Chapter 22: Number One in the World Part 3

After a long silence, Nian Zhi’an finally spoke, her voice carrying a tentative caution. “Earlier, when you mentioned Miss Song, you said she was just a friend… How did it change so quickly?”

Right—it had been insisted she was just a friend before.

Could it be that she’d accidentally led her astray with her loose talk?

Mu Yixuan thought for a moment before explaining, “Because back then, I didn’t realize that those feelings were what liking someone meant. It only became clear to me later.”

“A long time ago, right around when she passed away, I often went to the rooftop where she fell.” Mu Yixuan recalled that period, though her gaze remained fixed on Nian Zhi’an. “Back then, I didn’t understand why standing there and looking down would give me this impulse to jump. Now I do.”

Nian Zhi’an bolted upright with a whoosh, her face filled with alarm. She grabbed Mu Yixuan’s sleeve and wouldn’t let go, trembling as she said, “You absolutely can’t have thoughts like that!”

Mu Yixuan quickly raised her hand a bit higher to keep the ice pack on Nian Zhi’an’s head.

“I’m not having those thoughts. Don’t worry.”

No, no, no! Your mindset is way too dangerous! If that’s not having dark thoughts, what is?!

How could she not worry!

Nian Zhi’an was a little scared now. She could tell Mu Yixuan wasn’t joking. She felt that ensuring the woman’s safety might be more urgent than dealing with the Male Lead right now.

No way! Time to squeeze the little system for help!

Mu Yixuan soothed Nian Zhi’an, but the faint redness at the corners of her eyes gave Nian Zhi’an a pang of anxiety that twisted her heart.

She had no choice but to believe one thing: Mu Yixuan truly harbored deep feelings for her past self.

But understanding it was one thing—facing it was another.

Nian Zhi’an, stubborn to the end and hard-mouthed till death, shrank back. She had to admit she wanted to run.

