Chapter 68: A Substitute That Feels Too Real

Hearing this, Sister Liu felt even more conflicted; although she had long suspected that the young master hadn’t built this robot merely to act as a butler, seeing it with her own eyes was still quite a shock.

“Button up your own clothes!” Mu An threw down these words and was the first to walk down the stairs.

Hearing this, 001 lowered his eyes and buttoned up his shirt, puzzled in his core as to why his master hadn’t told him the results after finishing the examination.

As he brushed past Sister Liu, he turned his gaze slightly toward her, “Sister Liu, in the master’s residence, I hope you can maintain proper decorum; behaving like this could easily startle the master.”

Meeting his emotionless eyes, Sister Liu felt only fear and nodded repeatedly, “It won’t happen again.”

***

Arriving in the dining area, Mu An looked at the dishes arranged with bizarre neatness on the table, turning back to glance at 001, “You made this?”

001’s eyes flickered, a trace of rigid surprise entering his voice, “Master is truly amazing! It was indeed made by 001.”

Mu An picked up his chopsticks and took a bite; surprisingly, it tasted even better than what Nanny Li made—could this be the flavor produced by adhering strictly to standard recipes?

While Mu An ate, 001 stood silently by his side, just like a statue.

At this moment, there was no one else in the dining room except him and 001; after what had just happened, Mu An had felt a little awkward at first, but then thought himself foolish—what was there to be embarrassed about before a robot?

He looked up at 001, whose eyes had remained on him all along, calm and gentle.

“Master?”

“Sit down and accompany me while I eat,” Mu An pulled over a nearby chair and patted it.

001 looked at the chair, then looked at Mu An, and obediently sat down in the end.

[Poor robot, I inexplicably feel a sense of shared grief watching a fellow artificial being get taken advantage of for free.]

The smile on Mu An’s face froze, ‘Rest assured, even if you beat me to death, I wouldn’t lay a hand on you, you disembodied entity.’

[To think you, Host, would actually be such a shallow, superficial person who cares so much about mere physical appearances!]

‘You…’ Mu An suddenly changed his tone, ‘So you’re playing hard to get.’

At these words, the system immediately cried out in humble begging, [I beg of you, I don’t do human-machine romances.]

“Master?” 001 looked at Mu An in confusion, unable to understand why his master’s micro-expressions underwent so many shifts within a mere matter of seconds.

Remembering his mission, Mu An set down his chopsticks and leaned straight back against the chair.

Lifting his chin arrogantly, he gestured for 001 to take over, “Now, feed me.”

“Understood, Master,” 001 readily took the utensils, “What would Master like to eat?”

Mu An glanced at the dishes on the table, “Whatever.”

Hearing this, 001 picked up a bite of greens and brought it to Mu An’s lips.

Although Mu An disliked vegetables, he still swallowed it down to give him face, knowing that he was about to cause trouble anyway.

Just as 001 was attentively serving food to Mu An, his eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he looked at Mu An in confusion.

Mu An’s foot was lightly nudging the man’s pant leg, that soft presence slipping beneath the fabric and brushing gently against 001’s calf like a feather stroking him.

Sensing 001’s gaze, Mu An put on a completely nonchalant expression as if he had done nothing at all, yet that strange touch did not cease.

001 pursed his lips slightly and shifted his leg a bit closer toward Mu An’s direction, making it more convenient for him to play his prank.

Seeing this, the corners of Mu An’s lips curved slightly, thoroughly satisfied.

He truly was the robot he had spent half a year perfecting—so obedient and submissive.

The warm soup spoon pressed against Mu An’s lips; Mu An lowered his eyes slightly and drank it, and when he raised his eyes again, they carried a hint of obsessive love.

“Lin Yan, if only you had been this obedient from the start, how wonderful it would have been.”

001’s movements paused, his gaze lingering in his master’s eyes for a moment, as though striving to understand the meaning behind Mu An’s words.

‘Who is Lin Yan?’

‘Why is Master telling me this?’

Taking in 001’s frozen appearance, Mu An gently caressed his face.

Robots would never resist their master’s commands, because they possessed no soul, only lines of code.

Mu An was determined to secure a perfect score for his persona in this mission.

His knuckles brushed lightly over 001’s clear eyes, causing his eyelashes to flutter softly, yet he submissively refrained from dodging.

“Lin Yan, do you know how much I miss you, how much I love you…” Mu An’s gaze turned vacant, and a single clear tear rolled down his cheek.

He slowly leaned forward, pressing a kiss onto the side of 001’s face, his expression devout yet agonized.

001 stood entirely stunned; with his current database of knowledge, he was still incapable of comprehending the motives behind his master’s behavior.

He lowered his gaze to look at his master weeping with closed eyes, his code running slowly.

Mu An suddenly felt a tickle on his cheek; opening his eyes, he met 001’s earnest gaze.

Somewhat clumsily, 001 kissed away the tears falling from Mu An’s face without uttering a word.

A robot’s lips possessed only temperature without moisture, yet at this moment, with 001 stained by his tears and kissing them away, his lips felt warm and soft, making Mu An dazed for a fleeting second, feeling as though the other were a real human being.

Sensing his gaze, 001 pulled back slightly, his voice gentle as flowing water, “An’an, I am here.”

Mu An’s heart quivered; it was just a programmed response after all, and he curled his lips into a helpless smile.

Mu An pushed back his chair and stood up, “I’m full. Remember to carry out your duties properly.”

Mu An’s suddenly chilled tone caused a flicker of confusion to cross 001’s eyes.

He immediately stood straight and followed by Mu An’s side, “Master, what do you need me to do?”

“Do I still need to teach you what a butler is supposed to do?” Mu An cast a swift glance at him, walking toward the staircase.

In the spacious dining room, only 001 was left behind, the pale light spilling over the barely touched dishes, appearing rather lonely.

001 picked up the chopsticks, his tongue lightly tasting the residue, and all the flavors unfolded into strings of text within his processing unit.

‘Did Master dislike this level of saltiness? Next time, I will add less salt.’

He stood up, cleared all the tableware into the kitchen, and summoned Nanny Li to wash them.

He had noticed earlier that Master seemed to care deeply about his skin, having examined not only his abdomen but also his legs.

He ought to save his master worry and avoid touching anything that might harm his skin texture as much as possible.

Meanwhile, Mu An was lying in bed, staring down Lin Yan’s photos.

Ever since losing Lin Yan, the original host had printed photos of him all across the room, even pasting a giant poster on the ceiling.

Looking at them for a long time, Mu An could also spot the differences between 001 and Lin Yan; at least, though 001’s gaze was slightly mechanical, it was always gentle and smiling, whereas most of Lin Yan’s photos featured a cold face, looking as if someone owed him money and refused to pay.

“Sigh, 001 is better after all. I can fulfill my yandere tasks however I like without having to worry about being embarrassed.”

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