Against the Algorithm

Chapter 15: Undone by the Smallest Things

Ming, who had likely already prepared himself for some form of chaos, exhaled slowly, tilting his head. "Explain."

Sicheng didn't even hesitate. "Even CEO Bao."

"Damn." Lao K gave a low whistle, one eyebrow raised as he shook his head.

"And," Sicheng continued smoothly, eyes flicking toward Yao like he was thoroughly enjoying this, "she got the CFO to fucking smile."

Dead silence.

Pang, mouth slightly ajar, stared at Yao as if she'd just casually declared she'd solved cold fusion on the way home. "Wait—wait—THE CFO? That guy hasn't smiled since before you owned the team."

Lao Mao leaned forward, grinning like a man about to hear his favorite bedtime story. "Oh, I have to hear this."

Yao, already pink in the cheeks and now transitioning to alarming levels of red, began fidgeting furiously with the hem of her blazer, eyes darting anywhere but at the team. "I-It wasn't a big deal!" she insisted, her voice cracking under the pressure.

Yue, grinning wide, shook his head. "Oh, we're never letting her live this down."

Ming, who had been listening quietly, finally muttered, "Unbelievable. The board is weak."

Yao, who had been progressively turning redder and redder with every word Sicheng spoke, finally hit her limit. With an audible whimper of distress, she whirled around, her entire face burning as she stammered out a series of protests.

Sicheng, watching her fluster herself into oblivion, didn't even bother hiding his smirk as he crossed his arms, his amber gaze utterly pleased. "Mm."

Yao whipped toward him, sputtering. "Don't 'mm' me!"

Sicheng simply raised a brow, entirely unaffected. "But you did exactly what you always do, Xiǎo Tùzǐ. You wrecked them without even realizing it."

Yao groaned, burying her face into her hands. This was never going away. And she knew it.

Yao, still thoroughly flustered and mortified, let out a sharp huff that rattled through her chest, her entire body practically vibrating with pent-up frustration as she stomped her foot against the hardwood floor with all the force her tiny frame could muster. The sound echoed with a clean, crisp thud , but it did little more than jostle the air and remind everyone how small she really was.

The effect, however, was immediate.

The entire team froze.

Lao K, halfway through a smirk, stiffened.

Pang dropped a single popcorn kernel in stunned reverence.

Yue's eyes gleamed with untamed mischief, his lips twitching violently as he fought to keep his laughter contained.

Even Rui, halfway to telling someone to leave her alone, paused mid-scowl.

Because while her stomp was far from intimidating, it was so adorably ineffective—so earnestly done—that it only made them all want to tease her more. But then—before anyone could react, before Yue could launch a teasing remark or Pang could let out a fresh round of wheezing laughter.

Yao whirled on Sicheng like a storm given form, her hazel eyes bright with righteous fury. Her hand snapped up with the precision of a trained archer and she pointed her finger directly at his face, the gesture so sharp and sudden that even Sicheng, relaxed against the counter, tilted his head slightly in surprise.

The smirk on his face remained, but now it was tempered with something else—amusement tinged with a flicker of curiosity as he watched her.

Yao inhaled sharply, her chest rising with the effort, her free hand gripping her notepad like it might anchor her in this moment of sheer nerve. "You—" she sputtered, her voice high but clear, "you had better be nice to me for the rest of the evening—"