It was probably because Bai Lansheng was standing while she was lying down. From her lower angle, Qin Junlan couldn’t help but feel like a helpless little lamb waiting to be slaughtered, while Bai Lansheng was quietly measuring the best place to make her move.
To make matters worse, the system always failed at the most critical moments. Qin Junlan was completely isolated and powerless.
One symptom after another began to appear. Qin Junlan felt dizzy and lightheaded, but still forced a professional smile as she responded to Bai Lansheng’s question.
“I’m not feeling unwell.”
Good. Her voice didn’t tremble.
Bai Lansheng said, “Your forehead is covered in sweat.”
Qin Junlan replied, “I feel a little hot.”
Bai Lansheng said, “Your face is red.”
Qin Junlan answered, “Still because of the heat.”
She reached up and lightly touched her cheek, using the chance to wipe away some sweat.
God knows that raising her hand drained a lot of her strength. Qin Junlan tried to breathe steadily so Bai Lansheng wouldn’t notice anything unusual.
“Should I open the window for some air?” Bai Lansheng asked.
Qin Junlan said, “A rat might come in.”
Bai Lansheng paused for a moment, then said, “I smell smoke.”
Neither of them smoked, so if there was any smell of smoke, it must have come from the KTV. But at this point, Qin Junlan’s senses were dulled. She couldn’t tell if the scent had lingered. If she denied it, she might expose herself. So, she chose not to respond.
But her silence didn’t earn her any peace. Tonight, Bai Lansheng seemed unusually talkative.
“Are you thirsty?” she asked.
Qin Junlan thought to herself, Thirsty? My throat feels like it’s on fire.
But what she said was, “I’m fine.”
There was another moment of quiet. Then Bai Lansheng suddenly reached out to touch Qin Junlan’s forehead. Qin Junlan tried to block her, but her body was too weak to resist.
Bai Lansheng felt the heat radiating from her skin. Round beads of sweat clung to her fingertips. She glanced at them before brushing them away.
Qin Junlan had a strange feeling that she herself might be brushed off just like that.
“Your forehead is burning. Your face is flushed. Your breathing is heavy.”
Qin Junlan paused. She knew her attempts to cover it up had failed.
Despite trying her best to control her facial expressions and tone of voice, the symptoms of the flu were too obvious to hide from Bai Lansheng.
Qin Junlan let out a long sigh and unbuttoned her collar. Then she pushed away the sweat clinging to her forehead and stopped pretending.
“Yes. I’m sick.”
She smiled, casually and with an unbothered look in her eyes.
The smile was a little seductive.
Bai Lansheng couldn’t help but remember a video the surveillance AI had once shown her of a fight. The look in that clip matched this smile perfectly.
Her eyes shifted slightly when she accidentally caught a glimpse of Qin Junlan’s collarbone.
“You should wipe off the cold sweat, or it’ll make your flu worse.”
Qin Junlan spread her hands and stared straight at Bai Lansheng. “Of course I know that. But isn’t it obvious I can’t move?”
Bai Lansheng turned her gaze away and said softly, “I’ll do it.”
Qin Junlan fell silent.
Now she really couldn’t figure out what Bai Lansheng was thinking.
If she didn’t want to help, why keep asking questions? If she did want to help, why did it feel like she was holding back? Would anyone take care of someone they hated?
Or was she just waiting for Qin Junlan to become weaker before striking?
Qin Junlan’s head felt heavy and muddled. Even lifting a finger was difficult. Her eyelids drooped as she slowly closed her eyes.
Soaking the towel, wiping the sweat.
Bai Lansheng repeated the process like a meticulous robot. Once Qin Junlan’s breathing became steady, she cautiously reached out again.
But before she could do anything, her hand was caught.
Qin Junlan pulled her into her arms and turned to her side, wrapping an arm around Bai Lansheng’s waist. Just those simple movements left her nearly unconscious.
She had rehearsed this many times in her mind. It looked like a relaxed nap, but she was holding her breath, waiting to trap her target in a hug.
She pulled it off, but only halfway.
She had planned to flip over completely and pin Bai Lansheng beneath her. But her strength failed. She ended up just hugging her tightly instead.
