"The term" uncanny valley "was proposed by Ernst Jentsch in his 1906 thesis" The Psychology of the Uncanny Valley. "His viewpoint was elaborated in Freud's 1919 thesis" The Uncanny Valley. "Thus, it became a famous theory." Jiang Chen flipped through the introduction irritatedly and searched for the keywords among the tadpole-sized words.
"Because we are afraid of death, because we are afraid of disease, because the empathy mechanism is messed up, because we cannot empathize with robots … Robots." Jiang Chen murmured to himself as his hand holding the book trembled.
[What is this feeling?]
Suppressing the restlessness in his mind, Jiang Chen searched for the answer in the robot magazine that had been around for years.
Wanghai Sixth High's library was huge. The jungle-like bookshelves lined the hall on the first floor. Although few students would visit the first floor where the books were kept, the first floor was filled with books. All of the books could be downloaded from the school's website, and all of the information could be searched on the terminal. Rather than saying that they were paper copies of information, it was better to say that the books here were stored as "exhibits". Only large libraries at the city or district level would store paper papers or books that recorded academic materials. Those were the real "materials", not "exhibits".
With the advancement of the times, paper reading gradually faded from people's view. Although there were people like Yao Tingting who had a special liking for paper books, these people were as rare as rare animals.
For example, Jiang Chen's goddess, Yao Tingting.
However, as a memorial to the olden era, libraries would often keep some old books and periodicals as historical references.
At the same time, Jiang Chen felt that these papers could bring him inspiration. No matter how he consulted the artificial intelligence campus elf, the glib-tongued guy couldn't give him an explanation. It just kept guiding his psychological problems towards fatigue, study pressure, and so on.
Or was it misleading?
No matter how he searched on the terminal, he could not get the answer he wanted. As if it was hidden, the intelligent search assistant unexpectedly "malfunctioned." After listening to his explanation, all the results seemed to bring the problem to a more complicated level.
Therefore, after school, he came to the library filled with paper books. No one would mislead him here. His instinct seemed to be telling him that the answer he was looking for was hidden on one of the shelves.
He wanted to find out what that unnatural feeling was.
And the book in Jiang Chen's hand, "Robot Magazine Issue 21 – The Incongruity between Humans and Robots", was taken from the bookshelf with the scent of rosin wood. Judging from the publication date of 2021, this could be considered an old historical publication.
Of course, as long as the printing was new.
"… The more realistic the humanoid toy or robot is, the more people will like it. However, when it reaches a critical point, the favorability will suddenly decrease. The more humanoid the toy is, the more people will be disgusted and afraid of it, until it reaches rock bottom. Even the slightest unnatural movement would appear abnormally stiff and terrifying … So that's why. So the cleaning robot I met this morning, by looking at me, triggered the uncanny valley effect? "Jiang Chen frowned as he pondered.
There was an inexplicable throbbing in his heart, something similar to déjà vu pounding on his heart.
The feeling of being choked by cotton was getting stronger and stronger.
It was as if something had been forgotten.
But what was it that had been forgotten?
Suddenly, he subconsciously looked at the stairs leading to the second floor.
However, at this moment —
"Jiang Chen?"
A soft and delicate voice touched his eardrum. Jiang Chen turned around in shock and saw Yao Tingting standing on the other side of the bookshelf.
[Oh, I still have to invite her to a movie. Dammit, I was so caught up in this silly illusion that I almost forgot about the important matter!]
Jiang Chen cursed in his mind. With a blushing face, he looked at the girl as beautiful as a princess, but he couldn't say a word.
Yao Tingting stood there in silence as if she was waiting for something.
[I can't say it …] Jiang Chen half-opened his mouth. However, the words "Are you free tomorrow?" seemed to be stuck in his throat and he couldn't say it.
Suddenly, that beautiful face cracked into a smile, and her crescent eyes flashed with a luster that made one's heart beat faster.
"Do you want to come to my house?"
