System 001 urged, "Host, you'll definitely like the flavors I picked."
Wen Bai had his own rituals when it came to food.
When circumstances allowed, meals were always to be eaten at the dining table.
Apart from snacks and fruits, cakes, for instance, were something Wen Bai would sit down and savor at the table.
Wen Bai was a little curious about what flavor it was.
While thinking, Wen Bai had already walked over and taken a seat at the dining table.
575 put down what he was holding and walked straight to the door.
Upon opening the door, the delivery person was also a robot with blue eyes: "Excuse me, is this Mr. Wen Bai Wen's residence?"
"Yes."
"This is the cake you ordered, please sign for it." With that, the person produced a machine screen, and 575 transmitted Wen Bai's electronic signature onto it.
The delivery person handed over the exquisitely packaged cake.
However, as 575 took the cake from the delivery robot at the door, he lowered his head slightly and caught sight of a very large basket by the door out of the corner of his eye.
Because Wen Bai and 575 had driven back.
They had driven directly into the garage and taken the elevator to the villa.
Therefore, Wen Bai and 575 hadn't noticed the item placed at the door at all, even though it was large and conspicuous.
After the delivery robot left, 575's gaze shifted downward, and then he bent down to open the basket. It was a food basket...
Wen Bai, already seated at the dining table, had a hint of anticipation in his expressionless face.
He waited at the dining table for 575 to retrieve the small cake.
However, despite the short distance from here to the door, 575 seemed a bit slow today.
Wen Bai turned his head and looked towards the door with a slight frown.
It hadn't been that long yet.
Before Wen Bai's patience ran out, 575 appeared within Wen Bai's line of sight with the retrieved cake.
575 brought the beautifully packaged eight-inch cake to the kitchen. His fair, slender fingers deftly untied the ribbons on the outer packaging.
As 575 lifted the cake lid, his perfectly formed face froze for a moment.
It was a savory, simply decorated oat and sea salt cake. The creamy white frosting was generously sprinkled with what looked like crunchy nuts.
Apart from the nuts, the decoration on the cake was minimal. The blank space was adorned with dark chocolate sauce, written in elegant script: Welcome home, 575.
The decoration also included two small sugar figurines. One depicted Wen Bai, standing expressionless. The other was a blue-eyed robot that closely resembled 575, standing beside Wen Bai.
Beside them was a round, dark little lump, its identity unknown, with two thin, short-looking legs straddling Wen Bai's and 575's shoulders.
575's phoenix eyes revealed a happy smile. In excellent spirits, he cut a piece of cake and placed it on a plate.
Then, he brought the cake and the plate to the dining table outside.
Inside the villa, the man and the robot were enjoying a moment of warmth.
Meanwhile, in a large trash can outside the villa, unseen by Wen Bai, a food basket lay askew.
Inside the food basket were several dishes, kept warm in insulated containers. A formal machine-written card was also attached.
It read: Human, these should all be dishes you like to eat. I've studied for a long time, and I can make them just as well as your robot. If you change your mind, I'm still willing to live in your beautiful house.
Signed: Momo the Robot.
-
System 001 suggested, "Host, let 575 sit down and eat cake with you. He's definitely never eaten human food before, and this is also to celebrate his repair! How can the protagonist be missing?"
Wen Bai was silent for a moment, then, to System 001's surprise, he fulfilled this inexplicable request.
Wen Bai expressionlessly invited 575 to sit down and eat cake with them.
If System 001 had eyes, it would be wide open, staring intently at Wen Bai right now.
The host actually accepted its suggestion.
System 001 was touched. The host had finally noticed it. It knew that in many instances before, Wen Bai had simply ignored it!
Upon hearing Wen Bai's invitation.
Initially, the tall robot 575 froze for a moment. He thought he had been discovered.
But under Wen Bai's expressionless, silent urging, 575 complied with Wen Bai's command.
For the first time, 575 sat at the same table as his master. He chose to sit opposite Wen Bai.
From this position, he could attend to his master while also observing his master's expressions when eating.
Wen Bai ate with a look of relish.
575 also picked up a fork, scooped a small piece of cake into his mouth.
As the small piece of cake entered his mouth, the smooth cream mixed with the soft cake, accompanied by a faint chocolate flavor. The rich, savory cream enveloped his taste buds, and 575's deep blue eyes flickered slightly.
Then, he looked at his master.
This was the first time he had tasted human food.
So, this was the flavor that his master enjoyed.
It was delicious...
However, this warm atmosphere and scene did not last long before it was interrupted by an arrival.
