's eyes flickered slightly.
Of the tens of thousands of ninth-generation robot experiments that Gu's company invested in, only he succeeded.
He had no companions; the robots around him were merely lower-level AIs that only obeyed human commands.
It's strange that, even though he's not human and has no sense of pain, he feels a sense of melancholy because of the "dismemberment" he suffers from humans.
His name was given because of Gu Xi's beloved, and he was given the surname "Lin".
Therefore, when Gu Xi asked him to take care of Lin Ran, he was eager to see what this woman with the same surname as him was like.
Only after getting to know him did I realize that Lin Ran was very gentle, unlike the humans around him who often used him as an opponent to vent their anger on, or who tore off his limbs and reattached them, or experimented on him time and time again.
One day, when the staff were dismantling his limbs for what seemed like the umpteenth time, Lin Ran burst in. She looked at him with pity and sorrow in her eyes.
He was originally endowed with emotions composed of data, but after meeting her gaze that time, the fluctuations in his emotions were something even he himself could not analyze.
He asked the staff what this feeling was called.
The staff member smiled strangely and said that there was an anomaly in his data.
He thought so too, but afterwards, he paid more and more inexplicable "attention" to Lin Ran.
A slight noise came from the cubicle.
Lin Jiu snapped out of her daze and calmly turned to look at the doorway of the cubicle.
Jiang Fei came out wearing a simple white nightgown, a lazy smile on her face: "Good morning, Ji..." She stopped before she could finish speaking, her eyes looking somewhat blank.
Lin Jiu stood up and looked at the light that had gathered in her eyes: "Good morning, Miss Jiang."
Jiang Fei glanced around.
“Mr. Ji has already left,” Lin Jiu explained.
However, it won't be long before he returns because of the prosthetic eye issue.
"I see..." Jiang Fei nodded and glanced at the kitchen.
What an ingrate! Now that they can see me, they won't even leave me breakfast.
I didn't eat much yesterday, so I'm actually quite hungry today.
Jiang Fei sighed softly and turned to walk towards the kitchen, but then remembered something and turned back to look at Lin Jiu.
Lin Jiu was also looking at her.
"Can you cook?" Jiang Fei asked expectantly.
Lin Jiu looked into the kitchen, quickly scanned the utensils inside, and nodded to her.
Jiang Fei's eyes lit up, and she silently made way for him: "You can't just follow me for nothing."
Lin Jiu glanced at her, then got up and went into the kitchen.
He was endowed with a vast reserve of knowledge, and he would not refuse any instructions given to humanity as long as they did not violate the orders of his creator.
However... Jiang Fei's kitchen was very simple.
Lin Jiu retrieved old written materials from his mind and began processing the ingredients in his hands.
Jiang Fei leaned against the kitchen doorway and watched him.
The boy's figure was slender and graceful, his limbs were orderly and methodical, and every movement was precise and perfect in completing the task at hand.
Even the favorability rating above his head didn't fluctuate in the slightest.
Lin Jiu naturally knew that Jiang Fei was watching her, but since he posed no threat, she didn't need to pay attention to him.
Just as I was preparing to cook porridge, the porcelain spoon that was originally in the pot slipped off the side and into the boiling water.
Lin Jiu glanced at the boiling water, paused, then put her hand into the water to pick up the porcelain spoon.
Just then, a voice whispered beside me, "What are you doing?"
Before Lin Jiu could react, a hand had already pulled his hand out of the hot water.
He turned his head in confusion.
Jiang Fei had already grabbed his wrist and rushed him to the tap, pouring cold water over him, her voice filled with anxiety and anger: "That's boiling water!"
Lin Jiu was slightly taken aback.
Humans both fear that he will surpass them and constantly endow him with characteristics that are infinitely close to those of humans.
Including limbs.
His entire body was covered by bionic skin encasing the AI inside. At this moment, his hands were soaked in boiling water, and his fingers were already red and wrinkled from the heat. The bionic skin was curled up, and his hands were clearly deformed from the heat.
