Chapter 12

At eight in the morning, Jiang Lisheng received a system notification.

—Huo Bai is currently running a fever of thirty-eight degrees. The moment for the female lead to show her care has arrived!

Since the system mentioned a “gift,” then the gift must be something essential and filled with sincerity.

Jiang Lisheng believed that the things she had on hand were absolutely essential. Absolutely sincere. Absolutely enough to satisfy Young Master Huo Bai.

With full confidence, she stepped out the door.

The system had been with Jiang Lisheng for a while now, and just from her expression, it could already tell that this host was up to no good again.

The system spoke tactfully: [Host, where is the gift you prepared?]

Jiang Lisheng: [It’s in my pocket.]

[…] The system: [That tiny? In the original novel, the female lead made porridge, you know.]

Make porridge…

Jiang Lisheng came to a halt.

They actually wanted her to cook porridge for Huo Bai?

Wasn’t that just plain insanity?

But if she didn’t bring some sort of porridge, there was a chance the mission would fail, and that would be a loss outweighing the gain.

Left with no choice, Jiang Lisheng turned back and ordered a Hainan-style fish tea meal online, using the Choutuan app.^[1]丑团 (Choutuan) is a parody wordplay on the popular app “美团” (Meituan), a Chinese food delivery and group-buying platform. “丑团” replaces “美” (beautiful) with “丑” (ugly) … Continue reading

Staring at the jar of pale white rice soaking in fishy fish tea, Jiang Lisheng fell silent.

It had rice and fish, a balanced mix of meat and grains—perfectly reasonable.

To add a sense of ceremony, Jiang Lisheng even found a delicate little bag to pack it in. Then she rode her little electric scooter straight to the Huo residence.

The Huo and Jiang families both lived in Jin Palace.

But there was one key difference—Huasheng Group was the developer of Jin Palace.

As a nationally renowned leading enterprise, Huasheng dabbled in nearly everything, in addition to its work in electronic technology.

Back when the project was first established, the president of Huasheng had extravagantly allocated one-third of the land for himself, building a luxurious manor estate in the city center. This act of indulgence and lavish spending had been widely criticized to this day. Some even claimed that the Huo family had bought the land purely to build themselves a house.

It only took about ten minutes to ride her little electric scooter from the villa, and with how conspicuous that manor was, it was easy to spot even without knowing the way.

Soon, she arrived at the Huo Estate. Jiang Lisheng parked her little scooter in front of the gate and called the intercom.

“Hello, I’m Jiang Lisheng. I heard Huo Bai is sick, so I came specially to visit him.”

As she spoke, she even shook the delicate gift bag in her hand.

Jiang Lisheng was at least his fiancée in name, so the security guard didn’t ask many questions before opening the gate. He appeared before her in a little four-wheeler and respectfully invited her to get in.

Looking at the modest little four-wheeler, Jiang Lisheng couldn’t help thinking that this domineering CEO’s family was surprisingly down-to-earth.

“Can I ride my own vehicle inside?” Jiang Lisheng pointed at her Little Blue.

The guard glanced at the worn-out electric scooter, fell silent, then nodded. “Of course, Miss Jiang.”

“Then you go ahead. I’ll follow behind.”

After all, leaving her beloved ride outside didn’t feel very safe.

Jiang Lisheng rode in, glancing around as she went.

She had to admit, the male lead’s family was truly wealthy. The entire estate was modeled after the classical gardens of Suzhou, with meticulous attention paid to both the landscaping and the layout of the pavilions. The covered walkways twisted and turned as elegant complements, and the courtyards were built in harmony with the natural terrain. White walls contrasted with lush greenery, perfectly capturing the refined aesthetics of traditional Chinese design.

Farther ahead was the villa where the family actually lived.

The villa blended Chinese and Western architectural styles. It was three stories tall with a distinct structure, and the yard featured an independent water feature. Just the lush, towering welcome pine at the entrance must have cost at least several hundred thousand.

The butler had already been waiting at the door. He greeted her with a polite smile. “Welcome, Miss Jiang. Thank you for visiting. However, Young Master Huo is running a high fever and may not be in the best condition to receive guests.”

His words were tactful yet firm—a courteous dismissal.

—It was likely at Huo Bai’s instruction.

Jiang Lisheng lazily swung the bag in her hand. If she couldn’t see Huo Bai, wouldn’t this whole trip be for nothing?

“May I have a seat?” Jiang Lisheng pointed at the sofa.

The butler smiled and nodded.

Jiang Lisheng sat down and pulled out her phone, then sent Huo Bai a message:

[Young Master Huo, you wouldn’t want our little matter to be exposed, would you?]

