CFALE Chapter 4

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Xia Heng felt a little embarrassed by what 010 said.

Although 010 was a system, it was still a very happy thing to be liked by other living beings.

After taking care of the plants and flowers, Xia Heng continued to open the study system that 014 had left for him and started learning about jewelry design—Xia Heng had always known that he wasn’t very smart, so he chose to work harder to make up for it.

The acceptance notice arrived three days later. Even though Xia Heng wasn’t too surprised to be accepted by the company, he still felt very happy—after all, it was a recognition of his continuous efforts.

The notice stated that the following Monday, Xia Heng would officially start working in the company’s design department.

Excited, Xia Heng hugged his laptop and spun around twice. It was truly a wonderful thing—his hard work had finally paid off.

Seeing this, 010 couldn’t help but pour cold water on him. “You should start thinking about how to get bullied instead.”

Xia Heng thought about it carefully before saying, “That shouldn’t be too difficult. Just wait and see.”

010 was deeply skeptical of Xia Heng’s confidence. Unlike 015 and 014, who lacked judgment, 010 was well aware that its host’s face was a lethal weapon.

Generally speaking, people who looked good had a strong natural advantage—others weren’t too willing to bully them, especially in a design company where there were many female employees. Xia Heng’s looks alone could instantly win him a lot of goodwill.

But since the host said it wouldn’t be a problem, 010 decided not to say anything more. Silently, it moved the two system manuals "100 Ways to Be Annoying" and "How to Act Like a Pitiful Weakling" into the recycle bin.

010 was quite satisfied with Xia Heng. Its host was not only independent and hardworking but also actively cooperated with his role as a minor character, never once thinking about turning the tables. A rare and excellent host indeed.

Thus, as they mutually admired each other, the first day of work arrived. That day, Xia Heng dressed casually—completely different from the formal attire he had worn for the interview. He wore a pair of white sneakers, a blue plaid shirt, and beige casual pants.

He looked just like a freshly graduated university student—clean, energetic, and full of youthful spirit.

010 had tried to ask Xia Heng if he wanted to change into something that looked more gloomy and unkempt. But after rummaging through his entire wardrobe, Xia Heng couldn’t find anything that fit that description.

In the end, both the system and the host had to compromise. After all, not all bullied characters had to look gloomy and messy, right? Comforting each other with this thought, they set off for work.

The commute from Xia Heng’s apartment to Cheng Kaiming’s company was only a 20-minute journey. Since it was his first day at work, Xia Heng felt that it was important to arrive early, so he left home ahead of time.

When he arrived at the company, there was still plenty of time before the workday officially started. Xia Heng obediently sat on the sofa near the front desk, waiting—he needed to report to the HR department first before he could start working in the design department.

Around 8:45 AM, Han Lang arrived as well. He was dressed in a simple yet well-tailored casual suit, complementing his refined demeanor. His long legs were straight and elegant.

Xia Heng looked at him with a bit of envy. He truly admired Han Lang—not only was he incredibly good-looking, but he also had an undeniable sense of style and an outstanding aura.

Though, no matter how Xia Heng looked at him, he couldn’t see Han Lang as the type to “willingly be the submissive one.” But since 015 had said so, then it must be true.

So, thinking like this, Xia Heng couldn’t help but look at Han Lang’s perky backside with a bit of pity in his eyes.

“What are you looking at?” Han Lang turned around and saw Xia Heng gazing at his rear with an expression full of sympathy.

Realizing that his thoughts had turned a bit inappropriate, Xia Heng’s face instantly turned red. He stammered, “N-nothing… I wasn’t looking at anything…”

Han Lang found it amusing that Xia Heng would blush whenever he spoke to him, and he couldn’t help but feel a little pleased. Han Lang knew he was good-looking—he had been popular since he was young—but he had rarely encountered someone who would blush just from seeing him.

Because he already had a good impression of Xia Heng, Han Lang couldn’t resist wanting to take care of him a little more. So he took the initiative and asked, “What are you doing sitting here?”

Still lost in his earlier fantasies, Xia Heng’s gaze drifted as he answered, “Waiting… waiting for the HR director to start work.”

Looking at Xia Heng’s flushed cheeks and wandering eyes, Han Lang wondered for the first time if he might be too attractive. Normally, he didn’t think highly of such blatant admiration, but if it was coming from Xia Heng… he found that he actually didn’t mind it.

Feeling amused, Han Lang said, “Come on, let’s wait upstairs.”

Xia Heng thought about it and realized he had been silly—why wait at the entrance? The place was noisy and crowded, making it hard to spot the HR director.

So, he quickly trotted after Han Lang, who was walking ahead of him.

Though they had met twice before, they weren’t particularly familiar with each other. Even though Han Lang often found himself unintentionally teased by Xia Heng’s actions, he wasn’t someone who let his desires control him.

