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Psst! We're moving!
The elevator was silent, and the two high school classmates showed no intention of reminiscing or chatting. Both stared coldly ahead, and even someone as thick-skinned as Old Yuan could sense that their relationship was bad—very bad.
When they reached the fifth floor, everyone exited the elevator and headed to different private rooms.
Old Yuan and the host exchanged glances. The host, who held a lower rank than Jiang Tu, didn’t dare ask any questions. On the way back to the hotel that night, Old Yuan couldn’t help but ask Jiang Tu, “What’s going on between you and Lu Ji?”
Jiang Tu leaned back in his seat, gazing calmly out the window with a detached tone. “Nothing.”
Old Yuan snorted. “I don’t believe it. I noticed something off between you two the moment you met. It’s like… how do I put it? If I didn’t know you’ve always been single, I’d think you stole his girlfriend.”
Jiang Tu paused for a moment, his voice growing colder. “No.”
Later, Old Yuan stayed up all night reading Lin Jiayu’s book Waiting for the Stars , learning the entire story. He was so moved he wiped away tears, then thought: Damn… this is even more frustrating than stealing someone’s girlfriend! No wonder the two looked like they wanted to fight when they met.
At 9 p.m., Zhu Xingyao returned home after dinner and shopping with Ding Yu. Aunt Zhang pointed to a delivery box and said, “The courier delivered it this afternoon. It seems to be an expensive item, insured, and addressed to Miss Zhu.”
The box wasn’t large, but it felt substantial in her hands.
Zhu Xingyao opened the package and took out a somewhat peculiar-looking... white robot. The robot’s smooth surface emitted a soft white glow, holding a liquid crystal screen about the size of an iPad Mini.
Ding Yu picked up a card from the box.
—A handwritten manual.
Ding Yu smiled. “This is a robot. The password is set to your birthday, but there’s no signature. Who sent it?”
Zhu Xingyao glanced at the card and froze. The handwriting was strong and slightly messy, but she recognized it immediately—it was Jiang Tu’s. The card briefly explained how to use it. She held the robot and looked at Ding Yu.
“Hmm... I don’t know who sent it,” Zhu Xingyao said, quickly stuffing the robot back into the box. “I’ll take it to my room to study it.”
She carried the robot upstairs, placed it on the table, and took out the card. Following the instructions, she began operating it. “Turn on the switch... Password: 910829...” The robot had powerful features, including intelligent recording, facial recognition, key event logging, and notifications.
Was this another birthday gift?
She tested everything according to the instructions and played with it until 10 p.m. When Ding Yu came upstairs with clothes she had collected from the balcony and placed them on Zhu Xingyao’s bed, Zhu Xingyao turned and said, “Mom, I’ll tidy up later. You go to sleep first.”
Ding Yu reminded her, “Don’t stay up too late. Rest early.”
Zhu Xingyao replied, “Okay.”
“What is this?” Ding Yu asked.
Zhu Xingyao looked at the small icon on the screen labeled “On-Demand Assistant” and tapped it.
The screen went black, and she waited blankly. A few seconds later, the screen lit up, showing a shaky image. The view swung from the chandelier on the ceiling to the pristine white hotel bed before finally focusing on the handsome profile of a man.
Zhu Xingyao’s eyes widened in shock, her startled expression almost comical. Jiang Tu turned his head and couldn’t help but laugh at her reaction.
He was still the same as before—his smile transformed him completely. Back in high school, Zhu Xingyao had always loved seeing him smile. Now, as she watched him laugh, her cheeks suddenly grew warm. She whispered, “Is this a video call?”
“Mm, something like that.” Jiang Tu shifted his attention from his work to her.
Zhu Xingyao noticed he was still wearing a dress shirt, clearly still working. She blinked and asked, “So this ‘on-demand assistant’... does it mean that if I tap it, you’ll appear?”
“Not necessarily. If I’m in a meeting or busy and don’t notice, there will be an automatic reply.” Jiang Tu explained, “You can try chatting with it next time.”
Zhu Xingyao had previously searched for Weichuang Technology online. Their company’s smart robots didn’t seem to have this feature. She asked, “Is this a new product from your company?”
Jiang Tu nodded. “Yes, it hasn’t officially launched yet. It will go on sale after the press conference in late November.”
