Chapter 22: The Boring Activity Contest continues

Even though the aliens have given us a great idea for a boring event, like a big party, the preparation is far more complicated than expected. It's a lot harder to get ready without laughing. And I, the director of Boring activities, seem to be being pushed into the abyss by this challenge.

"Xiao Zhang, can you give me a boring summary of the event?" When I was setting up the event venue, I suddenly asked Xiao Zhang this question. With his mouth curled and his mind fixed like a bored clown, he replied rather earnestly, "The only way you can make a boring activity successful is to make everyone boring." He was gesturing with his hands, his face serious.

"God, that's such a boring idea!" Xiao Li could not help but interrupt, and I laughed next to him, "If tomorrow's activity is really boring, how should we end?" Xiao Zhang pretended to open his eyes wide, indicating me to listen carefully.

"It's up to the alien to judge us, not to make us more boring." Xiao Li shakes his head and tries to be serious, "otherwise we might be labeled as a 'boring team' by aliens." There was another burst of laughter in the office, and the laughter was like a lilting note, floating in the air.

The alien's slightly strange eyes made me panic. Just then, he came up and inquired earnestly about our preparations. He looked very pretentious, as if he wanted us to see his distinctive charm. "What do you think is boring?" He suddenly came up with such a question, which instantly emboldened me.

"Boredom is an art!" I summoned my courage to answer. "It's like a deep humor that just pops up at the right moment." The alien stared at me and nodded meaningfully, as if in approval of this statement, while I was secretly glad that I had finally grasped the boring mystery. But at the same time, we also feel that the real challenge is still waiting for us.

"You're right, I'm sorry, but I do have a bit of a standard for boredom." The alien nodded earnestly, frowned slightly, and seemed to be really thinking about my words. He paced over to the whiteboard and began to draw an obscure 'boredom rating line' that confused us.

"To tell you the truth, I think it must be combined with your human customs." He pointed to a certain point on the line, "Say, tea, etc., or waiting for the bus. I believe both scenarios break the boredom index!" Xiao Li hesitated and gave a thumbs-up: "I think you have a point, especially waiting for the bus, it is really a boring long journey!"

"But who would have thought that long trips could be turned into office activities?" Xiao Zhang nodded disapprovingly, does anyone really want to experience this kind of 'travel'? I was a little dismissive of his reaction, and sure enough, his thoughts were still confined to his own little universe.

"Whether it's boredom or activity, the important thing is that we can open up communication with each other little by little." The alien then turned and looked at us as if he were talking about a grand epic. "Life, anyway, is to experience, boring what?"

'Well said! Excited, I grabbed a bottle of water for a sip, only to look up and see nods all around me. Well, it seems that the boring chat may have opened up another window for us.

Just then, the office door was suddenly opened, and the colleagues outside poured in one after another, excitedly saying: "We are here to help, who is willing to share the activity arrangement?" I took the opportunity to shout: "Then please set up a boredom index score sheet, each of you think boring activities and ratings!"

"Well, I'll design the score sheet! Think about what activities bore you!" Filled with passion, Xiao Li grabbed a pen and almost pressed it to the table. He then wrote: "Count the games" and turned his head triumphantly: "According to everyone's assessment, it should be rated a nine. It's boring!"

"Wait, Xiao Li, you're such a boring genius." I joked, "Then we have to think about more other activities! For example, 'Observe the crack in the wall competition', I can't hide the inspiration!" Before he finished, the office burst into laughter, and everyone thought they had a new idea with great potential.

"I've also come up with a 'slow-motion race to watch the rain fall' that will definitely push the boredom index to the top!" Xiao Zhang interjected, his eyes shining with the spark of creativity. Sometimes, thanks to this magical alien, he let us discover the endless fun of boredom, as if printed a layer of fun graffiti for this ordinary life.

"That doesn't sound easy! So on the rating scale, we have to leave enough room for everyone to write about their feelings." I suggested that the mind had already begun to prepare various interesting designs. However, as soon as he finished, the alien excitedly interjected: "I have an idea that we can add a 'boredom fit' score for each item to see which activity is highly suitable for everyone's boredom needs!"

