Chapter 39
At the same time, in the entrance hall.
The butler of the Chi family answered the communication request at the porch, and the surveillance screen popped up.
A slender vampire butler in a British-style uniform, accompanied by several bodyguards, bowed slightly and politely said, "Hello."
The Chi family butler responded equally politely, "Hello."
"May I ask if my young master is inside?" The Blood Clan butler's smile didn't reach his eyes. "I'm here to take him home."
The Chi family butler, also smiling without warmth, replied, "Sorry, I don't understand what you're saying. This is Mr. Chi's private residence."
The Blood Clan butler asked, "May I come in with the bodyguards to look for him? My young master suddenly disappeared from the yacht, and we're very worried."
The Chi family butler repeated, "This is Mr. Chi's private residence."
Through the surveillance screen, the two butlers stared at each other, then simultaneously called out, "Bodyguards—"
The bodyguards lined up on both sides, wearing different suits but all towering over six feet tall. They glared at each other, ready to fight at any moment.
The Chi family butler added politely, "By the way, I called the police five minutes ago for trespassers."
The Blood Clan butler's temple twitched.
In the distance, the sound of sirens and footsteps could already be heard.
________________________
Half a minute later.
Before being taken away for questioning by the local police, the Blood Clan butler maintained his composure as a butler. He smiled and slowly gave the camera the middle finger.
The Chi family butler: "..."
"..."
In the apartment kitchen, Chi Yan heated up some milk. The oven timer still flashed a series of garbled characters.
Apparently, the robot parent hadn't recovered from the shock of 'the child not only dating early but possibly getting married early.' The most terrifying part was that the parenting guide didn't cover the precautions and dangers of early marriage!
Alarms blared from the central tree of the mechanical star, with occasional bursts of fire and smoke everywhere, turning the place into chaos.
Chi Yan wasn't interested in the turmoil on the mechanical star. He picked up the milk and returned to the swimming pool.
Wen Xingze lay by the pool's edge, almost asleep, munching on cookies. "I really want to sleep in bed."
Chi Yan asked, "How long has the mermaid filter been on?"
Wen Xingze counted on his fingers. "Since I started chanting the Great Compassion Mantra to the dolphins, about... forty minutes."
Chi Yan nodded. "It will revert in another twenty-eight minutes."
Wen Xingze was shocked. "How do you know that?"
Chi Yan glanced at him again. "Do you really want to know?"
"..." Wen Xingze hesitated for a moment but then said, "Tell me, but speak slowly."
Wen Xingze thought he was about to endure another scientific lullaby.
However, Chi Yan simply placed the cup of hot milk in Wen Xingze's hand and said, "I guessed."
Wen Xingze: "..."
Wen Xingze, drinking the milk, was so stunned by the answer that he let out a small milk burp. He instinctively wanted to look at Chi Yan but quickly remembered he was still under the influence of the Green Tangerine. He couldn't look, couldn't look!
He had to overcome this challenge with his willpower. Only a true man could remain calm in the presence of an absolute beauty.
Wen Xingze swam to the side of the pool near the floor-to-ceiling window, facing the sea view.
With a calm heart, Wen Xingze convinced himself that he didn't want to see Chi Yan's thoughts, didn't care what he was thinking, didn't want to know who he liked, whether he was married, what his favorite movie was, what he liked to eat, or whether he preferred Prague or Tibet.
He was just a simple, ordinary fan!
Past painful experiences had taught Wen Xingze that getting too close to an idol's life never ended well.
However, the 'absolute beauty' didn't consider Wen Xingze's feelings at all.
Chi Yan found a towel and checked the size of the change of clothes the butler had prepared—it was correct. Then he said, "If you're tired, you can sleep first. When you turn back into a human, I'll carry you to bed."
Wen Xingze: "Thank you, but I don't want to see your thoughts."
Chi Yan: "?"
Chi Yan paused, then unbuttoned two more buttons on his shirt. "There's a shower here."
Wen Xingze: "Okay, please stop tempting me. I really don't want to see your thoughts."
Chi Yan: "???"
How was he tempting Wen Xingze? It was clearly the other way around.
Chi Yan calmly pointed out, "This is a classic case of reversing black and white."
Wen Xingze looked at the night view outside the floor-to-ceiling window but couldn't help being distracted by the sounds behind him. He heard buttons being undone, a zipper sliding down, indoor shoes being changed, and finally, the shower turning on.
Chi Yan preferred showers, especially cold ones. There was no steam, and the room temperature remained at a comfortable fourteen degrees for a mermaid.
