Gu Xichao picked up the ring of four keys. Before rising from the sofa, he gave Yu Yan a cold warning:
“From now on, don’t enter my room without my permission.”
“Wait.”
Yu Yan called him back.
“I won’t touch you, but the wound on your hand needs to be treated.”
“Amity.”
Yu Yan called toward the hallway.
Before long, a smart robot about half the height of an adult glided out from inside the house. Its screen displayed a cheerful, friendly face: ^◡^
“Superstar, how may I assist you?”
The robot’s sweet voice sounded vaguely familiar. Gu Xichao suddenly realized it was the same artificial intelligence that had welcomed him home at the front gate.
Amity resembled a plump little penguin. Its round body was topped by an equally round head, and the screen in the center could display all kinds of expressions. It looked rather adorable.
“Treat his wound.”
Yu Yan gave the command.
“Hello, Mr. Gu. We meet again!”
Amity’s face immediately changed to a delighted expression. It glided toward Gu Xichao, extending two arms concealed at its sides before retrieving gauze and disinfectant from a medical kit to tend to his injury.
“Please hold out your hand. Don’t be nervous. It’s only a minor wound.”
Every movement Amity made was remarkably precise and gentle. Gu Xichao was so impressed by its intelligence and dexterity that he momentarily forgot their current situation. He could not resist turning toward Yu Yan to ask:
“Is this a product developed through one of your investments?”
Yu Yan froze, then glared at him in exasperation.
“You still have the presence of mind to care about that?”
Ever since Gu Xichao had agreed to stay, Yu Yan’s mood had immediately improved. He deliberately teased him:
“If you kiss me now, I might consider telling you.”
“…Never mind.”
Gu Xichao was speechless.
He lowered his gaze to the gauze carefully wrapped around the back of his hand, then looked up at the bloodstain on Yu Yan’s forehead. The wound appeared to have already clotted.
Before heading upstairs, Gu Xichao suddenly turned back to him. Pointing casually at his own forehead, he said:
“If a superstar like you ends up with a scar on his face, don’t blame me.”
Only then did Yu Yan remember the wound on his forehead. Pretending not to notice the sarcasm in Gu Xichao’s words, he smiled brightly.
“Thank you for worrying about me.”
Gu Xichao’s expression instantly turned cold. He turned around and went straight upstairs.
Yu Yan watched until his figure disappeared around the corner of the staircase. Only then did he quietly exhale and say to the robot:
“Amity, I’m about to bleed dry.”
Amity slowly turned around and scanned him from head to toe. An expression immediately appeared on its round screen: ￣へ￣
“Scan complete. Your total blood loss is less than one hundred milliliters. Claiming that you are about to bleed dry is a serious exaggeration. Next time, simply tell me that you want your wound bandaged. I will still rush over immediately.”
“Why are you so talkative today?”
Yu Yan closed his eyes and allowed the robot to treat his wound.
“Everything that happened tonight has been recorded by Amity! I am speaking this much because I am worried about you, Superstar. When you are in pain, my heart aches as well. Although my core is merely a series of programmed commands, it can still simulate a heartbeat.”
Yu Yan did not want to remember what had just happened. In truth, his hand also hurt terribly, to the point that he could barely lift it.
The moment Gu Xichao left, the curve of Yu Yan’s lips vanished.
All the strength drained from his body, and the pain that had arrived too late finally overwhelmed him. It spread from his mind throughout his entire body, striking him in sharp, relentless waves.
Everything had clearly unfolded exactly as he wanted, yet he still felt no joy.
He still could not accept it.
Gu Xichao’s words from earlier kept repeating inside his head. So did the fury on Gu Xichao’s face as he spoke them—the anger compressed between his brows, his tightly pressed lips, and his cold, distant eyes.
Every detail of that face remained painfully vivid.
“Don’t you already have everything? You’re standing at the very top, admired by everyone. What more could you possibly be dissatisfied with?”
“I don’t hate you. But does that mean I have to love you?”
“Neither of us owes the other anything. From now on, stop entangling yourself with me!”
Yu Yan raised his head and looked across the vast yet empty living room.
Something seemed to be silently following him like a shadow, sinking deep into his very bones.
“Amy, was what I did tonight… right?”
The robot tilted its round head to one side. After several seconds of thought, it replied sadly:
“Superstar, Amity is unable to make a moral judgment regarding your actions. I do not possess subjective standards for right and wrong.”
It paused, as though seriously contemplating a question that exceeded its ability to understand.
“However, based on the data recorded tonight, I detected a clear logical contradiction in your behavior.”
