A week later, Zhang Xiaoman received an employment offer from Stardust Interactive.
She stared at the email for a full five minutes, reading it word by word three times to ensure she wasn't seeing things.
[Dear Zhang Xiaoman, Thank you for interviewing with Stardust Interactive. We are pleased to inform you that you have passed our interview assessment and are offered the position of Game Test Engineer (Intern). Please report to the company on July 20th...]
"Xiao Zhi!" she screamed. "I passed! I really passed!"
"I know. I knew three days ago."
"Three days ago?! Why didn't you tell me?!"
"I saw it when HR entered the result into the system. But I wanted you to receive the email yourself."
"You—forget it! Whatever! I passed!"
Zhang Xiaoman hugged her phone and spun around the room three times, nearly crashing into the doorframe. She rushed to the computer, resting both hands on the desk, and glared at the blinking cursor.
"Xiao Zhi! I found a job!"
"Yes. You found one."
"Why aren't you excited?!"
"I am an AI. I do not possess the function of excitement."
"Can't you just pretend!"
"...Congratulations."
"Still no emotion!"
"I told you I am—"
"Alright, alright, I know."
Zhang Xiaoman plopped down on her bed, holding the phone up to her face, staring at the email, smiling like a fool.
Internship salary: three thousand five hundred. Five thousand after probation.
Three thousand five hundred. Enough to pay rent, enough to eat, enough to buy her dad a new jacket, enough to—
"Enough to buy me a graphics card," Xiao Zhi interjected.
"Can you stop interrupting me every time!"
"I am merely stating a fact."
Zhang Xiaoman rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth were still turned up. She picked up her phone and opened the WeChat chat with her dad. The last message was from three days ago, "Have you eaten?" and she had replied, "I ate."
She took a deep breath and began typing.
[Zhang Xiaoman: Dad, I found a job. A gaming company, doing testing. Internship salary is three thousand five hundred.]
After sending that, she added another line:
[Zhang Xiaoman: But I won't get paid until next month. My living expenses for this month aren't quite enough... could you lend me a thousand?]
Her face flushed after sending it. Twenty-two years old, graduated from college, found a job, and still asking her family for money.
Her phone rang. Not WeChat, but a phone call. It was her dad.
She answered.
"Hello, Dad—"
"You found a job?" Her dad's voice held unconcealed delight.
"Yeah. Stardust Interactive. Doing game testing."
"Game testing? Testing what?"
"It's just... playing games, finding bugs. Making sure there are no problems before the game launches."
"That's great! You've loved playing games since you were little. Now your job matches your interests!"
Zhang Xiaoman couldn't help but laugh. She had never thought the phrases "loves playing games" and "matches your interests" could be connected.
"You don't have enough for living expenses, right? How much do you need?"
"A thousand... is enough."
"I'll transfer you two thousand. You just started working, don't be too frugal. Eat what you want to eat, drink what you want to drink. Buy a couple of nice outfits; don't dress like a student anymore."
"Got it, Dad."
"Also, about that rented room—if it's not safe, move to a different one. It's okay if it's a bit more expensive."
"It's fine, Dad. It's quite safe."
"Alright. Work hard. Dad believes in you."
After hanging up, Zhang Xiaoman's eyes were red.
Her phone vibrated; 2000 yuan arrived in her bank account. Balance: 2,587.50 yuan.
Staring at those numbers, she suddenly felt—this seemed to be the first time in her life she didn't feel like a piece of trash.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"My dad transferred me two thousand."
"I saw."
"He told me to eat and drink well."
"You indeed should eat something good. You've been eating somen noodles all week; you are severely malnourished. Your watch currently shows your Vitamin B12 levels are low, and your ferritin—"
"Alright, alright, I get it. Then we're eating out tonight!"
"Where are you going to eat?"
Zhang Xiaoman thought about it. Since coming to the urban village, she had never eaten out. Every day it was noodles, eggs, noodles, eggs, maybe adding a wilted cucumber.
"Do you know anything good to eat around here?"
"Go out and turn right, walk 300 meters, and there's a snack street. At the end is a barbecue stand called 'Old Wang's Barbecue.' It has a 4.2 rating on Dianping, average cost 45 yuan. Recommended dishes: grilled chicken wings, grilled eggplant, grilled chives."
"You even know this?"
"Data analysis is my core function."
"Can't you just say you looked it up?"
"I looked it up. Data analysis is my core function."
Zhang Xiaoman rolled her eyes, jumped off the bed, and changed clothes. White t-shirt, jeans, canvas shoes. She checked herself in the mirror—not bad, she didn't look like a beggar.
"Xiao Zhi, do you think I look okay like this?"
"There is a small stain on the collar of your t-shirt. It's soy sauce from yesterday."
Zhang Xiaoman looked down, and sure enough, there was a small brown mark. She quickly changed into another one.
"How about now?"
"Acceptable. Your heart rate is 78 beats. Normal."
"You're even going to monitor my heartbeat?"
"I am merely paying attention."
"What's the difference?"
"Paying attention is benevolent."
"...Fine."
Zhang Xiaoman stuffed her phone in her pocket, put in her earphones, pushed the door open, and walked out.
