FOBTS CH39

Chapter 39: Did My Social Widthrawl Level Increase?

Song Ruochen spun around in circles.

The direction on the phone screen shifted rapidly—

East, west, south, north… east, west, east, east, east.

A dizzy Song Ruochen: “……”

Help… someone save me.

Jian Yuheng: “?”

He’s lived long enough to see satellite tracking?

The next second, the phone in his hand was snatched away.

“Hand it over.” Song Ruochen said.

Holding both phones, he started spinning rapidly again—

East, east… stopped! It really was Jian Yuheng!

“AI, my pheromone compatibility with the villain is 100%?!” Song Ruochen asked.

【Haha.】

【Hahaha.】

A burst of robotic laughter echoed in his head.

【Does your boss know that all the tasks he assigned have bounced back?】

Song Ruochen: “……”

Is that the key point here?

“Secretary Song.” Jian Yuheng said, looking impatient. “Provoking your boss? Your year-end bonus is gone.”

“I didn’t provoke you!” Song Ruochen said. “I’ll make you forget it right now.”

“System, rewind.” Song Ruochen commanded.

【Can’t rewind, little grape baby.】

【Did you forget? We have no coins left, completely broke.】

“Top up.” Song Ruochen said. “Hurry, he’s looking at me like I’m crazy.”

【‘Like’?】

【Exchanged Song Ruochen’s year-end bonus for rewind coins.】

Song Ruochen: “no…”

Ding.

Song Ruochen returned to the couch area, while Jian Yuheng stood by the coat rack, twirling his employee badge lanyard around his finger.

“Secretary Song.” Jian Yuheng said. “Take your badge.”

“Okay, wuwu, thank you, boss.” Song Ruochen said. “From now on, I’ll weld my badge to my neck, never lose it again, and bring honor to the company.”

Jian Yuheng: “……”

The little lunatic ran off at lightning speed.

Jian Yuheng stood still, frowning for over ten seconds. His eyelid twitched. Then, he opened the AO database app “Awo~”.

Not long ago, the corporate Slave had even sent him a message to check in.

He glanced at it and didn’t notice anything unusual—until a system notification popped up at the top of the screen—

[Would you like to have the same chat effect font as your friend?]

Jian Yuheng selected No.

[Would you like to have a matching couple profile frame with your friend?]

Jian Yuheng froze for a moment.

Couple stuff wasn’t important, but… he did kind of want a framed profile picture.

The sales-driven system kept pushing—

[Would you like to have the same location-tracking fun feature as your friend?]

Jian Yuheng: “?”

Location tracking? When did that come out? The east-west-north-south kind?

No wonder he started orbiting like a planet, hahaha.

Aren’t you always calling me “Father Emperor”? Why didn’t you formally pay your respects before running off?

“Second Young Master, HR has planned several employee New Year gift packages. The Eldest Young Master wants you to decide.” Assistant Gong entered the room.

Jian Yuheng: “:）……:D”

Assistant Gong: “?”

As expected, with the holidays approaching, even the boss’s mood seemed bright.

It was rare to see Second Young Master trying to hold back a laugh.

“There’s a home appliance package, a food and oil package, and a fashion package.” Assistant Gong said. “Which one should we go with?”

“If the prices are the same, let the employees choose their own gifts in the system, so they can get what they like.” Jian Yuheng said. “Also… add a snack package.”

“Understood, Second Young Master.” Assistant Gong said. “In half an hour, a reporter from A City Financial Weekly will be here. Please attend the interview with the Eldest Young Master.”

Jian Yuheng: “:) Hahaha, sure.”

Gong Assistant: “?”

Am I funny?

Or did someone funny stand in this exact spot before me?

Half an hour later, Song Ruochen accompanied Jian Feng into the meeting room.

Jian Yuheng and Gong Huo were already there. When they entered, Jian Yuheng gave a slight nod.

Song Ruochen: “……”

【Your Father Emperor is looking at you.】

【Oh my, you’ve turned into a red grape.】

Song Ruochen suddenly had a revelation. He quickly opened the app and disabled the location-tracking feature—

[As a distinguished VIP member, you can prevent others from viewing your location.]

“Let this secret rot in the ground.” Song Ruochen muttered.

But—

What now? This was still so embarrassing.

By day, he was the cool and noble Secretary Song. In private, he was randomly calling people ‘Father.’

And why was his pheromone compatibility with the villain so high?! Weren’t they supposed to be at odds?

“Second Young Master Jian, please take a look at this first.” A journalist handed over a document. “These are the questions we’ll be asking later.”

“Alright.” Jian Yuheng said.

He held the document, but his gaze couldn’t help but drift toward Song Ruochen.

“President Jian, have some tea.” Song Ruochen handed over a cup.

“President Jian, have a biscuit.”

“President Jian, here’s a tissue; wipe your sweat.”

Then, he pulled a small comb from his pocket and tidied Jian Feng’s hair.

