CFALE Chapter 5

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Xu Li looked at Xia Heng's aggrieved expression and furrowed her brows even tighter. Without any mercy, she reprimanded him, "Samples are not meant to be played with because their materials oxidize very easily. What you did was extremely unprofessional. If you really lost the sample this time, I won't cover for you in front of the leadership."

Xia Heng rubbed his slightly reddened eyes and replied in a low voice, "Mm."

Seeing this, Chen Ke chuckled and said, "Little pretty boy, don’t cry. It’s not a big deal. Sister Li was just anxious and spoke harshly. Just be more careful next time, don’t take it to heart."

Xu Li shot a glare at Chen Ke, reprimanding him, "You really have a way with words."

Chen Ke quickly put on a fawning smile. "Sister Li, everyone knows you have a sharp tongue but a soft heart. The newbie just arrived, and it would be bad if he misunderstood you."

Xu Li glanced at Xia Heng, who was lowering his head in silence, and said unhappily, "This better not happen again. If you make such a rookie mistake again, you don’t need to stay here anymore."

Xia Heng kept his head down, unable to say a word after being scolded.

Since they all worked in the same office, whatever happened in Group E naturally became common knowledge in the whole office. On the other side, Han Lang was watching Xia Heng getting reprimanded with his head down.

Han Lang narrowed his eyes at the young man whose eyes were turning red, sensing that something was off. However, he felt it wasn't his place to interfere right now.

After all, they weren’t in the same team, and no one knew the exact situation. However, a few colleagues from Group A, having witnessed the scolding, whispered among themselves.

"The old witch from Group E is bullying people again. She’s already scared off several newbies before."

"Exactly! What’s the big deal about a model? And from what I saw, that guy never even opened the box after bringing it back. So who knows what actually happened? Their Group E always—"

Hearing this, Han Lang immediately realized something was wrong. If Xia Heng had never opened the box, then who had placed that brooch on his desk? In the production department, checking whether all the parts were complete was a task for experienced employees. A newbie like Xia Heng shouldn’t even be involved.

Even if he had taken the accessory for a look, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to wait until someone found out before admitting it—especially when the brooch was placed so obviously on his desk.

So… was he being set up? Han Lang grew more concerned.

Meanwhile, Xia Heng was secretly sulking in his mind. 010, this woman is so mean!

010 consoled him, "Patience is key in the grand scheme of things—"

Before 010 could finish, a deep male voice interrupted, "Leader Xu, calm down. I actually don’t think Xia Heng did this."

Xia Heng turned his head sharply and saw Han Lang standing behind him with a lazy smile.

Xu Li's displeasure deepened when she saw Han Lang interfering. Whether Xia Heng was guilty or not didn't matter to her—she simply wanted to put the newbie in his place. If it wasn't this issue, she would find another way to do it.

With that thought, she hardened her tone. "This is a matter for Group E. It’s not your place to interfere!"

Han Lang, seeing the young man looking at him with pitiful eyes, felt a rush of adrenaline. He smiled slyly and said, "No, no. Leader Xu, I’m sure you handled this situation fairly. But Xia Heng, tell me—did you take this item or not?"

Xia Heng, eyes still red, froze. He wasn’t sure how to respond. If he said he didn’t take it, that would mean admitting he was being bullied, and that would put Leader Xu in an awkward position.

If he said he had taken it… then he wouldn’t offend anyone, but he’d be letting Han Lang down for standing up for him.

Xia Heng was soft-hearted but had strong principles. If this matter only involved himself, he might have chosen to endure it.

But this involved Han Lang, who had spoken up for him. And if he admitted fault now, both he and Han Lang would have a harder time in the future.

So—Xia Heng gritted his teeth and said firmly, "I didn’t take it. I never touched anything inside that box."

Xu Li, already furious, lost even more control. "Then just now—"

"Alright, alright, Leader Xu. Just say it's my fault, okay?" Chen Ke interrupted with a laugh.

"Blame me. I was the one who took the newbie over there, so I share responsibility." Chen Ke tried to smooth things over.

Xu Li snorted coldly and said nothing more.

Xia Heng, eyes still red, looked at Han Lang and mouthed, "Thank you."

Han Lang gazed at Xia Heng with a heartache he couldn’t quite explain but didn’t say anything.

The situation reached a stalemate until Chen Ke chuckled and said, "Han Lang, was it? You should get back to work. Our group has a meeting now."

