Chapter 2: Love-Struck  

Yu Zhi descended the stairs in her little leather shoes and naturally greeted Butler Li, who was standing by the dining table. “Mornin’~ Butler Li.”  

Butler Li’s mouth reacted faster than his brain. “Good morning, Mrs. Pei.”  

But inside, he was so shocked he couldn’t recover for a long time. Good heavens, was he seeing things? The madam actually greeted him?  

Uh, but wasn’t it already noon?  

Yu Zhi ignored the suddenly subtle atmosphere and ate the lunch the servants had brought to the table.  

After struggling through her second piece of chicken breast, she couldn’t take it anymore and beckoned Butler Li over.  

Butler Li, watching the NPC he’d taken care of for seven years suddenly refresh her behavior, swallowed hard and immediately rushed to her side. “What can I do for you, madam?”  

“For dinner, I want seafood. Spicy. Make it happen.”  

Butler Li was beyond surprise at this point. He quickly pulled out his iPad and asked about several varieties.  

Then, holding a long list of dishes, he walked into the kitchen in a daze.  

The chef nearly burst into tears after reading it.  

Oh heavens, the day had finally come for him to show off his skills! Who knew how it felt for a five-star chef to collect a high salary at the Pei household while being treated like a robot?  

Yu Zhi took another bite of brown rice before putting down her chopsticks, having lost her appetite.  

She turned to the butler, who wore a standard polite smile. “When will our A Yue be home from work?”  

The butler visibly froze before replying, “Madam, the master has returned to the headquarters in M Country. It’ll be at least a week.”  

“Ah…” Yu Zhi deflated. How could they be apart so soon after getting married?  

But she quickly decided to drown her sorrows in shopping—after all, she’d found a stack of Black Cards in her room.  

This feeling of having endless wealth without lifting a finger was just… absolutely exhilarating!  

However, the moment Yu Zhi reached the door, the guards stationed there stopped her.  

“Apologies, madam. The master’s orders last night—you’re not to leave the house recently.”  

Yu Zhi looked outside. A sea of black-suited men stood at attention, watching her intently.  

Well, well. So they weren’t here to guard the house—they were here to guard her?  

[Host Master, look! He’s restricting your freedom! Everyone says Pei Yuezhou is shady!!]  

Yu Zhi ignored Little Shui, who was bouncing around wildly in her mind, and didn’t get angry at the guards either.  

She turned to Butler Li, who was flustered and flipping through something on his iPad. “Then how am I supposed to buy new clothes?”  

The butler, who had been waiting for his madam to sternly march up to him and recite legal statutes, paused. Another refresh?  

But he answered immediately, “Please wait a moment, madam. I’ll contact a haute couture designer to come to you.”  

Yu Zhi’s eyes lit up. “And new shoes. And I want to watch a movie.”  

“Understood. The Starry Sky Private Cinema will be available to you all day.”  

“And I want beauty treatments, manicures, and hairstyling!”  

“Right away, madam. Please wait a moment.”  

Yu Zhi instantly felt like she was in heaven. Was this the life of a pampered canary? She could easily stay home forever like this!  

And so, Yu Zhi soon found herself in the Starry Sky Private Cinema, enjoying an exclusive high-end massage while shopping on her iPad, surrounded by several female attendants.  

Life couldn’t be more luxurious.

On the other side, Pei Yuezhou, who had flown to Country M early in the morning, stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office. Light poured in through the glass walls, casting a cool glow around him.

His strikingly handsome face, the kind that would make anyone pause, was shadowed with indescribable complexity.

She must be… furious today, right?

The slender fingers clasped behind his back curled slightly involuntarily.

His assistant, Xu, who had worked with Pei Yuezhou for six or seven years, immediately understood the unspoken thought and subtly remarked, “Chairman Pei, I noticed today that your supplementary card was used for over ten million in entertainment expenses.”

The holder of Pei Yuezhou’s supplementary card was none other than Yu Zhi.

A flicker of light passed through his eyes as if he doubted his own hearing. “What did you say?”

After marrying into the Pei family, Yu Zhi had deliberately kept her distance from him, never touching a single cent of his money. Even the gifts he sent her were meticulously accounted for.

At first, Pei Yuezhou had been provoked by her behavior, but he didn’t want to clash with her, so he remained silent. Yet, his growing concern for her had become suffocating.

Noticing the slight softening in Pei Yuezhou’s expression, Assistant Xu pressed his advantage. “Earlier, I spoke with Butler Li and heard that Madam had a very enjoyable time at home today.”

