When the time to part finally arrived, Chu Luyu no longer had those swirling, complicated emotions like before.
Since the final task had a three-day time limit, she didn’t rush to complete it over the next three days. Instead, she focused more on cherishing every moment she spent with Jiang Hezhou.
After all, this was their final time together.
During this period, Chu Luyu also used her points with the system to exchange for a “Wish Fulfillment” item.
Before the exchange, the system kept asking her if she had truly made up her mind—if she was really sure. Once the points were spent, they couldn’t be refunded, and it urged her to think carefully.
At that moment, Chu Luyu watched Jiang Hezhou’s busy figure in the distance, let out a long breath, and said: [Cuihua, I know you mean well for me. But wanting to exchange this for the male lead isn’t a decision based on my feelings for him—it’s because… I empathize with him and feel for him. So even if I hadn’t fallen for the male lead during these six months of doing tasks, after going through everything with him, I think I’d still do the same thing. This isn’t a whim. How should I put it? I guess it’s me paying for my own conscience and empathy?]
The system sighed at that and replied: [Anyway, babe, as long as you’ve thought it through. I’ll go ahead and exchange it for you now.]
After the “Wish Fulfillment” was successfully exchanged, the system gave Chu Luyu a pendant made of meteorite material.
It said: [Later, just give this to the male lead and remind him that the next time he feels lost or hears other voices influencing him, he can hold it tight when making a decision. It will temporarily help him break free from the plot’s trajectory and focus on his inner thoughts. However, this item only works once—once he actually makes a decision outside the plot’s bounds, it will lose its effect.]
Chu Luyu: [Once is enough.]
That evening, Chu Luyu was cradled in Jiang Hezhou’s arms watching TV. He seemed very busy—his phone kept buzzing, and he kept replying to messages.
In fact, ever since they had returned to the apartment, she had noticed his phone never stopped ringing. She didn’t dwell on what he was busy with—after all, they were about to part ways, and his affairs had nothing to do with her anymore. She didn’t want to get caught up in any more emotions tied to him.
When Jiang Hezhou finally set his phone aside, Chu Luyu pursed her lips, tilted her head back in his arms, and looked up at him.
“Jiang Hezhou, I want to give you a present.”
With that, she made a magic-show gesture, holding her clenched fist in front of him. After a two-second pause, she opened her palm, and a necklace with a pendant dropped down, swaying before his eyes.
Jiang Hezhou clearly hadn’t expected this. A flicker of surprise passed through his beautiful eyes behind his glasses, but it was quickly washed away by a warm, pleasant emotion.
“What made you think of giving me a gift all of a sudden?” He took the pendant from her hand, examined it in his palm for a long time, then curved his lips slightly, the smile deepening in his eyes. “I really like it. Can you put it on for me now?”
Chu Luyu nodded. After she fastened it around his neck, she spoke to him with a slightly solemn tone: “If you ever come to another turning point in life and feel like there are other voices in your head, hold this tight before you decide. It… it might give you the strength to make the right choice—the one that follows your heart.”
Jiang Hezhou raised an eyebrow, looking at her. “Are you talking about the power of true love?”
“…You’re so cringey.”
The man was even more amused by her little expression. His usually cold, jade-like face softened with a warmth that seemed to melt the ice.
“Since my baby gave me a gift, I should give one back too.” Jiang Hezhou smiled at her. “Baby, what do you want?”
Chu Luyu thought for a long while, as if seriously considering what she truly wanted.
But after a long pause, she simply looked deeply into Jiang Hezhou’s eyes and said softly, “Jiang Hezhou, cook me one more meal.”
The tall, imposing figure had entered the kitchen countless times for Chu Luyu over the past six months. But never once had she watched like this—so intently, without moving a muscle.
His figure truly was a sight to behold. From behind, his shoulders were broad and his shoulder line straight; his waist was slender and well-defined, with his shirt hem tucked neatly into his waistband, and below that, his legs went on impossibly long.
Chu Luyu had always known the male lead had a great physique, but she had never appreciated it so openly and thoroughly as she did today.
Jiang Hezhou had been facing away from her, chopping vegetables at the kitchen island, but as if sensing her unwavering gaze behind him, he turned his head to glance at the girl.
“What’s up with you today? Since when do you want to keep me company while I cook?”
Chu Luyu blinked and smiled slightly. “Because you look good when you cook.”
It was a sincere, heartfelt compliment, and Jiang Hezhou could feel it. Without even putting down the knife in his hand, he leaned over and kissed her on the lips.
“My baby is even better looking.”
