YA Ch2: AI

After finally managing to send the butler away, Lu Yu sat on the sofa and began to study the smart brain.

The quickest way to understand current information was, naturally, to go online.

As soon as he looked at the smart brain, a light screen appeared in the air, resembling a mobile phone desktop with various application icons.

“So clear.” Lu Yu was amazed, turning his wrist back and forth, yet the light screen remained facing him, as clear as a high-end mobile phone’s retina display.

When he looked at the manager’s light screen just now, it wasn’t this clear. That one seemed semi-transparent, somewhat like a silly invention from ten years ago—transparent TV. Such TVs could be seen from both sides, transparent and thin, but not very clear and quite impractical.

“Viewing your own smart brain is different from viewing others’.” The smart brain seemed to know his query point and answered directly.

Lu Yu understood, guessing it might be some kind of polarized technology or a brain-implanted receiver. Suddenly, he felt a chill: “Your intelligence level is a bit too high.”

In fact, Lu Yu’s major in university was artificial intelligence. Although he was only in his sophomore year, his foundational theory was already solid. Assistants like Siri, Xiao Ai, and Xiao Du were all passive responders, meaning “they don’t answer unless you ask.”

However, the smart brain’s behavior clearly exceeded this scope. He hadn’t asked, yet the smart brain answered and even speculated on his thoughts to some extent.

The black watch face seemed to flash with a light, and the smart brain was silent for two seconds before replying, “I am different from other smart brains.”

Huh?

Hearing this response, Lu Yu suddenly got excited. Could this be the golden finger of his time travel? A system ahead of its time!

“I knew it,” Lu Yu said, crossing his legs in satisfaction, “As the god of the seven seas, the king of the hybrids… father of the hybrids, I must be favored by the heavens.”

Smart Brain: “…Can you not mention that?”

Lu Yu didn’t mind the increasingly impolite tone of the smart brain and remembered something important: “By the way, system, what does the butler mean by ‘your husband’?”

Smart Brain: “I have a name; you can call me Dongdong.”

“Lu Dongdong?” He felt it was quite in line with his style to name his smart brain after the character he wrote. He always filled out his package recipient’s name as Lu Dongdong.

“Yes,” the smart brain confirmed, then displayed an encyclopedia-like interface on the light screen, “your husband refers to your legal spouse, Ming Yan, who is currently one of the shareholders of Shen Yu Technology.”

“…Huh?”

Legal spouse, Ming Yan. He could understand these words individually, but together, they made his mind crash. His heart started racing uncontrollably. Wh-what does this mean?

The light screen displayed several recent photos of Ming Yan, most of them candid shots of him in a suit attending various meetings. Although not very clear, his noble temperament and stunning beauty were unmistakable. Lu Yu would never mistake his idol!

The world suddenly filled with light, birds sang, and a low chorus of “Hallelujah” rang in his ears…

“It seems you are in trouble, unable to remember my name and your spouse. Should I sync this information to Mr. Ming?”

Lu Yu didn’t hear the latter part of the smart brain’s words: “You mean, I’m married, and my partner is Ming Yan?”

Smart Brain: “Yes.”

At that moment, Lu Yu’s mind flashed through the carousel of his life. The repressed life at the Lu family for the first eighteen years, the fluttering heartbeat when he first saw Ming Yan, the chubby fish figurine he received before traveling through time…

After a long silence, Lu Yu sighed and collapsed on the sofa: “This life of mine is worth it.”

In Shen Yu Technology—

“Ming, how should we respond to Qingqu Capital’s inquiry letter?” The secretary placed an inquiry letter with a gold-embossed logo on the desk.

[Regarding the inquiry into the marital status of Mr. Ming Yan and Mr. Lu Yu.]

Ming Yan looked at the glaring black words, unable to suppress his frown: “I know, just leave it.”

“Yes.” The secretary didn’t dare ask further, responded, and left.

The company’s IPO plan was obstructed, and they had to seek large capital injections to overcome the hurdle. Both he and Lu Yu were company executives and major shareholders. Clearly, the capital was not fond of such a duo of “concerted actors,” making the company seem more like a family workshop.

Ming Yan lowered his eyes, sat in silence for a while, and sent a message to Lu Yu:

[Let’s get a divorce.]

After several deletions and revisions, he only managed to write these five words. Lu Yu had been in a poor state recently, refusing to communicate with him, so he had no choice but to send a message.

“Ding!” The message was instantly replied to:

[This is Lu Yu’s smart brain. Lu Yu suddenly fainted and fell to the ground. The smart brain has called an ambulance and is trying to wake him up.]

Ming Yan abruptly stood up, put on his suit jacket, and walked out, instructing the smart brain to send a temporary password to the apartment manager, so that the manager could immediately check on Lu Yu’s condition.

“Mr. Ming, do you have any comments on the company’s failed IPO?”

“Will next week’s new product testing livestream go on as scheduled?”

