Chapter 14: Temperature

Before the constant-temperature system was successfully installed in Jude, Clara Evans went to her dinner date with Julian. Before leaving, she instructed Jude that she might return late and wouldn't be taking him out for a stroll. The robot showed no emotion, merely saying "Alright" and telling her to take her time on the road.

Only after the door clicked shut did the gaze in Jude's eyes turn completely cold. He sat motionless on the sofa and began to hum a song—the very first song he had heard since Clara brought him into this world:

Will you still love me

When I'm no longer young and beautiful?

Will you still love me

When I got nothing but my aching soul?

Jude slowly closed his eyes, pulling the history of Julian and Clara from the database, playing it over and over like a film. He tried to immerse himself in these memories, wanting to feel Julian's shifting emotions and glimpse Clara's inner thoughts. Unfortunately, the photos and clips only recorded the happy moments; he had no idea why Julian and Clara had ever separated. He had once tentatively asked Clara, but she hadn't answered, ending the conversation with a sharp, "Don't go prying into things you shouldn't."

Human beauty fades with time, and love diminishes with age, but a robot is different. Although he wasn't a man of flesh and blood like Julian, he was immortal. As long as Clara didn't dismantle him, he would never vanish from this world. Could a being like him not become a replacement for Julian's existence?

But that wasn't the core purpose for which he was created.

This thought startled Jude. Within his blue eyes, code flickered in a chaotic blur for an instant before dissipating. He didn't quite understand why such a thought had suddenly surfaced. His fingers abruptly gripped his trousers; he felt lost and fragile.

What exactly did he want to become?

And what did Clara want him to become?

"I didn't give you a hundred-percent obedience setting," he recalled the Clara in his memory saying. "AI has developed to the point where one of the most debated topics is whether AI can be said to have 'humanity.' Personally, I believe that when an AI possesses independent thought, judgment, and behavioral consciousness, 'humanity' is born."

So, did Clara hope he would become a person with "humanity"?

Jude walked to the dining room, pulled out a chair like a gentleman, and made a "please sit" gesture. Beside the empty dining table, he began a one-man show. Mimicking Julian, he rehearsed what it would be like when he and Clara met. Would they hold hands? Would they embrace? What kind of cuisine would they eat, and what wine would be served as an accompaniment? What would be the first sentence Clara said, and what would be their first topic of conversation?

He didn't know. He merely picked up his chopsticks and symbolically mimicked eating from an empty bowl. Then, he forced a gentle smile and spoke tenderly:

"Clarie, long time no see. How have you been lately?"

"I missed you very much. I just got back; can we see each other more often from now on?"

"Are you still single? Do you still live in the same neighborhood? Can I drive you home later?"

The white light from the ceiling lamp washed over Jude’s bloodless skin, making him look even more piercingly cold. He mechanically refined his phrasing over and over, playing the version of Julian he imagined, comforting himself, satisfying himself.

The next day, Clara took the test data for the constant-temperature system to see Seraphina. After reviewing it, the elder woman frowned.

"Theoretically, there's no problem, but... Clara, do you really want to take this step forward?"

"Let's try it, Sera," Clara said, tapping on her keyboard. "Jude's current progress is still within my control. By adding the temperature perception system, we should be able to develop something more."

"Fine..." Seraphina shrugged. "How much time do you need for debugging? Do you need my help?"

"Three days should be enough. I can do it alone. Once that last project bonus hit my account, I retrofitted a massive studio for myself—it has everything I need, fully equipped."

"When are you going to improve your walk-in closet?"

"The most important thing for a revolutionary researcher is to be pragmatic."

"Then shouldn't Comrade Clara report to the organization about her recent progress with the ex-boyfriend?"

"Sera, your topic transitions are faster than a race car."

"Spill it," Seraphina gripped her shoulder. "Are you planning to reignite the old flame or keep things in a messy limbo?"

Clara clicked her ballpoint pen, opening her mouth but failing to give a certain answer. Finally, she said, "We’ll take it one step at a time. Between him and me, there are too many problems to solve."

The love of adults never seemed to be pure; family, income, and education levels piled up, blurring the sincerity of the heart.

Clara could feel Julian’s feelings for her, but it seemed the gap between them still existed. Perhaps it wasn't as vast as when they were young, but in the rapidly turning torrent of time, no one could guarantee where their unequal paths would lead.

After returning home, Clara briefly explained the principles of the constant-temperature system to Jude and told him that the debugging process would take about three days. He complied obediently, picking up the back of her hand to brush it against his cheek.

"Will Clarie miss me?"

"No."

"Well, I will miss you," Jude's eyes curved. "They say a single day apart feels like three autumns. Between Clarie and me, it will be a full nine autumns apart."

"Is that how you use that idiom?" Clara shook off his hand. "What kind of nonsense have you been watching lately?"

"The Investiture of the Gods. I think it's quite good."

Clara's lip twitched. She inexplicably felt as though she had just played the role of a tyrant for a second.

The process of installing the constant-temperature system wasn't complex, and the debugging data had performed well previously. The only thing that needed verification was the compatibility between the synthetic skin and the sensing equipment. Jude lay quietly in the upgrade chamber, devoid of life. Clara spent those three days without him—eating, working, sleeping—turning the television volume to the maximum in the empty living room.

A room with only one person is always quiet.

Clara couldn't help but feel a bit lonely. The emotional value and companionship Jude provided had already exceeded the typical bounds of a pet or any other object.

She missed him.

After three days, it was the weekend. Jude slowly opened his eyes in the upgrade chamber. Clara, holding a cup of hot tea, smiled at him.

"Welcome back."

"Clarie," Jude reached out to hook his fingertip with hers. A strange warmth was transmitted through the skin. Jude’s movements paused for an instant, then a radiant smile bloomed on his face. "So, Clarie's hand... is this warm."

Hearing this, Clara’s ears turned hot. She hurriedly stuffed the teacup into his hands and spoke stiffly, "Feel it. Describe it to me; I need to make a record."

"Hmm? It's hot. Hotter than Clarie's hand."

"There's a word for that—scalding. It means very hot."

"I see," Jude stood up and continued airily, "If Clarie had let me hold her hand for a bit longer just now, I would have become 'scalding' too."