Thinking of Si Yehan's reaction, her mood dampened further. Shi Nian hesitated between contacting the man or waiting to see if he would first.
Si Yehan seemed very unpredictable in this life. Shi Nian sighed.
Unable to guess his next move, she swiftly pushed her thoughts aside.
Only then did she notice she had steered away from her usual path while lost in thought.
Shi Nian stopped her motorcycle. Looking around her surroundings, she realized she had unknowingly ridden deep into the mountain range.
Staring at the huge mountain in front of her, Shi Nian realized she had gone farther than she thought.
Wasting no time, she revved the motorcycle engine and rode back in the direction she had come from, trying to return home.
A few moments later, Shi Nian found herself back at the exact spot she had just left.
"Oh, I must have taken a wrong turn ahead." She flicked her forehead, thinking she had simply missed her way.
This time, she paid more attention to the route on her GPS. She rode smoothly away—only to end up in the same place again.
Shi Nian instantly realized something was wrong. She turned toward the mountain before her, this time examining it more closely.
Although it looked about twenty to thirty meters away, it felt disturbingly close, as if within reach.
She stared deeply at the mountain and the surroundings, trying to make sense of the situation.
For a moment, she seemed to hear a voice calling out to her from deep within the mountain.
Shi Nian assumed it was her mind hallucinating from the darkness and the quiet.
Although there was an undeniable mystery to this mountain range, she noticed another detail: the trees closest to the mountain flourished far more vibrantly.
The moon shone upon the mountain, lighting up the surroundings with a faint silver glow.
As Shi Nian took in the scene, she thought to herself, If I had brought camping gear, I would definitely stay to enjoy the view.
She also realised that the spiritual energy in this mountain area was far more abundant than in the city—comparable to nearly a quarter of her original world.
Shi Nian felt the urge to sit cross-legged beneath the moon and cultivate, but she immediately discarded the thought. She knew she had lost that chance in this lifetime.
Brushing her thoughts aside, Shi Nian focused on leaving the mountains. She couldn't spend the night out in the open.
This place, although rich in spiritual energy, was full of bugs and insects! She tried to fend them off as they swarmed around her.
I wouldn't be surprised if they cultivated and became little monster bugs.With her sharp sight, she could see how plump they were compared to regular insects.
Amused by her own state, she thought, The once powerful lord might actually be drained dry by little monster bugs.
Her eyes hovered over the multiple red spots appearing on her skin.
Checking the time, it was already 1:00 a.m. Since she couldn't ride out by herself, she decided to call the chauffeur to pick her up.
Although she didn't want to admit it, she seemed to have unknowingly walked into a domain tonight—and one capable of trapping her.
…
Not long after, her chauffeur arrived. She had instructed him to come with one of the SUVs from the mansion.
He stopped right in front of Shi Nian, who was leaning against her motorcycle. Getting out of the car, he was unsurprised by her appearance; he was used to his cold young miss and her unusual habits.
"Good morning, young mistress," he greeted with a bow.
"I apologize for disturbing your rest at this late hour, Mr. Ping."
"It's no disturb, young mistress," Mr. Ping quickly replied.
He genuinely loved his job. Although this mistress called him at random hours, she always treated him well—and the monthly bonuses were generous.
"I'll help you move the motorcycle to the car." Mr. Ping swiftly assisted Shi Nian, and together they loaded the motorcycle into the trunk.
During the ride back home, Shi Nian looked toward the mountain. She could still hear something calling out to her.
For a moment, she struggled internally. But when she thought of the man who had mysteriously followed her into this world, her resolve hardened.
"No matter what secret you hide, I have no interest," she mumbled, closing her eyes.
…
Next day at the Shi Consortium Headquarters.
"Shang Wei, how can you not do anything right?!" Shi Wang yelled furiously at Secretary Shang.
"I sent you to BaiYue, and you couldn't get anything done! Do you want to betray me now? Huh!!" Shi Wang questioned irritably.
"You better think and act wisely—not everyone can live long." He threatened coldly.
Secretary Shang remained silent throughout Shi Wang's outburst before finally speaking. "I understand, Master Shi Wang."
"I hope for your sake you do. We wouldn't want to have any regrets, would we?" Shi Wang pressed on without waiting for an answer. "What exactly is that niece of mine up to? And what is it about that magnet you mentioned?"
"Currently, Director Shi plans to increase the production of Ding Shun's product.
She plans to release it to the market within a month, and she is personally preparing the PR plans—which I currently have no information on." He paused briefly.
"As for the magnet, I have no idea. She mentioned getting it from a friend."
"Hmm. Fine. I want information on her PR plans the moment they're out. Understood?"
"Certainly, Master Shi Wang," Secretary Shang replied, though his heart remained conflicted—after all, Shi Nian had warned him.
Shi Wang studied the subservient Shang Wei. A thought flickered in his mind, and he softened his tone slightly.
"Secretary Shang, although our partnership… didn't begin well, we're on the same boat now. Let's cooperate properly."
Shang Wei looked at the shrewd man in front of him. He wondered how he had failed to notice Shi Wang's true nature all these years.
Shi Wang had threatened him to force cooperation, and now he spoke as though they were equals.
Not wanting to remain in the hypocrite's presence any longer, Shang Wei nodded and left the office.
"Hypocrite? Aren't I one myself…" he muttered under his breath.
He still had to report to BaiYue.