My Boss Always Flirts With Me - Chapter 26
Chapter 26: The Sparrow
“This is our latest full-screen smartphone. As you know, we’ve put a lot of effort into developing flexible screens.”
He Chi took the product and angled it. The crease in the middle of the screen appeared and disappeared as it folded. “It’s a big improvement from the last generation.”
“Oh, to hear a compliment from you is truly incredible.”
He Chi handed the device back to him. “John, don’t be so dramatic.”
The young man named “John” had a bright smile. He wore a casual T-shirt and relaxed in his chair, basking in the sun as if they were in a central garden and not a sophisticated office building.
John was a top-tier engineer at a tech company, originally from Germany before being headhunted to the American company Kilby. The two had met by chance at a European tech conference. Though their personalities were vastly different, they shared a passion and love for technology. John had listened to many of He Chi’s speeches and was very interested in him and his company’s research direction. He Chi had also heard of John’s name long before.
The two struck up a conversation, and every time He Chi went abroad, he would always set aside a few hours to have afternoon tea with John and discuss the latest research and development technologies.
“I heard you’re using your domestic chips and systems to build a new machine.”
He Chi put down his teacup. “Yes. Future products will also be primarily domestic.”
John raised an eyebrow. “As far as I know, the gap between the two types of chips on the market is still quite large. If you want to upgrade later and develop new hardware, I can offer some ideas.”
He Chi acknowledged this. “Our IC manufacturing does have many imperfections.” He gestured for John to speak freely.
John was very articulate when it came to his profession. Some of his suggestions could only come from a top R&D engineer. Although He Chi had a background in technology, he was no longer on the front lines of R&D, so his perspective was naturally different.
The two talked for nearly two hours. John couldn’t help but sigh. “I remember someone saying, ‘The road of technology is long. If your dream is to chew on hard bones, then this path is quite suitable for you.'”
He Chi raised an eyebrow.
John took a sip of tea, and He Chi asked him, “Do you have any inventory of your first-generation chips?”
John: “Are you going to take them as souvenirs? After all, the first generation has lost its research value.”
He Chi said, “It’s a souvenir. For my family.”
Few people would give this kind of gift, especially to family. John raised his eyebrows and joked, “Are you in love?”
He Chi had forgotten that his old friend didn’t use WeChat and didn’t know he was married, so he simply said, “I’m already married.”
John’s eyes widened. “Oh my god.”
He Chi gave a faint smile. “Is it that surprising?”
John nodded frantically. “Of course. I thought you would never get married. You don’t seem like you’d ever love anyone.”
He Chi: “Marriage is like a business. It requires effort in the early stages, but if managed well, it can operate smoothly in the later stages.”
John frowned after hearing this. He was an advocate of not getting married and had no position to offer advice, but based on his past dating experiences, he offered his own perspective. “Marriage and business are different in the end. It’s like two machines with similar specs, but their operational logic at a detailed level is worlds apart. You can’t use the same template for both.”
He Chi didn’t argue. John knew he had his stubborn points, so he didn’t try to persuade him. They enjoyed a rare, relaxed afternoon.
Time passed quickly. He Chi could already see Yuan Cheng’s figure through the floor-to-ceiling window. He re-buttoned his suit jacket, stood up, and prepared to say goodbye to John.
John smiled. “A predictable ending, as expected. Every time we meet, we’re in a race against the clock. I hope next time I can meet you and your spouse and make our get-together a little different.”
He Chi’s eyes were warm as he looked back. He nodded and corrected him, “Not a wife, a husband. He’s a boy.”
John understood and laughed heartily. “Okay, okay, your boy.”
John’s assistant jogged down the stairs and handed He Chi the chip he wanted.
The two shook hands and went their separate ways. John sat back and finished his tea, watching He Chi get into the car and drive away.
“The CEO of Zhuyun is so young,” John’s assistant remarked.
John smiled. “He’s a very charming person, but a little stubborn.”
“Isn’t being stubborn a good thing? All tech people are like that.”
John smiled and shook his head. “Being too stubborn will make you stumble. One hundred perfect solutions can’t solve the 101st unexpected problem. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be ‘black swan’ events.”
…
A Surprise Gift
“Please update the progress chart and send it to me by 10 a.m. tomorrow.” Fang Ci, who had heard that He Chi was returning from his business trip today, deliberately left work early. As he was leaving, he instructed Xiao Zhu to do some final wrap-up work.
Xiao Zhu leaned back in her chair. “You seem to be in a good mood today. Are you going on a blind date?”
Fang Ci waved his hand. “How could I?”
Xiao Zhu gave him a meaningful look. “Oh, okay. Then… I wish you happiness.”
“Hmm?”
Xiao Zhu smiled, and immediately changed her words. “I wish you a good time.”
Fang Ci didn’t suspect anything. He said goodbye to his team members and went into the elevator.
Since He Chi wasn’t at the company, Shang Qu also left work early, so he was able to pick up Fang Ci and take him to the supermarket to buy groceries. Fang Ci wanted to cook. It had been a long time since he and He Chi had eaten dinner together.
So when He Chi got home, he saw Fang Ci wearing an apron, carrying dishes to the table. Qiumiu was circling his feet, looking up at the food on the plates.
Hearing the door open, Fang Ci didn’t even take off his oven mitts. He ran from the kitchen to the entryway and stopped a meter away from He Chi. “You’re back.”
