Chu Kuang released a short story?
Upon receiving this notification, the initial reaction of many fans was —
Did Chu Kuang publish an extra story for "Tennis Prince" on his tribe?
Having such thoughts was quite normal.
Some authors enjoy interacting with readers by publishing free extras on their tribe that were not initially planned for official publication.
However, Chu Kuang was evidently not someone who enjoyed interacting with fans.
As everyone followed tribe notification and clicked in, they realized it wasn't an extra story at all. It was simply a short story piece written by Chu Kuang.
"If only it were an extra for 'Tennis Prince.'"
At this point, "Tennis Prince" had already reached its second volume, and the fanbase was quite substantial. After discovering that it wasn't an extra, many felt a bit disappointed.
For example, Zhu Ming, a high school student in Qin Prefecture Mountain City, was a die-hard fan of "Tennis Prince" novel.
"You should read something more substantial."
Zhu Ming's sister, Zhu Hui, always opposed her brother reading young adult fiction novels and took the opportunity to scold him.
Zhu Hui had a bias against young adult fiction novels.
Because she had once read a novel of this genre where the protagonist transmigrated to another world, surrounded by a group of beautiful girls, and eventually, all the girls became the protagonist's wives, occasionally with some adult content mixed in the descriptions...
"I told you."
Her brother retorted, " 'Tennis Prince' is different from those novels. This novel is about tennis, and even professional players praise the writing. Many girls also love this novel."
"Is that so?"
Zhu Hui was half-skeptical.
She simply sat in front of the computer, logged into her brother's tribe account, and said, "You just said Chu Kuang released a short story. He's your favorite author, right? I want to see what he wrote."
"A short story is not a young adult fiction novel."
"As long as it's written by the same person."
"Then you read 'Tennis Prince'; I have a physical copy."
"No need to bother. Sometimes, you can understand a person through their writing." Saying this, Zhu Hui casually opened the short story titled "Artificial Beauty" and started reading.
The content was indeed short.
The story began with a bar owner watching his bar on the verge of closure. He took a desperate gamble and created a beautiful female robot that could accompany guests while drinking. As this robot lady determined the fate of the bar, the owner put a great deal of effort into making her exceptionally beautiful.
Her skin, as white as jade, was in no way inferior to that of any young girl, completely lifelike.
People who didn't know the truth would surely think this was the most delicate-skinned woman they had ever seen! Customers at the bar counter, seeing a new, young, and beautiful lady, eagerly greeted and chatted with her.
When asked about her name and age, she could still calmly smile in response, but when the questions delved deeper—
Despite this, no one suspected she was a robot.
And so, this bar became popular.
More and more people flocked to the bar, inviting this beauty for a drink.
Meanwhile, the owner stood behind the counter, occasionally crouching down to retrieve the alcohol from the plastic tube under the beautiful robot's feet, then selling it back to the customers fairly.
The customers remained oblivious to this secret.
[This young lady is quite resilient, considering her age. Her capacity for alcohol suggests excellent health. She doesn't flirtatiously linger with customers; when invited for a drink, she downs it in one, yet shows no signs of intoxication.]
Customers wondered.
On the computer, Zhu Hui felt a sense of amazement.
Chu Kuang's imaginative narrative had some merit.
The text seemed to carry a hint of irony, highlighting how people focus solely on appearances, disregarding substance. This explained why everyone admired a beautiful robot without exercising their judgment.
But how would the story unfold next?
Just as this thought crossed Zhu Hui's mind, she read the next passage:
[Among these customers was a young man who fell in love at first sight with the beautiful robot. Every day, he would come to this bar to invite the robot for a drink. Regardless of how he tried to impress Miss Bu Ke with smiling faces, it was a futile effort. Undeterred, he intensified his pursuit, ordering only the most expensive drinks, even spending his entire savings.]
This segment, too, held a touch of irony.
It even carried an inexplicable sense of reality.
The young man infatuated with the robot bore a striking resemblance to those pitiable souls who would rather sacrifice their own meals to tip streamers.
But the story's direction remained unpredictable.
Could it be that the robot would eventually develop human emotions?
If so, Zhu Hui would be sorely disappointed.
Because that would be too cliché.
With anticipation, she continued reading: [Eventually, unable to pay his bar tab, the young man reluctantly emptied his family's coffers. His father, furious, scolded him vehemently: "Never go to that accursed place again! Here, use this money to settle the debt, remember, this is the last time!"]
The last time.
The young man arrived at the bar with the money, intending to bid farewell. He raised his glass multiple times, inviting the robot for many drinks.
He confessed once again.
But the robot's mind was empty, like an empty can, a beautiful façade responding only according to its programmed language.
The young man did not receive the answer he sought.
[Quietly, he retrieved a fearsome poison from his pocket, sprinkled it into a wine glass, poured a full cup, and presented it before the robot lady. He watched as the robot lady tilted her head back, downing the poisoned wine in one gulp.]
"Too ruthless, isn't it?"
Suddenly, Zhu Hui at the computer felt a palpitation. An extreme drinker, resorting to killing when love is unrequited. Lucky for the robot lady, she isn't human; otherwise, the young man might have poisoned her to death.
That's what she thought.
But the next passage sent a chill down Zhu Hui's spine:
[After the young man left, the boss loudly called out to the remaining customers: "From now on, drinks are on the house! Enjoy yourselves, everyone!"
Though it was a treat, the boss wouldn't suffer a loss. Because in the quiet of the night, no more customers would come; besides, the drinks the boss offered were just recycled from Miss Buck's plastic tube, nothing expensive.]
Ah! Almost forgot!
The wine the robot lady drank would be recycled by the boss and sold to other customers. In other words, everyone in the bar had ingested the dreadful poison today!
Zhu Hui was instantly moved.
The short story had already concluded, and the final paragraph was written like this:
[Customers and the staff in the shop were joyously making a ruckus, toasting each other and drinking heartily. Even the boss, influenced by this atmosphere, slowly raised a glass behind the counter and leisurely took a sip.]
All descriptions abruptly stopped here.
But what happened afterward didn't need any imagination; this was the author's deliberate omission, which made it even more impactful!
"They're all dead."
This ending was completely unexpected for Zhu Hui, prompting her to exclaim, "They actually all died!"
"What?"
Her brother, puzzled, asked.
Zhu Hui didn't answer immediately. She first logged into her social media account, followed Chu Kuang, and then said:
"Chu Kuang is a talented author. His novels... are definitely worth reading."