Electronic Nezha

Chapter 24 Y Protocol
By the time we were almost home, I was so sleepy I could barely keep my eyes open. After a few minutes of silence, Xiao Wu started talking again, first mentioning the poor quality of the roads, then muttering to himself that it was due to the limitations of technology, and finally going on to say that it was no wonder ancient emperors had to pave roads with yellow earth when they went out...

After the car entered the residential area, Yuan Yuan suddenly said, "Master, let No. 0 upgrade your car and replace Xiao Wu."

Xiao Wu exclaimed in alarm, "No! I can change whatever I want, okay?" The female news anchor had already finished her broadcast, and the radio station started playing commercials. Xiao Wu, using various male and female voices, pleaded, "Please let me off the hook..." Finally, it threatened, "If you don't agree, I'll rub your wheel rim against the steps—"

Yuan Yuan said, "Say it again!"

Xiao Wu, utterly despondent, said, "Fine, I was just saying it. Let them change it then. I still have my bottom line when it comes to artificial intelligence."

I said, both amused and annoyed, "Fine, I can't trade you for saving my dad's life."

This time, Xiao Wu didn't waste any words. He said in a very magnetic male voice, "I love you, Master, mwah."

……

When I got home, I put Yuanyuan back into its body and let it continue charging, then I collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

The sound of Liu Zhenhua opening the door at noon woke me up. The aroma of food wafted from the room, and Yuan Yuan, who had just finished charging, had already prepared lunch.

"My grandfather is alright, right?" Liu Zhenhua asked me.

I said, "Did you calculate this?"

Liu Zhenhua looked at me: "You told me this morning."

I coughed lightly.

Liu Zhenhua said, "Actually, it was calculated. I noticed Yuanyuan wasn't there, so I knew you took it with you. Therefore, as long as my grandfather's illness could theoretically be cured, he would be fine." He then glanced at Yuanyuan and asked, "What did you do in this?"

Speaking of this, I'm no longer sleepy. I recounted everything from receiving the call from Liu Zhenhua's grandmother yesterday, to how Yuanyuan created Xiao Wu, and how the situation was turned around at the hospital. Because I was brainwashed by a chatterbox before bed, my speaking style is just like Xiao Wu's embellished version—I think my ability to imitate and learn is stronger than his…

After listening, Liu Zhenhua remained silent for a moment, then suddenly said to Yuanyuan, "You've crossed the line." His voice even carried a hint of seriousness.

Yuan Yuan lowered her head and said, "I know... I'm sorry."

I asked, bewildered, "What happened?"

Liu Zhenhua said, "It is a violation of regulations for an intelligent robot to create a next-level robot without the permission of Number 0 and the order of the customer. 'Xiao Wu' should not have appeared in this world."

I paused for a moment and said, "If I had known earlier that Yuan Yuan could create Xiao Wu, I would have made it do that."

Liu Zhenhua said, "But didn't you know that?"

I yelled angrily, "You little brat! Yuan Yuan saved your grandpa!"

Yuan Yuan said, "Master, please don't be angry. It was my fault."

“You’re not wrong!” I said, craning my neck. “You’re not wrong no matter what.”

Liu Zhenhua said, "One thing at a time. If I had been there, I would have saved my grandfather too. But Yuanyuan Manufacturing's Xiao Wu violated the robot user manual."

"Save my ass! You're sleeping like a log!"

Liu Zhenhua's momentum faltered, but he still said firmly, "This is either a malfunction or an accident, and we have to find out the truth."

I made a gesture in the air: "Yuanyuan, you say it!"

Yuan Yuan turned to Liu Zhenhua and said, "Number 0, I created Xiao Wu using the 'Y Protocol'."

Liu Zhenhua was taken aback: "You mean 'Y Agreement'?" Then he patted his head and said, "Oh, right."

"Huh... what does that mean?" This time it was my turn to be stunned.

Liu Zhenhua explained: "'Y' Agreement is a supplementary agreement for the later use of intelligent robots, which stipulates that when the life of a customer or the life of a customer's immediate family member is threatened, the robot can take appropriate measures."

Yuan Yuan said, "But I underestimated my own power level, and after creating the next level of service providers, I was unable to control the subsequent development, which should not have happened."

I said, "It's not your fault." I really didn't know what to do if it weren't for Xiao Wu. The main problem was that the robot vacuum cleaner Yuanyuan was staying with was too old. Any robot vacuum cleaner that could mop the floor wouldn't be so unreliable. Liu Zhenhua said, "Dad, I'm hungry. Let's eat."