Their conversations mostly remained proper and polite, revolving around casual topics.

Xia Heng wasn’t particularly smart, but because he had studied diligently, he was always able to keep up when Han Lang mentioned jewelry design concepts and even offered his own insights.

Through their exchanges, Han Lang began to feel that Xia Heng was actually someone who understood boundaries and had a unique perspective.

The HR director arrived right on time. Seeing the two new employees waiting outside the department, he nodded approvingly—newcomers should indeed have the right attitude.

He briefly introduced them to the company’s development history and then handed each of them an employment contract to review.

Xia Heng had no objections—his real purpose for working here wasn’t the job itself. So, he skimmed through the contract before signing it.

Han Lang was in a similar situation. His main intention was to find an interesting place to pass the time and, along the way, flirt with attractive people.

Originally, his target had been Cheng Kaiming, but now… Han Lang glanced at Xia Heng’s fair and slender fingers as he signed the contract. His target had already changed—actually, it had changed back when they first met during the interview.

Completely unaware of Han Lang’s shifting intentions, Xia Heng felt that things were progressing smoothly. He was even beginning to think that he was getting closer to earning points and completing his mission.

After signing their contracts, the HR director led them to the design department.

The design department was located on the third floor of the building, with great lighting and well-organized decor. Seeing the office space, which could accommodate about twenty people, Xia Heng immediately liked it.

The design department director assigned them desks far apart—Han Lang was placed in Group A, while Xia Heng was assigned to Group E.

Since both of them were new, they had a long internship period ahead.

Xia Heng didn’t mind which group he was in. No matter where he was placed, he was confident in completing his mission.

Group E originally had five members, and among them, only one was male. He seemed quite young and was treated like a team’s beloved junior.

When Xia Heng joined, the team welcomed him warmly. Their group leader, a woman nearing forty, even joked that Chen Ke’s "team favorite" status might be at risk since Xia Heng was younger and better-looking.

Hearing this, Xia Heng chuckled foolishly, completely missing the brief flash of discontent and jealousy in Chen Ke’s eyes.

Xia Heng had been worrying about how to get the others to pick on him, but unexpectedly, his first challenge came that very afternoon.

The group leader, Xu Li, asked Chen Ke to retrieve their team’s design samples. Every design in the department first went through company review before the manufacturing department created rough prototypes based on the designs.

After the prototypes were made, the manufacturing department would submit modification suggestions, which would then be reviewed and sent back to the design department for further adjustments.

Retrieving samples was a simple errand that had always been Chen Ke’s responsibility.

But with Xia Heng now in the team, Chen Ke was reluctant to keep running errands. Thinking quickly, he said, “Hey, newbie, why don’t we go together? It’ll help you learn your way around the company.”

Xia Heng agreed immediately and followed Chen Ke to the manufacturing department.

Jewelry samples were usually made from inexpensive materials, but even so, they had to be handled with care.

Chen Ke played around with the newly finished samples for a while before casually tossing the box containing them to Xia Heng.

Xia Heng obediently caught it.

Holding the feedback documents, Chen Ke walked ahead while Xia Heng carried the sample box as they returned to the design department.

Normally, after retrieving the samples, the team would hold a meeting to review them, and this time was no exception.

However, when they opened the sample box, they found only three pieces inside. Their team had designed a jewelry set, but the matching brooch was missing.

Seeing that the number of items was incorrect, Xu Li’s expression immediately darkened.

Xia Heng was completely baffled. He had been holding the box the entire time without letting go—how could a piece be missing?

Both he and Chen Ke denied knowing what had happened, so Xu Li called the manufacturing department.

The manufacturing staff confirmed that they had placed a complete set inside the box before handing it over, insisting that they had not misplaced the brooch.

Xu Li frowned as she looked at Xia Heng and Chen Ke. Just as she was about to speak, another young girl in the group suddenly said, “Huh? What’s that on Xia Heng’s desk?”

Chen Ke reached out and picked up the brooch, then said teasingly, “Looks like our little fresh meat took something out earlier and forgot to put it back.”

Xu Li’s expression didn’t soften at all after hearing Chen Ke’s explanation. She simply looked at Xia Heng sternly and asked, “Is that true?”

Xia Heng swore he had never touched the item in the box before. On the other hand, Chen Ke had played with it for quite a while earlier, so it was very possible that he had taken it out and later placed it on Xia Heng’s desk by mistake.

Xia Heng felt a surge of frustration, but when he thought about the mission this time, his urge to argue diminished. After all, being bullied was the key to success—how could he not seize such a golden opportunity?

So, Xia Heng only hesitated for a moment before murmuring softly, “Maybe I forgot.”

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