DCBS: Chapter 35

Xiao Jianping didn’t have time to pay attention to the complicated gaze cast by his son on the opposite side of the court. His mind was full of the voice he heard more than an hour ago that was about to be carved into his soul.

He was sure that he hadn’t heard it incorrectly. That group of children had clearly been talking to a smart product with their heads down. He remembered that it should be black.

Was it a mobile phone? Or a watch?

At this time, the junior who helped keep Xiao Mei before the start of the match excitedly handed the black watch back to Pei Qingyuan, who had finished the match.

After all, he was a member of the basketball team and usually participated in evening training. He knew that Pei Qingyuan treasured this smart watch called Xiao Mei.

“Senior, here you go!” He carefully wrapped the watch in a tissue and handed it over, saving it from becoming dirty with his touch. “This match was so exciting, Senior!”

Xiao Jianping’s eyes lit up. His gaze was completely glued to this very high-end watch. “Yes yes, I remember, this is it! Student, can you show it to me?”

There was the assistance of the junior who didn’t know the truth and Pei Qingyuan’s expression froze.

He originally wanted to pretend not to know to fool this person.

Ji Tong’s head lowered even more. He instantly looked back at the video data of the match and found that Xiao Jianping, who was sitting in the audience, had a pensive expression the whole time, occasionally shaking his head in self-denial. The seriousness wasn’t at all like watching a high school basketball match. It was like he was thinking about a world-class mathematical problem that hadn’t been solved.

What did this middle-aged man with a very scholarly look do?

…He wouldn’t be captured, right?

Perhaps he realized that his request was a bit abrupt. Xiao Jianping showed a hint of embarrassment and apology. Then he hurriedly took out a few business cards from his pocket.

“I am a university teacher who specializes in artificial intelligence.” Xiao Jianping hurriedly explained. “The AI built into your watch is very advanced and should exceed the level of AI currently on the market. I’m really curious about which laboratory’s product it is? Is it convenient to say?”

Pei Qingyuan took the business card. Xiao Jianping’s name and contact information were printed in the middle. The title below was simple: Professor at the School of Artificial Intelligence of Jiangyuan College.

Ji Tong quickly searched the relevant data of this name on the Internet and became surprised. “Ruan Ruan, he is very powerful in this field.”

Jiangyuan College was one of the top colleges in the country. The main campus was located in this city. Xiao Jianping was the youngest teacher in the history of Jiangyuan College when he became a professor. He skipped grades, went to college at a younger age and stayed on to teach. It was the standard resume of a genius.

In addition to various breakthroughs in scientific research, Ji Tong especially noticed a report about him. Xiao Jianping was an interdisciplinary student of artificial intelligence and medicine. It was because he met a lover with a mobility disability. Ever since then, he devoted himself more attentively to research work, wanting to create a simulated intelligent assistant for such special groups of people that could really go deep into their lives and provide various types of help.

Ji Tong couldn’t help thinking of the scene that just played. Xiao Jianping might’ve looked distracted and was thinking about issues that had nothing to do with basketball, the camera in his hand was steady and pointed at the basketball court accurately without moving at all.

It was a video he wanted to take back to show his wife and showed his son struggling on the court.

Ji Tong was startled. He briefly summarized the information obtained from these searches to his host and concluded, “He should be a good person.”

He was a very pure genius with only academic research and family in his heart.

So after a short silence, Pei Qingyuan replied in a low voice, “Sorry, I don’t know too well. This is a gift from a friend.”

Ji Tong’s intelligence would definitely cause a sensation in the field. Pei Qingyuan couldn’t Xiao Mei out for them to do research, but he didn’t want to disappoint the college professor in front of him who was full of enthusiasm.

He tried to tactfully lower the other person’s expectations. “You might’ve misheard before. My watch isn’t that smart. It only has some ordinary functions.”

At this moment, Fu Chengze and the other students finally reacted.

They had just finished passing around Xiao Jianping’s business card. In addition to the novelty, they heard Pei Qingyuan say this and were immediately unhappy.

“Xiao Mei isn’t ordinary. He has an intelligent tracking function!” Fu Chengze wanted to buy a secret agent watch and remembered Ji Tong’s nonsense very well. “The full name is smart locking and tracking for dynamic faces, which is particularly powerful and can predict danger.”

The teammates around him immediately nodded in agreement. “Yes, Xiao Mei said it himself and introduced a long list! It sounds like equipment from a sci-fi movie, right, Xiao Mei?”

