Chapter 25: Baby, Ten Billion (Part 3)

But—

But now, he thought of her in that way.

“Tang Xin, I’ll count to three. If you don’t refuse, I’ll take it as your consent. One, two, three…” She didn’t refuse.

So, he lowered his head.

Her sweetness was just like that night—enticingly addictive.

Sweet enough that he couldn’t forget.

That’s why tonight, he had deliberately let her drink.

Yes, it was intentional…

This silly woman probably hadn’t figured that out yet.

But why was she so pure and innocent? In the future… if he wasn’t there to watch over her, would she fall victim to some other scheming man?

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt.

It seemed this foolish woman really couldn’t be let go. He’d have to keep a close eye on her himself.

He lowered his head again, starting from a gentle taste and growing deeper, wanting to savor all of her sweetness. As he grew increasingly entranced, his fingers, warmer than usual, lightly tugged at the neckline of her white bathrobe. Just as he resolved to turn this “act” into reality…

Snooore… Snooore… (～o～)~zZ

Yue Yuze: ???

He looked up, only to see the foolish woman already fast asleep, her eyes tightly shut.

Yue Yuze froze for a moment before slamming his fist into the bed.

“I swear…” He wanted to shake her awake!

Every time she teased him, she’d fall asleep right after. What kind of maddening prankster was she?!

Just then, the sound of a phone ringing broke the silence.

Earlier, when Yue Yuze carried Tang Xin upstairs, the driver had brought both his briefcase and her purse. The ringtone wasn’t from his phone—it was hers.

He got off the bed, walked to the sofa, opened her purse, and pulled out her phone.

The caller ID: Ashu.

He stared coldly at the screen, letting it ring for a while. After a moment, his eyes narrowed, and he slid his finger across the screen to answer the call.

“Tangtang, you’re not asleep yet, are you?” A warm and gentle voice came through.

Yue Yuze: “…” Qi Shu’s tone was far too soft for talking to his wife!

“Tangtang? What’s wrong? What are you doing? Why aren’t you saying anything?” Qi Shu asked in quick succession.

After all, Tang Xin usually had a lot to say once she picked up the phone.

“She’s asleep,” Yue Yuze said, his voice deep and steady.

The other end of the line went silent—completely and utterly silent.

After a few seconds, Qi Shu’s shocked voice returned, full of disbelief. “You… You’re President Yue?”

“Yes.” Yue Yuze’s response was brief.

Qi Shu fell silent again before cautiously asking, “It’s still early… How could Tangtang already be asleep?”

“Do you think I’d lie to you? Should I take a photo of my wife in bed to prove she’s asleep?” Yue Yuze’s tone remained calm, yet carried an edge.

“No, no, that won’t be necessary. It’s just… surprising. Tangtang usually stays up playing games when she’s free. She doesn’t go to bed so early…”

“If there’s nothing urgent, call back tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, President Yue. Goodnight.”

Yue Yuze ended the call, then turned to look at the woman sleeping on the bed. As he idly spun her phone in his hand, his expression grew thoughtful.

–

Morning arrived, bright and breezy.

Tang Xin rolled over comfortably, settling into her favorite side-sleeping position. But as her hand reached out and slapped down—

Instead of a soft pillow, she felt…

Someone?

Still groggy, she pinched and patted the surface beneath her hand.

It was a person!

She jolted awake, her eyes snapping open to see a man’s handsome face right in front of her. Her eyes widened, her mind going blank.

She’d slept with the male lead again?!

“Oh no, this is bad. Alcohol really is a terrible thing. Every time I drink, I end up…” She shuddered in fear.

Glancing down, she saw she was still wearing a white bathrobe, and Yue Yuze was also dressed in a white bathrobe.

A hundred scandalous scenes involving the bathroom played out in her head…

After a while, Tang Xin felt her nose grow warm. She touched it and found her hand stained with blood.

“Ugh, I’m bleeding…” She grimaced and hurriedly got out of bed.

Too much imagination clearly wasn’t a good thing.

But what annoyed her even more was the fact that she’d already spent two nights with the male lead. No—probably more than two nights. To be precise, two full nights. Yet she couldn’t remember a thing about how it felt…

And rumor had it that it was supposed to feel amazing.

“Wait, am I missing something?” In the bathroom, while wiping her nosebleed, Tang Xin stared at herself in the mirror, puzzled. “What about the supposed soreness and exhaustion that leaves you unable to get out of bed? Why… don’t I feel anything?”

Was the male lead “too small,” or was she too… resilient?

“Wasn’t it supposed to be once per night, every night?” She muttered, staring at the mirror in disbelief. After all, she’d written the male lead herself. How could she not know?

It seems this novel’s world has truly changed…

“The male lead isn’t nearly as amazing as I wrote him in the original!” Tang Xin muttered disdainfully, wiping the blood off her nose with a damp towel.

When she returned to the bedroom, Yue Yuze was still asleep. She glanced at the wall clock—it was only 6:30 a.m. Still early. No wonder she still felt a bit sleepy. Without hesitation, she climbed back into bed, lying down next to him. Propping her face on her hand, she gazed at the male lead’s breathtakingly handsome face.

Although he might not be… skilled in certain areas, his looks were undeniably top-tier!

