Chapter Twelve: So Boring All Alone

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Lin Wei’s thunderous methods and her strategy for breaking the deadlock were like a shot of adrenaline injected into the “Starsea Project,” which had been on the verge of paralysis.

Yu Ling was granted unprecedented authority and trust. Leading the core team, she began the intensive implementation of the blueprint Lin Wei had laid out. Rebuilding the user model, designing an entirely new conversion path, coordinating technical and product resources… The workload surged overnight, and working late became the norm.

Yet this time, the frantic pace was entirely different from the previous chaos. The goal was clear, the path well defined, and behind her stood Lin Wei, a formidable backer who swept away obstacles and marshaled resources. Yu Ling felt like a sharpened blade that had finally been honed to a razor edge, releasing astonishing energy under the pressure of repeated tempering. Immersed in this challenging yet exhilarating state, she would often look up to find that the lights outside had already thinned into the night.

Another late night at the office. The hour hand slid past ten.

Only a few scattered lights remained on the seventeenth floor of Morningstar Technology. Three monitors glowed at Yu Ling’s workstation, displaying dense data charts, user journey flow diagrams, and design drafts awaiting approval.

She rubbed her aching temples, picked up the coffee beside her, now long cold, and gulped it down. The bitter liquid slid over her throat, bringing a brief moment of clarity. Her fingertips flew across the keyboard, the tapping especially distinct in the silent office.

Her phone screen lit up. It was a message from Zhao Chen.

[ZhaOC]: [Image: A bowl of thick, silky rice porridge cooked with fresh chicken, garnished with bright green scallions and golden strips of chicken]

[ZhaOC]: General Ling, how goes the battle at the front? Late-night supplies have arrived downstairs. Please indicate the drop coordinates. [Salute.jpg]

Looking at the steaming bowl of porridge in the picture, Yu Ling could almost smell the enticing fragrance of rice and the savory sweetness of chicken broth. Her cold stomach was instantly wrapped in warmth. The corners of her lips rose involuntarily, and her fingers flew over the screen.

[Ling]: Reporting, Commander! The enemy forces (data) are making a desperate stand, while our troops (the proposal) are closing in from all sides! We expect to need another hour to eliminate the remaining resistance! Requesting an emergency late-night supply drop to the eastern battlefield on the seventeenth floor (my workstation)! [Fighting.jpg]

Less than three minutes after she sent the message, familiar footsteps approached from the distance. Yu Ling looked up and saw Zhao Chen appear in the office doorway, carrying the insulated bag.

He was wearing a soft dark-gray cashmere sweater beneath a lightweight wool overcoat in a matching shade, which made his tall, lean figure look even more upright and elegant. The light fell across his sharply defined profile, softening whatever edge it might have possessed during the day and leaving behind only a warm, jade-like gentleness.

“General Ling, your supplies.” He walked over to Yu Ling’s workstation and lightly set the insulated bag on the corner of her desk. His voice was quiet, touched with amusement.

The moment he opened the bag, the rich aroma of the fresh chicken porridge spread through the office, boldly driving away the stale scents of coffee and paper.

“Thank you, Minister of Logistics Zhao!” Yu Ling accepted the spoon he handed her and eagerly scooped up a mouthful. The warm porridge glided down her throat, carrying the mellow richness of chicken broth and the tender freshness of shredded chicken. In an instant, it soothed every exhausted organ in her body, and happiness welled up from within. She let out a satisfied sigh.

“It’s so good! You’ve saved my stomach from going on strike.”

Zhao Chen pulled over an empty chair and sat naturally beside her, showing no sign of leaving anytime soon. He tilted his head slightly, his gaze settling on the complicated data charts and flow diagrams on her screen. His expression was focused, touched by a faint, almost imperceptible admiration.

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“The battle seems… rather evenly matched?” he asked casually, his relaxed tone making it sound like idle conversation.

“Mm, a little.” Yu Ling sipped her porridge in small mouthfuls while pointing at a complicated conversion funnel model on the screen. “Here—the conversion rate for users going from clicking the advertisement to completing their first core experience is still rather low.

“The A/B test data for our newly designed guidance strategy and incentive points just came in. The results have improved, but they still haven’t reached the expected threshold. Director Lin’s standards are very high…”

She instinctively shared the difficulty of her work with Zhao Chen, as though she were telling him about an ordinary household matter.

Zhao Chen listened quietly. His eyes swept over the detailed A/B testing report, while his long fingers tapped lightly against his knee without conscious thought, as if he were deep in contemplation. After a moment, he leaned forward slightly and pointed to one of the data points in the report.

“Here. Compare the user behavior heat maps for Groups Three and Five. There are subtle differences around the edges. Before entering the experience phase, users in Group Five lingered on this secondary guidance button for an extra half-second. It’s a very short delay, but when you compare it with the bounce-rate data, that half-second of hesitation may be the key point where the conversion is being lost.”

Yu Ling followed the direction of his finger. There were two densely packed heat maps of user interaction paths, marked in different colors. During her earlier analysis, she had focused more on click density and dwell time in the central areas. She had indeed overlooked the extremely subtle discrepancy surrounding the peripheral button.

With Zhao Chen’s insight, she immediately saw the problem: the wording of the secondary guidance button might not be clear or appealing enough, causing users to hesitate for a moment and thereby increasing the risk of losing them.

“Oh! I can’t believe I overlooked this!” Yu Ling slapped her forehead in frustration, then her eyes lit up. “Your eyes are unbelievably sharp! You actually noticed that?”

