Is your heart racing?
Lin Jingshang felt a warmth in his heart as he read the message. Xie Dang always arranged the trivial matters before he even had a chance to speak.
[Lin Jingshang]: Thank you, Mr. Xie.
He sat down again, ready to finish the last part in one go. Just then, his phone vibrated again, this time not a message, but a voice call request.
From [BUG Partner].
Lin Jingshang was somewhat surprised and answered the call: "President Xie?"
"Hmm." A familiar voice came from the other end of the phone. The background noise was very quiet, as if it were in some enclosed space. "Keep it on, it's a bit noisy."
Lin Jingshang: "...Huh?"
A bit noisy? What do you mean?
He didn't ask any more questions, put his phone on the table, and put it on speakerphone. Xie Dang didn't say anything, but occasionally the sound of turning pages could be heard.
What kind of noise is this? This is clearly white noise level quiet.
Strangely, Lin Jingshang, who had been feeling somewhat irritable from working overtime alone, gradually calmed down.
He refocused on the screen, his fingers flying across the keyboard.
The office felt completely different when he was alone. There was someone on the other end of the phone, who might also be working, or perhaps just quietly sharing this moment with him.
After what seemed like an eternity, Lin Jingshang finally typed the last period, saved the document, and let out a long sigh of relief.
"All done?" Xie Dang's voice came through the phone at just the right moment, as if he had been keeping an eye on what was happening on his end.
"Okay, all done." Lin Jingshang leaned back in his chair, his tone light and cheerful.
“Okay, let’s go downstairs,” Xie Dang replied.
"Huh?" Lin Jingshang didn't react.
“The basement,” Xie Dang added, before the call was disconnected.
Lin Jingshang looked at the screen indicating the end of the call, blinked, and couldn't help but smile. He quickly shut down his computer, packed his things, and walked briskly towards the elevator.
In the underground parking garage, the black sedan's hazard lights were already on. He opened the car door and got in. The car was filled with the aroma of food—takeout bags from that Cantonese tea restaurant, which he had always liked.
"Let's eat something first." Xie Dang started the car.
Lin Jingshang fastened his seatbelt, looked at the CEO beside him, and then glanced back at the takeout bag on the back seat. He felt a sense of security and warmth in his heart.
The system doesn't seem to have given up, but its methods have become somewhat naive.
That day, Lin Jingshang needed to print a project report that was dozens of pages long. He walked to the public printer, and as soon as he sent the document over, the machine started buzzing, which sounded a bit strange. The status light flashed wildly, indicating a paper jam.
He sighed, resignedly opened the printer cover, and tried to free the jammed paper.
The machine was quite old and had a complicated structure. He was clumsy and tried for a long time but couldn't get the paper out. It seemed to be stuck even more tightly.
Just as he was at a loss with the machine, he heard footsteps behind him.
"What's wrong?"
Lin Jingshang turned around and saw Xie Dang standing behind him at some point, holding an empty coffee cup, seemingly heading to the break room.
"It's stuck," Lin Jingshang said, stepping aside with a hint of helplessness. "It seems to be stuck quite deep."
Xie Dang placed the coffee cup on the table beside him, rolled up his shirt sleeves to reveal his well-defined forearms, stepped forward, and bent down to examine the inside of the printer.
“A4 paper, 70 grams, fed longitudinally,” he said calmly as he observed and analyzed, “It’s highly likely that the paper exit’s separation claw is misaligned and has caught on the edge of the paper.”
Lin Jingshang watched him manipulate a few parts with practiced skill and nimble fingers, a demeanor completely different from his usual signing of documents.
Within seconds, Xie Dang straightened up, holding the rescued piece of paper in his hand, which was now somewhat crumpled.
"Okay." He handed the paper to Lin Jingshang.
"Thank you, Mr. Xie!" Lin Jingshang took the paper, his admiration genuine.
Sure enough, even a top student is this good at fixing printers.
Xie Dang didn't say anything, picked up the coffee cup that was placed aside, and prepared to leave. Just then, the printer seemed to have been switched on by some strange switch, and suddenly started spitting out paper frantically.
Blank A4 sheets of paper kept popping up, quickly forming a small stack.
Lin Jingshang: "???"
What's wrong with this machine? Is it completely broken?
Xie Dang stopped in his tracks, frowned as he looked at the white papers that were being spat out, and took a step forward, wanting to check the machine again.
On the top sheet of those white papers, faint pink writing suddenly began to appear.
He looks so handsome when he's focused on repairing it!
[Your fingers are so pretty!]
My heart is racing!
Lin Jingshang froze instantly upon seeing those few lines of text that suddenly appeared, filled with a fangirl vibe, his cheeks flushing bright red.