Enjoyable…

Pei Yuezhou froze. She hadn’t been cold or distant? She hadn’t… despised him?

Assistant Xu was a master of tactful speech. “Chairman Pei, although our headquarters are in Country M, our focus has been shifting back to the domestic market these years. Especially with the recent major deals secured, Young Master Pei might be overwhelmed handling everything alone. Perhaps we should return to support him?”

Pei Yuezhou didn’t respond immediately, but his expression showed signs of wavering.

Assistant Xu pressed further. “The Song Family has been restless lately. It might not be safe for Madam to remain in the country alone.”

At the mention of this, Pei Yuezhou’s gaze turned icy, his thin lips pressing into a tight line.

The air seemed to freeze.

After a long pause, Assistant Xu finally heard his chairman speak. “They’re likely planning something big these days. Being with me would only put her in more danger.”

Besides, he had already assigned extra security to her. As long as she stayed within the Pei family’s territory, nothing would happen.

Assistant Xu fell silent. That much was true.

After all, the Song Family had built their fortune overseas through shady businesses and had been under relentless pressure from the Pei family. Who knew what underhanded tactics they might resort to?

As night deepened, the entire city lay at the man’s feet, yet the office atop the skyscraper felt like his solitary island.

Pei Yuezhou absently rubbed the plain ring on his finger, his gaze lowered, enveloped in an overwhelming sense of detachment.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Yu Zhi happily munched on an apple while admiring her newly renovated walk-in closet, thoroughly satisfied.

Just then, the system’s voice chimed in again.

[Ding! Your ultimate reward has arrived. Please check, Host.]

Yu Zhi paused mid-step.

“Does that mean… my brother is awake now?”

Seven years ago, Yu Zhi’s older brother, Yu Heng, had been in a car accident and fell into a vegetative state. At her lowest point, the system appeared, and she signed a seven-year contract with the Space-Time Administration, traveling through various Small Worlds to complete missions—all for a chance to save her brother.

Now that she had fulfilled her end of the bargain, it was time for the promised reward to be delivered.

[“Not quite, Host. You still need to hold Yu Heng’s hand for 30 seconds so we can administer precise treatment.”,  

Yu Zhi walked to the window and slightly pulled back the curtain, gazing at the bodyguards stationed below. She pursed her lips.  

She examined her slender arms and legs again, feeling somewhat helpless.  

“If only I could bring back the strength I built over those seven years…”  

Seven years of trials and hardships in the Small World had honed Yu Zhi into someone who could effortlessly take down over a dozen burly men—though she hadn’t been as fair and delicate as she was now.  

But currently, despite her wealth of combat experience, without matching speed or strength, she couldn’t even overpower Butler Li, let alone trained bodyguards.  

[*Ding!* In recognition of the Host’s exceptional completion of Space-Time Administration missions, we can offer a special benefit: unlimited access to your peak physical condition for three hours, at the cost of three days of exhaustion afterward. Would you like to activate this, Master Host?]  

“Of course.” Yu Zhi answered without hesitation.  

The Space-Time Administration was notoriously stingy—it was rare for them to do something decent.  

[*Confirmed! The skill has been unlocked for you, Master Host~* So, Master Host, when do we make our move?]  

The system’s tone carried a hint of barely concealed excitement.  

Yu Zhi leisurely bit into an apple and plopped onto the beanbag chair, confused. “What move?”  

[*A glorious jailbreak, of course! Storming the hospital controlled by Pei Yuezhou in style to rescue your brother!*]  

Yu Zhi nearly facepalmed, exasperated. “Are you out of your mind? The house is locked down tight—there’s clearly something unusual going on. Why would I stir up trouble now?”  

“Besides, the hospital where my brother is being treated has always been under the Pei family’s control. Why does it sound so shady when you say it?”  

She suspected the system had a serious bias against Pei Yuezhou.  

[*Wahhh—this isn’t my clear-headed, formidable Master Host! You brainwashed simp, get out of her body!! Master Host, wake up! Your dear brother is waiting for us to save him!*]  

Yu Zhi’s head throbbed from the noise.  

“Ha. He’s been lying there for seven years—another day or two won’t matter.”  

It wasn’t like rescuing him had an expiration date.  

She’d wait until Pei Yuezhou returned. His state last night had been… off, and it left her inexplicably worried.  

[*So you’re just freeloading the perk?! Give it back, give it back! I don’t care, waaah—*]  

The system was practically screeching.  

Yu Zhi frowned. “Shut up. You’re annoying.”  

System: [*Sniffle…*]”]