He Chi hung up his coat and said, “Mm.”
Fang Ci didn’t say anything else. In truth, he didn’t have anything he wanted to say; he had just run over without thinking. He looked at the oven mitts on his hands, remembered the beef in the oven, and ran back to the kitchen.
They didn’t eat much that night, a meal with both Chinese and Western dishes. Fang Ci asked He Chi about the progress at the R&D center. He Chi told him almost everything, some of it quite confidential, which left Fang Ci in awe.
After dinner, they cleaned up the kitchen and dried their hands. He Chi took a small, dark green box from his outer coat pocket and handed it to Fang Ci.
Fang Ci was surprised. “For me?”
He Chi: “Open it and see?”
Fang Ci had never imagined that He Chi would buy him a gift during a trip abroad. His heart couldn’t help but leap with joy as he took the box.
Inside the velvet box lay a brooch in the shape of a sparrow. It had a mechanical feel, with golden feathers so lifelike they seemed real. The bird’s head was covered in tiny diamonds, and its eyes were inlaid with sapphires, making it extremely exquisite.
The sparrow was leaning on a golden branch, and Fang Ci noticed that its belly was slightly raised, as if it wasn’t flat.
“The mechanism is on the leaf,” He Chi prompted.
Fang Ci pressed the tip of the leaf, and the sparrow’s wings spread, revealing its abdomen. Inside, an ancient-looking chip was embedded in intricate gears.
He Chi said, “The world’s first-generation chip.”
Fang Ci’s eyes were full of surprise. “1958.”
He Chi nodded.
Fang Ci’s fingers traced the sparrow’s feathers. It was cold, but his fingertips felt hot. “Why did you think of giving me this?”
He Chi said, “The product launch is next month. You might be able to use it.”
This AP launch was Fang Ci’s main event, his first time showcasing his own product. Since the date was still far away, he hadn’t paid much attention to it, but he still felt a little nervous. The thought of facing thousands of people to introduce his product was intimidating.
He Chi asked, “Do you like it?”
Fang Ci nodded. His heart was like this sparrow, its feathers smoothed by a gentle breeze in that moment. “It’s so creative, with the chip inside.”
He Chi said, “I went to Kilby Company.”
Fang Ci had naturally heard of the company. It had a 70-year history, and its founder had created the first chip.
“You can just go in?” He didn’t think it was a company one could enter freely, let alone get their historic chips.
“I know someone there,” He Chi said lightly.
Fang Ci’s eyes curved into a smile.
“I visited Kilby and their R&D factory a long time ago. They have a large inventory of every generation of their chips.”
Fang Ci: “A long time ago?”
He Chi: “In high school.”
From He Chi’s few words, Fang Ci pieced together a memory. That company’s R&D factory was the birthplace of He Chi’s dream. High school students were fearless, and the future seemed vast and fantastical. He Chi, too, had once been impulsive for the sake of his dream.
Now, He Chi had put his dream into a small brooch and given it to him.
“Thank you. I really love it.” Fang Ci put the lid back on the box and thanked him seriously.
He Chi saw the brightness in his eyes and knew he genuinely loved the brooch. He nodded with a sense of relief.
Fang Ci put the box away in a drawer.
…
The Confession and Dream
In bed, the familiar scent of mint returned to his blanket. Feeling the warmth next to him, Fang Ci’s heart felt warm and soft. Their arms touched, and a tickle began to grow. As if to confirm something, Fang Ci couldn’t help but ask,
“Teacher He, why did you give me a gift?”
He Chi had one hand on his forehead, looking cool even when sleeping. “Isn’t it what I’m supposed to do?”
Fang Ci chewed on the word “supposed to” and had a sudden realization. He quietly moved closer, pressing half his face into He Chi’s pillow. “Did you read that on the internet again?”
The lights in the room were off, but He Chi could still see his eyes, which were like the little sparrow’s, shiny and very cute.
And because they were so cute, they gave rise to an endless impulse in the dark. He Chi reached out and covered his eyes, not answering.
“Go to sleep.”
Fang Ci’s eyelashes fluttered like little wings in his palm.
Aha. Avoidance is concealment. Fang Ci felt like he could see into his heart—a steel frame and iron bones, but with many soft cracks showing through.
In the middle of the night, Fang Ci was in a hazy sleep. In his daze, he saw the golden sparrow fluttering its wings and flying into a door.
He followed it and saw the He Chi who had stood on the stage at the European Tech Conference that year. But this time, he had a seat in the audience. He could look up and see him.
His voice came like a great wave, hitting his heart.
Again and again.
Fang Ci listened to him talk about industrial change, Zhuyun’s blueprint…
He suddenly realized that he hadn’t come to Zhuyun Tech on a whim. He hadn’t had a dream at all until He Chi had pointed him in a direction.
He ran and ran, and he ran right to his side.
…
The Next Morning
The next morning, Shen Liu was woken up by a WeChat notification. He looked at the clock in exasperation.
It was 7 a.m. He hadn’t gotten up before 9 a.m. in years!
The red dot on Fang Ci’s profile picture was glaringly obvious. Shen Liu thought Fang Ci had an emergency and woke up instantly, only to open it and be utterly bewildered.
[Little tree, what do you think the consequences are when a flag falls?]
Shen Liu: […The consequence is probably me beating you to death.]
Fang Ci: […I’m being serious.]
Shen Liu: […I’m being super serious.]
[…]