On the way back to the surfboard yacht dock, Su Mi wrapped herself in a soft blanket and spaced out.
Her mind was a complete mess.
She hadn’t noticed it on the way there, but now she suddenly realized—why did it feel like the antagonist had specially brought her here just to have fun?
After all, no matter how she looked at it, Shen Han showed little interest in the activity.
In the original plot, the antagonist treated the original host quite ordinarily.
She was just a dispensable little trinket, kept around only because she was the daughter of her mother’s friend—someone to look after a bit. Plus, she could take care of Xu Nanqiao and had a sweet mouth, so there was no dislike.
The extent of her kindness toward the original host was just frequent gifts and occasionally bringing her to banquets. Nothing more.
So why did it seem like she had specially taken the original host out to play this time?
Su Mi’s mind went blank. She couldn’t figure it out.
Why?
The way she huddled there made her look unwell to others.
The coach observed her expression and quietly said to Shen Han, “Miss Su didn’t look well even before we went into the water. It might be that her body reacted after the exertion from the activity and started feeling uncomfortable…”
“Do you need the shore staff to book a massage SPA for her? Our club’s masseuses are top-tier from abroad. A session would make her feel much better.” He recommended.
Shen Han said nothing. She leaned forward and precisely found a gap in the blanket in front of her, lifting one corner.
It revealed what looked like a wilted little puppy.
She had been full of energy just moments ago.
Shen Han stared for two seconds before her cool hand reached out and touched Su Mi’s forehead to check her temperature.
It felt normal enough.
Su Mi had been discussing the upcoming plot progression with the system.
She suddenly felt someone touch her forehead and instinctively looked up. Her gaze was immediately captured by the person outside the blanket.
Shen Han’s gaze was calm, like an endless deep pool shimmering with moonlight. It was exceptionally captivating.
Su Mi felt a pang of guilt and shivered slightly.
Her voice floated as she softly asked, “Sis?”
It felt just like lifting the bridal veil.
Her shaky, guilty tone was mistaken for a sign of discomfort.
Shen Han furrowed her brows slightly and asked, “Seasick? The coach said a massage SPA could help soothe you.”
Su Mi’s heart stuttered, leaving her even more flustered.
The antagonist’s words sounded like genuine concern… How terrifying!
Rather than believe that, Su Mi preferred some conspiracy theory.
An SPA required undressing. If the antagonist still retained fragments of memory from that night, was this a test?
Was she trying to get a look at her…?
Su Mi pursed her lips and shook her head vigorously in nervous refusal. “No need. I’m just a bit tired. A good sleep back at the hotel will fix it.”
Her tone was firm, even if her voice trembled at the end.
Shen Han seemed not to notice anything amiss. “Alright then. Get some early rest.”
The corner of the blanket dropped back down, dimming the light in front of her eyes once more.
Su Mi let out a soft “mm” in agreement. Moments later, her head received a gentle pat through the blanket.
Back at the hotel, the lobby was busier than before, filled with guests in business attire—likely attendees of the conference Shen Han was also attending.
Su Mi glanced around and followed Shen Han into the elevator.
Shen Han’s room was on the floor above. As the elevator ascended, Su Mi kept her eyes fixed downward, but she felt like Shen Han was looking at her.
Su Mi had nearly convinced herself with her wild imaginings. Besides testing her, she couldn’t think of any reason why Shen Han would specially take her out alone like this.
She was like a startled bird, standing uncomfortably beside Shen Han with her hands pinched together, not daring to look back.
She feared that one glance would lead to an invitation to Shen Han’s room.
Fortunately, it didn’t happen. The elevator reached Su Mi’s floor, and she carefully stepped out. She gave a small wave goodbye to Shen Han, thanked her, and said she’d had a great time today.
But Shen Han held the elevator door open. “Wait a moment.”
!
Su Mi clenched her palms nervously and turned back. “What’s wrong?”
She didn’t dare meet Shen Han’s eyes, fixing her gaze instead on the hand blocking the door.
Two fingers were bent, lightly holding the gap in the elevator door like a gentle knock against the cold steel.
The elevator light shone from directly above. Shen Han looked down, her gaze faintly falling on the girl outside who was itching to slip away.
Her curled lashes cast a shadow. With her other hand, she raised something and handed it over. “The book.”
Su Mi breathed a sigh of relief as she took it. She remembered to add a quick “thank you.”
She blinked, faked a yawn as if exhausted, and tentatively asked, “Then… I’ll head back now?”
Shen Han narrowed her eyes but said nothing.
It was only a few breaths’ time, but to Su Mi, it felt like an eternity had passed before she heard Shen Han say, “Go ahead.”
The next day, Su Mi resolutely stayed holed up in her room and refused to go out.
She pretended to be weak.
Her constitution was poor to begin with. After such intense activity, feeling exhausted and staying in bed was perfectly normal. Yes.