Maybe rent a place outside? Even working three jobs a day would be fine. She needed a spot to cool off—no, to let Mu Yixuan cool off.

~~~

The system watched helplessly as its Host moped for several days, hunkered down in a dark corner like she might sprout mushrooms.

Did the Antagonist’s confession hit you that hard? I saw your mood index spike for a moment when she said it—you were clearly thrilled. Why throw a tantrum now!

【Host, why don’t you come out and get some sun? Look at that gloomy aura on you—it’s scaring the kids!】

【Hey, hey, hey! Host, did you hear me? The Male Lead’s gonna dig up your grave! Wanna go stop him? He’s planning to scatter your ashes!】

【Host? Host! Can you acknowledge me? I’m not a stand-up comedian here! Give me some reaction!】

The system called out listlessly, hoping for any response from its Host, but Nian Zhi’an remained lost in thought, utterly oblivious to the outside world.

Suddenly, the little system had a flash of inspiration. It got it—the approach was wrong! So it tried a different tack: 【Host! Mu Yixuan’s back! She’s already downstairs!】

Sure enough, Nian Zhi’an’s head snapped up at those words.

“Why’s she back so early today? Didn’t she have a dinner engagement tonight?”

【…】 You react that fast when it comes to Mu Yixuan, huh? Women! And you claim you don’t like her!

The little system from the Redemption Department didn’t mind at all if its Host fell in love with the mission target—in fact, it welcomed it. According to its analysis and the experiences of countless predecessors, one of the best ways to redeem an Antagonist was to give her a sweet romance!

It was just that the string in its Host’s head refused to turn the right way. Nian Zhi’an not having feelings for the Antagonist? It wouldn’t believe that for a second! If she hadn’t fallen for her, it’d let the Host kick it like a ball!

【Maybe things wrapped up quick… Huh, the people the Male Lead sent to dig your grave got nabbed. They don’t seem like official types. Could it be Mu Yixuan?】

“Dig a grave? What grave?” Nian Zhi’an asked, puzzled.

Did that mean out of everything I just said, you didn’t hear a word?

The system sighed heavily and repeated what it had said before.

【Because you pretended to be a ghost to scare the Male Lead before, he’s hired a bunch of masters this time to dig up your grave, scatter your soul, and make sure you never reincarnate.】

This was a low-level world with no real ghosts, so those “masters” were naturally fakes, but the Male Lead was convinced and had shelled out a fortune for them.

“Oh.” Nian Zhi’an couldn’t care less. After all, she’d been through so many worlds—bodies had been handled every way imaginable. Scattering ashes was no big deal.

“Wait, did you just say that Mu Yixuan’s people grabbed them?”

【Probably, yeah. That’s my guess, but who else besides the antagonist would be guarding your grave like that?】

Nian Zhi’an frowned slightly, sensing that something felt off.

“System, did you manage to plant that tracker on Mu Yixuan like I asked last time?”

【All done, all done! Don’t worry—if anything unusual happens, I’ll notify you right away!】 The system felt a sharp pang just thinking about that high-end tracker. It wasn’t terribly expensive, but with one partner in the red and the other a total greenhorn scraping by, it had poured most of its savings into buying the thing.

It hoped the host would deliver on her promise to rack up big points for it, or it would cry its eyes out!

The little system was still too naive, swallowing that pie in the sky without a second thought, blissfully unaware that she still owed points to its predecessors!

As long as it was on her, that was fine. Nian Zhi’an let out a sigh. Heaven only knew how on tenterhooks she’d been lately, even dreaming of Mu Yixuan standing on the Song Corporation rooftop from all those years ago.

Just look at her dark circles—she could barely face anyone anymore.

So after mulling it over these past few days, Nian Zhi’an had finally decided she needed to leave a safeguard on Mu Yixuan, something to protect her.

It would also keep the male lead from stirring up trouble. The points were well spent!

What, repay the debt?

As long as this world passed safely through her hands, that would be the greatest fortune! Back in the day, s-232 had gone through several hosts and gotten filthy rich, but ever since teaming up with her, its wallet had plummeted straight to rock bottom. Task failure didn’t just dock the executor’s points—it hit the system’s too!

Let her think… how many points did failure deduct? A hundred thousand? Something like that? The old hand had forgotten the exact number, but yeah, around there. So as long as this world didn’t implode, she’d basically just earned the system a hundred grand!

Wasn’t that a windfall?

As for actual income… well, that depended on whether the main system felt generous enough to cut her a check after her clutch plays. Any deductions would be on the main system’s head, not hers!

The system had no inkling of Nian Zhi’an’s twisted logic, or it might have burst into tears on the spot.

“Click!” The sound of the front door opening came from outside.

Mu Yixuan was back. Her footsteps sounded hurried and unsteady, probably from drinking too much.

Nian Zhi’an didn’t hear the lights flick on, so she worried the other woman might trip in the pitch-black room. She slipped out of the guest room to help turn them on.

But before she could switch on the lights, someone wrapped her in a tight embrace.

A wave of alcohol breath hit her face, mingled with the faint fragrance of Mu Yixuan’s scent.

Nian Zhi’an went rigid all over, her face gradually heating up. She still wasn’t used to being this close to Mu Yixuan, especially after hearing her confessions over and over.

Even so, she didn’t push her away. Mu Yixuan had clearly drunk a lot, and she was afraid the drunkard might lose her footing and fall.

She’d have to mix her a cup of honey water later to sober her up, or she’d wake up with a killer headache tomorrow.

While thinking this, Nian Zhi’an steadied Mu Yixuan and asked, “President Mu? Are you steady on your feet? Why don’t you head back to your room and rest—I’ll mix up some honey water…”

“Does anything hurt?” The drunk suddenly spoke up, her voice laced with urgent worry.

How could she be the one hurting? If anyone was uncomfortable, it was the one who’d knocked back all that booze. Nian Zhi’an was full of questions. “I’m not uncomfortable.”

“You drank so much—be careful you don’t wake up with a headache tomorrow.” Nian Zhi’an softened her tone.

A moment later, she realized the person holding her was trembling faintly.

“President Mu?”

“I won’t let them hurt you…”

Nian Zhi’an felt something cool land on her neck and shoulder. She was being held so tightly that she couldn’t see Mu Yixuan’s face.

“Don’t go… Qi An…”

So she’d mistaken her for someone else. Yet somehow, that made Nian Zhi’an feel even worse inside.

“Don’t go…”

Nian Zhi’an was at a loss, her hands and feet frozen. The tears were icy cold, yet they burned her skin like fire.

The little system, unable to stand scenes like this, buzzed around frantically. 【Hug her! Comfort her, you heartless slag!】

Then, having blundered into Nian Zhi’an’s striking range, the little system went flying with a sharp “Smack!”

Without the nagging chatter, Nian Zhi’an fell silent for a moment before lifting her arms to hug Mu Yixuan back. Even though a voice in her head kept screaming, “Don’t get close to her—you’ll only hurt her!”

But she was drunk now and would probably black out with no memory of this, so a little indulgence on her part shouldn’t matter, right?

Just a tiny bit of indulgence, tonight only.

Nian Zhi’an raised her hand and gently patted Mu Yixuan’s back, soothing her. “I’m not going. I really won’t go.”

At least not until she’d fully cleared away the hidden dangers. And once she left this world, Mu Yixuan would be free from the protagonist’s control at last, and she could rest easy…

In the darkness, the person clinging tightly to Nian Zhi’an seemed to smile, or maybe not.

“Will you stay with me?”

“…Yes.”

After that first concession, each subsequent one came more naturally, step by step.

When Nian Zhi’an came back to herself, she realized she’d made a whole string of promises to this drunkard! With her vigilance eroded by all the crying, it crept back now, and she started feeling that something was off.

But after that, Mu Yixuan turned very docile. Though plastered, she did whatever Nian Zhi’an asked without a fuss, nothing like your typical rowdy drunk.

It was just like old times. Nian Zhi’an gradually let go of her doubts and spent half the night tending to the inebriated woman.

The little system, though smacked away earlier, felt a bit gratified watching this unfold.

It figured its somewhat scummy host had finally softened up. But the next day, that “cold-blooded heartbreaker” host proved just how naive it was—with actions, no less!

The host who had whispered sweet nothings the night before, swearing up and down that she wouldn’t leave, now voiced her desire to depart first thing in the morning.

“I’ve got money now, and it’s not right for me to keep imposing on you like this, so I rented a place outside.” Nian Zhi’an expressed her thanks to Mu Yixuan for taking her in and caring for her all this time.

“I’ll keep tutoring Tiantian. Would you prefer I come here, or have the kid come to my new place?”

Nian Zhi’an blinked up with wide, innocent eyes—betrayed only by her hands, which twisted frantically at her hem, revealing her nerves.

The little system “covered” its face, unable to watch.

Host, did you see the antagonist’s pitch-black expression? Are you so sure she doesn’t remember last night? She’s pissed! You’re such a slag—aren’t you afraid of pushing her too far and getting a captivity play out of it?!

If you yell for me to save you then, I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear!