Gu Yongsheng grew increasingly excited as he listened. His previous life had been too smooth. His wealthy family had only been rich and ordinary people at their core. Having lived such a straightforward life, he found himself craving danger and excitement befitting a protagonist.

Duan Chunshui was precisely the thrill he sought in his luxurious life.

This secret organization was definitely not simple. It might be dealing with matters far beyond ordinary comprehension.

Orphaned parents, secretive government work, and an inexplicable aura of danger.

Based on his experience, a person like this would love their partner to the core and protecting them no matter what once they fell in love.

Without hesitation, Gu Yongsheng added Duan Chunshui to his list of targets to win over in the Ji family, second only to Ji Chunhua. He proactively moved to sit beside Duan Chunshui.

He didn’t notice the strange glances exchanged by several others before he began his “win over plan.”

“Cousin, your work must be really tiring. If you’re ever too busy, I can deliver food to you,” Gu Yongsheng offered. “But would I even be allowed to come?”

For the first time, Duan Chunshui spoke to him, “You want to come?”

Even the most capable people could eventually succumb to his protagonist aura. Seeing that Duan Chunshui had finally responded, Gu Yongsheng’s smile grew even brighter. “Can I?”

Duan Chunshui: “You can.”

“After dinner, you can come with us to take a look, but you’ll only be allowed in the lobby. You won’t have clearance for other areas,” he added, still maintaining a sense of principle.

Gu Yongsheng cheerfully said, “I understand. That’s fine.”

“……”

Jiang Nian stayed silent, Zhu Zhu blinked her eyes, Xiao Xu smiled, and Wang De looked at Gu Yongsheng sympathetically.

Ji Chunhua, who had just shouted at Duan Chunshui to “get lost,” suddenly lost his composure. “You’ve never even taken me to your workplace!”

Chunshui ignored him.

Taking a new cousin to visit one’s workplace was odd, but Ji Mingkun and Ren Xi didn’t say anything. Perhaps they were swayed by Gu Yongsheng’s protagonist aura, which seemed to justify all his actions.

Or maybe, they just wanted Gu Yongsheng and Ji Chunhua to spend some time apart.

Ji Chunhua followed them to the door, insisting on going along, but Duan Chunshui pushed him back with a firm hand on his head. 

Turning to Ji Mingkun and Ren Xi, Duan Chunshui said, “Don’t bother seeing us off. You two go back inside.”

Ji Mingkun asked, “When will you be back?”

Duan Chunshui replied, “Probably soon.”

Gu Yongsheng chimed in, “Dad, don’t worry. I’m a grown-up. If it gets too late, I can stay at my cousin’s place. I’ll be fine.”

“.…..”

“This departure might be for a lifetime though.”

The members of the Crisis Management Bureau hadn’t expected it to be so easy to bring back a protagonist from a novel. They had thought that resolving a fictional invasion incident in the wealthiest family’s home would be much more troublesome.

The people waving at them from the door had no idea that this person would disappear from their lives forever.

By the following day, when they woke up, their world would return to normal. Slowly, they would forget that this person had ever been part of their lives.

They also wouldn’t remember that their family had been led down a dangerous path. Even then effortlessly set back on the right track by one individual.

Only Xu Xue thought bringing the protagonist back to the bureau was always this simple. Simply, because she had never resisted. In fact, she had wanted to go voluntarily.

Before getting into the car, Xu Xue glanced at Ji Chunshan. Ji Chunshan happened to be looking at her too, then he walked toward her.

Instinctively, Xu Xue leaned closer to Duan Chunshui. Ji Chunshan’s expression stiffened slightly as he adjusted his glasses and said, “I apologize for the trouble these past few days. I’ll take care of the mess.”

Xu Xue froze for a moment and first looked at Duan Chunshui, who was sleepily leaning against the car. He seemed utterly harmless, with his drooping lashes catching soft fragments of light.

Yet she realized that whenever she was near Duan Chunshui, people influenced by the novel’s effects seemed to regain clarity. Even those affected by Gu Yongsheng’s protagonist halo.

But Duan Chunshui himself? Not a single protagonist or novel could influence him.

“So this is the Captain of the Novel Crisis Management Bureau.”

She looked back at Ji Chunshan and replied, “It’s I who should apologize to you, Mr. Ji, for all the trouble I’ve caused.”

“I’ve caused you plenty of trouble too,” Ji Chunshan said with a slight smile. “Let’s call it even.”

After getting into the car, Xu Xue gave one last glance outside. The Ji family members were still standing at the door. Ji Chunshan, now distant from her, had returned to the image she’d seen online—a domineering CEO who could crush his negotiation opponents with a single upward glance and a faint smile.

Under the bright lights of the grand entrance, he looked like an ethereal dream, like a Cinderella story for an ordinary girl.

Xu Xue chuckled to herself. Not everyone gets a fairy-tale day trip.

Now she had to take off her glass slippers and return to her real life. There would be no private jets, just her canvas shoes, and the crowded public buses to work. 

“Wait… I had been at the Novel Crisis Management Bureau for days and hadn’t gone back to the company. Would I even still have a job?!”

Xu Xue ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. She then meet Duan Chunshui’s slightly misty eyes after he had just finished yawning.

“Do you want to work at the Novel Crisis Management Bureau?” He said.

“Huh?”

“The work at the Novel Crisis Management Bureau isn’t that boring. The pay is decent. Even entry-level office staff earn over 10,000 yuan a month. Moreover, the special allowances and year-end bonuses are two to three times higher than those of regular positions.”

“Huh!” Xu Xue’s eyes lit up like lightbulbs.

“Yeah, working tirelessly for the country.”

“……”

“Novel Crisis Management Bureau?” Gu Yongsheng, who had been in a great mood since leaving the house, finally sensed that something wasn’t quite right.

When Xu Xue was offered the chance to become a bureau employee, Wang De, who had been quietly fuming with jealousy, eagerly raised his hand. He looked like he was about to explode.

Duan Chunshui nodded, granting him permission to speak.

The five of them sat in the extended Lincoln, facing each other in the rear two rows of seats. Wang De sat directly opposite Gu Yongsheng, staring at him with an unreadable expression.

Choosing a wealthy family, getting close to one of its children. Winning over the favor of everyone in the family, becoming a member of that family. Later eventually inheriting its wealth—

Based on his understanding of novels, Wang De leaned closer to Gu Yongsheng with an oppressive air. He said, “A ‘live-in son-in-law’ trope but it’s…gay?”