Ning Xiaoyu didn’t think Lu Jingdu needed her to step in. From a distance, she watched him and saw he didn’t seem inclined to accept the glass of wine.

Ning Xiaoyu reasoned with the childish love system, saying, “Have a little more confidence in your movie king.” Someone who’s made it this far wasn’t the type to easily fall into other people’s traps.

The love system responded with a mournful tone, 〖 Girl, didn’t the movie king play the song 《Wake Up》 for you yesterday? Now someone’s plotting against him, and you’re heartless enough not to help?〗

Ning Xiaoyu didn’t see the connection between the two events.

The system pressed, 〖Don’t you think playing 《Wake Up》 to coax you out of bed is incredibly doting? You should know the composer created that piece specifically to wake up his four-year-old son.〗

Ning Xiaoyu shook her head. “Doesn’t feel like it.” She said, then quickly added, “Or…… is he trying to be my father?”

That, of course, was out of the question.

There were so many songs to wake someone up— why did Lu Jingdu choose that one?

Unfortunately, the system couldn’t answer that question. Only the man himself probably knew the answer.

〖Love System: ……〗

〖Love System: Girl, where’s your sense of romance?! Where’s your heart?!〗

Ning Xiaoyu couldn’t be bothered to respond.

The system offered advice, saying, 〖I feel like you’ll pick option c, but I think you should go with option b.〗

Ning Xiaoyu glanced at option b. “‘My brother doesn’t drink much.’ Is this supposed to be green tea?”

〖Love System: Girl, do you have a better idea? This system is still using an old database and might be a bit out of touch with modern trends.〗

Ning Xiaoyu, having been in the entertainment industry for some time, had seen plenty of ‘green tea’ tactics. Their essence lay in being ambiguous and leading others to misunderstand.

She casually suggested, “Last night, you weren’t like this.”

A sentence like that was bound to create misunderstanding. In reality, all she and Lu Jingdu did last night was have dinner together— with all twelve guests present. And last night, the movie king hadn’t drunk at all, appearing to avoid alcohol entirely.

“Yesterday, you carried me.”

Actually, all he did yesterday was play two piano pieces, helping her trend on social media once. But the word ‘carried’ was delightfully ambiguous. Did it mean carry as in support, or was it something else entirely?

Ah, the beauty of language.

A little misdirection and people could be easily misled. And a follow-up like, ‘You’re overthinking it. I just meant……’ would be enough to smooth things over.

The love system became a squealing rubber chicken. 〖Girl, you’re a pro! Say that later! Give me sugar until I explode! Only six seconds left— choose option b!〗

Ning Xiaoyu lingered over option b for a few seconds……

Then, as the system’s excitement reached its peak, she chose an entirely unexpected option.

The system’s shrieks cut off abruptly. 〖?〗

Recently, the love system’s missions had been coming too frequently. Ning Xiaoyu didn’t voice her thoughts but wasn’t entirely without them.

She’d figured out the perfect way to deal with the system— raise its hopes, then let them crash down.

Let it know that even a salted fish had a temper.

As for the system trying to predict her moves, that was utterly unnecessary.

Because she never played by the rules.

────ρя


When Ning Xiaoyu approached Lu Jingdu, the socialite was already teary-eyed, complaining, “For my brother’s sake, you won’t even drink a glass of wine for me?”

Lu Jingdu remained expressionless, said nothing, and turned to leave.

The socialite, holding her wine glass, reached out to stop him. At that moment, Ning Xiaoyu stepped forward, took the glass from the socialite, and downed it in one go before either of them could react.

The wine was good. It was sweet and flavorful, and lingered pleasantly on her palate.

Since it had no side effects and let her take a break, option a…… wasn’t bad after all.

The socialite, seeing her carefully prepared wine meant for Lu Jingdu consumed by someone else, immediately sobered up.

She stammered, “You— That wine had—”

Ning Xiaoyu was unfazed. But Lu Jingdu, hearing that, paused slightly and furrowed his brow. “What did you say?”

The socialite bit her lip, hesitant to speak.

Lu Jingdu’s tone turned icy, “What did you put in the wine?”

The socialite’s face filled with unease. “Just a little…… something like that.” But she quickly added, “But I drank some myself, so even if nothing happens…… it’s fine. The effects wear off in an hour or so.”

This was her first time doing something shady, and she’d been too scared to lose control of the situation, so she’d chosen the safest option. She wouldn’t have dared use it on herself— or Lu Jingdu— otherwise.

