Chapter 13 He turned and walked away.

Li Ping’an began to contemplate the idea of using the long-obsolete digital pet as a unique entry point. By cleverly integrating cutting-edge artificial intelligence, his thoughts unfolded in his mind like a magnificent blueprint. The deeper he delved, the more he realized the project’s immense feasibility and vast potential.

"This digital pet idea—it’s got real promise!"

He recalled the early days of the internet, when everyone was just getting to know the social software QQ. Back then, the digital world was still quite monotonous. One of the main reasons people logged on was to meticulously raise their cute little QQ penguin. The digital pets of that era were rudimentary in both function and form, offering only the most basic modes of interaction—a far cry from the intelligent experiences available today.

If he combined his artificial intelligence technology with the concept of a digital pet, he could surely carve out a slice of the market. Once he established a user base, he could continue to iterate with version updates. Eventually, that little digital pet would break through its shell and secure a significant foothold in the field of AI.

At that moment, struck by a flash of inspiration, Li Ping’an was overcome with excitement. His eyes shone with a brilliant, joyful light, much like stars in the night sky. He looked up abruptly, his gaze filled with admiration for his younger sister. Without hesitation, he gave her a big thumbs-up and exclaimed, "Sis! You young people really do have quick minds—this idea is absolutely brilliant!"

With that, under Li Ya’s stunned and wide-eyed gaze, Li Ping’an was driven by an invisible force. He stood up abruptly, bent down to pick up the charcoal brazier, and walked straight out as if no one else were there.

His figure gradually receded, leaving Li Ya sitting there in a daze, staring at the direction in which her brother had disappeared. He had just walked away, looking as if he had made up his mind, never glancing back at her once.

Li Ya stared blankly at the patch of concrete floor that looked particularly empty now that the brazier was gone. Her eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment, and she pouted slightly, as if silently protesting her brother’s sudden and bizarre behavior.

"I'm a young person, so what does that make you? Why are you acting so weird?" Li Ya muttered softly, her tone laced with a mix of pouting and resentment. "Besides, couldn't we have just talked about it? Did you really have to snatch away my charcoal brazier and leave me here to stare at nothing? What kind of act is this?"

The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. Her voice rose involuntarily, hoping to let her brother—who was already far away—hear her stream of complaints.

Unfortunately, Li Ping’an’s mind was entirely consumed with how to turn his creative spark into reality. Carrying the brazier, he hurried toward the second floor, his urgent pace suggesting he didn't want to waste a single second. How could he possibly notice his sister's grumbling behind him?

Downstairs, without the warmth of the brazier, the chill spread like a tide, biting at Li Ya’s body. With no other choice, she moved to the kitchen stove and skillfully lit a pile of firewood. The dancing flames gradually dispelled the cold, the orange glow reflecting on her face as she looked utterly resentful.

Meanwhile, in the room on the second floor, Li Ping’an sat down and, after only a brief moment of thought, had already conceived a preliminary blueprint for the digital pet’s interface design. Given the AI technology he currently mastered, the pet’s functions were relatively limited—it could only handle seamless conversational interaction and some basic file analysis and processing. As for more complex features like changing the pet’s skin, those would have to be shelved for future development.

With a clear plan, Li Ping’an felt as if he had entered a programming world of his own. He immersed himself completely in developing the software’s front end, unable to pull himself away. Time slipped by as his fingers tapped against the keyboard; the sky gradually darkened, but he was entirely oblivious.

Downstairs, after playing on her phone for the whole afternoon, Li Ya noticed the sky had turned pitch black, yet there was still no sign of her brother coming down to cook. Her gaze drifted to the unwashed bowls and chopsticks left over from lunch, and a complex emotion washed over her, causing her to fall into a brief silence.

"Damn it all."

"He promised to come back on break and cook me something good, but instead, I'm the one who ends up cooking. And he didn't even wash the dishes!"

Although Li Ya kept grumbling, her hands didn't stop. At an age where she should have been pampered by her parents, she was already skillfully adding wood to the stove, busy preparing dinner. Having lived with her brother for so many years, she knew how much he doted on her. If he hadn't appeared in the kitchen by now, it was more than likely that he was dealing with something far more important and urgent.

Over an hour passed, and Li Ya finished her work in the kitchen. A table full of steaming dishes was ready. She didn't go upstairs to knock on his door, fearing she might disrupt his creative flow. Instead, after sending him a message, she sat quietly by the kitchen fire, chatting happily with her friends in a group chat.

In the room on the second floor, Li Ping’an was fully immersed in the world of code when his phone vibrated, drawing his attention. Seeing his sister’s message, he reached out to pull back the curtains, only then realizing that the sky outside had been dyed a deep, profound ink-black, pure and absolute.

His gaze swept over the nearly completed front-end code on his computer screen, and a sense of relief and satisfaction welled up in him. After carefully saving his work, he stretched, loosening his stiff body from sitting for so long, and stood up to head downstairs.

As soon as he stepped into the kitchen, he was met with his sister’s resentful expression. Li Ping’an, however, acted as if he saw nothing and immediately launched into a string of compliments with a beaming smile:

"Sis, you're amazing! Look at this table full of food—it looks, smells, and tastes perfect. You really are the chef of our family! To think my little sister is already so considerate of her big brother—I’m truly the luckiest man alive!"

Hearing her brother’s praise, Li Ya’s lips curled into a slightly contemptuous smile. Having clearly seen through her brother’s transparent attempt to distract her, she said softly, "Brother, stop putting on an act. Do you really think I don't know your little tricks? That aside, are you really planning on developing a digital pet?"

As she spoke, her eyes sparkled with anticipation and curiosity, like stars twinkling in the night sky.

Li Ping’an, currently scooping a bowl of rice, nodded slightly, giving a definitive answer: "Yes. After hearing your idea, I became even more convinced that this digital pet project has incredible market potential. Who knows? Whether we, as brother and sister, can live a prosperous and comfortable life in the future might just depend on it."