"..." Wen Xingze was completely stunned, not daring to look back. He even considered finding a chain to restrain his head and control his urge to turn around. "Are you taking a shower?"
Chi Yan: "Yes."
In his shock, Wen Xingze typed his thoughts on the public screen: "Do you also need to shower?"
Chi Yan: "..."
Chi Yan: "Yes, I am currently an ordinary human."
Equally shocked, Wen Xingze didn't notice the keywords "currently" and "ordinary" in Chi Yan's response.
Actually, the fact that Chi Yan needed to shower wasn't the main point.
The main point was, why was Chi Yan showering here??? Although it was his house, and he could shower wherever he wanted, even in the fish tank or the kitchen sauna... but Wen Xingze was still here.
Wen Xingze finally realized his double standards. He could bathe in public baths and even occasionally scrub with older men, but he couldn't imagine Chi Yan doing the same!
Chi Yan noticed Wen Xingze's unusual behavior because Wen Xingze was easy to read. His fish tail was flapping in the pool, almost causing a small tsunami.
Chi Yan turned off the shower. "What's wrong?"
Wen Xingze explained in a rush: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to look back at you, but my eyes are out of control, like they want to fly out."
"If I turn around later, it's not my will. I've already fought a significant internal battle."
Chi Yan: "..."
Behind Wen Xingze, Chi Yan's lips curled slightly. He pressed a fist to his lips, hiding a faint smile.
"You can look," Chi Yan said. "I don't mind. I've seen you too."
Wen Xingze thought that made sense. Chi Yan had seen his body, so it was only fair for him to look back. But he still hesitated, "Isn't that inappropriate..."
Chi Yan: "Should I put on clothes then?"
Wen Xingze immediately lowered his hand from his eyes.
Chi Yan had already tied a towel around his waist, with water droplets still rolling down his neck.
His skin was indeed marble-like in its pale texture. In a suit, Chi Yan looked tall and slender, but now his muscles were clearly defined, with eight-pack abs and a broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted physique.
From Wen Xingze's angle, he could see large areas of what looked like gunshot and burn scars on Chi Yan's right shoulder to his waist. They had faded over time, turning a different shade of white from the surrounding skin.
Wen Xingze: "..."
These scars looked like fatal injuries. What caused them? Wen Xingze was dying to know. No wonder Chi Yan rarely filmed scenes that required showing his back in his previous movies.
On Chi Yan's waist, partially covered by the towel, was what seemed like a tattoo. It was a string of black characters, more like a serial number than a tattoo... but it could also be a unique tattoo style.
2131225, Wen Xingze could only vaguely see these numbers. 1225 was probably Chi Yan's birthday.
But why tattoo his birthday on his body?
Wen Xingze had swum to the edge of the pool, holding onto the railing. He typed his thoughts on the screen again, murmuring, "I can't see clearly."
Hearing this, Chi Yan paused and walked closer.
The indoor pool was dimly lit by two yellow night lamps. Shadows cast over Wen Xingze as Chi Yan leaned down, looking at him.
Chi Yan: "How about now?"
"..." Wen Xingze spoke honestly, "Now I can see clearly, but I can't take my eyes off your abs."
Chi Yan: "..."
Abs are great, Wen Xingze thought. He only had thin muscles. If he could achieve Chi Yan's physique through exercise, maybe he should add fitness to his schedule... His thoughts were interrupted by a hand on his chin.
Chi Yan leaned in.
They were very close, staring at each other. The light shifted, casting a quiet white glow on Chi Yan's deep features. His eyes were intense.
Wen Xingze murmured, "I thought you were going to say that classic line."
Chi Yan: "Which one?"
Wen Xingze: "'Are you satisfied with what you see?'"
Chi Yan: "..."
Wen Xingze let out a small burp and answered himself, "Very satisfied."
Wen Xingze tried hard to keep his eyes fixed on Chi Yan's face, but he could already see the faint green text above Chi Yan's head in his peripheral vision.
The effect of the green tangerine should be wearing off soon, but Wen Xingze stubbornly kept his gaze from drifting upward.
Unexpectedly, after a few seconds of eye contact, Chi Yan's eyebrows raised slightly. "Is that all it takes to satisfy you?"
Wen Xingze: "???"
Wait, was that sarcasm? A challenge?
Chi Yan's fingers were cold, but his palm was warming up. His fingertips traced from Wen Xingze's eye to his lips and chin, making Wen Xingze tilt his head up.