Lu Jingdu said nothing more, grabbing Ning Xiaoyu’s wrist. “Let’s go.”

Ning Xiaoyu, feeling only a bit warm, asked, “Go where?”

“To the hospital.” Lu Jingdu replied, his stride unbroken.

Not trusting the socialite’s words, he couldn’t risk taking her at face value. She’d already stooped to such dirty tricks. This time, even if her brother personally intervened, he wouldn’t let the matter slide.

In the car, Ning Xiaoyu felt an itch in her chest along with the heat. She scratched at her shirt and shifted uncomfortably.

Lu Jingdu, his expression dark, noticed her movements and asked, “How are you feeling?”

After a few seconds of thought, she answered honestly, “Not bad, but I kind of want to—”

Lu Jingdu interrupted with a curt “I know. Just hold on.”

Ning Xiaoyu, resting in the back seat with her eyes closed, opened them instinctively at his words.

He knows? Knows what?

Lu Jingdu, uncharacteristically at a loss for words, felt the car ride dragging on for the first time. The faint scent of alcohol in the confined space only made things worse.

He tugged at his tie and finally asked, “Why did you drink that wine?”

There were several reasons.

First, the love system had tried to predict she’d pick option c and wanted her to pick b. So, she’d gone with a reverse play to throw off its assumptions, creating a mix of truth and fiction to disrupt its calculations. If future missions got too challenging, it would exceed her expectations and capacity.

Second, curiosity. The unknown always piqued her interest.

Of course, reason one was the main factor. And she’d ensured there were no side effects. She wouldn’t gamble with her own safety.

But that was not the explanation she could give Lu Jingdu.

She casually said, “Free crisis management, plus a chance to try good wine.”

Most people who emphasized ‘free’ were either laying a long-term trap or fishing for greater rewards. But when Ning Xiaoyu said it, it sounded entirely straightforward, as if she genuinely meant it.

Regardless, she had helped him out of a bind.

As time passed, Ning Xiaoyu grew increasingly restless in the car.

Lu Jingdu’s thin lips tightened, and he finally asked, “Uncomfortable?”

Ning Xiaoyu nodded. Very much so.

The driver in the front seat kept his head down, pretending not to hear, but his ears were pricked, eager for any developments from the back seat.

A lone man and woman, with one of them drugged— things were bound to get interesting.

Lu Jingdu massaged his temples and tried to say, “Just……” but stopped himself. Ning Xiaoyu clearly couldn’t endure it any longer.

He turned to the driver. “How much longer to the hospital?”

The driver, nearly breaking into a sweat, replied, “About forty-five minutes.” The hot spring resort was deep in the mountains, its remote location adding to the commute time.

Ning Xiaoyu couldn’t take it anymore. “Can we stop to buy some food first?”

Lu Jingdu thought he’d misheard. “What?”

Licking her lips, she said, “I’m starving.”

Lu Jingdu: “……”

Driver: “???”

────ρя


Once Ning Xiaoyu had her milk tea and fried chicken, the itch in her chest finally subsided. Starving had been far worse.

Now, she was fully recharged and ready to go.

Ning Xiaoyu had taken plenty of food from the buffet earlier, but before she could take a single bite, she had rushed to protect Lu Jingdu’s ‘innocence’. Even though she doubted he needed her intervention, she had still sacrificed quite a bit.

By the time she finally had a chance to eat, she was starving. After finishing her meal and getting back into the car, the driver couldn’t resist asking, “How are you feeling now?”

Ning Xiaoyu patted her now-full stomach and replied, “I feel great— completely satisfied.”

With that, she placed her hands over her belly, closed her eyes, and entered what she called her salted fish time.

The driver, curious but reluctant to pry, suppressed the urge to gossip. Somehow, her salted fish time reminded him of ‘sage time^[1]the period of relaxation after doing the deed’. But all she had done was eat fried chicken and drink milk tea— nothing out of the ordinary. Ultimately, he decided to keep his thoughts to himself and focused on driving her to the hospital.

Once they arrived at the hospital and she completed a series of check-ups, the effects of the drug in her system had mostly worn off. Throughout the process, Ning Xiaoyu remained remarkably calm. At first, when she had said she felt unwell, Lu Jingdu had assumed…… well, something entirely different. But in the end, it turned out she had just been hungry— so hungry her heart had been pounding. There had been no stereotypical symptoms of being drugged at all.

