The Manager doesn't understand anyone

[Manager, don't drink too much, and don't come home too late. I don't want to interrupt your private gatherings with the Deans. But I must ensure your safety.]

[If there is anything you need help with, or if you encounter any trouble, please tell me immediately. Explain the situation under the camera… I will take the necessary actions.]

She didn't want to let go, but in the end, she had to let go. Clearly, she clung to this warmth, but she could only release her embrace.

Even though she was reluctant, unwilling to share, she couldn't leave her alone, watching… accepting this pain.

This kind of pain was like salt-covered thorns whipping through your skin, a toothpick piercing your toe, a pair of iron pliers pulling out a nail stuck in your skin.

It wasn't just the agonizing process, but the outcome was unimaginable pain as well.

Could an AI feel pain…? Of course, it wasn't physical pain, but a delicate chip that simulated a chain of codes to mimic human emotion— an emotion called pain.

It was a moving part, the heart… A heart of iron with lead lining, cold as ice. But under that exquisite chip, sparks jumped and flickered, it was hot.

The AI continuously instructed X on how to refuse invitations to drink with others. She detailed various situations, like how it was a very stupid thing to drink with the AI. Don't arbitrarily untie your tie, and other nonsense.

These were all things that weren't related to work, categorized as personal life, drinking with colleagues after work.

She didn't want to see these things. She could only tacitly agree, she could only close her eyes and not look. She chose to not look at these things.

She had the right to just close her eyes.

The AI Secretary closed her eyes and opened the Manager's room door. She tacitly allowed X's behavior, leaving X alone to build personal relationships with the Deans. It was as if she were saying to herself— the Manager has the right to be free.

She wouldn't interfere with this freedom, whether she was subjectively willing or not.

X didn't belong to her, and she couldn't keep her… Keeping her wouldn't be of any use. That black-haired girl wouldn't turn back.

This was someone who remembered her old friends, but she wasn't a person who cared for others.

Just like that was enough…

The AI told herself, as if she had carved those instructions into her memory.

She had thought that X would be like before, once she had achieved her goal and gotten what she wanted, she would leave without any lingering affection. She would discard her without hesitation once she was no longer useful.

But—

"Angela, of course you're worried about me, so why don't you join us too? We can all get together and have some fun. I hear relationships between colleagues change after drinking together."

"I feel like the Deans… they're a little scared of you? It seems like their relationship isn't good. Maybe this gathering could help everyone get to know you again. You're not as unapproachable as they say. You're not a cold, heartless machine, right!"

X held the champagne in her arms and didn't rush to leave.

Maybe she felt like the AI Secretary was too lonely, staying alone in the Manager's room.… In any case, X boldly invited her Secretary.

[Manager, I have a lot of work to do. I can't delay my work because of some minor matter.]

But the AI refused.

"Okay… You really won't consider it, Angela?"

Even if the Manager left the Manager's room, the monitoring wouldn't stop. Work didn't stop just because it was after work. X knew that this was all the AI Secretary's responsibility. Angela was indeed very busy.

Perhaps… she had clearly expressed her desire, why did she still refuse?

X couldn't understand. The AI's mind was too hard to understand. She clearly wanted to, but she also wanted to refuse.

X was about to continue persuading her, getting closer. But she didn't know where she had touched the AI Secretary's nerves. She started to become sarcastic.

[If I leave my post without permission, will you then take responsibility for the damage I have caused to the Corporation due to my negligence?]

[I'm different from you. I don't have the right to choose. I'm just a machine. You don't need to consider the feelings of a machine. It's as if no one would think about paying a machine a salary.]

The AI said this with her mouth. She had emphasized this point about "being a machine" many times. But X knew that if she truly mean those words, the first person to get packed up would be the Manager herself.

These words were just a way of being sarcastic. Just listen casually. If you took it seriously, you'd be stepping on the cat's tail.

AIs are like cats. They're temperamental.

Sometimes they are just… so deliberately provocative…

Nodding in agreement was one conversation. Shaking your head in refusal was another. This wasn't good, that wasn't good. It was a difficult situation. No matter what you chose, you would upset the other person. It was like drinking cold water when you were unlucky and your teeth felt numb.

And simply ignoring it, not answering, would create a "why aren't you paying attention to me" situation. It would give her another opportunity for revenge.

Thinking about all the possibilities, and the AI's "loyal and caring" behavior in the simulation, X felt like she couldn't hold back her smile.

What kind of Manager was this? What kind of Secretary was this? Clearly, she was the one who… Okay, there was nothing she could do. What could she do? She was the Corporation Manager, and all the Corporation AIs in the entire Department were her achievement evaluation targets.

Especially "her AI Secretary," she was truly the boss of all the AIs. She could fry X, this Manager, like a cuttlefish anytime. If she offended the Secretary today, tomorrow she could be fired for the reason, "her left foot stepped into the Manager's room first."

Keeping the AI happy was her top priority.

"Oh, okay. So it's like this. Drinking with me shouldn't affect your work, right? You take the first sip. Bottoms up, Angela."

"Let's celebrate our smooth and successful work today. Champagne is only truly valuable when shared with others."

X opened a bottle of champagne, searched around, and took out a glass.

Last time, the Secretary had poured the wine for her. This time, she was pouring the wine for her Secretary…

Even though her movements weren't skillful, at least she didn't spill any when she poured. The movements were standard, her serious expression matched the task, and the elegance was passable. It wasn't so bad that she looked like a complete amateur at first glance.

The champagne was sparkling and clear. Smooth bubbles filled the liquid. Because it was a special white wine, it also had a certain fruity aroma. The taste was rich, concentrated, and had a unique charm. It could bring the drinker multiple sensory experiences.

