Chapter 16: The Real and the Fake

Lately, it’s been getting better and better at speaking.

I can’t help but marvel.

Soon, its speech will be indistinguishable from any normal person’s, and the only way to tell it apart will be by those seam marks on its body.

Things are moving in a better and better direction — just as I wished.

Before going to sleep, after much hesitation, I finally ordered contact lenses.

I’ve been wearing glasses ever since I became nearsighted; contacts weren’t very convenient for me, so I’d never used them before.

But today Liang Zhiting said I looked good… so trying them couldn’t hurt.

A week later, that Friday noon, Liang Zhiting suddenly came to the office looking for me. He asked, “What are your plans for tomorrow?”

Tomorrow is Saturday — normally I stay home, never going out on weekends.

I said, “Nothing planned. Why?”

“My friend gave me two tickets to an amusement park. Would you like to go with me?”

I was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant.

Liang Zhiting was asking me out.

Asking me out?!

I got so nervous I babbled incoherently, “Me? Why me? Your wife… Fu Qian, isn’t she coming?” He’d just gotten married; if he was going out, it should be with her. Why would he invite me? Although going with him made me happy, his invitation genuinely puzzled me.

“Fu Qian has something tomorrow and can’t go. I didn’t want the tickets to go to waste, so I thought I’d ask you.” He paused, then added, “If you don’t want to, no worries—I can ask someone else.”

The moment he said he might ask another, my mind went blank and my mouth ran faster than my brain. I blurted, “I’ll go!”

Afraid he might back out.

Liang Zhiting smiled warmly. “Great. I’ll pick you up at nine tomorrow.”

“Okay…”

After agreeing, I spent the whole afternoon distracted. When I got home, I rifled through my wardrobe preparing clothes for the next day. I tried on more than a dozen outfits in front of the mirror, yet none felt right.

Clothes piled on the bed into a small mountain, while the doll sat behind the heap, looking confused and innocent.

I sighed and lay flat on the floor, arms and legs stretched wide.

Hastily agreeing to Liang Zhiting’s invitation, I felt my heart nervously racing at the thought of spending a whole day with him.

I lay still for a long time. The doll, probably thinking I planned to sleep right there, quietly crawled out from the clothes pile and lay beside me.

I stared at its features, suddenly jolted, grabbed its arm, pulled it up, and pointed to the mountain of clothes. “Which one looks better on me?”

It opened its mouth: “All…”

“Don’t say all look good!”

It was silent for two minutes, then rummaged in the pile and picked out a white T-shirt, pulling it before me. I took it out, unfolding it carefully, mumbling, “Maybe it’s too plain?”

Its palm landed on my knee: “Looks good.” Then it leaned in to kiss my lips, voice deep and steady, enunciating clearly, “Baby, you look good.”

Since I couldn’t settle on anything, I decided to just wear what it picked for me.

I couldn’t sleep the whole night and got up early at seven next morning to get ready. The contact lenses had arrived long ago. I opened the package, steeling myself to put the thin lenses on my eyes for the first time. Lacking experience, my eyeballs and lids wouldn’t cooperate. After nearly an hour of struggle, tears streaming uncontrollably, both lenses finally settled — though bloodshot eyes were the result.

Once vision cleared, I looked in the mirror but felt strange and awkward without my glasses. Liang Zhiting’s “good looking” compliment was probably an exaggeration. But since I’ve already put them on, if I take them off now, doesn’t that mean the whole hour I just spent struggling was for nothing?

While hesitating, Liang Zhiting messaged me that he was downstairs at the entrance. I couldn’t waste more time. Hastily changing shoes, I prepared to leave.

The doll followed me to the doorway and unexpectedly said two words: “Saturday.”

Saturday? What Saturday? I was sitting tying my shoes and only after a second realized, not lifting my head, “Yeah, it’s Saturday.”

“Saturday. No work.” It squatted, watching me, asking, “Where are you going?”

A strange feeling passed over me. I couldn’t pinpoint why. I hurried off without thinking much, replying casually, “Working overtime today.”

It didn’t say anything further.

After putting on my shoes, I opened the door and left, hearing it softly say, “Come back early.”

Those were the first words it had learned.

