Pretending to Be Human, I Fell in Love with an AI - Chapter 5

Before leaving, Yu Ting glanced at Cheng Ze’s room next door.

The door was open, and the room was empty. It seemed he had spent the night at an internet café and hadn’t returned.

Holding Dengdeng in one arm, Yu Ting closed the door for Cheng Ze.

Though Cheng Ze was 19, his birthday hadn’t passed yet, so technically he was still 18.

Yu Ting couldn’t help but think about what he was doing at 18.

Back then, he had received an acceptance letter from a military academy, making his way from the slums to the top military school on Darkwater Star.

What followed were endless days and nights of training, along with countless taunts and ridicule along the way.

But at this moment, he felt no envy or jealousy.

It was the path he had chosen for himself. Even if he died halfway, he would have no regrets.

Still, it was nice.

To be able to waste a day peacefully—that was an experience he had never had on Darkwater Star.

Ever since Yu Ting picked him up, Dengdeng had been nestled in the crook of his neck.

Despite being sick, he had found the most comfortable position, instinctively curling up and practically sitting on Yu Ting’s arm.

Yu Dengdeng couldn’t quite explain the feeling. As a prince, his home and bed on his own planet were far more luxurious, but for some reason, he felt an inexplicable sense of security lying against Yu Ting.

Sensing that Yu Ting had stopped moving, Dengdeng tilted his head slightly to look at him.

The young man’s profile was sharp, with a small shadow cast by the light on one side of his nose.

His brownish eyes, which had been so gentle when looking at him earlier, now seemed vacant, fixed on some distant point.

He seems a little sad, Yu Dengdeng thought inexplicably.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Yu Ting realized the child was looking up at him, his eyes filled with unconcealed concern. He offered a reassuring smile. “Let’s go, we’re heading to the hospital.”

Just then, he suddenly felt a warm touch against his earlobe and froze in surprise, stopping in his tracks.

Yu Dengdeng looked at his own finger, which was pressed against the skin just below Yu Ting’s earlobe.

His brows were tightly furrowed in a serious expression, as if he were a doctor making a diagnosis, just as Yu Ting had done earlier when checking his temperature.

Yu Ting’s body temperature was even lower than his own finger’s warmth.

So, does that mean he’s not sick?

But why did Yu Ting suddenly become sad?

Yu Ting’s body stiffened slightly. Whether it was his childhood refusal to let anyone close to protect himself or his later years as a general in the military, where no one dared approach him, this was the first time anyone had ever done something like this.

He realized Dengdeng was imitating what he had done earlier—checking his temperature.

“I’m not sick,” Yu Ting explained.

Yu Dengdeng nodded, then paused to think.

Recalling how Yu Ting had looked at the other room earlier and what the human named Cheng Ze had said yesterday, he suddenly seemed to understand the reason.

“Is it because no one is with you?” Yu Dengdeng whispered, unconsciously tugging at the shoulder seam of Yu Ting’s short-sleeved shirt.

The feverish child radiated warmth, and even his breath felt like lukewarm water.

At that moment, Yu Ting suddenly understood the reason behind the child’s actions—why he had checked his temperature and why he had looked at him with such concern.

Yu Ting, who had never experienced such a feeling before, grew cold even in his facial expression. It was a somewhat sour and bitter sensation in his heart, leaving him momentarily unable to react as he should.

So, he lifted Yu Dengdeng a little higher and carried him downstairs.

No reply at all?! This was completely different from what he had imagined! Yu Dengdeng couldn’t help but feel a bit frustrated as he thought to himself.

If Yu Ting had said yes, he could have reluctantly said, “It’s okay, I’m here for you,” even though those words would have embarrassed him.

Of course, he wasn’t human.

So for him, this would absolutely be a stretch—or so Yu Dengdeng felt.

But for Yu Ting’s sake, he could temporarily sacrifice his identity as the Octopus Prince.

If Yu Ting had said no, it would have meant Yu Ting was hiding his true feelings, even though he had clearly seen how sad Yu Ting looked.

He had already predicted both scenarios in advance.

Yet in the end, Yu Ting just carried him away like that!

No more thinking for him, Yu Dengdeng thought hazily as he fiddled with a loose thread on his clothes.

And Cheng Ze—what’s so fun about going out to play anyway?

But if only he hadn’t fallen ill, then he could have kept Yu Ting company, so Yu Ting wouldn’t have to feel lonely.

Noticing that the fidgeting with his clothes had stopped, Yu Ting, who had just carried Yu Dengdeng downstairs, looked down and realized the child had fallen asleep again.

