Volume One, Chapter 17: The Consequences of a Failed Strategy

“Hmph, you can leave only after you’ve paid it all back!”

“Someone, please escort the young lady back to her room.”

Wang Dongliang gave a signal, and the two bodyguards standing at the door approached Wang Ruoxi.

“Miss, please.”

The two bodyguards gestured politely, but Wang Ruoxi looked at Wang Dongliang. Those bodyguards were originally hired to protect her, yet now they had become her captors.

Just as the two bodyguards were about to forcibly take Wang Ruoxi upstairs, I stepped forward to shield her. “Uncle Wang, Ruoxi is your biological daughter. How can you treat her like this?”

“If you insist on this, I’ll have to call the police,” I said, pulling out my phone and dialing 110, just about to press call.

“Hmph, go ahead and dial. By the time the police arrive, you’ll already be dead.”

My heart skipped a beat. The Wang family had no intention of letting me leave alive.

Wang Ruoxi was being firmly escorted upstairs by the two bodyguards, while another blocked my way. At that moment, I was helpless—not only unable to help Wang Ruoxi, but also powerless to protect myself.

“Uncle Wang, what are you planning to do to my girlfriend?”

Fu Yunshen emerged from the foyer against the light, with Fang Yanzhou following behind.

Wang Dongliang was stunned by Fu Yunshen’s sudden appearance, his gaze fixed on me. He had just heard something from Fu Yunshen’s mouth—girlfriend? Fu Yunshen had a girlfriend.

Fu Yunshen was not someone Wang Dongliang could afford to offend. A fake smile immediately appeared on Wang Dongliang’s face. “Yunshen, what brings you here?”

Fu Yunshen didn’t answer Wang Dongliang directly but instead came up to me. The bodyguards blocking me stepped back.

“Are you alright?”

I shook my head. “I’m fine. Ruoxi is locked upstairs.”

Fu Yunshen brushed aside a few stray strands of hair from my forehead. “Go find her at class. Leave this place to me.”

“Okay.”

Hearing Fu Yunshen’s words, I decisively headed upstairs. With him here, no one dared to stop me.

Wang Dongliang watched everything with surprise. He was shocked to learn Fu Yunshen had a girlfriend, and one he protected so fiercely.

“Yunshen, you...?”

Fu Yunshen strode over and sat down on the sofa, his gaze fixed on Wang Dongliang. In the past, he might have shown some courtesy, but today Wang Dongliang’s actions did not deserve his respect.

“I know the situation of the Wang family. I can help—but only if Ruoxi is released.”

At these words, Wang Dongliang was completely dumbfounded. The Wang family’s secret was tightly sealed; no one outside knew, not even about the old family mansion. How did Fu Yunshen find out?

“You don’t need to know how I found out. I can help, but it depends on whether you’re willing.”

“I’m willing, of course I’m willing! Ruoxi is my daughter. Why would I keep her locked up?”

Wang Dongliang quickly agreed. Time was limited. Jack, due to grievances from last night, would no longer support the Wang family. Thus, Fu Yunshen before him was the best option.

Yet he wondered why Fu Yunshen, who hadn’t defended Wang Ruoxi so fiercely before at the old mansion, was now so generous. Could it be because of... that girl just now?

When I brought Wang Ruoxi downstairs, Fu Yunshen was seated on the sofa, with Wang Dongliang standing beside him, respectfully addressing him.

Although the Wang family’s strength was not on par with the Fu family, it was still formidable. There was no need to be so humble before Fu Yunshen. Considering the Wang family’s plan to trade Wang Ruoxi for money, everything suddenly made sense.

Seeing us arrive, Fu Yunshen stood up. “Uncle Wang, I’ll have my assistant send over the relevant contract.”

“Good.”

I followed Fu Yunshen and Wang Ruoxi out of the Wang residence.

In the car, Wang Ruoxi looked apologetic. “I’m sorry, Sister Xiaoyu, Brother Yunshen, for causing you trouble.”

I patted Wang Ruoxi’s head. “What are you saying? You’re my friend!”

Wang Ruoxi was touched and hugged me tightly. “Sister Xiaoyu, you’re so kind!”

Fu Yunshen watched Wang Ruoxi casually and warmly embrace me, his brows furrowed slightly. Why couldn’t he be the one to do that?

I asked, “What are you going to do now? The Wang family treated you that way; you definitely don’t want to go back.”

Wang Ruoxi thought for a moment. “I’ll find a place to live first, then get back to my old career.”

I frowned. “Career? What career?”

Her eyes brightened. “Comics. I draw really great comics. I’ll show you.”

She was about to take out her phone to show me but found it shattered beyond recognition, unable to power on.

“Sister Xiaoyu, I’ll show you next time after I draw again.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

Overhearing our conversation, Fu Yunshen raised an eyebrow. “I have an apartment. You can live there.”

Wang Ruoxi was stunned. “Brother Yunshen, are you serious?”

Fu Yunshen lowered his head and murmured, “Mm.”

Since Wang Ruoxi wouldn’t be able to find a place easily, she would naturally cling to... him. He still hoped to have a life together.

Wang Ruoxi’s eyes sparkled. “Thank you, Brother Yunshen.”

After dropping Wang Ruoxi off at her new place, Fu Yunshen and I returned to the company.

“How did you convince Ruoxi’s father?” I asked in the elevator, curiosity burning inside me.

“I gave him a contract.”

Just as I suspected—the Wang family needed money! That was why they considered trading Wang Ruoxi.

In the office, Fu Yunshen busied himself with work. Since he hadn’t assigned me any tasks, I idled away chatting with the system AI.

After realizing I had the wrong target to win over last time, the AI had used its network to find a list. All men named Fu Yunshen in the entire Jing City were on it—a total of thirty-five.

The next step was to contact them one by one and figure out which one was truly the target.

“Xiao Bai, does the ‘heartthrob’ value have to reach 100% for the task to be complete?”

Xiao Bai: Yes, host.

I continued, “If I fail the task, will there be any consequences?”

Previously, Xiao Bai only mentioned the benefits of successfully completing the mission—that my cancer would disappear and I could live normally—but never spoke of any drawbacks.

Xiao Bai paused, not replying immediately.

That confirmed my suspicion that failure would have consequences.

After a long silence, still no answer.

I couldn’t help but say, “Xiao Bai... Xiao Bai?”

“Host, failing the mission will not affect you. You will continue to live your original life trajectory. However, since you are in the late stage of cancer, the end result will be death.”

“The only way out is to complete the mission and eliminate the cancer.”

I understood. Actually, failure didn’t harm me, while success would benefit me by allowing me to live longer.

But why did Xiao Bai hesitate for so long just now? Could it be...

“Xiao Bai, be honest with me. If I fail the mission, will it affect you?”

Xiao Bai hesitated before quietly replying, “Yes. The system world stipulates that once a host completes one hundred tasks, I can become a physical entity. You are my one hundredth host. Because this is the final mission, the difficulty is increased. But if the mission fails, I will be completely destroyed, disappearing without a trace.”

I was stunned. I hadn’t expected the consequences to be so severe.

“Then can you bind to a new host now?”

My time was limited, and the chance of success was slim. Although I desperately wanted to survive, I didn’t want to doom Xiao Bai.

“No, host! This is automatically determined by the system. You are my one hundredth host.”

Seeing my worry, Xiao Bai comforted me, “Host, don’t be sad. The hundredth task is naturally difficult. Even if you fail, I won’t blame you.”