Truly "random"

In the second week after the world restarted, Lin Jingshang gradually adapted to this ordinary life without spoilers, and felt much more relaxed, although he occasionally felt that it lacked a bit of excitement.

His and Xie Dang's focus shifted from fighting the world to how to conduct normal social activities without being interfered with by the world's will.

That afternoon, Lin Jingshang was sent by Manager Zhang to the president's office to deliver a procurement contract that required urgent approval. He knocked on the door, but Xie Dang was not at his desk. His assistant said that Xie Dang had gone to a short meeting in the technical department and would be right back.

"Just leave the documents on the table; Mr. Xie instructed me to do so," the assistant said.

Lin Jingshang nodded, walked to the large desk, and placed the documents in the processing area. Just as he was about to leave, his gaze was drawn to a magazine with a brightly colored cover lying open on the desk.

"The Art of Love: From Beginner to Expert"?!

Lin Jingshang thought he was seeing things, so he moved closer.

That's right! It's one of those cheap, low-brow dating guide magazines! The headlines on the covers are increasingly sensational: "Three Sentences to Make Your Partner Fall for You!", "Top 10 Dating Spots - You'll Regret It If You Don't Go!", "Understand Their Micro-Expressions and Take Control of Your Relationship!"

Lin Jingshang: "..."

He felt that his worldview had been slightly shaken.

Xie Dang? Looking at this?

This is even more unbelievable than the restart of the world's will!

His gaze swept to the side and he saw several books of similar style: "High Emotional Intelligence Chatting Skills," "How to Create Unintentional Romance," and most outrageously, there was also a book called "The Psychology of Cat Behavior" hidden at the very bottom.

Lin Jingshang's lips twitched; he simply couldn't reconcile the things before him with the calm, self-possessed, and logic-driven Xie Dang.

Is this some new way to exploit bugs? Or is it to study vulnerabilities in the code of human dating programs?

Just then, footsteps came from the doorway.

Xie Dang is back.

Lin Jingshang straightened up abruptly, feeling guilty, and pretended to look at the scenery outside the window.

Xie Dang walked in, his gaze sweeping across the table. He saw the several open magazines, paused for a moment, his face expressionless, and then naturally closed the magazines, folded them aside, and picked up the documents Lin Jingshang had brought.

"Let me take a look at the contract," he said in a normal tone.

Lin Jingshang suppressed a laugh and tried his best to make his voice sound normal: "Okay, Mr. Xie."

Xie Dang looked down and flipped through the contract.

After a while, without even looking up, he suddenly spoke, his voice flat: "That's what Xiao Chen left here."

Lin Jingshang, who was lost in thought, thought: "...Huh?"

Xiao Chen? That baby-faced tech geek?

Does he look like the kind of person who would study "Three Sentences to Make Your Partner Fall in Love with You"?

“Yes, he’s been having relationship problems lately,” Xie Dang replied, signing his name on the contract.

Lin Jingshang: "...Oh."

He'd be a fool to believe that!

He took the signed documents, ready to make a quick getaway. But as he reached the door, he couldn't resist turning back to ask, "Mr. Xie, that book, 'The Psychology of Cat Behavior'... is also Xiao Chen's?"

Xie Dang raised his head and looked at him, his eyes deep.

Lin Jingshang's heart skipped a beat, feeling like he'd plucked a hair from a tiger's face. Just when he thought Xie Dang would coldly tell him to leave, he saw Xie Dang nod slightly.

"Hmm, let's take a look, by analogy."

Analogy? Analogy to what? Who's like a cat?

Lin Jingshang didn't dare to ask any more questions. He walked out with the documents in his arms, and even after returning to his workstation, the heat on his face hadn't completely dissipated.

He took out his phone, opened the chat window labeled "Debtor (Coffee)," hovered his finger in the air for a long time, and ultimately sent nothing.

Xie Dang, however, took the initiative to send a message before leaving get off work.

It's a picture.

When I opened it, it was the glass jar of lemon candies that sat on his workstation; it was almost full.

Below the picture is a caption: "The candy is almost full, bring a jar next time."

Looking at the message, Lin Jingshang recalled the pile of bizarre books in the president's office and finally couldn't help himself. He leaned on the table and chuckled softly, his shoulders shaking.

Even if the world's will is gone, his partner seems to be a walking comedic bug.

Rumors within the company about Xie Dang and Lin Jingshang have intensified after the confirmation of their affair in the banquet suite. Especially now that the world's will has restarted and there is no longer forced intervention, these gossips thrive entirely on human imagination.

That morning, as soon as Lin Jingshang sat down at his workstation, he noticed that his colleagues were looking at him with a complex mix of emotions: sympathy, curiosity, excitement, and expressions of anticipation.

