As an annual member of Cute Heart, Ji Mi could be much more precise in his filtering, and the recommendations were more personalized.
Worried that if his luck was bad, he might actually encounter someone he knew in real life, Ji Mi deliberately extended the matchable distance.
Choosing someone from Hong Kong, not even in mainland China, surely he wouldn't run into them, right?
With this consideration, he finished ticking all the interest options and entered the flashy recommendation page.
This APP had been online for less than 24 hours, but thanks to the brand effect of the big company and multi-channel promotional efforts, the number of users had already reached a massive figure, allowing users to spend a long time selecting as if choosing imperial concubines.
[185cm/87KG, sailing enthusiast, investment banking drone, based in New York year-round.]
[HK athlete, 19 years old, in development, meet at the peak.]
[Any 1s? Step on me/lick lick/lick lick]
The diverse profiles paired with filter-heavy images were a feast for the eyes at first glance, but Ji Mi had no interest in clicking into them.
How to put it...
Being in the closet for too long had made him a bit homophobic.
"I need to use the kitchen too, how much longer will you be?" The man from the neighboring shared apartment came out and asked.
Hearing the footsteps, Ji Mi extinguished his screen and stuffed the phone into his pocket, then turned to face the other person.
"Five minutes," he said. "I'm just heating up a bento, it'll be quick."
This apartment was a residential unit, rented out separately by the landlord to four or five people.
It looked like cramped conditions, but it was nothing out of the ordinary here, not considered a miserable situation.
Urban prosperity often meant soaring prices, especially with many high-tech companies located nearby. Rent had risen to an exaggerated level along with everyone's increasingly generous salaries.
Although single-person apartments were spacious and quiet, they were impossible to secure without a budget of over ten thousand.
Commercial water, electricity, and property management fees were also a big expense. Even if their income was considerable, most people generally couldn't afford such expenditures.
Most residential houses had been converted into partitioned rooms, like Ji Mi's landlord, renting them out by the room.
This rental environment wasn't very friendly. Although Ji Mi was a local, due to some reasons, he had nowhere to live. After returning to Shanghai for work after graduation, he had a painful time looking for housing.
Ji Mi spent half a month searching everywhere before choosing the master bedroom in this house, long-term rent over six thousand per month.
The decor could be charitably called retro, or bluntly, dilapidated. The furniture and environment were very average.
But compared to other roommates, at least he had an independent bathroom, and the area was relatively large. The bed and desk weren't squeezed into one lane, already considered one of the better conditions.
He ate at the company, got off work late, and just came back to sleep, so he didn't feel anything was inconvenient.
It was only inconvenient to use the kitchen on weekends, when he might run into roommates.
"Feel like I haven't seen you much, you've been here for several months, right? Seems like you always come back in the middle of the night," the man made conversation.
Ji Mi felt a bit embarrassed, worried he might have unintentionally disturbed others' rest.
"Mm, work is a bit busy," he mumbled.
"Is that so? I thought you were a student from nearby, you look so young!" The man was somewhat surprised.
He first mentioned his own company, an e-commerce enterprise, then asked, "Where do you work?"
Ji Mi didn't conceal it, and afterwards heard the other person's gasp of realization.
"Oh, a top talent. I applied to Hongni before, my resume didn't even get fished out."
"I was pretty lucky, still not very used to it after just joining," Ji Mi responded.
"How could it be luck when you had to pass so many rounds of written tests and interviews?" The man chuckled.
He was a bit puzzled: "Hey, you've been cooped up in your room all day, not going out to play with your partner?"
Ji Mi didn't clarify his relationship status: "Just wanted to rest alone more."
The man said: "That must be boring, being alone is so dull, right? Take advantage of your youth to date more. After a few more years of work, you won't have the energy anymore."
Ji Mi: "..."
He didn't need a few more years; even now, just browsing Cute Heart made him feel like he had no desire for that sort of thing.
In the midst of their brief exchange, he finished heating his quick meal and neatly tidied up his kitchen utensils.
