By her second week at Liu Corporation, Jiang Yue was becoming a permanent fixture in Li Zhenkai's orbit.
She sat three seats away from him in every meeting, followed him (at a "respectable" three-meter distance), and had earned a reputation in the company.
Some called her "The Walking Accident." Others? "The CEO's Pet Project."
She didn't care.
Because every time she was near Li Zhenkai, the glowing system screen reassured her:
System Analysis:
Luck Level: –35 (Slightly Less Cursed)
Fatality Risk: 74%
Iceberg CEO Affinity: +2
Progress.
She was alive. She was thriving. She—
"Excuse me, who are you?"
Jiang Yue blinked, turning around.
Standing there was… her.
The novel's original heroine, now turned second lead because of jaing yue's arrival
Perfect curls. Immaculate red lips. Designer heels that probably cost as much as Jiang Yue's old house rent as Ruelle yin. And that aura of "I get what I want, and what I want is definitely your CEO."
Jiang Yue's stomach dropped.
"Lin Meiyu," the woman introduced herself, her smile as sharp as glass. "I'm… an old friend of Zhenkai's."
Old friend? Jiang Yue's memory, aka her encyclopedic knowledge of this stupid novel—kicked in.
Lin Meiyu. Second female lead. Gorgeous. Manipulative. Obsessed with the CEO.
In the original story, she was supposed to destroy Jiang Yue's reputation piece by piece until Li Zhenkai "rescued" her out of pity.
Well, not this time.
"Hi," Jiang Yue said sweetly, plastering on a smile. "I'm Jiang Yue. You must be… irrelevant."
Lin Meiyu's smile twitched.
Before she could retort, a deep voice cut through the tension.
"Meeting," Li Zhenkai said from behind them, his cold gaze sweeping past Lin Meiyu without a second glance.
And then
He looked at Jiang Yue.
Just for a second.But it was enough.
Lin Meiyu noticed.
Jiang Yue noticed.
Even the system noticed.
[Ding! Iceberg CEO Affinity: +3.]
Lin Meiyu's nails dug into her designer clutch.
This was going to be war.
Boardroom Battles
If there was one thing Jiang Yue loved about sticking to Li Zhenkai like a stubborn shadow, it was watching him work.
In the boardroom, he was ruthless.
Calm, collected, and terrifyingly efficient. Every rival executive who dared challenge him left the table metaphorically (and financially) in pieces.
Today was no different.
One unfortunate senior manager from a competitor company was attempting a hostile negotiation.
Jiang Yue, seated quietly in the corner, sipped her coffee like she was watching a live-action drama.
Li Zhenkai leaned back in his chair, gaze glacial. "Your offer is laughable."
The man stammered. "W-we could adjust the terms"
"By 40%," Li Zhenkai cut in smoothly. "Or you walk away with nothing."
The silence in the room was deafening.
And then
Jiang Yue, who had been doodling "DO NOT DIE" in her notebook, accidentally raised her hand.
Everyone turned.
Her eyes widened. "Uh—I mean—he's right! 40%! Totally reasonable! In fact, I… um… read a statistic once. Eighty percent of businesses fail because they underestimate… uh… Zhenkai."
The room blinked.
Li Zhenkai's brow arched slightly, the tiniest smirk threatening to appear.
The competitor crumbled. "F-fine! Forty percent!"
Jiang Yue lowered her hand slowly. "Did… did I just win a battle?"
The system dinged.
[Achievement Unlocked: Accidental Assistant of Doom.]
Luck +5%.
Li Zhenkai glanced at her as the room cleared. "Next time, stay quiet."
But there was no bite in his tone.
In fact, when Lin Meiyu, who had been sitting at the far end of the table, tried to catch his attention with a sweet, practiced smile all throughout the meeting he didn't even look her way not even a glance, poor girl..
His gaze lingered on Jiang Yue.
Just for a heartbeat.
And it was enough to make Lin Meiyu's perfect smile crack.
After the meeting, Jiang Yue followed Li Zhenkai to his office.
"Followed" was perhaps too generous. It was more like marched three meters behind him like a cursed duckling while the entire office stared.
Lin Meiyu, of course, slinked after them, her heels clicking like gunshots.
"Zhenkai," Lin meiyu suddenly said . "Dinner tonight? Like old times?"
"No," he replied without looking at her.
"Lunch, then?"
"No."
"Coffee?"
"No."
Jiang Yue bit her lip to keep from laughing.
Finally, Lin Meiyu's sharp gaze snapped to her. "And you? What are you even doing here? His… assistant?"
Jiang Yue straightened her back. "Survival," she said solemnly.
Lin meiyu blinked, confused. "What?"
"Never mind," Jiang Yue said quickly, brushing past her and stepping into Li Zhenkai's office.
She flopped onto the couch like she owned the place, earning a frosty glare from him.
"You have five seconds," he said.
She grinned shamelessly "I'll need at least five years. Hope you're ready for me, boss."
He sighed, tired , frustrated but Unamused by her crazy antics.
But he didn't throw her out.
And that, for Jiang Yue, was victory.
The system dinged again.
[Ding! Iceberg CEO Affinity: +4.]
Meanwhile, outside the office, Lin Meiyu seethed.
The war had officially begun, how dare this woman try to steal her zhenkia..