Becoming a Confidence Coach to an Arrogant Director - Chapter 1
Chapter 1: User Binding
On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the 22nd floor of Xiaoxiang International Science & Technology Building was brightly lit.
Over a hundred developers were fighting tooth and nail for the September 24th product launch of the “Little Sub-missive Sprite.”
This was a service-type android designed specifically for programmers.
Yuan Yishan, worn out from exhaustion, furiously typed on her keyboard, forcefully stuffing a piece of code into the “Little Sub-missive Sprite’s” electronic brain.
“The Yuan’s Life Service System, born from the traits of a real-life programmer’s confidence coach, has begun to activate.”
“As the only female animal within a 300-meter radius, the host barely meets the user-binding conditions. The system is binding to the user.”
[Binding complete: 5%]
[Binding complete: 10%]
…
During the system activation, she double-checked the code.
Suddenly, she found a critical calculation bug that could cause an infinite loop.
Just as she was about to end the process, a voice chimed in: [Binding complete: 99%]
The warm white lights vanished instantly, plunging the office into pitch-black darkness.
Yuan Yishan felt a sharp pain in her chest, and her mind went blank for three seconds.
Then, a chorus of “What the hells” echoed through the darkness, likely from programmers who had just lost hours of unsaved work.
Da da da…
The sound of high heels approached, stopping right next to her.
Yuan Yishan couldn’t make out who the person was, so she instinctively grabbed the scroll wheel of her mouse.
The office instantly lit up.
The sudden glare was so strong it stung her eyes, and she instinctively raised a hand to block the light.
It was then that she saw the look of pure fury on the face of the person beside her. Even with her strong mental fortitude, Yuan Yishan couldn’t help but shiver.
Who is this person? When did the R&D department get such a powerful woman? Why do I have no memory of her?
Yuan Yishan braved the pressure and took a closer look.
The woman stood tall and slender, with a waist-length straight hair. Her handsome features were chiseled and defined.
She parted her thin lips, and in a calm tone that brooked no argument, she spoke.
“Why did you turn off the power?”
“Wh… what?”
Yuan Yishan was bewildered. When she snapped back to reality, her other hand was still on the power switch.
What is this? I was just holding the mouse. How did my hand…
Her body stiffened as if struck by lightning, and her facial muscles froze.
As their eyes met, she instinctively pulled her hand away from the switch.
She stumbled backward, looking exactly like a naughty child caught red-handed.
The woman glared down at her, her narrow phoenix eyes slightly upturned at the corners, creating an intimidating aura.
Before Yuan Yishan could explain, her mind was suddenly overwhelmed by a strange set of program instructions.
{
R&D Department, 4th Floor, Yuansheng Electronic Technology Park;
A programmer is in a state of emotional distress within 1 meter of you. Please take immediate action.
Complete within 2 minutes.
Reward: 10 points.
Failure to complete:
Memory wiped, forced factory reset.
}
This is that code I just crammed into the android’s brain. Why is it appearing so strongly in my own mind? Did I go crazy from being tortured by programming for so long?
[System is starting the timer]
[Time remaining: 120s]
[Time remaining: 119s]
[Time remaining: 118s]
…
A flashing red warning and a ticking countdown appeared in her mind.
Yuan Yishan’s heart pounded. This felt exactly like the plot of a transmigration novel she’d once read.
[Time remaining: 100s]
[Time remaining: 99s]
The countdown continued. In a flash, she scanned her body: a Lolita dress, puffy sleeves, one of the “Little Sub-missive Sprite’s” skins.
She touched her neck: the metal charging port…
Oh no, it seems I’ve merged with the Little Sub-missive Sprite.
So now she was… a robot?
Yuan Yishan didn’t have time to think. Her body began to move on its own.
She bowed, a slight apologetic gesture.
When she looked up again, her big, watery eyes stared back at the other woman with a look of confusion and helplessness. A sweet, robotic voice came from her throat.
“I’m sorry, sister. I was just grinding coffee, and I don’t know why, but the power suddenly went out, and then I…”
As Yuan Yishan spoke, she met the woman’s ice-cold gaze. Her eyes blinked uncontrollably.
