Chapter 55: Li Yun Is Missing

The three of them had no idea how they managed to leave the office. In a daze, their minds echoed with Professor Ding’s words. Unconsciously, such a vast gap had formed among classmates from the same cohort; the three found it hard to accept. Usually, Zhong Yuxiu’s grades were good, but no one had expected them to be so outstanding that she could become a teaching assistant.

“How is it that Zhong is so remarkable?” the class committee member asked, her face blank, still unable to recover from the shock.

The former vice class leader blinked and rubbed his face. “We must look like a bunch of clowns. Zhong never mentioned any of this to us.”

“How could she mention it?” Luo, the class leader, countered at just the right moment. “If she’d told us about all this herself, how much would we have believed? Wouldn’t we just think she was bragging or showing off? If you were in her place, would you have revealed it at the time?”

“No, our friendship isn’t deep enough for that,” the committee member shook her head, finally letting go of her earlier discomfort.

“I wouldn’t have either,” the former vice class leader sighed.

“She’s ahead of us now; she’s my goal. We should take her as our benchmark and strive to learn from her,” Luo declared, then left. He needed to draft a new study plan. If a young girl, much younger than himself, could work this hard, so could he.

The other two felt this was right and quickly caught up with Luo, suggesting they study together and keep each other accountable.

Unaware of what followed, Zhong Yuxiu left the campus and headed straight home. Upon returning to the house, she found it quiet, lacking the usual warmth; even Hao Nan was absent.

Tian Shangguo followed closely behind, took a glance, and relaxed. “Comrade Zhong, Sister Li and Hao Nan aren’t here.”

“They must be busy. You’ve been with me all day and must be tired; have a rest first. I’ll go upstairs to work on my thesis. Later, Dog Egg will come to prepare dinner.” With that, she headed upstairs.

Tian Shangguo watched her disappear down the corridor before sitting on the sofa, pondering Li Yun and Hao Nan’s whereabouts. He didn’t believe for a second that Zhong Yuxiu had kept Hao Nan behind for no reason.

Zhong Yuxiu pushed open the door to the lab. “Dog Egg, I’m back.”

“Welcome home, Master. You’re home early today.” Dog Egg unplugged the charging cable and came over.

“There was nothing at school.” Zhong Yuxiu sat at her computer and booted it up, speaking casually, “Dog Egg, did any outsiders come to the house today?”

Dog Egg stood beside her and replied, “Yes, Master, quite a few. They wore the same clothes as Hao Nan and his group, and took away that woman who was always sneaking around to spy on us.”

“I see.” She paused, then smiled knowingly. “Dog Egg, since Li Yun isn’t here, I’ll trouble you to cook tonight. Make a few more dishes—we’ll celebrate.”

“Of course, Master. With the bad people gone, it’s certainly cause for celebration.” Dog Egg replied while already turning to leave.

Zhong Yuxiu smiled, shifting her gaze to the computer screen. She opened a small program and began drafting her thesis. She had to work on several: one on the electric scooter, another on sensors, and one more on chips—starting with the initial drafts.

Upstairs was busy; meanwhile, Dog Egg trotted lightly downstairs, catching Tian Shangguo’s notice. He turned abruptly and relaxed when he saw it was Dog Egg.

“Dog Egg, are you here to cook?”

A single beep was the only response as Dog Egg walked straight into the kitchen, closed the door, and began preparing the meal.

Occasionally, the clash of wok and spatula could be heard from the kitchen. Tian Shangguo felt restless on the sofa; finally, he decided to help. “Dog Egg, let me know if you need a hand.”

Dog Egg acted as if it hadn’t heard. It was, after all, just a robot, utterly ignorant.

Tian Shangguo stood at the kitchen door for a moment. Seeing Dog Egg move to wash the vegetables, he hurried over to help.

“I’ll do it. Dog Egg, anything else that needs washing or cutting? Bring it out.”

Dog Egg said nothing and didn’t respond. It simply opened the cupboard and took out some flour, meat, and vegetables, then began preparing the meal according to the recipes stored in its chip. Man and robot worked together in silence.

Dog Egg handled the cooked and cold dishes, prepared the meat, ginger, garlic, and scallions in an orderly fashion. Tian Shangguo watched with fascination. This wasn’t his first time seeing the robot at work; though he hadn’t watched closely before, he’d already heard a little about it, so he wasn’t surprised—just curious.

He blamed his own lack of experience; he’d only ever seen robots at Zhong’s place. Each new thing Zhong’s robot did seemed to broaden his horizons. Genius minds were simply on another level, and he was happy to admit defeat.

Chilled pork, celery with cured meat, Kung Pao chicken, sautéed greens, braised pork, and cabbage soup.

As each dish was finished, Tian Shangguo learned a bit more about Dog Egg, watching the robot’s head as if wondering how much it had recorded. It seemed to be capable of anything. With this round and the last, he’d seen Dog Egg make nearly a dozen different dishes.

“Comrade Dog Egg, do you know how to cook anything else?” Driven by curiosity, Tian Shangguo approached.

Dog Egg didn’t answer, not even with a beep; it wasn’t its master, and there was no need to reply. It was simply a robot with no emotions.

As expected, Tian Shangguo got no response. He touched his forehead and walked away, chiding himself for asking a question of a robot that couldn’t talk.

“Comrade Yan.” Just as he left the kitchen, Tian Shangguo saw Yan Rushan entering through the front door.

Yan Rushan nodded. “Has Comrade Zhong returned?”

“She’s upstairs.” Tian Shangguo glanced up; Yan Rushan understood and replied, “I’ll go see her.”

“Comrade Yan, let her know dinner’s ready,” Tian Shangguo called after him.

Yan Rushan waved his hand in acknowledgment. Upstairs, he stopped outside the door and knocked, “Knock, knock, knock…”

When there was no answer, he called out, “Comrade Zhong, it’s time for dinner.”

Zhong Yuxiu finished typing the last word of her thesis, saved the file, and stood. She opened the door to find Yan Rushan’s tall, upright figure before her.

“Brother Yan, you’re here. When did you arrive?”

“Just now,” he replied. “Are you finished? Tian said dinner’s ready and asked you to come down.”

“I’m almost done,” Zhong said, stepping out and closing the door behind her. “Let’s go eat. I asked Dog Egg to make a few extra dishes. Dog Egg’s cooking is pretty good—you’ll have to try it.”

“I’ve only heard that your robot can do housework and cook; today I’ll finally get to taste it.” A smile flickered in Yan Rushan’s eyes, his expression gentle.

Zhong Yuxiu laughed, her gaze bright. “You’ll have to give some feedback. If it’s not good enough, Dog Egg can practice more.”

“All right.”

The two of them headed downstairs together. Tian Shangguo put down his chopsticks and looked up. “Comrade Yan, Comrade Zhong, dinner’s ready.”

Dog Egg emerged from the kitchen carrying a bowl of soup, glanced in Zhong Yuxiu’s direction, set the soup on the table, and quietly stood by.