The first sign that something was wrong, was silence.
Jiang Yue stared at her phone, blinking slowly and continuously refreshing.
"…No," she whispered.
Then louder she screamed
"…No, no, no, no."
Tessa leaned over from the couch. "What? Did someone plagiarize you again? Because I'm ready to fight."
Jiang Yue slowly turned the screen toward her.
Tessa froze.
"…Oh."
A pause.
"…OH."
A video played.
Sleek, Minimalist but still Corporate.
In beautiful Black and gold tones with sharp cuts and curved to the perfection of a luxury branding.
The logo of Li Zhenkai's company appeared,
Followed by a voiceover.
Not just any voiceover, it was her voice and her words exactly.
"'Some souls break gracefully.
She shattered beautifully,
not into pieces,
but into something the world couldn't ignore.'"
Jiang Yue's brain stopped working.
"…That's my poem."
Tessa clutched her arm. "That's your best poem."
The video ended with a single line:
"Power isn't built. It's survived."
And beneath it,
The company name.
And her name.
Jiang Yue.
System Malfunction (Emotional Edition)
[System Alert: Host content detected in corporate campaign.]
[System Status: Confusion.]
[System Comment: Did you sell your soul without telling me?]
"I DID NOT," she snapped internally.
[System: Then why is your poetry flirting with capitalism?]
"…I don't know!"
Her phone rang, it was an nknown number.
She picked up.
"…Hello?"
"Miss Jiang Yue."
The voice was calm. Professional.
"Good morning. This is Lu Chenghao."
She blinked. "…Who?"
"President Li's assistant."
Her spine straightened instantly.
"…Oh." After a pause
"…OH."
Tessa mouthed: Put it on speaker.
Jiang Yue ignored her.
"…Yes?"
"We'd like to invite you to the company today."
Her heart skipped. "…Why?"
A pause.
"…Regarding the campaign."
She didn't wait.
Didn't think and also didn't prepare.
She walked straight into his office.
Past security.
Past staff.
The door opened without knocking.
Li Zhenkai looked up.
He looked Calm and unbothered.
Like he had been expecting her.
"…You used my poem," she said.
Straight to the point.
He leaned back slightly. "…I did."
"No warning?"
"No."
"No permission?"
A pause.
"…You were credited."
She stared at him.
"…That's not the point!"
Silence stretched.
Then "Did you read it?" she asked.
Her voice quieter now.
Zhenkai didn't hesitate.
"I remembered it."
Her breath caught.
"…What?"
"I didn't need to read it again," he said. "I already knew it."
The room went still.
Her heart was not okay.
"Why that one?" she whispered.
Out of all her poems.
All her words.
Why that one?
Zhenkai's gaze didn't waver.
"Because it's you."
Her chest tightened.
"…That's not a business reason."
"No," he agreed.
"It's not."
A knock.
Then the door opened.
Lu Chenghao stepped in.
Sharp suit and composed expression with hawk eyes, that missed nothing.
"President Li," he said, nodding slightly.
Then his gaze shifted,
To Jiang Yue.
A brief pause.
"…Miss Jiang."
She nodded slowly. "…Hi."
Tessa would've said something dramatic.
Jiang Yue just felt awkward.
Lu Chenghao turned back to Zhenkai.
"The campaign has surpassed projections. Engagement has increased by 340%. International shares are rising."
A pause.
"And"
He glanced at Jiang Yue again.
"Miss Jiang's personal brand has also surged."
The Impact
Jiang Yue blinked.
"…Wait. What?"
Lu Chenghao continued calmly.
"Your book sales have increased by 62% in the last three hours."
"…THREE HOURS?!"
[System Alert: Host influence expanding.]
[System Comment: You're becoming dangerously powerful.]
"…I didn't do anything!"
[System: Exactly.]
Elsewhere
A livestream went live.
With a carefully curated smile.
Liu Shanshan leaned toward the camera.
"So let me get this straight," she said lightly. "A poet just magically gets featured in a top CEO's campaign?"
She tilted her head.
"…Sounds a little too convenient, don't you think?"
Comments flooded in.
There were speculation, doubts and curiosity.
Her smile sharpened.
"Maybe we should ask… what she gave in return."
Back Inside
Jiang Yue exhaled slowly.
"…You didn't have to do that."
Zhenkai frowned slightly. "Do what?"
"Help me like that."
His expression didn't change.
"I wasn't helping you."
She blinked. "…You weren't?"
"No."
A pause.
"I was using what was already powerful."
Her breath caught again.
"…You're unbelievable."
"I know."
The System Strikes Again
[System Alert: Emotional tension rising.]
[System Mission: Make him smile.]
"…Now?"
[System: Always.]
She stared at him.
Then
"…Your ad is dramatic."
A pause.
"…And a little extra."
Zhenkai raised a brow. "…Extra?"
"Yes."
Silence.
Then
A faint smile,the smile was barely there, but it was real.
[System Alert: Mission progress — 1/2 smiles achieved.]
"…This is ridiculous," she muttered internally.
[System: Continue ]
She stepped closer.
Not thinking this time.
Just moving.
"…You really remembered it?"
"Yes."
"All of it?"
"Yes."
Her voice softened.
"…Why?"
Zhenkai looked at her.
Really looked.
"…Because it mattered."
Her heart skipped.
"…To you?"
A pause.
"…Yes."
Then silence fell again, heavy and charged.
Later that day
Jiang Yue sat by her window again.
Phone buzzing endlessly with messages.
Offers.
Opportunities.
And one message was from him.
Zhenkai: Don't read the comments.
She smiled faintly.
Too late, she already did.
But this time,
They didn't scare her.
Because
[System Status Update:]
Survival Rate: 83%
Emotional Bond: Critical
Influence Level: Rising
She exhaled softly.
"…Poetry and power."
[System: Dangerous combination.]
"…Yeah."
Across the city
Liu Shanshan smirked at her screen.
"…Let's see how long you last."
And in the shadows—
The mastermind watched everything unfold,
Patiently and calculating his next move,
"Interesting," he murmured.