Against the Algorithm

Chapter 11: The Moment Everything Changed

Summary: A call in the dead of night shatters the stillness, pulling Lu Sicheng into motion without hesitation. What follows is a quiet storm—decisions made swiftly, boundaries redrawn, and a space once separate now shared.

Overprotective Chessman

Overprotective ZGDX

Notes:

Author's Note: Muse says someone really wants to die.

⚠️: #Wesupportcreativity

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Eleven

Over the next several weeks, Sicheng personally oversaw everything.

He had already decided.

Yao might not have agreed yet, but he knew. Knew that eventually, sooner or later, she would.

And when she did?

Her space would be ready.

So, while everyone else went about their usual routines, Sicheng was working silently behind the scenes, overseeing the empty space on top of ZGDX's base, turning it into something entirely new.

A home.

For her.

Not a shared dormitory like the rest of the team. Not just a room in the base. A personal apartment-like space, one that would give her the privacy she needed, the separation from the team when she wanted it, while still keeping her close enough to be part of them. Because he had listened. He knew she wasn't used to living with others. Knew she had been on her own for too long. And Sicheng, meticulous as ever, made sure everything was done properly.

The living area was designed with her taste in mind, soft, cozy, filled with warm but neutral tones, nothing too overwhelming or cluttered. Her bedroom was carefully set up—quiet, private, somewhere she could actually rest without distraction. And the office space? He made damn sure it was exactly what she needed. A fully equipped workspace, soundproofed, complete with a proper desk, dual monitors, and a direct connection for private calls or virtual meetings with her mentor. Because he knew. Knew that her PhD work wasn't just important to her—it was part of who she was. And if she was going to live at the base, then she was going to have a space that allowed her to keep every part of herself.

But he didn't stop there.

Because Sicheng knew one more thing.

Da Bing.

That massive Siberian wasn't just a pet—he was family.

So Sicheng went out of his way to set up cat trees, beds, and perches all over the damn apartment, ensuring that the spoiled feline would have his own spaces, his own comfort, his own domain. And as a final touch, he had the kitchen stocked, not with fresh food yet, but with non-perishables, basic ingredients, things she wouldn't have to immediately worry about. Because once she was here, she wouldn't be lacking anything. It was done quietly. Without announcing it to the team. Without bringing it up to Yao yet. Because he knew. Knew she wasn't ready to say yes.

Yet.

But sooner or later?

She would and when that moment came, Sicheng wanted her to step into a space that was already hers.

Sicheng was not a light sleeper. Years of discipline, of late-night training sessions and a lifestyle that demanded constant focus, had trained him to be a deep, calculated sleeper—one who only woke up when necessary. So when his phone rang at two in the morning, vibrating sharply against the nightstand, he was already shifting awake before his mind had fully processed it.