The morning after the chandelier incident, Jiang Yue awoke in a cold sweat, clutching her phone like a lifeline.
"Okay," she muttered to herself. "Let's review: I slipped in front of a cold as ice CEO. Got nearly flattened by a falling chandelier. Was miraculously saved… twice… by the said ice cube."
She rolled over, groaning.
"And now I think my luck depends on him. Great. Totally sane. No psychological trauma at all."
She sat up and pulled her silk robe tighter. A light ding echoed in her room.
She glanced toward her vanity, expecting a notification on her tablet but instead, a glowing blue screen hovered mid-air.
Her eyes widened. "What the…?"
The screen shimmered like a hologram and rearranged itself with the soft click of data streams. Then, with mechanical precision, it displayed:
System Analysis: JIANG YUE
Luck Level: -43 (Cursed)
Danger Index: 98% (Critical Risk)
Vitality: Normal
Stability: Unstable
Nearby Aura Detected:
Li Zhenkai — "High Luck Output (Class S)"
Luck Boost Active: +70%
Fatal Event Probability: Reduced by 92% (proximity-based)
She screamed.
"WHAT IS THIS?! A game board?! An RPG stat screen?!"
She waved her hand to swipe it away like in those sci-fi films. Nothing happened.
Instead, the system dinged again and the words rearranged:
New Objective Unlocked:
Stay within 3 meters of Li Zhenkai to survive fatal luck surges.
Distance Penalty Applies After 5 Minutes.
Tracking Now Enabled.
Jiang Yue flopped back onto the bed, face buried in her pillow.
"This can't be real. It can't. I've finally lost it."
She peeked one eye open. The screen was still there.
"Okay. Okay. Calm down. Let's think logically… I've transmigrated into a novel, yes. I'm living inside the life of a heroine whose existence is apparently a horror comedy… fine. But now there's a game system?"
Her phone vibrated with a message from her dad.
Dad: "You have a lunch meeting with the Tang family's second son. Be polite. It's just a friendly introduction. Wear something elegant."
Mom: "Dress warm! Remember to eat fruit!"
Game Stat System: You're probably going to die. Stay near the CEO.
She groaned. "Screw logic."
An hour later, Jiang Yue stood outside the Tang family's restaurant, arms folded, glaring up at the building like it owed her money.
The system screen now had a mini radar. It showed her own icon as a little pink dot.
Li Zhenkai's tracking icon was… also on the map.
Moving, Right past her.
She turned her head and there he was.
Dressed in another tailored suit, black on black, hair slicked back, sunglasses perched low on his nose like some overworked secret agent who didn't have time for nonsense.
She sprinted toward him.
"CEO Li!" she shouted, ignoring the confused pedestrians.
He stopped and turned slowly. "...Miss Jiang?"
Without hesitation, she latched onto his arm like a koala.
"Good timing! Let's go grab coffee."
His eyebrow twitched. "Excuse me?"
"Your aura is good for my health," she said seriously. "Scientific fact. Please don't make me explain."
Li Zhenkai stared at her.
People stared at them.
The system dinged softly.
Proximity Stable, Fatal Luck Surge Suppressed.
He sighed, clearly rethinking every life choice that led him to this moment.
"You're very strange," he muttered, trying to shake her off. "Are you following me?"
"No! Maybe. Yes. But for a good cause. Think of it as charity work. Saving a pitiful civilian from death."
He glared at her. "I'm not interested in "
"Don't worry," she cut in quickly, "I'm not in love with you or anything."
He blinked.
"That's… not what I meant."
"I just need to hang around you for a bit. Like a safety vest. Or a… lucky charm." She paused. "Actually, you're the charm. I'm just the broken machine."
The man looked up at the sky like he was praying for patience, it wasn't until this day that he realized his patience level wasn't enough in front of her, no matter how calm he always appeared cause currently he felt like holding his forehead in frustration.
She held up three fingers. "Three meters. I just need to stay within three meters of you."
"You're insane."
"Maybe. But alive!"
Li Zhenkai pinched the bridge of his nose. "Are you being blackmailed or Threatened?"
"Oh, I wish it were that normal," she muttered.
Before he could respond, the system flashed red.
Warning: Fatal Object Detected Nearby.
Her eyes darted up.
A window washer's bucket, loosened by wind was tilting dangerously and started falling from a third-floor ledge.
Jiang Yue shrieked, grabbing Zhenkai and yanking him back just as the bucket crashed to the sidewalk, exploding water and soap everywhere.
People screamed and scattered.
Li Zhenkai stared down at the wet mess. Then back at her.
"...You knew that was going to happen."
She pointed upward. "You can't tell me that's not fate trying to murder me."
He studied her for a long moment.
Then, unexpectedly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a card.
"This is my assistant's number. If something like this happens again, call him. Don't follow me around."
She snatched the card. "So you do believe me!"
"No," he said dryly. "But if I don't give you a handler, you might end up getting hit by a UFO next."
Before she could argue, he was already walking away.
"Stay within three meters!" she called out, jogging after him. "The system said it has to be you! Your aura is the best!"
"Then may God help you," he muttered.
But he didn't tell her to leave.
And when they passed under a scaffold and a wrench almost slipped loose, it miraculously landed harmlessly a few feet behind her.
She grinned.
"System," she whispered, "I think I just found my bodyguard."