You can see it too?
Lin Jingshang stood in front of the photocopier, feeling like a pre-programmed robot. His right hand handed out the document, his left hand retrieved the copy, his back straight, his angle precise. This wasn't out of professionalism, but out of fear. Any unnecessary movement could trigger a hidden plotline in this world.
For example, right now, a bolded comment was uncontrollably flashing through his mind: [In three seconds, the new intern will accidentally spill coffee on Manager Zhang's bespoke suit.]
Lin Jingshang didn't even lift his eyelids.
"oops!"
Splash—
A woman's gasp and the clatter of a glass hitting the ground came from behind, followed by Manager Zhang's low growl, barely containing his anger.
The time, place, people, and events are all exactly as described.
Lin Jingshang sighed inwardly.
Look, here we go again.
This inexplicable ability to spoil plot points is a condition he suddenly developed last month.
At first, he thought he was hallucinating from staying up all night, but after he foresaw three elevator malfunctions, two instances of the cafeteria chicken legs disappearing in seconds, and the precise moment when his supervisor's signature wig was blown away by the wind, he resigned himself to his fate.
He, Lin Jingshang, an office worker NPC, seems to have gotten stuck in the backend of this world, able to see a few lines of code that are about to run.
This ability is utterly useless, except for letting him experience despair prematurely.
Now, those damned glowing words, pink again, began to appear in the air before him:
[Scene Triggered: In the stairwell, you will have your first encounter with CEO Xie Dang. He will be attracted by your unique (slacking off) demeanor, corner you against the wall, and utter the classic line: "Man, you've successfully caught my attention."]
Lin Jingshang: "..."
Lead me to my ass! He was just planning to sneak down the fire escape to buy a milk tea, and that's considered special? Is this CEO's threshold made of paper?
He turned around and wanted to go back, even if he had to sit at his workstation until he grew mushrooms, he would never go to that damn stairwell.
However, his body's momentum betrayed him. Just moments before, to avoid the coffee tragedy, he had taken half a step towards the fire door, and now his elbow had struck the doorknob. The fire door slammed open, the loud noise echoing through the quiet office area.
All the colleagues, including Manager Zhang who was wiping his suit and the sobbing intern, turned to look.
Lin Jingshang stood frozen in place, with only one thought in his mind: It's over, one wrong step and I'm going straight into a plot-driven death.
He steeled himself and, amidst the "goodbye, warrior" gazes of his colleagues, numbly walked into the stairwell. The heavy fire door closed behind him, shutting him out of the outside world.
The stairwell was empty, with the green light from the emergency exit casting a dim glow. A tall man stood by the window with his back to him, dressed in a suit and tie, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Just by looking at his back, you could tell he was quite wealthy.
They've arrived.
The legendary CEO, Xie Dang.
Lin Jingshang resignedly closed his eyes, waiting for the classic wall slam and cheesy lines. He could even see the line of code loading: [Xie Dang turns around, his gaze deep, one hand against the wall...]
The man turned around.
Lin Jingshang held his breath, and their eyes met.
Xie Dang's face showed no trace of arrogance or wickedness, only exhaustion, as if he had been in a trance-like state after an eight-hour meeting. He looked Lin Jingshang up and down, his brows furrowing slightly.
Here it comes! It's about to be told!
Lin Jingshang could practically conjure up the background music in his mind.
Xie Dang finally spoke, his voice low, but the content was completely different: "Do you... have any cash on you?"
Lin Jingshang: "...Huh?"
I knew this scene wasn't in the script!
Xie Dang seemed a little irritated. He raised his hand and loosened his tie, a gesture that didn't look cool but rather like he was feeling uncomfortable with it.
"My phone's dead, can you lend me twenty to buy an Americano?" He paused, then added, "I'll have the finance department reimburse you, three times the amount."
Lin Jingshang's brain CPU is about to overheat.
A domineering CEO borrows money? Twenty? The plot can't be this bad, can it?
He stared blankly at Xie Dang, who was also looking at him, his eyes surprisingly conveying a sense of urgency, as if to say, "Hurry up, I'm in a hurry."
Just then, the air in front of Lin Jingshang fluctuated again, and new text appeared frantically: [Warning! Severe plot deviation detected! Forced correction procedure initiated!]
[Execution order: Xie Dang, immediately pin the target Lin Jingshang against the wall, within ten centimeters, and utter the key line: "Man, you have successfully caught my attention."]
Lin Jingshang's pupils contracted.
Almost simultaneously, he saw Xie Dang's body stiffen, and his previously tired eyes flashed with rage. He resisted fiercely, but like a puppet, he was pulled by invisible strings, and his arm rose uncontrollably, reaching towards Lin Jingshang. Because the movement was not smooth, it looked somewhat strange.
It's coming! Forced love in a physically defined sense!
Alarm bells rang in Lin Jingshang's mind. Just as that long, strong hand was about to touch his shoulder, his survival instinct, or rather, his deep disgust for the melodramatic plot, made him jump back sharply, his back slamming against the fire door. But he didn't care about that now.
