novelraw Chapter 003 Unreasonable Behavior
Chapter 003 Unreasonable Behavior
three days later.
It's 11 p.m.
A sudden downpour swept through City A.
Thunder rumbled, and raindrops pelted the windowpane like pebbles.
University of A's Student Entrepreneurship Incubation Park.
The studio at the very end was brightly lit.
The air was thick with the smell of coffee and a sense of unease.
The sound of the keyboard being typed was as dense as the raindrops outside the window.
"No, this data still overflows."
Jia Pengxiu grabbed a handful of his already messy hair, his eyes bloodshot. "Brother Ci, if we don't cut this feature, the beta test will definitely crash tomorrow."
At the very back of the desk.
Jiang Ci sat in front of three monitors.
The cold light from the screen reflected on his face, making his handsome features appear even paler and more hardened.
He didn't speak.
Long, slender fingers flew across the keyboard, typing out lines of complex code.
Behind the silver-rimmed glasses, those eyes were frighteningly focused.
The entire team has been working through the night for two consecutive days.
This is a pivotal moment for the "Limitless" project.
Once they pass tomorrow's closed beta test, they will be able to secure their first round of angel investment.
The atmosphere was extremely oppressive.
Everyone was on edge, even their breathing was carefully controlled.
Just then.
A sudden ringtone broke the tense silence.
It's Jiang Ci's phone.
It vibrated and buzzed when placed on the table.
The screen lit up, displaying two words: 【Wen Ning】.
Jiang Ci's fingers didn't stop.
He glanced at the screen, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and then hung up.
"continue."
His voice was hoarse. "Send me the data from that interface."
Three seconds later.
The bell rang again.
This time, it was even more urgent, as if it would keep ringing forever if not answered.
Zhang Annian stopped what he was doing and glanced cautiously at Jiang Ci: "Brother Ci...why don't you answer first? It's so late, your wife might have something urgent to attend to?"
Jiang Ci stopped what he was doing.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled a breath of stale air.
Answer the call and press the speakerphone button.
He tossed his phone on the table and continued typing on the keyboard.
"explain."
An extremely short word.
His fatigue and impatience were obvious.
On the other end of the phone.
Wen Ning was huddled on the balcony of the girls' dormitory at the art academy.
Outside, a fierce storm raged, and the shadows of the trees swayed like ghosts.
She didn't want to fight either.
She knew that Jiang Ci was busy with important matters these past few days and had no time to pay attention to her.
But a system is not a person.
[Warning! Host, the mission countdown has one minute remaining.]
[Task objective: Show your immaturity. Be unreasonable and make him come out right now to eat at a roadside stall with you.]
[Failure Penalty: Appearance decreases by 20%, random dark circles or pimples appear.]
Wen Ning looked at her flawless face in the mirror.
Even if it's just for the sake of her face, she has to act like this.
She gripped her phone tightly, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
She shouted in a spoiled, arrogant tone that made you want to punch her:
"Jiang Ci! I'm hungry!"
There was only the sound of keyboards on the other end of the phone.
Two seconds later, Jiang Ci's indifferent voice came through: "Order takeout if you're hungry."
"I don't eat takeout!"
Looking at the system's countdown, Wen Ning gritted her teeth and started arguing, "The takeout is all spoiled, it tastes awful! I want to eat the oden from that place near the North Gate! It has to be that place!"
Inside the studio.
Jia Pengxiu and Zhang Annian looked at each other in bewilderment.
The rain outside is so heavy it could wash people away. Why would we go eat at a roadside stall at a time like this?
And at this critical juncture?
Jiang Ci's fingers paused as he typed.
He glanced out the window at the waterfall-like rain.
His voice deepened: "Wen Ning, take a look out the window. It's pouring rain."
"I don't care!"
Wen Ning's voice rose, tinged with a hint of guilt and trembling she herself didn't even realize, "I just want to eat that! I need to see you right now! If you don't come... if you don't come, I'll wait for you there! I'll wait until you come!"
Done.
With a "beep" sound.
The phone hangs up.
Wen Ning stared at the blacked-out screen, her palms sweating profusely.
It’s over.
This has completely offended them.
Forcing him to come out in this awful weather is just plain crazy.
He definitely won't come.
The studio fell silent again.
Jia Pengxiu coughed awkwardly, "Um... Brother Ci, your wife might just be being coquettish, we can ignore it, right? Who goes out in this weather?"
Zhang Annian nodded in agreement: "Yes, the project is important. Besides, that oden stall at the North Gate definitely won't be open on a day like this."
Jiang Ci remained silent.
He stared at his phone, whose screen was already black.
The image of her wet, doe-like eyes flashed through my mind when she handed me the milk tea that day.
And in the phone call just now, although she sounded fierce, there was a clear tremor in her voice at the end.
That's because she's afraid.
Or perhaps it's a feeling of being wronged.
If I don't go.
Given her stubborn personality, she might actually stand there foolishly in the rain and wait.
If you get gonorrhea...
Jiang Ci closed his eyes.
That familiar, irritating sense of responsibility welled up again.
"Smack."
He closed his laptop.
Jia Pengxiu was dumbfounded: "Brother Ci?"
Jiang Ci stood up and casually grabbed the black windbreaker jacket draped over the back of the chair.
"Take a break."
The moment he put it on, the weariness on his face was replaced by a helpless, cold solemnity.
"Zhang Annian, you can check the remaining bugs first. I have an urgent matter to attend to, I'm going out for a bit."
"No... Brother Ci!"
Jia Pengxiu stared at his retreating figure in disbelief. "You're really going? It's raining so hard! And it's just for oden?"
Jiang Ci walked to the door and paused for a moment.
He didn't turn around.
He simply reached out and opened the studio door.
A sudden gust of wind, carrying rain, rushed in, making his clothes flutter wildly.
"She's not very bright."
He left these words amidst the wind and rain.
"I'm not going; she'll really get soaked to death there."
The door was slammed shut.
Jiang Ci's figure disappeared into the dark rain.
The two roommates were left bewildered in the wind.
Jia Pengxiu's mouth dropped open, and it took him a while to stammer out, "He's gone mad... Is this still the Jiang Ci who was as rational as a robot? How could he tolerate this?"