Heart Signal Special Edition
The dinner was light but plentiful.
"Thank you for your help these past few days." Lin Jingshang put down his chopsticks and thanked him again.
"No trouble at all." Xie Dang finished eating and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "The guest room is just sitting empty anyway."
It's that same businesslike tone again.
Lin Jingshang's initial expectation slowly dissipated, and he stood up: "Then I'll be going now."
Xie Dang looked at him without moving, and simply nodded: "Mm."
Lin Jingshang pulled his suitcase to the door, grasped the doorknob, and then stopped. He turned around and looked at Xie Dang, who was still sitting at the dining table. Only a floor lamp was on in the living room, making the light dim and obscuring Xie Dang's expression.
"Mr. Xie," Lin Jingshang took a deep breath, "that pot of mint... could I pick a few leaves to take with me?"
After asking the question, he felt his heart beating a little fast.
Xie Dang raised his head and looked at him. In the dim light, his gaze was deep and unfathomable.
He was silent for a few seconds, and Lin Jingshang could almost hear his own heartbeat.
“Sure,” Xie Dang finally said. “Anytime.”
Lin Jingshang's lips curled upwards uncontrollably.
"Okay," he replied, then opened the door. "I'm leaving now, goodbye Mr. Xie."
"Be careful on the road."
The door closed gently behind me.
Xie Dang sat alone under the dim light, his gaze fixed on the pot of mint on the balcony, motionless for a long time.
Lin Jingshang pulled his suitcase into the elevator, took out a few mint leaves from his pocket—they had just picked from the balcony—and gently sniffed them, a smile spreading across his face.
On Monday morning, he had just sat down at his workstation and hadn't even had a chance to turn on his computer when the internal phone rang.
It was a call from the CEO's office.
"Lin Jingshang, come here for a moment."
"Okay, Mr. Xie."
Lin Jingshang put down the phone, feeling a little puzzled. What did Xie Dang want with him so early?
He walked to the door of the president's office and knocked.
"Enter."
Lin Jingshang pushed open the door and went in. Xie Dang was standing next to the coffee machine, holding two white bone china cups in his hands.
"Mr. Xie, you wanted to see me?"
Xie Dang turned around and handed him one of the cups of coffee.
"your."
Lin Jingshang paused for a moment, then took the cup.
The latte foam inside is dense and smooth, and the temperature is transmitted through the cup wall to the palm of your hand, warm and cozy, without any crooked latte art.
"Thank you, Mr. Xie." Lin Jingshang was somewhat flattered.
Xie Dang would bring him sandwiches on his way before, but this was the first time he had personally made coffee and delivered it to him.
"Try it." Xie Dang gestured, picked up another cup of black coffee, and walked back behind his desk.
Lin Jingshang did as he was told and took a sip.
The rich aroma of the coffee beans blended perfectly with the milk, making it far better than the coffee he made himself in the break room using the public coffee machine.
“It’s delicious,” he said sincerely.
"Okay," Xie Dang responded, his gaze falling on the computer screen as he began working.
Lin Jingshang stood there, holding the cup of coffee, unsure whether to leave or stay.
"Is there anything else?" Xie Dang looked up and glanced at him.
Lin Jingshang quickly replied, "No, no, I'll go back to work now."
"Go."
Lin Jingshang carried his coffee out of the office. Back at his workstation, he looked at the special cup of coffee in his hand, and his heart was gently filled with joy.
During his lunch break, Lin Jingshang went to the small terrace as usual.
Xie Dang arrived a little later than him today, holding a black coffee, and sat down in the chair next to Lin Jingshang.
After a while, Xie Dang suddenly spoke, looking ahead: "The coffee beans have been changed; they are more robust and less acidic."
Lin Jingshang recalled the taste of the latte he had that morning and nodded: "Yeah, I can feel it, it tasted great."
“It’s suitable for making lattes,” Xie Dang added.
Lin Jingshang turned his head to look at Xie Dang, and he suddenly understood.
Xie Dang was explaining to him, or rather, telling him, that the coffee he drank that morning was made with beans that were more to his liking.
He lowered his head, concealing the smile on his lips, and said softly, "Yes, I like it very much."
The sunlight shone on the two of them, warm and cozy, while the green plants on the terrace swayed gently.
The system seemed dissatisfied with the steady warming of the relationship between the two, which deviated from its pre-set script, and it came up with a new trick.