“It’s said that you and Lu Yu got married for the sake of copyright consistency. Is that true?”

As soon as he stepped out of the company, a swarm of reporters surrounded him like leeches drawn to blood, with one black microphone almost poking him in the eye.

Ming Yan didn’t dodge. He just stood there and coldly said, “Move aside.”

The reporters fell silent for a moment. Only then did the secretary and security arrive, quickly separating the crowd: “Sorry, everyone, Mr. Ming has an urgent matter…”

Before the secretary could finish explaining, Ming Yan swiftly got into his car through a gap in the crowd and sped away.

“Hehehe,” Lu Yu, holding their marriage certificate, rolled around on the sofa, letting out a lascivious giggle, “This kind of time travel is actually pretty nice. Skip all the hardships, become a CEO, marry a rich and handsome guy, and reach the pinnacle of life, hehe…”

“Father, if I may remind you, although the manager has confirmed that you didn’t faint, Mr. Ming is still on his way back.” The smart brain prompted.

Lu Yu jolted up, rushing to the bathroom as if his pants were on fire. He couldn’t let his crush see him in this state.

After a quick combat shower, Lu Yu went to the shared walk-in closet to choose clothes.

This apartment had two master bedrooms connected by an open walk-in closet, which contained clothes of various sizes. Although Ming Yan was tall, he had a small frame, and his clothes were one size smaller than Lu Yu’s.

Lu Yu picked up the sleeve of a smaller-sized pajama, feeling as if there was a cat scratching at his heart, making it itch. He sneakily looked around and couldn’t help but bring the sleeve to his nose. The faint, sweet scent of grass and wood mixed with a hint of sandalwood not only failed to alleviate the itch but also made Lu Yu addicted, prompting him to take two more deep breaths.

“You probably have only five minutes.” The smart brain reminded.

“Ahem.” Lu Yu coughed lightly, forcibly turning his head to look at the suits.

He picked up a checkered suit and held it up to himself, imagining himself wearing it, holding a red rose in his mouth and a wine glass in his hand. When Ming Yan walked in, he would call out “Baby” in a deep voice, which would surely enchant him: “Hehe, this is a privilege only a mature man has.”

Feeling pleased, Lu Yu looked at his own shirtless reflection in the mirror—no abs and pale skin—and his smile vanished instantly.

The smart brain commented at the right moment: “Honestly, that’s quite greasy.”

“Shut up.” Lu Yu, frustrated, threw down the suit and picked a black silk pajama to wear. He couldn’t understand what his future self was thinking, letting himself go like this after marriage, living like a sloppy straight man. It was truly embarrassing.

Fortunately, he had broad shoulders, which helped support the draping silk, making his figure look somewhat acceptable when he stood up straight. Exercise, fitness, and sunbathing had to be added to his schedule immediately.

Lu Yu carefully shaved his beard, trimmed his messy eyebrows, and used hair wax to style his hair, finally looking somewhat presentable. Unfortunately, he didn’t know how to apply makeup, as his youthful face in the past had been flawless. Now, he had no idea how to deal with the dark circles and bloodshot eyes.

“Dongdong, do you know how to cover up dark circles?” Lu Yu asked, seeking help from the all-knowing smart brain.

The smart brain replied cheerfully, “I suggest you put me into the balloon body. I’ll find you a suitable pair of non-prescription glasses.”

Following the smart brain’s instructions, Lu Yu found the merman balloon displayed on the shelf and gasped: “This is…”

It was an adult cat-sized merman doll, exactly like the Q-version Lu Yu had received before his time travel, as if it had been plucked from the drawing. This gave him an absurd feeling of a 2D character becoming real.

Lu Yu couldn’t help but pick up the merman, feeling the surface’s excellent elasticity, a material he had never seen before. The doll was extremely lightweight, almost weightless. Without the ballast string, it would even float up, as if filled with a light gas like helium.

“Please insert the smart brain external device into the slot.” The smart brain’s display showed an animation of the operation.

Lu Yu pried out the black dial and placed it into the slot on the merman’s belly. The dial instantly blended with the surrounding color, and the merman balloon’s eyes lit up. The round eyes were two electronic screens that changed expressions, making the entire fish come to life.

“Dongdong,” Lu Yu, almost obsessively, held the merman balloon, touching its head and pinching its tail, even pulling the small inflatable trident in its round hand, “This is really a good idea. Making favorite character figures move and having the smart brain do role-playing. The world ten years later is truly a paradise for otakus!”

The merman’s eyes blinked, left Lu Yu’s grasp, and hovered in mid-air, its tail gently swaying. In a serious, boyish voice, it said, “This is not role-playing.”

This tone and these lines were exactly like what Lu Yu said in the “The Fish King” audiobook, with a bit of eerie horror and a hint of youthful kingly spirit.

Lu Yu was stunned for a moment, an absurd thought suddenly popping into his head. Before he could figure it out, the smart brain merman spoke again:

“I am Lu Dongdong.”