Jiang Yue, spent the next three days hiding from the universe.
After the Elevator Incident, as she now called it, she avoided anything remotely resembling luxury buildings, corporate events, or male leads with emotional temperatures below freezing. The humiliation of falling head first and smacking her face into his chest and falling chest first into Li Zhenkai still haunted her dreams. His words echoed in her mind on a loop:
"Next time, watch your step."
Like she had a choice! This body was a magnet for chaos. She could barely walk across the room without tripping over invisible air.
Still, she did her best to avoid any more novel-induced disasters.
Until the invitation arrived.
An elegant envelope sat on her nightstand, sealed with the golden crest of the Jiang family. Inside, a handwritten letter from her father.
"The Liu Corporation Annual Banquet is this Saturday. As our only daughter, your presence is not only expected but essential. Wear something stunning, and remember, smile. You represent us now."
Ruelle groaned,
The Liu Corporation Banquet.
Of course. Of course it was Liu Corporation again.
Fate didn't just hate her, it was flirting with her misfortune.
By Saturday evening, she was zipped into an off-shoulder wine-red gown that shimmered under the light. Her long black hair was curled in soft waves, makeup light but flawless. The mirror reflected someone elegant, dignified… and visibly anxious.
"This is just a banquet," she muttered, clutching her purse. "People eat, talk, drink wine. Chandeliers don't fall. Ceilings don't collapse. Nobody slips in front of CEOs."
Her luck, however, had other plans.
The ballroom was breathtaking. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling like frozen waterfalls. Tables were arranged in a circle around a glossy dance floor. Men in designer suits and women in couture gowns floated through the space, wine glasses in hand and fake smiles firmly in place.
She barely made it five steps in before disaster struck.
Someone knocked into her from behind.
She stumbled, right into a waiter holding a tray of champagne.
"Ah—!"
The tray tilted. Flutes of golden liquid wobbled dangerously.
At the last second, someone caught her arm and steadied her.
"Careful," came a cool voice.
She froze.
Li Zhenkai, Again.
Of all people in this cursed banquet, it had to be him.
He looked just as cold and aloof as before, if not more so in his tailored black tuxedo and matching silver cufflinks. His expression hadn't changed since the elevator, still unreadable, still infuriatingly handsome.
"I—uh… Thank you," she stammered.
He blinked once. "We really must stop meeting like this."
Was… was that sarcasm?
Before she could respond, he let go and walked away without another glance.
She turned to glare at the waiter who nearly drowned her in wine. "Do you people have something against me or—"
A loud crack split the air.
The music stuttered.
Time slowed.
People gasped.
Above her, the largest chandelier in the ballroom shuddered. Then, It fell.
Everything blurred. Screams erupted. Jiang Yue stared up, frozen by fear.
Then a hand yanked her back, strong and sure.
The chandelier crashed down where she had stood a second before.
Shards of crystal exploded across the marble like ice daggers. Wine bottles shattered. Sparks fizzled where wires ripped from the ceiling.
The room descended into chaos.
Jiang Yue blinked, trembling.
She was alive, breathing.
And pressed against someone's chest.
She tilted her head slowly and met his eyes.
Li Zhenkai, again.
For the second time in less than a week, she'd ended up in his arms.
He was scowling slightly, as if annoyed by the entire situation.
"You," he said, his voice low and dangerous, "really have no sense of danger, do you?"
"I—I didn't know it would fall!" she whispered, wide-eyed.
"No," he replied coldly, "but I did."
"What?"
He let her go and stepped back.
"Structural maintenance report. I received it this morning. The chandelier chain was flagged."
"You knew? Then why didn't you--"
"I wasn't planning to save anyone. You just happened to be standing beneath it."
Ouch.
He turned to leave again, but paused.
Over his shoulder, he said, "Watch where you stand. You don't have nine lives."
Then he disappeared into the sea of panicked guests.
Jiang Yue stood there, stunned.
Twice now.
Twice he'd saved her.
And both times… she should've been terribly injured or dead, but came out unscarred
Her thoughts spun as staff cleared debris and reassured guests. Her heart pounded not just from fear, but from something else.
Something strange.
Before, her life had felt like a long string of slapstick horror scenes. Everything that could go wrong, did not stop going wrong and even what should not go wrong kept going wrong, But now?
She looked down at herself. Not a scratch.
People were injured. Staff were scrambling. But she, the girl with the worst luck in the world, was untouched.
Because of him.
Could it be…?
Was her luck tied to Li Zhenkai?
She shook her head, trying to dismiss the absurd idea but it clung to her.
What if, in this twisted novel, he was her lucky charm?
What if the only way to survive in this cursed book… was to stay near the one man who wanted nothing to do with her?
Her eyes scanned the ballroom, searching for him again.
She didn't see him.
But something inside her shifted.
A realization.
No matter how cold he was.
No matter how arrogant, rude, or disinterested he seem....
She needed him.
Not to fall in love with her.
But to stay alive.
And perhaps, just maybe ..?
To understand why her fate changed whenever he was near