Chapter 103: Helpless

For Liu Qiu, someone like Duan Liming—who stood so high above others—was a kind of person she had never interacted with before.

From the very beginning, she had been afraid to meet Duan Liming’s eyes.

Those eyes were pitch-black, like a bottomless pool of water, and there was no way to tell what might be surging beneath the surface.

After that short exchange just now, Liu Qiu’s fear of Duan Liming had reached its peak.

Why was she observing her like that?

Even Liu Qiu herself had never noticed those little habits of hers.

What made it even more frightening was that from beginning to end, she hadn’t realized it at all.

Liu Qiu knew she wasn’t particularly sensitive to emotions, but she was very sensitive to other people’s gazes.

She could easily notice when someone was looking at her, even if she couldn’t quite tell whether the look was good or bad.

$System,whatshouldIdo?Ican’thandlethis.$

Right now, the only thing Liu Qiu could do was ask the system for help.

The system was troubled as well.

Why would someone like this appear in a small world and come into contact with the host?

Although the original owner had a strong background, normally these developing plotlines shouldn’t involve too many people outside the story.

The system could only comfort her.

$Host,don’tbeafraid.Shejustfeelsabitintimidating.She’snotgoingtokillanyoneorkidnappeopleoranythinglikethat.Host,don’tbescared.$

What the system said made sense, but Liu Qiu still couldn’t suppress the small trace of fear rising inside her.

How could there be someone like Duan Liming—someone who could silently record another person’s tiny movements without them noticing?

It was terrifying.

Liu Qiu stayed frozen for too long, and Chaoyue finally spoke.

“Liming-jie, honestly. If Qiuqiu wants to drink, just let her drink.”

“Why are you being so domineering?”

Chaoyue spoke casually, a lazy smile in her tone, as if she were very familiar with Duan Liming.

Liu Qiu came back to her senses and cautiously raised her eyes to glance at Duan Liming.

Duan Liming was still looking at her.

$System,she’sstilllookingatme.$

The system thought for a moment.

$Howaboutthis,Host.JustsaytheselinesI’mgivingyou.$

Liu Qiu stared at the text the system provided.

She parted her lips and deliberately lowered her voice so she wouldn’t sound so inexperienced and timid.

“Miss Duan, you misunderstood me.”

“I am a little nervous, but it’s not that I don’t want to talk to you. I just… admire you. It’s my first time being this close to you, so I’m a little nervous.”

Duan Liming’s expression didn’t change at all.

“Liu Qiu, when people lie, their eyes wander.”

Liu Qiu slowly pressed her lips together.

It seemed that no matter what she said or did, Duan Liming could see through everything.

Silently lowering her head, Liu Qiu clenched her fingers tightly beneath the table.

In truth, Duan Liming hadn’t done anything to her.

She just… didn’t know how to interact with someone whose presence was so overwhelming.

“Ding—”

“Bring the peach blossom wine.”

The low, unhurried voice clearly penetrated Liu Qiu’s ears.

Her eyes blinked softly.

“Sorry. It seems I frightened you. I just found your reaction interesting.”

Polite. Restrained. And slightly cold.

Liu Qiu’s heart skipped a beat.

She slowly raised her head again, though her face was still a little pale.

Duan Liming had apologized.

She hadn’t expected things to develop like this.

Liu Qiu shook her head, her voice lacking confidence.

“Miss Duan, you don’t need to apologize.”

Duan Liming’s gaze settled on those dark, clear eyes.

“I hope you don’t mind what I said just now.”

Liu Qiu’s eyes began to dodge again.

She lowered her lashes and lightly pressed her lips together.

“I don’t mind.”

Suddenly, a hand appeared in front of her, blocking her view.

Liu Qiu froze and stared at the pale palm before her.

“Chaoyue, what’s wrong?”

Chaoyue’s eyes curved into crescents.

“I don’t want Liming-jie looking at you.”

“Darling, hurry and eat. After you finish, I’ll send you home.”