Then he closed the door behind him, sat at his desk, opened his computer to play "EVA" as background noise, and continued playing with the dating APP while eating.
"How did this even pass review?" Ji Mi's attitude had already changed from curiosity to morbid fascination.
These users all loved showing off their physiques, with photos featuring a high degree of skin exposure. The most common pose was lifting up shirts to display abs.
Some were even bolder, wearing extremely tight clothes that left nothing to the imagination, the prominent, thick curves fully visible, garnering a very high number of likes.
However, Ji Mi didn't even dare to look too closely. Just as he was about to uninstall the app, he came across a potential match that was different from the rest.
Username: [Jing]
Profile: [None.]
The avatar didn't show a face, just a very side-angled selfie.
A well-tailored suit accentuated his figure. Although it wasn't a full-body shot, it was clear that the person definitely had broad shoulders and long legs.
Those hands had long, distinct knuckles, with faint protruding veins visible on the back, giving an impression of refined restraint, yet not lacking a sense of strength.
On the wrist was a black-strapped vintage watch. Perhaps because of its proper and elegant design, or possibly due to the owner's strong aura, even with the value indicator blurred, it still looked very expensive.
Ji Mi was stunned for a moment, and as if possessed, reached out his hand, wanting to enlarge the avatar to get a better look...
But the instant he tapped into the personal page—
[Ding~ Your match request has been sent, please wait for Jing's loving response!]
[You've completed your first friend request, unlocking the "Love at First Sight" achievement!]
Damn it! Ji Mi felt dizzy.
How could this crappy software have such a low threshold for sending requests?
They really would stop at nothing to play matchmaker!
·
10:30 PM.
Every inch of Hong Kong's land oozed with the scent of money. Even as the waning moon hung high, the traffic flow seemed never-ending, and Victoria Harbour remained bustling with activity.
But in the Southern District of Hong Kong, everything was the opposite of the hustle and bustle in the city center. Repulse Bay was so quiet that only wisps of flower fragrance could be detected.
The Bentley drove along the spacious road of the bay area, expertly making its way deep into the estate, before stopping in front of a Western-style house.
The man in the back seat had a relaxed posture, his arm lazily draped over the car window. Illuminated by the light at the front door, half of his young and handsome face was lit up.
He wore a Bluetooth earpiece in his right ear, which was playing a call from his secretary. The conversation hadn't stopped since leaving the company in Guangzhou and arriving in West Kowloon.
The internet industry was known for its busyness, and the driver was used to it, respectfully bending down to open the door.
Seeing that he had arrived home, He Jingyan originally planned to end this online report.
But just as he had taken a few steps after getting out of the car, he suddenly remembered something.
"Has the assistant you found for me arrived?" He Jingyan asked.
While synchronizing the information from the PowerPoint to his boss's email, Noah expressed praise for the new colleague.
"I've met him once, a 21-year-old handsome boy, seems very obedient, even better looking in person than in the photo."
He Jingyan paused, incredulous: "21 years old?"
"I sent you his resume during the final interview, did you not even open it?" Noah frowned.
He said exasperatedly: "He'll be working with you after all, can't you spare a bit of attention for him?"
He Jingyan had been too busy with his schedule recently. Noah was an expert in personnel matters, and they had been working together for a long time, establishing full trust, so he had left everything to Noah to handle.
Afterwards, his own days were packed with meetings, and he indeed didn't have time to care whether the new assistant was flat or round.
"Isn't a fresh graduate a bit too young?" He Jingyan used an affirmative tone.
Noah replied: "He entered the gifted class at 15, got direct admission to a master's program at a TOP 2 university, won an ACM competition gold medal, and his advisor is also top-tier. He's got quite the background."
Although this assistant position required project experience, experience wasn't the most important factor.
Because most of the daily tasks involved learning on the job and dealing with issues as they arose, the focus was on selecting for technical foundation, learning ability, and stress tolerance.
In these three aspects, Ji Mi's competitiveness stood out. Even though Hongni never lacked for academic talents, geniuses with experiences similar to his were rare.