That evening, Lin Jingshang had just returned home and was about to relax and watch a movie when his phone and tablet were bombarded with pop-up ads, forcibly installing an app called "Heart Signal Special Edition" with a pink heart icon that looked very tacky.
He wanted to uninstall it, but found that he couldn't find the uninstall option at all.
So he opened the app, and there was only one video file inside, titled "[Essential Life Lesson: Learning Sweet Interaction Techniques]".
Lin Jingshang's lips twitched, and he took a screenshot and sent it to Xie Dang.
[Lin Jingshang]: It's starting to force us to watch instructional videos... (Attached: APP screenshot)
[BUG Partner]: We have detected that the content is a template for inefficient social behavior. We have initiated a blocking process, but it cannot be completely removed.
A while later, Xie Dang sent a compressed file directly.
[BUG Partner]: This is a processed plain text summary and analysis report of the video, which can be used for reference. You do not need to watch the original video.
Lin Jingshang opened the compressed file, which contained a document.
Xie Dang dissected the video frame by frame, summarizing techniques such as "deliberately creating physical contact," "using childish nicknames," and "making meaningless compliments." He criticized each technique with rigorous logic, demonstrating its inefficiency and unnecessaryness.
The document concludes: "In summary, the interaction model advocated in this tutorial violates basic principles of interpersonal communication and is recommended to be ignored."
Lin Jingshang looked at the analysis report and almost rolled off the sofa with laughter.
Only Xie Dang could analyze a piece of dating advice like it was a thesis.
He replied: "Received, I have studied it and benefited greatly."
[BUG Partner]: Hmm.
Lin Jingshang thought the matter was over, but the next day during lunch break, he was chatting with some colleagues in the break room when one of them suddenly exclaimed in surprise while holding up his phone.
"Hey? Has any of your phones been forced to install a pink app? I can't uninstall it!"
"Yes, yes, yes! I thought my phone had a virus!"
"What's this called 'Heart Signal'? There's even a video in it that's so cringeworthy I could dig my toes into the ground..."
Colleagues started complaining.
Clearly, everyone has become a recipient of the system's push notifications.
Lin Jingshang was startled, but remained outwardly calm: "Really? I don't think I noticed."
"Jing Shang, you didn't receive it? You're so lucky!" a colleague said enviously.
"That video is unbelievable. It teaches people how to date, like accidentally falling down and falling into each other's arms, and calling someone a 'little silly, little sweetheart'... My god, is dating all about acting these days?"
Lin Jingshang chuckled twice and echoed, "It is quite awkward."
He secretly messaged Xie Dang: "It's launching a large-scale, indiscriminate attack! Many colleagues have been infected!"
[BUG Partner]: It has been detected and covers the entire company. The initial judgment is that it is spreading after the strategy of improving the environment sweetness failed.
At that moment, several colleagues gathered together with their phones, the screen displaying the interface of that pink app.
"Look at this 'wall-slamming' tutorial, doesn't it look a lot like the rumors about President Xie and Lin..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was self-evident.
Several colleagues immediately focused their attention on Lin Jingshang.
Lin Jingshang felt a chill run down his spine. Just as he was thinking about how to get out of this, a voice rang out from behind him.
"What rumor?"
Everyone turned around and saw Xie Dang standing at the door of the tea room, holding an empty coffee cup, looking completely calm.
The person holding the phone immediately fell silent and put it away.
Xie Dang walked in, placed the coffee cup by the sink, and glanced at everyone before finally settling on Lin Jingshang.
"The technical department has notified us that the company network has been suspected of being attacked by malware, which forcibly installed illegal apps. We have arranged for emergency handling and will release an uninstallation guide shortly. Please do not panic and do not pay attention to any irrelevant information in the report."
"So it was a virus!"
"It startled me. I was wondering why it was so strange."
The colleagues suddenly realized what was happening and dispersed.
Xie Dang looked at Lin Jingshang and said calmly, "Prepare the meeting materials for this afternoon and give them to me."
“Okay, Mr. Xie,” Lin Jingshang replied immediately.
Xie Dang nodded, turned around and left the tea room.
Lin Jingshang watched his retreating figure, breathed a sigh of relief, and felt a little amused.
The system wanted to stir up trouble with its dating tutorials, but its partner casually defused it as a cyberattack.
This is probably why, in the face of absolute logic and authority, any pink bubble is just a paper tiger.
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