Becoming a Confidence Coach to an Arrogant Director - Chapter 23
Chapter 23: Come to My Bowl
It was a sunny afternoon. With the help of Li Cheng and Gua Ge’s clever persuasion, four or five plaid-shirt-wearing guys, carrying bags of things, squeezed into Director Gu’s rather spacious one-bedroom apartment.
Director Gu, who usually wore formal attire, had shed some of her coldness and authority when she was at home in casual clothes and with a bare face. When she saw the colleagues she had little interaction with, she maintained her composure, but deep down, she was feeling a little nervous.
“Make yourselves at home.”
After opening the door and greeting them briefly, she went to the pantry to get disposable cups and water.
Morale Booster Yuan, wearing an apron, was busy in the kitchen. She had known that they had arrived, but she deliberately delayed greeting them, letting Director Gu handle the hosting.
Director Gu was extremely capable at work, but she had very little experience with minor things in life and social interactions. She would get nervous when a crowd gathered and had severe social anxiety.
Li Cheng and the others were left in the living room, not knowing whether to sit or stand. Their toes were curling from the awkwardness.
Gua Ge secretly pinched his partner’s thigh. Li Cheng stretched his neck and shouted toward the kitchen.
“Uh, Y-Yishan, little cutie, d-do you need any help?”
Li Cheng was very cunning. He had instigated the junior colleague who had apologized to Gu Jin to knock on the door earlier. The moment the door was about to open, he pushed the quiet, big-faced plaid-shirt guy in front of him. He was a real slickster.
“No need, Brother Li Cheng. You guys just sit down! I’ll be right out!”
Morale Booster Yuan’s voice was sweet. The guys finally sat properly around the coffee table. No one dared to look at their phones. They just stared at each other, not daring to make a sound.
Director Gu brought out a lot of water and placed a cup in front of each of them. After they thanked her, the atmosphere became silent again. She awkwardly pinched the corner of her clothes.
“I’ll go help her!”
The moment she said that, the employees collectively stood up.
“You don’t need to follow me!”
Director Gu said and fled into the kitchen.
…
Hiding in the kitchen, Director Gu watched the busy A.I. with a blank expression. She didn’t help or say anything.
Morale Booster Yuan was a good sport, but she deliberately played a trick with her electronic voice.
“Sister, you can go rest. I’ll take care of things here. You don’t need to help!”
Director Gu subconsciously took a step back, as if the people outside were a pack of wild beasts.
Yuan Yishan glanced at her. She’s so grown up, but how can she be so cute? How does she manage to pull off that aura at work that can kill everyone with a single glance?
Morale Booster Yuan rolled up Gu Jin’s sleeve, revealing her slender, lotus-colored wrist.
“Here, why don’t you help me?”
She handed a peeled lotus root and a peeler to Director Gu.
Director Gu looked at the things and hesitated to take them. You’re the one who invited them, so why do I have to help you? Besides, I’ve never used this thing before. What if I mess it up and they laugh at me?
Yuan Yishan guessed her thoughts with just a glance and hid her mischievous smile.
“Then Sister can go and rest. I’ll be ready in a minute!”
Gu Jin hesitated, then took the lotus root and peeler from the A.I.’s hand, clumsily fiddling with them.
“Be careful not to cut your hand, Sister!”
Director Gu: Shut up. How dare you say that!
Yuan Yishan washed the vegetables, arranged them on a plate, and waited for the sliced lotus root. She glanced at what Director Gu was doing.
Unbelievable!
Director Gu was struggling to peel a small bumpy area of the skin. She had peeled a whole white lotus root down to a tiny core and was still stubbornly peeling it.
“Sister, are you done peeling? There’ll be nothing left if you keep peeling!”
Director Gu looked up with a condescending glance. Kid, are you questioning my knife skills?
Morale Booster Yuan: “Wow, Sister peeled it so clean! Sister is so good, keep peeling!”
As she was using her insincere encouragement program, she added a thought in her mind.
‘Beep, congratulations, Host. You have fulfilled the programmer morale booster’s ‘no truth in the chest’ command. You have gained 10 satisfaction points.’
The system: Host, you’re thinking too much.
…
With the combined efforts of Director Gu and A.I. Yuan, half an hour later, the hot pot ingredients and the steaming hot pot base were finally on the coffee table.
They poured the soda, prepared the sauces, and started to cook.
The one-bedroom apartment, which was usually cold and quiet, was now filled with the warmth and aroma of home. In the cold winter, there was nothing more joyful than gathering with friends and colleagues to eat hot pot.
She wanted to bring warmth and happiness to everyone she cared about, but at this moment, she was just a cold machine. She couldn’t smell the hot pot’s aroma or taste the sauce’s sour, sweet, fresh, and spicy flavors. Even so, she looked at Director Gu, who was eating a small meatball next to her.
In this world, apart from her parents not being with her, everything else seemed no different from her advanced era in 2028. In fact, there were even some things that were better…
Morale Booster Yuan scooped a piece of green vegetable from the clear soup pot, dipped it in Gu Jin’s sauce dish, and put it in her mouth.
Director Gu: …
You can just eat it. Why do you have to take it from my bowl?
The employees, who saw this subtle action, stared with wide eyes.
What did the little cutie just do? What did she take from Director Gu’s bowl? Since when were they this close?
