Ji Mi took a deep breath and deleted the "I'm sorry," explaining without emotion.
[I just accidentally slipped my hand!! :)]
He Jingyan received this message and glanced outside.
From his angle, he could just glimpse the back of Ji Mi's head.
Ji Mi's hair looked very soft, probably because he liked to sleep with his head against the pillow in a messy position at night, causing a tuft of hair to be slightly flattened and sticking up.
Ji Mi had likely tried to comb it down before leaving, but to no avail, so that every time he turned or lifted his head, this tuft of hair would sway disobediently.
He Jingyan quietly watched for a while, then recorded it and sent it to Ji Mi to see.
Ji Mi touched his head and typed back a "?", not understanding why the other person would notice this.
He Jingyan teased him: [I've been infected, I also suddenly slipped my hand.]
Ji Mi: "..."
He put down his phone, intending to confront He Jingyan, but when he looked over sullenly, the other was already listening in on a video interview with an executive.
Although He Jingyan always had a casual demeanor, whether standing or walking, his posture had a natural straightness and sharpness.
Now with the camera constantly focused on him, he sat a little more upright than usual, looking quite dignified and elegant.
This interview seemed a bit boring. Ji Mi noticed that He Jingyan had some unconscious movements.
In places the camera couldn't capture, He Jingyan would tap the edge of the table very lightly with his knuckles, sometimes suddenly speeding up a few beats, presumably to control his impatience.
Ji Mi observed carefully with his good eyesight, much like doing an experiment in school, except this research subject was not very cooperative.
Although He Jingyan hadn't moved his gaze from the computer screen, the hand tapping the table edge suddenly stopped as if sensing something.
Then, his slender index finger brushed over his thumb pad, a gesture preparing to charge a fee.
Ji Mi realized what he meant, pretended to casually look at the scenery, and then turned his head back.
He had come to the company on Saturday for serious business, and after refocusing, he immediately got to work. Three hours passed in the blink of an eye.
The top floor echoed with the crisp sound of mechanical keyboards as Ji Mi finalized the acceptance quality with the project manager and discussed test points with the QA supervisor.
When talking about schedules, one couldn't make promises too early. The supervisor appropriately left room for breathing space.
[Lethe, our department still needs to discuss internally. We'll give a definite time after next week's version day.]
Ji Mi carefully marked the communication date, then took a break.
He was still curious about He Jingyan's Moments, and this time, like a thief, he tiptoed in quietly and successfully sneaked in.
He Jingyan didn't have many updates, only three or four a year, but he hadn't set time limits.
Ji Mi scrolled back to five years ago. He Jingyan's first post was sharing the company's promotion.
This promotional article revealed part of the information about a new project. The developer was Purple Platform Studio, which the author still referred to as a "newcomer" at that time.
In five years, Purple Platform had become Interactive Entertainment's flagship studio, famous in the industry, and He Jingyan's shares were no longer limited to just one studio.
Ji Mi quickly finished reading all his updates, feeling like he had missed something...
Had He Jingyan never shared any daily life posts?
"What kind of person only posts about work?" Ji Mi muttered softly.
He pondered for a moment and then thought it was normal. This type of person only harbors an insatiable ambition and wouldn't pay attention to anything outside of their career.
Then Ji Mi reflected on himself, his Moments were much more diverse.
A few days ago, he recorded the pouring rain outside: [Too bad I didn't bring a kayak to work.]
A week ago, when he moved his things to the top floor: [From now on, I'll press the biggest number in the elevator.]
At the end of June, the company held a fun competition, surprisingly using this year's college entrance exam math paper. Although Ji Mi had never taken the college entrance exam, he casually went to take it during his lunch break walk and got first place.
The HR director personally wrote on the certificate: "You Are a True Problem Solver."
The HR director happily handed out the certificates and strongly requested the winners to post photos for feedback. Ji Mi posted and was teased by many people for a long time.
Compared to He Jingyan's, his posts seemed quite childish...
Maybe He Jingyan really did think he was too immature behind his back?
Ji Mi pursed his lips, attempting to adopt a cool persona and package himself as mature.
But being too lazy to delete his history, he chose to set the visibility to three days.
As the autumn rain darkened the sky, Ji Mi stretched lazily, feeling a bit stuffy in the room as he relaxed.
It's easy to feel this way when alone for too long. There was more than one person on this floor, but even with nine lives, he wouldn't dare to actively provoke He Jingyan.
The phone on the desk lit up, and Jing empathetically shared his feelings.
Jing: [A bit bored.]
mī: [What have you been doing today?]
Jing: [The company had plans this afternoon, I was responsible for being the audience, sitting and watching others show off.]
[He's been bragging for half an hour.]
[Still bragging.]
[Bragging enthusiastically.]
Ji Mi laughed and encouraged: [Then why don't you find an excuse to sneak away?]
Jing: [It's almost 6:30 now, that person should be getting tired of talking soon. If not tired, they should at least go eat, right?]
Ji Mi paused, realizing he had forgotten to check the time and now belatedly felt hungry.
He instinctively wanted to quickly order takeout, but opened the app and then closed it.
Turning his head towards the office, He Jingyan had been sitting there all afternoon and hadn't eaten anything either.
The video interview seemed to be nearing its end, and He Jingyan was now distracted, looking down at his phone.
Ji Mi pondered: [Jing, do you think I should invite my boss to dinner?]
As a newcomer to the workplace, one often feels constrained. Jing could understand his concerns and replied: [He would be happy to get to know his subordinates quickly.]
He Jingyan finished typing this, feeling that his temper had improved over the past few days.