If this had been back when she first transmigrated, Chu Luyu would never have dared to imagine that she could one day be this harmonious with the male lead—even if he was just putting on an act, since the disgust value was still hanging there. But it didn’t matter anymore. Whatever she could feel in the moment, she would treat as real.
Later, when the meal was ready, Jiang Hezhou fed Chu Luyu just like usual.
Because Chu Luyu loved shrimp, ever since he’d learned about this little preference of hers, he had made her shrimp dishes in all sorts of variations for almost every meal. He also took on the task of peeling the shells for her while eating—after meeting him, Chu Luyu had never had to do it herself again.
Now, watching those hands—hands like works of art—peel shrimp for her, the disappointment she had been holding back for so long surged up again, tightening her chest.
Chu Luyu: [Cuihua, what do I do? Just thinking about how the male lead will never peel shrimp for me again makes me so sad I want to cry.]
System Cuihua: [Sigh, babe, there’s really nothing we can do about it. We just… have to slowly accept reality.]
She would accept it, of course—but that didn’t mean it wouldn’t hurt.
For the rest of the meal, Chu Luyu ate with a heavier heart than if she were visiting a grave.
When they finished, the system reminded her it was time to do the task. There were only a few hours left until the final deadline.
Chu Luyu quietly took a deep breath, then let it out. She watched Jiang Hezhou’s back as he cleaned up in the kitchen, pursed her lips, and her gaze finally grew resolute.
[Let’s do it.]
What she meant by “let’s do it” was for the system to send her the task items. This time, the task required a knockout drug and some rope. When she held the packet of knockout powder in her hands, a sense of absurdity lingered in her heart for a long while.
She asked the system: [Cuihua, doesn’t this kind of thing only show up in short-drama worlds? In real life, is there actually something that makes someone turn into a beast the moment they drink it?]
System Cuihua: [Oh my god, now’s not the time for that—you need to figure out how to get the male lead to drink this stuff!]
Chu Luyu: [No, I mean—based on the logic of those short dramas, the person who drinks this must feel pretty awful. You gave me this big packet—are you sure the male lead has to drink all of it? Can I just use a little bit?]
System Cuihua: [This dosage is exactly equivalent to what the original host used on the male lead in the original plot. If you want the task to count, he has to drink all of it.]
Chu Luyu thought carefully for a moment, then asked: [What if I drink half of it for him? Split the effect between us—we both absorb some, and all the drug would still be consumed.]
System Cuihua: [Oh my god, the task-bug-finding queen is back at it, huh? That should probably work. But are you really sure you want to do that? This stuff is definitely going to be unpleasant…]
Chu Luyu: [That’s exactly why I don’t want the male lead to have to take it all himself! This is the last task anyway. After today, no matter what happens, the male lead and I will follow the plot’s ending and break off the engagement. The other details don’t matter anymore.]
Later, Chu Luyu made two cups of warm milk and placed them on the bedside table.
When Jiang Hezhou came back from showering in the other room and saw she still hadn’t gone to wash up, he looked surprised.
“Why haven’t you showered yet?”
“I’m going now.” After saying that, the girl pursed her lips and looked at him for a couple of seconds. “Jiang Hezhou, I made two cups of bedtime milk. Remember to drink yours later.”
Jiang Hezhou glanced at the cups on the small cabinet beside the bed and smiled. “Baby’s being so diligent today—I barely recognize you.”
“…Just remember to drink it! I’m going to shower now.”
Watching her hurry away, he couldn’t stop smiling. Obediently, not long after she went into the bathroom, he walked over to the cabinet and reached for one of the cups.
But just as he brought it to his lips, his movements suddenly paused.
His naturally sharper sense of smell than most people’s kicked in again—he could easily detect the unfamiliar drug mixed into the milk. His expression flickered with hesitation, then he picked up the other cup and brought it to his nose.
Same thing—it was also laced.
At that moment, Jiang Hezhou almost laughed out loud. It seemed he understood immediately. He turned his head and glanced toward the bathroom.
So, his girl was up to something again?
Chu Luyu’s shower that night was exceptionally long. Eventually, even the system couldn’t take it anymore and kept urging her.
System Cuihua: [Hurry up already! It’s almost midnight—if the task deadline passes, what are you going to do then?]
Chu Luyu was still slowly applying body lotion. She replied, [Ah, don’t rush. It’s the final task—you’ve got to let me mentally prepare myself, right?]
After all, this task was going to be really tough…
She had thought about it before—in the original plot, the male lead was pushed over the edge by the original host’s final provocation, which caused all his pent-up anger to explode at once, leading to the engagement being called off. Back when she was doing all those outrageous and over-the-top tasks, she had wondered just how intense and shocking this final task would be to make the male lead completely break down like that.
