Chapter 1

I realized my boyfriend wasn't human quite a while ago, probably two months after Tyler told me he was fired. I woke up with a start in the middle of the night and saw no one lying next to me. Curious, I stepped out of the bedroom. The sight that caught my eyes was a man who looked exactly like my boyfriend sitting on a chair. His whole body emitted a magical blue light, and he spoke in a steady, somewhat mechanical voice.

“80%... 90%... 100%... Installation completed.”

I covered my mouth tightly, trying not to make any sound as I crept back to bed.

The first time I met Tyler was right when I had just graduated from college and was struggling to find a job. My family didn't care much about how I found work because they said the shrimp farms back home were enough to give me a comfortable life.

Later, Tyler wanted me to move to the big, luxurious city with him to build a future together. I tried to persuade my family because I wanted to expand my horizons.

Tyler found a fully furnished apartment. He told me that he had a job at H Robotics Corporation, so he might not spend much time at home. Therefore, I naturally became the main name on the lease contract and the person who paid the rent.

Tyler was busy with work; indeed, he only came home four times a week. Meanwhile, I was still unfamiliar with the strange things in the city, especially in an era where humans were gradually inventing machines to help with many tasks, including full-scale humanoid robots. Sometimes, I couldn't even tell if the person in front of me was a real human or a robot.

I didn't want to rely on my family's money, so through my hard work looking for a job, I successfully got hired at a comic publishing company as a gofer doing odd jobs.

Tyler kept traveling back and forth between home and work, so I stopped paying much attention to it - or perhaps I was just too busy with my own job. Life went on quite quietly. I was gradually given more tasks, and my salary improved. After more than four years, I saved up a decent amount and started to remember Tyler's promises.

Yet one day, Tyler shocked me by saying he was laid off by his company due to downsizing.

“Right now, you earn a good amount of money, so I will stay home for a while before finding a new job.”

Looking at Tyler's tired face, I didn't have the heart to say anything that might hurt him. I nodded in agreement. It was just that having someone in the house all the time felt a bit unfamiliar. It seemed I had grown used to living with my boyfriend as if I were living alone.

During the first few days, Tyler just sat quietly on the chair, doing nothing - not even his favorite habit of scrolling through his phone. Instead, he just silently watched my shadow leave the house. Thinking Tyler hadn't gotten over the shock yet, I started coming home earlier and practiced cooking to cheer him up.

Tyler sat across from me without picking up his chopsticks. He scanned every dish on the table and said slowly:

“The salt ratio has exceeded the safe limit. Overconsuming salt for a long time will cause conditions such as high blood pressure, brain stroke, heart disease, kidney damage, stomach disease, weak bones, and asthma.”

I squeezed my chopsticks tightly. Tyler talking so much meant he was criticizing the food I took the trouble to cook?

Tyler raised his head to look at me. For a split second, I saw his eyes glow, but they immediately returned to normal, making me think I had seen wrong.

“You are angry. Why are you angry?”

I let out a laugh. Tyler knew I was angry, but not knowing why made it even harder for me to stand.

“I am mad because you criticized my cooking,” I said frankly.

“I am analyzing your food. I care about your health,” Tyler replied slowly with an expressionless face.

I didn't bother saying another word to Tyler. Picking up a piece of meat with my chopsticks and putting it into my mouth, I frowned immediately. Maybe I had accidentally added too much salt.

I glanced at Tyler. How could a guy like him, who didn't know how to cook, notice this before even eating? My anger turned into a challenge.

“If you complain that my cooking is too salty, then cook it yourself.”

I felt like the word "embarrassed" was written all over my face. Tyler didn't even need to eat it to smell the saltiness. I tried to make him happy, but he ruined my mood instead.

Tyler suddenly stood up, took the apron off the chair beside me, and walked into the kitchen. I didn't expect him to actually express such an attitude. In the past, he would just quickly grab a few bites and head to work without complaining much. Was this just a picky phase of an unemployed person?

While I was thinking, a gentle aroma wafted out of the kitchen, catching my attention. Without making me wait long, Tyler brought out another plate of stir-fried vegetables and braised meat.

The shiny colors and glistening fat pieces were so mouth-watering that I didn't even want to look at the heap of food I had cooked myself. I picked up a piece of meat with my chopsticks, chewed a few times, and then reached for the vegetable plate. Truly praiseworthy! Tyler cooked a hundred times better than me. That day, I ate until my stomach was completely full.

“And to think you always claimed you didn't know how to cook before! How about you prepare meals for me while you're staying at home?”

I made a few playful jokes. Yet from then on, Tyler became a different person. Every morning, he woke up early to cook breakfast and prepare a lunchbox for me, which scared me quite a bit.

Looking back now, perhaps from that moment on, the person beside me was no longer the boyfriend I used to know.

I carefully placed two long pillows between Tyler and myself to create a safe boundary. Counting on my fingers, I realized it had been exactly two months since then, no more and no less. Had I been too busy, or was I thinking too simply to miss the strange behavior of the person who always slept beside me?

Worrying through my thoughts, I fell asleep without realizing it. By the time I woke up, the person next to me had long left the bed. Even the blanket and pillows were neatly arranged without a single fault. I frowned; I had witnessed Tyler's messy habits before, but the glowing person from last night had none of them.

I took a deep breath, carefully opened the door, and stepped outside. The familiar, delicious smell of breakfast hovered around my nose, just as Tyler had made it every day for the past two months. I tiptoed out of the small hallway, leaning my back against the wall, intending to observe him.

However, I gasped in shock when I saw Tyler's sharp eyes fixed straight at me while he was wiping the dining table.

“You're awake.”

Tyler stood up straight and turned his entire body toward me, clasping his hands together. He gave me the feeling of a male servant, totally unlike his usual state.

Not wanting to startle him, I gave a forced smile, “Ah, yes. I was planning to go to the bathroom. Just go on with your work.”

Then, I sprinted straight into the bathroom and slammed the door shut. Remembering the scene just now, my heart pounded heavily. Normally, no matter how loud I was, Tyler never cared - you could even call him hard of hearing. Yet just now, even though I tiptoed so quietly, he still noticed me. Another proof that the man out there was not my boyfriend.

Looking at the toothbrush with toothpaste already spread on it, my heart raised ten levels of alertness. Alertness level one said the toothpaste might have a problem. Alertness level two pointed out the toothpaste could be a hallucinogen. Alertness level three advised throwing it away immediately...

I fought with the thoughts in my head, but ended up picking up the toothbrush to brush my teeth anyway. Yeah, I hated wasting money, so I could only cry silently while brushing.

Opening the bathroom door, I saw Tyler had set the food on the table long ago, even pulling out a chair waiting for me. In the past, I used to find this scene beautiful and felt proud to have a boyfriend who loved me. But now, it looked like an electric chair in my eyes.

“Ah, I probably won't eat. I have to go to the company.” I no longer trusted anything he gave me.

Tyler kept his emotionless face and said, “Today is Saturday. You don't have a work schedule.”

Damn it! I really didn't have a work schedule, but I often went to the company on Saturdays for urgent tasks. I had never informed Tyler about this, yet he always seemed to guess which days I had off and which days I had to work. Another proof that the man in front of me was definitely not my boyfriend.

I sat at the dining table with a heart full of suspicion, but my hands couldn't refuse any delicious food. Now I just hoped he wouldn't suddenly light up again; otherwise, I would really throw up all my food. However, eating a meal was not as simple as I thought.

I ate while secretly sneaking glances at Tyler, once again catching an unusual glint deep within his eyes that made me jump. His voice echoed out again, flat and monotonous.