When two people maintain eye contact for over sixty seconds, most will feel the urge to look away. Wen Xingze felt that now. He couldn't look down, couldn't look up to see Chi Yan's thoughts, and couldn't close his eyes.
Moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting shimmering reflections on the water.
He was drowning in Chi Yan's gaze.
Even though Wen Xingze was submerged in water, the unprecedented feeling of being overwhelmed, as if he were suffocating from lack of oxygen, came solely from the person occupying his entire field of vision.
Wen Xingze: "Please don't do this. My self-control, which I always pride myself on, is about to collapse."
Chi Yan: "..."
Chi Yan paused and asked, "What kind of novels do you usually read?"
Wen Xingze: "..."
He thought of the passionate recommendations from Zhu Bo and Xu Qianqian, which led him to occasionally read titles like "The Vampire Duke: Contract Sacrifice Sweetheart" and "The Overbearing Young Master Fell in Love with Me: The Priceless Runaway Bride."
Come to think of it, was Chi Yan now his contract sacrifice sweetheart?
Wen Xingze's mind was in complete chaos. He had indeed drunk Chi Yan's blood before!
In Wen Xingze's mind, the countdown of the Green Tangerine began: ten seconds, nine seconds, eight seconds... He could see the faint green text above Chi Yan's head fading, but the outline was still there. If he looked up now, he could still read the whole sentence.
Wen Xingze still held half a cup of hot milk.
Chi Yan's voice was like a sigh as he softly asked, "Don't you want to see?"
Wen Xingze: "..." Yes, I do.
Chi Yan: "Hmm."
Three seconds, two seconds...
As the green text completely faded, Wen Xingze heard a sharp sound in his ears, like an alarm, beeping—
The last second.
Wen Xingze finally looked up and saw Chi Yan's faint green thoughts:
"Current heart rate exceeds 249 beats per minute, blood flow too fast, dopamine secretion above normal levels, recommend checking for malfunctions."
Wen Xingze: "..."
Wen Xingze: "Huh???"
Did he just read a medical report?!
Wen Xingze felt he needed to think this through, preferably with a magnifying glass in one hand and a computer to search academic papers in the other. He needed to analyze this thought carefully and maybe even write a paper with a plagiarism rate below 5%.
But suddenly, an uncontrollable drowsiness overcame him.
Just as Chi Yan had said, at the twenty-eight-minute mark, Wen Xingze's fish tail turned back into legs, and his ear fins gradually disappeared. Everything was quickly returning to normal human form.
As Chi Yan had guessed, when the filter manifested as a racial transformation, it consumed a lot of energy.
Wen Xingze let out a long yawn. "I'm so sleepy. Can you hold me for a bit..."
________________________
Almost simultaneously.
All the appliances in the apartment started going haywire, sounding alarms. The oven began baking bread automatically, all the computer screens lit up, and the printer spewed out sheets of paper like snowflakes.
It was as if some mysterious magic had taken control of all the appliances, and the person controlling them was in a panic.
The automatic fire sprinkler above the pool started spraying water. The butler, wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying a fire extinguisher, rushed in. "Mr. Chi—"
The butler stopped awkwardly at the door.
Chi Yan was standing sideways, holding a young boy.
The boy had already fallen asleep. The towel seemed too big for him, and his small, pale face was mostly hidden by the man holding him. There was a ring of milk around his lips, and he licked his upper lip in his sleep.
The fish tail had turned back into long, slender legs. The boy's half-exposed calf dangled in the air, his toes a delicate pink like shellfish.
Chi Yan lowered his gaze, staring at the boy with an unreadable expression.
Then he glanced coldly at the butler and said, "Shh."
At that moment, all the magic ceased.
As Chi Yan walked out, the frantically flashing computer screens returned to normal.
The oven stopped baking, leaving a half-burnt slice of bread.
The printer jammed, finally spitting out a sheet with faint Morse code, which translated to "Declaring war on you, Officer."
The sudden fire alarm also stopped, and the sprinklers ceased. A higher-level consciousness had taken control of the home system, reclaiming ownership.
After this brief skirmish, the apartment was a mess.
Amidst the flying white paper scraps, pillow feathers from the vacuum cleaner, and flashing lights from various machines, Chi Yan quietly held the sleeping boy. His expression was indifferent and distant. The gradually dimming screen light cast a soft glow on them, like fireflies.
The interplay of light and shadow, movement and stillness, resembled a bold yet delicate oil painting.
Butler: "..."
Wow, that was impressive. It felt like watching a sci-fi movie, even though it was just a battle for control of the home system.
