The office fell silent for a moment too long.
Lu Yichen leaned back in his chair, studying her as if trying to peel her apart with his eyes. Shen Yue didn't flinch. Her eyes met his calmly, betraying none of the icy calculations ticking behind them.
"This is a joke, right?" he finally said, laughing under his breath. "You want me to fake a relationship with you?"
She stepped closer, placed the draft agreement on the table, and tapped the signature line.
"I want you to announce our engagement publicly," she said. "Hold a press conference. Put my name beside yours in every headline."
He scoffed, amused. "You think this will make me change my mind about the Shen family business?"
"No." She smiled. "I think it will make people wonder if you ever really betrayed me. That'll buy me time. And credibility."
His smile slipped for half a second.
Clever.
He picked up the document, eyes skimming over the contents. "One-year contract. No intimacy clause. Freedom to terminate at any time, provided you deliver quarterly PR assets."
"You get your image polished, and I get what's mine," she said. "Simple."
She expected pushback.
But instead, Lu Yichen signed.
Just like that.
The same hand that once signed away Shen Corp's lifeblood… now signed her return.
[System: Contract accepted. Mission progress +10%.Note: Target's curiosity level is rising. Emotional distortion detected.Caution: Lu Yichen is not the same as he was in the original timeline.]
"Done," he said, tossing the pen back.
His eyes sharpened slightly. "You've changed, Shen Yue."
"People do," she said. "Especially after betrayal."
He narrowed his gaze. "Did you forget I ruined your family?"
She smiled.
"Did you forget that I let you?"
Lu Yichen's jaw clenched. But he said nothing.
Regret Score: 7%
Outside the office, Shen Yue walked with perfect posture through marble corridors, heels clicking in rhythm.
Her phone buzzed.
[System Alert: Secondary Mission Unlocked]Assist in the downfall of Lu Group's Vice President, Bai Lin.Reward: Access to Shen Corp's hidden offshore account.Risk: Emotional entanglement warning. Bai Lin was Shen Yue's ex in this world.
She paused.
A new player?
Perfect.
Let the game begin.