Chapter 5

I never expected that after being deceived, I would end up harboring the baggage left behind by my scum ex-boyfriend. I shook my head firmly: “No way.”

The moment those words left my mouth, I felt the robot’s shoulders drop slightly, and the cat ears on his head slowly drooped down. It reminded me of abandoning a long-time pet cat. I felt a pang of guilt!

Suddenly, his eyes emitted that familiar blue light. In an instant, he perked right back up. I knew he was scanning my emotions again and realized I was hesitating. I didn't know whether to admire or be furious at this advanced system.

“Don't you realize you've already grown used to his care?” The scientist spoke up, waking up a part of my awareness.

It was true. I had become far too accustomed to having a robot around - accustomed to someone waiting at home, to being taken care of with cooked meals and scientific facts that annoyed me endlessly. I had unconsciously turned him into the ideal house-husband boyfriend and enjoyed every bit of his treatment.

I looked at the robot. He looked back at me. It was still that emotionless face, yet I had experienced the happiest two months since being with Tyler. And the person who made that happen wasn't even him. How ridiculous!

Seeing that I remained silent, the scientist likely assumed I was sticking to my original decision and sighed: “Then please, let me leave him here for a few days. Once I arrange everything, I’ll take him away. You can just treat him like a regular helper robot. I've reset his settings anyway; you are now his official master.”

I thought it over for a moment, figuring that letting him stay for a few more days wouldn't cause any strange trouble. After living together for two months, could I really be so heartless as to refuse a short extension? Thinking otherwise, I nodded in agreement.

Having persuaded me, the scientist happily took his leave immediately, as if terrified I might change my mind. As for me, I sat there in silence, saying nothing, doing nothing, quietly gazing at the robot while lost in thought. In the past, on days off like this, I would have happily melted into his arms. But now, everything felt awkward and forced.

Suddenly, the robot stood up, walked toward me, and knelt down, startling me.

“What are you doing?”

The robot spoke in his flat, even voice: “I would like to reintroduce myself. I am Robot ID 124xxxxxx, Model RBH-178, programmed to be your boyfriend.”

Hearing those last four words made my face instantly drop. This was no different from a buy-one-get-one deal: buy a terrible boyfriend, get a house-caring robot boyfriend for free. I couldn't tell if I gained or lost, but I knew I couldn't bring myself to be happy.

“You want to hit me again,” the robot said in that same flat, emotionless tone.

Having my thoughts read so easily, I turned my face away. What girl would want others to see her violent side? Yet time and again, he kept scanning my bad emotions. Feeling embarrassed and annoyed, I snapped:

“And would you let me hit you?”

The robot nodded without hesitation: “If that is what you desire. I will obey your every command unconditionally.”

I froze for a few seconds, hearing my own heart beat faster. If this weren't a robot with the exact face of my ex, I think I would have readily enjoyed those words. But right now, I merely sneered and replied: “No need!”

I went back to my room, not caring in the slightest what the robot would do outside, and focused on handling the work that had piled up over the past two days. It was time to pull myself together and keep making money. A broken heart isn't scary; running out of money is!

Over the next few days, my life didn't change drastically. In the morning, the robot knocked on my door to wake me up, prepared breakfast and a lunchbox, and saw me off to work. In the evening when I returned home, he had hot water and a high-quality meal ready. I was so used to this that I felt like I was keeping a house-wife at home. The only difference was that this "wife" was no longer allowed to sleep in my room.

Yet, just as I expected, whenever I looked at that face, my heart heavy sank. Perhaps the robot also noticed the moments I tried to hide my tear-stained face. I felt regret for all the beautiful memories I had once immersed myself in. But gradually, I realized that those memories were built by me alone, while Tyler had simply happened to be present.

Four years and counting wasn't a short time, but it wasn't eternity either. I wondered if Tyler had ever truly loved me, or if from the start, he had seen me as an easy target to exploit because of my blind belief in love.

