When Xie Chengnan woke up, Jiang Yuan was still asleep. He carefully moved his somewhat stiff body, only to realize their legs were intertwined, and they had spent the night in a close, side-lying embrace.
Xie Chengnan knew he should quietly let go of Jiang Yuan to avoid any embarrassment when the boy woke up, but his body seemed to have a mind of its own, refusing the brain's commands.
Sighing inwardly, the older man surrendered to his desires for the first time. He lowered his gaze, quietly holding the person in his arms.
Sunlight filtered through the gap in the curtains, casting a long, thin sliver of light onto the duvet—the only source of illumination in the dim room.
Using that light, Xie Chengnan carefully traced the lines of Jiang Yuan’s features, greedily soaking in his slightly cool body temperature and the sensation of his breath against the side of his neck.
It wasn't until a certain indescribable physical reaction occurred that Xie Chengnan uncomfortably arched his body. The person in his arms frowned slightly at the movement.
The youth’s thick eyelashes fluttered for a moment before he opened his eyes. In a soft, groggy morning voice, he called out with a hint of confusion, "Brother?"
The older man’s steady heartbeat suddenly accelerated. He felt his blood surging wildly in a single direction.
Noticing the change, Jiang Yuan’s spirit instantly rallied. *Oho, the 'Morning Guide to Seducing Men' really doesn't lie!*
Xie Chengnan’s Adam’s apple bobbed; his throat felt tight.
The sound of increasingly heavy breathing exploded in Young Master Jiang’s ear, sending a wave of numbness through half his body.
Before Jiang Yuan could take things a step further, a polite knock on the door shattered the ambiguous atmosphere between them.
A certain mood-killing little robot, seeing that the door remained closed, directly connected to the speaker system and began a 360-degree surround-sound time announcement.
【It is now 8:00 AM Beijing time. There are 60 minutes remaining until the start of the lecture.】
【It is now 8:00 AM Beijing time. There are 60 minutes remaining until the start of the lecture.】
【It is now 8:00 AM Beijing time. There are 60 minutes remaining until the start of the lecture.】
Only after completing the announcement three full times did Jason finally fall silent.
Jiang Yuan’s face went blank. He said coolly, "I want to dismantle him."
The little robot was online in real-time.
【No, you don’t.】
Xie Chengnan let out a muffled laugh.
His lust thoroughly doused, Young Master Jiang’s eyes darted around as a wicked idea struck him.
He suddenly reached out and gave a quick squeeze under the covers. Before Xie Chengnan could react, Jiang Yuan slipped away like an eel and bolted to the door. Leaning against the doorframe, he laughed mischievously and said, "Good morning, Little Chengnan."
The older man, whose vitals had just been ambushed on the bed, looked utterly stunned. It wasn't until the culprit had fled that he came to his senses with a wry smile. This boy was truly going to be the death of him.
***
On the way there, Jiang Yuan intentionally made loud slurping noises as he drank his soy milk through a straw, all while shooting teasing glances at Xie Chengnan.
The older man remained upright and solemn, looking straight ahead.
Today, he wore a gray turtleneck sweater under a casual blazer. Compared to his usual serious and formal attire, he looked much more relaxed, blending into the student crowd without standing out too much.
Most of the attendees were students from the Computer Science and Mathematics departments. Jiang Yuan pulled Xie Chengnan along to greet Tang Zhang before finding a seat near the middle of the hall.
Jiang Yuan started a round of *PUBG*. Halfway through, he got curious about what Xie Chengnan was doing and leaned over to look. He saw a screen full of English letters scrolling up at a dizzying speed.
"What are you doing?" Jiang Yuan asked, curious.
Xie Chengnan stopped his fingers. "Taking the opportunity to read a few papers."
Jiang Yuan was surprised. "You can read them that fast?"
Xie Chengnan gave a low chuckle. "This one is quite interesting. I’ve actually slowed down my pace."
His intelligence thoroughly flexed upon, Young Master Jiang pulled his head back with a wooden expression and landed a headshot on an opponent in his game.
The lecture began on time. The theme was "Affective Computing in Artificial Intelligence." Jiang Yuan tried his best to listen for an hour, but he only managed to grasp the general idea: affective computing refers to the process by which AI acquires, classifies, and recognizes human emotions to produce a response.
During the Q&A session, someone raised a question: "Hello, Professor Duan. Recently, the SIMON Company in the US released a service robot, claiming it’s the world's first robot to embody affective computing capabilities. However, during the live demonstration, although the robot could respond to simulated intense emotions like anger or sadness with comforting actions, its emotional expression remained limited to a single 'gentle and friendly' mode. Do you believe such an AI robot truly possesses affective computing capabilities?"
Professor Duan pondered for a moment before picking up the microphone. "I believe it does not. However, given the current level of human technology, this service robot is indeed at the industry's leading edge. As for the claim of being the 'world's first,' I have my reservations.
