Meanwhile, in the gossip group, everyone had exploded with excitement, but Ye Wangxing, the protagonist of the gossip, sat slumped on the sofa, looking completely dejected.

This had almost become a recurring scene for him since he entered the system space, especially in these worlds.

These tasks had driven Ye Wangxing increasingly crazy. The relaxed and cheerful work atmosphere of the first world had completely disappeared. But thinking about it, it made sense—compared to the ordinary protagonists in the first and second worlds, who just had slightly unusual ways of thinking, how could they compete with protagonists enhanced by fate lines?

—Except for Shi Xianzhu from the previous world, just thinking about his remarks made Ye Wangxing feel nauseated.

What shocked Ye Wangxing even more now was the protagonist dynamics in this world.

【This was really the first time I encountered protagonists who said “jump off a building” and actually did it, and they even broke both their legs in the process. Fortunately, their legs were broken, otherwise I felt like Mr. Gu downstairs would have gone up to beat them himself.】

Ye Wangxing leaned against 19’s legs and said dejectedly.

【Although I had encountered this type of couple in the original world, I really hadn’t seen anyone else act like them—jumping off a building just because they said so. People like this are usually handed over to the police!】

Ye Wangxing sounded a little desperate and raised his hand to grab the corner of 19’s coat, which floated above his head.

【If 19 really can’t handle it, we’ll return to the system space and directly apply for a raise. This trip was too rushed, I forgot to apply to the system company. This world definitely needs a pay increase—I don’t believe the small worlds of other taskers are as crazy as this one.】

19 heard Ye Wangxing’s words, immediately nodded, and turned to pull up another page to generate the application.

【Once the host completes the task in this world and returns to the system space, the company leadership should have already reviewed the file and discussed it in a meeting. Then you can directly enter the negotiation process, without delaying the host’s subsequent task schedule…】

19 explained the company’s application process and procedures in a calm voice, as if he hadn’t noticed Ye Wangxing quietly getting up from the sofa and creeping closer.

He spoke so focused that even when Ye Wangxing pretended to nod seriously while secretly holding 19’s large hand, 19 didn’t react at all.

This made Ye Wangxing’s previously gathered courage begin to dissipate. But thinking about it, he realized 19 was still just an AI, so it was normal for him not to react. Ye Wangxing intended to continue listening in this position, but then…

【…The host can apply for a rank upgrade and promotion. Although the task difficulty increases with the promotion, the corresponding task rewards also increase.】

While 19 spoke this calmly, his hand seemed to act on its own. Even though he was still generating the application on the screen, his hand flipped—what had been just interlocked palms instantly became ten fingers entwined.

Ye Wangxing: !!!!!

He stared at the intertwined hands on the sofa, dumbfounded for a long time. His brain felt like it was about to explode!

Finally, 19 squeezed his hand firmly with those ten fingers, bringing him back to his senses.

What did 19 mean? Did he understand what humans meant by interlocking fingers? Did he feel the same way about me? No, no, no—a smart refrigerator couldn’t develop this awareness so fast. It must have misunderstood… but what if it hadn’t?

A flood of questions raced through Ye Wangxing’s mind. He had a thousand things he wanted to ask 19 about this gesture, but when he tried to speak, only seven words came out: 【…19, you can hold hands?!】

Seeing 19’s confused expression and, three seconds later, the “Don’t worry, host, I will take care of you” expression…

Ye Wangxing suddenly wished he could jump off the rooftop where Gu Yan had jumped a few days ago.

In the end, Ye Wangxing didn’t jump. 19 didn’t ask about the words just spoken but started explaining why he held Ye Wangxing’s fingers.

【I felt that the host recently needed some energy support from a family member. As the host’s only relative present, I thought it necessary to provide some emotional support.】

19 spoke, unusually warm in his voice.

In the past, Ye Wangxing would have been moved to tears. His smart refrigerator finally spoke properly.

Now it was similar, but his tears were mixed with a strange blush.

—After all, 19 still held Ye Wangxing’s hand, maintaining the interlocked fingers. According to 19, this was to provide energy.

For Ye Wangxing, although the energy was being provided, it was a little too much, and the temperature was high enough that his brain’s CPU almost overheated.

To cool down his brain CPU, Ye Wangxing chose to quickly change the subject. Otherwise, he would pass out.

He browsed his personal panel and brightened immediately, tapping into the current task objectives.

[Task Panel]
Name: [Ye Wangxing]
Gender: [Male]
Age: [24]
Current Role: [University Student]
Attention Value: [735,294]
Mini World Currency: [71,239,635]
Gold (transferable to real world): [64,100 g]
Main Quest: [Capture attention of the protagonist couple]
Progress: [50%]
Reward: [500,000 Attention Value]

Side Quest:
Quest 3: [Disrupt protagonist couple’s quarrel over studying abroad plot]
Progress: [0%]
Reward: [Attention 15000, 10 000 000 Mini World Currency, 8000g gold]
Quest 4: [Disrupt protagonist couple proposal]
Progress: [0%]
Reward: [Attention 15000, 11 000 000 Mini World Currency, 8000g gold]

Ye Wangxing immediately noticed that his Attention Value had increased a little this time, but compared to the goal of one hundred million, it was insignificant. Luckily, he couldn’t focus on that for now and instead started discussing the next tasks.

