Chapter 12: Electronic Pet?

Returning home, Li Ya casually dropped her schoolbag and immediately set about preparing a fire.

Her nose was running from the cold; dispelling the chill was her top priority.

With practiced ease, she piled charcoal in the basin and lit it. Then, she grabbed a hairdryer, and with the whooshing sound of the strong wind, she directed the airflow toward the charcoal pile.

Before long, the once lifeless charcoal ignited fully, glowing a bright red and radiating waves of heat.

At that moment, Li Ping’an entered the kitchen through the back door and witnessed the scene.

Seeing his sister blowing on the charcoal with a hairdryer, he showed no surprise—after all, he often did the same himself.

“Aren’t you a fan of the air conditioner?” Li Ping’an teased slightly.

Li Ya paused, set the hairdryer aside, and playfully rolled her eyes in response.

“With this damn weather, it’s well below freezing; that lousy air conditioner can’t even run without icing up. The air it blows isn’t warm at all—basically useless.

This charcoal fire is the real deal; it’s the only way to really feel the warmth.”

Li Ping’an shrugged in understanding.

This 1.5-horsepower air conditioner, rated at energy efficiency level one, might be decent for cooling and relatively power-saving, but when the outdoor temperature dips below zero, its heating function falters miserably.

No brand’s air conditioner can escape this predicament.

If only they had a level-five energy efficiency model with the same 1.5 horsepower—then the heating would be entirely different, capable of warming the entire room thoroughly.

But… that would be quite expensive.

They say the North is colder than the South, with lower temperatures, but in the North, people don’t bother with air conditioning in winter; they rely entirely on central heating.

Back in the school dormitory, everyone mostly wore short sleeves, only bundling up when going outside.

Li Ping’an moved a chair from the living room and sat comfortably beside the charcoal fire, enjoying the warmth.

Feeling the heat, he asked, “Did the teachers assign a lot of homework for the winter break?”

Before his sister could answer, Li Ping’an paused thoughtfully and then spoke earnestly:

“As your older brother, I won’t force you to study like crazy or set rigid goals for your exams, but you should at least make an effort.

Don’t let yourself regret laziness when you look back on the future.”

“If you ever don’t understand something while studying, you can always come ask me.”

He hesitated briefly as if choosing his words carefully, then continued slowly:

“Of course, I want you to understand that being happy and joyful is the most important part of life.

Just do your best with studying; the key is to be involved and enjoy the process.”

Then his tone shifted, eyes filled with concern and resolve:

“And if anyone bullies you at school, don’t be afraid—call me immediately.

I’ll stand up for you.”

Li Ping’an knew that bullying sometimes happened at school, especially now with the internet making students more mature earlier, and such news often appeared online.

Worried his sister might silently endure to keep the peace, he said bluntly:

“Don’t let the fact that I’m usually pretty ordinary fool you—at Waterwood University where I study, my friends aren’t simple by any means. I can back you up if needed.”

But Li Ya waved him off nonchalantly, a playful smile on her face:

“Relax, big brother. Don’t you know what kind of person I am? I have so many sisters around me; who would waste time bullying me?

We’re already doing well by not bullying others.”

“Good, that’s good,” Li Ping’an said, feeling somewhat relieved by her confident and carefree attitude.

He said no more, quietly sitting with his sister by the fire, savoring the warm, cozy moment.

With nothing else to do, Li Ping’an, bored, followed his sister’s lead and leisurely played on his phone.

His fingers glided over the screen as short videos streamed past like a flowing river, glimpsed only briefly.

Meanwhile, his mind churned like a finely tuned machine, relentlessly pondering how to monetize the artificial intelligence technology he possessed.

Money isn’t everything, and many problems money can’t solve, but without money, nothing works.

For him and his sister at this stage, earning money was the top priority.

After mulling over ideas for a long while without finding a standout AI application, Li Ping’an instinctively looked at his sister, hoping to spark some inspiration from her pure, innocent mind.

“Li Ya,” he called softly.

“Huh? What’s up?” Li Ya stopped what she was doing and looked up at her brother with clear, questioning eyes, full of curiosity.

“If there were software that could interact like a real person, what do you think would be the most popular use for it?”

Li Ping’an’s gaze burned with anticipation as he waited for her answer.

“Interact? Isn’t that just chatting?” Li Ya blinked and replied without hesitation.

“Exactly!” Li Ping’an nodded enthusiastically.

Almost without pause, Li Ya answered, “Definitely pets.”

Her eyes sparkled with excitement and longing. “Chatting pets—just imagining that sounds super cool and so much fun!

And if you could customize the pet’s appearance however you wanted, that would be even better.”

“Pets?”

Li Ping’an was taken aback; his sister’s answer was unexpected.

He had never thought to combine AI with the concept of pets.

He had been considering more cutting-edge AI applications.

Her words were like a pebble tossed into a still lake, sending ripples across his mind and plunging him into deep thought as he focused intently on the feasibility of virtual pets.

In fact, compared to girls, most boys find it harder to resist the charm of cute things.

“Virtual electronic pets…” Li Ping’an murmured, repeating the phrase as he mulled it over.

His thoughts raced wildly, trying to sketch out what a virtual pet would look like and how it might evolve in the future.

Seeing her brother lost in thought, Li Ya quietly sat beside him, refraining from interrupting, patiently waiting for him to return to reality.

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