575 had just finished repairs and was getting dressed.
He looked in the mirror, adjusted his collar, neatly buttoned his shirt to the very top button…
Once he was fully presentable, he stood before Wen Bai.
“Master.”
Wen Bai nodded.
Looking at 575, Wen Bai couldn’t help but be reminded of the robot he had just encountered.
Its clothes had been torn, yet it hadn’t resisted simply because its attacker was human.
It had been beaten and kicked, but still, it hadn't fought back, even maintaining a smile…
Wen Bai felt a pang of discomfort.
“You’ll follow me from now on. Wherever I go, you go,” Wen Bai heard himself say to 575.
The tall 575 lowered his head slightly to look at his master up close.
With the same standard smile as that other robot, he obediently replied, “Yes, Master.”
Wen Bai felt even more stifled.
-
Wen Bai suddenly needed to use the restroom. He walked to the restroom door, and the two men in suits and the person in charge behind him wisely stopped.
It was only when 575 followed him all the way into the restroom that Wen Bai paused, his hand on the zipper.
Seeing 575 follow, Wen Bai was momentarily confused. Did robots need to use the restroom too?
But then, seeing that the robot was just staring at him without any other actions, Wen Bai suddenly understood. He had told 575 earlier, “Wherever I go, you go.”
To the robot 575, this seemed to mean an unshakeable adherence, regardless of the situation.
Wen Bai stopped what he was doing, turned, and gave the tall robot a command: “Wait for me outside.”
575 smiled and replied, “Yes, Master.”
When Wen Bai finished washing his hands and came out, he saw 575 standing a hundred meters away from the restroom.
Further away, people were looking at 575 in twos and threes, some even had women walking up to them, talking to 575. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Wen Bai stood still.
575 had been watching him the whole time. Seeing Wen Bai emerge, he immediately left the woman he was talking to and walked over to Wen Bai.
“Master,” 575 stood beside Wen Bai.
Wen Bai: “What did they say to you?”
“They asked, ‘Can I have your contact information?’ ‘What’s your name?’ ‘Are you really a robot?’ ‘Not colored contacts?’ ‘How do I get to the cafeteria’…”
After listening quietly, Wen Bai looked at the backs of the people in white coats, his brow furrowed. If these people worked here, how could they not know how to get to the cafeteria?
Weren't they all staff members of the robot research center? Couldn’t they even distinguish between robots? 575’s eyes were blue.
Wen Bai glanced at 575’s eyes.
But 575’s eyes were much more beautiful than those of other robots.
“Don’t talk to strangers anymore,” Wen Bai said coldly and turned to leave.
This world was not friendly to a lone robot.
“Yes, Master,” 575 immediately followed.
The repair had taken too long, and it was already past mealtime. It would be too late to go back and cook.
At the insistent invitation of the person in charge, Wen Bai went to the VIP reception room, which had a dedicated kitchen and a top chef recruited from a high-end hotel.
However, if there was a kitchen here, why would they need others to cook?
Wen Bai sent away the person in charge and the chef, sat in the VIP lounge, and turned on the TV to find a cooking show. Meanwhile, separated by a glass partition, 575 was preparing Wen Bai’s meal with practiced ease.
Wen Bai watched TV for a while, then turned his head to glance at 575, who was processing ingredients.
After another two minutes, he turned back, and 575 had already put the ingredients into the pot, using several stoves and pots simultaneously.
Wen Bai continued watching the cooking show. Not a few minutes later, 575, wearing an apron, pushed open the door, and a table full of food, complete with exquisite aroma and presentation, was already laid out.
Wen Bai turned off the TV; the cooking shows in this world weren't very good.
After enjoying the meal, Wen Bai patted his slightly full stomach and felt that his earlier mood of闷闷 (mèn mèn - stifled, depressed) had finally improved significantly.
As he finished his meal and sat at the table, sipping the after-dinner drink prepared by 575 to aid digestion, the person in charge respectfully handed him a report.
Wen Bai took the few sheets of paper and was momentarily taken aback. What was this?
He finished his drink in one gulp, looked at the sky outside the floor-to-ceiling window, and thought, it was time to go home.
Wen Bai picked up the papers and stood up, walking towards the exit while reading.
The person in charge was indeed very efficient.
Wen Bai threw the work ID to him, and the person in question was immediately fired. Wen Bai had mentioned there was more than one, and the information and handling results for these individuals were in his hands within the time it took to eat a meal.
This was handled beautifully, and Wen Bai was indeed very satisfied.
“Wen Bai?” a familiar voice called out.
Who else could it be if not his nominal fiancé?
Wen Bai looked at the person walking towards him and paused for a second, contemplating how to greet his fiancé.
The considerate System 001 immediately offered suggestions: “Generally, humans can start greetings with ‘Hello.’ In local dialects, you can ask ‘Have you eaten yet?’ but that’s not very suitable here. You’ve met before, so of course, you can say ‘Long time no see,’ which makes you seem more familiar. However, for a typical romantic relationship, using ‘darling’ as an opener can make you seem more intimate…”
Wen Bai decisively chose the opener that best fit their current relationship from System 001’s many suggestions. With a blank expression and a voice devoid of any inflection, he called out, “Darling.”
Wen Ziyue was walking over with a group of people. Upon hearing this, his entire facial expression froze for a moment.
What was going on?
And the person in charge in front of Wen Bai looked stunned.
Rumor had it that these two didn’t get along very well. Even though they were engaged fiancés, everyone hadn’t taken it seriously, and there were even rumors that they each had their own lives and didn’t interfere with each other…
These many rumors… seemed unreliable.
Mr. Wen’s personality was quite different from the rumors, not to mention that, their relationship seemed to be very close?
The person in charge’s suspicious gaze stealthily flickered back and forth between the two.
Wen Ziyue walked closer and, biting Wen Bai’s ear, said through gritted teeth, “What are you trying to do?!”
Wen Bai took a step back with a blank expression. He wasn’t comfortable being so close to someone. “Greeting.”
Wen Ziyue took a deep breath. Wen Bai had become very strange since waking up at the funeral, but he was much better than before. He told himself not to argue with him.
Wen Ziyue calmed down and asked in a normal tone, “What are you doing here?”
“Handling some matters,” Wen Bai answered vaguely.
Wen Ziyue felt as if: if he said one more word, he would lose.