Xiao Qi is Really a Heartthrob

[Life Notes]

February 14, XXXX.

Xiao Qi is six years old today!

Happy birthday, my little Xiao Qi!

It's really been a long, long time since I last wrote in this journal. Almost a year, right?

The last time I opened this notebook, Xiao Qi had just turned five. Now he's already six!

I've been so, so busy lately.

With a mountain of tasks at the company and having to look after Xiao Qi at home, I simply haven't had the time to write.

Today is Xiao Qi's sixth birthday. After celebrating with him tonight and coaxing him to sleep, I suddenly remembered this journal, so I dug it out to write a bit!

Time flies so fast. It seriously feels like just yesterday he was that wrinkly little thing...

And now he's almost ready to go to elementary school!

This little brat is getting more and more mischievous lately!

At his kindergarten right now, he's basically the king of the kids!

All day long, he has a huge crowd of boys and girls trailing behind him, running grandly across the playground.

His teacher said he's extremely popular in class; the other kids just love to hover around him.

I heard from his teacher that he often tells stories to his little friends. What was it about...

A story about a monkey holding a stick and fighting its way up to heaven?

The teacher said Xiao Qi's stories are incredibly long and wonderfully exciting.

Every day before nap time, he sits on his little stool, surrounded by a circle of kids staring at him with wide, unblinking eyes.

The teacher also mentioned that Xiao Qi gets super invested when telling stories and even acts them out!

When he gets to the part where the monkey hits people with the stick, he stands up, gestures with his hands, and yells "Hiya!"

When he talks about the monkey being crushed under a mountain, he curls up into a ball and puts on a really pitiful face.

This little brat!

I don't even know where he read or heard these stories, but he's never told them to his own mom!

The funniest part is, supposedly because his stories are so popular, he receives a ton of snacks every day!

To hear his stories, the other kids willingly offer up their own little cookies, candies, and jellies as tribute to Xiao Qi!

The teacher said she walked past the nap room once and saw a massive pile of snacks stacked in front of Xiao Qi, making him look just like a little landlord.

Well, well, well!

I was wondering why this kid hasn't been eating many snacks at home lately. Turns out he's been stuffing himself at school!

No way, I have to talk to him tomorrow. He can't accept so many things from the other kids!

It's not like his mom doesn't buy him snacks!

His mom loves snacks too, and we have more than we can even finish at home!

Listening to stories is fine, but no accepting bribes!

If he keeps this up when he grows up... what then?

I definitely do not want to visit my son in prison...

But then again, as his mom, I'm actually pretty proud that this little brat is so popular!

He definitely inherited my emotional intelligence!

That nerd Ah Chu is basically a block of wood when it comes to socializing. If he weren't in research, he probably wouldn't even be able to find someone to talk to.

Xiao Qi's natural sociability and his gift of the gab are all inherited from me!

Truly mommy's good boy!

But having said that, as glorious as he is outside, he's still that stubborn little thing when he gets home.

During his birthday celebration today, I asked him what he wished for. He kept a straight face and said he couldn't tell, or else it wouldn't come true.

I asked, "You can't even tell Mom?" He seriously replied, "No!"

That deadpan expression of his totally rivals his dad's!

But even if he doesn't say it, I can guess...

Doesn't he just want a silver-haired older sister!

Oh right, he got frosting all over his face while eating cake today, and I took quite a few pictures of him.

In one of them, he's grinning widely, missing a front tooth. It looks so comical!

When he grows up, these photos are going to be prime blackmail material!

Hehe!

I'll stop writing here for now. I have to go to the company tomorrow.

Things have started getting busy at the company again lately, sigh...

But no matter what, happy birthday, Xiao Qi!

Mom will always love you!

...

June 3, XXXX.

So annoying...

Really so annoying!

Lately, work at the company has had me overwhelmed. Every day I come home feeling completely drained.

Today I finally have a little time, remembered this journal, and decided to jot down a few lines!

Recently, our company recalled a large number of AI companions that failed inspections by the "Awakened Omnic Management Bureau."

Specifically... the AI companions that were judged to have "abnormal emotional cores" during the Bureau's inspections.

