Ji Lin stood gracefully, her black hair cascading down like a waterfall.
Her figure was ethereal and gentle, her skin like fine jade, and her face exquisitely flawless. A hazy light seemed to envelop her, lending her an otherworldly and transcendent aura.
But the words that escaped her cherry-red lips were as crude as a common street punk's.
Bronya had feigned agreement on the surface, hoping to lower the woman's guard and find the right moment to subdue her.
However, Ji Lin simply raised her delicate chin slightly and said with a gentle, warm smile:
"This servant would advise the Boss that it's best not to do anything too drastic."
Ji Lin stepped forward on elegant, black-stockinged legs, the heels of her shoes tapping a rhythmic beat against the floor. She raised a single, slender index finger.
"This servant has already set a timed release. If it isn't canceled in time, it will be posted to 20 popular websites simultaneously. Besides, are you so certain… that this servant doesn't have an accomplice?"
The power Bronya had been secretly gathering dissipated. She sat back down in her chair, narrowing her eyes as she watched this gentle and beautiful employee.
Ji Lin walked around the large desk and stood before Bronya, looking down at her boss from a superior position.
Bronya returned the gaze of this petite female employee.
It was truly hard to imagine that a young woman with such a transcendent and otherworldly aura could say such things.
"What do you want?"
"Before that, this servant would like to understand… is the release of Aratoh more important, or is your reputation as the Boss more important? Or perhaps…"
Ji Lin's lips curved into a smirk as she looked at Bronya teasingly.
"Or perhaps what?"
Ji Lin rose onto her tiptoes and sat on the edge of the desk. Her fingers gently stroked the coffee mug Ye Feng used to make coffee for Bronya.
She chuckled softly. "Boss, you should understand. If this video gets out, not only will your reputation be ruined, but it will also be a fatal blow to the upcoming release of Aratoh."
"That kind of thing… Bro—I know that, of course. Cut the crap. What do you really want!?"
"Heh! As expected of the great hero who saved the world. So assertive, even at a time like this?"
Ji Lin picked up the mug and took a delicate sip of the coffee Ye Feng had made for Big Duck Duck.
Seeing this presumptuous act, Bronya's expression changed, her gaze stabbing toward Ji Lin like daggers.
"Don't look at me with such terrifying eyes. You'll scare me. If my trembling fingers were to accidentally post the video, it wouldn't do anyone any good, you know."
"Cut the theatrics. State your purpose."
"Mm-hmm."
Ji Lin leaned her upper body forward slightly. "Shall we discuss our future?"
Big Duck Duck lifted her silver-gray eyes, her expression blank.
"Future? Are you planning to use this leverage to… control me for the rest of your life? Impossible! The more I yield to someone like you, the more you'll push your luck! I will only agree to one thing. Otherwise, we'll both go down in flames."
Bronya's voice was soft, without any inflection.
But the determination and will contained within it were palpable.
"So scary, so scary."
Ji Lin patted her chest, which was just as flat as her voice.
"Boss, in that case, this servant will just post it. On the other hand, just think about it… on the eve of Aratoh's open beta, the project director puts on such a spectacular performance. It might even boost sales."
Ji Lin picked up her phone again, her fingers sliding across the screen nonchalantly.
Watching her, Bronya's pupils trembled slightly. She couldn't stop herself from speaking up.
"So, what is it you want? Money? Or the core development technology?"
"No, no, no. Those superficial things are not what this servant desires."
Ji Lin lifted her slender hand like a vixen, her finger tapping seductively against her lips.
"This servant… only wants you…"
"??"
Ji Lin gave a bewitching smile, hopped off the desk, and said, "This servant only wants your husband."
"—!! …What?"
"Was this servant not clear enough? This servant only wants the Boss's husband. That's all."
"Stop joking!"
Bronya shot to her feet, slamming both hands on the desk.
The entire room seemed to shudder.
This completely unexpected condition sent Bronya into a towering rage.
"Huuu…"
Bronya exhaled, calming herself down.
She sat back in her chair. "5 million. I can transfer it to your account right now. Delete the video."
"I'd still prefer the Boss's husband."
Ji Lin clasped her hands together like a nun, her cheeks flushing slightly as she spoke in a tone of intoxicated delight.
"The Boss's husband's sunny, clear smile, his tall and slender figure, his handsome face with sword-like brows and star-like eyes, and those strong, powerful arms… they all hold a deep fascination for this servant."
