The programmer and his woman

I was feeling quite depressed that day. Just when I was immersed in my worries, a student came to me.

This student is the principal's nephew. Because the online game teacher resigned and Teacher Shen was absent due to illness, I took over their class. Now, this student has successfully graduated and has been assigned to work in a game company.

He said hesitantly, "Teacher Wang, I have something I would like to ask you for help with."

I looked up at him, wondering why he was looking for me. He continued:

"Teacher Wang, this is what happened. I went to work for a game company some time ago. The company recently assigned tasks to each of us and asked us to submit two game projects by the end of the month. But the time is too tight, and I am not proficient enough in making games, so I am worried that I can't complete the task. The company said that if it really doesn't work, they can consider outsourcing. My aunt mentioned that you have some free time now, so I came to ask if you are willing to help."

When I heard it was an outsourcing project, I thought it might be an opportunity to make some extra money. So I smiled and responded:

"I do have some free time right now and can help you complete these two game projects. However, I need to understand your company's specific requirements for the games."

He replied: "Our company was founded not long ago, and we want to release more game content this month. As for the requirements, there are actually no specific ones, as long as the game is fun. The type and content of the game are up to you, but the budget may not be too high."

I thought to myself, this is indeed a good opportunity. My previous studio has some semi-finished games, and a little modification should be able to meet their needs. So I readily agreed to him:

"No problem. I'll take the job. I'll give you a game project within a week and you can test it first. I'll hand over both games to you before the end of the month."

He was very happy after hearing this and thanked me repeatedly: "That's great, Teacher Wang. You have helped me a lot. I will send you our company's splash screen and other relevant information now." After that, he left in a hurry.

I had just finished this matter when I didn't expect another student to come to me. His company also wanted to launch a product, and there was too much work to be done in the company. It couldn't handle it, so it wanted to outsource it. However, this student came to me on his own initiative, not recommended by others.

This time, there are requirements for the content to be done, but fortunately, there is more time than the previous one, and the money paid this time is also a little more than the previous one.

I thought this was a good idea. Although I would have no classes and no more free time, I could earn quite a bit of money, so I took it on.

This time, I took over not a game development task, but a mobile phone application software project. This application was designed like a treasure box, full of various practical functions.

For example, it has a note function that you can use to record some to-do items and set reminders to ensure that you don’t miss anything important. There is also a menstrual calendar function that can remind you when it is safer to be intimate with your partner based on your menstrual cycle.

However, the feature that made me laugh and cry the most was the "Daily Fortune Telling" module. This module requires users to enter some basic information, and then predicts your fortune for the day. Frankly speaking, I have always been skeptical about this kind of metaphysics of fortune telling.

But out of curiosity and responsibility for the project, I decided to study the implementation principle of this function. I searched for some information on the Internet, referred to some formulas, and even found the algorithm code that others had already made. I copied it, printed it out, and tested it. When I entered my own information, the result showed "Everything is not going well today, it is not easy to go out, and you need to be careful of villains."

I couldn't help but be surprised that this thing actually predicted that I might encounter some unpleasant things today. I began to reflect on whether I should really believe in these fortune-telling results? Why do some people always like to check the almanac before going out?

It seems that our ancestors were really amazing! They firmly believed that in the vast universe, there was an extraordinary power or mysterious laws that could influence the fate of mankind and its fortunes and disasters. By carefully sorting out and summarizing these laws, people can gain insight into the future fortunes and good and bad fortunes, and then formulate more wise and insightful decision-making strategies.

However, I soon realized that even if I read the almanac today, I might not be able to avoid the arrival of some disasters. After all, life is unpredictable, and even the most accurate predictions cannot cover all variables and uncertainties. Just like the visit of the student's parents, the occurrence of such things is beyond my control.

Just as I was immersed in my thoughts, the phone in my pocket suddenly vibrated. I took out my phone and saw that it was a call from my former school colleague, Teacher Chang. I quickly answered the call and his voice immediately came into my ears.

"Hello, Teacher Wang, I heard that you went to City A recently." A familiar voice came from the other end of the line.

"Yes, Teacher Chang, you are really well-informed." I replied with a smile.

"Haha, in our line of work, if we are not well-informed, how can we survive?" Teacher Chang joked on the phone.

"Oh? Teacher Chang, are you also in City A now? What kind of work do you do here?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, I also came to City A to develop my career! I'm currently working as a headhunter." Teacher Chang said proudly.

"Headhunter? What exactly does it do?" I asked puzzled.

"To put it simply, a headhunter is a high-level talent agency that specializes in finding and recommending outstanding talents to companies. How about it, sounds cool, right?" Teacher Chang explained.

"I see. That's quite interesting." I nodded thoughtfully.

"The reason I'm calling you today is actually to ask you if you have any plans to change jobs. If so, I can help you make connections and recommend some good opportunities to you," Teacher Chang said straight to the point.

I thought about it for a while, and then replied, "Well... now that you mention it, I think I can consider it. However, I still want to understand the market situation and relevant job information before making a decision."

"No problem! I'm an expert in this area. Tell me the industry and position you're interested in, and I'll help you keep an eye out for suitable opportunities. I'll always use this phone number, so remember to contact me whenever you plan to change jobs," Teacher Chang said enthusiastically.

"Thank you, Teacher Chang!" I said gratefully.

Teacher Chang smiled and said, "You're welcome. We are old friends. You are my high-quality 'product'. I have to thank you for coming to me." He paused and suddenly suggested, "Well, speaking of which, we have been very busy recently and rarely have the opportunity to sit down and have a good chat. How about we get together one weekend, have a meal, and chat?"

