Jiang Yue sat at her desk in Li Zhenkai's office, staring at the floating stat screen only she could see.
[New Stat Unlocked: Emotional Impact on ML – 3%.]
She gawked. "Three percent? THREE?"
The system chimed.
[Affirmative. ML is 97% emotionally unaffected by your existence.]
"Unbelievable."
She threw her hands in the air. "I almost died in an exploding café, I signed a legally binding 'cling-to-him' contract, and I survived his boardroom glare of death! And I only get three percent?"
The system offered no sympathy.
[Mission Suggestion: Increase Emotional Impact. Rewards include: Luck Stabilization and… other benefits.]
Jiang Yue narrowed her eyes. "I'm only doing this to survive. Not because I like him."
[Lie Detected.]
She smacked the invisible screen. "Shut up!"
Across the room, Li Zhenkai glanced up from his paperwork. "What was that?"
"Nothing!" she squeaked.
He stared at her for a beat, then returned to signing documents. Ice-cold. Unbothered, he Probably didn't even know what human emotions were.
"Three percent," she muttered darkly. "I'm gonna make you feel something if it kills me."
---
That afternoon, the office door swung open without warning.
"Yo, Zhenkai," Fang Zixuan's familiar drawl filled the room. "Got bored, came to annoy you."
Xu Jianyu and Qin Yunze followed him in, like three wolves invading an iceberg's den.
Jiang Yue froze in her seat as the trio's gazes immediately landed on her.
"Oh," Fang said with a grin, "the little disaster magnet's here too. Cute."
Jiang Yue scowled. "I have a name, you know."
"Yes," Fang said, completely ignoring her point. "And yet somehow 'disaster magnet' suits you better."
Li Zhenkai's pen paused mid-signature.
Affinity dropped.
[Affinity: -1.]
Jiang Yue winced. He's mad again.
Meanwhile, Xu Jianyu folded his arms and gave Li Zhenkai a look. "You really keep her in here all day? Isn't that… distracting?"
"No," Zhenkai said flatly.
"She's practically glued to your side." Fang smirked. "Three meters or death, right? That contract's legendary."
Affinity dipped again.
Jiang Yue panicked. He's definitely mad!
"I—uh—I'll just… move over here!" she blurted, scooting her chair two inches back.
[Luck Decrease. Fatality Risk 45%.]
"No," Li Zhenkai said, his voice sharp enough to freeze the air. "Stay."
Her chair squeaked right back into position.
The system pinged.
[Luck Boost Restored.]
Fang Zixuan elbowed Qin Yunze. "See? He's worse than I thought."
Xu Jianyu sighed. "It's pitiful."
Qin Yunze's lips curved into the faintest smirk. "He's jealous."
Jiang Yue blinked. "What? No, he's just mad. Totally different."
The three men stared at her like she had just announced water wasn't wet.
---
An hour later, Li Zhenkai called a department meeting. Jiang Yue, as per contract, followed him in.
She sat off to the side, dutifully typing notes… until Fang Zixuan leaned over and whispered, "You know, if you really want to survive him, you should make him laugh. Once. It'd probably save you from at least ten falling pianos."
Jiang Yue gave him a look. "Do I look suicidal?"
Meanwhile, Li Zhenkai's gaze swept over the room, calm but sharp enough to cut steel.
He destroyed a rival's proposal with two sentences.
He dismantled another department head's excuse with one raised brow.
And through it all, Jiang Yue stared at him, thinking, three percent. I refuse to be a three percent kind of girl.
---
When the meeting ended, Jiang Yue hurried after Li Zhenkai.
"Boss," she said, falling into step beside him.
"Hm?"
"I'm gonna… improve our working relationship!" she announced.
He glanced at her. "What?"
"You know. For survival. Strictly professional. Totally not emotional."
His brow furrowed, but before he could question her, Fang Zixuan called from behind like an interpreter saying:
"Translation: she's gonna flirt with you until you melt!"
Jiang Yue almost tripped. "I AM NOT!"
Xu Jianyu didn't even look up from his phone. "You basically are."
Even Qin Yunze smirked. "Three percent. Good luck."
Li Zhenkai's gaze sharpened.
[Affinity: -1.]
"Boss," Jiang Yue said desperately, "they're lying!"
He said nothing. But the faintest flicker of… something… crossed his face.
And for some reason, Jiang Yue's system pinged.
[Emotional Impact: 4%.]
Her jaw dropped.
It was working.
Oh no.
This was going to be fun.