"That sounds good! Then we have to implement a new rule on the form - there is a dedicated scoring area for each activity!" I gave the alien a thumbs up, feeling that he really inspired everyone's boring potential. As the excitement of the discussion builds up, the atmosphere in the office is lit up by the boring activities we are about to have, as if everything is moving in a more interesting direction.

At the same time, the alien smiled, as if secretly pleased in his heart. Looking at his mysterious smile, I can't help but think that maybe this alien knows something, and that the challenges we are about to face may be far greater than we expected. Just as I was thinking, outside the office window, the sun gradually dimmed down, and I did not know why a mysterious wind began to gently blow.

"Xiao Li, let's do an assessment, too!" I had a sudden Epiphany and suddenly sketched out a wonderful boring project in my mind. "For example, we could have a 'Share your favorite boring moment' where everyone takes turns telling a boring story about their own experience and see whose is the most sleep-inducing!" I immediately tried to give this big idea a big name, and threw it out to everyone: "Let's call it -- the Boring Sharing Conference!"

"This is good! Xiao Zhang felt excited, "It sounds like a 'boring story succession', and finally selected the 'king of boredom'." His head suddenly turned to me, his eyes shining with enthusiasm, "I must tell the story of the time I waited for the bus and so on, and then the neighbor asked me!"

The alien walked up to us excitedly and said with a serious expression, "I think this segment is a good idea, but make sure everyone's boring stories are boring enough." With that, he circled his hands in the air, as if building a boring picture. "Maybe you could put together a 'boredom diary' to record these stories as part of a cultural exchange!"

"The Boring diary? That sounds good!" Xiao Li patted his thigh, "After the party is over, we can organize these stories into a book, and even have a small contest to see which story is the most boring." I felt super excited, and I was already imagining those awkward and funny moments in my head. Think of the boring anecdotes between us, tell them one by one, it will be more fun.

"We need to have good graphics." I added, muttering, "Wouldn't it be fun, for example, if everyone could have a picture of themselves associated with a boring time?" The alien, with his wide eyes, apparently approved of this approach.

Then the light in the office gradually dimmed, like a mysterious curtain that heralded the changes to come. I noticed that the wind outside the window was getting louder and the atmosphere in the office was getting tense. Yet our discussion continued, as if the boring adventure had already been quietly brewing in the dark.

"Do you feel like it's getting darker outside?" Xiao Zhang suddenly broke the discussion, raised his head and looked out of the window, a little worried on his face.

"Maybe it's going to rain. It's better weather for boredom." I patted him on the shoulder, trying to reassure him, but something was vaguely wrong. The light of the office was suddenly dim, and even the original cheerful atmosphere seemed to be heavy with the light.

"Aliens, does your planet have weather like this?" Xiao Li asked, looking up, his pen in his hand, his eyes shining with adventure. "Maybe we can take this opportunity to understand your universe!"

"The weather on our planet is unpredictable, and there are different kinds of boredom." The alien grinned, "You will find that boredom is not just waiting for the bus, their boredom index is also related to the size of the planet, the water speed of the toilet and so on!"

"It sounds so amazing, I'm kind of looking forward to it!" "If something unexpected happens, it must be much more interesting than boring!"

Just then, there was a sudden flash of lightning outside the office window, followed by a loud noise that seemed to tear the world apart. The whole office was instantly overwhelmed by the atmosphere, and the enthusiastic discussion came to an abrupt end. Everyone looked at each other as if even boring activities had been disrupted by the sudden change. With another clap of thunder, the lights on the walls flickered several times and finally went out completely, leaving darkness and tension.

"It seems we must find a way to overcome this sudden and boring challenge!" I summoned my courage, and my voice rang out in the darkness. As if a new thought had crossed his mind, the alien narrowed his eyes and whispered, "How about we turn this evening into a real boring space adventure and see who can talk more boring." My heart was suddenly filled with anticipation and I felt like I was about to embark on a whole new adventure.