Chapter 5 The Gaze of Love

After a week apart, Bian Ge still looked as radiant as ever, full of youthful energy. Upon seeing Yan Xu, he excitedly exclaimed, "We meet again, Professor Yan." Yan Xu, maintaining an outward calm, corrected him, "It's Associate Professor." Inside, however, he was a tumult of emotion. What were the odds that two unrelated people living far apart would bump into each other twice in just eight days?

Although students from University Z often came to this entertainment complex, it hosted numerous activities and attracted many participants. Yet, Bian Ge happened to choose shooting and was assigned to their group by the system. If this was a coincidence, Yan Xu would devote his life to studying the nature of chance.

Gao Cheng had been a bit worried about a potentially incompetent player assigned by the system, but seeing Bian Ge put him at ease. "Ah, Bian Ge, you know Yan Xu?"

Bian Ge kept his gaze on Yan Xu, "I've been a fan of Associate Professor Yan for a long time."

Chen Duoduo's eyes were glued to Bian Ge, "Bian Ge, let's team up."

Gao Cheng interjected, "Weren't you just saying you were teaming up with Yan Xu?"

Chen Duoduo shot Gao Cheng a glare, "I don't want to fight with you for him."

Bian Ge suggested, "Why don't I take the lead?"

Gao Cheng retorted, "Yan Xu's shooting skills aren't as good as his academic knowledge. It’s better if I do."

Chen Duoduo appealed to Bian Ge, "Bian Ge, can you guide me?"

Bian Ge complimented, "Your stats are pretty good, you probably don't need my help."

Gao Cheng added, "She really needs it though, if a handsome opponent shot her, she'd start bawling."

Chen Duoduo pleaded, "Yes, Bian Ge, if you can't bear to shoot me, then team up with me."

Bian Ge turned to Yan Xu expectantly, "Associate Professor Yan, who do you want to team up with?"

Yan Xu, preoccupied with why Bian Ge would intentionally appear in front of him, responded, "Let’s leave it to chance."

After the teams were randomly assigned, Bian Ge looked disappointed. Gao Cheng took Yan Xu to a hiding spot and had him practice shooting. After witnessing Yan Xu's nonexistent shooting skills, Gao Cheng decided to abandon teaching him techniques and focus on winning with strategy.

Specifically, that meant letting Yan Xu hide somewhere suitable for sniping. As for ambushes and such, Yan Xu didn't need to worry about them. He just needed to stay hidden and not cause trouble. If necessary, he would follow orders and take a shot.

Yan Xu was quite satisfied with this patient-testing arrangement. He could analyze Bian Ge's intentions for approaching him. After finding a hiding spot, Yan Xu immersed himself in his thoughts, ignoring the surroundings and noises, until a cold gun barrel pressed against his neck.

"Don't move. Hands up." It was Bian Ge's voice, playful in tone. In this situation, only an agile soldier could have a chance to strike back. But Yan Xu, a tech geek lacking physical activity, could only simulate such actions in his mind. So, he chose to stay silent.

Bian Ge suddenly leaned closer to Yan Xu's left ear, whispering in his magnetic voice, "Your bionic identity has been exposed."

Yan Xu couldn't tell if the gun in Bian Ge's hand was real or a game prop, but he still boldly turned around to face Bian Ge.

Bian Ge, with a smile on his face, says, "You're not afraid I'll shoot, are you?"

Yan Xu looks at Bian Ge squarely, trying to read him. No matter how he observes, the child in front of him seems to be joking, so he boldly takes a step forward: "Go ahead and shoot."

Bian Ge finally lowers the gun, smiles brightly, "Alright, I'll let you go."

Yan Xu asks seriously, "How can you tell if I'm a humanoid or not?"

Bian Ge confesses, "I was just joking, don't get mad."

Yan Xu, "I'm not angry, but I want to know the truth."

Bian Ge sighs, "The truth is, I was just joking with you. This isn't a movie world, the Turing test is enough to distinguish between humans and AI."

Yan Xu, "You're lying."

Bian Ge, "What did I say wrong this time?"

Yan Xu, "Can you look me in the eye and say, do you believe in the absolute effectiveness of the Turing test?"

Bian Ge laughs, "Professor, you're too cute. Why wouldn't I dare look into your eyes? Look, I'm looking at you." He boldly meets Yan Xu's skeptical gaze, his eyes filled with deep affection. For a moment, Yan Xu feels a jolt through his body, as if he's seeing the deep gaze of a humanoid from a movie. Then he hears Bian Ge say, word by word, firmly, "I believe in the accuracy of the Turing test."

His tone was as serious as reciting wedding vows.

Yan Xu is affected by an indescribable emotion but doesn't give up asking, "So, was our meeting here also a coincidence?"

"Of course not." Bian Ge gives a shy, infatuated smile, admitting his transgression, but without any sign of remorse in his words. "I've been following your movements for a week."

