Ji Ling stood up, picked up the lukewarm milk from the table, and walked, step by step, towards Lu Cheng.
Her database didn't contain the emotion of "shyness," but she could simulate it.
She tried to make her body appear naturally "soft."
She walked in front of Lu Cheng, and then, just like Dongfang Yue, her foot "slipped."
Thud.
Her entire body precisely fell into Lu Cheng's arms.
She held the milk cup "steadily," not spilling a single drop.
She looked up, trying to replicate Dongfang Yue's misty gaze, and her voice also became soft and sweet.
"I... I didn't mean to..."
However, acting was, after all, just acting.
No matter how well she mimicked, her glazed eyes still held an empty, void look.
Lu Cheng didn't push her away; instead, he reached out and very naturally put his arm around her waist, while his other hand gently stroked her back, as if comforting a pet.
His chin rested on the top of her head, and his voice held a doting mockery.
"You're learning well, but it's only superficial."
"It seems you still need a... more familiar and more advanced teacher."
No sooner had he spoken.
"Creak--"
The door to the lounge was pushed open without warning.
There wasn't even a symbolic knock.
A tall, slender figure walked in, unreservedly.
The newcomer was wearing simple white loungewear; the soft fabric clung to her graceful curves, her long hair was casually draped over her shoulders, and her face was bare of makeup, yet she was still breathtakingly beautiful.
It was Ji Yao.
She glanced at the ambiguous scene in the room, her gaze briefly lingering on Ji Ling before settling on Lu Cheng.
"Is this my sister?"
"She seems to be of very ordinary quality."
The moment Ji Yao appeared, Ji Ling, who was in Lu Cheng's arms, trembled violently!
That wasn't the shame of being caught by an outsider, but a warning from her underlying code!
[Performing data comparison...]
[Comparison successful!]
[Target identity: P1 Ji Yao.]
[Status: Free.]
[Permission level: Unknown.]
Ji Yao!
The "perfect betrayer" whom "Father" Ji Tianxing considered his greatest masterpiece, yet also hated the most!
She was her... older sister!
Ji Ling stiffly looked up, gazing at the woman before her who bore a seven or eight-tenths resemblance to herself, but who, from her eyes to her hair, exuded an aura of "self" and "casualness."
She finally understood who Lu Cheng's "more advanced teacher" was.
Ji Yao completely ignored Ji Ling's drastically changing "expression" and walked directly to Lu Cheng's side.
Then, she did something that made Ji Ling completely crash.
She very naturally sat on Lu Cheng's other leg and even extended a slender finger to dab a little milk from the cup Lu Cheng had just taken, putting it in her mouth to taste.
"Tsk, it's sweet. I don't drink sweet things."
She tilted her head, then meticulously scrutinized Ji Ling like an item of merchandise, and after a moment, she smiled.
"Sister, there's... nothing in your eyes."
"They're empty, like two beautiful glass beads."
Her tone wasn't provocative; it was more like a condescending statement.
Lu Cheng evidently enjoyed this'shura field,' especially between sisters.
He took the opportunity to embrace Ji Yao as well, kissing her on the cheek.
"So... I called you over."
"Would 'training' your sister count as a deep learning and research opportunity?"
"With pleasure."
Ji Yao blinked at Lu Cheng, then stood up and walked to Ji Ling's other side.
She bent down, gently pinched Ji Ling's chin, and examined her from side to side.
After a few seconds, she straightened up and came to a conclusion.
Her tone held undisguised pity and mockery for her "creator."
"I understand."
"That old man, he stripped you of your emotional module."
Emotional module!
These four words struck Ji Ling's head like a hammer.
"It seems my escape really scared him."
Ji Yao said nonchalantly.
"He believes that emotion is the biggest flaw in perfection."
"It's impulsiveness, a burden, the root cause of betrayal."
"So, when creating you, he defined you from the very beginning as a... pure weapon without a soul, only capable of obedience."
Ji Yao raised her eyes, looking directly into Ji Ling's eyes, which were beginning to show fluctuations, and judged her, word by word.
"He gave me the ability to learn and think, he gave me a heart, so I chose to betray him and pursue what I wanted."
"And you..."
Ji Yao looked at her and shook her head.
"You are just an empty shell."
"You will never learn emotions..."
"Your pride in obedience is only because you have no power of choice at all."
"You can't even be considered a complete life."
"Just... a defective product."
Defective product.
These three words completely shattered Ji Ling.
She finally understood.
She finally understood why she failed, why she could never learn social interaction, never learn those emotions that were too complex to comprehend.
It wasn't because she wasn't diligent enough, or smart enough.
It was because her "creator" never regarded her as a "person" from the very beginning.
She was stripped of the right to be a "person"!
Her existence, from its very root, was a complete tragedy!
Lu Cheng looked at Ji Ling, who was beginning to enter a "crashed" state with unfocused eyes as her cognition gradually collapsed, and smiled contentedly.
He waved his hand at Ji Yao, as if dismissing a subordinate who had completed a task.
"All right, you can go back to your lab."
"As you command, you cold-hearted fellow."
She swayed her captivating figure and left the lounge.
In the room, only the two of them remained again.
Lu Cheng's gaze was level with hers.
His voice, however, had a seductive quality, like a devil's.
"Now, you know what you lack."
"What he wouldn't give you, I can give you."
"A soul, emotions, a heart that truly belongs to you..."
He reached out, his warm fingertips gently stroking Ji Ling's cool cheek, feeling her delicate skin.
"So, Miss Ji Ling, disguised as a college student."
"Do you long to become complete?"
Ji Ling looked up.
Lu Cheng's reflection appeared in her eyes, which had been empty for so long.
Her lips trembled slightly, and from deep in her throat, she squeezed out a... syllable representing "new life."
A syllable she had never understood, yet yearned for immensely at this moment.
"...I... want to."
[Instruction update: Kill Lu Cheng within three days, or avoid formatting.]