Jian Feng: “……”

Jian Yuheng: “…………”

As expected, when someone was embarrassed, they pretended to be extremely busy.

“President Jian, I’ll read the interview guidelines for you.” Song Ruochen busied himself. “First question: Who do you think is the actual decision-maker of the company? Ah, isn’t this question a bit rude?”

“The questions can be changed at any time.” The journalist quickly reassured him.

There had been industry rumors about discord between the two brothers. The editorial team had prepared several questions based on what the audience wanted to know. However—

The journalist scratched his head.

Looking at these two, there didn’t seem to be any conflict.

“Remove it.” Song Ruochen said. “It’s inappropriate.”

Jian Yuheng: “Remove it.”

Jian Feng: “Mm-hmm!”

“……Alright, we’ll avoid that topic. The equipment is all set.” The journalist smiled. “Shall we begin?”

The business interview officially started. Sitting outside the camera frame, Song Ruochen used his toes to scratch imaginary castles into the floor.

【A clueless fool by day, an affectionate son by night, hahaha.】

Song Ruochen: “……Recognizing a thief as a father.”

【It’s fine, life has a high margin for error.】

“Fair enough.” Song Ruochen sighed. “I doubt anything more embarrassing than this will ever happen in my lifetime.”

【Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, I know~】

【High-five.jpg】

Over on the other side, the journalist asked, “Second Young Master Jian, you’ve been managing Xiaoshi for some time now. Management is an art—how do you think one can maximize employee productivity?”

Jian Yuheng: “……”

The first answer that popped into his mind was outsourcing.

“Meritocracy.” He glanced at Song Ruochen, who was staring blankly into space, and gave a textbook response.

Meanwhile, Song Ruochen, still pretending to be busy, wiped the table while chatting with the system.

“What does 100% pheromone compatibility mean?” Song Ruochen asked.

【Your ideal spouse.】

“Spouse? More like a doll. I’ve caused him so much trouble—I can’t afford to fall into his hands.” Song Ruochen said. “Besides, system, do you remember? The boss said he doesn’t do relationships.”

【I remember.】

【He only wants to be your Father Emperor.】

“But…” Song Ruochen mused, “I’m curious—what’s the difference between a 100% compatible Alpha and one with a lower compatibility score?”

The business interview was well-timed, wrapping up just as the workday ended.

“Secretary Song, good work.” Jian Feng said. “You’re free to go.”

“Ah—” Song Ruochen fidgeted with the air for a moment, then waited exactly thirty seconds past the end of the workday. “Alright.”

“President Jian, I was forced to work overtime for half a minute. That counts as overtime, right?”

Jian Feng: “……Fine, it counts.”

“Then I’m off to dinner.” Song Ruochen grabbed a stack of documents and left.

Lately, he’d been eating at the office to save on meal expenses.

Back in his office, he put away the documents and glanced at his phone. The boss had replied to his message—

[Boss]: You haven’t called me ‘Father Emperor’ in five hours. Is something on your mind?

Song Ruochen: “……”

[Corporate Slave]: Urgent matter, busy right now.

[Corporate Slave]: Boss, is there any work you need my help with?

[Boss]: Oh? Have you grown up?

[Corporate Slave]: Just returning the favor—I want to be Father Emperor for a few days too.

[Boss]: ……

“Brother.” In the stairwell, Jian Feng asked, “Why do you look like you’re smiling while being angry?”

Jian Yuheng: “……”

Since when was his brother so perceptive about emotions?

Had his social withdrawal somehow led to emotional enlightenment?

“Let’s go, time for the cafeteria.” Jian Yuheng said.

Jian Yuheng took the stairs. By the time he arrived at the cafeteria, Jian Feng was already eating. Employees greeted him as they passed by, and he nodded in response.

From a distance, he spotted Song Ruochen standing by the ice cream machine.

There was a long line today, and since Song Ruochen had arrived late, he was stuck at the very end, peering longingly ahead.

This greedy little omega—did he have to eat everything?

If he’d eat whatever he was given, he’d be pretty easy to take care of.

Come to think of it, would the little nutcase be happy to know they had a 100% pheromone compatibility?

When should he circle around him again? That had been kind of fun.

In the dead of winter, ice cream was still popular. By the time it was Song Ruochen’s turn, the machine had run out.

He found a seat and crunched on his empty waffle cone.

“System, I don’t think the villain is actually that scary.” He mused. “I asked him for help with work, and he actually taught me.”

【.】

【So?】

“I kinda want to test my courage a little more.” Song Ruochen said.

Group Chat [Fuzzy Grape Zao] (3)

[Meng Yumian]: Wanna go shopping tomorrow night?

[Yan Ci]: Sure, sure!

[Song Ruochen]: 0.o Which street?

[Yan Ci]: The one near my place—lots of food and fun stuff.

[Yan Ci]: Little Grape, you’re on break starting tomorrow, right?

[Song Ruochen]: Yeah, but I still have a project to monitor starting the day after. I can totally go shopping with you two.

[Meng Yumian]: You mean with me, I’m the guest.

