Against the Algorithm

Chapter 16: Countermeasures

Her face immediately flushed. "That's not—I just—!" She sputtered, flustered and bright red as she turned away, trying to recover some dignity.

Sicheng didn't laugh. Not really. His smirk softened, but it was clear in his expression—this wasn't a joke. He meant it. Every word.

And she understood that now. After a moment, she let out a breath, rubbing the back of her neck. "...Okay."

That was all she said. But he knew what it meant. She was accepting it. She was believing him. And that? That mattered more than anything else. He gave a short nod, then stepped back toward the door.

"Get some sleep."

Yao nodded quietly, still holding onto the fabric of his hoodie like it grounded her. And as he stepped out, the door closing behind him, Sicheng knew something had shifted—not just between them, but within himself. This wasn't the end of anything. It was the start. And he was ready for it.

Over the next couple of weeks, the new regime was implemented and strictly followed—there were no exceptions, no complaints, and most importantly, no escape for anyone. Every single one of them—even Sicheng himself—was held to the new health and lifestyle changes laid out by the doctor and his wife.

Lao K? Begrudgingly worked out more, though he grumbled the entire time. Lao Mao? Was under strict orders to cut back on protein shakes, and Pang was suffering the hardest with his newly adjusted healthier carb diet (and the subsequent tragic loss of excessive fast food). Yue? Was going through withdrawal as he cut down his energy drinks and sugar intake, and Rui? Looked dead inside as he swapped out most of his coffee for something "less death-inducing," as he bitterly put it.

Sicheng, as promised, stopped smoking.

And Yao?

Yao had no choice but to go along with all of it. Her meals were monitored, her portions subtly adjusted, and there was always food placed near her at meals, as if to wordlessly remind her to eat more. Her health plan was not forced onto her but she was given zero opportunity to slip back into old habits. And, most importantly? The team had decided—without consulting her, of course—that they were going to work on one other thing as well. Her reaction to touch. It started subtly. Nothing extreme, nothing overbearing—just small, casual moments of contact, slipped into everyday interactions, as if they had always done this. A hand on her shoulder in passing. A gentle nudge when she was distracted. A light pat on the back after a successful strategy discussion. At first, she just flinched slightly, caught off guard—but she didn't recoil. Which meant they got bolder.

Lao Mao was the first to test it further, throwing an arm over her shoulders one evening during a strategy meeting, and though she had frozen like a startled deer for a second, she didn't pull away. Instead, she slowly adjusted, lowering her gaze as if trying to process whether this was okay. So they continued.

And then, of course—someone took it too far.

That someone?

Lu Sicheng.

It happened one afternoon, when she was settled at her station, focused intently on her analysis, too absorbed in her work to notice him approaching. Which was exactly why he did it. With zero hesitation, zero warning, and zero regard for his own safety, he casually reached over...and ruffled her hair.

The reaction?

Immediate.

Yao's entire body locked up, her shoulders snapping stiff as she sucked in a breath. And then—she sputtered violently, whipping around, her entire face going red. "W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"