Fear of heights
My premonition soon came true.
The new plot hints arrive as expected. This time, the scene is the company rooftop, a classic dangerous setting. The core event is: [Xie Dang heroically saves Lin Jingshang from a near-fall, their hearts racing as they teeter on the edge of life and death, their bodies pressed close together...]
Lin Jingshang watched the "accidental fall" and felt a cramp in his legs. Even though he knew it was part of the plot, his fear of heights was a physiological reaction!
The wind is very strong on the rooftop.
Following the script, Lin Jingshang cautiously approached the railing, feigning a dejected expression. He could feel the invisible force beginning to push him further, and his feet seemed to slip slightly.
Just then, Xie Dang appeared as expected, took a step forward, and firmly grabbed his wrist.
He's here! A hero saves the damsel in distress!
As planned, Lin Jingshang was supposed to fall into his arms and complete the scene of her heart racing.
However, plans can't keep up with changes.
The moment Xie Dang grabbed his wrist, Lin Jingshang's fear of heights kicked in completely. His mind went blank, and he instinctively clung to Xie Dang's arm with all his might, like a koala, hanging onto Xie Dang's body. This wasn't intimate at all; it was purely his survival instinct making him want to leave immediately.
Xie Dang was pulled so hard he almost stumbled, and the two of them nearly performed a trapeze act together.
The anticipated deep eye contact did not occur.
Lin Jingshang completely lost control of himself. His eyes were tightly closed, his face was deathly pale, and his voice was trembling with sobs as he began to scream, "Mommy, save me! I was wrong, I shouldn't have gone to the rooftop! I promise I'll work hard from now on and never slack off again! Mr. Xie, hold on tight! Don't let go! I've never been in a relationship before, I don't want to die! Ahhhhhh!"
Xie Dang: "..."
He looked down at the guy in his arms, who was trembling like a leaf, incoherent, and who seemed ready to wipe his snot and tears on his bespoke suit at any moment, and remained silent for two seconds.
Then, he raised his head, facing the void, or rather, the world's will that might be monitoring the scene, and began to state in a calm tone: "This interaction has zero correlation with positive emotions such as romance or attraction."
Lin Jingshang was still wailing, "Waaaaah, I want to get down..."
[...]
[Sentiment Analysis Module: Running...]
Keywords detected: mother, don't want to die, dating.
[Emotional type match: Fear, Despair. This is a serious mismatch with the preset template (Infatuation, Ambiguous Relationship)!]
[Logical conflict! Incomprehensible! Core sentiment algorithm...buzzing...overloaded!]
The sky visibly darkened, not because of dark clouds obscuring the sun, but more like a monitor suddenly having its brightness turned down.
The concrete ground beneath their feet was instantly transformed into a field covered in green moss, and the railings at the edge of the rooftop twisted into comical gummy candy shapes.
The world's repair function seemed to be stuck; this bug lasted for a full ten seconds.
Xie Dang half-carried and half-dragged Lin Jingshang away from the railing area until his back was against a safe wall, at which point the pixelated blocks and gummy railings returned to normal.
Lin Jingshang, still shaken, slid down the wall and sat on the ground, panting heavily.
Xie Dang straightened his disheveled tie and suit, his posture composed, though his breathing was slightly rapid. He looked at Lin Jingshang, whose face was pale, without mockery, but raised an eyebrow.
"The effect is remarkable, delivering extremely realistic negative emotions with an aggression that exceeds expectations."
Lin Jingshang weakly raised his head, on the verge of tears: "Next time... could you choose a... down-to-earth... negative emotion? Like... anger?"
Xie Dang thought for a second, then nodded: "Okay, next time it arranges for you to deliver a love-filled bento box to me, you can choose to dump the food on my face."
Lin Jingshang: "..."
He suddenly realized that this partner was sometimes more terrifying than the will of the world.
Looking at the sky and railings restored to normal, he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. Not only could they survive in the cracks of the rules, but they could also deliberately bring this damned world to a standstill.
"Mr. Xie." Lin Jingshang stood up, leaning against the wall, his eyes sparkling. "How long was it stuck just now?"
"Seventeen seconds," Xie Dang reported the exact time.
"The record has been broken again." Lin Jingshang grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, a little smug. "Looks like we're doing a pretty good job as loophole partners."
For the next few days, the world seemed to be in a state of existential doubt. For several days in a row, Lin Jingshang's surroundings were completely quiet, without even a friendly reminder to "remember to drink water."
He found this a bit unusual, so he secretly messaged Xie Dang: "Is it brewing something big?"
Xie Dang replied quickly: [The probability is as high as 87.5%. Based on current data analysis, its self-optimization ability should not be underestimated. It is recommended to remain vigilant and prepare multiple contingency plans.]
Lin Jingshang looked at the string of numbers accurate to one decimal place, curled his lip, and thought that partnering with this kind of person was really lacking in even the slightest bit of romance.
Sure enough, the calm was broken on Friday afternoon.
A new plot point emerges, but its style differs from before, resembling more of a probe: [A warm scene: the staff cafeteria.]
[Key Event: Xie Dang unexpectedly shares a table with Lin Jingshang for lunch, engaging in a friendly exchange about a sweet and sour dish, thus enhancing their understanding of each other.]