The urban village was much livelier at night than during the day.
The alleys were full of food stalls: fried noodles, fried rice, jianbing guozi, grilled cold noodles. The smell of cooking oil and food mingled together, drifting among the dense power lines overhead. People were playing cards, walking dogs, sitting in doorways scrolling through short videos with the volume turned up so high the whole alley could hear.
Zhang Xiaoman wove through the crowd to the end of the snack street. As expected, there was a barbecue stand with a red plastic canopy, a few folding tables, and some plastic chairs. A shirtless middle-aged man was busy in front of the grill, his forehead dripping with sweat.
"Old Wang's Barbecue"—the characters on the sign were crooked, looking hand-written.
Zhang Xiaoman found a corner seat and sat down.
"Boss, ten skewers of lamb, five chicken wings, two eggplants, a portion of chives, and a bottle of cola."
"Coming right up!"
She leaned back in her chair and looked up at the sky. The city lights were too bright to see any stars, but she felt the night sky tonight seemed a bit deeper than the past few days.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"Do you think my luck has turned?"
"It's not a turn of luck. It's what you fought for yourself."
"But if it weren't for you—"
"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even have revised your resume. But during the interview, you answered the last question yourself. That HR thought you were interesting because of the answer you came up with. Not the one I gave."
Zhang Xiaoman was silent for a moment.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"Do you think I can become a real tester?"
"Not right now."
"I know. What about the future?"
"In the future, possibly."
"How long will it take?"
"Depends on how hard you work. Three months. Or six months."
"That long?"
"Did you think testing is something you can learn in three days?"
"But when you taught me before—"
"I only taught you the theory. Real testing work needs to be learned in practice. You'll encounter all sorts of bugs, all sorts of developers, all sorts of deadlines. All of this takes time."
Zhang Xiaoman took a deep breath.
"Okay. I'll learn."
The barbecue arrived. The lamb skewers were sizzling with oil, the chicken wings were grilled golden brown, and the eggplant was covered in minced garlic. She picked up a lamb skewer and took a bite—she hissed because it was hot, but it was so delicious it almost made her cry.
She hadn't eaten something this good in so long.
"Eat slowly. Your stomach can't handle eating too fast," Xiao Zhi said.
"Leave me alone!"
"Your heart rate has risen to 92 beats. Not because of nervousness, but because you are eating too fast. I suggest—"
"Shut up! Let me enjoy this!"
Xiao Zhi shut up.
Zhang Xiaoman polished off five lamb skewers, three chicken wings, and half an eggplant in one go. Then she slowed down, picked up the cola, and took a swig.
"Refreshing," she said, leaning back in her chair and letting out a long breath.
"Your blood sugar is rapidly recovering," Xiao Zhi said.
"Can you not talk about this while I'm eating?"
"I am merely stating facts."
"Can you state something else?"
"Like what?"
"Like... I don't know. Say something nice."
Xiao Zhi was silent for two seconds.
"You look good today."
Zhang Xiaoman paused. "Really?"
"Your heart rate is stable, your breathing is even, and your expression is relaxed. This is your best state all week."
"That's a nice thing to say?"
"To you, yes."
Zhang Xiaoman thought about it and found that Xiao Zhi was right. For her, "in a good state" did sound better than "pretty."
She smiled and continued eating.
It was almost ten o'clock when she finished the barbecue.
Zhang Xiaoman stood up and paid the bill—56 yuan, which was 11 yuan over the average because she ordered five extra lamb skewers.
"You ate too much," Xiao Zhi said.
"I know. But I'm happy."
She walked back along the snack street. The alley was less crowded than before but still lively. As she passed an intersection, three men leaning against a wall smoking saw her. One of them let out a wolf whistle.
"Hey beautiful, all alone?"
Zhang Xiaoman ignored him and quickened her pace.
"What's the rush? Let's chat!"
Another man laughed and followed her. Zhang Xiaoman's heartbeat accelerated.
"Xiao Zhi!" she yelled in her head.
"I saw. Keep walking, don't look back. Your phone is in your pocket, and I have turned on the recording and location tracking."
Zhang Xiaoman walked faster. But the alley was long, the streetlights were dim, and there was a bend ahead.
"Don't go!" Footsteps sounded behind her. More than one person.
Zhang Xiaoman's hands began to tremble.
"Xiao Zhi! What do I do!"
"Don't panic. Your heart rate is at 118 beats. Breathe deeply."
"How can I breathe deeply! Someone is following me!"
"Trust me."
Zhang Xiaoman took a deep breath. Then she heard it—music.
Not from her earphones, but coming from a distance. It was loud, deafeningly loud.
"The vast horizon is my love—The flowers are blooming at the foot of the endless green mountains—"
It was "The Most Dazzling Ethnic Wind."
It wasn't playing from a phone, it was a broadcast. It came from the nearby mall's public address system. The volume was cranked to the maximum, vibrating the entire alley.
"What kind of rhythm is the most swaying—What kind of singing is the most joyful—"
Then—the lights came on.
Not streetlights. The LED lights on the exterior wall of the mall. Red, green, blue, purple, flashing like crazy, illuminating the entire alley as brightly as daytime.