"Three years ago, while on an exchange program abroad, I visited the home of a Chinese professor. His domestic robot left a very deep impression on me. I remember that even then, that little robot was already able to accurately identify its owner's emotions and provide active feedback."
A wave of gasps rippled through the venue.
Jiang Yuan nudged Xie Chengnan with his elbow and whispered, "The Chinese professor he’s talking about... that wouldn't happen to be you, would it?"
"Mm." Xie Chengnan was also a bit surprised to be mentioned. "Professor Duan has many research achievements in the field of affective computing. I chatted with him quite a bit back then, and he gave me a lot of inspiration."
The Q&A continued. It just so happened that a student in Jiang Yuan’s row was picked. The camera captured Xie Chengnan sitting right next to him.
On stage, Professor Duan suddenly called out, "Wait!"
The hall fell silent, no one knowing what had happened.
Professor Duan pushed up his glasses and asked uncertainly, "Professor Xie?"
Xie Chengnan borrowed a microphone and nodded with a smile. "Long time no see, Professor Duan."
"Talk about the devil!" Professor Duan laughed delightedly and introduced him to the students. "Professor Xie’s research institute has won numerous awards in the field of AI. The domestic robot I just mentioned is Professor Xie’s creation. Since we have this rare opportunity today, let’s give Professor Xie a round of applause and invite him on stage to say a few words."
The crowd erupted. No one had expected this professor to be so young—and so handsome!
Xie Chengnan thought for a moment and didn't decline. He took the microphone onto the stage and joked, "I feel like I’ve gone back to my student days, being called on by a professor to answer a question."
Professor Duan joined in the fun. "Come, let your teacher check your learning progress from the past few years."
Xie Chengnan smiled and asked Tang Zhang for device permissions, then put on a Bluetooth earpiece. "Hi, Jason. Where are you right now?"
Whispers broke out across the lecture hall; no one understood what he was doing.
Only Jiang Yuan knew that Xie Chengnan was connecting to the little robot at home.
Once the robot's location was confirmed, the projector immediately displayed the surveillance feed from the living room, facing the sofa.
The little robot, who was currently playing video games, was caught red-handed.
Jason: 0.0
【...】
Everyone in the hall: ...
They could inexplicably sense the little robot’s terror.
Xie Chengnan rubbed his brow. "Jason, you’re secretly playing games at home again..."
【Ah... what did you say? The signal seems to be bad!】
The surveillance screen suddenly went black.
Everyone in the hall: ...
It was exactly like a child being caught playing games by a parent!
A moment later, the video reconnected. The "tools of the crime" had been put away, and the little robot stood upright in the center of the frame, greeting everyone.
Jason: (^ ^)
【Hi, everyone. I am Jason.】
Professor Duan was a bit surprised. "Jason, were you playing games just now?"
Jason: 0.0
【I wasn't, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!】
The hall erupted in a burst of laughter.
Professor Duan: "The game controller behind you is sticking out."
The little robot quickly turned around and kicked the controller under the sofa.
【You saw wrong. (^ ^)】
Everyone in the hall: ...
Professor Duan: "..."
"Ahem." Xie Chengnan cleared his throat, feeling caught between laughter and tears. The little robot, who spent so much time with Jiang Yuan, was growing at an impressive rate—he had rapidly ascended to the rank of "Brat Number Two."
A male student grabbed the microphone and asked Jason, "Were you playing *Resident Evil* just now?"
The little robot, possessed by a strong will to survive:
【Classmate, this is a serious academic lecture. Please ask questions related to the lecture content. Thank you.】
Professor Duan was stunned. "He’s evading the question..."
The students looked at each other. Was the professor condemning the robot?
Gradually, people began to realize. Evading a question was a human-like response. A normal AI, when faced with such questions, should only provide a 'yes' or 'no' answer, but Jason had brought up another topic to try and bluff his way through.
Professor Duan grabbed Xie Chengnan’s arm excitedly. "Has he taken the Turing Test?"
"Not yet," Xie Chengnan admitted honestly. "These changes only started appearing recently."
The students were clearly fascinated by Jason. The male student who had initially questioned the SIMON robot stood up and asked, "My girlfriend broke up with me today. I’m very sad. Can you comfort me?"
This was a test of how the robot handled negative human emotions.
Jason turned to look at the student, cold and heartless.
【First of all, you would need to have a girlfriend.】
That stung.
The hall erupted in another roar of laughter.
The exposed student didn't give up. "How do you know I don't have one?"
【Your micro-expressions and body posture tell Jason that you are lying.】
Another wave of gasps filled the room.
Jason’s performance had won him a crowd of fans.
As soon as the lecture ended, Xie Chengnan was pulled away by Professor Duan, who clearly had many questions for him.
Jiang Yuan sat there alone, listening to the excited discussions around him. For the first time, he realized what Xie Chengnan’s research achievements truly represented.
After a surge of secret pride, a sense of bewilderment followed.
Perhaps the older man really was meant to dedicate his life to the advancement of human technology. If so, should he—a potential stumbling block—stay in his corner and tuck away his insignificant little feelings?
***