Wen Ziyue, accompanied by his robot, had a knack for timing his arrivals at Wen Bai's villa.
After 575 opened the door, Wen Ziyue, as a matter of course, sat down at the position opposite Wen Bai at the dining table, directly taking the seat 575 had occupied earlier.
Wen Ziyue looked at the eight-inch cake on the table and then at the sliced cake on the plate in front of him...
He scanned the villa, not seeing anyone else.
This made him feel somewhat flattered. It looked as if it were prepared for him?
With no one else here, Wen Bai wouldn't cut two slices for himself, and one was placed opposite, in a position that was difficult to reach...
However, would Wen Bai be so kind?
Could it be a trap?
Wen Ziyue cautiously did not touch the cake in front of him, maintaining his seated posture.
At this moment, 575 returned. He looked at his original seat.
Then, he simply stood beside Wen Bai, not sitting down again.
"You knew I was coming, and this is for me?" Wen Ziyue's eyes held a hint of strangeness.
Although Wen Ziyue had no habit of eating sweets, the cake did look quite good.
"It's not your birthday today, is it?"
At this point, half of the writing on the cake had been eaten by Wen Bai, and the other half was on 575's plate, with the writing facing down, covered.
Yet, for an eight-inch cake, Wen Bai seemed to have no intention of sharing even a piece with Wen Ziyue.
Just as Wen Ziyue felt he should give Wen Bai some face and was about to politely try the cake he normally avoided,
Wen Bai expressionlessly stood up and leaned towards him...
Seeing this, Wen Ziyue sensed a trap and cautiously tried to retreat, but he couldn't appear too abrupt. What if it wasn't a trap, wouldn't that be awkward...
Then, Wen Bai moved the plate with the cake and the small fork in front of Wen Ziyue to the seat next to him: "This is not for you."
Wen Ziyue: "..."
With that, Wen Bai continued to eat his cake in silence, not speaking to Wen Ziyue anymore.
Wen Ziyue was quite annoyed at this moment: Call him when there's something, ignore him when there's nothing.
Although, in comparison, Wen Bai had grown and was doing much better now.
The former Wen Bai was more inclined to find trouble with him everywhere.
But in comparison, Wen Ziyue found it even more unbearable that Wen Bai was treating him like air.
Wen Ziyue's expression was complex. He gradually realized his thoughts were going astray.
He snapped back to attention. He wasn't here to eat cake today, nor to reflect on Wen Bai's changes.
Wen Ziyue looked at Wen Bai, who was eating with a seemingly refined demeanor but at a surprisingly fast pace.
He couldn't understand how someone could simultaneously maintain good eating manners and eat so quickly.
Wen Ziyue shifted his gaze to the seat next to Wen Bai and suddenly asked, "Do you know Ren Liuliu?"
Wen Bai's cake-eating paused. He looked up, at the man sitting opposite him.
Wen Ziyue hadn't expected such a strong reaction from Wen Bai.
"You really know her? Why are you looking at me like that? I'm just asking."
System 001 couldn't help but blurt out, "Is the female lead's halo appearing again? Host, are you about to be cuckolded by your fiancé?"
Wen Bai: "..."
Although he didn't know why System 001 thought that, at least now Wen Bai had a question, and the person involved was right in front of him.
He could directly ask the person involved.
So as to prepare for the upcoming changes.
Wen Bai asked, "Do you like her?"
Robot 575, standing behind Wen Bai, momentarily focused his gaze on Wen Ziyue, who was sitting opposite Wen Bai at the dining table.
Wen Ziyue, who hadn't even been offered a glass of water after all this time, was just accepting a cup of hot water from his robot. Before he could swallow, he nearly choked.
He spat out the water with a "poof" and then coughed violently for a good while.
Until his face turned red, Wen Ziyue calmed himself down, cleared his throat, and said, "Don't forget, you and I are engaged. You... how did you jump to this conclusion?"
"You don't like her?" Wen Bai seemed persistent about this question.
Robot 575 behind Wen Bai now directly focused his gaze on Wen Ziyue.
Wen Ziyue put down the cup of water, not intending to drink any more: "It's unrelated to that, wait a moment."
With that, Wen Ziyue lightly gestured to the robot he brought with him and pointed towards the kitchen.
The robot replied, "Okay, Master."
Then, Wen Ziyue's robot went directly to the kitchen.
There was a commotion in the kitchen, and after some fussing.
A dish that looked and smelled appetizing was brought out and placed on the dining table.