"Besides, isn't it good to have someone quick-witted and energetic? You think everyone's a monster like you, able to pull two all-nighters in a row and still attend a press conference?"
Noah sighed: "With this kind of work rhythm, how could someone in their thirties handle it? Their spine would be deformed from sitting!"
He Jingyan was silent for a moment. He had already walked from outside the house to the study, raising his hand to turn on the computer.
In his earphones, Noah was still rambling on.
"He seems quite reliable so far. During lunch break, he's very quiet, curled up on his desk, doesn't snore, and the takeout he recommended was delicious..."
"Hanging up," He Jingyan coldly interrupted.
Noah sensed his contemptuous attitude and roared from the other end of the phone.
"Even if your first impression isn't great, at least give him a three-month probation period! You might end up begging him to stay!"
He Jingyan hung up without a second thought, then sent a follow-up message as an afterthought.
[Send me the name of that takeout place too.]
After sending it, he didn't bother looking at Noah's complaints. He logged into OC and scrolled through past files to find the assistant's resume.
Glancing at the face in the attached photo, He Jingyan let out a derisive laugh.
Noah had always been meticulous in his work, but he had one flaw.
The man was an unabashed looks-obsessed person, with romantic Italian genes flowing through his veins. He had once abandoned He Jingyan at a business function just to chat up a beautiful person.
However, Noah's taste was picky, so he rarely acted foolishly because of this.
But this time, it seemed hormones had some influence.
"Bro, why didn't you tell me you were back? If I'd known, I would've set up a welcome party for you at the bar!" His cousin, He Jingnan, knocked on the door.
He Jingyan shifted his gaze from the photo and responded through the door crack.
"Let's not. With the kind of spectacle you put on, it's hard to tell if you're welcoming someone or summoning spirits."
He Jingnan walked in carrying a plate of late-night snacks, retorting indignantly, "How could that be? It would be festive!"
He Jingyan had no interest in such revelry and sneered, "Festive enough to make our ancestors jump out of their graves."
He Jingnan: "..."
Before his cousin approached the desk, He Jingyan, for reasons unknown even to himself, clicked the mouse and closed the resume page.
The beautiful face disappeared from view.
He Jingnan didn't notice his small action and asked, "You're going to Shanghai next week, so why not rest well this weekend? Is everything arranged there?"
"Mm, the others went yesterday. I have some things to do, so I'm staying an extra weekend."
As He Jingyan said this, he took a bite of the steaming shrimp dumpling and simultaneously searched for "Cute Heart" in the app store.
As a shareholder and senior executive of Hongni, he naturally had to check out any new products launched by the group, primarily to evaluate, secondarily to experience.
However, he had never used this kind of software before. Looking at the romantic and cute login interface, he frowned in discomfort.
Some social networking and professional platforms encourage the use of real photos as avatars to create a sense of authenticity, and Cute Heart was no exception.
He Jingyan tried to circumvent this by using other images, but the system showed that the machine review had failed.
But he wasn't in the habit of taking selfies, rarely appeared in public, and certainly didn't keep photos of himself.
"Do you have any photos of me?" he turned and asked.
"There was one before, um, because your mom said she wanted to see you, I sent it to her," He Jingnan answered, rubbing his hands and laughing dryly.
At the time, worried about being caught taking a candid photo and incurring his cousin's displeasure, he had been cautious and hadn't captured a full face shot.
But this suited He Jingyan's purpose perfectly. He Jingyan took a screenshot and uploaded it, which quickly succeeded.
He briefly scanned the various categories on the homepage. The functions were clearly divided, page transitions were smooth, and the guidance steps were fluid.
In just a few minutes, he had pretty much figured out the module attributes, but since he wasn't the target user, it wasn't very interesting to play with.
He Jingnan was itching with curiosity: "What's this, a new online dating app? Big bro, you're quite the player behind the scenes, huh?"
He hooked an arm around He Jingyan's shoulders: "Won't you be the top pick if you join?"
