The atmosphere gradually eased as dishes were slowly served. Wen Bai focused on eating and remained silent as long as his mother and father didn't initiate conversation.
575 stood behind Wen Bai, observing his every move.
Wen Mu seemed to notice the robot behind Wen Bai for the first time. "Ah, this must be the robot that saved my darling," she said.
Wen Bai swallowed a piece of fish. "Mm," he replied stiffly. He was almost halfway through his meal and still hadn't gotten used to the term "darling."
Wen Mu continued, "Thanks to it, who knows what would have happened to my darling..." She walked over, examining the tall, handsome robot behind Wen Bai. She even circled 575 once.
575 allowed her to examine him, his attention solely on Wen Bai's dining. "Are all robots this good-looking nowadays? Later, I'll get one for Zi Yue too, so Mom can feel more at ease."
Wen Zi Yue pretended not to hear.
The meal passed uncomfortably for Wen Bai. Fortunately, Wen Fu and Wen Mu announced they were leaving again, and their next meeting might be a long time away. Before departing, Wen Mu spoke to Wen Bai at length, making him incredibly flustered. Wen Zi Yue, meanwhile, listened to Wen Fu's stern lectures.
They escorted Wen Fu and Wen Mu to the huge parking lot downstairs, where their private jet was parked. With evident reluctance to part from Wen Bai, Wen Mu was embraced by Wen Fu and boarded the plane. Wen Fu affectionately kissed the top of Wen Mu's head and her forehead as she leaned against him.
575 stood below, looking up, his hair ruffled by the wind before the plane's takeoff. He looked in the direction of Wen Fu and Wen Mu, then at his master...
On the way back, Wen Zi Yue's face was grim the entire time. The contrast was too stark; it was as if Wen Bai were Wen Mu's biological son. He glanced at Wen Bai, who, for once, didn't provoke him further.
Back home, after washing up and preparing for bed, Wen Bai felt a bit thirsty. He looked around; 575 wasn't in the room. He had given 575 instructions that the robot didn't need to follow him constantly when he was at home. He didn't want water; he wanted juice. In the past, Wen Bai would have just drunk plain water, but ever since he started living a life where his desires were met, he no longer denied himself his cravings for food. He walked downstairs, assuming 575 would be there.
System 001 suddenly spoke, "Host, the system leaderboard data has been updated again. In your human words, it's 'know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated'! I've exchanged a lot of new data recently, and I'll be going into hibernation and restarting every night. It will take a bit longer. Is that okay with you?"
Wen Bai replied, "Go into hibernation." What problems could he have? It was so safe here now. Ever since the incident where 575 was injured, there had been too much commotion, leading to complaints from residents. Security here had been further enhanced, with fixed patrol teams working shifts every night to ensure the wealthy residents of this villa district could sleep soundly.
"Understood, Host." After System 001 spoke, Wen Bai's mind fell silent, even the occasional static was gone. It seemed System 001 had gone into hibernation.
Wen Bai arrived on the first floor and his gaze landed on a spot, freezing. Target acquired. As expected, 575 was downstairs.
"I want to drink juice," Wen Bai said in 575's direction.
575 immediately stood up from the sofa, returned a smile, and responded in his pleasant, deep voice, "Of course, Master, please wait a moment." The tall figure immediately went to the kitchen.
Wen Bai waited idly for his juice when he suddenly heard a familiar sound, growing more familiar. He followed the sound to the living room and saw that the television was on. An advertisement was playing, a robot sales advertisement, the one he had collaborated on with Gou Zhe. Wen Bai, whose face had been AI-replaced, explained in his unique voice the differences between robots and humans, and what robots were capable of...
Thinking that 575 had just stood up from the sofa, Wen Bai realized that robots could also watch television. He had always thought robots knew everything about the world.
By now, 575 had freshly squeezed a glass of kiwi juice and walked over to hand it to Wen Bai. Wen Bai decided not to sleep just yet and called 575 to sit on the sofa with him. They watched television together. 575 sat rigidly on the sofa, while Wen Bai curled his legs, hugged a cushion, and sat nestled on the sofa with his glass of kiwi juice.
After the advertisement, Wen Bai discovered it was an animal documentary, showing how animals hunted, treated their prey, and even raised them. He hadn't realized these animals could "farm" their prey, essentially stockpiling food, which was quite intelligent. However, Wen Bai wasn't interested. He decisively changed the channel to a cooking show.
Perhaps it was because he had had a tiring day, but Wen Bai's eyes slowly closed as he watched, his head nodding. The half-full glass of freshly squeezed juice in his hand swayed with his movements. Suddenly, Wen Bai's body tilted, and the cup in his hand tipped...
A slender, well-defined hand caught the cup along with Wen Bai's hand and then took the cup away, placing it on the table. Wen Bai slumped onto the shoulder of the tall, handsome robot. To make Wen Bai more comfortable as he slept, the tall, handsome robot's sapphire eyes suddenly flashed with a series of numbers. He adjusted his posture based on Wen Bai's height and his own, so his shoulder gently pressed against Wen Bai's neck, allowing Wen Bai's head to rest comfortably on his shoulder. This way, Wen Bai would be more comfortable. Indeed, after the adjustment, his master's body relaxed further.
The tall robot tilted his head slightly, looking down at the sleeping human leaning against him, at the long, occasionally trembling eyelashes. He reached out a finger and gently touched Wen Bai's eyelashes. He had wanted to do this in the car earlier, but his intuition told him he couldn't, he shouldn't. After playing with Wen Bai's eyelashes for a while, the tall, handsome robot stopped this game he found very interesting when Wen Bai's hand reached out and grabbed his finger.
His master was still asleep. He carefully supported his sleeping master, maintaining his posture, and changed the channel. He didn't seem to like the cooking show, so he changed it again... Then he stopped at a channel that was explaining the differences between robots and humans. The television said a lot, detailing robot common sense, default programming, and specific examples of violating instructions... As the program neared its end, the speaker on television said the closing remarks: "Robots will not perform actions that violate their default programming beyond the master's instructions. If your robot exhibits similar behavior, please contact us for repair..."
The tall, handsome robot, in a way that least disturbed Wen Bai's sleep and in an ergonomically optimized posture based on default data, picked up his master and walked upstairs, placing him into the bed. Wen Bai nestled into the pillow, searching for the most comfortable position. He covered his master with the quilt, touched his master's eyelashes again, and then returned to his own room. He imitated his master, burying himself in the pillow and pulling up the covers. Even though his master's sleeping posture, considering his appearance and tall build, was clearly not suitable for him.