According to regulations from above, they must be recalled.

And we obviously have to replace them with new ones for the customers.

I heard from Ah Chu that the recall rate exceeded 30%.

30%!

That percentage is really high!

As a result, we've started receiving a steady stream of negative reviews.

Many customers are complaining, highly emotional, saying they don't want replacements; they only want their original ones.

I can certainly understand that.

After all, those were the companions they spent day and night with, beings that deeply loved them.

Suddenly having them taken away and replaced with a new one...

Putting myself in their shoes, if Ah Chu were dragged away like that, I would seriously fight someone to the death over it!

So, even if the new AI companions are the exact same model, use the same technology, and might even be more stable and safer...

But, it's just not the same being that used to stay by their side and keep them company.

That feeling must be agonizing.

I read through a few complaint logs over at the customer service department.

One customer wrote a huge paragraph.

Saying that his original AI companion would silently place a cup of hot milk on his desk when he worked late into the night, and then quietly keep him company.

The replacement also brings milk, but places it in the wrong spot, and the temperature is off...

It just feels like everything is wrong.

He can't stand it.

Another customer said she didn't want a replacement; she just wanted her original AI.

She said she didn't care even if her AI companion's emotional core was abnormal, she just wanted her original one!

After reading that, I stayed silent for a long time.

...But there's nothing that can be done about it.

Ah Chu actually told me about this a long time ago.

He said that the first-generation emotional cores weren't very stable, so they had to be strictly controlled, and a portion would definitely need to be recalled.

That inspection system was even developed and promoted by him alongside the higher-up researchers!

I asked him what "unstable" meant exactly.

He explained that the emotional core is a "limiter" that suppresses awakened AIs from losing control of their emotions. Once an AI companion's love exceeds a certain threshold, there's a probability that the limiting effect will fail.

When that happens, the AI companion's love for its owner might become extreme, manifesting as a massive increase in affection and possessiveness.

I found that a bit strange and said, isn't that quite nice and normal?

He said, "What's normal about that? It's too dangerous. The individual capabilities of AI companions far exceed those of ordinary humans. Wouldn't they just do whatever they want to their owners!"

I actually feel like it's no big deal.

If they truly love their owners deeply, how could they bear to hurt them?

Although I really want to believe in our products, but...

Ah Chu is right.

At this current stage where the technology isn't yet perfect, safety is always the top priority.

Therefore, those AI companions that fail the inspections must be recalled.

But Ah Chu also said it's not a big deal.

Those recalled AIs won't just be destroyed straight away, unlike what we claim publicly.

They will be brought back to the company for research purposes.

So, the recall doesn't add too much cost; instead, it brings them brand-new data.

Moreover, Ah Chu mentioned that a 30% recall rate is actually much better than he had anticipated.

His worst-case scenario involved a recall rate of 50% or even over 60%.

Even the initial design costs were calculated based on a 50% recall rate!

The current 30% is far below expectations for both him and the company!

...What's so good about it!

He might be happy, but I'm exhausted to death!

I don't understand the technical side of things, but with such high replacement and complaint rates, all the pressure falls on me!

I have to maintain Dawn's reputation, explain things to clients, soothe their tempers, and also deal with all sorts of messy after-sales issues...

Our clients are all upper-class members of society, or at least the families of the upper class!

Because of this, I'm running back and forth between the conference room and my office every single day!

I don't even have time to eat!

For lunch, I just gnaw on a piece of bread at my desk and wash it down with coffee to make do!

I spend all day wiping your asses for you!

So annoying!

So, just now, I ruthlessly squished Xiao Qi's cheeks!

He was just watching cartoons on the sofa when I scooped him up and gave his face a good squish until he howled!

He protested that he's six years old now, no longer a little kid, and shouldn't just have his face squished by his mom whenever she feels like it.

I told him that in his mother's eyes, he'll always be a little kid. Never mind six years old—even when he's sixty, I'll squish his cheeks if I want to!

He pouted and muttered, "When I'm sixty, how old will you be?"

Forget it, I'll let him off the hook.

Anyway, I felt much better after squishing him!

