Pretending to Be Human, I Fell in Love with an AI - Chapter 3

Although the child repeatedly insisted after speaking up that he truly had no parents, Yu Ting still insisted on having Cheng Ze take the two of them to the police station to register.

However, the dazed expressions on the faces of this adult and child as they stood before the police station made Cheng Ze doubt for a second whether these two were even from Earth.

The child was understandable, but Brother Yu—a nearly thirty-year-old adult—had actually never seen a police station before?

“Currently, we haven’t found Dengdeng’s photo on the official website. If there’s any news, I’ll contact you as soon as possible. In the meantime, please take good care of this child.”

After registering the information, the police officer instructed, glancing at the child still tightly curled in Yu Ting’s arms and the young man before him, whose slightly furrowed brow was nonetheless captivating.

If he hadn’t heard the young man explain the whole story, and if he hadn’t looked closely enough to see that their faces weren’t actually very similar, he might have suspected that the young man wasn’t just a passerby who had found the child but had intentionally abandoned him.

After hearing about the relevant procedures and formalities, Yu Ting, still holding Dengdeng, left the police station with Cheng Ze.

The sky had returned to its usual hue after the rain, the air was moist, and every breath felt as if it carried a layer of bubbles.

Cheng Ze followed behind Yu Ting, descending the steps, his eyes fixed on the child clinging to Yu Ting.

Earlier, the way this child had stuck to Brother Yu—even the police officer couldn’t pry him off.

Oh, it should be Dengdeng.

On the way here, the child had emphasized it again when Cheng Ze got his name wrong.

Sensing the young man behind him gradually slowing his pace, Yu Ting took two steps and stopped under the shade of a tree, turning his head slightly. “What’s wrong?”

Cheng Ze swallowed and tentatively asked, “Brother Yu, are you really sure about this?”

Though he had just turned eighteen, he knew raising a child was no small expense.

Even though Brother Yu had no girlfriend and only had to cover his own living expenses, how much could an auto repair shop really earn?

Getting a monthly salary of three thousand from Cheng Qiang this month was already a stroke of luck.

Hearing this, Dengdeng’s mouth turned down at the corners, his cheeks puffed out as he wrapped his arms around Yu Ting’s neck. Yu Ting’s body temperature was slightly low, making him very comfortable to hold.

He glared resentfully at the person behind him.

Adding to getting his name wrong, this was already the second time!

Don’t think just because he was an octopus from outer space that he couldn’t understand what this human was saying!

“It’s Dengdeng!” Dengdeng huffed angrily.

“Alright, Dengdeng, Dengdeng.”

It’s just a name, this kid, Cheng Ze waved his hand helplessly, but his expression suddenly froze.

Did he understand what I was trying to say?

Sure enough, the child first shot him an angry look, then turned to Yu Ting with a pitiful expression.

Cheng Ze: …

Yu Ting, of course, understood what Cheng Ze meant—raising a child was no simple matter.

Especially since he had no parenting experience.

Especially since he was an alien.

…

But.

Hearing Dengdeng’s frustrated emphasis, Yu Ting looked over and met the child’s gaze.

A child of six or seven didn’t yet know how to hide his emotions.

One moment he was glaring angrily at Cheng Ze, and the next, when he looked at Yu Ting, his expression hadn’t shifted in time—his chubby face was puffed up in anger, yet his eyes looked pitiful, making the combination both comical and endearing.

He’s afraid, Yu Ting thought.

Whether it was the hand that hadn’t let go since the moment he saw him or the way the child immediately sought his gaze whenever Yu Ting looked over, it all showed he was afraid of being abandoned.

“I won’t abandon you.” Yu Ting’s voice was firm as he whispered, “Trust me.”

Although he was an alien with zero childcare experience who also worked as a mechanic, adapting to any environment had never been a challenge for him.

On Darkwater Star, he had been abandoned at the age of seven, yet he eventually rose to become a general of the Federal Empire through his own abilities.

So, it would be fine.

Until he found the box and returned to Darkwater Star, he would take care of this child and help him find his parents.

Even if they couldn’t be found, if the child was willing, he could take him to Darkwater Star.

The young man’s voice carried a cold edge, yet his commanding presence made it hard not to trust him.

When facing the child, however, that icy tone softened with a hint of tenderness.

Dengdeng didn’t speak. He silently watched the young man holding him, whose body was enveloped in the cool, crisp scent he loved, yet his cheeks inexplicably felt warm.

He was the Octopus Prince, after all—how could he become so flustered over a single human’s words?

Truly, this human he had chosen was something special.

Thinking this, he nestled against Yu Ting’s collarbone, obediently resting his head on his shoulder, his cheeks and earlobes tinged with red.

“Huh?” Cheng Ze watched Dengdeng’s reaction after Yu Ting’s words with curiosity. Before he could say anything, Dengdeng, noticing his gaze, snorted and turned his head away.

The gesture left Cheng Ze momentarily stunned, then amused. This kid really held a grudge.

Observing Dengdeng’s series of actions, Yu Ting’s eyes softened, and a faint smile curved his lips.

“So, from now on, will Dengdeng take your surname, Brother Yu?” Cheng Ze asked curiously, watching the “father and son” pair before him.

Take the surname Yu?

That would make him Yu Dengdeng, both Yu Ting and Dengdeng thought simultaneously.

Yu Ting had no particular attachment to surnames—even his own had been picked randomly from a dictionary.

If Dengdeng wanted, he could even find a dictionary and let him choose his own surname.

“Yu Dengdeng?” The child’s voice was soft and questioning, repeating his new name like a newborn testing unfamiliar sounds.