After a moment of shock and awe, the butler bowed and left. He had many tasks to complete tonight and shouldn't disturb Mr. Chi's rest any further.
Master bedroom.
There were less than five seconds left on the three-minute countdown.
Clearly, Chi Yan was the winner of this skirmish and the upcoming PK task. He had won effortlessly.
There was no doubt about it. Chi Yan didn't like to lose in anything related to Wen Xingze.
"..."
"No need to declare war," Chi Yan said lazily, already in the victor's stance. He addressed the robots that had infiltrated the home system, "I'm always ready—"
The change happened in an instant.
There were three seconds left on the countdown for the continuous hug.
The SpongeBob toy on the bedside table suddenly moved. It was a rare, limited-edition electric toy that Chi Yan had bought at a memorial exhibition two days ago. He hadn't had a chance to give it to Wen Xingze yet.
The toy didn't have many functions, just singing and saying a few phrases, but that was enough for the robots.
SpongeBob slowly walked up to Wen Xingze and, in a robotic voice, said, "Your Majesty, cold, hug."
Wen Xingze's eyelashes suddenly fluttered.
He was too familiar with the robots' voices, almost to the point of reflex. When he first found them, the robots often lacked enough energy, which manifested as 'cold' in their simulated emotions.
Even if Wen Xingze received a game prompt while half-asleep, he would get up to plug them in, pat their square heads, and give them a hug.
Chi Yan: "?"
Wen Xingze rubbed his eyes and, despite his extreme drowsiness, opened them to take a look. The familiar robot voices combined with his favorite SpongeBob appearance dealt a heavy blow to Wen Xingze.
He reached out and hugged SpongeBob, nuzzling his face against SpongeBob's cheek.
Wen Xingze patted SpongeBob's square head. "Charged up, not cold anymore."
The Cub Raising System began an emergency assessment and finally determined that Chi Yan's hug, which was half a second short of three minutes, was interrupted by the robot parents' hug.
Chi Yan: "???"
Wen Xingze, hugging his SpongeBob toy, sank into the soft bed, rolled into the covers, and ended up completely wrapped like a spring roll.
Inside the covers, SpongeBob, controlled by the robot parents, froze for a moment. Then it extended its short arms and shyly, yet gently, hugged Wen Xingze.
About six minutes later.
The "Cub Raising System" announced the robot parents' victory in the PK task:
Ding dong! Congratulations to the robot parents for successfully meeting the conditions and winning this PK task in a total of 27 hours! The cub has earned a [24-hour interstellar exchange trip opportunity].
The robot parents have earned the [right to decide the Cub's travel destination] and the [role of the Cub's travel guide].
Chi Yan: "??????????"
________________________
A single stone caused a thousand ripples.
On the Dragon Clan's main star, dragons practicing hugs with various buildings, sunken ships, and starships sat down with a thud, howling at the sky in disbelief.
Merfolk parents: "At least Chi Yan didn't win, that's something." They were too reserved by nature. Although they wanted to win, they knew their chances were slim.
Blood Clan parents: "Wow, who would've thought these robots, with their simple looks and thick eyebrows, would quietly make a fortune...!!!"
That night, the Utopian monarch filed a complaint with the Cosmic Arbitration against the Light Tower game system:
"Clearly, this is cheating. The Light Tower game system did not explain the definition and methods of hugging in advance, which is misleading."
The Cosmic Court quickly accepted the complaint and stated they would consider investigating. However, due to the relationship between Utopia and Muse, the investigation might be scheduled for around the year 1430.
________________________
Mechanical Star E19, a silent city of silver-gray tones.
Even after several rounds of part updates and Wen Xingze's careful maintenance, these centuries-old robots still had severely outdated programs. Their simulated emotion systems could only recognize a few emotions: sadness, anger, joy...
For example, now, it was 'joy.'
Even though they hadn't actually touched the Emperor, they had manipulated the plush toy to sneak into Wen Xingze's arms, stealing a hug.
But the Emperor had hugged them too, which gave the guilty robots a bit of comfort, though they still felt more guilt than relief.
But regardless...
Their core processors felt hot, all data indicators were overloaded, and energy and power consumption far exceeded capacity.
They had won.
Winning meant they could see the Emperor.
Even if they were just old, slow-reacting robots, they could see the Emperor.
In the central base, various indicator lights on the control panel flashed chaotically. 015 turned on the light above his head and slowly walked deeper into the base.
In the deepest part of the base, several energy pods lay dormant.