19, however, showed no change in tone, expression, or even data flow speed.

This made Ye Wangxing calm down temporarily. It seemed that 19 really had no romantic intention with their interlocked fingers, instead, it felt like a family member providing emotional support.

—He just didn’t know who programmed 19’s database to think that interacting with family required interlocking fingers.

As Ye Wangxing went through potential suspects in his mind, a hint of sadness appeared on his

face.

After all, he still held a small hope for 19.

Although 19 looked like a smart refrigerator, only understanding cooling and work, every little interaction made Ye Wangxing feel that 19 actually understood these things—he just hadn’t realized it.

However…

If Ye Wangxing had a tail, it would probably have drooped by now.

It seemed 19 really didn’t realize.

Ye Wangxing reluctantly finished discussing the next plots with 19 and prepared to leave the system space to rest and calm down. At that moment, 19 finally let go of Ye Wangxing’s hand.

But in the next second…

—Because he was nearly two meters tall, 19, still massive on the sofa, leaned forward slightly, gently approaching his host.

Ye Wangxing watched 19’s handsome face draw closer, and then he felt something touch his forehead.

The next second, the silver-haired man straightened up. Although a bit stiff, he still tugged at the corner of his mouth and gave an extremely gentle smile.

【Goodnight kiss, host. Current external time: 23:14:51. I hope you have a good dream.】

Ye Wangxing stayed wide-eyed all night, not feeling a bit sleepy.

His rationality and emotions waged a silent war in his mind.

Rationality: 19 was just a smart refrigerator. That phrase was probably something he had mimicked.

Emotion: But he kissed me.

Rationality: 19 smiled gently, but it clearly wasn’t a look of being in love.

Emotion: But he kissed me.

Rationality: 19 said it was as a family member!

Emotion: But he kissed me!

Ye Wangxing argued with himself all night. No matter how reasonable his points were or how well he knew 19’s AI temperament, they all collapsed in front of his feelings.

Fortunately, although Ye Wangxing felt like a wandering soul, it didn’t delay his subsequent plot acting—or rather, his wandering soul state fit the mental state of his character in the script.

The computer science classmates naturally noticed Ye Wangxing’s situation. A day ago, they might have sympathized or thought he was greedy.

…but now, their faces carried a strange envy.

This odd atmosphere made Li Qing rub his arm, thinking to himself that fortunately, Gu Yan wasn’t around—otherwise, the young master would probably have gotten angry again.

Ye Wangxing, however, didn’t get angry. He seemed completely immersed in his own world, ignoring the gazes around him. Even when Li Qing mentioned Gu Yan, he only muttered a few affirmatives.

Old Two, however, looked shocked when he heard about Gu Yan.

Gu Yan was currently confined in a private hospital with expensive fees but strict supervision, staying in a VIP ward.

Beside him were his boyfriend, Mu Bai, and the bodyguards his family had hired—not to prevent others from harming Gu Yan, but to prevent him from acting impulsively.

It turned out Mr. Gu’s decision was wise and even foresighted—because Gu Yan had almost gotten out of bed during hospitalization just to go to the neighboring ward to see Mu Bai, risking his legs.

The bodyguards reportedly were terrified, and thinking about that scene made Li Qing feel similarly horrified.

However, even worse than the bodyguards were the nurses forced to deal with this couple.

They were the most miserable people. Not only did they have to care for the patients, but they also had to pass little notes back and forth, like some mythical bird tying a love thread.

Li Qing could hardly watch. The two were separated by a wall, and Mr. Gu hadn’t stopped them from seeing each other, yet they refused to let the bodyguards push them to the adjacent rooms. They insisted on passing messages or forcing their legs to walk to the neighboring ward.

But when the words came to his mouth, Li Qing swallowed them. He didn’t want to upset Gu Yan in his current state.

This was a person who truly jumped off a building when he said he would. Even though he had lingered for two hours, in the end, he actually jumped.

But what impressed Li Qing the most were the nurses. Faced with such cloying patients, they didn’t utter a single complaint and even smiled throughout their service, which shocked Li Qing.

After checking the price, Li Qing also admitted that they deserved it.

A five-digit sum plus bonus envelopes—if they worked hard, six digits were possible.

Considering that their patients were Gu Yan and Mu Bai, Li Qing thought six digits was fair.

—After all, managing these two was like handling a Siberian brown bear.

Without a “fighting nation” background himself, it was best not to try tackling them alone.

Yet, the nurses actually managed it.

Li Qing spoke with admiration on his face.

“I have no idea how those nurses did it. They kept Gu Yan calm in that state, letting his boyfriend finish treatment before he entered, without any shouting or tantrums—even when he said things like wanting to buy the hospital.”

Li Qing’s words caught others’ attention. Everyone marveled. Gu Yan’s situation had truly opened their eyes.

Although they talked about Gu Yan, their attention remained on Ye Wangxing. Seeing him greet everyone perfunctorily and participate briefly in the conversation, Liu signaled to the others, and they smoothly returned to the group chat.