[Yan Ci]: You should come in a wheelchair and let Secretary Song push you around!

Song Ruochen: “……”

“System, did my social withdrawal level go up?” He asked.

【No.】

【But your reputation stats look a little ugly.】

The next evening, Song Ruochen threw together a mismatched outfit and went to meet Meng Yumian and Yan Ci.

Since there was food involved, he arrived half an hour early—only to find that they were already there.

Song Ruochen: “0.o?”

Song Ruochen: “You two aren’t lining up for some midnight release, are you?”

“No way, I just got here.” Yan Ci said. “Barely beat you by a smidge.”

Meng Yumian, pushing a wheelchair: “Don’t talk nonsense. I brought a wheelchair, so technically, my wheelchair arrived first.”

Song Ruochen: “……”

Honestly…

Jian Feng might actually have a really good temper.

“Let’s go, Chenchen!” Yan Ci said. “Time to shop!”

“Let’s go, let’s go!” Meng Yumian sprinted while pushing the wheelchair.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, street vendors had set up all kinds of fun game booths. Meng Yumian hovered around a balloon-shooting stall.

“Want to give it a try?” The vendor immediately noticed them and approached with a smile.

Yan Ci and Meng Yumian simultaneously pointed at Song Ruochen.

Yan Ci: “0.0*”

Meng Yumian: “0.0*”

【In the original story, Secretary Song knew how to handle a gun.】

【Do you?】

“I can barely hold a hammer.” Song Ruochen muttered.

No choice—at this point, he had to go along with the act.

With an expressionless face, Song Ruochen picked up the air gun and aimed at the balloons.

Not far away, Jian Yuheng and Jian Feng were strolling down the street.

“Xiaoshi’s New Year advertising campaign is doing well.” Jian Yuheng commented. “This street has heavy foot traffic, and anyone looking up can see our billboards.”

“Yeah.” Jian Feng agreed. “All the projects we collaborated on this year, plus the new streamers we signed, got promoted.”

They passed a candied hawthorn stall. Jian Yuheng glanced at it before walking over.

“By the way, Yan Ci and the others are hanging out around here today.” Jian Feng said.

The moment he finished speaking, Jian Yuheng spotted him.

His little secretary was sitting at a game booth, gun in hand, aiming at a row of balloons.

Bang.

He missed.

Ding.

Jian Yuheng took a few steps back, returning to the entrance of the candied hawthorn shop.

Ding.

Ding.

Jian Yuheng was welded in place at the shop’s doorway.

Finally, from a distance, a loud bang rang out—Song Ruochen had precisely hit a balloon.

“Little Grape, that was awesome!” Yan Ci clapped.

“Goodness, you’re actually good at this.” Meng Yumian applauded.

Tch.

Jian Yuheng thought.

The bloopers were more entertaining.

He glanced coldly at the hawthorn candy shop by the road.

“Brother,” Jian Yuheng said, “you’re not buying any snacks for your wife?”

Jian Feng pointed at himself: “?”

Song Ruochen had hit a balloon and won a postcard.

He had brute-forced his way through with no talent, spending a ridiculous amount of money QAQ.

He looked at Meng Yumian, then at Yan Ci, and tore the postcard in half to share with them.

【Secretary Song’s reputation dropped by 10 points—big drop.】

“Yan Ci?” A voice came from the roadside. “That’s Yan Ci, right? The game commentator?”

“The one who copied Qingpi’s streaming style? And even got a bunch of people to spam hate comments in Qingpi’s stream?” Another voice chimed in.

A group of onlookers: “0.o?”

The two people were speaking quite loudly, deliberately raising their voices so Yan Ci could hear.

“I heard Qingpi applied to Xiaoshi Group but got rejected.” One of them added. “Bet it was Yan Ci’s doing—couldn’t win in a fair fight online, so he resorted to shady tricks behind the scenes.”

Yan Ci: “0.0*”

【Save file rewind—funds credited: 30 minutes.】

Huh? That much?

“If you’re gonna be a lapdog, at least do it with some dignity.” Song Ruochen said. “Planning to put this on your résumé?”

The two haters: “……”

Jian Yuheng, who had just arrived: “……”

“People like that can only be lapdogs—no résumé to speak of, haha.” Meng Yumian sneered.

“If you have issues with the hiring process, you’re welcome to confront Xiaoshi Group’s HR directly.” Jian Yuheng said. “Shouting in the middle of the street—do you think Xiaoshi evaluates candidates based on shamelessness?”

Song Ruochen: “Eh?”

Hawthorn brought his hawthorn over?

Little Grape, who wasn’t working today, was dressed like a fluffy bunny.

A thought stirred in Jian Yuheng’s mind, and an imperceptible trace of pheromones lightly poked at Song Ruochen.

Song Ruochen: “:）”

He inched closer to Jian Yuheng. “Hawthor brother, you’re surprisingly authentic today, huh?”

Jian Yuheng: “……”

Publicly… acting like a rogue.

Ding.