Guarding the Little Master’s Secret!
Afternoon.
In a city where the autumn rain had yet to fall, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the plane trees, slanting down to rest upon the walls of an old foreign-style house in a neighborhood adjacent to the campus.
Xi Zhiyu had gone out to find food, using a student discount to eat at a newly opened Japanese restaurant with Yuan Zhoulu before heading back toward the school. As they passed through an alley, the aroma of fresh peanut pumpkin cake wafted through the air; taking advantage of the fact they were fresh out of the oven, they bought one of each.
Along the way, Xi Zhiyu checked his phone several times. Aside from scanning QR codes to pay, he frequently opened WeChat as if waiting for a message from someone. In the past, he would never have been like this, placing his focus so heavily on the internet.
Yuan Zhoulu asked pointedly, “So you really promised to go play on the island? You won’t back out, right?”
Xi Zhiyu squeezed the paper bag, which was already showing oil stains, and shook his head. “I’m only considering it.”
Yuan Zhoulu smiled. “Aiya, it seems my dull-witted friend has suddenly had an epiphany.”
Xi Zhiyu remained silent, taking a bite of the pumpkin cake. Even the tips of his ears felt scorched by the sunlight.
Half an hour ago.
The two of them had been sitting by the glass window of the Japanese restaurant. Yuan Zhoulu had employed a small tactic, first asking if Xi Zhiyu wanted to go to the island to play.
Xi Zhiyu had declined immediately, citing the urgency of his studies and his father’s company projects. However, those who knew him well understood clearly that he simply wasn’t interested.
Yet, Yuan Zhoulu was far too skilled at manipulation. He first played hard to get, mentioning that Xie Yun had appeared in Haishi after taking a leave of absence; the rumors of him stepping in to save the production of The Legend of the Returning Crane had been confirmed.
“If Peanut Boy is filming, it’ll be even more impossible for him to return to Nancheng often~”
Immediately following this, he shifted the topic, mentioning that Fei Chuqiong’s cousin was also going to the island. They had invited Xie Yun to travel with them before he officially rejoined the crew and started filming.
Upon hearing this, Xi Zhiyu’s attitude underwent a visible reversal as he proactively asked for travel details. At the time, Yuan Zhoulu answered earnestly, “Aiya, how should I know how many days we’ll be going for?”
“Speaking of which… Sesame, weren’t you uninterested?”
Xi Zhiyu froze for a long moment, silently pouring sauce. A trace of embarrassed red appeared on his handsome face. “I’m just asking.”
Back in the present.
The two returned to campus. Yuan Zhoulu, who usually didn’t let a driver pick him up during the lunch break, slumped over his desk to catch up on sleep.
While Xi Zhiyu usually made a habit of doing practice problems, beneath that seemingly calm exterior, even his pen strokes looked like tangled yarn. Various details from the past surfaced in his mind: the notes they had passed, the hints at the birthday party, the transfer to another school for the sake of that Omega…
Xi Zhiyu’s sluggish emotions finally reached their destination. Everything was no longer a blur; peering at the person behind it all, no matter how he looked at it, it was himself.
As night fell.
Xi Zhiyu returned home with his backpack. Upon opening the door, he came face-to-face with the robot that had possessed zero presence over the past few days, standing in the foyer waiting for him.
He: “…” Sesame: “…”
The atmosphere curdled.
Xi Zhiyu washed his hands and ate dinner, then played with the cat and dog for a while. The robot followed silently behind him. After going upstairs, he changed into loungewear and sat in the study to open his laptop. The robot popped up again like a stalker, silent and breathless.
He: “…” Sesame: “…”
It was quite awkward. Xi Zhiyu sighed. “Is something the matter?”
Sesame shook its head, turned around, and vanished like a slippery fish. “I am very unhappy to serve the Little Master.”
Xi Zhiyu: “…………”
He had clearly repaired the program; why was it still so strange?
The night breeze was slightly cool, making one feel increasingly sober. Xi Zhiyu sat heavily in his chair, his gaze falling upon the pitch-black wristband he had been wearing for several days. By now, he had completely mastered the functions of this new model.