Jiang Chen was stunned.
[Invite me? To her house? But why …]
However, Yao Tingting didn't give him the time to think as she already turned around and walked out the door. Jiang Chen hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, and finally gathered his courage to follow.
As for the magazine, it was left on the desk.
Watching the two leave, the librarian sitting at the front desk expressionlessly suddenly got up and silently walked to the chair Jiang Chen was sitting on.
After staring at the aged magazine for a while, she silently picked it up from the desk.
But she didn't put it back on the shelf.
Instead, she tore it apart and threw it into the trash.
…
"Wait, you … why did you invite me to your house?" Jiang Chen chased out of the library and walked behind Yao Tingting. After a moment of hesitation, he asked this question.
Suddenly, Yao Tingting stopped in her tracks. Her milky white dress gently swayed in the breeze.
Under the glow of the setting sun, the lilies bloomed. The scene was so beautiful.
Jiang Chen couldn't help but be mesmerized.
The goddess that he yearned for day and night, at this moment, was biting her lower lip. Her face was slightly shy as she nodded and opened her red lips.
"Because, I want to understand you."
[Understand?
Is she confessing to me?] Jiang Chen's face instantly turned red. His lips opened and closed stiffly, but he couldn't say a word.
His heart thumped furiously as if it was about to jump out of his chest.
[She likes me too!]
At this moment, Jiang Chen's brain was completely filled with the chaotic joy. He had completely lost the ability to think as he only stared at the goddess that haunted his dreams.
Yao Tingting smiled and walked to the school gate.
Jiang Chen gulped, raised his stiff feet, and followed.
However, at this moment, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of the unnatural abnormality from the corner of his eyes.
An inexplicable feeling of anxiety crept into his heart.
The hollow eyes were staring at him.
[There are cleaning robots here?]
[That's right, this thing should be everywhere …] Jiang Chen muttered in his mind as he threw the unnatural feeling to the back of his head.
The robot seemed to have lost interest in him as it straightened its body and looked in another direction.
…
The door opened, and Yao Tingting led Jiang Chen to her rented apartment.
It was a simple one-bedroom apartment. This type of apartment was easy to rent near the school and not expensive. It looked like Yao Tingting was the same as him, a foreigner from Wanghai City.
The room was filled with the scent of jasmine. Clean linen wallpaper covered every wall in the living room. The simple coffee table and tablecloth, as well as the beige sofa.
"Sit anywhere. Do you want me to pour you a glass of water?" Yao Tingting turned around and smiled at Jiang Chen.
"Ah, uh, okay." Jiang Chen nodded with a panicked expression as he sat on the sofa.
Looking at Yao Tingting's back next to the cabinet and smelling the fragrance of the goddess in the air, a silly smile appeared on Jiang Chen's face.
Although it felt unnatural, he was so happy that it didn't matter anymore. It was as if it had been forcefully stuffed, and the lack of reality in his heart had unknowingly disappeared.
Not long after, Yao Tingting returned to the living room with two glasses of water. She smiled at Jiang Chen and placed the glasses in front of him.
"Here."
"Ah, thank you." As if to hide the awkwardness, Jiang Chen quickly took a sip of the cold water.
Yao Tingting sat down next to Jiang Chen and looked at the side of Jiang Chen's face with a smile.
"Uh, is there something on my face?"
"No." Yao Tingting shook her head with a smile. Her soft hair swayed gently like a willow.
"Uh …" Jiang Chen was speechless. He buried his eyes into the glass and stared at his reflection in the water.
"I want to know more about you. Can we talk?"
As if his heart was struck by a hammer, Jiang Chen's heart pounded violently in that instant.
"Eh? Why, why do you want to know more about me? "Jiang Chen's throat moved as he stuttered because he didn't know what to do.
The answer was clear.
"Because I like you." Yao Tingting stared into Jiang Chen's eyes and smiled.
There was an inexplicable sense of discomfort. Something was not right.