He Jingyan tugged at the corner of his mouth, ignoring the vulgar joke: "From your tone, you use these often?"
"I've used a couple when I was bored, they're all pretty much the same," He Jingnan grumbled. "Back in school, we'd use them to gossip."
Some students often put their alma mater in their profiles. Within the higher education district, it formed its own ecosystem, and people would discuss interesting tidbits about each other's schools when socializing.
He Jingyan listened silently to his chatter. The osmanthus cake on the plate had a soft texture and wasn't too sweet. Having worked overtime all night, he quickly ate three pieces.
While pondering product optimization plans in his mind, he was a bit distracted until He Jingnan shook his shoulder.
"Bro, stop thinking about your damn work, look at your phone!"
He Jingnan pointed at his screen, with a strange sense of pride and envy.
"You're really popular!" he exclaimed.
In less than five minutes, He Jingyan's app page already had over twenty unread messages, all match requests.
Although the avatar didn't show his full face, his dominant and noble aura was unmistakable. The attire was exquisite and tasteful, and the image was of very high quality.
This should rank as top-tier on the platform. After all, adding a friend didn't cost anything, so everyone was willing to give it a try.
However...
He Jingyan lowered his eyes and unhesitatingly clicked "reject" on each one.
"You ungrateful bastard, when will you ever change?!" He Jingnan was exasperated.
As much as he hated this iron-like stubbornness, he threatened, "Men who don't understand romance are doomed to be alone forever!"
His cousin had been smart and precocious, growing up as the standard elite template.
The only thing that gave the elders a headache was that he had too much of his own mind, refusing to inherit the family business and stubbornly entering the gaming industry, which they couldn't understand.
Fortunately, even without the support of family resources, he still rose to the top quickly with his own wit and skills.
From learning to talk to becoming mature and steady, from academics to career, He Jingyan had always been the one who stood out.
Human nature is to admire the strong and powerful, so he was often the center of attention, surrounded by admirers wherever he went.
Plus, He Jingyan was handsome. When He Jingnan was still playing in the mud, his older cousin had already started receiving love letters. He had never lacked for admirers.
However, by now, He Jingnan had already gone through a round of relationships.
While He Jingyan had never been in a single one.
His innate and acquired conditions were already top-notch, but he managed to waste them.
The old house couldn't catch fire; he didn't receive any of the subtle hints sent his way. Even if Cupid had pierced him with arrows, it would have been useless.
"Chatting won't waste much of your energy, leave yourself a backup plan. You never know when you might need someone to help you out!" He Jingnan couldn't understand his aloofness and looked at the request list again.
"This boy is so cute, are you gay? I think gays usually like this type." He persuaded, "The girl below is also very pretty..."
He Jingyan had randomly selected his orientation, clicking "I'm not sure," so he was getting recommendations for both men and women.
Several people had selfies as their avatars. The former was fair and lively, making an energetic peace sign at the camera, while the latter was refined and elegant, with a very noble style.
Noticing the appearance of that girl, He Jingnan was momentarily stunned, feeling a twinge of regret that he wasn't the one chosen.
After He Jingyan rejected both of these, He Jingnan couldn't help but slam the table and complain.
"Did you come to a brothel to become a monk?" he wondered genuinely perplexed.
"I'm just checking the app's external effects," He Jingyan replied coolly.
He Jingnan sat beside him for a while, feeling it was too boring to stay with this stone, and left the room shortly after.
Just after he left, He Jingyan processed the accumulated requests to the last one, and then, looking at the interface, he froze.
Username: [mī]
Profile: [。]
This person was using an anime avatar, Rei Ayanami from "Evangelion."
How did a non-real photo manage to be uploaded successfully?
He Jingyan wanted to study how this image had evaded the review, so he reached out to click into the main page, and immediately a pop-up appeared on the screen.
[You and mī have successfully matched~]
[You have completed your first match while accumulating 20 rejected friend requests, successfully unlocking the "Iron Tree Blooms" achievement!]