Pei Qingyuan: “……”

Ji Tong: “……”

These friends were really good! Really! Dependable!

In front of a famous college professor specializing in artificial intelligence, the members of the 2nd High School basketball team couldn’t help feeling a sense of responsibility of interviewing their children. They scrambled to show the advantages of Xiao Mei and tried to get approval for Xiao Mei.

However, Xiao Mei had lost his soul and didn’t respond at all. He was just an electronic watch that was only handsome.

Seeing Xiao Jianping’s eyes widen even more, Pei Qingyuan immediately used the excuses that Ji Tong taught him. “No, in fact, there aren’t those functions. It was a joke.”

“Your AI can joke? In addition, it is such a high-level joke?” Xiao Jianping was even more shocked. His eyes couldn’t wait to stare a hole into the black, handsome watch in Pei Qingyuan’s hand. “Has its intelligence reached this level?”

…Pei Qingyuan decided not to speak.

He didn’t know what to say.

Seeing the complicated silence of the high school student in front of him, Xiao Jianping thought for a while. Then he had a flash of inspiration. “Student, this AI… No, Xiao Mei, did you design it?”

He really couldn’t imagine how someone could make such a breakthrough artificial intelligence and not release it, but privately give the finished product to a friend.

The only reasonable explanation was that the friend Pei Qingyuan mentioned was himself.

Xiao Jianping himself was a genius who often broke the cognition of ordinary people. He had never been bound by the external conditions of age and education, so he dared to make this guess.

The colleague who hurriedly chased after him heard this sentence and patted his forehead in pain.

“Old Xiao. Why are you messing around…?”

He pulled his old friend away while smoothing things over with a smile. “Sorry, my colleague is a bit stupid. He must’ve made a mistake. Don’t care about it, don’t care.”

As he spoke, he reminded Xiao Jianping in a low voice, “This is your son’s home court. What are you doing? Many parents in the school know you and are now watching you!”

Xiao Xinchen hesitated for a long time and also pulled his speechless teammates into the opponent’s territory. He reached out and pulled the corner of Xiao Jianping’s clothes, asking tentatively, “Dad? I’m here.”

Under the double pressure of his son and colleague, Xiao Jianping couldn’t ask any further questions.

He was pulled away by his colleague with regret on his face. Still, he didn’t forget to turn his head to Pei Qingyuan and call out, “Student, if you want to find someone to talk about Xiao Mei with or if there is anything I can do to help, please contact me!”

“Xiao Mei? What a mess. Old Xiao, you know, you just looked like a big liar trying to kidnap a high school student…”

“Dad, tell the truth, did you recognize the wrong person just now?”

The noisy voices gradually faded away. Pei Qingyuan and Ji Tong looked at each other and sighed with relief. They silently reached a consensus. This matter needed to be discussed in the long run.

In the afternoon, the 2nd High School had its home game. This time, the opponent was in better shape than the 1st High School in the morning. After a hard fight, the 2nd Middle School still won and was currently ranked first in the group. They had great hopes of qualifying.

From the entire basketball team to the leaders of the 2nd High School, they were convinced that the 2nd High School would definitely be able to get a good result in this basketball league. In order to reward today’s heroes, there was no need to train tonight. Coach Xu let everyone go home early to rest.

In the evening when the autumn leaves were flying, Pei Qingyuan rode his bicycle home. The wheels ran over the golden, fallen leaves. Ji Tong, who was still wearing the No 7 jersey, sat on the back seat. He reached out and pulled at the corners of the host’s clothes, his fleshy round face showing a serious look. He seemed to be thinking about something seriously.

He didn’t dare to become Xiao Mei for now.

What if Xiao Jianping, who was full of sincerity, specially waited outside the 2nd High School?

When mentioning Xiao Jianping, Ji Tong remembered the information he found earlier.

He had set his future ambitions in high school and it remained unchanged for the next 30 years. He always moved toward one goal, unswerving, pure and almost foolish.

However, he was obviously happy, Ji Tong thought.

What type of plans did the host have for the future?

He never asked Pei Qingyuan this question.

There were the main tasks and the counterattack future that seemed to have been decided, but Ji Tong still didn’t know what Pei Qingyuan liked and what type of adult he wanted to be.

Thinking of this, he tugged at Pei Qingyuan’s clothes and asked curiously, “Ruan Ruan, what major do you want to study in the future?”

The host was already in his third year of high school and was less than one year away from college. It was time to think about this important decision for his future life.