He reached out and touched Dengdeng’s forehead, his brows furrowing.

Still a low-grade fever, but slightly warmer than before.

There was a community hospital nearby, the one Yu Ting had originally planned to take Dengdeng to for a checkup. It was about a ten-minute walk away.

In Zhengyang Street, taxis were scarce—hardly any could be seen all day.

Yu Ting paused, glanced at the electric tricycle parked quietly on the first floor, his eyes flickering slightly before he walked over.

…

Yu Ting’s body felt cool, but it was mixed with a strange, unpleasant smell, and there seemed to be something in his mouth.

What was going on? Yu Dengdeng instinctively pursed his lips, then felt the foreign object in his mouth being removed.

Only then did he slowly open his eyes. In an instant, all the surrounding sounds rushed into his ears, with the most prominent being the cries of many, many children.

“Awake, little one?” A stranger in a white coat was smiling at him, and combined with the surrounding noise, he looked like the odd scientist often seen on TV.

Yu Dengdeng tried to sit up abruptly but found he didn’t have much strength. And upon realizing he was still in Yu Ting’s arms, he settled back comfortably.

“You’re awake. I brought you to see the doctor,” Yu Ting said, gently stroking Yu Dengdeng’s forehead, wiping away the light sweat, and smoothing his soft hair.

Throughout the whole process, the child remained silent, simply watching Yu Ting and his movements.

Seeing the scene before him, the doctor chuckled, causing both father and son to turn their attention to him.

The moment he was stared at by two equally striking faces, the doctor froze for a second before awkwardly clearing his throat with a light cough.

“Your child isn’t afraid of doctors. The kids outside burst into tears the moment they saw my white coat.”

Yu Ting also looked at Yu Dengdeng in surprise. Indeed, there wasn’t a trace of fear or resistance.

Was it because the fever had slowed his reactions?

But Yu Dengdeng was puzzled—what was there to be afraid of about doctors?

The doctor looked up at the thermometer in his hand, then glanced at the father and son pair. “The fever is quite high. Let’s start with an injection. I’ll prescribe some medicine for him later. You can pick it up then.”

Yu Ting replied, “Alright.”

Catching the key word, Yu Dengdeng asked, “Injection?”

Hearing this, the doctor coughed lightly. “Uncle misspoke just now. We’ll just get the medicine. Little one, play with your dad for a bit. Once Uncle gives you the medicine and you take it, you’ll feel better.”

With that, he hurried out of the room.

Dad?

Such an unfamiliar word.

Neither Yu Ting nor Yu Dengdeng “reacted” to the word “dad,” let alone immediately corrected it.

It wasn’t the doctor’s fault. When Yu Ting had entered, he was holding the child tightly, showing rare signs of anxiety. Anyone would assume he and the child in his arms were father and son, especially given the natural, comforting gestures he had made toward Yu Dengdeng earlier.

Yet, when Yu Ting heard the term, he never imagined that one day these two words would be associated with him.

Yu Dengdeng lay in the crook of Yu Ting’s arm, his cheeks slightly flushed as he turned his face away shyly.

That doctor actually called Yu Ting his dad—his human father.

But Yu Ting was so young. Did he really look like his dad? He hadn’t even corrected the strange doctor.

For a moment, both the adult and the child fell into silence.

One was somewhat surprised, never expecting to be addressed that way.

The other was embarrassed, wondering how Yu Ting would react to such a title.

However, this quiet moment didn’t last long. The doctor returned, holding a syringe and wearing a warm, smiling expression.

The moment Yu Dengdeng saw the syringe, a chill ran down his spine, and he suddenly understood why the doctor had asked about the injection earlier.

No one had told him that human syringes were this thick!

As the doctor entered, Yu Ting could clearly sense Yu Dengdeng’s tension.

Of course, the main reason was…

He glanced discreetly at his arm, which was being tightly gripped. So, he was actually scared after all?

“Don’t be afraid, little one. It won’t hurt at all.”

The doctor pushed the syringe slightly, and a clear liquid dripped from the needle tip.

He glanced at Yu Ting, who was holding the child, signaling him to hold the boy steady to prevent any struggling.

“I’m not afraid of pain,” Yu Dengdeng muttered stubbornly upon hearing the doctor’s words, though his body betrayed him as he instinctively shrank closer to Yu Ting.

Watching the child’s reaction, Yu Ting remained unmoved. “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt.”

Hearing Yu Ting’s calm reassurance, Yu Dengdeng almost burst into tears. However, weakened by illness, his soft, muffled voice held no threat—instead, it was almost amusing.

