The usually taciturn and aloof Shen Han maintained her calm expression as always.
She merely twitched the tip of her eyebrow ever so slightly before stepping into the living room.
“Secretary Zhuang.” As she approached from a short distance, Shen Han spoke up to get his attention.
Su Mi followed the sound and looked up. She saw Xu Nanqiao and Shen Han together, and like Secretary Zhuang, she froze for a moment in perfect sync.
Indeed, Shen Han almost never came downstairs at this time.
Could it be… that she had finally come to her senses? That she couldn’t bear to let Xu Nanqiao leave?
Su Mi’s expression shifted subtly between the two of them before she broke into a brilliant smile.
“Sisters, good afternoon. The day ended so quickly. You two must have had a pretty pleasant time together just now… right?”
As she spoke, she had the System pull up the antagonist’s blackening value, ready to note down the fluctuations before and after each reading session.
When she clearly saw that pitch-black crimson number, Su Mi couldn’t hold back. Her tone shifted at the end, and she failed to mask her shock in time.
How was it 82%?!
The first reading session had dropped it by a full 10%, and last night’s blackening value had been 87%, meaning it only fell by 5% this time—half of the previous drop.
If the blackening value rose at an average rate, wouldn’t it mean the world would be done for in just a few months?
Su Mi’s mind nearly collapsed.
She looked up at Xu Nanqiao, on the verge of tears but unable to cry.
Xu Nanqiao felt a bit at a loss under that stare. She paused, then said, “It was… okay, I guess.”
Su Mi turned to look at Shen Han.
Shen Han wore a beige suit set today, her ink-black long hair simply pinned up at the back of her head. A few strands draped over her left temple, and a slender wooden bead earring dangled from her right ear.
Her outfit was sharp, but her aura always carried a hint of sickly pallor. Her expression was gloomy, and it was clear at a glance that she wasn’t in a good mood.
She lifted her gaze upon hearing this, arching one eyebrow with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. “What’s this? If it wasn’t pleasant enough, do you want to read to me too?”
Great, she had dragged herself into it now.
Su Mi felt her hair stand on end under Shen Han’s ink-dark, abyssal gaze. She shrank back her neck and shook her head vigorously.
Shen Han had unusually followed them downstairs today. Had the reading not been pleasant enough? Was she in a bad mood and wanted more time with Xu Nanqiao? To get a supplementary dose of “medicine” for her heart condition?
Then wouldn’t she and Secretary Zhuang just be third wheels hanging around?
Su Mi felt struck by a sudden flash of inspiration.
She tugged at Secretary Zhuang… wait, she didn’t catch him.
Secretary Zhuang had already stood up at some point.
Though she had no idea why Secretary Zhuang had suddenly stood, Su Mi followed suit and got to her feet.
She tried to smoothly change the subject. “Nah, no need. How could I compare to Nanqiao? Oh! Since you two are going to read, I’ve been sitting for so long that I’m feeling a bit stuffy…”
With that, Su Mi turned back, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Secretary Zhuang. “Secretary Zhuang, you said earlier you could take me to see the beautiful sunset here. It’s the perfect time now since we’re free. I really want to check it out—shall we go?”
Secretary Zhuang’s poker face showed a flicker of shock.
He opened his mouth, nearly blurting out, “I…”
Su Mi grinned and grabbed his sleeve. “Come on, let’s go.”
Under the ambiguous gazes of Shen Han and Xu Nanqiao, Su Mi forcibly dragged Secretary Zhuang out of the house.
The moment they stepped outside, Secretary Zhuang calmly shook off Su Mi’s grip without a word.
He even deliberately smoothed out the wrinkles on his gray suit where Su Mi had tugged it.
Secretary Zhuang said cautiously, “Miss Su, I’m just President Shen’s secretary. Please don’t… in front of President Shen…”
Su Mi: …
How was he so dense? For a personal secretary like this.
She led Secretary Zhuang a few steps away from the mansion before whispering sneakily, “Don’t you think my sister is pretty special with Nanqiao?”
Secretary Zhuang asked doubtfully, “Special?”
Su Mi hummed in affirmation and hinted obliquely, “Think about it—doesn’t her mood always get affected by Nanqiao? She only feels better after Nanqiao comes over, right? And there are no other Omegas around her. You get it, don’t you?”
Secretary Zhuang still looked puzzled. “Get what?”
“…” Su Mi was speechless for a moment before saying, “Nothing, just that I feel Nanqiao is one of a kind to my sister.”
Secretary Zhuang seemed to half-understand but shook his head.
He shook his head and said, “You can be more confident. I think in President Shen’s eyes, you’re one of a kind too.”
Hearing this response, Su Mi nearly froze.
According to the original plot, if she was Shen Han’s number one lapdog, then Secretary Zhuang was at least the biggest eunuch steward by Shen Han’s side.
How could this guy’s sensitivity be so low? His emotional intelligence was even worse than hers?
He couldn’t even tell who Shen Han was special to or had feelings for.
Su Mi paused, then asked, “Don’t you think… that aside from around Nanqiao, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen Sis that happy?”
Come on, say it—that classic line from the butler in CEO novels!
