CFALE Chapter 6

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The two of them thoroughly enjoyed their hotpot meal.

Xia Heng was focused on the delicious food, while Han Lang was focused on the beautiful person in front of him. By the end of the meal, both of them felt spiritually uplifted.

Xia Heng smiled and said to Han Lang, “Thank you for the treat.”

“Oh? You’re not feeling sad anymore?” Han Lang teased playfully.

Xia Heng sniffed and replied nonchalantly, “Not sad anymore.” After all, he had earned some points and enjoyed a delicious hotpot.

Xia Heng was someone who could easily let things go. Many things barely lasted five seconds in his memory before being forgotten.

Han Lang chuckled at Xia Heng, who had already erased the unpleasant events of the afternoon from his mind. He felt like he was always the one worrying too much.

At this moment, 010 also felt relieved. “Host, you’ve finally bounced back. Being a cannon fodder character can be tough sometimes, so—”

Xia Heng spoke with great enthusiasm, “010, don’t worry. I’ll do my best!”

“Han Lang is such a great person. Probably only Cheng Kaiming is worthy of him. So, for them to end up together, I’ll do my best too.” Xia Heng happily told 010 in his mind.

“Mm, except for some special cases, the Children of the World in all our worlds are good people.” 010 agreed wholeheartedly.

One person and one system once again reached a consensus in their minds—Han Lang was as good as one could get. He deserved the best.

At this moment, Han Lang, who had just received countless "good guy" cards from them, didn’t really feel like going home. He just wanted to spend more time with Xia Heng.

But Xia Heng clearly didn’t notice Han Lang’s thoughts. Cheerfully, he said goodbye to Han Lang at the entrance of the hotpot restaurant and then took a taxi home.

Watching the long trail of exhaust left behind by Xia Heng’s taxi, Han Lang confirmed once again—his road to love was truly long and full of obstacles.

The Next Day

By the time Xia Heng went to work the next day, his mood had already brightened again. Even though the others in his team still ostracized him, Xia Heng was always able to find ways to entertain himself.

Every day, he happily sketched his favorite designs, and even when people bossed him around, he would smile and take it in stride.

Most of the team’s miscellaneous tasks were pushed onto him, but he completed them with joy.

This situation lasted for about two weeks. Although Xu Li disliked Xia Heng and often found ways to trouble him, Xia Heng endured it all. Joking aside, his role as cannon fodder wasn’t finished yet—how could he not endure it?

Although the members of Team E still didn’t fully accept him, they weren’t as openly hostile as before. This made both Xia Heng and 010 worried—if they stopped bullying him, how would he complete his task?

Fortunately, someone was still willing to cause trouble for Xia Heng—none other than Chen Ke.

After giving Xia Heng a few "lessons," Chen Ke had felt satisfied for a day or two. However, Xia Heng’s outstanding professional skills quickly became apparent. Even the picky Xu Li couldn’t find any faults in his work.

In contrast, Chen Ke’s abilities were clearly inferior. Normally, they could have coexisted peacefully, but during a rushed drafting project, the design director specifically praised Xia Heng’s work and hinted that others should learn from him.

Seeing Xia Heng’s silly yet happy expression after being praised, Chen Ke was filled with anger. This newcomer had only been here for a few days and was already receiving the boss’s attention?

Meanwhile, Chen Ke had been in this department for years and had rarely been complimented.

Resentful, Chen Ke devised a scheme. While working on a design draft, he "accidentally" handed Xia Heng an already discarded version.

Xia Heng glanced at it and felt something was off, so he asked his teammates. However, they only took a quick look and assured him that there was no problem.

Trusting their words, Xia Heng dismissed his doubts and focused on redrawing the design. He worked on it for two days, and when the submission deadline arrived, Xu Li furiously threw his drafts at his face.

“What’s wrong with you? Today is the submission day, and you’re handing me a pile of trash?”

Xia Heng, completely dumbfounded, picked up the drafts and was about to explain when Chen Ke spoke first, “Alright, Li Jie, don’t be angry. At worst, we’ll all stay late to help Xia Heng catch up.”

Immediately, Xia Heng felt all eyes in Team E turn toward him. He quickly said, “No, no, I’ll do it myself. I won’t waste everyone’s time.”

Xu Li snorted. “Since you’re willing to take responsibility, I won’t say more. Stay late and finish it tonight.”

Xia Heng nodded hastily. As he did, he spoke to 010 in his mind, “Xiao Ling, does this count as being bullied?”

010 responded responsibly, “Yes, yes, yes! You did great! I’ll report this to the higher system and request extra points for you.”

Only then did Xia Heng feel satisfied. He sat down and started working hard. No way—without the extra points, he had no interest in playing the role of a bullied weakling.

