On New Year's Eve, the flower market was bright as day, fireworks dazzling. The fleeting bursts of flame ignited the most thrilling climax of the night. The city was shrouded in festivity, streams of cars flowing by as lights and firelight intertwined into a moving picture.
The world outside was lively and wonderful.
Chen Mo looked at the computer before him, his fingers still flying across the keyboard. The programming language displayed in the compiler was not one people were familiar with, but Chinese characters.
After spending two days sightseeing with Xiao Yu and catching up with his classmates, Xiao Yu had already said goodbye and gone home for the New Year. Whenever Xiao Yu saw him, that inexplicable smile of hers always left him puzzled.
After Xiao Yu went home, Chen Mo hardly went out and suddenly found himself with plenty of free time. With nothing to do at home these days, he had thrown himself into the development of Artificial Intelligence.
More than half a month had passed by now.
Tick-tock!!
With one final click of the mouse, he saw the success notification appear on the screen. Chen Mo sat back in his chair, a relaxed smile appearing on his face.
It had been nearly a month since he began developing Artificial Intelligence.
He had thoroughly mastered the book Low-Level Artificial Intelligence Development. After becoming familiar with the Chinese Character Programming Language, he had begun developing Artificial Intelligence.
At last, on this New Year's Eve, he had completed the development of its primary framework.
The frame of the house was now complete. What came next was refinement. After saving the Chinese-character source code for the Artificial Intelligence, Chen Mo lay down on his bed and entered the Sci-Tech Library.
This time, he had come for one reason only: optimization.
When he shared technology, the Sci-Tech Library would help him optimize the details. That would save him a great deal of effort, allowing the Sci-Tech Library to help him perfect it.
After he opened the book, Old Shu appeared inside the Sci-Tech Library.
"Happy New Year, Old Shu." Chen Mo looked visibly more relaxed when he saw him.
"New Year?" Old Shu smiled. "This is my first time celebrating what you call the New Year. You still have five days before you can use your monthly random selection privilege. Did you come in this time to exchange technology or to chat?"
"Share technology," Chen Mo said.
"Hm?" Old Shu tapped Chen Mo's forehead, then pointed into the air.
Dense lines of Chinese characters appeared. This time, the programming language was not English, but entirely Chinese characters. Chen Mo relaxed when he saw the source code above him.
No matter how he looked at it, it felt familiar. After all, he had created all of this himself.
"Not bad. Very good Artificial Intelligence. It has great potential for growth." Old Shu nodded in satisfaction, his face full of admiration. "Even now, I still think the programming language created from your writing system is remarkably ingenious."
"So does that mean it counts as mature technology now? Can I share it?"
"This is only a prototype, but it does count as an Artificial Intelligence. It's like a newborn infant. I wouldn't recommend sharing the technology yet." Old Shu shook his head.
"Why?" Chen Mo asked. This was the first time Old Shu had advised him against sharing technology.
"It's not that you can't share it. I just don't recommend sharing it now," Old Shu said. "This is only the framework of an Artificial Intelligence, like the frame of a house. But it's only the frame."
Chen Mo nodded in agreement. That was what he had thought as well.
"You want to hand over a framework and let the Sci-Tech Library optimize it for you, right?" Old Shu immediately saw through Chen Mo's thoughts.
"Yeah." Chen Mo nodded awkwardly.
"I don't recommend doing that. The source code for this Artificial Intelligence is like a newborn infant. You haven't defined its personality. You have to understand that a person's personality is the most important thing.
It's like building a house without decorating it. It looks impressive on the outside but has nothing within. Whether you want to decorate it in a minimalist style, a luxurious style, or a classical style, it's best to define those things yourself. If you let the Sci-Tech Library define them for you, you might not like the result."
Chen Mo nodded. It seemed he had still been too impatient.
But with the Artificial Intelligence developed, he could not help feeling excited. That was why he had rushed in to share the technology. Now that Old Shu had reminded him, Chen Mo calmed down as well.
"Go back for now. Once you've perfected it, come back and share it. The technology you get in return will be better too," Old Shu said.
"Okay." Chen Mo nodded and closed the book.
After stepping through the door of light, Chen Mo opened his eyes and stared blankly at the computer screen. It seemed he still had some way to go before Artificial Intelligence was truly successful.
Haste makes waste.
Chen Mo returned to his computer chair and began designing the Artificial Intelligence's personality.
Early the next morning, Chen Mo was dragged out of bed by his mother. He had spent the previous night designing the Artificial Intelligence's personality and had not gone to bed until dawn.
"Your aunt's family will be coming over later, and Xin Xin is coming too. Stop sleeping in. Get up early, have a meal with everyone, then go out and have some fun."
Chen Mo forced himself awake. After washing up, his mother stuffed a red envelope into his hand.
"This is your lucky money."
"Hehe." Chen Mo accepted the red envelope with a silly grin.
He still remembered how happy he had been as a child whenever he received lucky money. His family had not been well-off back then, and the lucky money was almost the largest sum of money he received all year.
The money inside the red envelope was nothing to him now. Still, every time he received lucky money, that feeling of joy remained.
"Happy New Year." Seeing Chen Mo's expression, his father handed him another red envelope.
"Thanks, Dad." Chen Mo accepted the red envelope without hesitation.
Not long after, his aunt's family arrived. There was his uncle, Aunt Zhen, and a graceful young woman named Zhang Xinxin. The moment Zhang Xinxin saw Chen Mo, she broke into an excited smile.
"Brother, we haven't seen each other in a year, and you've gotten even more handsome."
"Hehe, I like hearing that. Your brother has always been this handsome." Chen Mo smiled. "The little tagalong from back then has become a beauty too."
"Brother, I heard Mom introduced you to someone." Zhang Xinxin did not lower her voice at all.
The moment she said that, Chen Mo nearly coughed up blood. Looking at the mischievous expression on the girl's face, he could only feel helpless. However, her words immediately got Aunt Zhen's attention.
"Little Mo, every time I asked you to come over, you found all kinds of excuses. That girl never even got to see you, and now she's gone home. She was such a good girl," Aunt Zhen said.
"Aunt Zhen, you can't force this sort of thing, can you?"
"Then find someone yourself. You're young and handsome, after all. If you can't find someone you like, I can introduce her to you again later if possible. But you have to hurry. She might already have a boyfriend by then. She's such an outstanding girl, after all."
"Ah, okay." Hearing Aunt Zhen relent, Chen Mo breathed a sigh of relief.
"Brother, my intuition tells me you already have a girlfriend." Zhang Xinxin immediately leaned her head close, her face full of a mischievous grin.
"Shh."
Chen Mo made a gesture at Zhang Xinxin. The girl's intuition was quite accurate.
"Are you really that afraid of Auntie finding out?" Zhang Xinxin's eyes curved into crescents.
"When she's willing to come home with me, I'll give Mom a surprise then. Don't make trouble for me."
"Hush money."
"You little tagalong, you're actually talking money with me?"
Chen Mo was amused and annoyed by Zhang Xinxin's expression. He took out the red envelopes his parents had just given him, but the moment he did, Zhang Xinxin snatched them away.
"All the red envelopes are mine."
"You're graduating high school this year. Where do you want to apply?" Chen Mo did not try to take the red envelopes back and simply asked.
"Same as you, Binhai University."
"Ambitious. If you get in, I'll give you a gift. You can ask for anything."
"Your word is your bond. I'll come find you then and meet my future sister-in-law." Zhang Xinxin smiled.
The two chatted happily. Before long, the meal was ready, and everyone gathered around the table to begin the first meal of the New Year.
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