But the confusion was quickly filled by an explosion of joy. Dopamine could make people forget to think.
"I, I like you too." Jiang Chen finally gathered his courage and poured out all the thoughts he had accumulated in his heart.
"I know." Yao Tingting smiled at Jiang Chen's courage. "I've been paying attention to you for a long time."
"I know." "I've been paying attention to you for a long time." These two sentences were like a magic spell circling in his head.
"Can you tell me your story?" Like a curious girlfriend, Yao Tingting looked into Jiang Chen's eyes and blinked her long eyelashes.
"I, I don't have a story to tell." Jiang Chen awkwardly moved his face away, but Yao Tingting didn't let him go.
"You can tell me anything."
"Then … Okay." Jiang Chen hesitated before he spoke.
To his surprise, he thought Yao Tingting was a literary girl who didn't like to talk, but she gave Jiang Chen the feeling that she was very talkative.
Starting from when they were young, they chatted about memories that were shrouded in a layer of fog. The two chatted happily. Although they didn't interact much, Jiang Chen always secretly watched her. But Yao Tingting gave him the illusion that they had known each other for a long time.
The sky gradually darkened, so much so that it was already completely dark outside.
"Why don't I treat you to dinner?" Yao Tingting said with a smile.
Jiang Chen subconsciously nodded.
Dinner was carried out in a relaxed atmosphere. Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, shredded pork with green peppers, and seaweed egg soup were all home-cooked dishes. It was obvious that Yao Tingting was a girl who knew how to make a home. Jiang Chen's heart skipped a beat when he thought about it.
At his age, the so-called love was eternal.
The food was delicious. He secretly observed Yao Tingting sitting across the table. Her cherry mouth was chewing softly.
She seemed to like eating tomatoes? Was she the type who liked to eat sour food? And green peppers? Mhmm … But why did she only eat these two things?
Jiang Chen observed carefully and secretly noted down her preferences.
[She said she likes me … So she is now my girlfriend?]
[But she hasn't made it clear yet. Is she waiting for me to bring it up?]
Thinking of this, he gently swallowed his saliva, and then unnaturally looked away.
The opening song of the popular TV series was playing on the holographic screen. It was already eight o 'clock.
"Is it good?" Yao Tingting looked at Jiang Chen with a smile.
"Ah, ah! Yummy. " Jiang Chen frantically laughed and then buried his head in the rice to hide the embarrassed expression on his face.
"I heard there are ghosts in the school library. Did you see them?"
"Ghost, ghost? That's a lie, that kind of pseudoscience. "Jiang Chen had an odd expression on his face.
"Are you satisfied?" However, Yao Tingting's next sentence was somewhat incoherent and diverted the topic.
"Satisfied?" Jiang Chen was confused. He suddenly thought of something and looked to the side. He embarrassedly scratched his slightly red ear and nodded stiffly. "Of, of course."
Being invited to the home of the goddess he yearned for day and night, for a teenager, was there anything more delightful than this?
"Don't choke on your food. Here, drink some water." Yao Tingting handed over the cup with a smile. It was the cup that Jiang Chen just drank from.
"Mhmm!" Jiang Chen took the cup with his face slightly burning. He silently drank the water to hide his awkwardness.
[Isn't there soup? Why water …]
The screen showed the sequel of . Ryan collapsed in a pool of blood and stopped breathing. [An unexpected ending?] It felt rushed. It was as if she explained a lot of things at the beginning, but in the end, she didn't explain anything clearly.
After the ending song was "the end" in blood.
A smile appeared on Yao Tingting's innocent and tranquil face as she stared at Jiang Chen drowsily lying on the table.
The smile was eerie and empty.
[So sleepy, so tired, I really want to sleep …]
Through his low and hazy eyesight, he only vaguely caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a pure white floral dress that had fallen on the floor …
That pure white figure was approaching him with faint footsteps.
The back of his head was embraced by a gentle touch as his consciousness gradually fell into the abyss.
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