Against the Algorithm

Chapter 15: Undone by the Smallest Things

And she hadn't yelled. She hadn't scolded. She had simply moved away. And that—that said everything. Because for people like Yao, distance was a statement.

And Lu Sicheng felt it immediately. His eyes had drifted toward her the moment she chose that seat across the room, had narrowed ever so slightly as he noted how she didn't so much as glance in his direction. It wasn't that she was angry. If she had been angry, he could have handled that. Dealt with it. Fought through it. But this? This quiet disappointment? This shook him. Because it meant she had expected more. Not from a teammate. Not from a captain. From him. She saw him as something more—someone intelligent, someone who lived with logic and sharp precision, someone who didn't make careless decisions.

And yet—he had. He had kept a habit she hadn't known about. A habit that undermined everything he taught. Everything he represented. Everything she admired. And worst of all? He didn't have a good reason for it. He'd started smoking back in the early days, during a time of sleepless nights and burning pressure and sponsors threatening to cut support if they didn't win the next split. It was never addiction. It was never emotion. It was just habit. Control. Or the illusion of it. But Yao didn't see excuses. She saw someone she trusted... choosing to hurt himself. And that? That hurt her. So she didn't argue. She didn't scold. She didn't lecture. She just... moved away.

And Sicheng was left to sit with that. Left to feel the gap. Left to see that empty seat beside him. Left to understand that for the first time ever, she wasn't with him. And he hated it. He could hear the shift in the team.

Could hear Yue's soft whistle as he muttered, "Ge, you screwed up."

Pang nodded solemnly. "That's a 'you disappointed me' face. That's worse than a slap."

Lao Mao, arms folded, simply added, "She doesn't do that with anyone. Not even when we're insufferable."

And she didn't. Yao was the one who forgave first. The one who softened edges. The one who accepted faults without weaponizing them. But this?

This meant something.

And Sicheng knew—he couldn't fix it with charm or excuses. He'd have to fix it the right way. With action. With truth. With effort. Because losing her presence—even just for a little while— Felt like losing his balance. And he wasn't about to let that happen. Not again. Not ever.

The moment the female doctor entered the waiting area, the atmosphere shifted—subtly but unmistakably. There was no dramatic change, no loud announcement or show of presence. But the stillness that fell across the room was immediate. The team, who just moments before had been exchanging quiet commentary and awkward glances between Yao and Sicheng, instinctively straightened, their focus drawn to the woman who now stood in the doorway with poised confidence and quiet authority.

She wasn't flashy. She wasn't stern. But she commanded the room the way only someone used to dealing with both power and vulnerability could. Her eyes swept the room once—assessing, calm, sharp—until they landed on the figure seated alone across the room, still pointedly distant from the Captain she was usually found beside.

"Miss Tong?"

Yao's head snapped up, startled. She blinked rapidly, the motion shy and precise, as she quickly stood, her hands tugging lightly at the hem of her hoodie. "Yes... that's me."

The doctor gave a warm, professional smile—genuine but measured, reassuring without being patronizing. "Come with me. We'll get your check-up done now."

Yao nodded, glancing briefly at the rest of the team. They were watching, though none of them said a word. The unspoken tension still lingered between her and Sicheng. Without another word, she followed the doctor down the hallway and into the private exam room.