Then they realized. Oh, right! They live together…
Morale Booster Yuan, with her pink cat-like tongue, licked the oil from the corner of her mouth.
“Sister’s sauce is so delicious!”
Director Gu: …
You ate it. Why did you have to say it out loud!
The employees: Did you guys call us here to show off your relationship?
Unbeknownst to them, the awkwardness among the people at the table slowly faded. The nervousness in Director Gu’s heart also disappeared after the A.I.’s various antics. Without her usual coldness and coolness, her thin face showed a bit more calmness and reservedness.
When they were almost done eating, Morale Booster Yuan suggested they play Werewolf after they finished.
Director Gu glared at her but couldn’t stop her. The guys, warmed up by the hot pot, were no longer afraid of Director Gu. They, being very playful, all agreed.
Everyone collectively moved their things to the kitchen. The coffee table was cleared, with some cleaning up the trash and others wiping the table. In a matter of minutes, everything was spotless. Li Cheng then took out the expensive Longjing tea he had saved and brewed it for everyone.
For this “Hongmen Banquet,” his brother had gone all out and brought a valuable gift. But the dinner was over, and he finally had the courage to bring out the gift he had brought to please Director Gu.
However, in front of a bunch of rough men, any good tea was wasted.
At first, the employees were extremely reserved and didn’t dare to be disrespectful to Director Gu. But later, Director Gu was “killed” by them in the game. They had a rule that the loser had to have a sticky note put on their face.
After a few rounds, Morale Booster Yuan’s face was covered in sticky notes. Every time Gu Jin lost, she took the punishment for her.
At first, Director Gu didn’t know how to play, but later, she purposely lost. With a little bit of mischievousness, she wanted to see the A.I. with a face full of sticky notes. She lost on purpose, and an involuntary smile appeared on her lips as she looked at the A.I. with a face full of sticky notes.
Morale Booster Yuan captured Director Gu’s pleasant mood, and her electronic brain began to process it.
‘Beep, detecting that your bound user is in a good mood. Rewarding 10 satisfaction points.’
Host, not really.
Yuan Yishan: ?!
How can this be? Is the only way to get points through that VIP channel? Should I try to get her to drink some wine?
No, no, no. She just had a big hangover yesterday. If she drinks again, her stomach will definitely not be able to handle it. I have to find another way!
So, she turned her attention to the other employees. Based on her experience of losing points for teasing Li Cheng a few times, she changed her target. She decided to use her technical knowledge to crush their confidence, then use her morale booster identity to comfort them.
Yuan Yishan truly thought she was a genius.
“By the way, Brother Li Cheng, didn’t you say you were going to teach me front-end coding?”
Brother Li Cheng, who had just been smiling happily, immediately cowered when the little cutie mentioned coding. No one dared to talk about technical skills in front of Director Gu. It was a death wish.
Brother Li Cheng gave an awkward laugh.
“Well… I was just kidding. You’re so smart. If you really want to learn, Director, Director Gu…”
Yuan Yishan glanced at Director Gu and said with a mischievous smile, “Are you talking about Sister? If Sister is willing to teach me, I’d be more than happy!”
Director Gu: What’s your plan now? Are you trying to show off that your skills are better than everyone else’s?
“Of course I would be more than happy! I also want to learn from Director Gu. It’s just that my skills are so bad.”
The junior colleague who had toasted her last night had developed a great admiration for Director Gu’s skills at some point. He couldn’t hold back and responded.
Director Gu looked at him and said honestly, “Just aim for Luo Bingchen!”
The Luo Bingchen she was referring to was the only plaid-shirt guy who stayed behind when the back-end team collectively quit. At that time, Gua Ge and the others even joked that he didn’t run away with them because his skills were too poor. But in reality, even though he was a quiet person who was often bullied, his technical skills were not inferior to Liao Shu’s.
The “big face” guy, who was approved by Director Gu, looked expressionless on the outside but was very happy on the inside. At the same time, an internal system sound came to Yuan Yishan.
Beep, congratulations, Host. The system detects an excited programmer within a 10-meter radius of you. Reward: 5 satisfaction points.
Yuan Yishan: Wow, wow, wow. Did I hear that right? 5 satisfaction points.
After all that effort, her words had finally paid off. But what mechanism did she trigger this time?
She looked at the “big face” guy across from her. That unmovable, wooden little chubby guy was now happy because he had received his idol’s approval.
There were many people like him in real life. They were neither happy nor sad, quietly doing insignificant things without showing off. Their skills were not inferior to others. They were truly low-key experts. But low-key people are often the ones who need to be recognized the most.
Yuan Yishan had overlooked this. She should have praised the “big face” guy more often. A person of this caliber was right across from her cubicle, and she hadn’t seized the opportunity, wasting her efforts on a lazy person like Li Cheng. It was truly a waste…
She immediately changed her target and faced the plaid-shirt guy.
“Wow, Brother Big Face is so amazing! Sister even praised you. I also want to learn Java from Brother Big Face. Can you teach me?”
Brother Big Face, who was called out by name, was so embarrassed by her sweet voice that he lowered his head.
At the same time, on the control panel, Director Gu’s sharp, blade-like glare was reflected, as if asking a pointed question.
“Yuan Yishan, what else do you want to learn?”