I smiled and responded, "Okay, Teacher Chang, that's a good suggestion. I also want to find an opportunity to chat with you more and see how you've been doing recently."

Teacher Chang added, "Oh, by the way, I'm going back to my hometown in a couple of days to look at houses. As you know, housing prices are rising so fast now, I have to do this quickly. Teacher Wang, if you are interested, you can go and have a look together, maybe we can find a suitable house."

I thought about it carefully and replied, "Well, that's a good suggestion. I've also been thinking about buying a house, and my mother has urged me several times. Since you have this plan, let's go and have a look together. Maybe we can really find a house we like."

After hearing this, Teacher Chang laughed and said, "I knew you were rich. I'll call you and pick you up. We'll go house hunting together and get together."

I also responded with a smile: "Okay, Teacher Chang, I'll contact you then. Let's go house hunting together and enjoy this rare leisure time together."

After hanging up the phone, I looked at the time. It was already half past five. I couldn't help but mutter to myself, "It's almost six o'clock!" Then I stood up and stretched my muscles, ready to get off work and pick up Xiaoxia to go home together.

I rode my bike and sped to the downstairs of Xiaoxia's company. After parking the bike, I took out my phone and called Xiaoxia's number: "Hello, Xiaoxia, I'm here to pick you up after get off work. I'm downstairs of your company right now."

"Ah? You're already downstairs?" Xiaoxia's slightly surprised voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Yeah, I'm not going to lie to you." I joked, "Are you off work now?"

"Yeah, I just got off work, please wait for me for a while~" After getting a positive answer, I calmed down and leaned against my bicycle waiting patiently.

However, time passed by, and after about half an hour, there was still no sign of Xiaoxia. I was puzzled and couldn't help but call her again: "Hey, Xiaoxia, why haven't you come down yet?"

"Sorry, Wang Dong, can you wait for me for another ten minutes?" Her tone was full of apology.

"Why is your company so busy today? It's already long past the end of get off work..." Although he was a little dissatisfied, he had no choice but to accept the reality.

Finally, after another long twenty minutes, I saw a beautiful figure in high heels walking towards me from afar. When I got closer, it was Xiaoxia. She walked up to me with a smile on her face and said softly, "I'm so sorry, Wang Dong, for making you wait so long."

I shook my head. "It's okay. It's just that you said you'd get off work at six. It's almost seven now. Why are you getting off work now? Is the company so busy right after work?"

She explained somewhat awkwardly: "I was so engrossed in reading a novel upstairs that I accidentally exceeded the time limit."

I sighed helplessly, thinking that the calculation was really accurate. It seemed that today was really a bad day. I encountered some troubles in the company, and I didn't expect that I would have to wait so long to pick up Xiaoxia.

I smiled helplessly. Although I felt a little dissatisfied, I couldn't bear to blame her anymore when I saw her apologetic look. I reached out to help her tidy up her long hair that was messed up by the wind and said softly, "Don't do this again next time. If you make me wait so long, I will be worried."

She nodded, a sweet smile on her face, as if to assure me that she wouldn't keep me waiting so long next time. She took my arm and we walked to the car parked nearby.

Xiaoxia, I want to go home these two days and take you home with me to meet my parents. I know this may be a little sudden for you, but I always feel that it is time for you to get to know my family more deeply.

When I mentioned this proposal, Xiaoxia's face showed a hint of surprise, as if she was not ready to meet the parents so soon. I gently held her hand, trying to calm her nervousness.

"Wang Dong, why are you so sudden?" Xiaoxia's voice trembled a little.

I smiled and explained, "It's like this. One of my former colleagues is going to buy a house in his hometown, and he invited me to go house hunting. I think if the house is suitable, we can consider buying it and make it our home. So, Xiaoxia, I want to take you to have a look. If you like it, we can book the house and our home together."

After hearing this, Xiaoxia's eyes sparkled with anticipation and excitement. But then, she showed a trace of worry, "Wang Dong, I heard that houses are very expensive nowadays, do you have money?"

I patted her shoulder gently and comforted her: "I don't know the specific situation, but we can go and have a look first to understand the market. If the price is too high, we can think of other ways. In short, I don't want you to live with me in a rented house all the time. We need to have our own home."

Hearing this, Xiaoxia hugged me excitedly and kissed me on the cheek. But then she calmed down and asked worriedly, "Wang Dong, what if your family doesn't like me?"

I held her hand tightly and said firmly: "Xiao Xia, don't worry. I like you, and my family will like you too. No matter what, I will marry you."

"Really, Wang Dong?" Xiaoxia's eyes were glistening with tears.

"Yes, really." I looked at her tenderly, "We will definitely be together."

Hearing my promise, Xiaoxia smiled brightly again, "Then I will ask my boss for a few days off tomorrow and go back with you to meet your parents."

I couldn't help but feel a little worried, so I gently reminded her, "There's no need to be so anxious, right? We can go back on the weekend. Wouldn't it be bad to ask for leave right after you start working at the company?"

However, Xiaoxia seemed very relaxed and confident. She smiled and shook her head, jokingly saying, "It's okay, our boss is a very nice person. Besides, there really is nothing important in the company these days, so I can save my boss some salary by taking a few days off."

So I called home to inform them that I would be back tomorrow and told them that I had a girlfriend and would bring her home to see. The excited voices and blessing words from my parents on the other end of the phone made me look forward to this trip home even more.