Chapter 48: 048 This Makes Sense
Facing the message from Sun Xing Si: 【Next Saturday, you’ll go, right?】 Wang Heng hesitated for a good while, mainly pondering how to refuse. But suddenly, a small gray thing jumped onto his Notebook keyboard.
This magical Hamster spun and jumped on the keyboard, twitching like it was dancing crazily, leaving Wang Heng stunned. After a series of “pa pa pa” keystroke sounds, it actually inputted a complete sentence just like that, and finally stepped on the space key with its little foot, sending it out.
【No problem, see you next Saturday.】
“You can’t do this…” Wang Heng moved his lips silently, but received a little look full of Warning meaning.
So he fell silent.
These past two days, perhaps because it behaved no different from an ordinary Hamster, Wang Heng had almost forgotten that what he was raising was actually a Time-Space Administrator. And now, Mister Administrator had asserted his Presence, the key point being that he had clearly stated his Request for Wang Heng to participate in the Social Gathering next Saturday, which was very much worth pondering.
At that Social Gathering, would some major event concerning the Worldline occur?
Wang Heng grabbed the Hamster, closed the Notebook, walked to the Balcony, and casually shut the door between the Balcony and the Dormitory inside.
He protested softly: “You can’t make decisions for me, right?”
Hamster: “If I explain why you can’t refuse and then you agree, versus me agreeing directly for you—what’s the substantive difference between the two?”
Wang Heng: “Of course there’s a difference; it’s completely different procedurally, okay!”
The Hamster crossed its two front paws over its chest: “Fine, I’ll tell you—if you refuse Sun Xing Si’s Invitation this time, your Anomaly will become increasingly obvious. I’ve told you before, among normal Boys your age, you can’t appear too Anomaly.”
Wang Heng thought about it and felt this Request was somewhat vague, so he probed: “If my Plan to Earn Money goes smoothly, I’ll have seven-figure Assets by year’s end—that should count as particularly Anomaly, right?”
The Hamster shook its little head: “It doesn’t count, because you can explain it reasonably. Before Investing, you told your Father about it, and later you also told Lu Qi about your optimism on Bitcoin. For an Eighteen Years Old Boy, having a sense of novelty and inexplicable Expectation toward something new like Bitcoin is very Reasonable.”
Wang Heng argued logically: “Then if I don’t go to the Social Gathering next weekend, wouldn’t that be even more Reasonable!”
Hamster: “Give me a Reasonable explanation?”
Wang Heng: “No Interest means no Interest; what explanation is needed?”
The Hamster sighed and counted on its little claws: “Because based on the Personality you’ve shown so far, you don’t have a suitable Excuse to refuse. Sun Xing Si just needs you to show up, your Roommates just need your Guidance. In short, no one hopes you’ll Hook up with a Girl on the spot, so why are you being timid?”
“This isn’t timidity, just reasonably avoiding Risk…” Wang Heng also sighed, “Whatever, since you’ve already agreed for me anyway, what I say now is useless. But you should at least tell me first—will there be acquaintances there?”
Hamster: “The Girls from Finance University participating in the Social Gathering?”
Wang Heng: “Yeah, will there be ones like Han Yixuan…”
The Hamster looked up at the sky: “Who knows? But anyway, you’ll see the Answer then.”
Wang Heng gritted his teeth, suddenly feeling an urge to throw this little thing in his hand out from the Fourth Floor.
However, the Time-Space Administrator had already seen through his Thoughts and mocked: “I’ve told you long ago, this is just a clone I’m controlling. Reminder: it’s best not to ask for Trouble and waste your effort.”
Wang Heng: “Heh.”
The Hamster’s tone suddenly softened: “Think carefully—have I ever screwed you over up to now?”
Lacking the confidence to break ties, Wang Heng could only go along with it: “Fine, then—if refusing a single Social Gathering would cause an Anomaly, isn’t it even more abnormal that I’m just a First Year University Student yet working at Penguin Company?”
The Hamster said confidently: “On that front, you can Rest assured—just like now, if it really causes a Worldline Anomaly, I’ll definitely notify you in advance.”
————
A Week had passed.
The University freshmen were still busy with Military Training all day; the only exception in the class, Wang Heng, was still busy with his own Matters—besides Programming and browsing Technology financial News, he occasionally gave Guidance to Pei Ningle on her Video production Plan, remotely teaching her how to use the simplest Video editing Software.
For Wang Heng, the days were busy, Fulfilling, yet somewhat bland and dull. But for the folks in Penguin Games’ Studio group, this period was somewhat terrifying.
They originally thought this short-term Outsourcing worker who was just there to coast was playing a minor role, but unexpectedly, he had a pivotal impact. At first, no one except Lu Qi valued Wang Heng’s Opinion, but after he proposed one Prophecy-like idea after another, no one dared belittle him anymore. At the latest Project Team weekly meeting, Technical Director Lu Qi specifically praised Wang Heng and received agreement from the other colleagues.
After the meeting ended and colleagues dispersed, Lu Qi kept Wang Heng behind.
“You really… surprise me.”
Lu Qi looked at the young man standing before her and couldn’t help but sigh this.
In just one short Week since joining the Project Team, though this kid hadn’t written many lines of Code, the problems he solved were far more than one or two. If each problem was like a Maze, then what Wang Heng did was guide everyone out with eyes closed, hardly taking a single wrong turn.
Wang Heng: “Surprised?”
Lu Qi: “This Week’s progress was originally planned to take a month.”
Wang Heng: “Means Sister Lu, you’re directing well?”
Lu Qi laughed, shaking her head: “Mainly because your Support is good, like having full map vision. I wouldn’t dare claim this merit, or my Subordinates would think I’m an idiot. So I’m quite curious—why can you do it?”
Wang Heng involuntarily fell into Contemplation.
The reason he Performed so outstandingly was partly because he couldn’t stand watching his colleagues waste time on problems whose Answers he knew, but more importantly, it was to Probe the Bottom Line.
After slacking for a Week, that Hamster showed no sign of Warning at all. Doesn’t that suffice to show that in Programming, no matter how ahead he Performs, there won’t be any issue?
Lu Qi waited a bit, but saw him still in Contemplation, so she teased: “Asking a top student why they can score 145 in Mathematics, and the top student says as long as they get one wrong— you’re not going to say something like that, are you?”
Wang Heng shrugged: “Pretty much; anyway, I just used the time others spend playing Games and Dating to Write Code—very Reasonable, right?”
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