"You vicious, ugly monster. You dared to dig out Jun Yao's inner core today, which means you'll dare to dig out mine tomorrow. Without an inner core, death is only a matter of time. Since I'm doomed either way, I might as well kill you right now…"
A low, sinister voice filled her ears.
Someone was forcefully strangling her.
Unable to breathe, Jiang Yunnuan forced her eyes open and saw a strange man.
The man had short, silver-white hair and a pair of beautiful fox ears on his head. The corners of his eyes tilted upward, and on the left side of his high, straight nose sat a striking, tea-colored mole.
His features were as perfect as a painting, his face devilishly handsome—beautiful enough to make one lose all sense of self.
A slight smirk played on his thin, pale pink lips, but his narrow, enchanting silver eyes were brimming with malice and murderous intent.
'Huh???'
Jiang Yunnuan blinked, then subconsciously reached out and squeezed one of the beautiful, silver-white fox ears. It was warm and smooth as silk—so incredibly soft she froze in surprise.
'This… It's actually real!!!'
"Ah… Jiang Yunnuan, you shameless, lecherous, vicious, ugly bitch! Who gave you permission to touch my ear?! Let go! Let go of me right now!!!"
A jolt like an electric shock shot from his ear through his entire body. The man shuddered violently, then immediately flew into a rage.
He angrily slapped her hand away, glaring at her with furious eyes. A terrifying aura radiated from him, as if he wanted to tear her to shreds.
Jiang Yunnuan shrank back from the furious roar, then asked with a look of pure innocence.
"Hey, calm down. Who are you??"
Si Xie: "????"
He stared at her, his eyes wide with shock. A moment later, they narrowed into a vicious sneer.
"Playing dumb? Heh, Jiang Yunnuan, don't think I'll let you go just because you pretend not to know me. You're dead today. No one can save you!"
As he slowly tightened his grip, the severe lack of oxygen made Jiang Yunnuan's head spin.
"Let… let go… Just calm down, we can talk this out…"
She clawed desperately at the large hand clamped around her neck.
She desperately called out to the system in her mind.
'Damned system, what kind of world did you send me to?'
'Waking up to a monster was bad enough, but now I'm about to be choked to death! Why isn't this damned system doing anything?'
"Heh, so a vicious woman like you can feel fear after all? How rare. A pity it's too late!"
Si Xie narrowed his enchanting fox eyes, sadistically enjoying the sight of her painful struggles as he tightened his grip.
His expression twisted in disgust as his gaze landed on the red patch covering half her face.
'Heh, what terrible deeds did I commit in my past life to deserve being assigned to a Contract Master like this in this one?'
"We'll… we'll see about that."
Suddenly, she kicked him hard between the legs.
Jiang Yunnuan gritted her teeth, her free hand shooting up to grip his throat.
"Ugh…"
Intense pain shot through him. Si Xie's ethereally handsome face contorted in agony as he let out a choked grunt, his grip on her neck slackening just a fraction.
Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Yunnuan flipped them over with a sudden burst of strength, pinning him beneath her. She quickly yanked off her shoe and brought it down hard on his head.
The stiletto heel struck him squarely on the temple. Si Xie's head exploded in pain, and the world began to spin around him.
Waves of dizziness washed over him. Then, his eyes rolled back, and he went limp.
'Huh, he's not dead, is he?'
Warily, Jiang Yunnuan kept her shoe raised as she pressed her fingers against the side of his neck. The pulse beneath her fingertips was steady and even.
'Good, he's not dead!'
She sighed in relief, the tension draining from her body. Then, she took a moment to really look at the man.
He looked surprisingly docile now that he was unconscious.
His fox ears had gone limp, drooping softly. A large, fluffy tail rested beside him, looking so beautiful she felt an irresistible urge to touch it.
Just as she was about to reach out and touch it, her strength suddenly began to drain away, accompanied by a deadly sense of suffocation. Even her heartbeat seemed to be stopping.
Powerlessly, Jiang Yunnuan collapsed onto the man's body, the shadow of death looming over her.
'What's happening?'
A wave of panic washed over her.
[Host, quick, kiss him! You need it to live!]
It was the system. 'This damned system, finally making a sound,' Jiang Yunnuan thought resentfully. But before her brain could even react, the system's voice urged her on.
[What are you spacing out for? Kiss him! Unless you want to die, Host!]
'Wh-what?'
'Kiss him?'
'What kind of ridiculous demand is this?'
Jiang Yunnuan was dumbfounded for a moment. She stared in astonishment at the unconscious man beneath her. Her vision started to go black, and his ethereally beautiful face flickered in and out of focus.
[I must remind you, Host, if you die this time, it's really game over…]
Jiang Yunnuan didn't hear a single word after that. Her gaze was fixed on his beautifully shaped lips.
'To hell with it, I'll just kiss him!'
'Anyway, this man is so handsome, and kissing him will save my life. There's no downside to this at all!'
She closed her eyes and strained to press her lips against his pale pink ones.
The moment their lips touched, a faint glow emanated from the back of the man's neck, and a light pink, petal-shaped mark appeared.
She, however, was completely unaware of this. Her body trembled, and her eyes flew open as she pulled away from his lips in utter astonishment.
Her strength was back. Even her heartbeat and breathing had returned to normal. All the discomfort was gone. 'This is too damn magical, isn't it?'
'Just a simple kiss, and it can really save my life?'
[Host, what on earth did you do? Why has the target's affinity toward you reached -100?]
Hearing this, Jiang Yunnuan exploded, her voice full of anger as she demanded an explanation.
"What does -100 affinity have to do with me? I just got here, okay? Hurry up and tell me, why would I have died if I hadn't kissed him? What the hell is going on?"