Baby Damai's forward motion came to a halt.
It pressed on the screen with two bangs to dismiss the message and turned its electronic eyes toward the two men in the living room.
Xi jiu and Ruan Munan were seated on single sofas on either side. A large coffee table was in between them, with Dahui and Xiaohui desperately trying to squeeze their dog heads under it.
The air faintly smelt of gunpowder.
Baby Damai stood at the doorway for a few seconds before slowly making its way into the living room.
Neither Xi Jiu nor Ruan Munan looked at it.
The atmosphere was incredibly tense and fraught with conflict.
Baby Damai silently approached the sofa, extended its mechanical arm, pulled out the power cord from behind its bottom, and 'click', plugged it into the socket.
"Beep—Breakfast time has come!"
What followed was a cheerful and cute rendition of "Little Jumping Frog".
Ruan Munan: "..."
Xi Jiu: "..."
Both men's eyelids twitched simultaneously.
Just then, the front door opened.