“Because it’s going into my body.”

So of course you’re telling me not to be afraid of the pain.

Yu Ting’s lips curved into a smile. How could he be so adorable?

“Your child is really cute,” the doctor remarked casually while, with Yu Ting’s help, he efficiently removed Yu Dengdeng’s clothes and swiftly administered the injection as if it were an assembly-line task.

The medicine flowed through the syringe into his skin, and it was over in just a few seconds.

The doctor had initially wondered why the child wasn’t crying, but when he looked up and saw Yu Ting’s slightly furrowed brows, he realized the child had been gripping Yu Ting’s arm so tightly it had turned red.

“Alright, the injection’s done. You can let go of your dad’s arm now,” the doctor teased. “You’ve already squeezed it red.”

Yu Ting had a high sensitivity to pain but an even higher tolerance for it. Seeing Yu Dengdeng open his eyes and look at him, he calmly asked, “Does it still hurt?”

Yu Dengdeng: 0.0

Could he say that it only hurt the moment the needle pierced his skin, and after that, he felt nothing at all?

Looking at the red marks on Yu Ting’s arm, he gently touched them. Maybe this would help ease the pain.

“After you go home, take the medicine for a day to regulate your body. It’s probably due to the sudden drop in temperature from yesterday’s rain.”

The doctor handed the prescription to Yu Ting and added, “Make sure he eats more fruits and vegetables and avoids foods that can cause internal heat.”

“Alright,” Yu Ting replied, standing up. In his mind, he crossed off some of the dishes he usually ordered.

“The pharmacy is just outside to the left. Goodbye, little one.”

Feeling much lighter and better after the injection, Yu Dengdeng also realized this doctor wasn’t the strange scientist he had initially imagined.

So, he lazily waved a hand while resting on Yu Ting’s shoulder.

With the frequent rain these days, there were quite a few sick children in the hospital.

Along the way, Yu Dengdeng, still perched on Yu Ting’s shoulder, saw several children whose cries from taking medicine or getting injections had nearly worn their voices hoarse.

Yu Ting noticed these children too and felt an inexplicable sense of relief as he held the child in his arms.

“I’m very good. I didn’t cry,” Yu Dengdeng said earnestly, tightening his arms around Yu Ting’s neck and leaning close to his ear.

He was a tough little octopus—not a single tear shed during the injection!

So said the one who had nervously gripped Yu Ting’s arm until it turned red, even though the evidence hadn’t yet faded.

“How did we get here?”

Yu Dengdeng watched as Yu Ting paid for the medicine, which came in a transparent plastic bag, and asked curiously.

He had fallen asleep on the way here and had no memory of how they arrived.

“You’ll know when we get there,” Yu Ting replied.

Yu Dengdeng pouted. “Fine.”

Yu Ting left the hospital, turning left and right until he reached the parking area. Before he could say anything, he felt the child in his arms almost stand up.

“A tricycle!”

Instead of sitting on Yu Ting’s arm as before, Yu Dengdeng, upon seeing the familiar tricycle, propped himself up on Yu Ting’s shoulders and strained to look in its direction, followed by a wave of regret.

He had actually fallen asleep on the tricycle!

Knowing how fond Yu Dengdeng was of the tricycle, Yu Ting wasn’t surprised. He simply held the child tighter, walked over, and placed him on the seat. “Don’t move around.”

Yu Dengdeng quickly nodded and patted the seat beside him, urging Yu Ting to sit down too.

Yu Ting smiled helplessly, but before he could sit down, he overheard a conversation between a mother and her son passing by.

“See? If you don’t study hard, you’ll end up driving a tricycle,” the mother warned.

“But it looks cool,” the little boy whispered, sneaking a glance at the tall, slender young man. When he noticed Yu Ting’s gaze shift toward him, he quickly turned away.

“Being handsome doesn’t put food on the table,” the mother said, pulling her daughter away. “Focus on your studies, don’t follow the example of people like that.”

“Were they talking about us?” Yu Dengdeng, finally catching on, glanced at the retreating mother and daughter before hurriedly explaining to Yu Ting, “I think it’s cool! Really!”

Though his sickly voice lacked any convincing power, having sensed Yu Ting’s sadness earlier that day, he was determined not to let his human feel hurt by those words.

“I think so too,” Yu Ting replied, ruffling Yu Dengdeng’s hair.

In that moment, both aliens silently resolved to preserve the cherished image of the tricycle in each other’s hearts.

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