Studio Superstar: Chapter 53 Part 1

The first thing that appeared on the screen was pre-made subtitles.

“In 2050, the use of bionic robots has spread to all aspects of society and entered thousands of households.”

“but at the same time, some ethical issues also surfaced. Humans who apply to purchase robots must state their purpose. Bionic robot companies must also investigate the background of the purchaser and limit the type of machine.”

……

The first person to appear in the shot was the male supporting lead, Lu Ning, played by Cheng Yang.

He wore a nightgown, his black hair was so long that it covered his eyes and his chin was unshaved.

This man was handsome yet decadent. He faced the camera with a hint of apprehension and solemnity, saying, “Hello, my name is Lu Ning. I am your… Master.”

“Um.” He lowered his eyes and continued, “I need someone to take care of my daily life.”

“…Well, not.” He quickly lowered his head, ruffled his hair, and laughed at himself. “Three years ago, my wife passed away. I applied to purchase a female robot many times, but was always rejected. Chaoyun Company must’ve seen my intentions and saw that I was a madman…”

“I just miss her so much. I really miss her so much. Even if it is just a robot, if I can make it like her….” He paused at this point.

He supported his forehead with his hand and was quiet for a moment. He suddenly sniffed before raising his head. His eyes were red and he said with a smile, “It has only been three years since I thought about it. It is just that living alone is too lonely. So you can accompany me, 3214.”

The camera started to turn toward the person Lu Ning was facing.

It was a young man with black hair, wearing a clean white shirt and jeans.

He was beautiful, as beautiful as a jewel. But his expression was so calm that it could even be called boring.

Looking at Lu Ning’s eyes, they seemed to be focused but there were no waves. His voice was soothing and steady like it was coming from some type of sound generator.

“Yes, my master.”

……

This simple opening instantly drew everyone in.

Cheng Yan was in excellent condition from the start. The camera zoomed in on his face and any flaws in his performance would be clearly visible at this moment.

However, his handling of emotions in subtle ways was wonderful, precise, and full of restrained tension. It could be called a textbook-level performance.

Was his acting ability so powerful?

Xue Xiao was even more surprising. It was because the robot he acted out was different from other ‘robots’ that the audience usually saw in movies and dramas.

In the past, the robots on the screen always had a deliberately ‘mechanical’ feel. Their movements were stiff, their eyes were blank and every word they spoke almost had the words ‘I am a robot’ on their foreheads.

3214 played by Xue Xiao looked like a person, but he could make everyone realize from the first moment that he wasn’t a human being.

It was a very subtle sense of strangeness.

The audience’s eyes widened. At this moment, an incredible feeling rose in their hearts.

How did this come about?

In the mentor seats, several people were thoughtful.

Xue Xiao was able to perform such an effect because he naturally and accurately grasped several characteristics.

His mood was calm, his tone was calm, and he didn’t deliberately sound mechanical. The bionic robot imitated a human being, so it naturally had to be like a human being.

However, robots were robots precisely because they weren’t really human. They were just imitating humans.

It was hard to grasp the balance between ‘like a human’ and ‘not like a human’ But Xue Xiao did it and he did it well. No wonder…

Guan Ruoying and Su Shijin looked at Feng Wei.

No wonder this guy was so confident.

Shen Tingyan stared at the young man on the screen and watched the performance continue.

The time span of the story was several years, but it could only be presented on the stage for a bit over ten minutes. Time jumps were required after each segment.

The screen went black after the opening remarks.

Once it lit up again, what appeared in front of the audience were scenes of Lu Ning and 3214 getting along with each other.

Lu Ning needed someone to accompany him and had been looking forward to 3214 for a long time. Then after really waiting for such a human-like robot, he was a bit at a loss.

It was a bit embarrassing. He didn’t know how to act.

3214 was a dutiful, perfect robot who made beds, washed, cooked, and delivered water to Lu Ning.

Other than that, his eyes were constantly focused on his master.

Lu Ning was naturally aware of 3214’s incessant gaze. He avoided it and asked nonchalantly, “Why do you keep looking at me?”

