If she hadn't just wired some money to that deadbeat dad, Cherry Miller might have softened up again.
Cherry Miller touched her phone, steeled her heart, and pretended nothing had happened.
Ethan Yin didn't look the least bit discouraged and kept chatting with Cherry Miller over dinner as usual.
After dinner, they headed straight for the Furniture Expo.
The Furniture Expo took up an entire building.
The first floor mainly featured ordinary furniture brands, so it was the busiest with people coming and going.
The second floor showcased mid-to-high-end furniture, so there were far fewer people.
On the third floor were the top brands—only pre-orders, no on-site purchases.
The fourth floor displayed smart home technology, drawing quite a crowd.
Can't afford it? Doesn't mean you can't look!
So a lot of young people gathered there.
Ethan Yin and Cherry Miller went straight to the fourth floor. As soon as they entered, Cherry was captivated by a cute little robot.
A small robot zipped over with a tray and greeted them in a sweet, childlike voice: "Handsome big brother, pretty big sister, would you like a tangy, refreshing cold drink?"
Ethan Yin couldn't help but laugh. "Robots are this good at giving compliments now?" he joked.
The little robot's eyes instantly turned into two peach hearts. "That's because big brother and big sister really are good-looking!" it replied.
Cherry Miller laughed too. "Could you get us three iced black teas, please?"
"Sure!" the robot chirped sweetly, then turned around and pulled three iced black teas from its belly, placing them on the tray. "Thirty yuan total, thank you for your patronage."
Then the little robot skillfully flipped out its own QR code.
Quentin Sheng took out his phone to scan and pay, and the robot promptly handed the iced black teas to the three of them.
"What's your name, cutie?" Cherry hugged her chilly iced tea and couldn't help teasing the little robot.
"My name is Sweetie. Sweet as in sugar, and 'ie' as in baby." The little robot's soft, childish voice drew a crowd.
"Sweetie is adorable," Cherry praised.
Sweetie immediately replied, "Big sister, you're adorable too!"
Everyone around burst out laughing. "This little robot is pretty interesting. AI has really come a long way!"
"I think the business owners really know what they're doing. Look at them—no need for salespeople, and they're selling stuff effortlessly. The only thing is, this setup must cost a fortune!"
"This year's Furniture Expo is actually pretty fun."
Cherry couldn't help teasing Sweetie again: "Do you have to sell drinks as part of your job, Sweetie?"
"That's right." Sweetie blinked and answered sweetly, "I have to sell lots of drinks to pay for my own electricity!"
"Sweetie, you're so capable! You're a self-sufficient, hardworking kid!" Cherry praised.
Sweetie blushed on its display screen, making everyone laugh even harder.
After that, even more people gathered to watch.
Many people pulled out their phones and started filming Sweetie.
Ethan Yin held his cold drink, smiling at Cherry Miller. But a sudden thought flashed through his mind: Cherry loves kids so much—would their child together be just as adorable?
Once that thought appeared, he couldn't shake it.
Ethan kept glancing at Cherry, his gaze growing softer and more intense.
Cherry noticed Ethan's look and thought maybe she'd lingered too long, making him unhappy. She quickly stopped teasing Sweetie and said, "Let's go check out the other exhibits."
"Mm," Ethan replied noncommittally.
Cherry smiled and waved at Sweetie. "Bye, Sweetie."
"Goodbye, adorable big sister," Sweetie replied politely.
Not long after the three of them left, Derek Tang arrived on the fourth floor with Tina Tian. From afar, they spotted a crowd gathered around a little robot.
Tina Tian, being young and curious, couldn't help but go over for a closer look.
She saw a crowd gathered around a little robot, buying drinks.
Tina Tian curled her lip. "Another marketing gimmick! Businesses will do anything to make money."
Sweetie the robot overheard Tina and turned to her. "Excuse me, ma'am, would you like a drink?"
Tina immediately got annoyed. "You just called someone else 'pretty auntie,' so why do you call me 'ma'am'? Are you saying I'm not pretty?"
Sweetie's screen showed a straight line, clearly thinking hard. "But that auntie really was beautiful! As for you, ma'am... you don't seem very distinctive!"
To prove its point, Sweetie's screen flipped rapidly, displaying dozens of influencer faces—all with identical brows, eyes, noses, mouths, and pointy chins.
Honestly, Tina Tian's face matched most of the ones on screen.
Many people around couldn't help but laugh, some even snorting out loud.
Tina had never been so embarrassed in her life!
She'd spent hundreds of thousands on plastic surgery!
And now she was being dissed by a little robot!
Furious, Tina Tian grabbed a drink from Sweetie's tray and smashed it on the ground. "Who do you think you are!"
Everyone around was startled by Tina's behavior.
A human, actually getting mad at a robot.
Her conduct was just...
Derek Tang was embarrassed.
He was used to running with high society—always surrounded by people with status and class. He'd never do something this low.
If Tina Tian wasn't young, pretty, and his type, he'd never have brought her along.
Still, this made his decision clear: latch onto Miss Li and never let go—he could keep a bunch of pretty young things on the side.
"Enough!" Derek Tang snapped, seeing people heading their way. His face burned with embarrassment as he grabbed Tina Tian's arm. "Haven't you made enough of a scene? Let's go!"
With that, he dragged Tina Tian away without giving her a chance to protest.
After Derek and Tina left, Sweetie the robot waited for its owner to arrive, then complained sadly, "Master, someone smashed Sweetie's drink just now."
Sweetie's owner comforted it: "It's okay, Sweetie. You did great. We don't hold grudges against rude people."
Reassured by its owner, Sweetie finally smiled. "Sweetie wants the best electricity!"
"Alright, alright," the owner replied.
The onlookers burst into friendly laughter.
Unbeknownst to everyone, a camera had faithfully recorded the whole scene and soon uploaded it online.
The short video was posted on Douyin and instantly caught everyone's attention.
At first, netizens happily watched the video of an outrageously handsome guy and a cute, delicate girl playing with adorable Sweetie, laughing along with them.
But soon, when the next group appeared, it turned into a plastic-surgery influencer with a sharp tongue, picking fights and smashing Sweetie's drink—sparking public outrage.
"Oh my god! I was just swooning over the first couple's looks, then got instantly annoyed by the influencer's face! Seriously, that pretty and kind big sister is a hundred times classier than that influencer!"
"Tsk tsk, throwing a tantrum just because Sweetie didn't call her beautiful? Who spoiled her like that? Sweetie was right! Her face is barely recognizable! Calling her 'ma'am' was already generous!"
"I'm dying from Sweetie's cuteness! That influencer who bullied Sweetie can get lost!"
"Both girls, but one's kind and gracious, the other's mean and petty. What a difference! As a guy, I'd only go for the first big sister—she's pretty, kind, and adorable!"
"Wait, did I just see something? Oh my god, isn't that our CEO... beep—"
"Hey, did you just spill some secret and get silenced? Do you know that super handsome guy? Say something, come on!"
Within just an hour, the video was shared countless times, racking up hundreds of thousands of comments and filling the screen with little hearts—it went totally viral.
Ethan Yin and Cherry Miller became internet sensations—without even knowing it.