His body, burning as though it were about to explode, suddenly felt as if it had been plunged into a cool spring. The relief was so overwhelming that he nearly sighed aloud.
But in the very next second, he forced his expression back into a cold mask.
He absolutely could not let this wicked woman realize how good it felt.
The thought alone embarrassed him. If Sheng He noticed, she would never let him live it down.
Unfortunately for him, there was no hiding anything from Sheng He.
She sat up, putting a little distance between them, then lightly tapped his chest with a fingertip.
“So?” she teased. “Still want to push me away?”
Ashamed of his body’s betrayal, He Xiao continued glaring stubbornly at her, as though his fierce expression alone could prove his resolve.
Still stubborn, huh?
Sheng He chuckled.
Far from being annoyed, she found him even more interesting.
She loved seeing proud men proven wrong.
Ignoring him after that, she stood up and began unbuttoning her clothes.
Her slender, fair fingers moved slowly down each button. Every movement was effortlessly seductive, impossible not to watch.
Soon, the last button came undone.
She slipped off her clothes without the slightest hint of embarrassment, casually tossing them aside and revealing a sweep of flawless, snow-white skin.
He Xiao’s body grew even hotter.
An uncontrollable desire strained against the restraints of his self-control.
His Adam’s apple bobbed.
Then he squeezed his eyes tightly shut.
If I can’t see her, I won’t be tempted.
He refused to admit she had succeeded in seducing him.
This had nothing to do with her.
It was all because of the drug she’d given him.
The medicine had to be taking full effect now.
Sheng He laughed softly.
“If you don’t want to open your eyes… then keep them closed.”
She casually grabbed a strip of cloth.
“Mmph!”
He Xiao wanted to curse at her, but no sound came out.
When he tried opening his eyes, all he saw was darkness.
His body was weak. He couldn’t move no matter how hard he tried.
Unable to see.
Unable to speak.
Unable to control his own body.
For the first time in a long while, He Xiao felt utterly helpless.
The towering man whose combat skills intimidated everyone now seemed almost pitiful.
Oddly enough, that side of him stirred a flicker of tenderness in Sheng He.
Would she spare him?
Of course not.
She had always believed in striking while the iron was hot.
After removing the rest of her clothes, she leaned down over him.
His entire body shuddered violently.
“Mmph! Mmph!”
Even with his mouth gagged, he was still making so much noise.
Growing impatient, Sheng He lightly patted his cheek.
He immediately quieted down.
This awful woman actually hit me again!
But compared to the slap from earlier, this one felt less like punishment…
…and more like flirtation.
Aside from a little embarrassment and irritation, He Xiao wasn’t nearly as agitated as before.
His body was becoming less and less responsive to his will.
Deprived of sight and speech, he could only perceive the world through touch.
He felt Sheng He’s fingers gently tracing his face.
From his forehead…
to his brows…
down the bridge of his nose…
until they reached his lips.
She lightly tapped them and sighed with a hint of regret.
“Such beautiful lips. If only they behaved themselves… I’d really like to kiss them.”
His heartbeat suddenly accelerated.
What does she mean by that?
Did she just say she wants to kiss me?
For reasons he couldn’t explain, anticipation quietly bloomed inside him.
He stopped struggling.
But perhaps she’d only been joking.
Her hand continued downward, brushing over his collarbone before resting against his chest.
She simply couldn’t get enough of those perfectly sculpted abs.
Unable to resist, she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against them.
His body trembled even harder.
How could she…
But Sheng He wasn’t finished.
After leisurely exploring every inch of his body, her patience finally wore thin.
She quickly removed the last of her clothing.
Soon, there was nothing left between them.
Well…
Not that He Xiao could actually see any of it.
Sheng He kissed his forehead, then leaned close and breathed warmly against his ear.
Her lips brushed lightly beside it as she whispered,
“Now… just enjoy what’s about to happen.”
A shiver of excitement ran through He Xiao’s body.
At last, he gave in to fate.
…
No one knew how much time had passed before the room finally fell silent.
Exhausted, Sheng He collapsed onto the bed and drifted off to sleep almost instantly.
Once her breathing became slow and steady, He Xiao reached up, tore away the tie covering his eyes, and removed the gag from his mouth.
The moment he looked down, his face darkened.
This shameless woman…
The effects of the drug had worn off.
Strength returned to his body, and instead of feeling exhausted, he felt unexpectedly refreshed.
Looking at the sleeping woman beside him, he slowly reached out toward her throat.
He wanted to strangle her.
But just before his fingers touched her skin…
He stopped.
Her brows were relaxed.
She slept peacefully, the corners of her lips curled into a satisfied smile.
She looked so innocent…
Like a little angel.
He had always known Sheng He was beautiful.
Before tonight, however, her looks had never meant anything to him.
If he had felt anything at all…
It had been disgust.
She was spoiled.
Headstrong.
She constantly clung to him and interrupted his work.
If he hadn’t been repaying a debt of gratitude, he never would have accepted the job of serving as her bodyguard.
In his eyes, she had always been nothing more than a pretty face with nothing behind it.
After tonight…
His opinion of her had somehow become even worse.
She had deliberately teased him.
Humiliated him.
She had an even worse temper than he’d imagined.
She even hit people.
And yet…
For some reason, staring at that sleeping face, he simply couldn’t bring himself to be angry.
Instead, he found himself lost in thought.
With a quiet sigh, he lowered his hand.
Then his gaze landed on something, and he froze.
So she was also…
Never mind.
She hadn’t exactly come away unscathed either.
He would pretend none of tonight had ever happened.
He Xiao gave her one last long look before quietly picking up his clothes and slipping out of the room.
The night passed without dreams.
Sheng He was awakened the next morning by a voice echoing inside her mind.
“What did you just say? A strategy system?”
She shot upright in bed.
The sudden movement sent the blanket sliding down, exposing her smooth, fair shoulders and revealing far more than intended.
Anyone else who saw her like this would have been utterly captivated.
Sheng He, however, paid no attention.
She was simply stunned.
A moment ago, she’d been dreaming when a mysterious voice suddenly appeared in her mind.
It claimed to be a system and wanted to bind itself to her as its host.
Isn’t this exactly like those transmigration novels?
Her drowsiness vanished instantly, replaced by excitement.
The system sounded rather pleased with itself.
[Host, you heard correctly. I am the Strategy System. As long as you increase the favorability of the story’s key characters, you’ll earn energy to level up. With enough power, you’ll be able to thrive in the apocalypse and become one of its strongest survivors.]
“That’s it?” Sheng He asked.
Ever since learning the apocalypse would arrive, she’d been worried.
She had no combat ability whatsoever. Surviving would be incredibly difficult.
Yet just when she needed help the most, this system had appeared.
Raise favorability.
Gain power.
Become stronger.
Wasn’t this practically her specialty?
As a succubus, charming people was second nature.
Without a moment’s hesitation, she grinned.
“Bind with me.”
“Absolutely bind!”
The system happily completed the connection almost immediately.
[Congratulations, Host! From now on, you can call me 007!]
007 sounded positively delighted.
Sheng He accepted the name without complaint.
“007.”
She rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
“That’s actually kind of a cool name.”
“So, 007… what do we do now?”
If everything went according to the original timeline…
The apocalypse would arrive tomorrow.