Pretending to Be Human, I Fell in Love with an AI - Chapter 16

Before long, the grill master brought over plates wrapped in plastic bags one by one.

The meat and vegetables on the plates had taken on an appetite-whetting color under the licking flames of the charcoal and the smoky aroma.

Cheng Ze took out his phone and snapped a photo, intending to send it to his online crush. But when he looked up, he saw Brother Yu and his precious little one both staring at the food on the table. It didn’t seem like they were disgusted—more like they had never eaten barbecue before.

Yu Ting glanced over the dishes on the table, each one exuding the fragrance of charcoal. He turned to Dengdeng, who was staring intently, practically drooling, and asked, “What do you want to eat?”

Dengdeng pointed at a few items whose names he remembered, watching as Yu Ting picked them up one by one and removed the skewers.

The barbecue stall was open-air, with a breeze and fans easing much of the summer night’s heat. However, the lighting wasn’t particularly strong, relying mostly on a few streetlights and the glow beneath the shop’s sign. Occasionally, a few tiny flying insects could be seen circling around the lights.

Yu Ting sat there, meticulously carrying out his task. His cool, stubborn-looking brows and eyes seemed much softer now, as if infused with a gentle moisture that drew attention.

He placed a bowl filled with a generous portion in front of Dengdeng. “Eat up.”

Dengdeng didn’t move, just kept looking at Yu Ting’s face. When Yu Ting raised his head and looked at him again, he said, “Dad, I think you’re three or four meters tall.”

“Huh?” Ever since Dengdeng came into his life, Yu Ting had found that his original way of thinking was utterly insufficient—he simply couldn’t understand what went on in a child’s mind. But it had also taught him to listen more carefully.

“Just three or four meters tall,” Dengdeng didn’t explain further. Instead, he happily hugged the bowl Yu Ting had filled with meat for him and began eating, thinking to himself, Yu Ting is so wonderful. Is he a gift Earth specially sent to me?

Then I must be the luckiest person in the world.

Seeing Dengdeng eating bite after bite, Yu Ting didn’t press further. He picked up a skewer of tianbula he had been curious about earlier and took a bite. The taste was indeed quite good.

“Bro, bro!” Cheng Ze hurried out of the crowd, carrying two glass bottles, and sat down excitedly, looking at Yu Ting. “I just ordered a bottle of beer, and they gave me an extra one for free! They said it’s specially for you—a handsome guy discount~”

He had no idea that being handsome could earn you a free bottle of beer at a barbecue stall. If he’d known, he would’ve taken Brother Yu out to eat every day.

“Why are you drinking?” Yu Ting gave Cheng Ze a helpless look, then glanced toward the barbecue stall owner about three meters away. The owner was busy grilling skewers with great enthusiasm and, noticing Yu Ting’s gaze, waved warmly and mouthed a few words.

Even from a distance, Yu Ting could make out what he was saying: “Enjoy your meal and drinks!”

He nodded politely in response.

“Brother Yu, you just don’t get it—barbecue has to be paired with beer,” Cheng Ze plopped down, deftly using a bottle opener to pop open one of the bottles and pouring it into two cups.

When he was underage, his dad kept a close eye on him, allowing him to drink at most two bottles at a time. Now, far from home and of legal age, he could drink as much as he wanted.

“Don’t drink too much. Alcohol isn’t good for your health,” Yu Ting took the cup. “One glass is enough for me.”

On Darkwater Star, there were beverages similar to Earth’s alcohol, though they went by a different name. It was only once when Cheng Qiang was drinking at the auto repair shop that Yu Ting learned this was what they called “alcohol.”

“Don’t worry.” Cheng Ze tilted his head back and downed a cup, his expression unchanged. “Just these two bottles today.”

Yu Ting kept an eye on Dengdeng’s movements, noticing the child had practically buried his face in the bowl, completely oblivious to the noise around him.

“Eat slowly, don’t choke.”

“O-okay.” Dengdeng quickly shifted his attention and nodded at Yu Ting.

Once again, he marveled at how humans could invent so many delicious foods. Where did they get all that energy?