What nonsense about combining genes?

They could just find someone else.

Why did they have to set their sights on Liu Qiu?

That wouldn’t do.

Right now, Liu Qiu was someone she had taken a liking to.

Chaoyue’s childish gesture eased the tension in Liu Qiu’s heart.

She nodded.

“Mm. Chaoyue, you should eat too.”

It seemed that from now on she should carry a small bag with snacks inside.

This body in this world got hungry far too easily.

And whenever she was hungry, her stomach would start making noises.

It was really embarrassing.

Soon, the waiter brought the wine.

“Sir, would you like to drink it now?”

Duan Liming gave a slight nod.

“Now.”

The crystal-clear wine was poured into the cup, and its fragrance drifted through the air.

Liu Qiu caught the scent of peach blossoms mixed with alcohol.

But the sharpness of the alcohol seemed to have been softened by the floral aroma.

It wasn’t harsh.

The fragrance of blossoms and wine intertwined, sweet yet intoxicating.

Liu Qiu didn’t understand wine, but just from the smell she could tell it was good.

It smelled wonderful.

The waiter pushed the filled glass toward her.

Liu Qiu lowered her head to look at it.

It was transparent.

It didn’t look much different from ordinary wine.

But the floral fragrance was strong—rich without being cloying, sweet no matter how many times you smelled it.

After placing the glasses down, the waiter left.

Liu Qiu picked up the wine glass and secretly glanced at Duan Liming.

Duan Liming wasn’t looking at her.

She was looking at Chaoyue instead.

“Chaoyue, when are you going to change?”

Chaoyue smiled brightly.

“Change what? I’m doing perfectly fine right now.”

As she spoke, she kept placing food into Liu Qiu’s bowl.

Soon Liu Qiu’s bowl was piled high.

When there was no more space left, Chaoyue finally set down her chopsticks.

Her gaze remained on Liu Qiu.

“Qiuqiu, eat.”

Liu Qiu silently raised Chaoyue’s favorability in her heart.

She was so enthusiastic.

Chaoyue really treated her like a good friend.

Liu Qiu quickly started eating.

Since the wine had already arrived, she should fill her stomach first before getting herself drunk.

She really didn’t want to stay around Duan Liming.

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What Liu Qiu didn’t know was that the system had secretly used her account to send Fu Jinyin a message.

The system was now extremely wary of everyone.

It had scanned Fu Jinyin many times but couldn’t detect anything unusual.

However, it had recorded Fu Jinyin’s physical data.

When it scanned Chaoyue just now, it found that Chaoyue’s physical values were almost identical to Fu Jinyin’s.

As for the person who frightened the host, the system had scanned her too.

She was much stronger than the waiter earlier, but still far weaker than Chaoyue and Fu Jinyin.

From this, one conclusion became clear.

Chaoyue was not human either.

The host had already spent many days with the octopus monster, and the octopus monster had never harmed her.

So the system trusted the octopus monster a little more.

After Liu Qiu had eaten until she was half full, she looked up and realized that the dishes on the table hadn’t decreased much.

Meanwhile, Duan Liming and Chaoyue’s bowls were spotless.

Only Liu Qiu’s bowl still had food in it.

It seemed that she was the only one eating.

Liu Qiu quietly let out a breath.

She picked up the wine glass filled with liquor and took a small sip first.

After confirming it was within her tolerance, she gulped down the entire glass in one go.

Her throat and stomach grew warm.

Her mouth was filled with the scent of peach blossoms.

Liu Qiu looked at Duan Liming and blinked.

“Can I drink more?”

$Host,drinkless.Thiswinehasaveryhighalcoholcontent.$

The system’s reminder sounded in her mind.

$It’sfine,$ Liu Qiu replied internally.

$Chaoyuewillprobablytakemehome.$

Once she was drunk, she wouldn’t be able to talk anymore.

There was no reason for them to keep her around.

Liu Qiu had already thought this through.