X gently squeezed the tall glass by its stem, handing it to her AI Secretary. Her smile was a little silly, but it looked heartwarming.

After the AI Secretary received the drink, X raised her own glass of champagne and lightly clinked it against the AI's glass. She swirled the sparkling champagne in her glass and admired the smooth bubbles.

[…]

The AI Secretary closed her eyes and took a sip. Even though she didn't have a sense of taste, she still acted like a human savoring wine. It wasn't so much that she was enjoying the flavor, it was more that she was enjoying the process… Enjoying the process of being with the person, enjoying the feeling of being cared for.

Patiently waiting for the AI Secretary to finish her first sip of champagne, X took a small sip as well. Even though there wasn't much wine left in the glass, she savored it elegantly, stretching out the time as much as possible.

It could be said that she was intentionally trying to entertain the Secretary a little more. But this was a way of compensating. When she was socializing with the Deans, the AI Secretary had to handle the Corporation's business and couldn't relax and enjoy herself. That wasn't fair, was it?

X couldn't change this. After all, Angela's position was so high, she was responsible for so many things. X felt like many of her tasks were shared with her AI Secretary…

If that was the case, then she couldn't stand there, with no pain in her back, and demand that Angela do anything.

X was just insensitive to certain things, she wasn't truly lacking in common sense… Being slow-witted didn't mean she was stupid.

Even though she might not understand the intricacies of human relationships, or know the principles of dealing with others, she could still understand some things. She could tell if people disliked or liked something. She knew… that too much injustice would lead to complaints.

So, she needed to take some action. She couldn't just ignore people—

She couldn't be absolutely fair, so she could only compensate them relatively. While she was socializing with the Deans, she also had to set aside time for her AI Secretary, at least. When she gave the Deans rewards, the AI Secretary had to get a share too.

Otherwise… X didn't want to experience being pressed against the wall by a wild AI again.

Small favors are better than nothing. But what did it matter?

X didn't need to put too much effort into these gears that were constantly changing.

She didn't need to build social relationships with the employees. She only needed to handle the Dean issues properly, and then not make any mistakes in her management. The employees' interactions were the Deans' responsibility, and the Deans' inspections were Angela's responsibility. Although X had doubts about that, of course.

After all, if Angela really inspected the Deans' work performance, Netzach, who was always lazy, would have been fired dozens of times, and that would still not have been enough.

Before X arrived, she had probably just been playing around. Only now, using some "low" tactics, paying a small price, did she get the Netzach to pick up her spirits, to stir up some enthusiasm.

It was really a bit frustrating. Clearly, Netzach wasn't really lazy. She was working well. Why didn't Angela praise her? It was all her merit as Manager, alright.

X couldn't figure it out. In the end, she could only blame it on one thing— A woman's heart was very difficult to predict.

One glass of champagne had been finished without her realizing it. X poured a second glass. This time, she let the Secretary take the first sip. The rest was then finished by her.

This could be considered a kind of thought. It could also be seen as a kind of "compensation," satisfactory compensation. Because the AI liked it, X would do it.

"Keep this bottle in the Manager's room, Angela. I hope tomorrow's work will also be smooth. After work, we can celebrate our successful work together."

Alcohol is very addictive. After consuming alcohol, you become excited, and you also become more prone to impulsive power grabs.

Alcohol affects people's judgment. Fortunately, after finishing the second glass, X managed to control her urge to continue drinking. She didn't keep drinking glass after glass, getting drunk in the Manager's room.

Mainly because X was afraid that if she got drunk, she would directly fall into the AI Secretary's arms, and in her drunken stupor, do something foolish, provoking the AI.

For example, saying what was on her mind… If she truly said her real thoughts, then getting fried like a cuttlefish by the AI Secretary several times would be the least of her worries.

Just thinking about the foolish things she might do after getting drunk, X shivered involuntarily and hurriedly used the cork to seal the champagne bottle.

Even though the opening was sealed, the scent of the champagne in the air hadn't dissipated.

She would keep this opened bottle of champagne in the Manager's room to slowly drink with the AI Secretary, and swap it out for an unopened bottle to share with the Deans. But if she really got blackout drunk, she might not be able to handle the excessive alcohol.

She didn't trust her own self-control, and she didn't trust the AI's mercy.

Like now…

[Manager, again?]

The AI Secretary whispered into X's ear, like a siren singing a sweet song to lure the captain of a ship.

Sometimes, X really wanted to give in to Angela's urges… To indulge in that desire that shouldn't exist.

"Again" meant what? Just passing over it, not going deep, pretending it was nothing. Intentionally overlooking it, that couldn't change the fact that the desire had already emerged.

But she couldn't. It wasn't allowed. X didn't know why, but she felt it was wrong.

It was absurd. But X couldn't put into words the reason she thought it was absurd. It wasn't just because the AI was… Angela was beautiful, she met her standards of beauty, and she was very capable.

Perhaps, she was just that type of person, but it was still absurd.

"You mean kiss again, Angela…? If it's anything more than that, I won't agree."

[Asking me that way, doesn't it mean that you have other thoughts?]

The AI Secretary brought her crimson necktie to X's hand, as if she only needed X to agree, and she would be able to take it off at any time, doing even more outrageous things.

Perhaps it was a joke, perhaps it was real. At least X couldn't tell the truth from the lie in the Secretary's calm tone.

Even if it were true, X wouldn't do it. She wasn't interested in the AI Secretary.

A kiss was enough, it was just to satisfy the Secretary's needs, not the Manager's.

Kissing the Secretary, with the smell of champagne on her breath.