This system is awful! Could it get any more awkward?!
Xie Dang obviously saw it too, paused, and looked at Lin Jingshang's flushed cheeks for two seconds.
Then, under Lin Jingshang's gaze that made him wish he could disappear into the ground, Xie Dang expressionlessly reached out, picked up the top sheet of paper, and wrote down lines that were so awkward they were almost unbearable.
He looked down at himself, then looked up at Lin Jingshang, raising an eyebrow slightly: "Your heart is racing?"
Lin Jingshang: "!!!"
No! I didn't! Don't talk nonsense!
He opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but found his throat dry and unable to utter a single word.
Because it seems, maybe, perhaps, while Xie Dang was focused on repairing the printer, his heart did indeed skip a beat.
Before he could answer, Xie Dang looked back at the paper and objectively commented: "The rhetorical devices are simplistic, and the emotional expression is superficial."
After saying that, he casually crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it into the trash can a few steps away. Then, he reached out and pressed the printer's forced stop button.
"The machine is old; I suggest the administration department replace it as soon as possible." Xie Dang left this suggestion, picked up his coffee cup, and turned to leave the printing area.
Lin Jingshang was left alone at the scene, staring at the pile of white paper that had finally stopped spewing out and a printer that had returned to silence, his face still burning with embarrassment.
He touched his heart, which seemed to be beating a little irregularly, and then looked at the crumpled paper in the trash can.
So what just happened was like the system forcibly reading your mind?
The person in question saw it?
Lin Jingshang covered his face, feeling like he couldn't continue working this shift.
For several days, Lin Jingshang felt uneasy whenever he saw Xie Dang, as if Xie Dang had seen right through him, even though Xie Dang himself acted as usual.
That afternoon, the weather was unusually hot and humid. Just before the end of the workday, there was a sudden thunderstorm, and a torrential downpour began, making it almost impossible to see the buildings across the street.
Colleagues lamented that they hadn't brought umbrellas and discussed calling a taxi or waiting for someone to bring them.
Lin Jingshang remained calm, even somewhat expectant. As usual, the spare umbrella in President Xie's office would probably come in handy again.
Sure enough, the phone rang right on time.
[BUG Partner]: It's raining heavily, the umbrella is in the usual place.
Lin Jingshang's lips curved into a smile as he replied: [Received, thank you, Mr. Xie.]
He lingered until almost everyone in the office had left before leisurely making his way to the CEO's office. Inside, Xie Dang appeared to be in a video conference, speaking intently to his computer screen.
Lin Jingshang didn't disturb them. He tiptoed in, pushed the door open a crack, and slipped inside, ready to grab the umbrella and slip away.
When he walked to the umbrella stand next to the sofa, he froze.
There was indeed an umbrella standing in the umbrella holder, now a brand new, transparent umbrella, the packaging still not completely opened.
This art style is off...
Lin Jingshang subconsciously glanced at Xie Dang behind the desk. Xie Dang had just finished his meeting, closed his laptop, and looked up at him, his gaze sweeping over the transparent umbrella.
“The previous one was sent for repair.” Xie Dang stood up and picked up his suit jacket draped over the back of the chair. “It’s a spare umbrella purchased by the administration department.”
Lin Jingshang was skeptical, but picked up the transparent umbrella.
This looks like one of those emergency umbrellas that costs twenty yuan at a convenience store; it's not even in the same league as the one Xie Dang had before.
He didn't ask any more questions, thanked them, and walked out of the office with his umbrella.
During rush hour, the entrance to the office building was crowded with people without umbrellas. Lin Jingshang opened his transparent umbrella and stepped into the rain.
The rain pattered against the umbrella, then slid down, forming a curtain of water. Through the umbrella, he could see the city lights, blurred by the rain, like paint spreading out.
This umbrella is indeed very light, but its wind protection is only so-so.
For some reason, Lin Jingshang felt more at ease walking through the crowded streets with this ordinary transparent umbrella.
He no longer needed to worry about whether the umbrella ribs were too heavy, nor did he need to care whether the umbrella matched his status; it was simply a tool to keep out the rain.
As Lin Jingshang walked towards the subway entrance, he looked up unintentionally and saw a familiar figure ahead through the transparent umbrella.
Xie Dang did not take a car either.
He stood by the roadside, holding a transparent umbrella exactly like the one Lin Jingshang was holding, seemingly waiting for the red light.
.
Two identical, transparent umbrellas stood out starkly in the rain.
Lin Jingshang slowed his pace.
It turned out that Xie Dang had changed his umbrella himself, to one that was the same as his—ordinary and transparent.
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