I think I’m completely doomed.
"Jin Xuan, it’s not what you think."
"I can explain, really."
As I kept retreating, Jin Xuan’s expression grew more terrifying, all while he toyed with my ankle, as if he meant to snap it.
I whispered desperately, "System.... What do I do? Please help me!"
Jin Xuan clamped my jaw in one strong hand, his gaze dark as pitch.
"Yanyan, who are you looking at now? Trying to trick me again?"
"No, I swear."
He regarded me coolly, then muttered under his breath, "Maybe it’s better if I just kill you after all."
"What?"
My eyes went wide with panic. His hand slowly encircled my neck.
"At least if you’re dead, you’ll still belong to me."
Suddenly, I flashed back to the creepy glass cases in Jin Xuan’s entryway, trophies and specimens. My fear spiked, and I began trembling uncontrollably.
"Don’t worry. It’ll be quick."
The system shouted in my mind
"Stay calm, host. Hold him together. In the original story, Jin Xuan’s descent began right after he killed the heiress. If you lose control of him now, there’s no turning back."
"Easy for you to say. Look at him does he look calm enough to reason with?"
"Host, this is your last shot."
Summoning strength I didn’t know I had, I lunged at Jin Xuan, but he dodged effortlessly.
"Is this your big idea? Cute."
I tried again this time aiming to tackle him onto the coffee table behind. Jin Xuan frowned, not wanting to dodge this time and I finally managed to knock him down.
He braced himself up with one hand. Sitting on his lap, I didn’t give him a chance to speak just kissed him, hard.
At first, he didn’t respond; I was left clumsily nibbling and biting his lips until, with a quiet sigh, he cupped the back of my head.
The heat in the room slowly rose.
When I finally pulled back a little, Jin Xuan tried to follow, but I held him at bay.
"Now can I explain? If I really wanted to hurt you, would I be hugging and kissing you? It’s just a misunderstanding you won’t even hear me out. Jin Xuan, you’re breaking my heart."
He wiped a stray tear from my cheek. "You drugged me."
"That’s because you’ve been working so hard lately. I just wanted you to get some rest. Look—dark circles under your eyes. I told you to sleep, but you never listen. What else could I do? When I saw you on the sofa, I just wanted to prop up your feet with a cushion so you’d be more comfortable."
Trying to sound breezy but panicking inside, I grabbed the very same pillow I’d meant to kill him with, desperately hoping my act would hold up.
"You know, Jin Xuan, it’s pretty mean to fly off the handle at me the first thing after you wake up. You scared me to death."
Even the system was at a loss for words.
"Host, I finally understand how you fail your missions. Your excuses are just... wow. You think the villain is dumb enough to buy any of this?"
I didn’t need the system to tell me my story was thin as tissue paper. My brain was barely functioning; this was the only thing I could imagine.
Not daring to meet Jin Xuan’s eyes, I dove into his arms, quietly mumbling:
"Besides, I like you so much, I couldn’t possibly bear to leave you."
He was silent for a long moment, idly stroking my back.
"Do you really mean that?"
When his kill intent stat started sinking, I nodded feverishly in his embrace.
After another pause, Jin Xuan finally replied, "Fine. I’ll believe you just this once."
He tightened his arms around me, almost crushing.
"One. Last. Time."
"Host, maybe you lack skills, but you sure are lucky."
"I can’t believe you, System. Not only are you zero help, you’re sarcastic too. Ignoring the facts, aren’t you even a bit responsible for dumping me in this mess without instructions? Where’s your ethics, System? Your sense of justice?"
A pause. Then the system muttered,
"To be honest, I never had high hopes for you. Need a rundown of your past achievements? First mission: be a spoiled heiress, torment a poor high schooler. And what do you do? You babysit him, nag him about his homework, and buy him milk every day."
"Hey! It was expired milk that counts as bullying, doesn’t it?"
The truth was, the kid looked so frail I couldn’t bring myself to hurt him. When the system told me to dump his lunch, I just couldn’t.
"Second mission, simple enough: insult a guy who’s been beaten down by life. All you had to do was say some mean things. Instead, you take him to the hospital and slip him cash. Why?"
"Details, System! It wasn’t charity; it was meant to humiliate him, to strip away his dignity."
He’d gotten injured at a construction site, had no money for treatment, and ended up scavenging in the streets. He’d even scratched my car. I had to patch him up or he’d have died mid-task then how would I have done the rest?
"Third mission you just had to steal company data for a rival. You got so close. And then you send over junk files by mistake, helping your target instead"
I hung my head in shame.
That was the mission I’d nearly completed. As an insider, I'd secured all the essential data, but in a mix-up, I sent the wrong files to the wrong side, accidentally saving my target's startup instead of dooming it.
"How do you mess up every single time? Sometimes I wonder if it’s you, or just bad luck."
"System bro, how can you say that? You know how hard I try. What’s in this world for me anyway? If finishing the mission sends me home, why would I ever try to fail?"
Silence.
At some point, I realized the system was just... gone.
A chill crept up my spine.
"Yanyan, who are you talking to?"
I whirled around. Jin Xuan was leaning against the door, his face shadowed and harsh, knuckles white with strain.
"No one! Just talking to myself."
"Why are you home so early, Jin Xuan?"
He wasn’t answering.
He just took another step, fingers curled at his collar. He loosened his tie with one rough yank, looking like he’d just burst a chain.
"Did I interrupt you?"
"Of course not." I lied, faking a bright smile.
His lips twisted into a mocking grin.
Before I could move, he seized my wrists and, with a brisk motion, wound his tie around them knotting my hands together.
I was stunned.
The next thing I knew, he’d pushed me onto the bed.
"I’m hungry."
His low voice rumbled. Those dark, burning eyes pinned me down. The posture was definitely not safe for work.
I squirmed, but he only held me tighter. Whispering, I tried
"What would you like to eat? I’ll order takeout for you?"
He narrowed his eyes, his voice silky.
"You."
Chapter 03
*
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