The morning sun was gentle, perfectly tracing her exquisite jawline.
As she tilted her head slightly, a few strands of pink hair fell across her shoulder, shimmering softly—a breathtaking sight.
Lu Heng, however, had no energy to appreciate this beauty.
Right now, his heart had plunged to the bottom of an abyss.
*I’m dead, I’m dead, I’m dead…
Why is Yae Miko here?* One moment he was overjoyed about escaping Inazuma, and the next, his fantasy was shattered into pieces.
Like a drowning man about to break the surface full of hope, only to be dragged back down by a firm grip—despair seeped into every pore like water filling his lungs.
“I must calm down!” He whipped around, turning his back to her.
His chest heaved as he inhaled deeply and exhaled.
As he had done countless times under high-pressure environments in his corporate past life, he suppressed his sympathetic nervous system, clearing his head slightly.
“My~ What an ungentlemanly little fellow. Your first reaction upon seeing the wise and beautiful Guuji Yae is to turn your back? You’re breaking my heart,” Miko teased playfully.
Lu Heng let out a long breath.
He wiped his sweaty palms against his trousers.
The next second, he turned around.
Like a magician, his expression instantly shifted from panic to the professional, practiced smile he used to wear in front of clients in his past life.
Adjusting his clothes, he cradled the heavy bag of Mora to adopt a more relaxed posture.
Smiling, he walked toward the exquisite tea table.
“I truly didn’t expect that the pressuring of authors for Yae Publishing House would be carried out personally by the wise and beautiful Guuji Yae herself. I’m flattered… my little heart is beating so fast.”
He sat down opposite her without standing on ceremony.
Maintaining his smile and looking her straight in the eye, he met Yae Miko’s gaze.
“The debt-collection methods of Yae Publishing House are truly eye-opening.”
“Oh? Heh…” Miko’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“You really are an interesting little guy. Instead of running away, you chose to come closer?”
Miko paused mid-blow above her teacup.
A flash of surprise passed through her narrow violet eyes.
She set down the teacup, the corners of her mouth curving up further.
“Glib-tongued and bold, aren’t you, little guy? Very well, shall we talk about your manuscript then?”
“You scammed 500,000 Mora from my Yae Publishing House just yesterday, left a fake address, and rushed all the way to Rito. Were you planning to break your contract?”
“Of course not, brilliant Lady Guuji,” Lu Heng replied smoothly, drawing out his words for clarity while calculating furiously in his mind.
He showed no guilt, leaning forward with enthusiasm.
“How can an ambitious creator shut himself in a room and build a world behind closed doors? This work of mine requires thorough social observation—and social observation requires capital.”
He paused, his tone rising.
“That advance payment was actually spent on field research and market analysis! To complete this masterpiece, I am determined to invest all my money and energy!”
His impassioned speech made him seem genuinely dedicated to his book.
“Oh?” Yae Miko watched his performance with a half-smile.
“Conducting field research at Rito, the place with the highest concentration of shady ships in all of Inazuma? Your way of burning budget is certainly unique. Heh.”
“High returns naturally require high investments.” Lu Heng looked directly into those violet eyes that seemed capable of reading minds.
“Lady Guuji, since you’ve read my work, you must have noticed a flaw. The current early plot merely unmasks the intrigue and power plays of these administrators. While entertaining, it lacks the punch needed to truly pierce the market.”
He fell silent, expecting to see a hint of surprise on her face, but after a few seconds, the beautiful fox priestess’s expression remained unchanged.
*She chased me all the way here without revealing anything…
Does she want to kill me or drag me back to write novels?*
Uncertain, he clenched his fists under the table, unable to endure the pressure any longer.
“…I came to Rito precisely to gather materials that can elevate the plot. In the upcoming sequel, I can dig deeper—not just into the corruption of management, but into the consequences: the structural decline of the nation.” Lu Heng paused. Read the latest chapters at NovelPing.
“I believe readers will love to see clever people outsmarting themselves. Moreover, hardcore content that accurately exposes ‘fatal systemic flaws’ is far more irreplaceable than ordinary trashy power fantasies.”
Lu Heng leaned forward slightly, laying down his bargaining chip.
Yae Miko listened quietly, a meaningful glint flickering in her violet eyes.
She didn’t answer immediately, instead using the teacup lid to gently brush away the tea foam.
“Structural decline…” Miko chuckled lightly, her tone playful yet carrying an unmistakable pressure.
If she had previously resembled a pink fox teasing its prey out of boredom, she now felt like a predator ready to hunt after getting bored of playing.
“You little fellow, you really have some nerves. Disguised as a novel, you’ve stripped the Tenryou Commission of its dignity, filling the pages with satire against the current regime. If this were exposed outside, it would be a capital offense of treason.”
Lu Heng’s eyelids twitched, but he forced himself not to shrink back, a drop of cold sweat rolling down his temple.
Swallowing nervously, his teeth chattered, so he pressed his lips together and bit down hard on his molars.
Miko set down her teacup and leaned forward slightly.
The fragrance of cherry blossoms washed over him, but Lu Heng was entirely captivated by the fierce, suffocating aura in her violet eyes.
“Besides, merely picking faults and writing satirical comedies doesn’t make you a top-tier author. Anyone can point out problems. Don’t tell me that in your outline, when faced with such a mess, there are only dead ends… and no ‘solutions’?”
Lu Heng froze, his professional smile momentarily faltering.
He had thought this pink fox was just trying to extract his remaining value, drag him back to work for her, or have some fun while collecting a debt.
But with these words, his instincts as a veteran corporate drone kicked in, expertly booting up his mental radar to decipher his superior’s true intent.
*Is she…
asking me for a solution?*
The fear in Lu Heng’s heart faded strangely, replaced by a sense of calm from returning to his comfort zone.
He relaxed his tense shoulders and leaned back into his chair.
“Of course there’s a solution.” Lu Heng’s lips curved into a confident, almost mercenary smile.
“Lady Guuji, by the rules of my trade, pointing out flaws is merely the ‘free trial version.’ Providing patches and restructuring the system… that’s genuine trade secrets.”
He adopted a solemn tone, enunciating each word carefully.
“‘Premium paid content’… costs extra! As long as the price is right, I guarantee a solution that will leave you satisfied.”