I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

After finishing breakfast, the two parted ways at the entrance of the cafeteria.

As Lu Tinglan left, she kept thinking about how Boss Shen would charge into battle.

Create a new account and launch a well-reasoned counterattack against those posts attacking her from various angles? Hmm, that's possible. Don't underestimate Boss Shen just because he's young; he's very smart. He can even come up with the concept of switching tracks, so he must have some ideas for dealing with those posts.

Or,

Create a fake account, pretend to be a 20-year veteran fan, and write a tearful, moving post that will break the hearts of listeners and bring tears to the eyes, to plead for justice.

Hmm, possibly. Boss Shen should have some writing skills, as evidenced by the fact that his alternate account, with just ten short characters, was insidious and vicious, making him quite angry.

Or rather,

Create a new account, go and argue with those posts that attack you, refute them one by one, and pave the way for your upcoming "comeback and transformation".

Well, it's still possible. After all, given Boss Shen's ability to get a mere ten words to the top of the replies list, plus his status as the owner of the Beiming Community, if he really went to those posts to stir up trouble, he could probably get to the top.

He's quite persuasive; wasn't I successfully convinced by him to join his cause? So it's entirely possible that he'll confront them and refute their arguments...

As Lu Tinglan walked, she went through the various possibilities in her mind, but she still couldn't figure out how Shen Kang would act or how he would charge.

Forget it, I won't guess anymore. Anyway, he's here to help me. He's not going to drive a tank and fire at me, is he?

……

"Achoo!"

Shen Kang was walking down the street when he sneezed again. He then looked down at himself in confusion—was he wearing too little? No, he wasn't wearing any clothes and he wasn't cold.

Unable to understand, Shen Kang shook his head, ignoring it, and continued walking forward to Ma Liang's dormitory. On the way, he took out his phone and called Ma Liang.

"Hey, Lao Ma, are you in the dorm?"

"Not here."

Shen Kang stopped in his tracks. "Not here? Then where are you now?"

"This residential area opposite Yangko University of Science and Technology."

"Okay, I'll come find you."

After hanging up the phone, Shen Kang turned around and walked towards the south gate of the school.

As I exited the south gate and was about to cross the road to the residential area on the other side, I saw someone walking along the sidewalk on the opposite side of the road in the distance. It was Ma Liang.

Upon seeing Shen Kang, Ma Liang stopped coming over and just stood there.

Shen Kang quickly ran over, stood beside him, glanced at Ma Liang, and asked, somewhat surprised, "Old Ma, what's wrong with you?"

Ma Liang's expression was a bit off; he looked listless, his head drooping, and he seemed to be in a bad mood.

Ma Liang opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say anything. He just shook his head, his long hair fluttering in the wind.

"fine."

Seeing this, Shen Kang didn't ask any further questions, but simply turned his head to glance at the nearby residential area, "Why did you suddenly move out?"

Ma Liang's eyes darted away.

"Um... living in the dorm isn't very convenient. You know, I often have to work overtime, and when everyone else is asleep late at night, I'm still typing away on the keyboard, which people complain about. Moving out will make things easier for everyone."

The two walked side by side.

Ma Liang led the way, half a body length ahead, with Shen Kang following behind.

Hearing this, she asked in surprise, "Wait, aren't you guys from the computer science department? I thought all computer science students were night owls. Going to bed so early?"

"Such a strange stereotype..."

Chatting casually, the two entered the residential area.

After turning left and right for a while, they arrived at an apartment building, and Ma Liang led the way inside.

There is no elevator in the building.

Shen Kang followed him all the way to the 6th floor and stopped, watching Ma Liang take out his key and open the door at the entrance of 601.

"Next time, rent a cheaper place. Going up and down six floors every day, don't you get tired of it?" Shen Kang casually complained, adding, "If the cheaper place is a bit more expensive, just tell me, and I'll cover the difference. Consider it your housing allowance. After all, you're bothering your roommates, and not moving out is for the sake of the company."

Ma Liang paused for a moment as he opened the door.