In her original story, the male and female leads were meant to be emotionally and physically exclusive. Now, however, the male lead was locked into a one-on-one dynamic with her, the side character and original author.

As Tang Xin admired his face, a familiar voice rang out in her mind:

Ding! Random task issued: The transmigrator must give the male lead a good morning kiss. Completing the task will earn you 10 reward fragments.

A good morning kiss?

Tang Xin’s lips twitched. Why on earth would she need to kiss the male lead?

What if he woke up and misinterpreted her actions, thinking she had feelings for him?

He’d definitely assume she was infatuated with him again…

But… 10 reward fragments.

She really wanted to know what tasks she needed to complete to return to her original world.

For the fragments… should she just go for it?

Closing her eyes, she leaned over and planted a light kiss on his handsome face.

Initially, she only intended to fulfill the task, but after the kiss, it didn’t feel too bad. Hesitating for a moment, she gave him another quick peck.

What Tang Xin didn’t notice was that the “sleeping” man had briefly opened his eyes when she kissed him. However, he quickly closed them again, pretending to stay asleep.

After two kisses, Tang Xin retreated, afraid Yue Yuze would find out. She quickly lay back down, pretending to sleep.

Moments later, the voice returned:

Ding! Congratulations, transmigrator, you’ve earned 10 reward fragments.

“Little Assistant, you’re so weird! Why do you keep issuing tasks that make me get closer to the male lead? I’m so beautiful—what if he really thinks I like him? And worse, what if he ends up liking me back? Then what?”

The assistant’s cold, mechanical voice responded: That’s your problem. The plot cannot be altered. If you change the plot, you won’t be able to return to your original world. Worse, you might even die.

“Die?!” Tang Xin was startled. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

Now is as good a time as any, the assistant replied emotionlessly.

Tang Xin: …

Damn it!

If she didn’t get divorced, she’d die?!

But… what if Yue Yuze absolutely refused to divorce her?

This wasn’t just a ridiculous setup—it was downright deadly!

Tang Xin complained to the assistant, “You’re setting me up! On one hand, you’re constantly making me show affection or even confess love to the male lead. On the other hand, you’re forcing me to get divorced on time. What if he falls for me and doesn’t want to divorce? Then what?”

No timely divorce = Tang Xin dies.

Male lead falls for Tang Xin = Tang Xin dies.

Tang Xin suddenly flipped over and stared at the man sleeping next to her. Blinking, she started seriously considering whether she should, next time she drank, pretend to get tipsy, grab the male lead’s chiseled jaw, and warn him:

“Listen up, man. Don’t you dare fall in love with me, or I’ll make you regret it!”

…Only for the male lead to snap and kill her on the spot.

Terrifying.

She shrank back under the covers, realizing that aside from her beauty, she didn’t have much else going for her. There was no way someone as exceptional as Yue Yuze would be interested in her.

Comforted by this thought, she relaxed a bit.

As long as Yue Yuze didn’t like her, he’d undoubtedly stick to their original agreement and divorce her when the time came.

In that case, her life would be temporarily safe. She could focus on completing tasks, gathering fragments, and uncovering the ultimate way to return to her original world to live out her days as a happy couch potato.

But there was still one problem…

Last night—did Yue Yuze use protection?

The thought gave her a headache.

What if she got pregnant?

She leaned closer to Yue Yuze and poked his shoulder. When he didn’t respond, she poked him again. Finally, the man slowly opened his eyes, his cold gaze meeting hers, full of unspoken questions.

“Did… did you use protection last night?”

They were both adults—he should understand what she meant.

But Yue Yuze didn’t answer. He simply got out of bed, his face indifferent. Under her persistent gaze, he finally replied, “Don’t worry. You won’t get pregnant. If you do, I’ll compensate you with ten billion.”

Ten billion?

That’s a fortune—a truly astronomical figure!

Tang Xin figured there was no way she’d actually get ten billion. Yue Yuze’s words clearly meant he was absolutely confident she wouldn’t get pregnant.

If that was the case, he must have taken precautions. That thought reassured her.

Relieved, Tang Xin let out a breath, got out of bed, and walked toward the bathroom without sparing Yue Yuze another glance.

Right now, she saw only two possible outcomes for herself:

First, she’d meet a tragic end in this world, destined to live no more than a year after the divorce.

Second, she’d return to her original world.

Either way, if she ended up having a baby, that child would grow up without a mother. As someone who had grown up an orphan, she didn’t want her child to experience that same pain.

Sure, the baby would still have Yue Yuze as a father. But if Yue Yuze remarried and had other children with his new wife…

The baby would be truly pitiful.

Since she couldn’t provide happiness for the child, it was better to prevent the child from being born in the first place.

Yue Yuze raised a sharp brow, watching the obvious relief on her face after learning she couldn’t get pregnant. A complicated emotion stirred within him. Did she really dislike the idea of having a child with him so much?

Was she so worried about pregnancy simply because she didn’t like children? Or… was it because she didn’t like him?

But if she didn’t like him… then why had she just taken advantage of his “sleeping” state to secretly kiss him?

For the first time, Yue Yuze found this woman—who had always seemed so straightforward and simple—completely baffling.