By the time Secretary Wen finished presenting the Master Survival Stockpile Document – Secured Edition v1.0, it was already 7 PM. The team had been in session for hours, their minds buzzing with lists of food, weapons, livestock, and survival logistics.
Long Yi gave a nod, signaling a temporary halt.
"We'll take a recess. Dinner is ready," he said.
The old butler had already prepared the evening meal in advance, anticipating the marathon meeting. The aroma of expertly cooked dishes drifted up the stairs, and everyone eagerly headed down to the dining hall to eat and recharge.
The long dining table was bustling with quiet chatter and the clinking of silverware. Dishes filled with fragrant meat, steaming rice, fresh vegetables, and warm soup decorated the table like a feast from an imperial kitchen. Han Yue, as usual, was eating happily, adding a few spoonfuls of food to her plate with practiced enthusiasm.
But as the meal progressed, she suddenly paused.
Across the table, her eyes landed on Shadow Guard No. 8.
She squinted suspiciously.
And then did it again.
And again.
Her actions were anything but subtle. The squinting. The staring. The silent evaluating look. She didn't even try to hide it.
The atmosphere shifted.
One of the shadow guards coughed awkwardly. Another stopped chewing. Even Long Yi gave her a side glance, quietly observing her behavior while still placing some roasted duck on her plate like a doting older brother.
Shadow Guard No. 8 froze with a piece of braised tofu halfway to his mouth.
"…Is she… staring at me?" he wondered, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck rise.
He gulped. "No way. Wait… does she think I'm handsome?! Oh no. Oh no no no—The Young Master likes her! I don't wanna die! I'm too young to die!!"
He began panicking internally. Then externally.
Finally, after one more squint from Han Yue, he couldn't take it anymore and suddenly stood up from his seat with a loud clatter of chair legs.
"PLEASE! I BEG YOU!! DON'T FALL IN LOVE WITH MEEEE!! I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIEEEE!!"
The dining room fell dead silent.
Han Yue's chopsticks paused in mid-air. Then her mouth twitched.
And then she burst out laughing, pointing at him without mercy.
The rest of the shadow guards erupted—in their own ways.
Shadow 2 face-palmed hard.
Shadow 5 let out a long, deep sigh of despair.
Shadow 6's eye twitched violently.
Shadow 7 tried to drink water to suppress laughter but failed, nearly spitting it out.
Even Colonel Long choked on his tea and had to cough a few times, covering his mouth.
As for Long Yi, he turned his head toward Shadow No. 8 with the blank, disappointed expression of a man wondering if this was really the elite force he trained. He stared at him like he was an idiot.
Even the old butler gave Shadow 8 a pitying glance as if thinking, "Truly hopeless."
The secretaries along the wall struggled to keep their expressions straight. One of them actually bit her lip to stop laughing out loud.
After a long moment of absolute shame, Shadow 8 slowly sat back down, cheeks red. He peeked cautiously at Long Yi—who was still glaring at him—and then at Han Yue, who was still giggling while sipping her soup.
But Han Yue wasn't done.
She put down her chopsticks and gave Shadow 8 a wide, evil grin.
"Hey, Shadow 8," she said sweetly, "You remember how in my past life, you told me all kinds of things when you thought no one else would listen?"
Shadow 8 blinked. "Huh?"
Han Yue continued, her tone mischievous, "You were like a gossip channel. You told me all your teammates' DIRTY SECRETS. You said I was the only one who would listen, and made me pinky promise not to tell Long Yi or your comrades... remember?"
Shadow 8's eyes widened in horror.
Around the table, everyone's expression changed.
Shadow 3 froze with a spoon halfway to his mouth. Shadow 5 clenched his chopsticks. Shadow 6 muttered something under his breath. All eyes slowly turned to Shadow 8—accusing, murderous, or both.
Even Long Yi raised an eyebrow, now genuinely intrigued.
Colonel Long let out a low whistle. "So that's why you were always whispering behind corners like a little old auntie…"
"Woo woo woo…" Shadow 8 internally wailed. "What dirt did I spread?! What did I SAY?! I don't remember!! They're gonna make me their punching bag again, aren't they? They're gonna give me a black eye!!!"
Then, like flipping a switch, he suddenly perked up.
Wait. This meant there was gossip. He was a curious baby after all!
With a respectful cough, he turned to Han Yue and bowed slightly.
"Young Miss Han Yue," he said formally, but with gleaming eyes, "Please tell me the tea! I'm very curious >_<"
Han Yue almost dropped her bowl laughing.
"Okay, okay~" she grinned. "I'll expose everything after dinner in the meeting room. I swear, your gossip in my past life was so detailed, it's like you were possessed by a drama spirit. I pity my ears."
Everyone at the table paused—torn between amusement and fear.
Some began glaring at Shadow 8.
Some began eating faster.
Because clearly, they needed to get to that meeting room fast…
Before Han Yue dropped their secrets one by one.