"Tap, tap, tap..."
The office was filled with the sound of keyboards clattering.
Wang Gaofeng stared intensely at the computer screen, his eyes bloodshot and unblinking.
With each stormy tap of his fingers, lines of code rapidly appeared on the computer.
A circle of people had gathered behind him, including Liu Bicheng, all standing silently behind him.
They all knew what Old Wang was doing; the technical hurdle that had troubled their project for so long might soon be overcome by Old Wang.
Once this project was completed, they could receive the project bonus and then go home to enjoy a comfortable New Year.
Everyone held their breath, fearing that their breathing might be loud enough to disturb Old Wang's concentration.
Old Wang hadn't had a drink of water for half a day; his lips were already dry and cracked.
Old Wang, in a state of excitement, suddenly froze, his fingers hovering motionless above the keyboard.
Everyone's hearts skipped a beat. Is this… another obstacle?
Liu Bicheng also furrowed his brow.
They were so close, why did he suddenly get stuck?
Old Wang looked at Liu Bicheng with a blank expression, his pale face covered in sweat.
Liu Bicheng opened his mouth to offer some comfort, but didn't know where to begin, the whole office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
"Growl..."
A series of sounds suddenly broke the silence, then Old Wang patted his rumbling stomach and said bashfully, "Boss, I'm hungry…"
What the…!
The group behind Old Wang nearly ascended on the spot.
Are you kidding me? We're waiting for you to make history, and you tell us you're hungry?
So you didn't stop because you got stuck, but because your belly growled?
This is unbelievable, making me worry for nothing, what a waste of emotions!
Liu Bicheng resisted the urge to slap him: "Mm, you hardly ate this morning, it's been more than half a day, of course you're hungry. Xiao Liu, go buy Old Wang something to eat."
Old Wang licked his cracked lips and chuckled: "No need, Director, you can just give me the leftover rice rolls from this morning, I haven't eaten all day and it's been on my mind."
Oh no!
Liu Bicheng was immediately shocked.
I ate that rice roll myself ages ago, where am I supposed to find rice rolls for you now?
"Uh… how about this, that rice roll from this morning must be all soggy by now, and it's turned into leftover food, which isn't hygienic. You should eat something else, tell Xiao Liu what you want, it's on me."
Old Wang quickly waved him off: "No, no, no, I don't feel like eating anything else right now, I just want that rice fragrance. I feel like it's my lucky food, and if I eat it, I estimate that I can finish this project within two hours."
At this point, Xiao Liu and the others were completely confused.
What's up with the rice rolls?
The company's cafeteria doesn't seem to serve that, right?
Can Old Wang make a little stove for himself?
As if suddenly thinking of something, Old Wang looked at Liu Bicheng with some suspicion and said, "Boss, did you secretly eat my portion while I was out of the office?"
Liu Bicheng's face turned red, as if he'd been caught red-handed in public.
Although Old Wang guessed right, can he admit it? Obviously not!
He feigned calm and said: "You know my appetite, right? The portion you bought me filled me up, how could I have room for yours? I just threw it away since it was left out too long."
Old Wang still believed Liu Bicheng more, so he sat back down in frustration and began typing again wearily.
Compared to a minute ago, he was a completely different person.
"Sniff, sniff..."
Suddenly, Old Wang's nose twitched a couple of times, and then he instantly brightened up, like a rabbit shot in the butt with an arrow, and dashed out.
Everyone stared in shock at the direction Old Wang had disappeared in, completely at a loss for what Old Wang was doing.
Liu Bicheng suddenly caught a whiff of a fragrance, mixed with the fresh smell of shrimp.
The memory from the morning awakened instantly, and the rich rice aroma seemed to blossom on his tongue again.
Wow...
Delicious, I miss it.
Clapping his hands, Liu Bicheng said: "Anyway, it's quitting time, everyone come with me, I'll take you to something tasty. We might wrap up tonight if we work hard, so think of it as a little relaxation in advance."
"Oh yeah, long live Director Liu!"
"Let's go, let's go, hurry up."
"Did Old Wang go off to find good food?"
Liu Bicheng led the way.
He actually didn't know where those rice rolls were bought, but as soon as he stepped out of the company, that unique rice smell guided him on where to go.
When they reached the park, his eyes widened.
A long line of people was snaking ahead, almost like when they were getting COVID tests.
Xiao Liu curiously asked: "Boss, what's this about? Why such a long line?"
"Are we doing another COVID test?"
"Old memories are stirring up inside me, damn!"
"Hey, isn't that Old Wang?"
Everyone looked closely, and there was Old Wang, standing at the end of the line.
His shiny bald head was reflecting the setting sun's glow.
Liu Bicheng laughed: "Come on, let's get in line too."
Xiao Liu called out in disappointment: "Really, Director? You're treating us to this?"
Liu Bicheng let out a hearty laugh: "Don't assume it's bad just because he's selling from a stall. Didn't you smell that fragrance all the way here?"
Wang Cheng said: "I smelled it, but it feels like a waste to have such a treat from the Director on street food."
Liu Bicheng was pretty approachable and had good relations with his subordinates.
Liu Bicheng said: "Just because it's a small stall doesn't mean the taste isn't superb, let me tell you. Otherwise, would Old Wang have talked about it all day?"
"I don't believe it, how good can some street food possibly be?"
Liu Bicheng said with mock annoyance: "Fine, save your stomach then. Once Old Wang finishes the code, I'll treat you all to roast duck."
Wang Cheng's eyes lit up, and he immediately decided he wouldn't eat a single grain of rice until they had roast duck.
Old Wang looked anxiously at the queue.
He occasionally craned his neck to gauge how long the line was, worried that by the time it was his turn, they'd be sold out.
Luckily, the line moved fairly quickly, which eased his mind somewhat.
Wang Fan was busy as if trying to pull off a Clone Technique.
His two arms left afterimages in the air.
One piping hot rice roll after another was handed over to customers, filling him with a sense of fulfillment.
The most important thing was that he made quite a bit of money.
Even more importantly, the system issued another reward.
"Ding, hidden task completed—Industrious Little Bee."
"Task reward—Sandalwood Small Wooden Fish (Green)."
"Sandalwood Small Wooden Fish—its sound is crisp and melodious like metal and jade; each knock increases mood points by one. The higher the mood points, the better one's mood. With each knock by a customer, the host receives one Euro of incense money (individual customer reward cap at 10 Euros)."