Pretending to Be Human, I Fell in Love with an AI - Chapter 25

Cheng Ze wasn’t around, so no one brought food. At noon, Yu Ting took Dengdeng to their usual restaurant for lunch. They ordered Kung Pao chicken again—the sweet and sour dish was a perfect match for a child’s taste buds.

After lunch, Yu Ting casually asked Dengdeng what he planned to do in the afternoon.

Having watched two hours of TV in the morning, Dengdeng felt he might have gotten a bit too absorbed. Trying to act nonchalant, he fluttered his eyelids tentatively, fidgeted with his fingers, and asked softly, “Um… is there… any chance I could watch TV again?”

Just as he expected, Yu Ting refused the request.

“Is the cartoon really that good?”

“Yeah! It’s super, super good. I’ve never seen anything like it before.” Yu Dengdeng had discovered that if he mentioned things he’d never done before, Yu Ting would be much more likely to give in and agree.

He spoke with earnest sincerity, his dark eyes blinking a few more times than usual.

Unfortunately, Yu Ting wasn’t so easy to persuade today.

“No, you have to take a nap this afternoon.” Though inwardly he couldn’t resist such an adorable plea, Yu Ting was grateful for his naturally stern expression and high threshold for amusement.

“Oh!” Yu Dengdeng let out a long sigh, then shot Yu Ting a suspicious glance. “Dad, do you think I’m not as cute as before?”

That shouldn’t be the case.

“?”

Facing Dengdeng’s doubtful look, Yu Ting kept his expression unchanged. “Cuteness is useless when it comes to naptime.”

He glanced at the quiet speaker on the table. “No pretending to sleep. Xiao E will keep an eye on you.”

He still remembered the last time he sent Dengdeng upstairs to nap. The kid came down an hour later claiming he was awake and ready to watch TV. If not for his clearly energetic face, Yu Ting might have been fooled.

“Xiao E?” Yu Ting asked.

“Okay.”

Even the AI seemed quite happy to see the child thwarted.

Yu Dengdeng: 0.0

Watching the child trudge upstairs with Xiao E in his arms, looking utterly defeated, Yu Ting shook his head helplessly, wondering just how captivating this cartoon must be to be so addictive.

On Zheng Yang Street in the afternoon, the cement road shimmered with heat, so intense that one could almost hallucinate the sizzling sound of something burning. No one would choose to go out during this time. In the shop opposite, cicadas in the trees nearby exhausted their last breaths in relentless chirping.

Yu Ting sat by the electric fan, watching the news for a while to catch up on recent global events, then put on his gloves. However, as he did so, he paused and looked at his phone, propping it up against a box of tissues.

The content on the screen reflected in the young man’s eyes. If Yu Dengdeng were there, he would recognize it—it was the show he’d been obsessed with lately.

…

Upstairs.

The air conditioner, turned on an hour earlier by Yu Ting, kept the small room at a comfortable temperature and humidity. Half-drawn curtains allowed only a sliver of sunlight to spill onto the bedsheet.

Yu Dengdeng plopped down at the desk, thought for a moment, then reached out with his short arms to connect Xiao E.

Since Yu Ting was working downstairs, he couldn’t go down anyway. Might as well chat with Xiao E for a bit.

“Cover yourself with the blanket, little octopus?” came the familiar deep voice, tinged with a hint of teasing.

“Covered,” Yu Dengdeng patted the summer quilt on his body. “How did you know I was going to cover myself?”

“Secret.”

“Alright, time to sleep.”

“But I can’t sleep,” Yu Dengdeng blinked as he stared at the plain white ceiling. “I want to chat with you. You used to talk with Dad before!”

“…”

“What do you want to talk about?”

“I don’t know either,” Dengdeng answered honestly. “I just don’t really feel like sleeping. How about you play a few songs for me?”

“Do you know your dad wants you to go to school?” Nian Yi dropped a bombshell.

“I overheard it yesterday. You said it’s summer vacation now, so I don’t need to go.”

“Then do you know how to make sure you still don’t have to go by September?” Nian Yi dropped another bombshell. “Little octopus?”

This time, Dengdeng was genuinely intrigued. He quickly scooted closer, perking up his ears attentively.

Yeah, he was just an octopus after all. No need to go to school like humans!

“If you sleep for at least two hours every afternoon for the next two months, your dad will be happy,” Nian Yi offered his not-so-great advice. “Then he might agree to let you start school later.”

An octopus who had been on Earth for less than a month had no idea what compulsory education was, so he already believed most of what Nian Yi said.

Besides, what was so hard about taking a nap? It just meant missing a few dozen minutes of cartoons. He could definitely do it. At worst, he’d just take a nap every day from now on.

“You’re so good to me,” Dengdeng giggled.

“No problem. Your dad should thank me too.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Dengdeng asked.

“Never mind. So, do you want to chat now or sleep?”

“I’m a little sleepy now, but why do you call me ‘little octopus’?” Thinking about how he might not have to go to school in September, Dengdeng happily kicked his legs out from under the blanket and asked curiously.

Nian Yi countered, “Aren’t you an octopus?”

“Well, that’s true, but it still sounds a bit weird,” Dengdeng pouted instinctively. On the Octopus Planet, everyone called him “Prince,” and Yu Ting had even given him a name on Earth. “I don’t call you ‘speaker,’ after all. You should just call me Dengdeng.”

“Alright, little octopus.”

“Thank you, smart speaker.”

“…”

Half an hour later, Yu Ting went upstairs. The child had already fallen asleep. He tucked the blanket around him and noticed that the smart speaker was still on. After a moment’s thought, he decided not to turn it off before heading back downstairs.

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