Chapter 28

Little Beauty, you’re dead to me!

Tang Xin was completely disillusioned with this ridiculous system. It kept insisting she follow the original plot but constantly forced her into absurd tasks that risked derailing the storyline.

Oh, what a nightmare.

“I refuse to complete this task!” Tang Xin decided to ignore the 100 reward fragments.

After all, compared to earning fragments, what if the moment she executed this task, the male lead—completely enraged—strangled her on the spot?

“Oh, sure,” Little Beauty replied.

Hearing this, Tang Xin felt a wave of relief, but before she could celebrate, Little Beauty’s voice chimed in again:

“The 100 answer-unlocking fragments mentioned are the reward for successfully completing the task. Now, due to the transmigrator’s choice, I will announce the penalty for failing to execute the task.”

“…”

“What? A penalty? Wait… you never said anything about penalties!”

“Some tasks come with mandatory execution requirements. If the transmigrator fails to complete these tasks, or if the execution fails, the system will issue a penalty.”

Hearing this, Tang Xin glanced silently at the man sitting across from her, dining elegantly and wordlessly. Resigned to her fate, she asked, “What… penalty?”

“An equivalent deduction of 100 answer-unlocking fragments.”

Tang Xin: “…” Ugh… fine.

“Alright, I’ll… do it!” She would carry out this absurd task.

“Okay. The transmigrator has chosen to execute the task. Please complete it within five minutes; otherwise, it will be deemed a failure.”

“Just leave already,” she muttered, her head throbbing from listening to it.

The room fell silent again.

Tang Xin felt an overwhelming sense of awkwardness about executing this ridiculous task. After all, she couldn’t just grab the male lead and do that out of nowhere, could she?

If she did, he could easily have her committed to a psychiatric hospital.

But the deadline was only five minutes. Five minutes!

At that moment, the male lead finished his glass of wine and had just set the glass down. Tang Xin immediately reached out, picked up the glass, grabbed the wine bottle, and poured him half a glass with utmost care. Then, she placed it before him with a big, silly grin.

“Please enjoy, Mr. Yue,” she said, her tone as sweet as honey.

Yue Yuze raised an eyebrow slightly, his deep, sharp eyes fixing on her. He hesitated as though he wanted to say something but ultimately didn’t. Instead, he picked up the glass and took a small sip.

Tang Xin, however, kept staring at him intently.

Because of her gaze, Yue Yuze occasionally glanced at her. After two or three minutes, seeing she hadn’t looked away, he finally asked, “Are you finished eating?”

Tang Xin had been waiting for him to speak. The moment he did, her opportunity arrived.

“Whether I’ve finished eating isn’t important,” she said, leaning forward slightly, her bright eyes locking onto his. “What’s important is…” She paused dramatically. “What’s important is that, Mr. Yue, I see myself in your eyes.”

Yue Yuze was visibly startled by her words.

At that moment, Tang Xin reached out her delicate, slender fingers, gently hooking his chin. She gave it a light squeeze and continued, “Why do your eyes hold me? Could it be… you’ve fallen for me? But no, that won’t do… Man, don’t you dare fall in love with me, or I’ll break your heart!”

Perfectly delivered.

After she finished speaking, Tang Xin waited for the task completion notification. As expected, Little Beauty’s voice chimed in, informing her the task was complete and awarding her the 100 fragments.

Oh, fantastic…

Just as she was about to withdraw her hand, her wrist was seized in a vice-like grip. The pain shot through her bones as she looked up at the man across from her. His handsome face was now cold and dark.

“Tang Xin,” he growled, his tone icy and menacing. “What kind of nonsense are you playing at this time?”

Tang Xin: “…”

Tang Xin stammered, “I… I’ve been thinking about writing a romance novel lately…”

“This was a scene I imagined. I just wanted to test how it’d work…”

Yue Yuze: “…”

What kind of ridiculous excuse was that?!

“Tang Xin, don’t even think about playing any tricks on me. Me, fall in love with you? Keep dreaming! If I ever fall for you, I’ll write my name backward!” Yue Yuze, thoroughly irritated by her nonsense, lost his appetite entirely. He stood up abruptly and left.

“Wait, Mr. Yue…” Tang Xin snapped back to reality and quickly reached out to grab him. However, as he brushed past her, she only managed to graze his sleeve. Watching him stride away, she called out desperately, “Mr. Yue, don’t go! Mr. Yue, I’m begging you!!!! … Please pay the bill before you leave!”

Yue Yuze stumbled mid-step, nearly colliding with a nearby table. He turned around and shot her a fierce glare, his thin lips curling into a cold sneer as he spat out two words, loud and clear:

“I won’t!”

Tang Xin: “…”

Tang Xin: “…Huh?”