I chose not to drown my feelings in alcohol anymore. Instead, I poured all my energy into work and came home late at night. Opening the door, I expected to see the robot standing there to greet me, but the space was entirely plunged in darkness. Had the robot left?

I stood at the doorway, neither rushing inside nor wanting to stay outside. I just hadn't adapted to the idea of this house losing yet another person. Even though I had firmly insisted on kicking the robot out before, thinking about him actually leaving left me feeling empty and disappointed.

Tyler abandoned me for someone else. Why was I the only one experiencing the loss of two boyfriends at once? I was unwilling to accept it, yet there was nothing I could do.

I admitted I was a coward. I didn't want to face the truth that the boyfriend of over four years might never have loved me sincerely. I didn't want to put on a pathetic face in front of him and his new lover. So I chose silence - no confrontation, no scene, just walking away to become strangers.

I sighed and stepped inside. The robot leaving was a good thing anyway. I wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore. I didn't need to...

Tears fell automatically. I used to be so accustomed to being alone, so why did I detest solitude so much now? I was abandoned again, left alone in this glamorous city. If I could, I wished I had never listened to Tyler in the first place.

Right at that moment, a strange blue light appeared in the middle of the room, projecting straight onto the ceiling. From it, countlessly shaped lights scattered all around. Looking closely, I realized my room had been transformed into a starry night sky.

I stepped inside slowly. A bright star swept past me as if playfully teasing me. I clearly remembered the nights in my rural hometown, where the moon and stars sparkled brightly across the sky. I used to sway on the porch hammock, enjoying the cool breeze and the sound of cicadas. But coming to the city, those memories were swept away by dust and the rush of life. Back then, Tyler had whispered that he would take me on a camping trip under a starry sky. And he never fulfilled that promise.

“Welcome home.”

The robot's flat voice sounded again. Startled, I turned around searching for that familiar figure, but couldn't spot him clearly in the dark.

“Did you prepare this for me?”

I asked offhandedly, without putting much expectation into an answer.

“Yes. I thought you would like it.”

The robot replied directly, but his tone carried a firm certainty. It probably wasn't hard for him to pull up information about me. I just hadn't expected him to do all this for my sake - or rather, I had assumed his personality was partially modeled after Tyler.

The robot continued speaking like a pre-recorded tour guide: “Look to your left. I have prepared a tent, hot drinks, and food for you. Please enjoy this stargazing session.”

I was more than willing to follow the robot's arrangements. Sitting inside the tent, I quietly looked up at the ceiling. It wasn't as breathtaking as the rural sky back home, but it left an unforgettable mark in my memory.

“Thank you.”

I spoke from the bottom of my heart. His gesture truly comforted my sorrow. Perhaps despite having Tyler's appearance and habits programmed into him, the robot remained his own separate entity.

“I can't keep calling you Tyler or 'the robot' forever. You need a different name.”

The robot replied in his steady voice: “You are my master. You may give me a name.”

Me? I wasn't good with literary words; how could I come up with a nice and fitting name? Still, not wanting to disappoint his expectations, I tried to think.

“How about Amory?”

The robot was quiet for a moment before speaking up: “According to my search, Amory means someone filled with affection.”

I nodded, watching a star sweep across the ceiling leaving a blinking spot of light, and explained: “Even though you're just a heartless machine, I hope you can possess and feel human affection. What do you think?”

The robot answered immediately: “I like it very much.”

So from then on, the robot had a new name given by me - Amory. I didn't know if this would cause trouble later on. Just like when you pick up a stray pet and name it, it creates an invisible bond of affection. Then on one fine day, it abruptly leaves and never returns, leaving you forever missing that name.

After finishing my meal, I decided to end the stargazing session, so I stood up and turned on the lights. The second I turned around, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest in sheer terror.

The source of my terror was the robot's head sitting quietly on the table, emitting a blue light. Beside it, his body sat motionlessly before standing up, picking up the head, and attaching it back on with practiced ease.

The whole process took less than five minutes, but right from the very first minute, I had already fainted dead away.