The newly hired assistant was still very young, with a purity untainted by society, and a thin skin that easily blushed at the slightest provocation.
Face to face with people, He Jingyan appeared at ease, but in reality, he felt somewhat awkward, strangely pressured to behave well every day.
Encountering an online friend who was like a blank slate, he was also unusually not cold, and could even act as a spiritual guide.
Thinking this, He Jingyan heard HR's voice through his earphones.
"If you don't have any more questions, we'll compile feedback with the interviewer later and update you on the progress next week. Thank you for applying to Hongni Interactive Entertainment."
After the candidate disconnected, HR let out a sigh of relief.
"It's good that Delay was willing to come to the rescue. I really didn't expect President Shen to suddenly fall ill, and he specifically asked you to help with the screening..."
He Jingyan said calmly, "You're working hard on the weekend too. I have something else to do later, so I'll log off now."
He had plans to meet a friend that evening, someone also in the gaming industry whom he had known for several years.
When He Jingyan was preparing to come here, he had been invited to dinner, but he had been too busy and kept putting it off until today when he couldn't delay any longer.
The friend enthusiastically offered to treat him to dinner, so He Jingyan suggested that he would pay for drinks.
The friend readily agreed: [I was actually going to suggest that. Ah, it's rare to have time to catch a breath, of course we should have a few drinks!]
[When we drink later, should I invite a few more people? They're all local developers doing their own research, and you know them too.]
The gaming industry values its ecosystem and has a certain regional nature. Some local manufacturers would establish partnerships, especially in Shanghai, where the atmosphere between companies is very harmonious.
Interactive Entertainment would focus on developing in Shanghai in the future. The new president, who originally worked in Guangzhou, would also have to move over after the promotion. Anyone with eyes could see this point, and friends also intended to push and pull to establish a good relationship network.
He Jingyan asked: [Do you have any places in mind?]
Friend: [It's up to you. Just pick somewhere random on Dianping. I'll go warm up first, so I won't be too stiff to do flower hands later.]
He Jingyan paused, actually wanting to go to a quiet bar without the intention of dancing.
However, his friend had misunderstood, and he decided to go along with it. He wanted to ask mī if he had any recommendations, but the other person was probably already having dinner with his boss.
Then he remembered that he had opened Ji Mi's resume before, which stated his hometown was here.
"Teacher Little Ji," He Jingyan called out, noticing Ji Mi standing at his seat, "You haven't eaten yet?"
Ji Mi saw He Jingyan hurriedly putting on his coat: "Do you have plans later?"
"Mm, I have an engagement," He Jingyan said.
Ji Mi hesitated for a moment, then followed He Jingyan out: "I think I'll go home and rest early."
"Do you have any nightclubs to recommend?" He Jingyan asked. "Something fun, with no limit on per-person spending."
Ji Mi was genuinely surprised by this question. What was up with this guy?
After working non-stop for so many days, not only was he not exhausted, but he still had energy to go out and have fun?
What kind of nightclub enthusiast was he to love partying so much...
"Let me think about it," Ji Mi said seriously.
He Jingyan stared at him. "Teacher Ji, have you never been to one before?"
Ji Mi refused to admit it, trying hard to recall if he'd heard of any famous nightclubs.
He actually did remember one. Fu Qianyao had gone there before and even asked if he wanted to join.
However, because he didn't really like noisy places and wasn't familiar with Fu Qianyao's other friends, he didn't go. But Fu Qianyao had given it a good review.
So, he mentioned the club's name, and then pretended to be experienced by asking:
"I have a membership card at Plum. Do you want to use it?" Ji Mi bluffed, knowing He Jingyan wouldn't need to borrow a card.
Sure enough, He Jingyan shook his head.
But his reason for refusing wasn't anything special. He simply kept his distance from such entertainment, and since he wouldn't normally go, there was no need to bother.
"It's raining outside. Want a ride?" He Jingyan paused.
His car from Guangzhou had been delivered here today, so he drove it to work overtime. The sports car was parked ostentatiously in front of the office building, and the security guard didn't dare to ask him to move it to the parking garage.
"I brought an umbrella, so I won't get wet," Ji Mi said politely. Then, looking at the car, he joked, "Besides, I wouldn't know how to open the door of your Koenigsegg."
Back at the rented apartment, the balcony was still full of his roommates' clothes. With little sunlight these days, it felt damp and stuffy.
The bedroom doors had all been changed to password locks by the landlord. Ji Mi entered his work anniversary date.
The master bedroom was neat and tidy, with a mini air purifier in the corner. He pushed the window half-open, letting in a cool breeze carrying the scent of rain.
Ji Mi went about his usual routine - cooking instant noodles, showering, changing clothes, doing housework, and rewarding himself with a box of cream cake.
"Hey buddy, I'm checking in on you. How are you adapting to your new position?" Fu Qianyao called to ask.
Ji Mi wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin. "Mm, I'm getting by with that little brother you met in the elevator."
Fu Qianyao was confused for two or three seconds, almost not remembering what he was referring to.
That day, He Jingyan had taken the elevator with Ji Mi, and Fu Qianyao had chatted with them. Seeing how handsome he was, Fu Qianyao had thought he was some decorative secretary...
"How did you learn to be so naughty from Delay!" Fu Qianyao complained sadly. "The executive office is such a bad influence. Give me back my little Mi."
Ji Mi laughed, then suddenly remembered that Delay should be enjoying a decadent nightlife right now.
"Is that Plum place you praised really that interesting? Besides drinking and DJing, are there any other activities?" he asked casually.
Fu Qianyao scratched his head. "It's okay, I guess?"
"It's a gay bar. Other than that, there's nothing too special about it!"