Zhu Xingyao asked, “So... does every robot come with this on-demand assistant service?”
“No, only yours does. What you received is a test unit.” Jiang Tu paused and looked at her. “That night when you had a nightmare and called me, I added this feature temporarily. It’s still unstable, and we’ll consider adding it once it’s stable.”
Zhu Xingyao was taken aback. She hadn’t expected this reason. She slid her finger across the screen, trying to find any hidden functions she might have missed. Somehow, she accidentally tapped something, and the screen began to rotate.
Zhu Xingyao: “...”
The camera captured a cozy, girlish room, from the cello case on the balcony to the white bookshelf, the beige fabric sofa, and finally the pink princess bed. As the screen spun wildly, Zhu Xingyao noticed Jiang Tu’s expression pause momentarily. She turned her head and saw her scattered clothes on the bed, including a black lace bra... glaringly visible in the frame.
Zhu Xingyao quickly stood up, grabbed the clothes, and hurriedly stuffed them into the wardrobe. Her face flushed as she stood by the bed, watching the camera sweep every corner of her room like a president inspecting a facility...
Panicking, she rushed over and clumsily tapped the screen. “How... how do I turn this off...?”
It was the first time Jiang Tu had seen her like this. He chuckled softly. “Tap the top-right corner of the screen. There’s an option.”
Zhu Xingyao followed his instructions, hurriedly stabilizing the errant camera. Once it was facing her chest again, she hastily placed it back on the table, her ears burning red.
Zhu Xingyao pursed her lips and frowned. “Your robot is kind of perverted.”
Jiang Tu was surprised and laughed.
“It’s just a test unit,” he said.
Indeed, this test unit was somewhat unstable and occasionally “went crazy.” Sometimes, when Zhu Xingyao turned it on, it would automatically “harass” Jiang Tu. If he was busy and didn’t notice, the screen would display an automatic reply.
When Zhu Xingyao spoke, it would respond.
Jiang Tu told her she could give the robot a name. But what to name it? After days of deliberation, Zhu Xingyao still hadn’t decided. She asked Li Xixi for help, and Li Xixi suggested, “Ask Lin Jiayu. She writes novels, so she’s great at naming things.”
Zhu Xingyao took a photo and sent it to Lin Jiayu on WeChat.
Lin Jiayu: “Wow! I want one of these too!!!”
Zhu Xingyao: “...”
The point is to help me come up with a name, Lin Jiayu.
Lin Jiayu maliciously replied: “Jiangjiang, Tutu, Toto, Tulu, Bunny... How’s that?”
Zhu Xingyao: “...”
Zhu Xingyao thought, it might as well be called Xiao Jiang (Little Jiang).
Xiao Jiang...
Classmate Xiao Jiang.
It sounded quite endearing and suitable for a robot’s name. Other companies’ robots had names like Xiao Ai or Xiao Dan, right?
That evening, Zhu Xingyao messaged Jiang Tu on WeChat, telling him she had named it Xiao Jiang.
Jiang Tu: “...”
After a few seconds, he replied, “If you like it, then it’s fine.”
Zhu Xingyao felt his response was somewhat reluctant. She asked, “Do you think it doesn’t sound good?”
Jiang Tu had been extremely busy lately. A robot prototype at one of the branch companies had encountered issues, and the R&D department couldn’t resolve it, so they called him in to help. He was still in Beijing, returning to the hotel every night around 9 p.m. Just now, he had returned to the hotel, undone the top two buttons of his shirt, and lowered his head to reply, “It’s your robot—you can name it whatever you like. But does calling it Xiao Jiang have anything to do with me?”
Zhu Xingyao sat at her desk, applying skincare products. She set down her eye cream and replied, “You gave it to me, and you’re the one who developed it.”
Since Xiao Jiang had entered her home, Zhu Xingyao often called out to it, and Xiao Jiang would respond, “Master, what do you need?” Ding Yu sometimes peeked in, and Zhu Xingyao said, “Mom, when they’re available for purchase, I’ll get one for you.”
Ding Yu asked, “Is it expensive?”
Zhu Xingyao had asked Jiang Tu. She replied, “A few thousand yuan. Not too expensive.”
Among ordinary robots, it was considered pricey, but she thought it was worth it.