"Me? Why? Who sent you to monitor me?" Yan Xu's heart contracts sharply, and he unconsciously tightens his grip on the useless game gun.

Bian Ge drops the gun in a panic, waving his hands to explain, "No, no, not monitoring, you've got it wrong. I just went to your Weibo every day. I happened to see you liked a visitor guide for a gaming center. So, I thought you might come here to play. Then, I saw you give a movie a negative review. So, I went around the cinema and saw the three of you arguing about what to play. Then, I paid off the boss to help arrange it."

"You sound reasonable, but you didn't explain your motive. What's your real motive for following me?"

Bian Ge smiles sweetly like a child who has stolen some candy, "Maybe it was love at first sight."

What does it mean to like someone? Is it about eating together, living together, sleeping together, or about the romance of poetry and wine?

Yan Xu is filled with thoughts of spy thrillers. He even secretly installed the highest-end lie detection software to analyze Bian Ge's facial and body language. The results of the lie detection test showed that Bian Ge was sincere and didn't lie.

Either Bian Ge's anti-detection level was too strong, or Bian Ge was truly sincere.

Someone like Bian Ge, handsome and wealthy, has a fatal attraction for eligible men and women, but Yan Xu feels disappointed.

He is indeed dissatisfied with the status quo, expecting an event as a trigger to break the status quo of life, but not a love affair. He hopes to be able to devote himself to the research he is interested in one day, instead of being limited by funds and public opinion, conducting irrelevant research every day, and grinding his precious passion away in the trivialities of daily life.

Life is limited, and only the pursuit of the infinite unknown can glimpse the eternal truth in a short life. But since he chose the official research institute as his refuge, since he gave up being an unruly civilian scientist, he must abide by the rules and live quietly.

He thinks he's funny. Most people are indulging in boring and short-lived physical desires. They won't think about peeping at other people's technology level like he does. Besides, from social networking sites, Bian Ge is just an ordinary student.

Yan Xu merely commented, "Love at first sight is just an illusion you've hypnotized yourself into."

"An illusion can also become a real happiness." Bian Ge retorted.

"I don't have time to play love games with a child."

"But you are on blind dates, aren't you?"

"Blind dates are for completing the marriage mission. Love is just a way to resolve conflicts of interest in marriage and strengthen cohesion."

"Can't you treat me as a marriage candidate and try to date me?"

Yan Xu didn't expect Bian Ge to say this, "I can't bring you any benefits."

"What do you think is a benefit?"

"Resources that are beneficial to one's own survival and development."

"Then you, who are knowledgeable, are just right for me. Although I'm not rich, I have enough for food and clothing. I probably want to pursue truth in this life, otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen to study philosophy."

"The knowledge I can tell you is all on Weibo. You don't need to waste time being with me."

"But I'm also very interested in you as a person."

"I'm just a boring and uninteresting scientist. As you can see, I don't even know how to make jokes."

Bian Ge, with sparkling eyes, "Are you afraid that if I get close and then leave, you will feel lonely?"

"There's nothing to be afraid of."

Bian Ge showcases his perseverance, "So, give me a chance."

"I don't have time."

"Do you think I'm not suitable, or you always marry within your circle. Then I can join you."

The research institute accepts Bian Ge? Either they have ulterior motives, or their scrutiny is lax.

Looking at Bian Ge's gleaming eyes, Yan Xu really can't think of a reason to refuse. He can only say, "Let's talk about it when you get into the research institute."

"So you really don't dislike me, but reject my identity. Can we be ordinary friends first then?"

Bian Ge is undoubtedly someone who can bring opportunities to Yan Xu. Yan Xu nods and agrees, "Sure."

"Horray!" Bian Ge excitedly hugs Yan Xu and shouts, "Great, great!" He's so excited that he's like a child who has dug up a legendary treasure.

Most of Yan Xu's friends are like-minded research partners. People outside the circle have been interested in him because of his education and status, but after a while, they use him as a one-off encyclopedia and lose interest in communicating. As for playmates, they probably only existed in his childhood, and they became estranged due to an accident.

So, going with Bian Ge to sneak a peek at Gao Cheng and Chen Duo's gunfight is a novel experience for Yan Xu.

Bian Ge savors the distant gunfight like the average onlooker, "I think the two of them really match."

"Oh."

"Hmm, you're not interested in this topic, are you?"

"If they get married, it will somewhat affect my work."

"You're really dedicated."

Actually, Yan Xu often wants to go on strike, but if it weren't for the high-end equipment, superior salary, and the environment to obtain first-hand research data, he might as well go home and live off his inheritance.

Seeing Yan Xu silent, Bian Ge continues to make conversation, "Have you ever thought that maybe super-intelligent AI would want to discard their mechanical bodies and become real humans?"

"Isn't that just inserting a chip into the human brain?"

"Can such a person pass the Turing test?" Bian Ge suddenly gets closer.

"Please don't use your status as a friend to pry for information."

Bian Ge laughed, "Haha, what do you want to eat for lunch? My treat."