Unlike the outer energy pods, these had not been activated for the past twenty years.
These cylindrical pods were filled with a light blue, transparent repair fluid. In the outermost pod, a young man with no clothes floated in the center of the fluid, his eyes closed. Light followed the bubbles rising to the top.
Unlike 015, this young man, with '011' tattooed on his back, had a highly human-like appearance. However, his joints clearly showed unnatural circular mechanical pivots.
011 had long, curly black hair and a beautiful, languid aristocratic face. From his cheeks to his chest and down to his heels, he was covered in black, intricate patterns resembling rose vines.
The young man in the pod had his brows tightly furrowed. His right hand was clenched into a fist, repeatedly striking the edge of the energy pod, creating visible cracks.
...He was agitated.
This state had started yesterday, something that hadn't happened in the past twenty years. But 015 knew the reason.
If 015 and the others were retired killing machines, then 08 to 011 were true harbingers of death. Their initial code lacked normal ethical concepts, and their personalities had significant flaws.
Hundreds of years ago, they had personally killed the first scientists who created, enslaved, oppressed, and finally abandoned them. It was a terrifying event at the time.
Due to their violent and unruly nature and the negative impact they had, the Cosmic Alliance revised the laws on robots. According to the regulations, 08 to 011 were to be destroyed. At that time, the Muse Empire's influence was not as great as it is now, and they had to be cautious.
It was the Emperor who used all his power and even his life as a guarantee to save them from destruction, allowing them to remain in long-term hibernation instead.
Thud, thud thud.
The cracks on the inside of the energy pod continued to expand.
015 asked 011, "Want to see His Majesty?"
Upon hearing the special keyword, 011's clenched right hand suddenly stopped. Moments later, an invisible vibration spread outward from the energy pod—
011's eyes snapped open.
As the most advanced humanoid robots of their time, their crystalline lenses were also cutting-edge technology. Cold gray in color, they could locate life forms smaller than a millimeter from thousands of meters away with just an iris scan, allowing for precise targeting.
The old robot 015 was tightly stared at by those gray eyes.
He slowly lowered his head, then raised it again after a moment, saying dully, "Can't, I'm going go mad."
"..." 011 discontentedly pounded the energy pod, causing the entire base to tremble slightly.
015 insisted, "If you go mad, you can't see His Majesty."
011 froze.
After a long half-minute, 011's clenched hand relaxed. His gray irises flashed with various data as he began searching the latest database for relevant information: soft, harmless, cute appearance...
Moments later, the young man in the pod raised his head.
His lips curved into a precise arc, revealing a very unpracticed, stiff smile. In a cold mechanical voice, he began to recite, "Ying ying ying, I want to use my little fists—"
015: "..."
015: "You passed."
The young man in the pod immediately returned to his expressionless state.
Then both robots turned and gagged simultaneously.
"But," 015 quickly added, "the Emperor will come next month. Before that, study these documents."
015 transmitted two documents to 011.
One was "The Three-Part Guide to Early Childhood Education," which every robot had to read.
The other was "One Hundred Precautionary Measures Against Chi Yan," written by a senior robot expert.
"......"
________________________
That same night, in a penthouse apartment in downtown Tenerife.
Master bedroom.
Chi Yan pulled Wen Xingze out of his blanket cocoon. Wen Xingze was still clutching his SpongeBob toy, sleeping sprawled out with his cheeks imprinted with uneven red marks from the toy.
Chi Yan frowned and tried to take SpongeBob away, but Wen Xingze grabbed it back with even more force. On the second attempt, Wen Xingze angrily bit his hand.
Chi Yan: "…Forget it."
Wen Xingze's sleeping posture was not the best.
Sometimes he would roll to the edge of the bed, and other times he would drape a leg over Chi Yan, gnawing on Chi Yan's wrist with his little fangs while mumbling in his sleep, "Braised, sweet and sour, no cumin."
Chi Yan: "..."
What kind of dream is this?
By the middle of the night, Chi Yan opened his eyes, dark circles clearly visible. With a cold expression, he scooped up Wen Xingze, who was about to roll off the bed, and held him in his arms.
This time, Wen Xingze finally settled down and stopped moving.
Wen Xingze found a comfortable position, smacked his lips, and fell back into a deep sleep.
But Chi Yan couldn't sleep anymore.
He realized he had made a serious mistake. Chi Yan finally remembered that he was currently an ordinary human. Therefore, he had ordinary human emotions, thought processes, and social abilities.
...And ordinary human physiological reactions.
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