The class WeChat group had been buzzing with activity recently. Someone asked Ding Xiang to add Jiang Tu to the group. When Ding Xiang added him, Jiang Tu was busy and didn’t notice. The group was lively, discussing the upcoming October 5th anniversary celebration of their high school.
The class representative asked, “Who received an invitation?”
Someone replied, “Did the class rep receive one?”
The class representative said, “Yes, Jiang Tu, Zhu Xingyao, and Xia Jin also received them. I know that much. There should be others, right?”
Then, a string of replies appeared: “I didn’t...”
Ding Xiang said, “Even if you didn’t receive one, you can still come for the celebration. It should be lively since it’s during National Day, and everyone should be back, right?”
Someone tagged Xu Xiangyang, asking the class monitor to speak up.
Xu Xiangyang: “What do you guys want? A reunion?”
The 70th anniversary of Jiangcheng No. 1 High School was a big deal. Not only their class but other classes were also talking about it. Those who received invitations were either influential figures from each graduating class or outstanding graduates excelling in various fields.
Jiang Tu, Lu Ji, Zhu Xingyao, Xu Xiangyang, Li Xixi, and even Lin Jiayu received invitations. Lin Jiayu was surprised. She didn’t have a proper job—she had only written a few books and joined the provincial writers’ association. Li Xixi said, “That’s enough. After all, there aren’t many novelists in our school who’ve published several books, and you attended a prestigious university back then.”
In various class groups, people were suggesting organizing a reunion.
In mid-September, while Zhu Xingyao was packing her luggage, she received another call from the principal of No. 1 High School. It was about performing at the anniversary gala. He wanted her and Li Xixi to perform together and for her to play a solo piece.
This was already the fourth call this month.
Sitting on the carpet, Zhu Xingyao found it hard to refuse. After some thought, she said, “Alright, but could you schedule my performance earlier in the program?”
The principal beamed. “Sure, no problem!”
After hanging up, Zhu Xingyao continued packing while chatting with Xiao Jiang.
Perhaps she gave an incorrect command, or perhaps Xiao Jiang “went crazy” again, because the robot suddenly transmitted Jiang Tu’s low, deep voice: “You’re packing your luggage—where are you going?”
Startled, Zhu Xingyao turned toward the table, holding her jewelry box. Jiang Tu appeared on the screen, not wearing glasses. He had probably just showered; his hair was still wet, and his dark, calm eyes stared into the camera.
Zhu Xingyao still thought he looked better without glasses. She stared at the screen for a moment before saying, “I didn’t call you, did I? Why is Xiao Jiang so unstable...?”
Jiang Tu opened his laptop and said helplessly, “I’ll fix it for you when I get back.”
He asked, “Where are you going?”
“To Las Vegas.” Zhu Xingyao continued packing and volunteered, “X Band has a performance. Do you remember my cello teacher, Chen Lan? He agreed to handle the string section, but yesterday he had an accident and injured his hand. He can’t perform temporarily, so I’m stepping in to help.”
Her suitcase was large and filled with many items, nearly full, but it still seemed insufficient. She pushed over a small silver suitcase from the balcony. Jiang Tu silently watched, wondering if all girls traveled with so much stuff. He only cared to ask, “Are you going alone?”
Zhu Xingyao placed a few pairs of high heels inside and replied, “No, I’m bringing my assistant.” Zhu Xingyao had two assistants, one male and one female. She usually called them when traveling abroad or leaving Jiangcheng for performances.
“Xingyao, are you done packing? Do you need Mom’s help?”
Ding Yu suddenly pushed the door open.
Zhu Xingyao froze, quickly turning Xiao Jiang to face the wall.
She looked at Ding Yu and whispered, “Mom, why didn’t you knock...?”
Ding Yu let out a small “Ah.” When Zhu Xingyao used to have trouble sleeping, Ding Yu often checked on her in the middle of the night and had gotten used to entering without knocking. She glanced at the robot and couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, alright. Take your time packing.”
She shook her head and left.
After a while.
Zhu Xingyao turned Xiao Jiang back around. Suddenly, she remembered a serious issue.
Looking at Jiang Tu on the screen, she whispered, “Jiang Tu, Xiao Jiang is so unstable. If it suddenly connects like tonight while I’m changing clothes... what should I do?”
Jiang Tu: “...”
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