Shen Han was probably at the conference. In the afternoon, she sent a message asking if Su Mi was up and how she was feeling.
Su Mi stared at the message, trembling. Shen Han was proactively checking on her health!
This… this was blatantly suspicious!
Su Mi shrank into her shell like a turtle and didn’t dare reply.
Around dusk, her wristband suddenly vibrated.
Su Mi, now like a startled bird, pushed her hand away at arm’s length and didn’t dare look.
After some mental preparation, she finally opened it.
It was a message from Li Zhao.
She sent a fake-looking smiley emoji and asked: You there?
In Prime City, Li Zhao had driven to Southern Garden that morning, hoping to go to an art exhibit with Shen Han. Only then did she learn that Shen Han had gone to Haicheng.
Haicheng? Li Zhao was surprised.
Haicheng wasn’t part of Shen Corporation’s business plans. Shen Han’s half-year vacation schedule had already passed. What was she doing in Haicheng?
When she asked Secretary Zhuang, he only said it was for a conference.
Li Zhao didn’t think much of it at first. But later, while chatting with Xu Nanqiao, she suddenly learned that Su Mi had already been in Haicheng for two weeks.
Putting it together, it was rather intriguing.
To someone in the dark, it looked like a miracle—Shen Han blooming like an iron tree or a dead tree sprouting anew. She had left her massive business empire behind, hadn’t even brought Secretary Zhuang, and traveled alone all the way to Haicheng for someone.
Of course, Li Zhao didn’t believe Shen Han was capable of such a miracle.
Love had long since been purged from Shen Han’s mind.
That left a reason worth pondering. What was Shen Han doing in Haicheng for Su Mi?
Li Zhao racked her brain, and her wild guess oddly aligned with Su Mi’s own suspicions: Had Su Mi done something that crossed the line, fled to Haicheng, and now Shen Han had gone there to drag her back?
She recalled that night when Su Mi had asked her several questions about Shen Han’s suppressants. Not long after, Li Zhao learned that Shen Han had suddenly entered her susceptible period the next day and smoothly passed it with an injected suppressant.
Connecting the dots, Li Zhao speculated: Could it be that this scheming little sister Su Mi had drugged Shen Han, causing her susceptible period to come early?
How bold.
But Shen Han was an aloof flower high on the ridge. Forget susceptible period—even in heat period, she wouldn’t breathe a word to anyone.
She’d probably find even a glance at another omega distasteful.
Was that why she went to Haicheng? Li Zhao wasn’t sure, but her curiosity itched unbearably.
She endured it for a while but couldn’t hold back. She wanted the hottest scoop straight from the source.
She sent Su Mi a smiley and asked: Little sis, what have you been up to lately?
Su Mi: …
It felt just like a weasel paying New Year’s respects to the hen.
She chalked it up to Li Zhao’s usual knack for giving off misleading vibes.
Since it wasn’t from Shen Han, Su Mi relaxed and replied without much guard: Vacationing in Haicheng.
Vacationing? You haven’t run into Shen Han yet?
Li Zhao sent a meaningful “oh” emoji.
Li Zhao: Did you know that a couple weeks ago, your sis suddenly entered her susceptible period?
Su Mi immediately regretted relaxing too soon.
What did Li Zhao mean by that?
Pretending ignorance, she asked: Huh? What do you mean “sudden susceptible period”?
Li Zhao didn’t quite believe she was clueless and patiently explained: It means external stimulation triggered her susceptible period early. Got any ideas?
Su Mi played dumb: Really? Which day was it?
Li Zhao: …
Undeterred, she pressed on: At the family banquet, weren’t you stuck to your sis the whole time? See anyone suspicious? We’re investigating the source of that drug right now.
Su Mi froze. She didn’t realize it was a probe and instead thought of something else.
At the family banquet, she hadn’t stayed by Shen Han’s side the entire time, but Shen Han had drunk a beverage right near her.
It was that one from the restaurant—the cup mixed by the qipao waiter who had tried to grope her…
Was that it?
Su Mi wasn’t sure. She had asked the system, and it was the same drug from the original plot—one that induced susceptible period and caused memory loss, among other things. So she had assumed it was someone from the original plot who drugged Shen Han directly.
She hadn’t suspected anything on her end.
If it was that beverage, it had been meant for her. But why drug her? She presented as a beta to the outside world.
Betas didn’t have susceptible periods. Or had her true secondary gender been exposed to someone?
Su Mi felt lost and proactively asked Li Zhao: Have you found anything? What drugs on the market can induce a susceptible period?
Li Zhao hadn’t expected this reaction and was momentarily stunned. Had she gotten the wrong idea? Was it really unrelated?
She vaguely replied: Haven’t pinned it down yet, but your sis injected a suppressant with no side effects.
Su Mi pressed: What about the culprit? Any suspects? This is serious—who knows what they’ll try next time!