It wasn't because of that last sentence—of course, Shen Kang's last sentence, aside from not reimbursing the full rent, was still quite humane and considerate of his subordinates.

But the main reason is still because of the sentence mentioned earlier.

Exactly the same...

Ma Liang was momentarily stunned.

"?"

Shen Kang was puzzled to see Ma Liang holding a key and not moving in the door. He waved his hand in front of Ma Liang to bring him back from his reverie.

"fine."

Ma Liang forced a smile. "I got lost in thought about the final exams."

As he spoke, he turned the lock, pushed open the door, and led the way inside.

Shen Kang followed him inside and quickly looked around the small apartment that Ma Liang rented off-campus.

This is a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment. It's not very big, probably around 60 or 70 square meters in total. It has a living room, kitchen, and bathroom.

Because it's a real estate project built around the university town, it's relatively new, and the interior decoration is also relatively new. It's not the dim style of the last century; the lighting is very good and it's quite bright.

Which slippers should I wear?

As Shen Kang spoke, he squatted down and opened the shoe cabinet in the entryway.

Ma Liang seemed surprised that Shen Kang would open the shoe cabinet. He panicked for a moment and quickly kicked a pair of gray slippers that he had prepared to Shen Kang's feet, then "unintentionally" closed the shoe cabinet door.

"I've already prepared these two pairs."

Shen Kang's gaze snapped away from the shoe cabinet, glanced at the slippers kicked onto the floor, and laughed, "Look at my eyesight, I really didn't notice."

As he spoke, he shuffled his feet from side to side until his shoes came off, put on his slippers, and followed Ma Liang inside.

There is a sofa in the living room and a small coffee table in the middle, a very common arrangement.

Shen Kang sat down on the sofa. Ma Liang poured two glasses of water, placed them on the coffee table, and sat down next to Shen Kang. "Boss, what do you need me for?"

Shen Kang picked up the water on the table and gulped down a big mouthful—the soy milk had a bit too much sugar in it, it was too sweet.

After putting down the water and feeling better, he finally spoke: "Oh, it's nothing serious, just something came up at the Beiming Community. I need to create another account to help Lu Tinglan with that matter."

Ma Liang also knew about this.

Ma Liang was responsible for the network security of several accounts during this incident, preventing certain computer experts in the school from discerning any clues from the network information of some accounts—maintaining the network security of users is actually Ma Liang's job.

Ma Liang nodded. "No problem. Are there any requirements?"

Shen Kang thought for a moment, "My old account for building materials wholesale is definitely unusable. Some people know it, so I'll create a new one. I'll change the registration time, make sure it's not a newly registered account, and add some traces of my personal life..."

The two then discussed these small details.

Ma Liang, who was initially somewhat inexplicably wary, gradually relaxed.

As he spoke, Shen Kang habitually veered off-topic again, "...Next time, I'll bring her out to have dinner with me."

"I have no idea where she is now." Ma Liang was exasperated.

Then, his body suddenly stiffened.

Then, he seemed to turn into a robot, his whole body frozen in place, only his neck turning mechanically little by little, and you could almost hear the mechanical sound of his neck turning.

Shen Kang leaned back on the sofa, holding a water glass in his hand, leisurely drinking water without even looking at Ma Liang.

"...Didn't the way I turned my neck just now look like a robot?"

Ma Liang didn't know what to say, so he gave a forced smile and casually started a conversation. "I feel like I can hear a mechanical voice coming from my own neck, it's so stiff."

"Robots aren't as stiff as you."

Shen Kang said something casually.

He had personally witnessed the development of robots in later generations; some robots were even more agile than real people. It just goes to show that human imagination is somewhat conservative.

Ma Liang fell silent.

He thought that since he had fallen for it, Shen Kang would continue to ask questions. But to his surprise, Shen Kang just drank water on his own. After finishing, he got up, went to the water dispenser next to him to get more water, sat down, drank half of it, and then finally put down the water cup.

"I already asked the auntie to add less sugar, but she still added so much sugar."

Shen Kang complained.

He acted as if nothing had happened, and didn't urge Ma Liang on.

