Zhao Min was focused on the dense internal financial reports of Nova Consulting, sitting exactly ten feet from Han Yue's desk. He was trying to prove he was worth the massive salary Han Yue had thrown at him. He knew he had to be useful, not just lucky.
He was deep in a report on outdated company assets when his phone buzzed. It was Li Mei's desperate, cryptic message, along with the unsettling photo of a bare, concrete floor.
"Min, I'm terrified. I think I've been kidnapped by bad men... Please, just tell me you're okay. It's the only thing keeping me alive."
His blood ran cold. He recognized the tone—genuine fear, not manipulation. His heart instantly flooded with pain and overwhelming guilt. He had abandoned her, and now she was paying the price for his new success.
He started to type a panicked message back, searching for a phone number he could call for help.
"Don't," a sharp voice commanded.
Han Yue hadn't moved from her chair, but she hadn't missed the sudden tension in Zhao Min's shoulders. She had been secretly monitoring his phone usage, knowing the ex-girlfriend was the weakest link in her chain of security.
"Give me the phone, Mr. Zhao," she ordered, her voice flat.
Zhao Min hesitated, but Han Yue's command was absolute. He handed it over, his hands trembling.
Han Yue read the text and looked at the photo of the concrete floor. Her face remained perfectly calm, but her mind was racing.
This is not accidental bad luck, she thought. This is aggressive retaliation. And it targets his guilt, not his wallet.
She immediately deleted the photo and the message.
"She is trying to pull you out of the city, Mr. Zhao," Han Yue stated, handing the phone back. "The message is designed to trigger your sense of responsibility. You are not a police officer. You are my Partner."
"But she might be in danger!" Zhao Min protested, his voice laced with genuine panic. "I sent her money! What if that money led to those bad men?"
Han Yue saw the self-blame in his eyes—the very guilt Li Mei was counting on. She realized that the Conduit was useless if his mind was constantly consumed by external threats.
"Listen to me, Zhao Min," she said, using his full name to convey seriousness. "If she is kidnapped, the best thing you can do for her is maintain your luck. Your existence is her only shield now. If you leave, or if you become mentally distracted, you risk not only my company but every benefit she is currently relying on, small as it is."
She then delivered her final, devastating counter-argument. "You said you sent her money, right? You helped her. If she is being held, the only reason she hasn't been hurt is that the men holding her believe she still has value—or the small flow of pity-luck you gave her is muting the violence. If you go running into a dangerous situation, you risk them finding you and realizing you are the true target. You are worth more to her safe here, than dead in that room."
Zhao Min stared at her. The pragmatic logic was undeniable. It was the only way to help Li Mei without inviting catastrophe. He was a utility, not a knight.
"So I do nothing?" he asked, his voice raw.
"You do your job," Han Yue said firmly. "You focus on our stability. I will dispatch my own security consultant—an old contact of mine—to check the coordinates of that photo and verify the situation discreetly. You will stay here. Your stability is a shared resource now."
Han Yue immediately picked up her office phone and made a series of rapid, low-voiced calls in Mandarin—calls Zhao Min couldn't understand, securing the dispatch of a private security team. She wasn't just protecting Zhao Min; she was establishing herself as the competent, dominant force in his life—the one who could handle the dangers his luck attracted.
When she hung up, she looked back at Zhao Min.
"Now," she said, a hint of genuine softness entering her eyes—a calculated kindness designed to strengthen their bond. "Finish that report. If you solve the old Miller debt problem, it will prove you are the most valuable person in this company, and you will forget that manipulative woman ever existed."
Zhao Min nodded slowly, picking up the file. His conscience was at war with his reason. He hated leaving Li Mei in danger, but he saw the grim logic of Han Yue's plan. He began to pour his entire focus into the cold, dense financial reports, desperately trying to forget the image of the concrete floor and the terror in Li Mei's eyes.
He didn't realize that every minute he spent focused on the company, dedicated to Han Yue's success, his Affection Level for her increased, and the Super Luck Pool strengthened its invisible shield around them both.