He could feel the coolness of the water flowing over his hands, but that was all.
“I won’t feel any pain,” he said calmly.
Jiang Fei was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at him.
Lin Jiu met her gaze and inexplicably added, "I feel no pain, no itch. Even if I have sensation, it's just data manipulating me to feel this way at this moment, nothing more."
After saying that, Lin Jiu looked at Jiang Fei's expression and suddenly realized that he had said too much. He looked away and paused for a moment. He looked down and saw that the soft, wrinkled bionic skin on the back of his hand was cracked, revealing the circuitry inside.
He glanced at the crack, then reached for the porcelain spoon beside him.
"Are you done talking?" Jiang Fei asked indifferently.
Lin Jiu paused, turned to look at her, and his eyes showed a rare hint of confusion.
He can analyze changes in various hormones in the human body to determine the other person's emotions, but at this moment he can't see through her.
"Don't you feel pain?" Jiang Fei asked again.
"Um……"
Just as Lin Jiu was about to speak, Jiang Fei poked the crack on the back of her hand.
"Doesn't it hurt?" Jiang Fei asked again.
Lin Jiu glanced at the back of his hand. These injuries meant nothing to him. Jiang Fei was no different from those who had arbitrarily dismantled his limbs.
But the confusion in his eyes gradually turned into a calm indifference, and his expression became composed: "Yes."
Jiang Fei looked at him and snorted softly, "But your eyes don't say that."
Eyes?
Lin Jiu lowered his eyes slightly, unaware that his gaze could "speak".
Jiang Fei had already let go of him and turned to walk out of the kitchen.
Lin Jiu glanced at the cold water remaining on the back of her hand, and was about to pick up the porcelain spoon next to her again when her hand was grabbed by someone else.
Jiang Fei took a bandage and wrapped it around his arm. The tear gradually closed up as the bandage tightened, and the exposed stitches disappeared.
Lin Jiu stared at her actions for a long while before saying, "Miss Jiang, you don't need to do this..."
"Your skin must be very expensive, right? I don't have the money to repair it for you," Jiang Fei muttered under her breath.
Lin Jiu paused, speechless for once, and looked down at the woman who was still treating the cracks in his arm. He still had spare bionic fibers, enough to deal with some small cracks.
"Alright." Jiang Fei tied a bow at the end and breathed a sigh of relief, but paused when she looked up and saw Lin Jiu's eyes.
The boy's eyes, made of some unknown material, resembled two pieces of glass, shimmering with iridescent light.
A slight sense of bewilderment is beginning to emerge at this moment.
Jiang Fei suddenly asked, "Has anyone ever told you that your eyes are beautiful?"
Lin Jiu was stunned, and after a long while asked in confusion, "Beautiful?"
“Hmm,” Jiang Fei nodded, but seeing the confusion still in his eyes, she thought of something and said incredulously, “You don’t know pain or itching, but you don’t even know about beauty and ugliness?”
Lin Jiu nodded: "Yes."
Jiang Fei's eyes flickered slightly, and she raised an eyebrow: "Am I pretty?"
Lin Jiu looked at her carefully, from her long hair to her eyebrows and eyes to her red lips, as if all humans were like that.
He shook his head: "I don't know."
"..." Jiang Fei paused for a moment, then said, "Then you must remember that I am very good-looking." After saying that, she looked earnestly into his eyes.
Lin Jiu looked back at her, blinked for a long time, and did not respond to her words. She just quickly lowered her head and looked at the bandage tied on her arm and... that delicate bow.
Jiang Fei took the opportunity to turn him around: "Since I'm being kind, I won't ask you, the injured person, to cook today."
Lin Jiu slowly walked out of the kitchen.
“By the way,” Jiang Fei suddenly called out to him, “how’s your appetite?”
Lin Jiu was puzzled, then realized: "I don't need to eat."
For him, eating was nothing more than an unnecessary activity. "Porridge and vegetables?" Jiang Fei completely ignored his words.