3214 gently put down a plate of pasta, looked at Lu Ning, and said, “It is because all bionic robots need to learn and input in order to move like humans and do their jobs better.”

Lu Ning thought of this and sighed with relief. He muttered, “In fact, the robot company should’ve trained you well before selling you.”

“Having the owner directly conduct the personality training is more conducive to getting along with each other in daily life.”

3214 stood aside and said calmly, “Master, you can boldly teach me.”

Lu NIng spat out a mouthful of noodles on the spot.

……

This scene made the audience laugh.

On the screen, Lu Ning’s face turned red. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and said vaguely, “N-No need. Just keep it like this…”

3214 didn’t argue. He still looked at Lu Ning and said, “Okay, Master.”

However, learning was the instinct of AI bots.

3214 was still learning when he obediently replied ‘yes.’

He learned from Lu Ning’s embarrassment and anxiety, his contradictions and hesitations.

3214 returned to the kitchen. He was just about to arrange the tableware when Lu Ning shouted from behind, “You should read for a while. Don’t be busy all the time.”

3214 paused and tilted his head.

At this moment, for the first time, an emotion appeared in his eyes: inquiry.

It was like he was really wondering if this man thought of him as a human being.

Robots didn’t get tired at all.

Nevertheless, he put down what he was holding and replied loudly, “Okay.”

Then he sat down on a chair in a corner of the kitchen.

He turned his head to look at the clock in the living room.

The second and minute hands were always moving.

How long was ‘a while’?

On the seventh day after 3214 was awakened and officially started to study humans, he already had a general idea.

Ten minutes later, he got up, stepped forward, and continued to clean up the dishes.

……

Living alone was bland and uninteresting.

Lu Ning lived in a single-family villa. His work could be done online.

After working for two to four hours a day, he started to relax and was in a daze.

He didn’t seem to need the company of others. He could sit in the garden all afternoon by himself without calling 3214 to talk at all.

3214 could only stand silently not far behind him, still calm and inquisitive.

Of course, Lu Ning was a madman who once tried to buy a female robot to ‘reshape’ her into his wife. He couldn’t always be emotionally stable.

He was even quite depressed and miserable.

When 3214 meditated in the dark living room in the middle of the night, he could always hear suppressed cries coming from the bedroom.

He didn’t get up to peek. He just listened carefully.

“…I miss you so much…”

There was a slight clang as a wine bottle was placed on the table.

The man’s voice was really drunk. “Yeye, I miss you so much…”

3214 lowered his eyes.

He muttered, “I miss you so much…”

At first, it was a very calm voice.

This was followed by a gradual change as he practiced.

“I miss you so much…”

It was gentle, again and again. He got closer and closer to Lu Ning’s emotions when saying these four words.

Inside the door and outside the door, two voices sounded at the same time, equally pained.

“I miss you so much…”

……

The audience got goosebumps when they saw this.

The play had only lasted four minutes and the narrative rhythm had been very gentle. The story seemed to have no major twists and turns, but unknowingly, their emotions seemed to have been pulled by an invisible thread.

In particular, Xue Xiao. The character 3214 that he played gave people a chilling, weird, and indescribable feeling at this moment.

What was this plot about…?

Why did it feel a bit scary?

The audience was a bit scared.

…But they really wanted to keep watching.

They were so curious!

……

The third scene seemed to take place after the master and servant had been together for a long time.

3214 was sitting on a stool. He was stripped of his shirt and his back was straightened.

Behind him, a metal piece was open. A man in dark blue work clothes was tinkering with his back with a tool.

The moment the other person leaned forward to pick up the tool, the ‘Chaoyun’ logo on his clothes was exposed.

This was the mechanical repairman sent by Chaoyun Robot Company.

Next to the two of them, a man in a suit crossed his arms over his chest and said calmly, “According to the regulations, in the first six months, the maintenance technician and I will visit once a month. We will meet often in the future. You can remember our appearance first.”

3214 smiled slightly. “I have already entered your appearance data the moment we met.”

The interviewer asked, “You already know how to smile?”

3214 turned to look at him, the smile on his face slowly widening.

He seemed to be telling the other person, ‘Yes.’