Against the Algorithm

Chapter 48: Checkups and Consequences

Pang's head shot up with a flash of hope—or desperation. "What about your candy stash?! Huh, Captain? You keep a whole drawer of those in your desk! The fancy ones in little glass jars with the labels turned just right! Why aren't those getting thrown out?!"

For a moment, silence.

Then—

Yao, standing just at the entrance of the kitchen with a mug of warm tea in her hands and a calm expression that could only belong to someone who knew exactly what she was doing, lifted her head. "Because I bought those for him." she said plainly.

Pang blinked. "Wait—you what?"

"They're sugar-free," Yao continued smoothly. "Low-calorie. Naturally sweetened. From a certified health food store." She took a sip of her tea, completely composed. "They're allowed under Doctor Cho's approved list. And I checked twice."

Sicheng, casually leaning against the counter now, gave Pang the most unbothered look in ZGDX history as he plucked one of the pale gold wrapped mints from the jar behind him and popped it into his mouth without a word.

Pang gaped. "That's so unfair! I can't even have my salted seaweed crackers, but he gets custom health store candy?!"

Yao glanced at him and, without blinking, added, "I'd rather him chew on those than go back to smoking."

That silenced the room.

Even Yue—midway through poking at a suspicious bag of Pang's expired trail mix—froze and blinked.

Sicheng's jaw shifted slightly, but he said nothing, still sucking on the candy, eyes locked briefly on Yao with something unreadable soft and adoring flickering behind them.

"...okay. Yeah. That's... that's fair." Pang blinked again, then slowly, awkwardly lowered himself back to the floor.

Yue nodded slowly. "Didn't know we were using logic now."

Yao gave him a sweet smile. "I use logic when you're not using your brain."

Yue grinned. "I'd be offended, but you're cute Tiny Boss Bunny."

Sicheng popped another candy in his mouth and muttered, "I'm banning compliments next."

And Pang?

Still dramatically sprawled across the floor? He groaned again. Because somehow, not only had he lost his snacks. He had lost the moral high ground. To sugar-free candy.

Yao, standing beside the kitchen counter with her mug still cradled in both hands, tilted her head slightly, expression soft and genuinely puzzled as she blinked toward Sicheng. "Why would you ban compliments? I thought compliments were good." she asked, her tone completely sincere, brows furrowed ever so slightly in confusion.

The room froze.

Yue snorted, half-choking on laughter, already retreating to the couch like he was trying not to get caught in whatever that was about to become.

Pang, still on the floor, gave up and just covered his face with his hoodie sleeve. "Oh no. He's not surviving this one..."

Sicheng had just popped another sugar-free candy in his mouth, but his eyes cut sideways toward Yao, and his jaw paused mid-movement. She was still looking at him with that look—the wide hazel eyes, the genuine curiosity, the kind of innocence that wasn't oblivious but just... so her. And it cracked something inside him just a little.

"You said you were banning compliments," she added, still very much not letting it go, "but that doesn't make sense. Compliments make people happy."

His candy clicked quietly against his teeth as he stared at her. Then he exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through his hair before muttering under his breath, "I wasn't talking about you."

She blinked. "But I compliment you all the time."

"I know."

"And you don't mind."

"I don't."

"So then—"

"I was talking about Yue and his face."

"You don't like his face?" Yao tilted her head the other way.

From the couch, Yue looked personally attacked. "What the hell did I do?!"

Sicheng closed his eyes and muttered, "You were born that is what.."

But Yao just giggled softly, the confusion melting into that warm, shy sound that always made Sicheng's jaw unclench and his gaze flick just slightly lower—to her smile, to the curve of her lips, to the way she always did this to him without even trying. She walked past him, brushing her shoulder gently against his as she moved toward the sink, her voice quieter now. "I think compliments are good, Cheng-ge," she said. "Even yours. Even when you pretend they're not."

And just like that, he didn't have the will to ban anything anymore.

Not her smile.

Not her laugh.

And definitely not her compliments.

Notes:

Author's Note: The Muse would like to say that all comments, even small ones, are very much welcomed and they very much enjoy reading them!