Outside Song Shuangzhi’s bedroom door.
“You made her angry, man.” Little Snail stood in front of him with a cold expression.
Tan Siye nodded. “I can tell, I’ll explain it to her.”
Little Snail crossed his arms. “I won’t listen. No,” he corrected himself.
“She won’t listen!”
Tan Siye smiled. “She will. Go get some rest.”
Little Snail let out a cold laugh. “Anyone who makes my mom angry deserves punishment!”
With that, he threw a sweeping kick.
Naturally, he was once again practicing his own imaginary martial arts against thin air.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, which still ached faintly, Tan Siye glanced at Little Snail, who had already fought his way farther and farther down the hallway before wandering downstairs on his own. Then he turned and reached for the door.
“Meow~”
“Meow meow meow~”
Her four fat cats stared at him menacingly.
He had no idea how she fed them. Every one of them weighed over ten pounds, yet she herself never seemed to gain an ounce.
The four little guardians blocked the door completely, forming an unbreakable defensive line.
Tan Siye was allergic to cat fur. Every time he returned home, he had to take allergy medication.
“I’m not trying to hurt her. I just want to explain a few things.”
“Meow~”
“I’m not saying she can’t wear it. She just can’t wear a fake.”
“Meow~”
“I’ll only say three sentences. I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Meow~”
Every sentence received a response, yet not a single one was accepted.
Tan Siye had never been particularly skilled at handling situations like this. In the end, he rummaged through a cabinet and produced two cans of fish.
Only then did the four cats reluctantly leave a narrow gap open.
She had fallen asleep again.
Curled up with a plush toy in her arms and wearing a thin camisole, she slept peacefully, her long eyelashes casting delicate shadows across her cheeks.
The explanation he had prepared lodged in his throat.
The man bent down and eventually knelt on one knee beside her bed.
His slender fingers wrapped around her wrist, guiding her hand as he picked up the ring she had kicked into Litchi Bay and slipped it back onto his own ring finger.
The ring looked obviously fake.
His little girl could not wear counterfeit jewelry. People would laugh at her.
But the men’s ring now resting on his finger had gained an entirely different meaning because she had personally put it there.
Holding her soft hand in his palm, Tan Siye gently rubbed her fingers.
The action was completely beyond the control of logic or reason.
It was nothing more than instinct.
Her pale fingertips gradually flushed with a faint pink hue, clean and beautiful.
The scent lingering around the young woman was pleasant.
It drifted into his lungs without permission.
His Adam’s apple moved slightly.
Lowering his head, he pressed a light kiss against her ring finger.
【Ah!】
The system covered its mouth.
【Wake up! Wake up!】
【He’s kneeling beside your bed and secretly kissing your finger while you’re asleep!!!】
【Wasn’t he supposed to be the cold, stern Chief Judge? Wasn’t he supposed to hate clingy female supporting characters like you? Wasn’t he supposed to remain completely devoted to the heroine?!】
【Has the script gone crazy?! Is the plot collapsing?!】
【I need retraining!!!】
When Song Shuangzhi woke up the next morning, she discovered that the system had indeed gone off for retraining.
A whole pile of rewards had appeared in her mind:
【No Hair Loss!】
【Soft, Hydrated Skin!】
【…】
She did not understand.
Hadn’t she simply gone to sleep?
Has the system malfunctioned?
However, the task titled 【Make Him Violate His Own Principles and Bottom Line for You】 was still flashing with a red warning light.
She needed to complete that task as quickly as possible.
Tan Siye was drinking coffee when he saw her come downstairs.
“What happened yesterday was my fault. I didn’t explain things clearly. I only thought that your ring seemed…”
Song Shuangzhi yawned.
“What happened yesterday?”
Tan Siye froze. She wandered around the room preparing breakfast for the cats, her tone completely normal.
“I think my period is coming soon,” she said, rubbing her nose. “My mood gets weirdly irritable sometimes. Yesterday was my fault.”
Tan Siye, who had gone from searching:
【What should I do if my wife is angry?】
to:
【Will my wife divorce me if she’s angry?】
and finally:
【108 Most Effective Ways to Win Back Your Wife】
was left speechless.
