The private lounge was supposed to be quiet.
Keyword: supposed to be.
Instead, it was filled with the unmistakable sound of someone aggressively pacing back and forth.
"That line," jainyu said, running a hand through his hair, "that stupid, ridiculously painful line about empty chairs"
Jiang Yue blinked. "…Which one?"
Jainyu stopped abruptly and pointed at her like she had personally offended him.
"'Some chairs stay empty not because no one comes back… but because someone never should've left.'"
Silence.
Zixuan slowly turned. "Oh."
Yuze paused typing. "…Oh."
Jiang Yue sank into her chair. "…Oh no."
Jainyu stared at her, eyes wide with betrayal. "YOU WROTE THAT?!"
"…I might have," she admitted weakly.
"You made me cry at 2 a.m.!" he accused. "I was eating noodles and questioning my entire life!"
Zixuan burst out laughing. "You cried over poetry?"
"IT WASN'T JUST POETRY," jainyu snapped. "IT WAS EMOTIONAL DAMAGE!"
Jiang Yue covered her face. "I'm so sorry."
"You should be!" Jainyu pointed again. "Do you know how hard it is to cry and eat spicy noodles at the same time?"
"…Multitasking?" she offered.
Zixuan fell off the couch laughing.
Even Yuze's lips twitched slightly.
Across the room,
Li Zhenkai said nothing.
But his gaze lingered on her.
Quiet. Deep.
Unreadable.
[System Alert: ML emotional activity detected.]
[System Note: He's remembering something.]
Jiang Yue swallowed.
Remembering what?
Jainyu dropped into the chair across from her, still staring like she had just revealed she was secretly a superhero.
"So you're telling me…" he said slowly, "you're that poet?"
She winced. "…Depends. Are you going to yell again?"
"Yes," he said immediately.
"…Then yes."
He leaned back, exhaling hard. "Unbelievable."
Zixuan grinned. "Bro, you've been recommending her book to everyone for weeks."
Dean froze. "…Don't expose me like that."
Yuze finally spoke, voice calm. "Her influence is bigger than we thought."
Jiang Yue shifted awkwardly. "I just write what I feel."
Dean pointed at her again. "Yeah, and what you feel destroys people."
"…I'll take that as a compliment?"
Zhenkai finally spoke.
"It is."
The room quieted slightly.
Jiang Yue glanced at him.
His gaze didn't waver.
Before the moment could settle, Yuze's phone buzzed sharply.
He glanced down. His expression changed instantly.
"Zhenkai."
Zhenkai stood. "What is it?"
Yuze turned the screen toward him.
A post.
A new video.
Different angle.
Same book signing.
But this time,
The frame zoomed in on the pen before it exploded.
A faint flicker.
A tiny mechanical spark, a deliberate act
Jiang Yue's stomach dropped.
"That's not…"
"An accident?" Yuze finished quietly. "No."
Jainyu's expression hardened. "So someone tried to hurt her. In public."
Zixuan sat up straighter. "That's bold."
Zhenkai's voice was ice. "It's a warning."
Silence settled heavily over the room.
[System Alert: Threat level increased.]
[System Note: Host remains primary target.]
Jiang Yue's hands clenched slightly.
"…So what now?"
Yuze spoke first. "They're watching her. Studying patterns. Public appearances increase risk."
Jainyu frowned. "Then we reduce appearances."
"No," Zhenkai said immediately.
All eyes turned to him.
"They want her to retreat," he continued calmly. "To isolate herself. That's how they control the narrative."
Jiang Yue blinked. "…Narrative?"
Zixuan grinned slowly. "Oh. I see where this is going."
Jainyu groaned. "I don't like that grin."
Zhenkai looked at Jiang Yue.
Steady. Decisive.
"We go public."
"…Public?" she repeated.
"With us," he said.
Her brain stalled.
"With… us?"
Zixuan clapped once. "Fake dating arc!"
Jainyu pointed at him. "YOU SOUND WAY TOO EXCITED."
[System Alert: New main mission unlocked!]
Mission: Public Relationship Simulation.
Objective: Stay close to ML to increase survival rate.
Bonus: Romance progression + media shield.
Jiang Yue stared into space.
"…I hate my life."
[System: You love it.]
"…I tolerate it."
The next day
Chaos erupted online again.
Photos surfaced:
Jiang Yue stepping out of a car
Zhenkai beside her.
His hand at her waist, Close, Intimate and
Protective.
The headline exploded instantly:
"CEO LI ZHENKAI CONFIRMS RELATIONSHIP WITH VIRAL POET JIANG YUE."
Backstage
Jiang Yue stared at her phone in horror.
"They're calling me his girlfriend."
"You are," Zhenkai said calmly.
She whipped around. "Fake girlfriend!"
He didn't correct himself.
Her heart did something very unhelpful.
[System Alert: Emotional confusion spike detected.]
Tessa burst into the room. "YOU'RE TRENDING AGAIN!"
"I DON'T WANT TO TREND ANYMORE!" Jiang Yue cried.
"Too late," Tessa said cheerfully. "Also, you look hot together. Very power couple."
Jiang Yue buried her face in her hands.
Across the city
A screen flickered in a dark room.
The same video played.
Over and over.
A gloved hand paused the frame on Jiang Yue's face.
Then zoomed in.
Closer.
Closer.
A distorted voice murmured softly
"So now you're harder to reach…"
A pause.
"…Good."
The screen went black.
On the other side
Jiang Yue stood beside Zhenkai at another public venue, cameras flashing endlessly.
Her hand was in his.
Not just for show.
Not entirely.
"You're tense," he murmured.
"You think?" she whispered back. "I'm fake-dating a CEO while someone tries to assassinate me."
"…Fair point."
She glanced at him. "…You're very calm about this."
"I'm not," he said quietly.
She blinked.
"I just don't show it."
Her chest tightened.
[System Alert: Suggestion—squeeze his hand.]
She did.
Without thinking.
His grip tightened in response, Stronger, Steadier, and Safer.
Later, back in private,
Dean watched them walk in together.
Hand in hand.
He blinked once.
Then pointed again.
"Wait, hold on, so not only are you that poet…"
He looked at Zhenkai.
"…but she's also your poet?"
Zixuan lost it.
Yuze looked away, clearly amused.
Jiang Yue turned red. "I am not anyone's poet!"
Zhenkai didn't speak.
But his thumb brushed lightly against her hand.
And this time,
He didn't let go.
That night, Jiang Yue lay in bed, staring at the ceiling again.
Everything had changed.
Again.
The world was watching.
The danger was growing.
And somehow…
She was closer to him than ever.
[System Status Update:]
Survival Rate: 68%
Emotional Bond: High
Threat Level: Escalating
She exhaled slowly.
"…Guess this is my life now."
[System: Correction—this is your story.]
Her lips curved faintly.
And somewhere deep down,
She knew.
The next chapter wouldn't be easier.