Sent.

She waited quietly for a reply.

While waiting, she looked around the room.

To her left, she saw a massive ink painting covering the wall. It depicted a chain of unending mountains, painted with a boldness that seemed to defy the heavens, yet still retained the refined elegance of a scholarly hand.

Noticing where her gaze had landed, the butler leaned slightly and said, “That was personally painted by our Master seven years ago. If Miss Jiang would like, you’re welcome to take a closer look.”

Jiang Lisheng caught the key word. “Your master?”

“Yes,” the butler replied. “The master is quite fond of that painting, so he hung it here in the reception room.”

Jiang Lisheng tugged the corner of her lips, clearly not interested, and casually commented, “Your master’s kind of full of himself.”

The butler hadn’t expected that reaction and was briefly at a loss for words. Just as he was about to respond, his earpiece buzzed.

He spoke a few words of acknowledgment, then extended a hand toward Jiang Lisheng. “Miss Jiang, the young master would like to see you upstairs.”

See?

Getting a handle on the young male lead was as easy for her as drinking water.

Jiang Lisheng picked up the gift bag and headed straight to Huo Bai’s bedroom. The butler didn’t follow her in and thoughtfully closed the door behind them.

The spacious, tech-style bedroom had its curtains tightly drawn. In the dim, oppressive light, a figure could just barely be made out.

He was seated on the sofa. Even though Jiang Lisheng couldn’t see his face clearly, she could still feel the gaze that fell upon her—cold, fierce, and brimming with hostility.

Jiang Lisheng let out a soft hum and started feeling around the wall until she found the electronic control panel for the lights. She pressed the switch, and the lights flickered on one after another, blooming across the room. Huo Bai, who had been in darkness for so long, squinted against the brightness, his temper flaring up all over again.

“Jiang Lisheng, are you insane?”

“You’re the one who’s sick,” Jiang Lisheng replied cheerfully. “So I brought a gift to visit you~”

She deliberately dragged out the last syllable, sounding just like a mischievous little girl who loved to provoke others.

Huo Bai was momentarily speechless, unable to come up with a retort.

He was burning with fever, his whole body limp and weak. Even if he wanted to get angry at Jiang Lisheng, he simply didn’t have the strength.

His eyes were sore and swollen. Leaning against the back of the chair, Huo Bai let out a light cough and still managed to threaten her, “Jiang Lisheng, you’d better be here to kneel and apologize. Otherwise, you’re going to suffer for it.”

Jiang Lisheng said nothing. Instead, she pulled out a face mask and calmly put it on.

The sight made Huo Bai’s blood pressure spike. “Jiang Lisheng, what’s that supposed to mean?”

Jiang Lisheng said, “Swine fever is contagious.”

Swine fever?!

Damn it!!!

Before Huo Bai even had a chance to explode, the system’s warning for character persona collapse popped up first.

Jiang Lisheng protested, [This is just flirtatious banter between the male and female lead. Do you systems even understand romance?]

System: [.]

Not really.

But thinking it over, it did sort of make sense, so the system shut down the alert.

“Fine,” Huo Bai sneered. “Jiang Lisheng, don’t even think about leaving this room now.”

Jiang Lisheng messaged the system: [See? His possessiveness is kicking in. He wants to imprison me.]

System: [.] Deep gold^[2]“深金” (shēn jīn, literally “deep gold”) here is likely a playful tone indicator or system tag related to mood or UI text color, often used humorously in dialogues like this to … Continue reading, as if he’s mentally ill or something.

The system glanced again at the backend—everything was calm and quiet.

It fell silent. This detection logic really did seem a bit mentally off.

Seeing that the system was ignoring her, Jiang Lisheng lost interest and let it go.

She stepped forward and placed the gift on the table, her gaze soft as she looked at Huo Bai, completely unfazed by his threats.

With her face covered and only her eyes visible, Jiang Lisheng looked especially deceptive.

She had a pair of peach blossom eyes that looked tender even when gazing at a dog. Her irises were a rare, pure black, bright and clear. When she lowered her eyes to look at someone, she appeared obedient and harmless.

Huo Bai had never observed Jiang Lisheng up close before.

In his eyes, this girl was street-smart and ordinary, utterly average from head to toe—completely beneath his notice.

But now, as she drew near, he found himself momentarily stunned.

A thought slipped through his mind before he could stop it—her eyes are actually… really beautiful?

“Young Master Huo, I brought you a gift. Do you want to see it?”

Huo Bai snapped back to his senses in an instant. Realizing how he had just behaved, a wave of shame and disgust washed over him. He turned his head away and said coldly, “Trying to win me over now? Too late.”