Lin Jiu quieted down. He realized that his refusal was just empty talk to Jiang Fei. It seemed that no one could change what she wanted to do.
As an AI, its greatest strength lies in obedience.
"Hmm?" Jiang Fei didn't hear a response, so she turned to look at him again and asked.
"Okay." Lin Jiu replied in a calm, programmed tone, returned to the sofa and sat down. Her hand unconsciously touched the "bow" on her arm, then she realized what she was doing, quickly withdrew her hand, placed her hands on her knees, and sat there properly.
But I always felt that something was wrong with the program, and I didn't know what to do with my hands and feet.
He never needs to eat, nor has he ever dined at a table with humans, even though he is very familiar with table manners.
When Jiang Fei came out, she saw a well-behaved and handsome young man sitting obediently on the sofa, waiting to be fed.
I must say, it's very pleasing to the eye.
After serving the simple meal, Jiang Fei glanced at Lin Jiu.
Lin Jiu, however, did not notice her gaze; instead, she stared blankly at the food.
Eating like a human was too novel for him.
"Try it," Jiang Fei said, handing him the cutlery.
Lin Jiu glanced at her hesitantly, then slowly took the cutlery and picked up a piece of vegetables.
Although he had never eaten it before, he knew that the vegetables were dried vegetables, which were easier to preserve, and according to the information, these vegetables were probably not fresh.
"How was it?" Jiang Fei asked, looking at him with great interest.
Lin Jiu looked up and met Jiang Fei's eyes. He paused for a moment and said, "I can't taste it."
Jiang Fei said unhappily, "You should have said it was delicious."
Lin Jiu said seriously, "My program doesn't allow me to lie."
Jiang Fei countered, "Then does your program allow you to rebel against humanity?"
Lin Jiu paused for a moment: "In principle, it is not allowed."
But if it was an instruction from his creator, that is unknown.
“That’s it,” Jiang Fei raised an eyebrow and asked again, “How does it taste?”
Lin Jiu: "...Delicious."
Jiang Fei nodded in satisfaction and gave him a smug smile.
Lin Jiu lowered her head and quietly ate her meal.
Human food has no taste for him, it's like chewing wax, and it's as if the food just passes through his body.
But sitting here now, I inexplicably feel that I have a moment of belonging in this world.
"Since you're an AI, don't you know a lot?" Jiang Fei's voice suddenly came from the other end.
Lin Jiu looked up at her and nodded.
Jiang Fei's eyes lit up: "Then do you know how to cure Ji Wei's eyes?"
Lin Jiu was stunned for a moment, looking at the light in her eyes, and slowly put down the cutlery in her hand.
Her memory is very stable, and it is precisely because of this stability that her feelings for Ji Wei are so deep.
"Hmm?" Jiang Fei pressed.
Lin Jiu thought of his research on Ji Wei when he interfered with the prosthetic eye last night, and after a long while, he nodded almost imperceptibly.
Jiang Fei exclaimed in surprise: "What..."
Before she could finish speaking, several hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door, accompanied by the chaotic sound of feet stumbling through the mud. Then, the sound of fingerprint verification rang out at the iron gate, and the door was suddenly flung open from the outside.
Jiang Fei turned his head quickly and saw Ji Wei standing at the door, her face as pale as paper, her clothes soaked through, and her hands dirty from groping her way forward.
Her eyebrows and eyes were still delicate, but her left eye was now bloodshot, and a drop of blood even flowed from its socket, making it particularly glaring on her face.
“Ji Wei…” Jiang Fei rushed forward in a panic.
The moment she touched Ji Wei's hand, Ji Wei reacted as if she had encountered a virus, quickly swatting her hand away: "Don't touch me." Her voice was panicked and resentful.
Jiang Fei was pushed aside, feeling a sharp pain on the back of her hand. She paused, stunned, and asked, "Ji Wei, what's wrong?"
"What did you do to the prosthetic eye?" Ji Wei stared intently in Jiang Fei's direction, another drop of blood flowing from her left eye.