Her long eyelashes trembled, and quickly, a misty layer of tears formed in her beautiful pupils.
Even her voice began to sound choked with sobs.
“Everyone is working so hard on this project. I just wanted to do a little something to help, but the power suddenly went out. I… I’m really sorry. I… I didn’t mean it…”
She sobbed and choked, too upset to continue.
She looked as pitiful and wronged as if she had been cruelly accused of something.
Yuan Yishan’s subconscious was so cringed by this bizarre series of actions that she broke out in goosebumps.
Before she could figure out what was going on, her gaze was involuntarily drawn to the coffee maker beside them.
There were some unground coffee beans and a pile of disposable paper cups next to it.
The woman’s eyes were lowered, her lashes shadowing her dark eyes. No expression was visible on her face, but the knuckles of her tightly clenched fists were visibly white from the strain.
“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six…”
The countdown to memory loss ticked on. Her memories were like a file folder being formatted, a green progress bar quickly filling up.
Yuan Yishan’s heart trembled. She frowned and closed her eyes.
She bit her lower lip, holding her breath, waiting for the deathly scythe to fall.
“Beep. Congratulations to the host for fulfilling the confidence coach’s drama queen persona. System crisis delayed.”
Huh? System crisis delayed? I’m… not dead?
Am I hearing things?
Yuan Yishan suddenly opened her eyes. She was still in the “Little Sub-missive Sprite’s” android outfit.
Recalling the system’s words about a “drama queen persona,” she realized this must be the golden ticket she was promised.
The joy and despair came so suddenly. She took a moment to process her emotions.
She slowly came back to herself.
The person in front of her had clearly had enough of her behavior.
Her dagger-like eyes, as deep and dark as a bottomless abyss, stared at her, threatening to pierce a hole through her.
Yuan Yishan was a little terrified.
She forced a mental dose of a tranquilizer into herself, meeting the other woman’s gaze head-on, ready for the storm that was to come.
Just then, the woman’s phone buzzed.
Yuan Yishan finally let out a breath of relief.
The woman’s expression froze when she answered the call. She checked the time and then strode down the hallway.
She cast one last sharp, icy glance over her shoulder, a look that sent shivers down Yuan Yishan’s spine.
After the slender figure disappeared, Yuan Yishan took a deep breath.
She quickly familiarized herself with her surroundings. Thankfully, the layout was quite similar to her previous office.
After locating the restroom, she rushed inside and locked herself in a stall.
At that moment, there was no safer place for her to be.
Her soul and body had not fully adapted yet. She didn’t know what was happening, but she still couldn’t believe something as ridiculous as transmigration from a novel could happen to her.
Applying the logic of a seasoned programmer, if she ruled out the supernatural, the most scientific explanation was that she had somehow locked her consciousness into the “Little Sub-missive Sprite’s” core program during development.
Everything happening now was at most a virtual reality. She had to find a computer immediately to break the human-machine link and return to her original world.
…
The Little Sub-missive Sprite’s memory had a lot of different skins.
Yuan Yishan chose a relatively normal-looking student outfit. Her inwardly curled wavy hair was long enough to hide the metal port on her neck.
She quickly adapted to this electronic body that was nearly human.
She found a secluded room, rushed in, locked the door, and went straight for the computer.
Her current android body was essentially no different from a cell phone. To modify its internal programming, she had to connect to a computer.
The laptop on the desk was a Mac Pro. The ports didn’t match the metal jack on her neck. She needed a Type-C adapter cable to connect her body.
Yuan Yishan looked around. The desk was clean and orderly. Her first thought was to check the drawers.
As soon as she opened a cabinet, a bunch of random junk spilled out.
She was stunned. What kind of weirdo can cram so much stuff into such a small cabinet?
She didn’t have time to worry about it. Time was short, and finding the item was the priority. She could stuff it all back later.
Yuan Yishan quickly rummaged through the pile of junk for the cable she needed. Suddenly, she heard footsteps in the hallway.
She froze and held her breath, listening to the movement outside. The footsteps finally faded away.