Just as he was wondering, Sister Li from the administration department, whose seat was closest to his, slid over and whispered, "Jing Shang, have you heard?"

Sister Li is always well-informed.

Lin Jingshang's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm: "What did you hear?"

"It's the email the administration department just sent!" Sister Li said in a breathy voice, "In order to improve team cohesion and enhance cross-departmental communication, the company is organizing a two-person collaboration challenge!"

Lin Jingshang breathed a sigh of relief, thinking there would be some outrageous rumors about him and Xie Dang again.

"Oh, that's good," he replied casually, turning on his computer to get to work.

"What's so great about it!" Sister Li slapped him, somewhat exasperated. "The important thing is the competition rules! Registration is mandatory, and the system randomly draws teams! Three-legged race, charades, trivia quiz... all of these are events that require teamwork!"

Lin Jingshang's fingers paused on the keyboard, an ominous premonition rising in his heart.

"...Random draw?"

“Yes!” Sister Li winked. “And I heard, just heard, that General Manager Xie will also be attending! He said it’s to demonstrate the deep integration between management and the grassroots!”

Lin Jingshang: "..."

He instantly understood the meaning behind his colleagues' meaningful glances.

Given that the entire company believed he and Xie Dang were having an affair, this random draw was full of room for manipulation.

He opened his email and, sure enough, saw the official-sounding but mischievous notification.

The attachment even includes photos from previous competitions, showing colleagues forced to participate in a three-legged race, each with an expression of utter agony.

He held his forehead, feeling a bit of a headache.

Just then, his phone suddenly vibrated.

[Debtor (Coffee)]: Have you read the email?

Lin Jingshang replied: [Just saw this, Mr. Xie, are you really going to participate?]

[Debtor (Coffee)]: Hmm, the administration department mentioned it three times.

Lin Jingshang could almost picture Xie Dang's businesslike expression when he replied to the message.

He couldn't help but type: "Don't you think this random draw is a bit too deliberate?"

Xie Dang replied a little slower this time: [There's a possibility of human intervention, but it aligns with the company's operational logic.]

Lin Jingshang stared at the words, speechless with emotion.

Logical? This clearly meets the expectations of the general public!

Sure enough, when the lottery results were announced in the afternoon, the company's internal communication software briefly lags. On the big screen, a bright red arrow stops at two names side by side.

[Xie Dang & Lin Jingshang]

Wow—!

It's unclear who started it, but a burst of barely suppressed cheers and applause erupted in the office area.

Manager Zhang's face was crinkled with laughter as he patted Lin Jingshang's shoulder vigorously: "Jingshang! Do a good job! Bring honor to our department!"

Lin Jingshang stood in the center of the crowd, his face burning with embarrassment.

He secretly glanced towards the president's office. Inside the glass wall, Xie Dang was standing by the window, staring blankly at the results on the large screen, his expression unreadable.

The next second, his phone lit up.

[Debtor (Coffee)]: The results are in, get ready.

Lin Jingshang: "..."

What are you preparing? Are you preparing to perform a three-legged race in front of all the employees?

The match was scheduled for Friday afternoon. In the following days, Lin Jingshang felt that wherever he went, he received all sorts of "Go for it!" and "We believe in you!" looks.

He even overheard two colleagues in the company restroom stall making a bet about whether he and Xie Dang could be in sync during a charades game.

Lin Jingshang sat on the toilet, utterly despondent.

The day of the competition finally arrived. The company had rented a venue at a nearby stadium, and the atmosphere was lively, like a school sports meet.

When Xie Dang appeared in sportswear, the entire venue was silent for a second before erupting into even more heated discussions.

The lottery box was brought out, and the head of administration smiled broadly: "To ensure absolute fairness and impartiality, we will draw lots one last time to determine everyone's teammates!"

Lin Jingshang held onto a sliver of hope.

What if? What if we don't get to draw them together this time?

Then he watched as Xie Dang walked forward expressionlessly, calmly pulled out a slip of paper, unfolded it, and faced the camera.

The note had three words printed on it: 【Lin Jingshang】

It's a cover-up! Absolutely a cover-up!

Lin Jingshang screamed inwardly, but could only manage an awkward yet polite smile on his face.

Xie Dang walked up to him, looked down at him, and said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, "It's a pleasure to cooperate with you."

Lin Jingshang chuckled dryly, "Enjoyable, enjoyable."

The first activity was the three-legged race.

The staff brought over some straps, and Xie Dang naturally bent down and tightly bound the two people's calves together.

As the distance suddenly closed, Lin Jingshang could smell a refreshing soap scent on him, different from his usual cologne. It was faint, probably because he had changed it specifically for exercise.

"Nervous?" Xie Dang asked, looking up as he fastened his belt.

Lin Jingshang stubbornly replied, "...It's alright."