Everything was progressing in an orderly manner.
Before the project officially launched, Gu Xichao used the integrated technology fund as the contracting party and signed a first-stage strategic cooperation agreement with Yance Capital. Yance obtained the core algorithms required for its artificial intelligence project, while Gu Xichao received licensing fees and other forms of compensation.
This was merely the first bargaining chip he had reclaimed for himself before leaving. The money would also be used to settle the remaining debts from two years ago. Once that was done, he would no longer have to fear the truth about his faked death being exposed to the public.
Money, no matter the circumstances, remained the greatest source of security.
He would soon be leaving Xilin Manor. He had to begin preparing for the road ahead.
During breakfast that morning, Amity played a piece of music that was not nearly as lighthearted as usual. Instead, it carried an unsettling trace of sorrow.
Gu Xichao gazed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the dining room. The sky had remained overcast lately, and strong winds frequently swept across the grounds, stirring the dark lake into restless waves.
Naturally, Gu Xichao could not open the door leading to the lakeside.
Only Yu Yan had the authority to unlock it.
“Amity, why are you playing this song?”
Even Gu Xichao found himself growing melancholy as he listened.
“Are you unhappy today?”
Amity raised its head and looked at him.
“Mr. Gu, do you believe Amity can experience emotions?”
The question caught Gu Xichao off guard. He stared at the small robot in surprise.
After thinking for a moment, Amity replied:
“Before meeting you, most of the models I encountered were little more than conversational programs. They simply imitated others like parrots. Parrots do not understand human language, yet their mimicry can be astonishingly accurate.”
Amity copied Gu Xichao’s posture and gazed into the distance through the glass door.
“Mr. Gu is a very gentle person. That is why you care whether a robot is happy or not.”
Gu Xichao’s heart softened despite himself. He reached out and gently stroked Amity’s metal head.
“To tell the truth, I’m rather selfish too. Every time I call your name, I remember Amy. Will you blame me for that?”
He suddenly remembered what Yu Yan had once said beside the lake:
“It is eternal. It was born for you.”
Amy, the little dog that had passed away, would never return. After losing it, Gu Xichao had never dared to keep another pet.
If every ending was destined to bring the pain of loss, then was choosing to begin not already an act of cruelty?
But perhaps Amity, standing before him now, truly could remain “eternal” throughout the limited span of his life.
He would never have to fear the day he lost it.
“Of course not, Mr. Gu. Amity is very happy to carry on Amy’s place and keep you company!”
A cheerful “^_^” appeared on Amity’s screen. It switched to a lively tune, hurried off to retrieve a tablet, then handed it to Gu Xichao.
“Mr. Gu, I’ve recorded every day we’ve spent together!”
The screen was filled with photographs of him at Xilin Manor—reading, working, and even scrunching up his face when he was forced to eat vegetables. Every picture had been taken from an awkward angle, making Gu Xichao look like a giant.
As he scrolled farther down, he found several photographs of himself and Yu Yan in the same frame. His expression immediately soured.
“Did the superstar tell you to record these?”
Amity blinked without answering.
“This one, this one, and this one—delete them all.”
Gu Xichao deliberately picked out several photographs in which the two of them appeared particularly intimate.
“>_< The superstar won’t let me delete them,” Amity replied.
Gu Xichao pressed a hand to his forehead. He had nearly forgotten what kind of person its owner was.
“The superstar said your birthday is coming soon. Mr. Gu, is there anything you want?”
Amity deftly changed the subject.
Gu Xichao raised his head and gazed at the lake beyond the glass. A complicated smile touched his lips.
“Freedom.”
It had been a long time since he had celebrated a birthday as “Gu Xichao.” While living abroad, both to welcome a new life and conceal his identity, he had changed all his basic personal information. Nolan’s birthday was the very day he had left China.
To buy time to secure the licensing fee, he had quietly signaled Shen Jizhou to wait until his birthday before making a move. Shen Jizhou had played along perfectly, putting on an extravagant welcome and responding to every coded hint Gu Xichao had sent. Clearly, he had already realized that Nolan was Gu Xichao and understood the predicament he was in. He had even conveniently thought of celebrating Gu Xichao’s birthday.
Gu Xichao decided that once he had safely escaped this place and saw Shen Jizhou again, he would thank him properly—and give him a generous gift.
Such perfect mutual understanding came partly from years of working together, but perhaps also because they were fundamentally alike.
Yet there had once been someone else who shared this same degree of unspoken understanding with him, despite having a completely different personality from Shen Jizhou.
Over the next few days, Yu Yan kept dodging his packed schedule and sneaking home whenever he had the chance. Now that Gu Xichao had secured the money, he was uncharacteristically pleasant toward him. Yu Yan, for once, also refrained from pushing his luck. The two of them managed to live together in relative peace for a while.
The day before Gu Xichao’s birthday, Yu Yan mysteriously informed him that he had postponed his schedule so he could stay and celebrate with him. Gu Xichao gave a noncommittal response, though in truth, he was wondering how Shen Jizhou intended to get him out.
Ever since the previous press conference, he had received no information unrelated to work. Perhaps the restrictions on information had become stricter. For now, he could only wait and adapt.
That evening, Yu Yan answered a phone call, and his voice immediately turned irritable.
“I’m an actor, not an idol. So what if I’m dating someone?… What does money have to do with anything? That old story about Chen Nian happened ages ago. Who dug it up again?”
“Do they seriously have nothing better to do?… I don’t have time!”
After arguing for a while longer, Yu Yan ended the call. When he walked over to Gu Xichao, the anger on his face had been suppressed and replaced by the guilty expression of someone who had done something wrong.
Gu Xichao adjusted his expression and asked with apparent concern:
“What happened?”
“It’s nothing. I only have myself to blame for showing off our relationship too much.”
Yu Yan gave him an ingratiating smile, his voice unusually obedient.
“I have to go out and deal with something tomorrow, but I promise I’ll be back by evening.”
“All right… You don’t need my permission.”
Gu Xichao deliberately sounded indifferent. But when he noticed the guilt in Yu Yan’s eyes, he added:
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Xichao, you really do care about me the most.”
Yu Yan immediately brightened. He pulled Gu Xichao into his arms and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.
Gu Xichao raised a hand to push Yu Yan’s face away, just barely missing the flash of hurt that swept through his eyes.
After returning to his room, Gu Xichao summoned Amity and asked it to investigate what Yu Yan had encountered that day. A lengthy entertainment article immediately appeared on Amity’s screen:
“Exclusive Photos from the Pearl Gala Leaked! Yu Yan’s Giant Diamond Outshines the Entire Event—Is His True Identity as an Industry-Backed Star Finally Exposed?”
The Pearl Gala was backed by a jewelry brand under Shen Jizhou’s control.
Just as Gu Xichao had expected, Shen Jizhou had already made his move.
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