"?"
For a moment, Bronya was confused. Was she talking about her husband?
While she couldn't deny he was somewhat handsome and quite strong and powerful, was he really that attractive?
Then Bronya watched as Ji Lin's slender body writhed like a snake, hot breath hissing from her nostrils. "Ahhh~ I can't take it anymore. I want to be held in the Boss's husband's arms right now. I want to be whipped fiercely by the Boss's husband. I want it, I want it~~"
"..."
The corner of Bronya's eye twitched.
What the hell is this woman fantasizing about, right in front of his wife!
And she even has the gall to shout it out loud.
"Impossible!"
Bronya rejected her flatly.
"Go ahead and post it if you want."
"Hmm?"
Ji Lin froze in place.
Bronya stated, ironclad, "Before anyone sees that video, Bronya will have hacked and taken down every single website you post it to."
Ji Lin's body stiffened for a moment, then she smiled.
"Oh? Boss, can you really do that? Can you truly guarantee that not a single trace will leak out? If you were so confident, you wouldn't have made an offer just now, would you? And~~"
Ji Lin raised her finger and wagged it.
"As this servant said earlier, are you so certain that I don't have other partners?
"Even if you're an expert hacker, you'd be helpless against traditional media, wouldn't you? If this servant's accomplice were to mail a USB drive with this video to a newspaper, what would you do then, Boss? With such explosive news, every major media outlet would surely be scrambling to publish it."
"You…"
Bronya lifted her gaze, glaring at her with fury.
"Boss, this servant isn't asking you to get a divorce. This servant just wants to experience your husband's gentleness…
"Every week, I just need the Boss's husband to come and keep me company for one day. That's all."
Before Bronya could respond, Ji Lin tossed the phone to her. "Boss, there are still two days until the open beta for Aratoh. This servant can give you time to think. Tomorrow, at this same time, give this servant your answer. I hope we can cooperate pleasantly."
Clack, clack, clack.
Ji Lin turned and walked away on her high heels. Bronya stared at the uncensored video on the screen, her fists clenched tightly.
However, neither of them noticed.
Within the sealed, secret room-like office, a hidden camera had recorded the entire scene of Ji Lin blackmailing Big Duck Duck.
---o---
"My dear Ah Lin, you didn't seem to be acting at all."
In an underground basement that Big Duck Duck would never find, Ye Feng sat sprawled on a large bed.
The walls of the room had been replaced entirely with electronic screens. On the massive monitor directly in front of Ye Feng, the "chess match" between Ji Lin and Big Duck Duck was playing out.
Her high heels were neatly placed to the side, their glossy patent leather reflecting her elegant figure.
Ji Lin knelt on the floor, her fair, beautiful legs wrapped in shiny black pantyhose. Her legs were pressed gracefully together, her bottom resting on her calves, the tops of her feet flat against the ground. Her pale, pink toes twitched slightly inside the nylon.
The ancient sage-emperor, the hero of Shenzhou, lifted her head, her eyes moist.
She wiped a stray hair from her fair cheek. A crystalline sheen reflected off her cherry-red lips.
Panic and resentment swam in the young woman's eyes.
Ji Lin stared at the recording on the screen, realizing that her master now had yet another piece of leverage to control her with.
A beautiful, chaste wife of classical bearing, coerced by a villain, forced to tearfully submit…
"This servant… mmm, was just following Master's orders…"
"Ah, I did indeed tell you to do it, but I never expected Ah Lin could perform so brilliantly. It was completely beyond my expectations."
"..."
The way he said that, how could Ji Lin dare not take it seriously?
"If Big Duck Duck senses anything unusual, I'll have to call Cangxuan over." Just who was it that said that?!
And Chiyuan…
"It's clearly Master who has grasped my two weaknesses…"
Ye Feng stroked the cheek of the beautiful little maiden, who was brimming with classical charm. "Alright, I know Ah Lin worked hard. Relax, I will cooperate with Ah Lin to deceive Cangxuan."
"Eh… de-deceive?"
"That's right. Ah Lin doesn't want Cangxuan to know that the 'naked woman in a stocking hood' in the library attic that night was you, right?"
"Gulp…"
Ji Lin lowered her head in shame once more.
Although it was true, the way her master phrased it made Ji Lin feel a bit awkward.
What did he mean, deceive?
Ji Lin simply didn't want her "embarrassing incident" to be exposed.
Ji Lin lowered her head and attentively served him.