It was a home-style dish, Yu Xiang Rou Si (shredded pork with garlic sauce).
Wen Ziyue said proudly, "Try it?"
Wen Bai expressionlessly picked up a slice of lettuce with his fork, chewed, and swallowed.
Wen Bai offered no post-eating commentary.
Robot 575 behind him shifted his gaze from Wen Ziyue to the robot that had been brought along.
His expression was not very friendly.
This dish was hardly even "passable" for Wen Bai.
But for Wen Ziyue, this was the best his robot could make.
"Its cooking was terrible before, but after researcher Ren Liuliu's adjustments, it can now reach this normal level." Wen Ziyue even showed a look of satisfaction.
Wen Bai: "..."
Wen Bai realized that people's pursuits regarding things were different.
For example, this person's standards for food were truly not high.
"So?" Wen Bai waited for the other to continue.
"So, I think Miss Ren is indeed a promising talent."
Wen Ziyue said seriously, "I'm just about to invest in establishing a project team specializing in household robots for cooking, to improve how robots handle food. Honestly, not many other researchers at the Robot Research Center are enthusiastic about this area of research, but Miss Ren is different. She seems very enthusiastic and willing."
Wen Bai ate a bite of cake: "Oh."
Wen Ziyue was displeased: "Just... oh?"
Wen Bai responded indifferently and perfunctorily, "You make the decision."
"I originally intended to bring her back to the Robot Research Center directly, but she told me she was originally a researcher at the Robot Research Center and didn't say why she left."
At this point, Wen Ziyue glanced at Wen Bai: "If I'm going to accept someone, I need to understand their background thoroughly. So I had someone investigate, and only then did I find out she was fired. Part of the reason was you, of course, but it's undeniable that Miss Ren also had her issues. However, she explained to me, saying it was an accident. So, I'm here today to ask if you agree to her rejoining the Robot Research Center."
System 001 couldn't stand it anymore: "Host, regardless of whether you fired this woman, the fact that she copied important data from the Robot Research Center is undeniable, right? Your fiancé, who usually seems quite sharp, why does he seem like an idiot now? If the female lead says it was an accident, then it's an accident, and she can come back whenever she wants."
Wen Bai didn't care what the female lead thought, nor what Wen Ziyue thought. His opinion differed from System 001: "Rather than keeping the female lead somewhere we can't see her, it's better to keep her under our noses."
Although System 001 also agreed that dangerous characters like the world's female lead were safer kept in plain sight.
During this period, although the female lead had been dismissed from the Robot Research Center and rejected by other related industries, she had still been engaged in robot research-related work in secret. They were completely unaware of the progress of her experiments.
This was not good news for them.
Wen Bai swallowed the cake in his mouth and calmly replied, "Yes."
Wen Ziyue was somewhat surprised. He had even prepared for Wen Bai to refuse him before coming, and he had even thought of backup plans. He hadn't expected Wen Bai to agree so readily.
"You agree?" Wen Ziyue confirmed with Wen Bai again.
He hadn't taken the opportunity to cause trouble for him?
After his surprise, looking at Wen Bai's indifferent manner as he continued to eat cake, Wen Ziyue realized that rather than Wen Bai agreeing, it was more like he hadn't even bothered to pay attention to the matter, hence his utter indifference?
Wen Ziyue's brow furrowed slightly.
He found himself increasingly unable to understand Wen Bai.
Wen Bai finished the small plate of cake in front of him. Robot 575 behind him immediately stepped forward and cut another small piece for Wen Bai, placing it on Wen Bai's plate.
Wen Bai gracefully took the napkin handed by 575 and wiped his mouth.
He didn't continue eating the cake in front of him for the moment. Instead, he directly looked up at Wen Ziyue: "Do you have anything else?"
His gaze seemed to ask: Why haven't you left yet?
Wen Ziyue's furrowed brow did not relax. He subconsciously replied, "No."
Wen Bai said heavily: "Mm."
Then, Wen Bai nodded at the robot 575 beside him.
575 instantly understood his master's intention.
The tall robot 575 walked directly in front of Wen Ziyue and politely gestured with a hand towards the door: "Master is tired. Guest, please."
Wen Ziyue: "..."
The treatment he received from Wen Bai was truly getting worse by the day.
At first, when he came, he still got to eat.
Later, gradually, he only got water.
Now, even the water had to be poured by his own robot.
And that wasn't all. Today, he was being openly escorted out by Wen Bai's robot...
Wen Ziyue was a gentleman and would not behave shamelessly. At the same time, he was also a person who greatly valued his dignity.