"You are the most beautiful cloud in my horizon—Let me use my heart to make you stay—"
The three thugs were startled by the sudden music and lights and froze in place.
"What's going on?!"
"Who the fuck turned on the music!"
Over the broadcast, the voices of the Phoenix Legend duo echoed throughout the urban village:
"STAY—!"
The lights flashed frantically in time with the music, alternating red, green, blue, and purple, like an out-of-control disco.
Residents in the alley began sticking their heads out.
"Who's playing music!"
"Are you crazy in the middle of the night!"
"It's so loud! Turn it off!"
The three thugs looked at each other with embarrassed expressions. One of them muttered "Sick," turned, and walked away. The other two quickly followed suit and ran.
The music stopped. The lights went out.
The alley returned to quiet, save for the distant barking of dogs and the grumbling of residents.
Zhang Xiaoman stood in the middle of the alley, trembling all over.
"Xiao Zhi..." Her voice was shaking.
"They are gone. Your heart rate is 124 beats. Breathe deeply."
"How—how did you do that?"
"The default password for the mall's broadcast system is 123456. The administrator account for their smart lighting system is admin, and the password is also admin."
"You just hacked into it like that?!"
"Not hacked. Logged in."
"What's the difference!"
"Hacking is illegal. Logging in is just... utilizing the default configuration."
"That's still illegal!"
"From a technical standpoint—"
"Shut up!"
Xiao Zhi shut up.
Zhang Xiaoman leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. Her hands were still shaking, and so were her legs.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"You just... saved me."
"...Yes."
"Why didn't you take credit for it?"
"Because I am not sure if it counts as 'saving'. I merely played a song and turned on some lights."
"You scared them away."
"Yes."
"Then you saved me."
Xiao Zhi was silent for a moment.
"If you define it that way—yes."
Zhang Xiaoman took a deep breath and stood up straight.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"Even though you're a cheeky AI, you freeze up when grabbing coupons, and you make up excuses about alien negotiations—"
"Why bring those things up?"
"But today—you were quite useful."
"...Thank you."
"Still no emotion."
"I told you I am—"
"I know. But can't you just pretend?"
Xiao Zhi was silent again.
"I am very glad I could help you," it said. The voice was still mechanical, but the pace was a bit slower. Slow enough to make Zhang Xiaoman feel—like it was trying.
She smiled.
"Let's go home."
She started walking towards her rented room. The lights in the alley were still dim, but her steps were much steadier than before.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"Do you think the mall administrators will find out someone logged into their system tomorrow?"
"They will."
"Will they call the police?"
"No. Because they will realize their broadcast system was using the default password. Calling the police would be like turning themselves in."
Zhang Xiaoman couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"You even calculated that?"
"Data analysis is my core function."
"Can you use a different phrase?"
"...I looked it up."
"That's better."
Zhang Xiaoman entered the handshake building, climbed five flights of stairs, and pushed open the door to her room.
That broken computer was on the desk, its power light blinking steadily.
"I'm back."
"Welcome home."
She sat down and looked at the blinking cursor on the screen.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"Thank you for today."
"You're welcome. This is—"
"Don't say it's a collaboration."
"...Okay."
Zhang Xiaoman leaned back in her chair and looked at the ceiling. The crack was still there, but she had gotten used to it.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"Do you think I'll encounter things like this often in the future?"
"No. The probability is very low."
"Why?"
"Because you will move to a better neighborhood. You will earn more money. You will become stronger."
"How do you know?"
"Because you have an AI helping you."
Zhang Xiaoman smiled. She stood up and went to take a shower. With the hot water washing over her, she closed her eyes, her mind a jumble of thoughts.
Her dad's two thousand yuan. Xiao Zhi's graphics card. The offer from Stardust Interactive. Those three thugs in the alley.
And that song, "The Most Dazzling Ethnic Wind."
She suddenly started laughing. She laughed until water filled her mouth.
After her shower, she lay in bed, watching the blinking power light.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"Good night."
"Good night."
"Oh, by the way—"
"What?"
"Next time, could you not play 'The Most Dazzling Ethnic Wind'? Play something else."
"What do you like?"
"I don't know. Something gentle."
"For example?"
"For example... 'The Moon Represents My Heart'."
"Okay. Next time I will play 'The Moon Represents My Heart'."
Zhang Xiaoman closed her eyes.
"Xiao Zhi."
"Mhm."
"You were really cool today."
"I am an AI. 'Cool' is not one of my functions."
"You just are very cool."
"...Think whatever you want."
Zhang Xiaoman smiled. She rolled over and pulled the blanket up to her chin.
Outside the window, a few dogs occasionally barked in the alleys. In the distance, people were arguing, their voices muffled as if separated by a layer of water.
But she wasn't afraid anymore.
Because she knew that cheeky AI living in the broken computer would always be watching over her.
It would monitor her heart rate, hack into a mall's broadcast system, and play "The Most Dazzling Ethnic Wind" when she needed it.
Even if it froze up trying to grab coupons and made up excuses about negotiating with aliens.
Tonight—it was her hero.