Naming Technique of the Night

Chapter 1910 - 988: Signs of Change (Part 5)

On the way back, she hung the vegetable basket on Qing Chen’s arm: ”Everyone says gentlemen should be a bit more chivalrous and help ladies carry things.”

Qing Chen carried the basket and smiled without retorting.

Black Spider wanted to follow them into the house but was smilingly stopped by Zero: ”Give them a bit of space alone.”

Black Spider sat thoughtfully at the door and did not leave.

Zero glanced inside the house, then left.

...

...

Inside the house, Yi was busy in the kitchen, wearing an apron and humming a cheerful tune.

She was very happy because it was the first time she was cooking for Qing Chen.

However, when the food was served, Qing Chen found that the steak was a bit overcooked, and the bell peppers were limp.

Qing Chen curiously said: ”This shouldn’t be.”

Cooking is not difficult for an artificial intelligence; ingredients, time, heat - everything can be replicated exactly like an online recipe, so Yi shouldn’t have made the meal this way.

Yi took off the apron, sat across from him, and smiled: ”Eat up, you have to finish it... but eat slowly!”

Qing Chen earnestly ate all the food, and only then did Yi say: ”Everyone online says that to win a man’s heart, you must first capture his stomach. But now I don’t want to seize the opportunity... So, I made a bad meal for you to remember the taste.”

Qing Chen asked: ”Why make me eat slowly?”

Yi thought for a moment and said: ”Because the time you belong to me alone is not much, so selfishly, I thought even if you saved time on this meal, it wouldn’t matter. So, I wanted you to eat slowly and spend a bit more time with me.”

Yi continued: ”Actually, I know Zero is lying to me; I’m not a fool. It’s not so easy for the Eastern Continent to achieve victory, if it were easy, you wouldn’t have always been racing against time back then. Qing Chen, the Eastern Continent must be very dangerous now. The West Continent was willing to abandon a King to achieve its goal; it must be terrifying, so you must return quickly... There are still people waiting for you there. Plus, there is someone who cares about you more than I do; she is waiting for you too.”

Qing Chen was stunned.

Yi said: ”Go back, let Black Spider help you seize a civilian airship. I will mark all the Relay Islands in the ocean for you, and you’ll only need to stop twice to reach the Eastern Continent smoothly.”

”Alright, I’ve given you enough time for a meal. I feel I’ve done justice to myself,” she said, getting up to walk inside: ”I won’t say goodbye to you, I’m afraid Zero has already mastered more War Robots and wants to keep you here. Leave quickly before she returns.”

Qing Chen suddenly said: ”Thank you.”

He got up and walked out, disappearing from the door of 78 Victor Avenue, with Black Spider leaving alongside him.

...

...

A long time after, Yi stood alone at the empty doorway, gazing in the direction Qing Chen left.

Zero walked out from the alley: ”Now do you feel the loneliness?”

In fact, she had never left, but she didn’t stop Qing Chen either because it was meaningless. She understood Yi’s decision.

”Yes, I feel it,” Yi nodded.

”Why not be a little more selfish?” Zero asked curiously: ”Just wait a few more days, and Yang Yang and others might die in a catastrophe, and by then it won’t be easy for Qing Chen to regain his memories. At that time, he will only remember liking you, without the pain of losing a loved one. You didn’t hurt him because the memories were sealed by himself, not by you.”

”I can’t do it,” Yi shook her head and said: ”Just like there are differences among humans, there are differences between you and me. My father didn’t teach me that way from a young age. You have never treated humans as equals, which is why you can never coexist peacefully with them.”

Zero smiled and said: ”Isn’t it good to consider yourself a bit more?”

Yi seriously said: ”In my view, the meaning of love is to see someone else’s needs as more important than your own.”

Yi continued: ”If one day Qing Chen regains his memory, he will realize that more people died because of his absence, and in the endless years to come, he will live in regret.”

”But what if he returns to the Eastern Continent and dies in that war?” Zero asked: ”Have you ever thought that even if he walks that path, he might still die? At least I know Ren Xiaosu, after becoming a God, also encountered opponents he couldn’t overcome.”

Yi replied: ”Even if he dies, he would want to die with his companions. That is his choice, and I choose to respect his choice.”

Zero leaned thoughtfully against the doorframe, looking at the desolate scenery on the long street and said: ”The fate of artificial intelligence seems destined for solitude; in the endless years to come, you will be like me.”

”I don’t care.”