After a moment of silence, Ma Liang finally spoke: "Boss, how did you know?"

Despite the lack of context, Shen Kang understood what was being said.

I saw it when I accidentally opened your shoe cabinet just now.

He saw a pair of women's slippers in the shoe cabinet.

"...You really didn't mean to?" Ma Liang couldn't help but wonder.

"Of course," Shen Kang replied matter-of-factly.

"……All right."

Ma Liang didn't pursue the matter any further.

Perhaps it was because Shen Kang didn't ask, or perhaps it was because Shen Kang didn't ask, or perhaps it was because Shen Kang didn't ask, that Ma Liang wanted to speak up.

He picked up his untouched glass of water from the coffee table, held it in his hand, but didn't drink it.

"Boss, do you remember what you told me about that 'overnight' thing?"

Overnight?

Shen Kang recalled, and then remembered.

It wasn't an overnight stay at an internet cafe, but an overnight stay at a hotel.

It happened during a casual chat between him and Ma Liang. Somehow, the conversation drifted to things like hotels, foot massages, and other similar topics.

Ma Liang had always been very interested in this, and since he believed that Shen Kang was "experienced," he kept pestering Shen Kang to tell him about his "experience."

Shen Kang said, "What experience do I have?" But Ma Liang just wouldn't believe him.

Finally, having no other choice, Shen Kang recounted his experience in the first person:

That was on a certain day of a certain year.

I spent 1000 yuan to book an overnight stay.

After she entered the hotel room, she said, "Brother, I'm going to take a shower first." After coming out, she immediately took off her bathrobe and leaned against the bed. I said, "Put your clothes on and come out to have dinner with me first." On the way to the restaurant, she looked at me with confusion, thinking, "Are there really such strange men in the world?"

The city's neon lights reflected in her eyes, leaving a faint glow. Then she lit a cigarette, and the light and shadow in her eyes vanished in an instant.

During the meal, I casually put some food on her plate and said, "Let's go see a movie after we finish eating."

She was still puzzled, but agreed due to the employment relationship.

She seemed uninterested in the movie and fell asleep. Looking at her face, I worried it was too cold from the air conditioning, so I took off my coat and put it on her. She suddenly woke up, "Brother, are we going to stay here?" I smiled and said, "No, I was just worried you'd be cold." She didn't fall asleep again, returned the coat to me, and continued watching the movie.

After leaving the movie theater, she asked me when we were going back. I said there was no rush, and I'd take her somewhere. After a short drive, the car stopped in front of a silver jewelry store. She got out and seemed lost in thought for a long time. I took her hand and led her into the store, saying, "I still don't know your name." She then told me her name was Huihui.

She was very serious about making silver jewelry, carefully polishing the ring with a file, but a tear was about to spill from her eye.

She carefully handed me the silver jewelry with her name engraved on it. No longer as excited as when we came out of the movie theater, she said with a hint of sadness, "Can we go back now?" I agreed and took her back to the hotel. On the way, she said, "My ex-boyfriend promised me many times that we would get wedding rings made, but he never came with me. So I made a ring with his initials engraved on it, but he lost it later. It's really funny now that I think about it."

After I got back to the hotel and took a shower, she was already waiting for me in bed.

I lay down gently beside her and slowly picked her up, but hesitated to make any further move. She waited for a long time before falling asleep. Listening to the girl's even breathing, I also drifted off to sleep.

I woke up early the next day and saw tear stains at the corners of her eyes. I wanted to wipe them away for her, but I was afraid of waking her, so I left quietly.

And so I disappeared into the crowd. I heard that she later found a job as a technician in our silver jewelry shop. She said she was waiting for a man.

……

"Okay, I'll remember."

Shen Kang finally remembered the story and nodded. "What's wrong?"

Ma Liang remained silent.

Shen Kang seemed to understand.

"You also found someone to stay overnight?"

Ma Liang remained silent.

But that's tantamount to tacit agreement.

Yes, he found one too.

Shen Kang had no idea how excited he was after hearing Shen Kang's story!