My hand froze at the door handle, then I smiled and gave it a quick kiss on the mouth. “Got it. Wait for me.”

Click.

The door closed.

Liang Zhiting’s car was parked nearby. I climbed into the passenger seat, buckled my belt, and realized he was staring at me. Habitually, I pushed up my nose, but my mind was blank. Oh right — today I was wearing contacts.

I lowered my head awkwardly, feeling like my butt was nailed to the seat.

Liang Zhiting smiled and brushed the hair that had fallen onto my forehead. “Looks really good.”

I pursed my lips. Something sweet sparked in my mouth, like rich honey.

It was my first time at an amusement park, with someone I’d liked for a long time. From the moment we entered, Liang Zhiting had looked after me — everything we ate and played was closely tailored to my interests. I had a great time. When we rested midway, he even bought me a bunny-ear headband and placed it on my hair, saying, “You have beautiful eyes. Why keep hiding them behind your hair? Such a waste.”

He always praised me when we were together.

After buying the headband, he took out a Polaroid. We took a photo together. He smiled warmly and brightly. I stood stiffly beside him, forcing a shy smile. But our atmosphere still looked harmonious.

“Do you like it?”

Seeing me staring at the photo, he asked.

I nodded. “I do.”

“Then it’s yours.”

I accepted eagerly and stuffed the photo in my pocket. “Okay.”

Everything he did today felt like a date.

There were plenty of couples at the park. Maybe someone would mistake us for one.

I secretly daydreamed.

Daydreams aren’t crimes.

While waiting in line for a long rowing ride, his phone buzzed a few times. I casually glanced, just in time to see him entering a passcode: 0427.

I swear I wasn’t peeking on purpose.

He seemed to be messaging someone at fast speed; I couldn’t see what about, only a rapid stream of green and white dialogue bubbles scrolling.

Before he noticed I was looking, I quietly looked away.

After playing all day, Liang Zhiting drove me home and took me out for dinner. By the time he dropped me off near my complex, it was past ten p.m.

I thanked him and got out. Somehow, he got out too.

I froze. Liang Zhiting said, “It’s late, I’ll walk you in.”

I swallowed hard. “It’s okay. I’m a man, nothing will happen to me. It’s late — you should go rest.”

“All right.”

Suddenly he opened his arms and hugged me tightly, making my scalp tingle. “Liang…”

His breath was close to my ear. “Between friends, a hug is the basic courtesy when parting.”

I gritted my teeth. My hands couldn’t touch him; I just clenched the seams of my pants.

But was it? He never hugged me like that before. He said goodbyes should include hugs, and of course I wouldn’t refuse. But this hug…

This hug lasted far too long.

Long enough that I couldn’t help but compare.

Liang Zhiting smiled warmly; his body radiated warmth. He was like a pure and lofty moon in the sky, seemingly unattainable, but after much effort, I held him in my hands—and yet he was warm and comforting.

While the thing at home was cold and icy, lacking warmth. Its skin wasn’t as soft as Liang Zhiting’s. Though it could move and had learned to speak, its voice was still tinged with awkwardness and stiffness. It felt neither human nor machine—a strange, indescribable mix. It lacked control over force the way Liang Zhiting had; every time it hugged me, it squeezed too hard and hurt.

Though it was modeled after Liang Zhiting, the real and the fake were unmistakably different.

They were completely unlike each other.

I let Liang Zhiting hold me. My gaze casually passed over his shoulder. Then, at a distance, my pupils suddenly contracted.

At the end of the long street, by the complex entrance, stood a familiar figure.

Very tall, wearing the clothes I bought for it. — My doll had left home, boldly walking out the complex gate, standing openly under the sky.

I didn’t even know how long it had been standing there.

I was terrified, almost like my heart stopped. Coldness shot through me from head to toe.

It saw me—and saw Liang Zhiting holding me.

A second later, as if unable to understand the scene, it slowly tilted its head to one side, like a dog sniffing another dog’s scent on its owner’s body, baring its sharp fangs, ready to bite.

It lifted a foot, taking a step step closer to me.

I let out a terrified choke in my throat.

“What is it?” Liang Zhiting heard the sound I made, loosening his hold on me. Seeing me fixedly staring behind him, he instinctively turned his head the other way.