He raised his hands, speaking rapidly, his voice trembling: "It's on me! I'll treat you to an Americano! Luckin Coffee downstairs is only 19.9 yuan with a coupon! No need to pay triple!"
Xie Dang's raised arm froze in mid-air.
The invisible force controlling him seemed to be rendered helpless by this response brimming with the wisdom of a corporate slave.
The power fluctuated slightly, like a faulty current, and disappeared with a few hissing sounds.
Xie Dang's arm fell to his side. He breathed a slight sigh of relief, and there were fine beads of sweat on his forehead. He looked at Lin Jingshang again, his eyes now filled with complex emotions, no longer simply showing exhaustion or the indifference of a stranger asking for money.
He was silent for two seconds, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"Okay," he said. "Iced."
Then, as if afraid that the bizarre plot would resurface, he added in a low voice, "Urgent."
Lin Jingshang rushed downstairs to Luckin Coffee at the fastest speed he had ever been, not daring to delay for a moment. His mind was a mess, like a ball of yarn that had been played with by a cat.
Xie Dang, the legendary chosen one, the core of the plot, is actually rebelling against the plot? And his way of rebelling is by asking to borrow twenty yuan from him?
This is even more shocking than him knowing he's an NPC.
"An iced Americano, rush!" He was panting, leaning over the counter, his fingers trembling as he scanned the code to pay.
Nineteen yuan and ninety cents, I bought out a possible wall slam, what a steal.
When he returned to the stairwell with the life-saving coffee, Xie Dang was still leaning against the window in the same position, looking him up and down.
"Mr. Xie, your coffee."
Lin Jingshang handed over the cup respectfully, inwardly cursing: Hurry up and drink it. Once this plot hole is fixed, we can go our separate ways.
Xie Dang took the drink; his fingertips were icy cold. When they touched Lin Jingshang's hand, both of them paused. He didn't drink it, staring at Lin Jingshang, and suddenly asked out of the blue, "What...did you just see?"
Lin Jingshang's heart skipped a beat, but he feigned ignorance: "What did you see? Mr. Xie, I just went downstairs to buy a cup of coffee..."
“Those words,” Xie Dang interrupted him, his voice low but firm, “floating in the air, pink, the words that caught my attention.”
"!!!"
Lin Jingshang felt a chill run down his spine.
How could he have known?! Isn't this his own illness? Could it be...?
An absurd yet perfectly logical conjecture exploded in his mind: it wasn't that he had exploited a bug in the world, but rather that the world itself had a massive bug in the two of them! Xie Dang, the male protagonist, could also see the script!
Seeing Lin Jingshang's instantly blank expression, Xie Dang got his answer. He tugged at the corners of his mouth, but the smile was devoid of any warmth.
"It seems you are too."
"Also..." Lin Jingshang repeated, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, "President Xie, you...you've been able to see all along?"
“Starting from when we become conscious.” Xie Dang took a sip of his iced Americano, his brow furrowing.
He was clearly not satisfied with the quality of the coffee that cost 19.9 yuan.
“You must step out with your left foot first, and when you meet a woman in red, you must say ‘You are special.’ Every Friday at 3 p.m., you must stand at this window and contemplate life…” He listed them off in a calm tone, but the content was shocking, “like a puppet on a string with a pre-programmed script.”
Lin Jingshang felt a chill run down his spine.
Unlike his occasional spoiler comments, Xie Dang lives within a dense set of behavioral rules.
This isn't the chosen one, this is the ultimate prisoner!
“Then… just now…” Lin Jingshang pointed to the spot where the wall slamming almost happened just now.
“A forced command.” Xie Dang’s eyes darkened. “Usually it’s irresistible, but today, your statement about nineteen yuan and ninety cents seems to have short-circuited its logic.” He looked at Lin Jingshang, his gaze deep.
Lin Jingshang: "..."
So, what defeated magic wasn't more advanced magic, but the stingy economics of the overworked office worker?
Just then, text appeared before Lin Jingshang's eyes again, this time in a glaring red: [Warning! Key plot point, initial encounter, incomplete! World stability decreased by 0.01%! Attempting repair...]
[New task generated: Target Lin Jingshang is required to deliver the important documents that President Xie Dang accidentally left behind to the President's office today. Triggers a one-on-one scene.]
Lin Jingshang looked at the words, feeling nothing at all; he even felt a little amused.
Lost documents? Such an old trope, and they actually dare to use it? Besides, Xie Dang was empty-handed, so where did the lost documents come from? Are they going to generate one on the spot?
As he was thinking, he caught a glimpse of the edge of the windowsill out of the corner of his eye. The air seemed to distort, and a brown paper folder, as if printed out of thin air, slowly solidified and fell to the ground with a thud.
Lin Jingshang: "..."
Xie Dang: "..."
The two stared at the document that had appeared out of nowhere on the ground and fell silent.
The will of this world has truly abandoned all shame in its pursuit of forced pairings.
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