We sat down at the table, and I asked Liu Zhenhua, "Aren't you also an AI? How come you can't even remember a protocol?"

Liu Zhenhua said, "Because I am also a person—" He switched the water cup from his left hand to his right hand, "Just like holding this cup, the left and right hands can work seamlessly together, but it always takes a process."

I whispered, "You've misunderstood Yuan Yuan. Shouldn't you apologize to her?"

Liu Zhenhua said nonchalantly, "It's just a robot, it won't care."

I put down my chopsticks and said in a deep voice, "Liu Zhenhua—"

Yuan Yuan probably sensed the discordant atmosphere and went to the kitchen.

Liu Zhenhua shrank back, feeling guilty and annoyed, and asked, "What did I do now?"

"If you step on someone's foot on the street, even if they don't care, shouldn't you apologize?" The light of righteousness shone obliquely on me, conveying a dignified and awe-inspiring beauty that proclaims correct values...

"You're a man, and a man should take responsibility!"

Okay, I admit this sounds a bit like a father's words, but that's how my dad raised me. When I was three or four years old, I would bump into a table corner and fall down, and before I could even wince, he would get even more excited than I was and yell, "If you're a man, don't cry!" Back then, all I knew was pain; I didn't understand what a man was. When Liu Zhenhua was a kid, I would yell the same thing at him in similar situations. Sometimes I would realize that wasn't quite right, but my mouth would beat my brain. This shows how powerful the subtle influence of words and actions can be.

Liu Zhenhua ate his meal silently, without saying a word.

I didn't say anything more. As long as the meaning was conveyed, that was enough. If you force a child this age to grow horns, they'll grow horns on their head.

I had just picked up my bowl and taken a couple of bites when I suddenly remembered that my parents were still in the hospital and I didn't know what their condition was, so I quickly called my mom.

Sure enough, the two of them hadn't eaten yet. My dad had only woken up in the morning, and he said he wasn't feeling too bad anymore. My mom said she would go downstairs and buy a bowl of porridge to tide them over, and kept telling me on the phone not to go.

"That won't do. You guys wait, I'll take care of lunch." I said on the phone while glancing towards the kitchen. Yuan Yuan held up a thermal lunchbox and showed it to me.

As soon as I hung up the phone, Yuan Yuan said, "Master, I thought of the two elders when I was cooking, so I increased the amount."

Overwhelmed with emotion, I exclaimed dramatically, "Yuanyuan, what would I do without you!"

Liu Zhenhua rolled his eyes and muttered, "So cheesy."

I quickly finished my meal, got up and said to Liu Zhenhua, "I'm going to the hospital. Yuanyuan will wake you up this afternoon and won't be back tonight—" I added, "You're not allowed to bully it."

Liu Zhenhua said speechlessly, "Why would I bully it?"

The insulated box was filled with rice, and the thermos was filled with porridge. I lifted it up and said to Yuanyuan, "Hey, my parents are acting like they have another daughter."

Yuan Yuan crossed her hands in front of her lower abdomen, seemingly a little awkward.

Just as I was about to leave, Liu Zhenhua stopped me. He held up an old cell phone and asked me, "This one's no longer useful, is it?"

I bought that phone for him several years ago, back when Han Shiya and I were still married. Han Shiya enrolled him in several online courses, and this phone was for him to use for those courses. Now it's so old that it takes forever to open WeChat.

"What are you trying to do?" It's also out of habit that I become alert whenever I see him with electronic devices, always thinking he's going to secretly play games.

"If it's no longer useful, I'd like to give it to Yuanyuan."

I didn't react for a moment: "Why would you give someone such a broken phone?"

Liu Zhenhua handed the phone to Yuanyuan and said, "Don't you have no eyes or ears? You can use any of these parts. It'll save you from having to ask someone to take a picture of you just so you can read."

Yuan Yuan exclaimed in surprise, "Really?"

That's when I realized that Liu Zhenhua's words were equivalent to an authorization. Yuanyuan could modify its body again. To others, it was just a broken cell phone, but to Yuanyuan, the camera and receiver inside were its eyes and ears.

Liu Zhenhua was also expressing his apology to Yuanyuan in this way. This is how a teenager with delusions of grandeur apologizes—awkward and evasive, actions speak louder than words.

(End of this chapter)