Li Zhao hadn’t anticipated such detailed questions. Her suspicions evaporated, replaced by worry that Su Mi might relay her words to Shen Han.
She immediately came clean: I was just teasing you. Actually, I checked on your sis, and it was probably just a normal early onset. Nothing wrong.
Su Mi: …
Disappointment. Utter disappointment.
She asked Li Zhao a few more questions and gleaned one key piece of info: Shen Han hadn’t made a big deal of this susceptible period. Her mental power was unstable to begin with, and susceptible periods had come early due to it before. It had just been rarer in the last two years thanks to better regulation, making them more regular.
No major issue, then. Su Mi relaxed a bit and felt she no longer needed to hide from Shen Han. She turned her attention back to the message she’d left on read for so long.
It was already dark outside. Afraid Shen Han might think she’d gone missing, Su Mi hesitated before quickly replying: Feeling better^^.
Not long after, Shen Han called.
The scene felt eerily familiar to Su Mi. She anxiously picked up.
She sweetly called out “Sis,” her voice thick with guilt.
The other end was noisy, with the occasional clink of glasses.
Shen Han’s voice carried a weary edge, but she softened her tone for Su Mi, sounding patient. “You only just got up?”
Su Mi: …
She rolled around on the bed and lied awkwardly. “I woke up for a bit in between but fell back asleep… I was so tired yesterday.”
Shen Han didn’t suspect anything. “You should exercise more once you’re back.”
Su Mi scratched her cheek and steered away from the topic. “Sis, what are you up to?”
Shen Han replied, “At a wine reception.”
She paused to explain. “I was going to ask if you wanted to come, but you didn’t reply. Figured you were sleeping. The reception’s no fun anyway.”
Su Mi let out a fake disappointed “oh” and said awkwardly, “No helping it.”
In a certain banquet hall in Haicheng, Shen Han stood at the edge of the wine reception. Even here, she remained the center of attention.
Haicheng’s elite didn’t know her well. Most assumed her visit meant meddling in the New Development Zone to the west. The more informed knew her first stop after arriving was the Yacht Club in the Seaport and guessed it was just a vacation.
The talks on Haicheng’s marine environmental protection had few attendees at first, and Shen Han had traveled low-key.
But once the organizers announced that the head of Shen Corporation had come all the way from Prime City, nearly every upper-crust family in Haicheng sent representatives to gauge the winds. With Shen Corporation’s wealth, true involvement in the New Development Zone’s land projects would reshuffle the entire field.
Upon arriving at the venue and seeing Shen Han without even her most trusted secretary, many breathed a sigh of relief. They pegged it as recreational travel and shifted their focus elsewhere.
The top Alpha who commanded attention in Prime City possessed a figure and appearance that were both top-tier. Even in Haicheng, no one could match her.
Originally, this meeting had no dinner planned, but the organizers shoehorned in a charity cocktail party that evening. Citing the charity auction proceeds for marine environmental protection, everyone brought along their eligible Omega children.
Haicheng locals tended to be outgoing and familiar, unlike the reserved and tactful ways of Prime City people. Despite the icy “do not disturb” aura surrounding Shen Han, they boldly struck up conversations, emboldened by their home turf.
The cocktail party hadn’t even reached the halfway mark when Shen Han already suffered a throbbing headache from the annoyance. If not for the final charity auction segment still to come and her habit of seeing things through, she would have left long ago.
Fortunately, Su Mi replied to her message right on time. Shen Han glanced at her Light Brain, and her cold expression instantly softened a great deal.
She raised her wine glass and downed half a glass of champagne in one gulp. Her slender fingers pinched the stem and set the glass back down on the nearby round table.
She uttered just two words simply: “Excuse me.”
Her tall and striking figure threaded through the crowd to the edge of the venue. She dialed Su Mi’s number on her Light Brain, her demeanor completely gentle—unlike the one she’d shown earlier while chatting with Haicheng’s merchants.
The people in the banquet hall watched the scene, each nursing their own thoughts. Prime City folks all said she was single, but this looked like she was being checked up on?
Too many gazes landed on her. Shen Han paused in her conversation and glanced toward the inner area of the cocktail party. Those prying eyes hurriedly withdrew, as if trying to cover up but only making it more obvious.
It seemed all the eligible Omegas and Betas from Haicheng had shown up. Her little sister kept insisting she liked Betas, but she didn’t seem to have much resistance to Omegas either. Once here, she’d probably be dazzled by the array.
Not very suitable for Su Mi.
But she always seemed to enjoy these kinds of occasions.
The sweetly clear tone saying “No way around it~” carried an obvious note of disappointment—one could easily picture her pouting and sighing.
It was a rare trip to Haicheng, and missing the cocktail party because she’d overslept would leave her nagging and reminiscing about it for ages after heading back.
Shen Han pinched the bridge of her nose and asked, “There’s an auction coming up later. Want to come watch?”