Now it was clear—she had been naive. Being forced to take humiliating photos and being drugged like this—no ordinary man could handle that. And judging by that key line, the scriptwriter had definitely written the original host to be quite insufferable at that moment…
Just thinking about what she was about to do made Chu Luyu lose all courage to step out of the bathroom.
Seeing time running out, she knew she couldn’t delay any longer. After taking a deep breath, she grabbed the items the system had given her and steeled herself to walk out.
As she opened the door, she wondered—the male lead had only drunk half the knockout drug, so what would the final effect be? Normally, in short dramas, if a protagonist was fully drugged like that, they’d lose all self-control and their primal instincts would take over completely.
But if he only got half the dose, would his mind still be clear?
If that were the case, then as the other party involved, wouldn’t it be even more awkward for her?!
While she was lost in these messy thoughts, she had unknowingly reached the bedside. Jiang Hezhou was lying on his side with his back to her, his face hidden.
Chu Luyu was a bit confused. She called his name, then glanced at the small cabinet—two empty milk cups.
Two empty cups… Both?!
She suddenly realized what had happened, her eyes going wide.
Chu Luyu: [Cuihua! Why did the male lead drink both cups of milk?!]
System Cuihua: [Don’t ask me—how would I know? Who knew he’d suddenly turn into a glutton today, pfft.]
Chu Luyu was about to lose it. She tossed the tools in her hands to the floor and forcefully grabbed the man on the bed, turning him over.
The man who had been lying on his side was now flat on his back, and his entire face and upper body finally came into view. His usually cool, fair complexion was now completely flushed, as if he’d been steamed. Even the small patch of chest exposed beneath his bathrobe was tinged with a faint red.
He seemed to be in great pain. His eyes remained shut, his chest heaving as he breathed heavily through gritted teeth, brows tightly furrowed.
Chu Luyu froze completely. Seeing Jiang Hezhou like this, she suddenly didn’t know what to do.
The system shouted a reminder from above: [Hurry up and put the stuff on him, then take the photos! Once the task is done, we’ll figure out how to help him with the drug effect!]
Right, right—the system was right.
Chu Luyu snapped out of it. She grabbed the cat ears and collar from the floor and moved closer to Jiang Hezhou.
The man finally showed some reaction. He struggled to lift his eyelids, and when he looked at Chu Luyu, his eyes seemed clouded with a hazy heat.
“You… what are you doing?”
His voice was extremely hoarse, and his tone sounded like he was desperately trying to hold back some kind of agony. Hearing that, Chu Luyu moved even faster.
“Don’t talk. I… I need to take a couple of photos of you. Just cooperate with me for a moment.”
Jiang Hezhou seemed to understand her words, yet also not at all.
When he looked at her, aside from the mist of heat in his gaze, there was now something more—a predatory, animalistic intensity.
It was like a wolf that hadn’t eaten for a long time, spotting a lost, plump little deer in the wild. Its eyes gleamed with a hungry light as it stared fixedly at its prey—the deer’s body was soft, every part of it looking so delicious.
He glanced at the fluffy things in her hands, squeezed out the last shred of rationality, and said to her hoarsely, with difficulty: “If you don’t want to get hurt, you’d better stay far away from me. Or better yet—lock me in the room.”
Chu Luyu shook her head vigorously, her face full of anxiety.
“I told you not to talk! There’s no way I’m abandoning you.” Let alone the fact that she still had a task to complete!
With that, she couldn’t help muttering again: “You’re never usually this eager—what got into you this time? Two cups of milk… you drank both of them!”
The girl was mumbling something under her breath, but Jiang Hezhou could no longer hear her. He tugged at his bathrobe collar in discomfort, feeling as if a fire was raging violently inside him, accompanied by a dense, itching sensation like ants gnawing at his bones.
Chu Luyu had nearly finished with her setup.
The man on the bed now sported a pair of cat ears and a bell around his neck. It was such a stark contrast to his usual style—especially paired with his flushed face right now—it was simply…
She didn’t dare waste any more time. She pulled out her phone and snapped two quick photos of him.
Finally, she stepped closer and softly spoke the task’s key line: “Brother Hezhou, if you beg me, I’ll help you out.”
That single sentence seemed to set off the primal instincts Jiang Hezhou had been holding back for so long.
He tore off the cat ears and grabbed her wrist, pulling her onto the bed.
In that moment, the world spun. His eyes were now completely bloodshot, the corners filled with red veins. He stared at Chu Luyu like she was a delicious prey about to be devoured.
When he spoke, his voice was like simmering red wine—rich, deep, and burning with heat—
“Baby, you asked for this.”
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