Master, I Need Charging - Chapter 20: The Joke Turned Dirty

Now that she had a laptop to use, she need not stand around aimlessly.

While Chen Yuheng worked at the side, Gu Anbao sat at the red couch by the coffee table with the small laptop on her knees, looking focused as she stared at the screen.

After being occupied with his work for a good while, something suddenly seemed off to him. He paused and looked at the obedient robot sitting beside the table.

What is she looking at…? She’s totally absorbed in it…

It was then he finally knew why something felt amiss—Why isn’t this robot peeking at me anymore?

“Ahem.” A certain man cleared his throat.

She looked up at him with those big, round eyes like an unworldly doll.

“What are you looking at?” he asked with a rare interest.

“Ah…” His question caught her off guard. “Just some jokes.”

She’s reading jokes…? Hm, that’s not too bad. She will be able to keep the old man happy by telling him jokes in the future.

Deciding to take a break, he stopped his work and turned his chair around to face her. Leaning backward slightly, he then propped his cheek on his hand and said, “Read me some jokes.”

The surprised robot bowed her head and found one to tell him. “Sakura said, ‘I’m going to attend high school.’ and Conan replied with a sigh, ‘I’m so envious.’”

……

When she was done reading it out loud, she lifted her head to look at him.

A suspicious silence followed thereafter.

“…”

Is that all?

That’s it?

Who on earth is Sakura???

Unable to get the joke, the perplexed devil king rubbed his temples. “Read me another one.”

And so, she found another joke for him. “Since I have to think twice before I act, can I not do it? Can I do it tomorrow? Can I let someone else do it?”

“…”

The silence continued for a long time before he asked her, “Are you sure what you’re looking at are jokes?” Why are the jokes in this style these days?

Her gaze returned to the screen as she stammered in reply, “…I-Isn’t… that so…?”

Isn’t it funny? It’s hilarious to me…

Using a finger to scroll through the page, she frowned when she found a new joke. “Eh…? I don’t understand this…”

With his hands behind his head, he said, “Read it.”

“What can the tongue do besides kissing?”

He lazily answered, “Eat.”

She raised her head and, with a serious expression, shook her head.

His brow cocked at that. “That’s not the answer? What is it, then?”

She glanced at the screen, then answered, “Tease.”

“…”

Seeing how the man did not show any reaction for a long time, Gu Anbao thought that he, too, could not get the joke, so she skipped over that segment and continued reading the other jokes while mumbling, “Why are these jokes not very funny…”

Right then, however, a burst of soft chuckles could be heard.

When she looked up, she found him, with a hand over his mouth and his shoulders quaking, leaning forward slightly as he laughed unceasingly… Although it was low in decibel, he was truly laughing away. Now that that usually poker-faced countenance finally came alive and hints of aloofness ebbed from his face… he seemed to have become more approachable.

Feeling slightly anxious, she asked, “Do you get the joke? Tell me, what does the answer mean?” Not being able to get the joke when I’m reading it makes me antsy!

Holding in his laughter, he waved his hand dismissively at her with no intention of explaining to her how dirty the joke was. “Stop reading jokes. If you’ve nothing to do, you can go read up about nursing.”

Her head sank low in disappointment. “Okay…”

Sheesh… How can he laugh on his own and not share it with me…

Tap, tap, tap, went the typing sound from the keyboard.

Is he getting to work again?

Glancing at the computer screen where he worked, she found him working on an email… and at the bottom of it, it read: Ace, check this joke out. What can the tongue do besides…

“…”

With a slight click of his mouse, the email was successfully sent. Ace should be informed of the news of Pei Lijun joining Huaxin and the cooperation between RK and the Qin Group. Sending the joke is just… something in passing.

From the corner of his eyes, he could see his robot gloomily looking at him while hugging the laptop.

Finding this amusing, he then got up and approached her to rub her on the head. Well, the cat ears felt good to touch.

Right then, he was unexpectedly reminded of that foxtail he had removed from her… It was a huge fluffy thing…

For reasons unknown, his hands began to feel the itch…

His phone suddenly rang.

Chen Yuheng picked up the call while rubbing her ear.

“… Gramps,” he greeted.

Her cat ears immediately perked and quivered upon hearing that.

Gramps? The call is from his grandfather?

“Yuheng! I heard you’ve been very busy lately?” boomed the old man’s energetic voice, loud and clear. Even though the phone was not on speaker mode, she could still hear it very clearly.

“It’s manageable.” Chen Yuheng’s expression softened. “What’s the matter?”

“You rascal, must I have a reason to call you? Huh?”

He chuckled. “Feel free to call me whenever you want.”

As she carefully listened in on the conversation, she realized… that the two seemed to share a close-knit relationship…

She tried recalling memories of her grandfather… Uh, I can’t remember anything… He passed away when I was around three or four years old.

The old man, on the other end of the phone call, pretentiously coughed, then said, “Uh… I heard you refused to meet your mother?”

She felt the hand on her head freeze before it was removed…

The man returned to his seat and blandly answered, “No, I just happen to be very busy at the moment.”

“She’s your mom, after all… Even though she used to…”

With the voice on the other end lowering and him sitting further away from her now, she could no longer hear the conversation clearly. From the estranged look on his face, she could not tell if he was happy or not..

“She called you…? Oh, I see…” He nodded, but his tone was bland. “Don’t worry about it… No, I’m not giving you excuses… It’s not that I refuse to acknowledge her, but there’s no need for us to form such close bonds. Some things are better off letting nature take its course.”

She had no clue what the caller said after that, but it suddenly brought a faint smile to his composed face. He replied, “How would I dare to talk back to you? Wasn’t I just answering your question…”

His tone became increasingly gentle, which formed a stark contrast to his usual cold image. “Yes, of course, you have a point… I have to consider our mother-son ties, yes… I’m listening…”

How patient he is…

As she listened to his baritone voice, she thought, He’s truly a good man who knows how to perform filial piety…

“You’re overthinking it… I didn’t intentionally hide from her. Plus, she’s now Mrs. Shen. It would only make her life difficult in that family if we got too close, don’t you think so…? Of course, I’m not lying. A close relationship with me won’t do her any good at all… Well, you don’t have to be bothered about this matter anymore. Anyway, have you taken your medicine today…?”

Eh… The conversation topic changed just like that…?

She blinked her eyes in confusion as she heard him starting to become very naggy about the other party’s lifestyle.

The subject suddenly changed again. He said, “Oh, right. Gramps, there will be some maintenance work going on in your area for the telecommunication lines in a few days. I’ll send someone to go take a look then, and at the same time, change the home phone. You haven’t heard about it? I’ve just received the news. Well, I’ve been telling you to move from that place but you refused. The village’s public facilities need improving, and there will always be something broken or spoilt…”

… Eh…? Somehow, something doesn’t seem right…

When he ended the call, his face instantly darkened and he silently sat in his seat while drumming his fingers on the table…

He seems to be in a bad mood.

All of a sudden, he reached out to press a button on the desk phone, making an internal call. “Cheryl, if Ms. Shen comes tomorrow, give her a robot rental contract.”

“Noted. Is it okay to use the company’s regular lease contract?”

“Yes.” As he spoke, he swept a glance at the blank robot beside the table, then grimly added, “Add another zero to the compensation amount.”