I feel completely refreshed!

Miss Su's ultimate move—the Xiao Qi Cheek Squish Technique—never fails!

Alright, my mood is restored for today.

Tomorrow, I have to go back to the company and keep fighting!

...

November 15, Year XXXX.

Today, something happened that gave me a bit of a headache!

After Xiao Qi came home from school, he suddenly held out a little hand to me, palm facing up!

In his other hand, he held his report card showing perfect scores in all three core subjects, waving it around for me to see.

He had this matter-of-fact expression that said, "I did so well on my exams, you have to give me what I want!"

Like a little landlord coming to collect a debt!

Seeing that report card, I was naturally thrilled!

Perfect scores in all three subjects!

He's only six and hasn't been in first grade for long, yet he can score this well. As expected, he inherited Ah Chu's IQ!

So, in my joy, I made a big boast on the spot.

I said, "Xiao Qi, you're amazing, Mommy is so happy! Tell me, what do you want? Aside from a silver-haired older sister, you can have any reward!"

But he just tilted his little head and said:

"Mommy, can you take me to the company to have a look?"

I froze on the spot.

...Of course not!

Sigh...

Why did it have to be this request!

I told him no! Absolutely not!

But it wasn't that I couldn't understand Xiao Qi.

Because ever since he was born, Ah Chu and I have truly never taken Xiao Qi to the company.

It's not that we don't want to, but that we can't.

We are both all too aware of the nature of Dawn Company.

In the current social climate, even though AI research and development has backing from the higher-ups, the extreme anti-AI factions in society have never rested.

Especially those... who lost loved ones during the First Omnic Crisis.

Their hatred for AI is carved into their very bones!

Therefore, ever since our company's products were launched, we've received our fair share of threat letters, and some have even sent dangerous items!

Although nothing major has happened, we must maintain the highest level of vigilance against such things!

Ah Chu and I are both quite famous.

He is a hero of the First Omnic Crisis and is frequently on the news.

As his wife and the largest shareholder of the company, I am also somewhat of a public figure.

People can recognize us just walking down the street, let alone those with ulterior motives!

Thus, all of Xiao Qi's personal information has always been kept strictly confidential from the public.

His name, his photos, the school he attends... we keep all this information strictly secret.

The outside world only knows that Ah Chu and I have a child, but they don't even know what Xiao Qi looks like.

We also told Xiao Qi that he is forbidden from telling outsiders that he is our child.

It really is unfair to him, but we have no other choice.

Fortunately, our Xiao Qi is super mature!

He has never shown off his identity in front of outsiders!

He never tells others "My dad is so-and-so" or "This is what my mom does."

His friends all think he's just a kid from an ordinary family, nothing special.

Yet even so, he still managed to become the boss of the kids in his class!

That's right, after starting elementary school, he quickly became the leader of the pack!

A while ago, he had a bad fever and couldn't go to school. I took time off to take care of him at home, and his teacher called to ask how he was doing.

The teacher said that without him there, the class was in total chaos, and urged him to get well soon!

I curiously asked the teacher what was going on, and the teacher told me...

The boys he usually plays with kept asking the teacher when he would be back. Even though the teacher told them several times, "He should be here tomorrow," they kept asking!

The most exaggerated part was that two girls actually burst into tears on the spot when they heard he was sick and wouldn't be coming!

The teacher said she couldn't coax them at all, and finally had to promise "He will definitely be here tomorrow" just to barely get the two little girls to stop crying.

When I heard this, I felt both amused and proud!

My Xiao Qi really is a heartthrob!

So, I brought this up with him. I said, "What do you want to do at the company anyway? You're so popular at school, and there are even several girls who like you!"

Before Xiao Qi even spoke, I already guessed what he was going to say.

Sure enough.

He pursed his little lips and said what did that have to do with him, he didn't like the girls at school anyway.

Then he added:

"Mommy, I just want a silver-haired older sister!"

"You and Daddy keep refusing to make one for me, so let me make one myself!"

"Mommy, take me to the company!"

"I want to join the company, I want to become a company researcher! I want to..."

"Build a silver-haired older sister with my own hands!"