Then Bai Lansheng began to fight back.
She pushed, pinched, prodded, and kicked. Qin Junlan gritted her teeth and refused to let go. But the tickling was too much.
Unable to take it anymore, she gave a gentle bite to Bai Lansheng’s gland as a warning to stop moving.
Bai Lansheng instantly went limp.
Qin Junlan’s voice was heavy through her nose. “Be good. Don’t mess around. This bed is about to collapse.”
Bai Lansheng’s ears twitched. She remembered the first night after her rebirth, being held tightly just like this. She started to struggle again.
Then she suddenly felt her body become weightless.
That comment about the bed breaking was just a casual remark from Qin Junlan. She hadn’t expected the whole frame to actually fall to the floor.
A sharp pain shot from her heels to her back, followed by the full weight of the person in her arms.
The combination almost knocked Qin Junlan out cold.
She thought, Even a fairy weighs something.
With the last of her strength, she held onto Bai Lansheng tightly.
The fall had startled Bai Lansheng. When she hit the floor, she realized she had knocked the other person unconscious.
She reached out and checked for breath. The heat of Qin Junlan’s forehead burned her fingers, and she quickly pulled back.
Her enemy was truly weak now.
Bai Lansheng clearly understood that.
She could see the fine beads of sweat on Qin Junlan’s face, clinging together, pooling in the corners of her eyes and rolling down like tears.
But Bai Lansheng didn’t believe Qin Sisi was capable of crying.
Her heart was made of stone. How could she shed tears?
Bai Lansheng’s fingers searched along the fragile neck, feeling the steady pulse beneath her palm. A sense of satisfaction rose within her. The power was in her hands now.
She slowly tightened her grip. Before she could apply pressure, she hiccuped.
Hic.
She covered her mouth and sneaked a glance at the person below her. Thankfully, she hadn’t woken up.
The alcohol she had accidentally consumed at the KTV was catching up to her, pulling her toward sleep. But her mind remained clear.
She began to weigh her options. Could she do it? What if the other person suddenly woke up?
Better not take the risk. Use the backup plan instead.
She reached for her pocket but realized Qin Junlan’s hand was gripping it tightly. She couldn’t get it out.
Her cheeks puffed in frustration.
With that burst of anger, the alcohol surged. The hiccups came one after another, and her head started to spin.
She remembered how Qin Junlan had shielded her during the fall.
Maybe she should wait until tomorrow. If she killed her now, it would look too suspicious. It would be letting her off too easily.
Tomorrow, when she saw Qin Junlan’s desperate, tear-streaked face, it would be much more satisfying.
With that thought, she finally found some motivation, curled up on the warm “cushion,” and closed her eyes.
The night held hidden danger. When the first rays of sunlight rose, the silent struggle faded into the shadows once again, lying in wait for the next moment.
Qin Junlan had unknowingly survived another crisis. When she woke up, her arms were sore and swollen.
She let go of Bai Lansheng, shook her hands out, and groped along the edge of the bed to sit up. Then she heard a system notification.
Ding. Mission complete: Stop Bai Lansheng from taking her own life.
New mission assigned: Bai Lansheng’s Interests.
Mission Objective: Everyone needs a hobby. Find out what Bai Lansheng enjoys. You have three chances to guess correctly.
Time Limit: Three months.
Location: Unlimited.
Mission Completion: System Judgment.
Mission Failure Penalty: World reset.
Note: A good start is half the battle. Good luck! (Smooch!)
Qin Junlan stared blankly. Please stop including emojis…
She had just woken up, and somehow the mission was already complete. On what basis had it been judged?
Qin Junlan: Did anything happen while I was unconscious?
System: Please explore and find out for yourself.
Qin Junlan: No reward for completing the mission?
System: There’s no reward, but I do have some good news.
Qin Junlan: Speak.
The system had originally wanted to build suspense, but seeing how uncooperative she was, it gave in and got straight to the point.
System: Bai Lansheng’s corruption level has returned to normal.
Qin Junlan: I see.
System: Can’t you show a little happiness?
