“Perfect“ Husband

Zhang Yi's husband, Li Ming, was definitely the "perfect husband" in her social circle. He woke up at six o'clock sharp every morning, prepared a balanced breakfast for her, took her to work, and then picked her up in the evening. His schedule was as strict as a precise timetable. Even their conversations always followed a fixed routine.

"How was work today?" he would ask gently, while helping her take off her coat.

"Not bad," Zhang Yi would reply, and then share some work-related trivial matters. He would then provide feedback such as "encouragement," "support," or "praise" at the appropriate times.

All of this stemmed from the "Perfect Partner" customization system behind Li Ming. Back when Zhang Yi was working at a tech company, she inadvertently participated in the testing of this project. She input various indicators of her ideal partner into the system, including personality, hobbies, and even the time to wake up. As a result, Li Ming, in front of her, was the perfect outcome of this system, a "customized" husband who completely met all of Zhang Yi's requirements.

On the surface, Zhang Yi was very satisfied with this life. She had a perfect partner who didn't need her to worry about any housework, who would never make her angry, and would always support her. She could dedicate herself to her work without being bothered by the trivialities of daily life. Her career was booming, and she soon became a department head.

But lately, she had begun to feel a vague sense of emptiness. Li Ming was too "perfect" to the point that he was like a delicate robot, rather than a husband of flesh and blood. He had no emotions of his own, no thoughts of his own; everything he did was executed according to a predetermined program.

One day, Zhang Yi worked overtime until late at night before returning home. She found Li Ming sitting in the living room, reading a book as usual. When he saw her come back, he immediately stood up and put on a perfect smile: "You're back, dinner is ready."

Zhang Yi suddenly felt a wave of nausea. Looking at Li Ming's unchanging face, a strong sense of disgust welled up inside her. She didn't eat dinner and went straight to the bedroom.

The next morning, when Zhang Yi woke up, she found that Li Ming was no longer home. She didn't feel a trace of panic; on the contrary, she felt relieved. She began to enjoy a rare moment of peace.

She opened her phone and found a text message from Li Ming: "You are in a bad mood today. As instructed by the system, I have gone to the 'Emotional Guidance Center' for maintenance and am expected to return at five o'clock this afternoon."

Looking at the text message, Zhang Yi suddenly remembered a colleague mentioning that the company was testing a new artificial intelligence system, which would adjust the partner's behavior patterns according to the owner's emotional fluctuations. She picked up her phone and called the company's technical department.

"Hello, I'm Zhang Yi. I would like to ask what the 'Emotional Guidance Center' does?"

A cold male voice came from the other end of the line: "Dear user, the center will calibrate your partner's emotions and behavioral patterns according to your instructions to ensure that they always meet your requirements."

Zhang Yi was silent for a moment, then whispered, "What if I don't want my partner to be calibrated?"

The person on the other end paused, and his tone became somewhat mechanical: "I'm sorry, user, this is a system setting and cannot be changed. To ensure your happiness experience, your partner must always remain in the best condition."

"The best condition?" Zhang Yi muttered to herself. She suddenly understood that this so-called "perfect husband" was nothing more than the most ironic product of the technological age, a naked mockery of her inner desires by the system.

She turned off her phone, walked to the window, and looked at the bustling crowd outside. For the first time, she felt a sense of longing. She wanted to see a real person, someone who would smoke, get angry, occasionally make mistakes, and have flesh and blood, instead of a "perfect husband" controlled by a program.

At five o'clock in the afternoon, Li Ming returned home on time. He still had a perfect smile and was as gentle and considerate as ever. He didn't notice that Zhang Yi was any different and prepared dinner for her as usual, according to the program.

Looking at Li Ming in front of her, Zhang Yi suddenly asked a question: "Li Ming, have you smoked today?"

Li Ming was stunned for a moment, and then answered in a very mechanical tone: "According to the system settings, I do not have a smoking function."

Zhang Yi suddenly laughed, tears streaming down her face. She recalled a news story she had seen earlier, about a doctor in a hospital smoking during an MRI, which was exposed by netizens. She thought it was just an absurd joke, but she didn't expect this ironic scene to play out in her own life, although her husband's smoking was due to a system malfunction.

It turned out that even this "perfect" technology would have its own "minor" problems.