The slightly awkward pronunciation even added a touch of mystery to this simple yet meaningful name.

A human name—his very own, uniquely his.

Yu Ting: “Yu Dengdeng?”

Yu Dengdeng nodded. “Yu Dengdeng.”

Yu Ting: “Good.”

“Brother Yu, I’m not just saying this, but you two really do look like father and son.”

Cheng Ze couldn’t help but remark as he watched the newly minted “father and son” pair harmonize with seamless tacit understanding. “No wonder that police officer thought you were biologically related.”

If he hadn’t personally seen Yu Ting pick up a child from the garbage dump, who would believe they’d only known each other for half a day?

Wait…

The garbage dump!

It suddenly dawned on Cheng Ze what he had been overlooking all along.

He glanced at the young man walking a few steps ahead of him—tall and slender, with well-defined muscles visible beneath the sleeves of his black T-shirt.

It was all because Yu Ting usually acted so normal that he had almost forgotten Yu Ting wasn’t entirely mentally stable.

But then again, Yu Ting’s only peculiar habit was his fondness for visiting garbage dumps.

With so many people in the world having odd quirks, Brother Yu’s behavior wasn’t all that unusual, was it?

The more Cheng Ze thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

Watching Yu Ting walk ahead, holding the “newly minted” Yu Dengdeng, he quickened his pace to catch up.

Now that he has a child, his Yu-ge probably won’t have time to fuss over that pile of beloved junk, right?

…

With the rain and Cheng Qiang still missing, Yu Ting and the other two lowered the shop’s rolling shutter when they left for the police station.

When they returned, the shutter remained exactly as they had left it, and Cheng Qiang was still nowhere to be seen.

When they first arrived, Yu Dengdeng had been too nervous to take in much of the shop’s surroundings, only giving it a cursory glance.

Now feeling much safer, he carefully examined every inch of the space.

He had only seen such vehicles in museums before—this was his first time seeing them in person.

Noticing the child’s gaze lingering on the tricycle and the car ever since they entered the shop, Yu Ting understood.

Kids this age were always fascinated by machinery.

“Want to go take a closer look?”

“Should I let Brother Cheng Ze carry you?” Cheng Ze chimed in.

To his surprise, the child didn’t even glance at him. Instead, he obediently said “Okay” to Yu Ting and was gently set down.

Still holding a grudge, huh.

“I only said that one thing,” Cheng Ze scratched his head and went back to sorting the spare parts.

Yu Ting shook his head in amusement, watching as the child slowly walked over to the vehicles, examining them with curiosity.

He was still wearing the same black jumpsuit Yu Ting had found him in.

He needed to buy clothes and get a medical checkup. Watching the small figure, Yu Ting made a mental plan.

Both matters were urgent. He would have to take time off tomorrow to take Dengdeng.

His gaze softened as it fell on the little boy—a tenderness he had never imagined he could feel.

He had come to Earth by accident, with only one goal: to search for the elusive box, no matter how slim the hope.

But now, as an alien, he suddenly had another mission. The sense of uncertainty that had hovered over him since arriving on Earth began to settle.

Yu Dengdeng stared in fascination at the tricycle in front of him, unable to tear his eyes away.

So cool.

He had never seen such an open vehicle. How exhilarating it must feel to ride in it!

He really wanted to sit in it.

But would Yu Ting let him? Yu Dengdeng pouted, torn as he stared at the tricycle.

As the Octopus Prince, he couldn’t be too obvious about expressing his desires—that would be unbecoming.

Besides, as the human he had chosen, shouldn’t Yu Ting already know what he was thinking?

He pricked up his ears, listening for any movement behind him, but Yu Ting didn’t seem to have budged.

So, he gave a light cough.

Yu Ting had been thinking about taking Dengdeng for a medical checkup tomorrow. Hearing the cough, he worried the child might be feeling unwell from the rain and walked over.

When he was just a step away, he sensed something was off. He paused, following Yu Dengdeng’s gaze, and finally understood what the child wanted.

A sudden thought crossed his mind. Without moving, he gave a soft cough of his own.

Here it comes.

Why isn’t he moving?

Yu Dengdeng cast another longing glance at the tricycle, then tilted his head slightly. “Hmm…”

“What’s wrong?” Yu Ting asked, noticing the child’s restlessness, though he couldn’t hide the smile tugging at his lips.

“This car… wants to invite us to sit in it,” Yu Dengdeng mumbled, his voice growing quieter.

After all, Yu Ting didn’t know he was an alien.

Faced with the choice between the tricycle and his identity, he didn’t hesitate for a second—he chose the tricycle!

Perfectly reasonable!

Yu Ting asked, “Inviting us?”

“Really!” Yu Dengdeng insisted.

So, hurry up and take him for a ride!

Yu Ting was both amused and exasperated, feeling his heart—soaked in war and blood—instantly soften. He bent down, picked up Yu Dengdeng, and settled him onto the seat.

Once seated, Yu Dengdeng curiously examined the tricycle’s structure, while Yu Ting turned the handlebars to prevent slipping.

It was normal for a child not to have seen a tricycle before; even he had only encountered this mode of transportation after coming to Earth.

However, his expression was always too calm and detached, revealing no trace of novelty or excess emotion, nor would he show it as obviously as Dengdeng did.

Yu Ting glanced at the child peering at the tricycle’s handlebars and couldn’t help but think that his current understanding of this planet was probably on par with Dengdeng’s.

Having unusually diligently finished tidying up the parts, Cheng Ze wanted to see what the “father and son” were up to. As he approached, he noticed the two sitting curiously on a somewhat worn tricycle.

The little one looked delighted, the older one serene.

Wait, have these two never even seen a tricycle before?