[Note: This interaction is relatively low-intensity, focusing on cultivating a daily atmosphere.]
Lin Jingshang stared at the "friendly exchange" and stroked his chin.
It seems the extreme fear from last time has left this broken program with psychological trauma, so in order to advance the romance storyline, it's starting to take a slow, insidious approach.
He immediately sent a message to Xie Dang, along with his analysis: "[It's learned its lesson; it's not using strong medicine anymore, it's switching to a slow and gentle approach. What to do?]"
Xie Dang: [Received. Use this as a pretext to execute the taste-disruption plan.]
The staff canteen was bustling with activity during lunchtime.
Lin Jingshang, carrying his tray, immediately spotted Xie Dang, who was sitting alone at a small table by the window. Even in a simple shirt and amidst the noisy environment, the man maintained an upright posture, as if attending an international summit.
Lin Jingshang took a deep breath, walked over according to the script, and gave a somewhat restrained smile: "President Xie, is this room taken?"
Xie Dang looked up from the tablet screen, his gaze lingering on Xie Dang's face for a second before he nodded slightly: "Sit."
The plot progressed smoothly.
Lin Jingshang sat down and pushed the sweet and sour pork he had prepared towards the center of the table, trying to create a friendly atmosphere: "The sweet and sour pork looks pretty good today. Does President Xie like sweet and sour flavors?"
Here it comes! A crucial juncture!
Xie Dang did as instructed, picked up a piece of pork tenderloin, and put it in his mouth.
Lin Jingshang looked at him nervously.
Xie Dang paused slightly while chewing, his brow furrowed for a moment, then returned to its calm state. He put down his chopsticks, picked up the water glass beside him, and took a sip.
Then, he looked at Lin Jingshang and calmly commented on the dish: "The sweet and sour ratio is unbalanced, the sourness is too sharp and masks the aroma of the meat. The thickening is too thick, affecting the texture. Strictly speaking, this dish is a failure."
Lin Jingshang: "..."
Even though I know it's a plan, do you have to be so honest? Don't the cafeteria cooks have any pride?
He tried to respond, chuckling awkwardly, "Haha, really? I think it's quite entertaining..."
“Your taste buds need calibration,” Xie Dang interrupted him. “The true balance of sweet and sour should be…” He began to quote extensively, from the history of sweet and sour sauce to the application of acidity in molecular gastronomy, speaking fluently and logically, directly criticizing the sweet and sour pork in the cafeteria to the point of being completely humiliated.
Lin Jingshang went from being completely bewildered to numb, and finally could only shovel rice into his mouth while nodding and humming in agreement.
How can this be considered a friendly exchange?
This is a special episode of "A Bite of China" featuring corrections by the CEO!
A jumble of prompts began to float through the air before him: [Sentiment Analysis: Target A (Xie Dang) is emotionally stable, outputting knowledge. Target B (Lin Jingshang) is emotionally...confused? numb?]
[Interactive content assessment: Food criticism. Deviation from the preset warm and friendly theme: 65%.]
[Attempting to correct... *sizzle*... Target A's logic is self-consistent, unable to intervene...]
The world's calculations seem to be malfunctioning again.
After listening to a ten-minute-long culinary essay, Lin Jingshang could no longer bear it. He picked up the untouched chicken leg from his plate and quickly stuffed it into Xie Dang's still-chattering mouth.
"Mr. Xie, one should not speak while eating or sleeping. Please try this!" He forced a smile.
world:【! ! ! 】
Xie Dang's voice stopped abruptly. A chicken leg was stuffed into his mouth, and he was momentarily stunned. His usually emotionless eyes widened slightly as he looked at Lin Jingshang.
Lin Jingshang was stunned after making this bold move.
Oh no, did we overact a bit?
A silence fell between the two, with the noise of the restaurant serving as the background noise.
A few seconds later, Xie Dang silently reached out with his chopsticks, picked up a chicken leg, looked at it, and then actually took a bite. He chewed a few times, swallowed, and objectively commented: "The meat quality is good, but it's a little overcooked."
Lin Jingshang breathed a sigh of relief, then chuckled, noticing that Xie Dang's ears seemed a little red, but not noticeably so.
Was it because he stuffed a chicken leg into his mouth? Or because of that long-winded speech he just gave?
[Sentiment analysis restarted... Target B (Lin Jingshang) was detected to have a relaxed, amused mood. Target A (Xie Dang) was detected to have a slightly embarrassed mood? Analysis module overload... Unable to define...]
[Failed to create a warm and inviting scene.]
The surrounding air rippled slightly, and the stir-fried vegetables on the plate of a colleague at the next table suddenly turned into blue spaghetti.
Xie Dang glanced at the plate of blue noodles, then at Lin Jingshang across from him, whose shoulders were shaking with laughter. He picked up a tissue, wiped his mouth, and said calmly, "Next time, it's your turn to tell the story."
"What are you going to talk about?" Lin Jingshang asked.
"Anything is fine," Xie Dang stood up. "As long as it's not sweet and sour pork."
Lin Jingshang watched his departing figure, then looked at the plate of blue spaghetti.
Hmm, this messy collaboration isn't so bad after all.
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