That was why she asked if she could keep drinking.

Her goal was to get drunk.

Duan Liming nodded and gestured politely with her hand.

“Please.”

Her expression remained calm from beginning to end.

Chaoyue sat beside Liu Qiu, watching her drink glass after glass.

She didn’t stop her.

Getting drunk was good.

Wasn’t that how drunken mistakes happened?

But reality never turned out as perfectly as Chaoyue imagined.

---

First floor lobby.

“Liu Qiu, come here. I’ll take you home.”

Chaoyue wrapped an arm around Liu Qiu’s waist and pulled the soft, limp woman into her arms, smiling brightly.

Sure enough, she was drunk.

Liu Qiu did feel a little dizzy, but she could still walk on her own.

She just didn’t have much strength.

Held by Chaoyue, she couldn’t break free.

Taking a soft breath, she said quietly, “Chaoyue, I can walk by myself. Let go of me.”

Chaoyue was too clingy.

Chaoyue rubbed her face against Liu Qiu’s ear and gently blew on it.

“No. How could I feel at ease letting you go like this? I have to watch you.”

Then she turned toward Duan Liming and smiled.

“Liming-jie, you go back by yourself. I’ll send Qiuqiu home first.”

Duan Liming slowly lifted her eyelids and looked forward.

“Chaoyue, she doesn’t need you to send her. Come with me.”

Chaoyue blinked and followed Duan Liming’s gaze.

Then she sighed in disappointment.

“Why is she everywhere?”

Liu Qiu’s eyes, slightly misty, also looked forward.

Soon she saw Fu Jinyin.

That tall, slender figure drew closer and closer until she finally stopped in front of Liu Qiu.

“Liu… Qiu.”

$GreenHatValue+2.$

Fu Jinyin’s gaze quietly swept across the arm around Liu Qiu’s waist and the security uniform Liu Qiu was wearing.

Her lips pressed tightly together.

Her face looked cold and slightly gloomy.

Liu Qiu didn’t know how Fu Jinyin had found her.

But it was perfect timing.

She reached out and patted Chaoyue’s arm.

“Chaoyue, let go.”

This time Chaoyue obediently released her.

Liu Qiu’s body felt soft as she stumbled toward Fu Jinyin.

To Liu Qiu, it felt like she was walking steadily.

But in other people’s eyes, she was swaying as if she might fall at any moment.

Fu Jinyin instinctively reached out her hands, thinking Liu Qiu would fall into her arms.

But Liu Qiu stopped firmly in front of her.

Her voice was slightly hoarse.

“Let’s go.”

Looking at Liu Qiu’s slightly moist eyes, Fu Jinyin slowly withdrew her hand.

Her fingertips trembled slightly.

She nodded and stepped aside, letting Liu Qiu walk ahead.

It was strange.

She couldn’t understand her own actions.

Nor could she understand her emotions.

All of it left her feeling… at a loss.

Yes.

At a loss.

Watching Liu Qiu’s thin back, Fu Jinyin felt that she might have just learned a new emotion—something other than annoyance.

But she had learned it from the Liu Qiu she supposedly disliked.

Fu Jinyin slowly clenched her fingers.

Lowering her gaze, her long eyelashes hid her eyes so no emotion could be seen.

Meanwhile, Duan Liming watched the two figures walking away one after the other.

Then she said slowly,

“Number 112?”

Chaoyue heard it.

Her gaze flickered slightly.

“What are you talking about, Liming-jie? Let me observe a few more days first.”

Duan Liming turned her eyes toward Chaoyue.

“Chaoyue, you’re the cleverest one. Even I can’t guess what you’re planning.”

“But you should know one thing.”

“You must not disrupt my plan.”

Chaoyue made a surprised expression.

“Liming-jie, you’re so cold. I haven’t said anything at all.”

Duan Liming didn’t continue the topic.

Instead, she said calmly,

“Let’s go.”

“We’re making a trip to the laboratory.”