Qin Junlan: Oh wow, you’re amazing.
The system could hear the sarcasm in her voice and went silent.
Qin Junlan checked the corruption level. The big question mark had turned back into a number, and the plus sign that used to follow it was gone.
Bai Lansheng’s Corruption Level: 100
This mission was getting stranger and stranger.
She pulled Bai Lansheng up and was about to say something when she looked into those sleepy eyes. In the end, she just said, “You’ve got some eye gunk.”
There wasn’t any.
Bai Lansheng rubbed her eyes and accidentally got an eyelash stuck in one. She started fumbling around in a panic.
Qin Junlan sighed. Why even bother being upset with a kid… She helped her remove the eyelash and motioned her aside.
“Step aside. I need to fix the bed frame.”
The bed was like the old wooden beds back in her hometown. The planks were individual pieces resting on horizontal beams at the head and foot. It wasn’t complicated to fix. All she had to do was realign the planks between the beams. But two of them were broken right down the middle, so they couldn’t be reused.
It was hopeless. She’d have to find replacement boards.
She clapped the dust off her hands. Just then, a water bottle was handed to her.
Bai Lansheng was looking at her eagerly.
Qin Junlan raised an eyebrow, her gaze shifting between the bottle and Bai Lansheng. “Is this for me?”
Bai Lansheng nodded.
Qin Junlan gently swirled the bottle in her hand. The new mission had already been issued, but she was still thinking about how the last one had been completed.
The biggest triggers for Bai Lansheng’s sudden change of heart were likely one of two things:
First, she had taught Ke Nian a lesson. Second, she had fallen seriously ill.
If it was the first, then she’d just beat up Ke Nian every time she saw her. But if it was the second…
Just thinking that Bai Lansheng had given up on suicide because she had been too weak made Qin Junlan feel oddly annoyed. Then again, the mission was complete. Why was she even upset?
Bai Lansheng had been watching her the whole time. When Qin Junlan swirled the bottle again, her heart rose and fell with every turn.
Qin Junlan brought the bottle toward her mouth, but just before it touched her lips, she paused.
Qin Junlan (internally): System, update me on the corruption level every two seconds. Alert me if it changes.
She pulled out the clothes Sister Rose had given her yesterday and beckoned to Bai Lansheng. “Come here. Change into this.”
Bai Lansheng’s face went pale in an instant.
This is it. She knows. She definitely noticed something wrong with the water and suspects I’m hiding something. She’s going to catch me red-handed using this as an excuse!
Bai Lansheng trembled as she changed clothes, moving slower than a snail.
Qin Junlan didn’t rush her. Instead, she kept her eyes on the corruption level. But the number didn’t rise or fall. That left her confused.
A little teasing didn’t change it?
So the last mission completion had nothing to do with me?
Then it must’ve been Ke Nian…
That thought made her even more annoyed.
She pulled up a blanket to divide the room and give Bai Lansheng some privacy while changing. When Bai Lansheng stepped out from behind the blanket, standing quietly in the middle of the room, the whole place suddenly felt brighter.
Qin Junlan, for reasons she couldn’t explain, took a photo.
She had thought Bai Lansheng wouldn’t suit a mature style, but it actually worked. The red outfit complemented her fair skin, making her look both pure and subtly seductive.
When Bai Lansheng heard the click of the camera, her expression crumbled. She lowered her head in silence, waiting for judgment.
Qin Junlan glanced at the top of her head. “Don’t keep looking down…”
Before she could finish, a voice called from outside the door.
“Boss Qin, are you in there?” It was Minzi.
There were others too, judging by the noise.
Qin Junlan waited for Bai Lansheng to change back into her old clothes before opening the door. Outside, a group had already gathered and started chatting.
“What’s taking Boss so long to open the door?”
“It’s broad daylight. It can’t be what I think, right?”
“You never know. Boss isn’t exactly a saint.”
Everyone agreed with that last comment.
Qin Junlan was speechless.
She asked Minzi, “Is Green-hair’s condition better?” He was supposed to be in the clinic.
Minzi replied, “He’s still in the hospital, but someone’s taking care of him. I was worried about you, so I came back first.”