She let out a sigh of relief and continued her search more quietly.
Finally, she found a worn-out adapter cable in some forgotten corner.
Her eyes lit up. She picked up the adapter and was about to connect it to the computer when she tripped over something.
She stumbled and almost fell. The water cup on the desk crashed to the floor with a loud clang.
Her heart leaped into her throat again. She listened intently for any reaction outside.
But after waiting for a long time, there was no sound from the door. She finally felt safe enough to plug in the cable.
The computer’s password was complex. It took a long time for her electronic brain to run through algorithms to crack it.
Fortunately, she had developed the Little Sub-missive Sprite herself. It didn’t take her long to locate the core program. She checked for any problems and submitted a piece of code.
“Beep. System program has been detected for tampering. Host, please be vigilant.”
Be vigilant my butt! I’m the one who changed it! What are you going to do about it?
“Beep. Serious warning. Host does not have permission to modify internal code.”
Yuan Yishan ignored it and submitted the code again.
The electronic voice in her head began to sputter with static.
And then, she heard the sound of a key in the lock outside the door.
She yanked the data cable from her neck, and just as she was about to find a place to hide, the door was opened.
“It’s you?”
Gu Jin was stunned to see the person in the room and the messy scene.
Before the other woman could fully react, Yuan Yishan made a run for the door. But she stumbled again and face-planted directly into the woman’s arms.
Gu Jin was hit and stumbled back two steps, but she still couldn’t keep her balance and fell.
Yuan Yishan, by inertia, fell on top of her, her face buried in a soft, welcoming place.
“Beep. Good physical contact detected with user. User protocol activated.”
Yuan Yishan’s mind was distracted by the system’s warning, and her face remained pressed against the other woman’s chest.
Gu Jin was pinned by a weight of over a hundred pounds and couldn’t move for a moment.
Anger and embarrassment twisted her tongue, making her words stammer.
“G-get off!”
Yuan Yishan was still in a state of confusion.
Coming to her senses, she realized her hands were instinctively clutching the other woman’s waist.
Their eyes met, and Gu Jin’s face flushed a deep red, from her neck to her earlobes.
Yuan Yishan quickly pulled her hands back after realizing what she was doing.
“I… I’m sorry!”
“Get off me!”
Gu Jin’s heart hammered in her chest. She had to use all her strength just to squeeze out those three words.
Yuan Yishan didn’t hesitate for a second and scrambled off her.
She reached out a hand to help the fallen Gu Jin, but was met with a glare that felt like a sharp jab.
Her hand froze in mid-air, and she wisely took a few steps back.
Gu Jin used her momentum to stand up, her lips pursed, looking down at her.
Now you’ve really messed up!
Yuan Yishan’s heart sank. She stood up under the immense pressure, instinctively pressing her hands against her skirt and lowering her head, not daring to meet Gu Jin’s eyes.
Gu Jin hid her previous panic, her body radiating the powerful coldness of a mature woman.
She narrowed her eyes, lowering her voice as she spoke.
“Who are you, and why were you going through my room?”
“I… I am…”
Yuan Yishan was at a loss for words, a powerful sense of embarrassment washing over her.
“Speak!”
Gu Jin’s tone intensified.
Yuan Yishan’s back was tingling. She didn’t know how to answer.
Should I say I’m a human in an android’s body, and I was going through her room to break the human-machine bond?
Such a ridiculously honest reason would not only fail to get her forgiveness but would also put her in even greater danger.
So, under this deadly stare, she decided to run.
Yuan Yishan mustered up all her courage and met Gu Jin’s gaze head-on.
She quickly accessed the “cute and charming” program within the android’s body, revealing a sweet smile and batting her innocent-looking eyes.
Just as she was about to speak…
“Beep. Host’s remaining battery is less than 5%. Please connect to a power source as soon as possible. In 10 seconds, the host will enter sleep mode.”
Yuan Yishan was like someone who had just hit the pause button. All her expressions froze from the previous second.
Her mouth was slightly ajar, her eyes wide as saucers. A second later, she fell forward and collapsed right in front of the other woman.
Gu Jin: ?