Compared to the old Omega wristband he used to wear, this model was specifically designed for teenagers in their differentiation period. It could more accurately detect fluctuations in pheromone levels and featured an automatic alarm for critical moments. This meant that his relationship with his doctor was roughly equivalent to twenty-four-hour heavy surveillance.
Though it wasn’t stated explicitly, Xi Zhiyu knew well that his condition was developing in an uncontrollable direction. Due to the influence of the differentiation period, there were currently no better treatment options. Everything would have to wait until the day his differentiation ended. That was still a long time away, and he harbored a sense of wishful thinking because he was still in the early stages.
The study was lit only by a desk lamp. The light reflected the silent silhouette of the youth, revealing a trace of hesitation, yet his eyes remained bright and determined. He eventually picked up his phone to send a message.
xzy: Doctor Johnson, for the long holiday next month, may I leave Nancheng for a few days?
Xi Zhiyu gripped the phone, waiting for a full two minutes.
Johnson: An overseas competition?
xzy: No, going to an island to play. Johnson: I suggest you don’t. But if you absolutely must go, you must be accompanied by a professional pheromone specialist.
xzy: Understood. Thank you.
As his thoughts drifted into the night, the sneaky robot appeared before his eyes.
From somewhere, it had scrounged up a small cape and draped it over its cold mechanical shoulders. It made the robot look like a “night-clothed” agent from a spy movie who had suddenly deactivated their invisibility it gave the youth quite a fright.
“Sesame,” Xi Zhiyu couldn’t help but call out, “What’s wrong?”
The little robot intentionally ignored its Little Master, acting willfully as it spat out a sentence: “Peanut sent me a video.”
Xi Zhiyu was slightly stunned. “Was it sent today?”
Sesame: “No.”
Xi Zhiyu thought for a moment. “Do you want to go find Peanut to play? Is that why you’re pacing around?”
“No, no.”
This robot and the Peanut from Xie Yun’s house were limited-edition models loaded with the most advanced chips. Their performance and efficacy were world-class, allowing them to handle interactions with humans more intelligently. Despite Xi Zhiyu having modified parts of its program, the robot still retained its own personality and thoughts.
“I want Little Master to watch a video.”
Xi Zhiyu needed to check if the matter involved Xie Yun’s privacy. “Who was given authorization?”
Sesame: “Only me and Peanut.”
The two robots were on good terms and shared secrets with each other; even their Little Masters were never granted authorization to glimpse them. While Sesame had its own ideas, it never committed an overstepping act. Now, the appearance of a bug following the program modification made Xi Zhiyu worried that it might leak secrets regarding his whereabouts.
“I would never.”
Sesame actually seemed to be throwing a tantrum. The normally calm and intelligent robot produced an electronic voice: “I have never told Peanut about the Young Master’s secrets. I won’t now, and I won’t in the future.”
The next second, Sesame “attacked” by projecting a video. It was very short, about five seconds.
The image of Xie Yun nuzzling his head like a puppy crashed into Xi Zhiyu’s pupils. He heard the muffled mumbling of the youth in his ear: “Peanut, do you think Brother Zhiyu will agree to go to the island to play?”
“Will he go?”
“Will he go or not? Hurry up and tell me.”
Xi Zhiyu’s heart rate suddenly lost its rhythm. Clearly affected by his childhood friend’s adorable appearance, his cheeks flushed crimson, and even his breathing became disordered.
Sesame, who was usually as taciturn as he was, swayed back and forth, nearly rubbing sparks into the floorboards. “Little Master often praises Peanut’s Little Master for being cute.”
“I have recorded videos too. Many, many videos.”
Vroom—!
The robot seemed to run off in a huff, rolling up the carpet as it went, but in reality, it was just helplessly aggrieved. “But I have… never… sent them.”
Xi Zhiyu couldn’t react for a long time. “…”
Many, many.
It played on a loop in his mind: Sesame said it had recorded many, many videos of him praising Xie Yun for being cute.