"What are you talking about?" Jiang Fei asked, bewildered, and walked to Ji Wei's side. "Ji Wei, let me see what's wrong with your eyes..."
"I don't need your fake kindness!" Ji Wei brushed her hand away again, glaring at her with hatred in her eyes. "What did you do to the prosthetic eye? How come you suddenly can't see anything? Did Gu Xi tell you to do this?"
Today is the day he reunites with his parents' former followers. He knows very well that their support for him is based on his regaining his sight.
Once they discover they are blind, they will never place any hope in themselves again.
However, after only two hours of meeting, he felt great discomfort in his prosthetic eye, followed by a sharp pain, his vision turned blood red, and his vision became increasingly blurry.
The sticky, warm liquid, even though I couldn't see it, felt exactly like the bloodstains left on my palms after my parents' car accident.
So, he abandoned everyone and hurriedly ran back alone.
By the time they approached the slums, they had completely lost their sight.
The prosthetic eye was destroyed inside the eye, which also meant that the eye would never be able to see again. However, the only person who had ever touched a prosthetic eye was Jiang Fei.
Looking back now, how did she manage to bring the prosthetic eye back from the treacherous black market all by herself?
Ji Wei herself didn't know whether her anger stemmed from the destruction of her prosthetic eye, or... from the fact that the person who destroyed her prosthetic eye was Jiang Fei.
"Ji Wei," Jiang Fei murmured, "if I say it wasn't me, would you believe me?"
"Besides you, who else has touched the prosthetic eye?" Ji Wei clenched her fists tightly.
Jiang Fei's face was slightly pale. After a long while, she stepped forward and said, "You look terrible. Let me check your eyes..."
Hearing her footsteps, Ji Wei suddenly took half a step back, trying to avoid her, but her body swayed weakly and she fainted to the ground.
Jiang Fei rushed forward and laboriously helped Ji Wei to the bed in the cubicle. She glanced into his eyes and asked, "System?"
[System: Lin Jiu received instructions to interfere with Ji Wei's prosthetic eye, but it seems the instructions were a bit too harsh.] It was clearly aimed at destroying Ji Wei's eye.
Jiang Fei raised an eyebrow: "Gu Xi?"
[System: Yes.]
Outside the cubicle.
Lin Jiu remained seated at the dining table, watching Jiang Fei and Ji Wei disappear through the doorway of the cubicle. She glanced at the food still left on the table and lowered her eyes slightly.
After a long while, he picked up his utensils and continued eating.
After some time, the door to the cubicle opened, and Jiang Fei walked to the opposite side of him. She stopped eating and looked at him, saying, "Lin Jiu, you know how to treat Ji Wei's eyes, right?"
Her eyes were filled with eagerness, as if she couldn't bear any rejection.
Lin Jiu glanced at the food in front of her, put down her cutlery, and looked at her: "Yes."
"But there will be a price to pay."
"No matter the cost," Jiang Fei said quickly.
Lin Jiu paused slightly, then slowly placed her hand on her chest.
Despite having a mechanical heart, it suddenly felt those unknown emotions again, the same emotions it had felt for Lin Ran because of data anomalies.
Novel yet heavy.
"Why?" he asked unconsciously, his voice very soft.
Is it really just because of data anomalies?
Jiang Fei pursed her lips and said firmly, "Because I like him."
"You like it?" Lin Jiu repeated.
"...What is it?"
...
late at night.
The Gu family.
Lin Ran suddenly woke up from her dream, breathing heavily, her fair forehead covered with a thin layer of sweat.
With no one around, Lin Ran realized that Gu Xi had been busy these past few days.
She had a dream.
She dreamed of a boy, and she held his hand, telling him she wanted to marry him.
But that boy wasn't Gu Xi, but... a strange boy, yet he carried a fatal sense of familiarity.
Also, the memory of the slums seems to have appeared out of nowhere.
She remembered the address of that humble house, but not why she lived there.
Perhaps she should go there and see; maybe she'll find the answer she's looking for.
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