Back on their planet, octopuses were just too lazy. Not a single one had ever thought of eating cooked food. When hungry, they’d just wrap their tentacles around a bunch of fish and stuff them into their mouths to fill their stomachs.

“Bro.” Cheng Ze raised his glass. “Thanks for taking care of me all these days.”

Although his brother had some mental issues before, he was mostly better now.

And in his opinion, Yu Ting’s temper was just too good. Of course, that incident from before didn’t count.

“It’s fine.” Yu Ting shook his head, clinking his glass lightly against the teenager’s from a slight distance before taking a sip. His lips grew moist, and a faint flush spread across his cheeks.

Back in the slums, he had never seen alcohol. Later, when he entered the military academy, discipline was strict, and drinking was strictly forbidden. Even after joining the army, he never touched a drop.

First, to stay qualified, and second, to keep himself always in control.

So, he had absolutely no idea about his alcohol tolerance.

Feeling the bitter taste burst in his mouth and spread down to his stomach, Yu Ting’s slender fingers instinctively tightened around the glass in his hand.

“Bro, how much longer are you going to work here?” Cheng Ze asked curiously while munching on a skewer.

“Not sure yet.” Yu Ting shook his head, feeling as if his brain had been filled with beer, then shook it again gently.

Unfortunately, the only two people beside him—one devouring food and the other eating and drinking—didn’t notice Yu Ting’s unusual state at all.

“If you ask me, this job only pays three thousand a month. Might as well go work on a construction site.” Cheng Ze grumbled. “Look at Cheng Qiang, all he does is play mahjong all day, slacking off and dumping all the work on you. It’s just not fair.”

Nowadays, working on a construction site pays at least two hundred a day. Here, fixing cars only earns a hundred a day—just enough for a barbecue meal. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, so he gnawed on two more skewers.

“Let’s see.”

Feeling inexplicably thirsty, Yu Ting took another sip of beer, then picked up a few skewers and used chopsticks to slide the meat into Dengdeng’s bowl, watching the child’s movements with lowered eyes.

“Anyway, as long as you have a plan, Yu Ge. After all, there’s Dengdeng now.” After a few drinks, Cheng Ze felt like he had matured a lot, speaking with the earnest tone of an adult.

Of course, that was just his illusion.

“But, Bro, what did you do before? Fix cars too?”

The air around them was noisy, smells and sounds blending together. The moment he spoke, it felt as if his words carried the damp, warm scent of alcohol.

Yu Ting rested his left hand on his forehead, frowning slightly as he looked at the orange-colored beer in front of him, still bubbling with tiny air pockets. He placed his right hand against the side of the glass, the cold beer transferring its chill through the glass to his palm, sobering him up a little.

At that moment, he suddenly understood his shallow alcohol tolerance.

No more drinking, Yu Ting thought. Even though it was only two sips, the last shred of reason in his body was telling him—no more.

“Brother Yu?” Cheng Ze looked up at the person who hadn’t replied for a while, only to meet the young man’s gaze directly. He instinctively held his breath.

Just like that day when Yu Ting had glanced at him sideways with disdain, it felt aloof, even cruel.

The young man finally spoke, “Fix the car, and kill…”

“Huh? Kill… kill what?” Cheng Ze’s eyebrows twitched violently, suddenly reminded of the gangster movies he’d watched with friends years ago.

After a moment, he heard the next words.

“Bugs.”

Cheng Ze: “Huh? Bugs? There are actually bug extermination companies?”

Wasn’t that what cleaning companies did? Did Brother Yu used to work in cleaning?

“Many bugs, all need to be killed.” The young man’s voice was faint, but he emphasized the last word.

Only up close could one notice the slight drunkenness on his sharply defined face. His hazel eyes lacked their usual calmness.

“Can bugs really be completely exterminated?” Cheng Ze asked doubtfully, not expecting Yu Ting to suddenly fall silent, staring coldly at him.

Wait, did he say something wrong?

“They will be exterminated.”

Ever since Yu Ting could remember, the insectoid race had been the enemy of Darkwater Star. Their reproductive ability was extremely strong, with insect swarms occurring every few decades.

