Han Yue worked late, her energy renewed by the fifteen-million-dollar contract Zhao Min had secured simply by sitting nearby. She was preparing to leave when her office door burst open.
It wasn't Ms. Lin. It was Han Qing, Han Yue's younger sister.
Han Qing was twenty-two, strikingly beautiful, but her eyes were dull with exhaustion and resentment. She carried the weight of a constant, crushing illness—a rare autoimmune disorder that defied every specialist and treatment.
"Where is she?" Han Qing demanded, her voice weak but sharp. "She hasn't answered her phone all day! I need her to take me home!"
Han Yue sighed, immediately tense. Her relationship with her sister was difficult. Han Qing, spoiled by their wealthy but distant parents, treated Han Yue like a personal chauffeur and ATM.
"I'm working, Qing. I have a major deal closing," Han Yue said, tiredly. "I told you to call a driver."
"I hate drivers!" Han Qing snapped. She saw Zhao Min sitting quietly at his new desk, focused on his paperwork. She gave him a look of icy, instant contempt. "Who is that? And why is he sitting here after hours? Did you hire a bodyguard?"
"This is Zhao Min, my Senior Administrative Partner," Han Yue said, her voice strained. "He's very important to the company."
Han Qing laughed—a cruel, thin sound. "Important? He looks like a lost puppy. Han Yue, you are desperate. Get rid of him. He smells like cheap coffee."
Zhao Min, who didn't hear the insult but sensed the girl's pain, looked up. He saw a young woman struggling, fighting against something much bigger than herself. His eyes held only a sincere, quiet pity.
I hope she finds peace, he thought, sending a silent wish for her health. She looks like she's fighting a terrible war.
In that instant, Han Qing felt something she hadn't felt in six years: nothing. The constant, low-level throb of pain and fatigue that defined her existence simply vanished.
[Good Luck Conduction System]
New Target: Han Qing. Affection Level: +10 (Selfless Pity/Empathy).
LUCK FLOW INITIATED: Critical Health Stabilization.
Han Qing stumbled, her hand flying to her chest. The sudden absence of pain was terrifying, like falling into a soundless void.
"What's wrong, Qing?" Han Yue rushed to her sister's side.
"I... the pain," Han Qing whispered, her eyes wide. "It's gone. Completely."
Han Yue, the ultimate pragmatist, felt a shiver run down her spine. The illness that had defied the world's best doctors was gone the moment Zhao Min looked at her sister with sincerity.
Han Qing, feeling weak but free of pain, turned her anger on the nearest target. "It's your fault, Han Yue! You always stress me out! I need to go home now before I get sick again!"
She tried to push past Han Yue. Zhao Min, trying to be helpful, stood up to grab a chair.
Han Qing, driven by frustration and a lifetime of entitlement, gave Zhao Min a sudden, rough shove. "Get out of my way, puppy!"
The moment her hand made contact, Han Qing's body seized up. Her face went pale, and the pain returned—not the usual throbbing, but a blinding, paralyzing shock. She collapsed to the floor, gasping, her autoimmune disease returning with terrifying aggression.
Han Yue screamed for help. Zhao Min, seeing the young woman in agonizing distress, rushed to her side. He didn't care about the insult; he only saw her suffering. He took her hand, his face etched with pure, empathetic concern.
"Qing! Hold on! Please, just breathe!" he pleaded, his kindness overwhelming.
The moment his hand touched hers, the terrible, blinding pain vanished again. Han Qing lay still, breathing normally, the crisis completely over.
[Good Luck Conduction System]
Target: Han Qing. Affection Level adjusted to +50 (Life-Saving Gratitude).
KARMA REVERSAL Protocol MUTED due to Conduit's self-sacrifice.
Han Qing slowly opened her eyes. She looked at Zhao Min, who was kneeling over her, his eyes filled with worry. She felt the terrifying memory of the pain—and the overwhelming relief of its absence. She knew, with a certainty deeper than any medical test, that her sister was not the savior; he was.
Han Yue, who had witnessed the immediate, physical consequence of her sister's cruelty, followed by the immediate, miraculous reversal fueled by Zhao Min's kindness, was frozen.
She understood everything now. Zhao Min's luck wasn't just corporate; it was moral. It protected the good and violently punished the selfish.
Han Qing, terrified by the glimpse of death and desperate to secure her continued existence, scrambled to her feet. She grabbed Zhao Min's hand and held it tight.
"I'm sorry!" Han Qing choked out, her voice no longer arrogant but desperate. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it! Please, don't leave! You can't leave! I need you here!"
Zhao Min, still oblivious, just patted her hand kindly. "It's okay, Qing. I'm right here. You'll be fine."
Han Yue watched the exchange, her mind racing. She had bought a Luck Conduit, but she had bought a moral time bomb. She had to maintain Harmony and Kindness around Zhao Min, or the System would use her own sister to destroy them both.
The price of her corporate luck was the absolute security of her sister's life—a massive, unbearable new burden.