Overtime

Completing two days’ worth of work in a single night was no easy task. As the others left for the day, Xia Heng remained at his desk, still drafting.

Seeing him so busy, Han Lang went out and ordered two meals for delivery. Then, he sat down beside Xia Heng to help him with the drawings.

Recently, Xia Heng and Han Lang had grown quite close. Every time Xia Heng got bullied, Han Lang would take him out for a meal. By now, they had eaten their way from the company’s vicinity to the northernmost part of the city, and then expanded their culinary exploration southward.

To Xia Heng, Han Lang was simply too good—handsome, gentle, considerate, and, most importantly, exceptionally kind to him.

Since they had become quite familiar, they worked on the drawings while chatting and laughing, creating a relaxed atmosphere.

Unknowingly, they had worked late into the night.

Just then, Cheng Kaiming, who had also stayed late, noticed that the lights in the design department were still on. Curiously, he decided to take a look.

The moment he walked in, Xia Heng spotted him. Immediately, he became flustered. This was the first time he had seen the protagonist gong and protagonist shou together since his interview!

Scrambling to his feet, he stammered, “Bo—Boss…”

At the same time, he frantically shook 010 in his mind. Xiao Ling, Xiao Ling! Is the story point finally happening?

010, momentarily overwhelmed by Xia Heng’s excited voice, experienced a bit of data corruption. After checking the plot, it replied, “Not yet. You haven’t quit your job, so they shouldn’t be breaking out into conflict just yet.”

Xia Heng’s eyes gleamed. “Then should I quit now?” He was already blinded by the allure of massive point rewards.

010 pondered for a moment and found the idea feasible! After all, both the protagonist gong and shou were present—what a golden opportunity to spark drama!

Meanwhile, Cheng Kaiming, slightly surprised to see these two working overtime, raised an eyebrow. After all, they were both newcomers and had no significant design responsibilities yet. He hadn’t expected them to be working this late.

Just as Cheng Kaiming was about to speak, Xia Heng, looking rather nervous, blurted out, “B-Boss, I have something to tell you.”

Seeing the nervous expression all over Xia Heng’s face, Cheng Kaiming couldn’t help but smile. “Am I really that scary?”

Xia Heng quickly shook his head. Though he and 010 both believed this was the perfect moment to trigger conflict between the two leads, figuring out how to bring up his resignation was proving to be a real headache.

Ever since Cheng Kaiming entered the room, Han Lang had remained silent. Now, seeing Xia Heng so anxious that his face was turning red, he suddenly found himself feeling displeased toward Cheng Kaiming for no apparent reason.

Taking a deep breath, Xia Heng, with a slight tremble in his voice, said, “Ever since I joined the company, I’ve been misunderstood and bullied by my colleagues. I don’t want to work here anymore. I hope you can approve my resignation!”

Cheng Kaiming frowned but had yet to respond when Han Lang, looking as if he was about to explode, interjected, “Xia Heng, you’re resigning?”

It was the first time Xia Heng had ever seen Han Lang so serious, and it made him a little uneasy. But for the sake of his points, he couldn’t back down now!

Summoning his courage, Xia Heng firmly nodded, determined to appear brave.

Han Lang, clearly upset, threw down his pen and, in a tone filled with frustration, said, “If you’re quitting, then I’ll quit too. Why should I even bother helping you with these drafts?”

Xia Heng was stunned for a moment and uneasily asked 010, “Is this how things are supposed to develop?”

But 010 didn’t respond.

The sudden silence from 010 brought back many unpleasant memories for Xia Heng. Panicked, he quickly tried to fix the situation. “H-Han Lang, you can’t…”

“You can decide to resign whenever you want, but I can’t?” Han Lang’s dissatisfaction had yet to subside.

Xia Heng was so intimidated by Han Lang’s serious tone that he suddenly felt the urge to hiccup. The moment he let out the first one, he completely lost control, hiccupping over and over again.

The originally tense atmosphere was instantly disrupted by Xia Heng’s uncontrollable hiccups, making the whole situation feel strangely absurd.

Feeling a bit helpless yet amused, Han Lang patted Xia Heng’s back gently and reassured him, “It’s okay, it’s okay. No one will bully you anymore. I’ll be here.”

Watching their warm interaction, Cheng Kaiming shook his head with a smile. Ah, young people… their stress tolerance is still too low. But they should be given chances to grow, after all.

So, with a softened attitude, he said, “How about this—you take some time to reconsider. If, after a week, you still want to resign, come see me in the general manager’s office.”

At this point, Xia Heng was no longer even thinking about his resignation because, in his mind, a familiar robotic voice suddenly echoed—

“Cannon Fodder Supporting Role System 007 at your service.”

Xia Heng was struck with despair. Wait… does this mean I got promoted again?!

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