Yu Ting had become the youngest general precisely because he had eliminated the most severe insect swarm invasion on Darkwater Star that year.

He would accomplish it.

Cheng Ze was utterly shocked by Yu Ting’s words, a mouthful of beer left uncertain whether to spit or swallow.

Seriously, why does killing bugs sound so tragically heroic?

What, could it be that his brother has some obsession with bugs?

Thinking this, Cheng Ze shuddered, but then remembered Yu Ting’s daily routine from before.

He cautiously glanced around, seeing Dengdeng still eating, then leaned in closer to ask, “Brother, why did you go to the garbage dump every day before? Was there something there?”

Although he’d been busy with romance lately, he’d also read a few online novels. One horror novel mentioned that people haunted by evil spirits would behave completely opposite to their usual selves.

The keyword “garbage dump” made the alcohol-induced haze in his brain gradually recede, and rationality slowly returned.

Yu Ting instinctively rubbed his forehead, resting his head on his propped-up left hand. “Nothing.”

Thinking about what he had just said, a wave of disgust rose in his heart—a feeling of something slipping beyond his control.

“Do you want to go too?”

Cheng Ze quickly shook his head like a rattle-drum.

Yu Ting looked at the items on the table. Aside from his one glass, the remaining two bottles of beer had been finished by Cheng Ze, and most of the ordered barbecue had been eaten.

Dengdeng finally looked up from his now-empty bowl.

Yu Ting: “Full? Was it good?”

“Delicious!” Yu Dengdeng replied, feeling like he wouldn’t eat barbecue again until the next time.

By the time the three settled the bill and headed back, it was almost nine o’clock—unusually late for Yu Ting to still be out with Dengdeng.

Zhengyang Street was surprisingly lively for this hour. The warm breeze against their faces didn’t sober them up but instead made them savor this gentle night.

On the way back, they didn’t take the original route—something Cheng Ze only realized after walking for a while when he saw the garbage truck parked ahead.

He stopped in his tracks, then slowly turned around in disbelief and looked up at Yu Ting beside him, who was lowering his head and saying something to Dengdeng.

Could his brother be thinking of rummaging through the garbage dump again in the middle of the night?

“The lights are so bright,” Yu Dengdeng said, looking at the several trucks working not far away. Each truck was equipped with two powerful lights, bustling with activity, though it was unclear what they were doing. He instinctively shook the hand that was holding his.

Yu Ting stopped and looked at these garbage trucks, watching as countless pieces of trash were scooped up and dumped into a bottomless black hole.

He bent down and picked up Dengdeng. “Do you remember the first time we met?”

The first time they met?

Suddenly being picked up, Dengdeng was already quite accustomed to it. In his heart, Yu Ting’s embrace was the safest place. He rested his hands on Yu Ting’s shoulders and recalled the scene from back then. “It was a rainy day.”

“Mm.”

“It seems like it was here too.” Catching a whiff of the pungent smell in the air, Dengdeng wrinkled his nose.

His memory of that day wasn’t very clear, and he was even a little hazy about how he had come to Earth.

He stared at the streetlight, watching the few small insects circling beneath it. Instead of thinking about his own matters, his mind drifted to the rumors about Yu Ting having mental issues.

Dengdeng tightened his grip on the fabric of Yu Ting’s clothes and looked at the young man holding him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cheng Ze frantically signaling to him, though he had no idea what Cheng Ze wanted.

He opened his mouth but said nothing. Gazing at Yu Ting’s profile under the streetlight, he asked hesitantly, “What’s wrong?”

Yu Ting snapped back to reality and adjusted his hold on Dengdeng. “It’s nothing. Let’s go home.”

Cheng Ze breathed a sigh of relief and followed Yu Ting’s steps.

It seemed like everything really was fine.

The clamor of the bustling city gradually faded into the distance, while behind them, several trucks continued to labor away.

Unaware of what had happened, Yu Dengdeng instinctively wrapped his arms loosely around Yu Ting’s neck. Yu Ting patted the child’s hand reassuringly.

Nothing had happened.

It was just that from now on, he was no longer General Yu Ting of Darkwater Star.

He was Yu Ting, and he was also Yu Dengdeng’s father.

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