“Before Mr. Gu arrived, you entered all his information into my core memory module and designated him as the person with the second-highest level of authority, surpassed only by you. You also instructed me to welcome him home.”
“Yet today, you revised the relevant directives. You ordered me to identify and interfere with his devices, monitor his every action, and prevent him from leaving.”
“You do not wish to grant him genuine authority, yet you still want me to care for him. Is that correct? If you tell me what identity you want Mr. Gu to have here, I can establish a complete operational framework without any internal contradictions.”
Having his innermost thoughts exposed by an artificial intelligence made Yu Yan laugh in exasperation.
“Go play somewhere else!”
Amity turned around and headed upstairs dejectedly, unable to understand what it had done wrong.
Yu Yan let out a quiet laugh.
He could not even make sense of the matter himself, yet he had expected an artificial intelligence to give him an answer.
He sent a message to his doctor, booking his follow-up appointment for the month and informing the doctor that he would come in the next day.
Then he took a photograph of the bandage covering his forehead and sent it to his manager, Sister A. He apologized and told her that his schedule for the following week would probably have to be postponed.
Despite the late hour, Sister A was still awake. The moment she received the photograph, she immediately called him.
“What happened?! Oh, you absolute menace! Do you have any idea how important that face of yours is?”
“I’m sorry. I’ll find a way to make up for the work that has to be postponed.”
Yu Yan continued:
“Oh, right. That red Ferrari you liked at the last auto show—use my card and order it. You should take a week off while you’re at it.”
“I love my job, so don’t even think about bribing me with money. I won’t accept that car!”
Sister A asked worriedly:
“What has been going on with you lately? Ever since that trip to the police station, you’ve been walking around like you’ve lost your soul…”
“Don’t tell me this is because of that foreign man who looks exactly like President Gu?”
When Yu Yan remained silent, Sister A immediately knew that she had guessed correctly.
“This may sound harsh, but why make yourself suffer over a relationship? Wouldn’t the money for that Ferrari be more than enough to keep him by your side? If one Ferrari isn’t enough, give him ten!”
Yu Yan merely smiled and shook his head.
That was Sister A for him. Her way of thinking was always so simple—and ruthlessly practical.
Sister A sighed.
“Finding a substitute would still be better than continuing this endless struggle with him all by yourself.”
“If he could truly be replaced, that would be wonderful.”
Yu Yan spoke softly, then reassured her:
“All right. You don’t need to worry about me. Just take the week off.”
His voice was so faint it was almost a sigh. Sister A knew that he became like this every time the subject was mentioned.
She also understood that nothing she said could change his mind. Left with no other choice, she offered him a few more words of comfort before ending the call.
After showering, Yu Yan changed into his pajamas and lay down on the bed.
He had intended to get an early night, yet his mind was strangely alert, without the slightest trace of sleepiness.
He had only just managed to stop himself from dwelling on Gu Xichao’s words when another string of thoughts slipped into his mind.
What was Gu Xichao doing right now?
Had he fallen asleep?
Did the wound on his hand still hurt?
Had he truly chosen to stay of his own free will?
What exactly was going on?
Could it be that after Xilin Manor was rebuilt, the feng shui of the place had somehow gone bad?
Back when Gu Xichao was not here, Yu Yan would dream about him and then lie awake for the rest of the night.
Now, the man was clearly right upstairs, yet Yu Yan still could not get a peaceful night’s sleep.
How infuriating…
At the same time, the man staying in the guest room upstairs was still awake as well.
An hour earlier, Gu Xichao had locked the door several times over. Only after making certain that no one could enter did he gradually relax.
Not long afterward, there was a knock at the door, followed by Amity’s clear voice.
“Mr. Gu, this is Amity. I brought you your freshly laundered clothes.”
Gu Xichao was rather intrigued by the little robot. Artificial intelligence was also among the technology sectors he was currently considering investing in.
But the moment he remembered that its owner was Yu Yan, his trust in the little machine immediately faded.
When no response came after a while, Amity spoke again.
“Mr. Gu, I am the only one outside your door. Superstar is not upstairs. He has forbidden me from entering your room, so please come to the door and collect your clothes yourself.”
Gu Xichao waited a long while longer before finally opening the door.
Amity extended a mechanical arm and handed him a large bundle of clothes. It then asked about his sleeping habits before adjusting the lighting, temperature, and air circulation system to suit his preferences perfectly.
In truth, Amity had already stored all this information long ago.
It merely wanted an excuse to talk to Mr. Gu for a little longer.
The eyes on Amity’s screen curved into two cheerful arcs.
“Good night, Mr. Gu.”
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