001 shifted focus back to Qin Jia's room, where she'd finished an entire strawberry cake and lounged on the sofa, fixated on the LCD TV playing a koala documentary. On screen, a baby koala sat dazedly on a branch, slowly chewing a leaf with blank, round eyes—adorably foolish. Noticing the envy in Qin Jia's gaze, 001 felt a surge of despair.
"Host, host…" it called twice, urging her to resume the mission. The "one-night stand" route had failed, so they needed to act fast to avoid derailing the five-year storyline and triggering the world's collapse.
Qin Jia snapped out of her reverie, paused the TV, and asked calmly, "What is it?"
[Host, what did you think of Lu Tingzhou?]
"He's alright—generous and has good taste," she replied after a moment.
"Then why not go ask for his contact info? You two need more time together, and then…"
"I only ate a piece of his cake," Qin Jia interrupted. "No need to marry him and have a baby over that. The price is too high!"
Before 001 could argue, urgent knocks echoed at the door. Qin Jia approached cautiously, peeking through the peephole to see a stranger in a black suit—distorted by the lens, unrecognizable from her memories.
"Who's there?" she murmured.
[Host, don't open it! That's your boss An Jun—he drugged you and wants to hurt you!] 001 warned, searching through the original storyline. In the original plot, the owner was drugged by An Jun, leading to an accidental encounter with the male lead. Now that Qin Jia had left Lu Tingzhou's room untouched, An Jun—this lecherous boss—had come for her. 001 recalled how An Jun, failing to find the original owner, had ruined another timid colleague: after she exposed him, he framed her, costing her job and subjecting her to cyberbullying until she had a mental breakdown. Five years later, the original owner, with Lu Tingzhou's help, sent An Jun to prison for embezzlement—not rape.
When 001 snapped back to reality, Qin Jia's hand was already on the doorknob. [Wait! Hide—he'll leave if he can't find you!] The male lead was in a multinational video conference, unable to hear anything. But Qin Jia, having synced An Jun's storyline from the system, refused to let him escape or harm others. Ignoring the system's frantic beeping, she unlocked the door.
An Jun's concerned smile faltered as he saw Qin Jia's glowing, normal appearance—his potent drug should have taken effect by now. "Qin Jia, how are you feeling? Lucy said you were unwell," he lied, lingering at the door.
"I was dizzy earlier, but a nap helped," she replied calmly. "It's late, Director An—I need rest."
An Jun invented an excuse: "A foreign client complained about your design. We have a video conference in ten minutes—let's fix it now." He followed her inside as she turned to leave.
[Host, be careful! Reload if necessary—don't let him succeed!] 001 panicked.
The door slammed shut. An Jun dropped his pretense, loosening his tie and pouncing at Qin Jia. But having lived in the Misty Forest for centuries, evading ferocious beasts, she possessed extraordinary reflexes. She dodged nimbly, and An Jun stumbled face-first onto the hard floor, stunned. "Is the ship rocking?" he mumbled, rubbing his head.
He regained his composure as he noticed Qin Jia's blushing cheeks (from the cake, not the drug) and reached for her face. "You look feverish—let me check."
A loud slap echoed. An Jun stared in shock at the red handprint on his cheek, while 001 gaped: [Host, your strength! No wonder—koalas have sharp claws!]
Qin Jia flexed her wrist, preparing to strike again. An Jun flew into a rage: "How dare you hit me? I gave you this life!" He was cut off by a second slap, collapsing to the ground, dazed. He wondered if he'd bought a stimulant instead of an aphrodisiac—how had this docile girl turned violent?
Threateningly, he pulled out his phone: "Either sleep with me, or get out in disgrace!"
Qin Jia rolled her eyes inwardly. "Get lost."
Realizing he'd been seen through, An Jun snarled, "You'll regret this!" and stormed out. Qin Jia returned to the sofa, resuming the documentary—now showing two koalas comically poking and pushing each other. 001 despaired: How could a 500-year-old koala spirit be so violent in human form? The male lead would get slapped silly for any mistake!
Half an hour later, as Qin Jia prepared for bed, knocks came again. This time, uniformed security stood outside, with An Jun behind them holding an ice pack. "Arrest this crazy woman—she attacked me!" he shouted.
The head security guard, once a bodyguard for Qin Jia's father, asked politely, "Ms. Qin, what happened?"
Qin Jia explained: "An Jun is my boss. He came to my room, acted inappropriately—drunk or drugged. I slapped him to stop him, and he fell."
An Jun claimed he'd only discussed work, but Qin Jia countered: "If I'm delusional, it's because I ate something on your ship and was poisoned."
The security guard's face darkened. Soon, blood test results confirmed toxins in Qin Jia's system. When asked what she'd eaten, Qin Jia, prompted by the system, mentioned a strawberry cake from "a kind neighbor" an hour earlier.
The catering manager paled—only two strawberry cakes had been delivered that night, both to Lu Tingzhou's room (302, adjacent to Qin Jia's 301). He assured Qin Jia: "We'll investigate thoroughly."
As Qin Jia lay in the clinic waiting for an IV detox, the door opened. A tall man entered—Lu Tingzhou, in casual clothes, his arm bandaged from a blood test. Their eyes met briefly; Qin Jia quickly looked away, inexplicably guilty.
Lu Tingzhou sat on the adjacent bed. "Miss Qin," he said, his clear eyes fixed on her, "I heard the cake was poisoned. You came to my room to save me?"
Qin Jia froze. She'd only wanted something sweet! "No—I just…"
Lu Tingzhou cut her off gently: "No need to explain. I understand."
Qin Jia frowned in confusion. What exactly did he understand?