Jiang Yue had only one goal that morning: avoid disaster.
Naturally, that meant disaster came dressed in a pencil skirt and six-inch heels.
"Big meeting today," Tessa said, balancing her coffee as they walked toward the elevators, she decide to start working with jaing yue for safety reasons and because the pay was better here compared to any other company "And you, try not to trip into the projector this time."
"That happened once," Jiang Yue muttered.
"You nearly decapitated the intern with a laser pointer."
"…Okay, twice," she admitted.
Tessa smirked. "Anyway, smile, breathe, and oh look, there's your iceberg."
Jiang Yue followed her gaze.
And there he was, Li Zhenkai.
Sharp suit. Cold aura. The kind of presence that made grown executives break into nervous sweats and ever the girls guilty crush . He was talking to Xu Jianyu and Qin Yunze, both standing beside him like well-dressed shadows.
And because the universe hated her, he looked right at her.
Her "luck stat" pinged in her vision:
[Luck: +15]
Oh, wonderful.
---
The meeting room was sleek and silent. Executives shifted uncomfortably as Li Zhenkai spoke, his voice calm but sharp enough to cut steel.
"Numbers," he said, tapping the table.
Charts flashed on the screen. Jiang Yue sat near the back, scribbling notes and praying to all deities that her bad luck would stay dormant.
That's when she noticed him, an unfamiliar man in a suit, seated two rows ahead. His hand kept sliding toward his briefcase, fingers twitching suspiciously.
Jiang Yue's system chimed:
[Danger: 65%]
Her eyes widened. Oh no. Not today. Please not today.
The man shifted again, and she caught it: a tiny flash drive hidden in his cuff.
A spy.
Of course.
Because why wouldn't her life play out like a spy drama on top of a romance novel?
---
As the meeting continued, Jiang Yue's pen slipped from her hand and rolled across the floor, directly toward the spy's chair.
"Oh, for—" She ducked under the table to grab it, only for her bag to knock into her coffee cup.
Coffee flew.
The cup spun in a perfect arc… and landed squarely on the spy's lap.
"AH!" The man jumped up, clutching his briefcase. The flash drive tumbled out and skittered across the glossy floor, coming to rest right in front of Li Zhenkai.
The room went dead silent.
Qin Yunze raised a brow. Xu Jianyu smirked. Li Zhenkai's gaze darkened to something lethal.
"Interesting," Li Zhenkai said, picking up the flash drive like it was a weapon. "Care to explain this?"
The spy stammered, "I—I—"
He didn't get far. Two security guards appeared as if summoned by dark magic, hauling him out of the room.
Jiang Yue peeked up from under the table, cheeks red. "I… uh… dropped my pen?"
Li Zhenkai looked at her for a long, unreadable moment.
And then, just barely, his lips curved into a smirk.
"Good aim," he murmured.
Her heart did a weird little thump.
The meeting wrapped up quickly after that. Executives scattered, whispering about "the coffee assassin."
Jiang Yue was trying to sneak out when Xu Jianyu's voice stopped her.
"She's not the same girl," Xu said casually, leaning against the doorframe. "She feels… rewritten."
Li Zhenkai gave him a flat look. "You've been reading too many novels."
"Maybe," Xu said with a smirk. "But watch her. You'll see."
Li Zhenkai brushed it off, at least outwardly.
But later, when he caught Jiang Yue in the hallway, laughing with Tessa, her smile brighter than the clumsy, timid girl she used to be… he paused.
Who are you? he wondered, before turning away.
---
As if the day hadn't been humiliating enough, Jiang Yue ended up in the elevator with Li Zhenkai. Alone.
"Uh… nice meeting, huh?" she said, clutching her bag like it was a shield.
He didn't answer. Just pressed the button for the top floor.
"…You're really good at glaring people into confessions," she added weakly.
He glanced at her. "And you're really good at throwing coffee."
"I didn't—!" She stopped when she realized he was… teasing?
Was he teasing?
Her system pinged:
[Emotional Impact on ML: 35%]
Her cheeks burned.
When the doors opened, he stepped out, pausing just long enough to look at her over his shoulder.
"Stay out of trouble," he said.
Jiang Yue blinked. "That's not possible."
For the first time, she thought she saw it, a hint of a smirk or was it a smile.