Jiang Yue had one goal that morning: survive as always, since she came to this world it has been her goal from day one, survival.
Which, in retrospect, was optimistic considering she was standing outside Li Zhenkai's office, holding a tray of coffee that smelled like potential disaster.
"Just deliver the coffee, don't die, and leave," she whispered to herself.
She pushed the door open, only to immediately regret it.
Inside, a high stakes meeting was already underway. A dozen executives sat around the table, Li Zhenkai at the head like an emperor on his throne. His childhood friends, Xu Jianyu, Fang Zixuan, and Qin Yunze were there too, each looking equally terrifying in their own right.
"Oh no," Jiang Yue mouthed.
Every head turned toward her.
Li Zhenkai's gaze slid from her face to the tray of coffee, then back up. He didn't say a word. He didn't have to. That look alone screamed, 'Why are you here?'
"Um… coffee delivery?" Jiang Yue squeaked.
One of the executives snorted. "CEO Li, are we really allowing random interns into high-level meetings now?"
The man smirked like he'd just scored points, but before Jiang Yue could retreat, disaster struck, literally. Her heel caught on the edge of the carpet, and she stumbled forward.
"Ah—!"
Coffee went flying.
Except… it didn't.
A hand shot out, steady and precisely caught the tray before it could spill. Jiang Yue looked up into the cold, unreadable face of Li Zhenkai.
He set the tray on the table without a word.
The room went silent.
Then Li Zhenkai finally spoke: "As I was saying, the numbers from the quarterly report"
He continued as if nothing had happened, leaving Jiang Yue standing there, face burning.
But then something strange happened.
Her system pinged:
[Survival Event #20: Success.]
[Bonus: +2 Affinity. Reason: ML Intervention.]
Jiang Yue blinked. Did I… just survive corporate doom because of him?
Before she could escape, the executive who'd mocked her earlier smirked. "Perhaps Miss Jiang would like to explain how she'd handle our logistics bottleneck since she seems so… eager to join the meeting."
Jiang Yue's stomach dropped.
Li Zhenkai's gaze flickered toward the man, sharp enough to cut steel but Jiang Yue raised a hand before he could speak.
"I… actually have an idea," she blurted.
The room went dead silent.
Her system flashed:
[Luck Buff: Activated.]
Words flew out of her mouth before she could second guess them. "Instead of outsourcing to a single supplier, you could divide the shipments between two. If one has delays, the other covers it. It's basic redundancy. Lower risk, faster turnaround."
The executive opened his mouth, then shut it.
Xu Jianyu's brow rose in approval. Qin Yunze gave the smallest nod. Even Fang Zixuan grinned.
Li Zhenkai leaned back in his chair, eyes unreadable, and said calmly: "Do it."
The executive gaped. "But sir"
Li Zhenkai said, his voice like ice " don't make me repeat myself "
And that was the end of that.
Jiang Yue stood frozen, trying not to hyperventilate.
Her system pinged again.
[Survival Event #21: Success.]
[ML Affinity +3. Reason: Effective Contribution.]
Later, as Jiang Yue tried to sneak out of the building to hide from her own mortification, Fang Zixuan intercepted her with a grin.
"Hey, Disaster Girl," he said. "Lunch. Rooftop. You're invited."
"Lunch?" she repeated.
"With us," Fang clarified, nodding toward Li Zhenkai and his two other friends waiting by the elevator.
Jiang Yue froze.
Oh no.
---
The rooftop was sleek and modern, the city skyline stretching in every direction. A table was set with food that looked like it belonged in a Michelin-star restaurant.
Xu Jianyu gave her a cool nod. Qin Yunze merely raised an eyebrow. Fang Zixuan winked.
And Li Zhenkai… didn't look at her at all, which was somehow worse.
"So," Fang said as they sat down. "We should test her."
"Test me?!" Jiang Yue squeaked.
Xu Jianyu adjusted his glasses. "If you're going to hover around him all the time, we need to know if you're… tolerable."
"I am extremely tolerable!" Jiang Yue said.
"Prove it," Qin Yunze said calmly. "What's the most efficient cybersecurity method for a finance company?"
Jiang Yue blinked. "Uh… don't click suspicious links?"
For a terrifying moment, no one spoke. Then Fang burst out laughing.
"Not wrong," Qin Yunze said, lips twitching.
Jiang Yue exhaled.
Then Fang leaned closer, grinning. "What about me, sweetheart? I've got a fortune, and I could use a cute personal assistant."
Jiang Yue rolled her eyes. "Pass. I don't babysit overgrown children."
Xu Jianyu snorted. Qin Yunze smirked. Fang gasped in mock offense.
And for the first time that day, Li Zhenkai looked directly at her. His gaze was sharp, but there was something else there too, something that made Jiang Yue's stomach flip.
He didn't say a word. He didn't have to.
The glare he leveled at Fang Zixuan was enough to make the man raise his hands in surrender.
"Relax, boss," Fang said, laughing. "She's safe."
Her system pinged.
[ML Emotional Impact: 21%.]
Jiang Yue blinked. Wait… that went up just now, didn't it?
As they ate, Xu Jianyu asked her serious questions, Qin Yunze observed her like she was a puzzle, and Fang kept trying to tease her into reacting.
But through it all, Li Zhenkai's gaze followed her calmly assessing and impossibly steady.
And for the first time, Jiang Yue wondered if maybe, just maybe… surviving this world was going to be a lot more complicated than she thought.