She looked at Zhao Chen, her gaze filled with surprise and admiration. Such powers of observation and sensitivity to data were far beyond those of an ordinary person.

Under her stare, Zhao Chen seemed a little embarrassed. He raised a hand to touch the tip of his nose and offered a shy smile.

“Ahem. In the past… well, I helped a friend test game interfaces for a while. I got used to staring at these heat maps and looking for flaws.”

He dismissed it lightly, then naturally shifted the subject.

“Since the problem may lie here, why not try adjusting the wording of that button? Or change it to a more eye-catching color? Maybe even… add a subtle animation to guide the user?”

His suggestion went straight to the heart of the problem and offered several specific, practical directions for improvement. Yu Ling immediately opened the design file and began modifying the wording and style of the secondary guidance button according to his ideas. As she worked, she discussed with him which phrasing would best encourage users to click.

Their heads drew close together as they leaned toward the computer screen—one concentrating on revising the design, the other offering gentle suggestions from the side.

The faint cedar scent clinging to Zhao Chen mingled with the warm fragrance of the fresh chicken porridge, lingering at the tip of Yu Ling’s nose. When he spoke, his warm breath occasionally brushed against the shell of her ear, bringing with it a delicate tickle.

For no apparent reason, Yu Ling’s heart began beating several times faster. Her cheeks grew warm, and she could only force herself to focus on the screen.

The initial optimization plan was soon settled, and Yu Ling felt that her thoughts had opened up considerably. She stretched and rolled her stiff neck.

“Done! I’ll have the design team produce the visuals tomorrow, and the technical team can update the code and test the results at the same time. Hopefully it works this time!”

Her face wore a tired yet satisfied smile. She turned her head—and came face-to-face with Zhao Chen’s amber eyes, so close that she could see the gentle smile within them.

Their eyes met.

For a moment, the air seemed to freeze.

The overhead light rested on his thick lashes, casting small shadows beneath them. The smile in his eyes was unmistakable, as though they were filled with scattered starlight. Yu Ling’s heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly looked away, feeling the warmth spreading toward the tips of her ears.

“Um… I’ve finished the porridge, so you should go home and get some rest. I’ll probably be here for a while longer.”

Somewhat flustered, Yu Ling began gathering up the insulated container, trying to break the delicate atmosphere.

Zhao Chen did not move. He tilted his head slightly, looking at her evasive eyes, and suddenly spoke. His voice was deeper than before, carrying an almost coquettish note.

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“Lingling…”

He drew out the final syllable, like a lazy tomcat gently teasing someone with its paw.

“Working late by myself is so boring.”

He paused, a carefully measured look of grievance and expectation appearing in his eyes.

“I’ll be alone when I go home, too. Why don’t I keep you company? I promise I’ll be quiet and won’t disturb your work at all!”

He raised three fingers as though taking an oath. His expression was earnest, yet touched with a childlike plea.

Yu Ling was rendered both amused and helpless by his sudden display of affection. A tall, long-legged man with a restrained presence was looking at her with those damp, beseeching eyes and saying, “It’s so boring by myself.” The sheer destructive power of it was practically cheating.

She thought of the luxurious furniture and household goods at home. Then she looked at the man before her—a master chef when tied behind an apron, someone who could precisely shoot down investment scams with a phone in hand, someone who could identify the heart of a problem at a glance when examining a heat map, and yet who now resembled a huge dog begging to be taken in.

The enormous contrast was irresistibly adorable. She simply could not withstand it.

“You… aren’t you tired?” Yu Ling tried to resist.

“Not at all! Watching you work gives me so much energy!”

Zhao Chen answered immediately. His eyes sparkled with entirely undisguised sincerity.

“…All right.” Yu Ling sighed helplessly and pointed at the empty seat beside her. “Then sit here and stay quiet.”

She truly could not bring herself to refuse those amber eyes filled with the silent plea, Take me in.

“Yes, ma’am!”

Zhao Chen instantly broke into a radiant smile, like a man who had just received a royal pardon. He swiftly dragged his chair a little closer to Yu Ling, though he still maintained a polite distance. Then, as if performing a magic trick, he pulled an ultra-thin silver laptop from the pocket of his overcoat.

The computer’s design was extraordinarily sleek and minimalist. Its metal body gleamed with a cold luster, devoid of any brand markings, and it was so thin that it resembled a magazine. Zhao Chen placed it on his lap and turned it on.

The moment the screen lit up, Yu Ling caught sight of a pure black desktop background, deep as the night sky. There were no flashy icons, only a simple terminal window floating quietly in the center.

Zhao Chen’s long fingers settled on the keyboard. That keyboard seemed custom-made as well, with an extraordinarily short key travel and almost no sound when pressed.

Then his fingertips began to fly across the keys at a dizzying speed.

He was not typing ordinary text.

He was entering code.

On the screen, lines of white code streamed down the black command window like a waterfall. They moved so quickly that Yu Ling could not make out a single thing he was typing; all she could see was a blur of pale afterimages.

His fingers moved with precision, stability, and breathtaking speed, carrying the smooth rhythm of flowing water and an absolute command of the machine.

That intent profile, those slightly pursed lips, and the calm, keen light flickering in his eyes—sharp and exact as the workings of a precision instrument—made him seem like an entirely different person from the gentle, domestic man who usually wore an apron and chopped vegetables.

Yu Ling was completely transfixed.

She even forgot to move the mouse.

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