They began discussing Ye Wangxing.

“So, it looks like Ye Wangxing really didn’t know those two went to buy the rings?”

“After all, a proposal has to be a surprise. If the other person already knows, what kind of proposal is that?”

“But a proposal assumes they’re dating, right? Were they dating Ye Wangxing?”

“Look at Ye Wangxing and the vibe between them. Does it even matter? As long as any of the three proposed to him, he’d rush over immediately.”

The classmates discussed this gossip for days.

But soon, they stopped.

—After all, finals week had arrived.

All-nighters studying books, teachers’ chaotic instructions—it repeated like a cycle at University A.

After finishing most exams, most students happily left school, but some stayed in the city.

Liu was one of them. His family lived in A City, and he could find a summer job to earn extra pocket money.

He had considered handing out flyers or pretending to be a long-term worker at a bubble tea shop.

But he quickly found another opportunity.

—The counselor told him Ye Wangxing’s company needed staff. He could do a summer internship and help cover manpower for Ye Wangxing.

Liu gladly agreed. Working in the office allowed him to learn future job skills and earn 4,000 yuan a month—enough for him.

When Liu finally joined Ye Wangxing’s company, he once again admired it.

This time, it wasn’t for the good pay.

—It was for the endless gossip, which made him scurry around like a little critter in a melon patch.

Thus, computer science students had no boredom all summer.

“…Anyway, that’s the situation. Today’s meeting is over. Everyone dismissed.”

Assistant Jiang ended the meeting, greeted Liu and others, and quickly left, bumping into an intern absorbed in his phone.

Jiang immediately recognized the intern as a university student working part-time. The rapid typing on his phone likely related to company affairs.

Jiang noticed Liu doing the same. They intentionally coughed a few times, watched the flustered intern put away his phone, and left.

The intern probably had no access to company secrets—just general gossip.

—Namely, this company, less than a month old, had already split into four factions.

Jiang sighed at the thought. His boss invested out of love and even sent him here. At first, he was reluctant, but after his boss praised his diligence and promised to assign him as CEO after a year, Jiang happily came to the company.

He saw Liu, also sent here. Their salaries were equal.

Originally, they planned to collaboratively build a company framework and leave after handing it to the next executive.

But…

Whether it was Big Pei, Little Pei, or even the former sales champion now company CEO under Mr. Gu, everyone had their own motives.

—even the athlete shareholder connecting the company to the sports center was scheming against other shareholders.

Naturally, this affected the workers, and news spread.

Though everyone loved gossip, the company staff became uneasy.

Jobs were scarce, and this new company offered excellent conditions. If it collapsed…

Jiang sighed, praying Ye Wangxing returned soon, otherwise, the superficial peace might collapse.

Reports, marketing issues, power grabs—they constantly occurred, leaving Jiang and Liu on edge.

Why was this technology so highly regarded? Why did the four start openly and secretly competing?

When Ye Wangxing returned, Jiang and Liu nearly cried. He was the only person who could mediate among the factions.

Moreover, his relationship with Big Pei and Little Pei…

Sure enough, the entire morning after Ye Wangxing returned was calm.

Everyone sighed in relief.

However, the calm didn’t last. The front desk posted in the boss’s chat: “Oh no, all the shareholders came to the company and went straight to see Ye! Now they’re all here at once!”

Others looked at the office. Indeed, through the glass, four handsome men sat there. The atmosphere was far from friendly.

—It was like pre-World War I tension.

The office felt oppressive, even from outside the door.

The front desk poured water and hurriedly sent what she saw to the group chat: “…The four are here to ask the boss about company strategy. Each prepared a proposal, all on the desk, waiting for the boss to choose.”

The chat exploded.

“This clearly forces the boss to pick a side!”

Everyone agreed.

“Now it’s up to the boss.”

The nervous front desk and assistants Jiang and Liu anxiously watched Ye choose among the four proposals.

Then they saw Ye Wangxing take a blue folder from his bag.

“Coincidentally, I also prepared a proposal. Want to take a look together?”

Seeing his innocent smile, Jiang and Liu: “…”

Genius! Simply genius!

When Ye Wangxing’s choice process was revealed, Liu cheered, and Li Qing and Lao Er, working for pocket money, learned of their fourth roommate’s accomplishments over the past month.

Compared to Liu, Li Qing and Lao Er cared more about fairness than gossip—they wanted to see if Ye Wangxing had been disadvantaged, as not everyone could be pleased.

When they entered Ye Wangxing’s office, the scene worried them.

—The handsome youth who forced smiles before the break now looked fatigued, staring at his phone.

“You’re here,” he said, faintly smiling.

Li Qing and Lao Er stepped forward, anxious: “Fourth Brother, what’s wrong? Were you bullied? Did the shareholders make things difficult?”

But the youth shook his head throughout their questions.

Finally, he looked at them, expression shattered: “…It seems I’m completely out of luck now.”

With a hint of sobbing, he added: “They’ve all ignored me!”

Li Qing and Lao Er: “…”

—Was Gu Yan’s illness contagious?

 

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