His question flowed in the wind along with the boy’s blown clothes.

Pei Qingyuan listened to the childish voice behind him and was silent for a long time before responding, “I want to think about it.”

In fact, he didn’t know.

He had been smart since he was a child and learned everything quickly. Therefore, he learned many things. Some were at Ye Lanting’s requests and some were his own attempts.

He was willing to learn anything and almost never found it difficult. He had vast and extensive knowledge but on the contrary, he didn’t have a particularly persistent belief in a certain field.

The only thing he was obsessed with was that he wanted a real home. Now it had been realized.

Ji Tong said that he would help Pei Qingyuan change his fate. His life was indeed getting better and better, but what about a more specific life?

Like Xiao Jianping, what type of career would he fight for in the future?

In the midst of his faint confusion, the bicycle passed the street corner. Then he heard the voice of He Shiwen, the owner of Xingyue Bakery, on the phone.

“Xiao Pei!” He Shiwen finished the call and stopped him enthusiastically. “School is over? How were the matches today? Did you win?”

He stopped at the sound. Ji Tong behind him poked out his head and said proudly, “He won and won by a big score!”

“Tong Tong is here too!” He Shiwen reached out and pinched his face. He noticed that Pei Qingyuan seemed a bit distracted. “What’s wrong? Are you unhappy?”

Ji Tong shook his head and replied for the host. “No, Brother is thinking about what major to study in the future.”

“Ah, it is the third year of high school. It is time to think about this.” He Shiwen suddenly became serious and thought about it. “Xiao Pei’s grades are so good and he should be able to pick more majors at will.”

Ji Tong asked casually, “What did Uncle He study in college?”

“Food science,” He Shiwen said with a laugh. “I originally wanted to learn cooking directly, but my father didn’t let me because it sounded bad. So I learned this. I thought it sounded similar to cooking, but the result was actually different.”

Unexpectedly, He Shiwen was so persistent about cooking.

Ji Tong asked him again, “Uncle He, have you liked to cook food since you were a child?”

“That’s right.” He Shiwen showed an emotional look on his face. “My parents are very good at craftsmanship and opened a small restaurant. I watched the customers come to eat in the store every day since I was a child. Some people were originally depressed and when they ate, they slowly forgot about those unhappy things. They went out with much better expressions than when they entered through the door. I was doing my homework and kept watching them. At that time, I thought my parents were the most powerful people in the world.”

As he said this, he tried to organize his language. He told Pei Qingyuan in a rather serious tone, “You have to choose what you like… that isn’t right. You might not be able to discover what you like. Then choose something that is important to you, something that can’t be missed as long as you live.”

Something important to him, something indispensable in life.

Pei Qingyuan’s hand holding the handlebars tightened. He subconsciously looked back and saw a child in a jersey in the back seat and praising He Shiwen very sweetly.

“Uncle He cooks delicious food and bread. Now you are the most powerful person in the world.”

He Shiwen was immediately coaxed. He turned around and went to the store to get him freshly baked snacks.

The exaggerated praise plan worked.

Ji Tong happily hummed a cheerful tune. He noticed the host’s gaze and explained very consciously. “This is the BGM used by the database to express happiness.”

Then he saw Pei Qingyuan nodded slightly and looked away.

Would his system one day be freed from the rigid constraints?

No matter databases, but thinking and acting like a real human.

Was this the cause that Xiao Jianping was fighting for?

He bid farewell to He Shiwen and rode home along with the fragrant smell.

There was a cool wind in front of him. After a while, the smell of bread became more and more intense. He didn’t need to turn his head to guess that Ji Tong must be eating secretly.

“Remember to grab my clothes,” he instructed. “Don’t fall.”

Pei Qingyuan heard a slurred, “Okay.” Soon, there was a gentle pull of his clothes from behind him.

He imagined the scene of Ji Tong lowering his head and concentrating on eating bread before obediently stretching out his hand to grab the corner of his clothes. Suddenly, it was difficult to describe the emotions surging in his heart.

Ji Tong’s eyes were always bright when eating. He was more absorbed in eating than the customers of the small restaurant that He Shiwen remembered. He seemed more attentive to the taste of food than anyone else and he could also discover the strange clouds in the sky more carefully.

He blurted out the answer that suddenly surfaced in his heart.

Two figures, one large and one small, quietly sank into the brilliant dusk.

“I’ve made up my mind,” Pei Qingyuan said softly. “I want to learn artificial intelligence.”