Silly Grins
The camera that Lao Xia bought to record Xiang Kun's blood-drinking slumber was left at his house, so after finishing the noodles, Xia Libing turned on the front-facing camera of his laptop, preparing to use the computer to record his expressions while watching the video.
However, after adjusting the position, Xia Libing felt that relying solely on the front-facing laptop camera wouldn't be enough to capture the full expression, making it lack depth and comprehensiveness.
So she brought over a cardboard box and a few thick books, found a good shooting angle, propped up her phone, started recording, and then sat back down at the computer to watch the video with Xiang Kun.
After the video continued playing, Xiang Kun's attention was initially focused on Lao Xia again. But that's how funny things are; even if you're not paying attention, as long as you know what it's about and it tickles your funny bone, you can still be amused and quickly get into the mood.
This time, the "Emotional Assimilation" lasted much longer than last time, continuing until the entire autoplay list in the bookmarks was finished.
After shedding her emotions, Xia Libing rubbed her cheeks and wiped the fine beads of sweat from her forehead, but this time she didn't shed any more tears.
While Xia Libing was reviewing the recorded video, Xiang Kun was also mentally comparing the various sensory information from Lao Xia's body during the two "Emotional Assimilation" episodes.
Although he wouldn't pay attention to Lao Xia's state while in the moment of "Emotional Assimilation," constantly collecting sensory information from his surroundings had become his sensory and cerebral instincts. With Xia Libing sitting next to him the whole time, it was impossible for him to ignore the various sensory information.
Regardless of breathing rhythm, heart rate, odor secretion, or other physiological feedback, Xiang Kun came to the same conclusion— Xia Libing's body reacted in basically the same way twice under his "Emotional Assimilation," but the degree of reaction was significantly different, with the first reaction being much stronger.
Logically, this is unreasonable, because during "Emotional Assimilation," the affected target is directly assimilated by Xiang Kun's emotions, which is equivalent to directly copying his emotional patterns. Therefore, the intensity of the emotion should be directly linked to his emotions.
But his emotions were basically the same both times I watched the video.
In other words, the more intense part of Lao Xia's emotional response after being "Emotional Assimilation" by him for the first time today, exceeding the intensity of the second "Emotional Assimilation," should be the emotion she herself generated?
Perhaps it was because he was experiencing that kind of "too funny" and "too silly" joy for the first time that his body had an instinctive physiological reaction, similar to the same kind of feedback when he was moved or excited, but Lao Xia himself was not able to realize it.
Xiang Kun told Lao Xia his guess.
Lao Xia, who was checking the videos recorded on his laptop and phone, tilted his head and thought for a few seconds without offering any opinion.
She was clearly still unsure of the reason for her reaction.
Xiang Kun huddled next to Lao Xia, watching the replay of the video, seeing his own silly grin and occasional silly laughter, and couldn't help but want to cover his face.
However, he was more concerned about Lao Xia's performance in the video. Lao Xia's wide grin was in perfect sync with his own, and of course, he looked much cuter than Lao Xia.
But cuteness wasn't the point. What struck him was the woman in the video, laughing heartily and bending over with his rhythm, her laughter varied and quite boisterous. This woman with the ponytail seemed strangely unfamiliar to him, unlike the Lao Xia he knew.
He glanced back at the "real Lao Xia" beside him, whose expression was indifferent, whose lips were slightly upturned, whose eyes were narrowed, and he finally felt a little more at ease—this was the Lao Xia he was used to.
The Lao Xia in the video... seemed too normal, so normal that he didn't even recognize him.
However, he also knew that this was because the overly "vivid" and "natural" Lao Xia was very different from the cognitive model of Lao Xia he had built, which was why he had that illusion.
If Lao Xia gradually develops this ability to perceive emotions and expresses them more and more normally, Xiang Kun feels that he should soon be able to update his cognitive model of Lao Xia and accept that "new Lao Xia".
As for now... Xiang Kun realized that not only him, but also Lao Xia, who was watching the video, seemed to feel something was off.
Xia Libing kept going back using the left arrow key, repeatedly watching some of the videos where she was "laughing" out loud. She even zoomed in on the video and slowed it down to carefully observe her own expressions, then watched and imitated them.
Yes, Lao Xia was imitating her own expressions in the video, learning to laugh the way she did in the video.
"Haha... Hey!... Hah!..." Lao Xia was not only imitating facial expressions, but also laughter.
To be honest, Lao Xia's imitation was quite convincing; judging from the changes in his facial expressions, there were only some very subtle differences.
Of course, while others might not be able to tell the difference, Xiang Kun could. He could tell whether someone was genuinely laughing because it was funny or deliberately trying to mimic a smile. With Xiang Kun's exceptional vision, he could easily discern the difference in facial skin and muscles, not to mention his ability to judge based on other sensory information such as heartbeat and breathing.
Seeing that Lao Xia went to her room again to take out her notebook containing more than 900 behavioral pattern guidelines, seemingly wanting to record her newly summarized "joyful, funny, and happy" reaction methods, Xiang Kun finally couldn't help but reach out and press down on the notebook that Lao Xia had opened.
Xiang Kun exchanged a glance with Lao Xia and could tell that Lao Xia's original thinking patterns and behavioral habits had also been disrupted by his two "Emotional Assimilation" reactions.
According to Xiang Kun's cognitive model of Lao Xia, after the two "Emotional Assimilation" sessions just now, she should first discuss the specific emotional perception with Xiang Kun, the "source of emotion," and then try to recall and reconstruct her emotional cognition by rewatching those funny videos.
It seems that these two emotional experiences made Lao Xia eager to "preserve" that emotional perception, which is why he was so eager to imitate and record them.
Clearly, the two consecutive instances of "Emotional Assimilation" of the same type of emotion did have a lasting impact on Lao Xia. From another perspective... it should have achieved, to some extent, the original experimental objectives of him and Lao Xia?
"Lao Xia, why are we conducting an experiment on 'Emotional Assimilation'?"
Xiang Kun spoke, without waiting for Lao Xia to give an answer, he continued, "The purpose of this experiment is twofold: first, to let you experience happy and joyful emotions; and second, to help you find a way to perceive your own emotions."
"Emotions... or rather, feelings, cannot be imitated." Xiang Kun pointed to his heart and said, "What needs to be practiced is not facial expressions, but perception."
"What you felt during these two Emotional Assimilation was my feeling, my emotions and sentiments."
"You should use the feelings you experience during 'Emotional Assimilation' as seeds to find a way to cultivate your own emotions and feelings."
After Xiang Kun finished speaking, he saw Xia Libing nod thoughtfully and put the notebook away, and he breathed a slight sigh of relief.
He hadn't actually planned to say so much or in such detail, because he knew that Lao Xia was a very opinionated and thoughtful person. She was methodical and organized in her work, and she had her own behavioral patterns and ways of thinking.
However, based on Lao Xia's reaction just now, Xiang Kun decided that he should still make the decision and take the lead in this matter—because Lao Xia really had no experience in this area.