She smoothly changed the subject.
“Do you remember that snail place I told you about? The one that makes really delicious river snails?”
Tan Siye pressed his fingertips together.
The fact that she had slept through the night and forgotten all the unpleasantness was a good thing.
The fact that she did not care about his explanation was a bad thing.
The fact that she had merely been in a bad mood rather than angry because he had confiscated the ring was…
A very bad thing.
“I remember.”
Tan Siye concealed every trace of emotion.
“Do you want me to take you there?”
“To eat river snails this early in the morning?”
“Yep!”
Her bright eyes sparkled as she looked at him.
Tan Siye found it impossible to refuse.
“All right.”
Just as expected. In her mind, a notification appeared:
【Task in Progress, Completion Rate: 20%!】
Grandma Snail’s stall was a roadside stand.
Normally, she only operated at the night market, but she could not withstand Song Shuangzhi’s endless pleading.
“You’ll have to wait,” Grandma Snail said. “The snails need time to spit out the sand. At least two hours.”
Song Shuangzhi turned toward Tan Siye.
“Is that okay?”
Tan Siye opened his laptop and connected to the courthouse WiFi.
“That’s fine.”
【Task in Progress, Completion Rate: 50%!】
Song Shuangzhi secretly whispered to Grandma Snail,
“Can you make them insanely spicy?”
“Of course. Red oil, rich sauce, spicy and fragrant. You’ll be satisfied.”
“No, no, no. Extra spicy, but make it look completely normal. No red oil, no visible chili peppers.”
Grandma Snail pointed at her.
“You’re trying to prank someone, aren’t you?”
Song Shuangzhi covered her face.
“I…”
“Sorry, Grandma. I don’t mean any harm.”
After a pause, she added, “Well… not much harm.”
Grandma Snail lifted her spatula and turned on the stove.
“It’s your terrifying boss, isn’t it? The one who never smiles. He must scold you every day.”
She grinned. “Don’t worry, I won’t kill him with the spice.”
Carrying a huge plate of river snails, Song Shuangzhi skipped back to Tan Siye’s side.
The roadside stall had tiny tables and low stools.
Tan Siye’s long legs barely had anywhere to go. As an extreme germaphobe, he stared at the dark brown stool, polished smooth by years of use, for a long time.
As though making a difficult decision, he finally sat down.
【Task in Progress, Completion Rate: 70%!】
The system suddenly spoke up.
【These novels really favor men. Just because he forced himself to sit somewhere dirty, it counts as violating his principles and bottom line?】
Song Shuangzhi actually felt a little guilty.
“Severe germophobia isn’t just a habit. It’s an illness. If someone offered you a million dollars to roll around in a mud pit, would you do it?”
Puffing out her cheeks, she added, “It really is hard on him…”
【I would~】
Song Shuangzhi realized her analogy was not particularly good. Then she stared at the system.
“You’re back from upgrading!”
The system spun excitedly through her mind.
【That’s right! Don’t I seem more impressive now?】
“How?”
【I got a colorful new skin!】
“What about new functions?”
【You’ll have to discover them yourself!】
Song Shuangzhi: …
【Task Complete! Congratulations! Fireworks!】
Song Shuangzhi paid no attention to the celebratory fireworks exploding inside her head because…
Chief Judge Tan Siye, tall and handsome in his black robe with a red collar, was sitting on a tiny plastic stool by the roadside, holding a small river snail between his elegant fingers.
He looked completely out of place against the ordinary surroundings.
He had obviously never eaten anything like this before, though he had eaten French escargot. He knew enough to extract the tiny piece of snail meat and place it in his mouth.
The sauce was brown and savory looking, not particularly appetizing.
But Grandma Snail’s hand had been both steady and ruthless.
After only one snail…
Sweat appeared on the tip of his nose.
(°ー°〃)
“Tongbao,” Song Shuangzhi said, “I think the spice has turned him fluffy…”
【Serves him right!】
Standing in the morning sunlight, Song Shuangzhi looked at the handsome man and smiled.
“He’s been spiced into a fluffy little creature~”