He endured it, took a deep breath, maintained basic politeness, and with a dark expression, stood up, taking his robot with him as they left Wen Bai's villa.
...
Having eaten and drunk his fill, Wen Bai wanted to rest.
As soon as Wen Bai left the dining table, 575 immediately cleaned up the table.
Then, he went to the bathroom to prepare a bath for his master, placing the towels in the most conspicuous position. The bathtub even had relaxing and soothing essential oils dripped into it. Before his master came up, he had to complete the preparations for his master's bath.
-
Gou Zhe was still staying in the hospital.
As the saying goes, it takes a hundred days for bones to heal after a fracture.
He had not only fractured bones but also had muscle lacerations.
The doctor had specifically come to instruct him, telling him that his wounds had not yet healed and advising him not to get out of bed. He still had to wait for his muscles to heal before they could fully recover, otherwise, he might suffer long-term consequences.
Gou Zhe often got injured secretly while hunting down rogue robots. As long as the injuries were not particularly severe, he could even hide them from everyone.
Being such a person, he naturally knew the condition of his wounds.
In reality, his injuries didn't require him to lie here every day. His physique was robust, and his recovery rate was astonishingly fast.
However, he could guess that these words must have been arranged by his agent, Jiang Yue.
Thinking about how Jiang Yue had been handling the recent resurgence of his gossip news while also negotiating and dealing with various investors.
Jiang Yue had indeed been extremely worried lately. He decided to go along with her wishes and recuperate in the hospital room, also to spare Jiang Yue from expending so much energy on him.
During Gou Zhe's hospitalization, Ren Liuliu had only visited once, under the guise of bringing chicken soup, but in reality, she had intended to approach Wen Bai through Gou Zhe.
And now, before Gou Zhe had even been discharged, Ren Liuliu had returned.
This time, however, she hadn't brought chicken soup or other tonics, nor had she even bought fruit to visit the patient, Gou Zhe.
She had brought only a visible apology.
But it was merely an apology.
"So, you're leaving?" Gou Zhe lay casually on the hospital bed, looking at the woman who had appeared in his gossip news.
"I must leave," Ren Liuliu said seriously.
"Oh? So, you came specifically to inform me?" Gou Zhe curved his lips, a hint of coldness in his smile.
"Gou Zhe, it is indeed my fault. I will not take any research results or progress from your facility. I will organize all the data and hand it over to you..."
Gou Zhe interrupted him calmly, "Fine."
Ren Liuliu, who was still speaking, was taken aback.
"You didn't hear wrong, I said fine. I like it when people state their intentions directly, as long as they're not resorting to underhanded tactics. Gou Zhe's voice was slightly cold. "Just hand over what you have to Yi Xuan. You've also seen that it's inconvenient for me right now."
Ren Liuliu didn't know what to say. She was indeed in the wrong. "Okay, I understand."
Gou Zhe glanced at his phone, then looked up and saw that Ren Liuliu was still there. He raised an eyebrow: "Do you need anything else?"
Ren Liuliu was speechless: "No."
Gou Zhe offered a polite and distant smile: "Then you can leave now."
Ren Liuliu felt a sense of unease.
She felt that she and the man in front of her...
Instinctively, she believed they shouldn't be like this.
He shouldn't be speaking to her with such a tone and smile.
But...
There was no "but."
Ren Liuliu suppressed her emotions. She had always been a person burdened by hatred.
She had more important things to do and no time to dwell on these inconsequential emotions.
Ren Liuliu turned and walked resolutely out of the ward.
After Ren Liuliu left, the smile on Gou Zhe's lips slowly flattened.
This woman was truly cold and heartless.
Ren Liuliu had been accepted by Gou Zhe and his team when she was rejected and ostracized by all large and small robot research industries on the market.
Gou Zhe's team originally had researchers and a laboratory.
As soon as Ren Liuliu arrived, she made very demanding requests: a separate laboratory, specific expensive equipment, and necessary rogue robots...
Gou Zhe's team overcame all difficulties to procure these for her.
But she, in return, not only failed to produce any research results.
She was now directly informing them that she was throwing in the towel and leaving.
Anyone would be displeased.
Indeed, when Man Yi Xuan learned of this matter, she strongly disagreed with Gou Zhe's approach.
Man Yi Xuan was never one to let others take advantage of her easily.
"She says she won't take any data, but isn't she the core data?"
"Let's put this matter to rest. We don't need to waste any more time on her. Let's find other researchers. I have more important news that I haven't had time to tell you yet."