Smile Code (Lost Laughter) 失笑 - Zhu Le 祖乐

13

The unclear and unexplainable things, not just you who doesn't understand.

Gu Yi froze. Liang Daiwen was on a business trip in Beijing and hadn't mentioned anything about attending the annual meeting. Moreover, when looking at the program list, there was no mention of his name at all?

She had been so nervous that her palms were sweaty, but now, this tree with a face passed right by her. With its expressionless look, its gaze scanned her, and wherever it landed, a chill ran down her spine. She couldn't help but recall how she had spun her head like a power drill just moments ago and made sarcastic remarks, causing the atmosphere to go cold. For the first time, Gu Yi was desperately relieved that Liang Daiwen had emotional barriers, hoping that he wouldn't be angry at this moment.

But wrapped in tree bark... it really suited his personality. Climbing the stairs was too troublesome, so he lifted the tree bark to reveal his legs, with polished shoes and slim ankles exposed. With the body hidden beneath the bark, he lost his sense of direction and just walked toward the audience. He almost stepped off the edge with just two steps left, but a colleague grabbed him and pulled him back. The bark fell with a thud, revealing his face—still the familiar, expressionless look. The audience burst into laughter. The atmosphere, which Gu Yi had just cooled down with her stand-up, was now revived.

The song probably had lyrics and composition by the employees themselves. The lyrics, accompanied by subtitles, were supposed to use green, but for some reason, someone with a lack of brains decided to make it more "internet" by using white background with FZHeiTi font. The screen switched abnormally... it was quite dreadful. Gu Yi wondered, if the poem reading was this awkward, the bosses must have been more uncomfortable than she was during her stand-up.

Liang Daiwen, inside the tree costume, swayed to the music, but judging by his expressionless face, Gu Yi guessed he was just waiting for the program to end. She stared at the tree absentmindedly. After spending time with him, it seemed like even a face without expression could convey multiple emotions: shyness, dazedness, stiffness... From her position beneath the stage, she could clearly see that the face of the tree was now lost in outer space. Even though he had no expression, his eyes were still darting around, and he was genuinely bored with the patient and serious performances of those around him. Even without the ability to sense emotions, he could still find this occasion dull.

Among carnivorous animals, a tree seemed out of place.

The spotlight shone on the colleagues in front who were performing the choir. It was unbearable. Each person was wearing a green cultural T-shirt, which, when turned around, revealed a slogan aligned with the company's eco-friendly values. Gu Yi thought to herself, this app's tree-planting feature is probably used to track affairs based on energy consumption. Indeed, it's green in both style and level.

After stepping off the stage and shedding the "tree bark," Liang Daiwen was wrapped in a gray-black shirt and tie, his face pale, with large dark circles hanging under his eyes. The changing room was connected to the backstage area beside the banquet hall, with props lined up along the passage. Colleagues came and went, and when Liang Daiwen saw Gu Yi, he instinctively protected her as he was carrying a box.

Gu Yi hid behind him, watching his shoulders and ears. No one said anything as they passed by, every colleague greeting them with a smile. Tonight's performances were full of drama—the awkward stand-up comedy, a hot-tempered designer performing as a plant—it seemed there was nothing more entertaining than gossip. Gu Yi thought to herself that internet people still had energy. Logically, no matter what happened at the annual meeting, it was just a formality before the holiday, and such gossip wasn't tied to any interests. It clearly didn't need to be dwelled on.