He silently moved to the side again and again, and by the time the girl calmed down and looked up again, Song Shi'an had already moved to a corner at the other end of the carriage, with several people between him and her. No, when did he leave?
Before I could even ask for an autograph, I watched helplessly as Song Shi'an got off at the Business Center Station.
She paused for a moment, glanced at the bus stop sign, and realized that this was the core area of the CBD, full of office buildings and headquarters.
Has An'an found a new job?! I feel like I've discovered a whole new world.
She immediately messaged her fans in the group chat. "Guess who I ran into!"
Don't tell me you ran into An'an.
"Oh, who is it...?"
"I ran into An'an on the subway! Really! You can tell from my IP address that I work in Capital!"
The moment this news broke, the group chat exploded.
"How come everyone else seems to run into him, but I never do! I'm going to throw a tantrum!"
"Sister, who will you meet on the other side of the world?"
"Ha ha ha ha!"
"I don't believe you, please show me the picture!"
She looked at the blurry image of a person in her phone's photo album, blurred from excitement, and silently put her phone away, thinking, "Next time, I'll do it."
Not far from the station, Song Shi'an and his two companions arrived at an office building. The four large characters " Rui'an Technology " hung on the roof, reflecting a cold light in the afternoon sun.
Song Shi'an looked up and counted the floors from bottom to top along the glass curtain wall. The building had at least thirty floors, and the logo at the top was brand new and shiny.
Buying an entire building like that? That's incredibly wealthy. If he has so much money, can't he share some with us? Although it's shameless, he really wants to live that shameless life once.
The three of them went to the front desk, got temporary work badges, swiped them through the turnstile, and went directly into the elevator.
The elevator is completely transparent, offering a panoramic view of the entire CBD as you ascend.
Jiang Ye peered down through the glass, his mouth never stopping. "Damn, it's so big! If I'm shameless enough to work here after graduation, I'll be fine, right? Old Pei will take me in, won't he?"
Chi Xun poured cold water on the idea, saying, "What are you doing here? Charging the robot?"
"What do you know? Finance majors can shine anywhere. Why can't they just use it to power robots?"
The two bickered all the way to the top floor in the elevator. When the elevator doors opened, Pei Zhiyan was standing at the door, as if he had been waiting for a while.
Jiang Ye said, " Old Pei, are you going downstairs?"
Pei Zhiyan said, "The receptionist just said you've arrived. Let me greet you."
Jiang Ye clicked his tongue twice, circled around him, and said, "When did you become so considerate? But your company is really impressive; all I see here is AI stuff. I hope we won't all be replaced by AI in the future."
Pei Zhiyan led them inside. "The development of AI is a trend, but it's impossible for it to completely replace humans for the time being. The premise of social development is always people. Technology is just a tool to drive progress. AI can process massive amounts of data, but it can hardly possess human passion, warmth, and the innovation to break through existing frameworks. Tools should always serve people, not replace them."
Song Shi'an thought this made a lot of sense. The higher you stand, the higher you see. This person had been thinking about these things since college, and his vision and perspective were definitely on a different level from ordinary students like them who were still worrying about final exams.
After passing through a sensor-activated glass door, a bright and open space suddenly appeared before me.
The entire floor was opened up into an open-plan R&D center, with no partitions between workstations and screens covering the walls, displaying densely packed code and 3D models in real time.
Dozens of engineers sat at their workstations. Some were typing rapidly on their keyboards in front of dual monitors, some were wearing VR headsets and adjusting the movement trajectory of robotic arms in virtual space, and others were arguing about something in front of a whiteboard.
The whiteboard was covered with formulas and topological diagrams that Song Shi'an couldn't understand.
In the very center of the R&D center is a sunken testing area surrounded by explosion-proof glass.
A silver-white quadruped robot was running up and down the steps, its movements as fluid as a real hunting dog.
On the workbench next to it lay several unfinished products without their casings, their cables and sensors exposed, like disassembled mechanical creatures from a science fiction movie.
Jiang Ye pressed himself against the glass, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets. "How much does one of these cost?"
Pei Zhiyan said, "It's still in the testing phase and will not be sold to the public for the time being."
"What can you do in the future? Deliver food?"
"It can be used for search and rescue in complex terrain, geological disaster investigation, and industrial inspection. It's also suitable for food delivery, but that would be a bit of a waste of its lidar."
Chi Xun adjusted his glasses, a rare hint of interest appearing on his face. "Can I walk a dog? I mean, a real dog."
Pei Zhiyan glanced at him. "Does your dog live on a volcano or a glacier?"
Song Shi'an chuckled beside him.
Passing through the R&D center, there is a long corridor with offices for various project teams separated by transparent glass on both sides.
As Song Shi'an passed by a room with a sign that read "Bionic Interaction Laboratory," he glanced inside and saw a humanoid robot sitting in front of a piano, its fingers moving so smoothly that it was almost impossible to tell that it was mechanical.
It was playing a piece he had never heard before, a slow melody that flowed down the corridor like water. He suddenly felt a little dazed, as if the scene was both sci-fi and lonely.
"This is a project that Rui'an collaborated on with the music academy this year, called ' Haptic Feedback '."
Pei Zhiyan stopped in front of the glass, looking at the robot playing the piano inside. "It allows people to experience playing the piano through the robot's fingers. After wearing haptic gloves, the robot's fingertips will transmit tactile sensations to your hands in real time. You can play the piano at home with your bare hands and feel the strength and material of the keys."
Song Shi'an thought for a moment and said, "Then, does that mean we can experience rock climbing from home?"
"Theoretically, it's possible, as long as there's a corresponding haptic database."
"And what about dinner?"
"Touch can be simulated, but taste cannot yet."
"That won't do. It has texture but no taste; what's the difference between that and eating plastic?"
Pei Zhiyan didn't reply, but the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.
At the end of the corridor is Pei Zhiyan's office, with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the CBD skyline, letting in the afternoon sunlight at an angle.
The office was sparsely decorated, featuring a large dark gray desk, several screens, and bookshelves filled with professional books.
As soon as they entered, they saw someone they never expected.
Shen Lingshu sat on the sofa, holding a cup of coffee in her hand. Song Shi'an couldn't hide the gossip in his eyes. Just how far had the male and female leads progressed?
All he knew was that the ending was the two getting married and joining forces, but the romantic storyline in the original book was long and heart-wrenching, and he didn't know what stage it had progressed to now.
Seeing the group enter, Shen Lingshu put down her cup, stood up, and said to Pei Zhiyan, "I'll be leaving now after delivering the gift."
Pei Zhiyan hummed in agreement. "Okay, please give my regards to Elder Shen."
Shen Lingshu paused as she passed Song Shi'an: "Come out for a moment, something's up."
Song Shi'an pointed to himself. "Me... me?"