Han Lang finally couldn’t resist and reached out to ruffle Xia Heng’s hair. Seeing the momentary vulnerability in Xia Heng’s expression, his heart ached even more. But he still kept his tone playful, laughing, "Alright then, I won’t interrupt your meeting."

When Han Lang returned, he saw his colleagues in Team A looking at him with deep admiration. He simply smiled and sat down at his desk with a calm demeanor.

The Team E meeting was brief this time. After the earlier incident, everyone felt a bit awkward, so they kept the discussion short and to the point.

When it was Xia Heng’s turn to speak, he noticed that everyone's expressions became even more unpleasant. He sighed inwardly—he had probably managed to offend all his colleagues.

"The host's task has been deemed 50% complete by the main system. A reward of 1,000 points has been issued."

010's voice came at just the right moment.

This news lifted Xia Heng's spirits. After all, he was here to earn points.

However, a sense of confusion clouded his mind. He hurriedly shared his opinion in the meeting and then asked in his mind, "010, if I collect enough points… can I go back?"

"Go back where?" 010 immediately caught the key issue.

Yeah… where exactly?

Xia Heng realized that all his past memories were a blank. He didn’t know where he had come from, so naturally, he didn’t know where to return to.

010 sensed his silence and, understanding his distress, comforted him. "Host, don't be sad. If you remember in the future, you'll be able to go back."

"Really?" Xia Heng's mood instantly lifted.

"Really. 010 never lies," 010 said earnestly.

The hope of returning home brightened Xia Heng's mood.

That afternoon was a little tough for him. His teammates treated him like he was invisible, but Xia Heng was the kind of person who always looked on the bright side—at least his mission was progressing smoothly, and that was a good thing.

At the end of the day, Xia Heng packed up and got ready to leave. He greeted Team Leader Xu, who only gave him a slight nod in response.

Xia Heng didn’t mind. After all, this was part of his mission, and it was great that it had been accomplished so easily.

But just as he walked out, Han Lang stopped him.

Xia Heng looked at the protagonist shou with confusion. He had a feeling that Han Lang was paying too much attention to him.

He asked 010 about it, but 010's answer was vague. "Hmm… you just need to know that he’s the child of fate in this world! No need to stress over it."

Looking at Xia Heng, who seemed wilted like an unwatered cabbage, Han Lang couldn't suppress the strange tenderness in his heart. He finally spoke up: "Are you free tonight? Let’s grab some food together."

This was a first in Han Lang’s 27 years of life. He had always disliked trouble and socializing. Unlike his older brother—who used their family’s wealth to start several companies and thrived as a corporate chairman—Han Lang had little interest in business or networking.

Instead, he studied design at a prestigious foreign university, choosing to avoid the family business altogether. His relatives didn’t interfere since he was attending a well-known school.

Originally, he had planned to live a carefree, idle life. But for the first time, he found himself fixated on something—or rather, someone. When he stood up for Xia Heng earlier, he realized that his status was, in some ways, a hindrance.

Now, seeing Xia Heng looking so down, Han Lang felt a discomfort in his own heart for the first time.

"What do you want to eat? My treat," he asked, feeling slightly nervous about inviting someone out.

"Hotpot!" The moment Xia Heng heard it was Han Lang’s treat, he couldn’t hold back his cravings and eagerly agreed.

Seeing Xia Heng’s sudden burst of energy at the mention of food, Han Lang felt both amused and helpless. Was this really the kind of simple-minded person he was falling for?

Neither Xia Heng nor 010 realized that the fate of this world's child of fortune had already veered onto an unexpected path.

They both naively believed that everything was still on track.

Xia Heng loved hotpot because it was warm, comforting, and satisfying.

Han Lang, on the other hand, rarely ate hotpot. It wasn’t that he disliked it, but eating hotpot alone wasn’t fun, and his family was always too busy. Though he had enjoyed it a few times with classmates during school, it was never a regular thing.

But now, taking Xia Heng to eat hotpot felt like the best decision he had ever made.

Xia Heng looked absolutely blissful while eating, his face glowing with contentment through the rising steam. For a moment, Han Lang found himself mesmerized.

Watching Xia Heng happily devour plate after plate of food, Han Lang felt a strange warmth—not just in his stomach, but in his heart as well.

Xia Heng wasn’t shy about eating. He ordered five plates of meat, enthusiastically encouraging Han Lang to eat while quickly dunking the slices into his personal hotpot. He showed no restraint at all.

Seeing Xia Heng eat with the joy of a child, Han Lang couldn’t help but laugh.

He had to admit—he was completely hooked. And the name of this poison was Xia Heng.

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