“Oh, but I think you’ll like it.”

Without giving him a chance to refuse, Jiang Lisheng opened her phone and sent over that surveillance footage.

She had said it before—surveillance cameras were the greatest invention of the 21st century!

One day, she was definitely going to buy one and strap it to her shoulder!

Ding.

Huo Bai’s phone chimed at the same time. He wasn’t in the mood to check it, but something about Jiang Lisheng’s smugness made him suspicious. After a few seconds of inner struggle, he opened WeChat.

Sure enough, after watching the video Jiang Lisheng had sent, Young Master Huo reacted like a nuclear bomb had just been detonated—he exploded.

“Jiang Lisheng—!”

“I’m going to kill you!”

Huo Bai was truly furious, charging over to strangle her on the spot.

Jiang Lisheng drove her elbow straight into Huo Bai’s abdomen. As he doubled over in pain, she quickly reversed their positions and pinned him between the sofa cushions.

Her strength was applied with precision and skill.

It wasn’t too heavy-handed—just enough to avoid triggering the system’s violence warning—yet it struck precisely at Huo Bai’s weak spot, leaving him unable to get up.

Even though Huo Bai was sick, he still had a tall and solid build over one eighty in height. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be hard for him to push Jiang Lisheng off.

But something was off. There was no telling where Jiang Lisheng’s strength came from—it felt like iron shackles. Her arms locked him down against the sofa so tightly that he couldn’t even struggle. Every time he tried to move, her arm pressed against his throat, making his Adam’s apple ache.

“Let go! Do you believe I’ll kill you?!”

“Of course I believe it. How could I not?” Jiang Lisheng blinked innocently. “I’m scared you’ll kill me, that’s why I brought a gift just for you. Young Master Huo, I’m going to such lengths to please you. How can you not understand my sincerity?”

Huo Bai’s face flushed red with rage, veins popping on his neck, his eyes blazing with fury. After a moment, he gritted his teeth and forced out three words: “You’re full of it!”

Jiang Lisheng tilted her head slightly, then said with resolve, “If that’s your kink, I can sacrifice myself to satisfy it.”

Huo Bai: “……”

What the hell.

She’s insane!

Huo Bai caught sight of the phone he had tossed aside. His thoughts sank, and he reached out, planning to grab it and smash it against her head.

But Jiang Lisheng had already seen through his little scheme.

She suddenly elbowed him under the chin, catching him off guard. While he was still reeling from the blow, dizzy and disoriented, she twisted his wrist around and pressed two fingers hard into his Neiguan acupoint. The combination of pain and numbness made his fingers instantly lose strength.

Jiang Lisheng pulled both his arms behind his head, locking them in place, then bent her knee and pressed it directly against his—

Huo Bai’s scalp tingled. Cold sweat broke out across his body. “Jiang—Jiang Lisheng, what are you doing? Don’t forget, this is my house!”

[Warning, host—]

Jiang Lisheng ignored the system’s voice and gave a bashful smile. “Ah, Young Master Huo, don’t you think… this feels a bit intimate~?”

As she finished speaking, her face even flushed red.

—Purely because it was hot under the mask.

These words, paired with Jiang Lisheng’s expression and Huo Bai’s racing heartbeat, were successfully determined by the system as the subtle budding of feelings between the male and female lead. The alert came to an abrupt halt.

Huo Bai: “……”

That line sounded oddly familiar.

Then it hit him—damn it! Jiang Ansheng had said the exact same thing yesterday!

“Young Master Huo, you wouldn’t want that video to start circulating, would you?” Jiang Lisheng traced his features with her gaze, her tone slow and gentle, her eyes clear and even tinged with a hint of pitifulness.

Huo Bai forcefully turned his head away, refusing to look at her. The prolonged restraint made it hard for him to breathe, and it felt like his body temperature was rising again.

Jiang Lisheng decisively held up her fingers in a number. “You give me five hundred thousand, I’ll delete the video immediately and guarantee that no one will ever know about this.”

Five hundred thousand?!!

Huo Bai’s pupils contracted in shock, and he could no longer maintain any semblance of composure. “Jiang Lisheng, are you seriously extorting me in my own house?!” He completely lost it. “Damn it, do you believe I won’t call the cops on you?!”

“……” What the hell? The supposedly lawful and upright male lead actually wanted to call the police on her?

Jiang Lisheng gave Huo Bai a long look, then said in exasperation, “You, calling the police on me? Do you even realize what that would count as?”

Huo Bai was momentarily stunned.

Jiang Lisheng said, “It would count as turning yourself in.”

Huo Bai: “……”