Secretary Zhuang: “Has President Shen ever been ‘that’ happy?”
No point talking anymore today.
Su Mi was completely stumped and could only follow Secretary Zhuang sullenly toward a corner of Southern Garden.
Southern Garden was built against the mountain, its gardens and greenery comparable to a large park. They hadn’t walked far when they spotted an assisted bike that could be ridden after scanning with a Light Brain.
Compared to the usual bicycles, the main difference with this assisted bike was that it connected to the Light Brain and projected a map and other info on the front.
Secretary Zhuang explained, “This one requires authorization to connect. It has a detailed map of Southern Garden. The spot for watching the sunset is here.”
Secretary Zhuang pointed to the edge of the green area.
He diligently helped Su Mi set up the projection and destination. Just as he was about to set up his own, his Light Brain’s communication suddenly rang.
Probably work-related.
Su Mi was swiping through the Southern Garden map, immersed in exploring this new world, when she suddenly heard Secretary Zhuang walk back. He said apologetically, “Sorry, Miss Su. I need to head back—there’s an important document at the entrance that needs my signature.”
Su Mi: “Then… I’ll go by myself first?”
Secretary Zhuang: “Sure. Just follow the map and destination. Security in Southern Garden is top-notch, so you can relax.”
Once Secretary Zhuang’s figure vanished around the bend in the path, Su Mi looked around and realized she was the only one left here.
In early spring, the trees here sprouted tender green buds, layer upon layer of fresh green visible near and far against the deep blue sky before sunset. It was actually quite beautiful.
The air carried the fresh fragrance of grass, trees, and flowers.
Su Mi felt in a pretty good mood.
The antagonist and Nanqiao were alone together again, so the blackening value should drop even more by the time she left—meaning the task was progressing steadily.
She was happy to have some leisure time, riding a bike and enjoying the breeze in such a beautiful estate.
Su Mi hummed a little tune as she mounted the assisted bike and pedaled leisurely along the path marked on the map.
The sunset spot Secretary Zhuang had marked was at a place that looked like Fountain Square on the icon. The guidance path was very smart, even projecting a virtual arrow in front of the assisted bike.
Su Mi rode like this for a good while before suddenly letting out an “oh no.”
“System, you there?” She stopped the bike, planting one foot on the ground to steady it.
System: “^^.”
Su Mi asked, “Can you help me check which way to turn at the intersection ahead? I feel like I’m going further and further off…”
System: “Host, if you’re heading southeast, then ahead you should…”
After a bizarre pause, the System’s characters appeared one by one in the air: “T-u-r-n… a-r-o-u-n-d.”
Su Mi: “…”
She scratched her cheek and asked, “Really? I thought I might have gone wrong.”
System said, “Yes. Your destination is in the southwest corner of the map, but your current direction is toward the southeast corner, which is also Southern Garden’s exit.”
Su Mi nodded. “Looks like it. I just noticed—the downhill corner ahead already reaches Southern Garden’s gate.”
She pointed to the towering black wrought-iron gate faintly visible above the green trees lining the wide asphalt road.
Even a blind person could see it; going downhill would take her straight out.
System and Su Mi both fell silent for a moment.
System: “Have you always been a road idiot?”
Too blunt!
Su Mi: “Pretty much, yeah.”
In this world, Light Brains fully handled car routes, so Su Mi had never slipped up before.
But assisted bikes still required pedaling, and following this winding virtual guide through Southern Garden’s twisting paths, Su Mi had lost her way after just two turns.
Of course, Su Mi remained very optimistic.
“Sunset’s still half an hour away. And even if I miss it, riding around today has been fun,” Su Mi reassured the System. After a thought, she added, “Plus, this weakness shouldn’t affect the task. Don’t worry.”
System sent a few ellipses, then an emoticon smile: “Host, don’t worry. 622 is just a bit surprised.”
Su Mi said, “Nobody’s perfect.”
As she got back on the bike and pedaled, she said to the System, “I thought this issue of mine had been cured, though. Isn’t being a road idiot a brain cell thing? I soul-traveled here, and now the brain cells are the original host’s, so wasn’t the original host a road idiot too?”
Unexpectedly, the System denied it. “No, Host. Everything in this body now belongs to you. Think of it as a perfect copy, so the original cannon fodder definitely wasn’t a road idiot.”
“And, Host, your direction is still backward.”
The System politely reminded her.
Su Mi: “…Turning around now.”
She slammed on the brakes and hopped off the assisted bike when she suddenly noticed a long black business car approaching and stopping right beside her.
Su Mi blinked. The rear window seemed to vanish as it rolled down, and the antagonist’s familiar face appeared abruptly before her—brows like flying clouds, eyes deep and profound, like a sickly behemoth.
Their eyes met. Shen Han said nothing, yet it felt like she had said everything.
Under the woman’s quiet gaze, Su Mi’s mind went blank.
“…”
Secretary Zhuang wasn’t entirely wrong. Did this gloomy woman ever actually look happy?
Filled with the embarrassment of being caught, Su Mi instinctively raised her hand and waved it like a beckoning cat.
“S-Sis?”