Lu Jingdu’s old classmate, now the attending doctor, reviewed her report. Lu Jingdu couldn’t help but ask, “How is she?”

The doctor glanced at the report and replied, “She’s fine.”

Lu Jingdu frowned. “But she drank wine that had been tampered with.”

The doctor nodded. “Some conditions can be treated with unconventional medications. Similarly, this wasn’t your typical stimulant. The drug used wasn’t anything serious. In fact, its main effects vary depending on the person.”

Lu Jingdu’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Just what I said. For someone…… let’s say more susceptible to such things, the effects could be more pronounced. But for someone with a clear mind focused solely on food and drink, the impact would be minimal.”

Recalling Ning Xiaoyu’s earlier discomfort in the car, which had vanished the moment she had fried chicken and milk tea, Lu Jingdu immediately understood his friend’s meaning. He had misjudged the situation entirely.

In the end, that was all there was to it? After this incident, Lu Jingdu’s impression of Ning Xiaoyu became even more vivid. To her, he probably wasn’t even as tempting as a piece of fried chicken.

For Lu Jingdu, this was a first— a mix of surprise and absurdity.

The doctor teased him with a grin, “Looks like your charm has faded a bit.” Then, he added seriously, “Don’t worry. She’s fine. But something needs to be done with that girl from the Xu family.” Spiking someone’s drink today— who knows what she would try next?

Lu Jingdu adjusted his sleeve and said, “I’ll have a serious talk with her brother.”

────ρя


When Ning Xiaoyu and Lu Jingdu returned to the hot spring resort, she received a notification from the director that she could have a half-day break the next day.

For most people, this would feel like a punishment since it meant less screen time. But for Ning Xiaoyu, it was a blessing. She could finally sleep in.

Some curious individuals tried to dig into what had happened during dinner. Mu Jiajia, sent by Ning Yuwei, asked nosily, “Why did Movie King Lu suddenly drag you away? You were gone for so long— what were you two doing?”

The socialite wouldn’t be foolish enough to blab about spiking the drink, and Lu Jingdu wasn’t the type to air such matters publicly— he’d handle it privately.

Ning Xiaoyu, of course, didn’t intend to spill anything. She shrugged and replied, “Nothing.”

Mu Jiajia, unsatisfied with her vague answer, left reluctantly.

Shen Yueyue also approached, but she simply asked if Ning Xiaoyu was okay. Ning Xiaoyu patted her shoulder and said with a carefree smile, “Don’t worry. I’m fine.”

────ρя


The next day, Ning Xiaoyu woke up naturally, already close to noon. After washing up, she headed to the restaurant for brunch.

The hot spring resort was top-notch— its environment, food, and service were all first-class. If only the crew could stay there indefinitely.

As she enjoyed that thought, the love system suddenly chimed in, 〖Girl, good fortune is heading your way! Complete more love missions, act more, and once you’ve made enough money, you can live here as long as you like! So, chin up and get moving!〗

Good fortune? Whenever the system mentioned something like that, it usually meant trouble was coming.

Sure enough, just as she loaded up her plate and sat down, a business card was handed to her.

“Ms. Ning, hello. I’m Director Gong’s assistant. Here’s his contact information. He’s interested in your performance yesterday. If you’re open to collaboration, feel free to reach out.”

The restaurant instantly fell silent. Many of the guests turned to stare at her, most notably Ning Yuwei, whose expression darkened visibly.

Ning Xiaoyu looked up and locked eyes with the visibly upset Ning Yuwei before calmly accepting the card. “Thank you. Got it.”

The assistant, surprised by her composure, glanced at her again. He had seen her performance yesterday— likely a case of playing herself, which had given her a natural, uncontrived presence. Among the female guests, her portrayal stood out as unique. While others played elite professionals or scientists, she had embraced a character focused on pure enjoyment.

Roles weren’t inherently good or bad. What mattered was how well they fit the script. Luck had been on Ning Xiaoyu’s side, and she had caught Director Gong’s attention. If she landed a role in his next movie, she might rise to fame overnight.

Finally, with the assistant gone, Ning Xiaoyu could enjoy her meal.

〖Love System: ……〗

Yesterday, she had been drugged and sat next to the movie king, yet still hadn’t wavered. Now, she’d received a business card, yet she remained entirely unbothered.

What could it even expect from her at this point? It could only hope she’d open up and create more romantic moments soon!