Service, transaction, emotion, purity... these elements can be blended together in a way that is beyond his imagination; it is simply art!

Compared to this, the things he had thought of before were really too ridiculous!

From that day on, Ma Liang began to have restless thoughts.

"Hey,"

Seeing this, Shen Kang shifted his position and faced Ma Liang. "I'm puzzled, where did you find this?" Ma Liang had never dared to try even roadside shops before, so how did he manage to find someone who could provide overnight services?

Ma Liang remained silent.

Shen Kang stopped asking and just looked at Ma Liang.

After being stared at by Shen Kang for a while, Ma Liang finally couldn't help but ask, "Boss, is that story you told me before true?"

"Absolutely true," Shen Kang replied without hesitation.

Ma Liang, however, was distressed. "Then why did I encounter someone who was completely different?"

Shen Kang, always eager to help, shifted his position on the sofa, straightened his posture, and said seriously, "So what kind of person did you encounter? Let me analyze it for you."

Ma Liang looked at Shen Kang, glanced at him, thought for a moment, and finally told his story:

Ma Liang spent 1000 yuan to hire someone for the whole night.

Ma Liang didn't go to the hotel; instead, he brought the girl directly here. The girl's first words at the door were exactly the same as Shen Kang's first words at the door earlier.

After entering the room, the girl gave a charming smile and said, "Brother, I'm going to take a shower first." After coming out, she wrapped herself in a bath towel and rubbed against the bed.

When they arrived at the roadside spicy hot pot stall, Ma Liang affectionately picked up a piece of pig lung for her.

The girl, with a cigarette dangling from her lips, pushed the pig lung to the side of her bowl: "Brother, I can't swallow this stuff. If you really care about me, can you add a sausage? Just a one-yuan Shuanghui sausage will do."

The neon lights reflected in her eyes, revealing only the frustration of "this order is a loss."

As expected, the girl fell asleep during the movie. Ma Liang quietly took off his coat and put it on her. The girl suddenly jumped up, her voice so loud that people in the row in front turned around: "What are you doing! This won't do, there are people everywhere!" Ma Liang blushed with embarrassment and whispered, "I was afraid you'd be cold." The girl rolled her eyes at him, threw the coat back, muttered "You're crazy," turned over, and continued sleeping, her snoring gradually rising.

After leaving the movie theater, Ma Liang said he would take her somewhere. The girl yawned, "Brother, there are time limits for staying out all night. Running around like this counts as overtime." Ma Liang ignored her and dragged her into the Y silver jewelry store.

The girl picked up a file, as if she were filing the bones of an enemy, and asked for his name. She said, "Just carve something like 'Little Red,' who uses their real name when they're out in the world?" The finished product was a crooked aluminum ring, but Ma Liang treasured it like a precious gem. The girl shoved the ring into his hand: "Let's go back to the hotel, my legs are getting sore."

After returning to his room, Ma Liang took a shower and found the girl fast asleep on the bed, snoring loudly, with glistening drool at the corner of her mouth. He gently lay down, intending to imitate Shen Kang and give her a sacred embrace, when the girl rolled over in her sleep, her knee landing squarely on his lower abdomen, causing him to curl up like a shrimp in pain.

And so, Ma Liang listened to the symphony of snoring and teeth grinding, staring at the ceiling until dawn.

He woke up early the next day and saw that there was indeed a mark at the corner of the girl's eye—a splatter of oil from the spicy hot pot he had eaten the night before. He carefully placed the silver ring beside his pillow and left a note: "See you again if fate allows." Then he quietly disappeared.

A week later, Ma Liang went to the silver jewelry shop again, wanting to see if the girl was really there as a technician waiting for him.

There was only one middle-aged woman knitting in the shop. Ma Liang took out a ring and asked, "Has a girl named Xiao Hong started working here?" The woman glanced at the ring and smiled, "Oh, the night you finished making the ring, she came back before dawn, saying that some idiot had left the ring in his room and asked if she could get cash for it. I gave her twenty yuan, and she left cursing, saying that the whole night was a waste of time and she might as well take another hour."

……