Ye Feng pinched Ji Lin's delicate nose and smiled gently. "Seeing as Ah Lin has worked so hard, from now on, you only have to call me Master when it's just the two of us. You don't have to at other times."
Because of the [Contract]'s curse, Ji Lin could only refer to Ye Feng as "Master."
Even in her thoughts, any reference to Ye Feng had to be with the title "Master."
However, in the [Script], she had been given special permission to use "Boss's husband" instead.
Although it had been like this for a while, Ji Lin seemed to have grown accustomed to it and no longer resisted.
But this form of address had become the only flaw that Cangxuan might notice.
Because that night in the library attic, Ji Lin had let Cangxuan hear her call Ye Feng "Master."
If she were to call him Master in front of Cangxuan again, with Cangxuan's sharp, all-seeing perception, she would surely make the connection.
Ji Lin absolutely did not dare to appear before Ye Feng at the same time as Cangxuan.
Of course, that was the result of a bet Ji Lin had lost.
A loss is a loss, and Ji Lin had nothing to complain about.
Now, this "Contract Curse" was being lifted.
Honestly, Ji Lin was very surprised.
Ji Lin had thought her master would seize this weakness to toy with her in all sorts of ways.
She had never imagined he would lift it so easily.
"…Tha—mmph… Thank you, Master."
"Alright, stop talking."
Ye Feng braced his hands behind him, leaning back and closing his eyes in contentment.
The plush, white velvet bed wrinkled under his weight.
---o---
Outside the window, the autumn wind rustled, and the boundless rustling of falling leaves filled the air.
Bronya had reached one of the endings in the game Aratoh, and the CG was playing.
It was the Bad Eed.
She stared blankly at the screen of her handheld console.
If I had a sword right now—
I'd let it pierce our two hearts together… and let everything end right here.
Hot tears spilled from the corners of my eyes—
"Tell me… what should I do…"
There was no sound—
"…What… am I supposed to do."
In the silence, only the late autumn night wind rustled the treetops…
"…Is this the end."
Bronya looked out the window. The light was dim, the sky cold. The scenery had become bleak and desolate, filled with the grim aura of late autumn.
She had wanted to play a game to calm down, but it seemed to have had the opposite effect.
Right now, she felt even more lost than the character in the game.
"Bronya… what should I do?"
She had come to this "future" and, with great difficulty, had finally managed to accept her current identity as a "married woman."
She had also begun trying to accept her husband, wanting to understand him, to delve deeper into who he was.
But life is unpredictable, and her path was fraught with hardship.
Their absurd moment in the bathroom had been secretly filmed by an employee, who was now using it to blackmail her.
"Wifey, time for cuddles."
Ye Feng suddenly appeared, hugging Bronya's soft and smooth body from behind. He rested his chin on her shoulder, glanced at Aratoh on her handheld, and said:
"Heh, out of eight endings, you actually managed to get the only bad one. Big Duck Duck, were you doing it on purpose?"
"..."
That was the only Bad Eed route?
Out of so many choices, Bronya just had to pick this one…
Big Duck Duck's eyes dimmed slightly.
Different choices lead to different endings.
Does Bronya… always make the wrong choice?
Can Bronya really grasp the future?
She felt the warmth of her husband's embrace, her gaze staring unfocused at the game console.
Should she tell her husband about the employee's threat?
This, too, was a choice.
If she chose wrong, would it also lead to… the worst ending?
Bronya couldn't help but clench her fists, her heart wracked with anxiety.
She thought of the employee's demand, wanting her husband… to spend a night with her.
And there might even be accomplices.
Her husband was so gentle and considerate, always wearing a warm smile, as clear and clean as a leaf glistening with morning dew. Faced with this kind of sinister, dark human nature, he, he… how could he possibly handle it?
Bronya's first instinct was to solve this problem by herself.
She didn't want to drag her husband into this chaotic vortex.
But if anything went wrong…
"Um…"
Big Duck Duck suddenly grabbed Ye Feng's hand.
"Hmm?"
"Mmm… n-nothing…"
"What's this? If you only say half of what you mean, you'll have to accept a punishment, you know."
Ye Feng scooped Big Duck Duck up by the waist and tossed her onto the bed.
He then retrieved a pair of handcuffs and a black silk police uniform.
Big Duck Duck's hands were cuffed behind her back as she lay on her side on the bed. Her eyes widened. "Wh-what are you doing…?"