"A girl as beautiful as me... it’s only natural for you to be thinking of me."
To maintain her persona, Jiang You didn’t reject his calls, but she still had to find a way to end the conversation quickly.
This time, Shen Lan had initiated a video call directly.
Jiang You had already straightened her clothes. Although she was still lying in bed in her nightgown, her attire wasn’t disheveled like yesterday. It was perfectly neat!
On the screen.
Shen Lan was still in a suit, but he was on the move. The scenery behind him looked like a manor, and he seemed to be walking while talking to her.
"Did you do anything today?" Shen Lan sounded like he just wanted to chat and ask how his girlfriend was doing.
"Just went to class. What else is there to do?" Jiang You replied casually.
"I bought you a gift. Did you receive it?" Shen Lan’s voice came through.
On the screen, Jiang You saw Shen Lan walk into what looked like a room. He placed his terminal on a desk and slowly took off his jacket, loosened his tie, and removed his watch.
His movements were casual. As soon as he was back in his room, he began shedding his formal clothes. A robot brought him a glass of water.
He took it, had a slow sip, and then walked back toward the terminal.
"A gift?" Jiang You paused.
"Mhm. I saw a necklace today that I thought would suit you, so I bought it," Shen Lan replied, his gaze fixed on the girl’s face on the screen. "It should be at the delivery port by your dorm. Remember to pick it up tomorrow. You should get some sleep now."
Jiang You had been waiting for the damned man to make some outrageous request, completely focused on how she would refuse him.
She never expected Shen Lan to suddenly say something like that.
’Hmm? Go to sleep?’
’He’s telling me to go to sleep?’
’No more adult conversation?’
On the screen, Jiang You finally got a clear look at Shen Lan’s eyes. They held a hint of weariness. His lashes drooped lazily, and his blue eyes looked deep and profound.
He set the water down on the desk. He’d told her to go to sleep, but he didn’t hang up the video call. His gaze remained on her, and his long fingers reached out, hovering in the air over her image’s brow.
But his fingertips still met only empty air.
When Jiang You snapped out of it, she was just about to agree and hang up.
’It’s perfect if he doesn’t say anything else. I don’t have to rack my brain trying to deal with him.’
But who would have known that in the very next second, the system’s announcement would ring in her ears.
[Mission Seventeen has been issued.]
Hearing the mission announcement, the expression on Jiang You’s face seemed to tighten.
Shen Lan heard the mission announcement, too. A subtle change flickered in his blue eyes, and his finger, which had been hovering in the air, paused and then flinched back slightly, as if brushed by a spark.
The corners of his lips curved into an imperceptible smile. His gaze landed gently on Jiang You’s face as he said, seemingly on purpose, "I’m hanging up now?"
As if startled awake by his words, Jiang You hurriedly blurted out, "Wait! Don’t hang up!"
The system was telling her to seduce the male lead, Shen Lan.
According to the plot, she was supposed to seduce the male lead, only for him to hang up on her mercilessly.
Jiang You was inwardly numb.
’If I try to seduce him now, will the male lead, Shen Lan, really hang up on me?’
Jiang You was extremely skeptical.
"Hm?" Shen Lan raised an eyebrow, a faint smile in his eyes. The end of his word seemed to lilt upward, as if he were waiting for something. "Not hanging up?"
"Right!" Jiang You quickly replied. "We’ve barely said a few words. Did I give you permission to hang up?"
"But your boyfriend has something to do in a bit," Shen Lan said, his lashes half-lowered as his finger tapped lightly on the edge of the terminal.
"Don’t you dare hang up," Jiang You said hastily, her eyelid twitching.
’She didn’t know what was up with Shen Lan today. Yesterday, he wouldn’t hang up for anything, but today he was in such a hurry to end the call.’
’And of all times, she had a mission now and couldn’t let him hang up.’
Jiang You even began to suspect he knew she had a mission.
But the thought was fleeting, and she didn’t dwell on it.
’There’s no way anyone else could hear the system.’
"It’s so late, what else could you possibly have to do?" Jiang You had been lying down, but as she spoke, she scrambled into a sitting position.
"Your boyfriend needs to take a shower." As Shen Lan spoke, he started walking slowly toward the bathroom, holding the terminal up with one hand to look at her while his other hand slowly undid the buttons on his shirt.
His long fingers slowly unfastened the buttons of his white shirt, one by one, revealing his well-defined collarbones and the faint outline of his pectoral muscles.
Seeing this, Jiang You’s gaze was instantly drawn to his fingertips, unable to look away.
Her pink eyes flickered, and for a moment, she forgot what she was going to say.
’Beneath the faint outline of his pecs... were there abs further down?’
Shen Lan noticed her stare and the corner of his mouth hooked into a slight smile.
He stopped at the fourth button, not going any further. His fingertip caressed the button in a subtle, seductive gesture.
"Girlfriend, what are you looking at?" Shen Lan watched her, his voice laced with amusement.
Jiang You suddenly snapped back to her senses. She lifted her head and met Shen Lan’s gaze, only to see him tilting his head slightly, a teasing smile on his face.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and a faint blush crept up to the tips of her ears.
’The mission was for her to seduce him.’
’Why was he seducing her instead?’
’And she had genuinely been captivated by him just now. She couldn’t help but follow his fingers with her eyes, and she really did want to see his abs.’
’It wasn’t for any deep reason. She was just a simple pervert.’
’If she weren’t such a pervert, she wouldn’t have been tricked by the system in the first place.’
"Ahem..." Jiang You’s eyes darted around. Realizing the situation, she quickly composed herself, lifted her chin, and declared boldly, "Mister, you’re seducing me."
Shen Lan seemed to let out a soft chuckle. He leaned against the bathroom doorway and, instead of answering, asked, "Girlfriend, want to see my abs?"
"Okay," Jiang You blurted out instinctively.
The moment the word left her mouth, she froze, then quickly added, "Mister, you’re playing with fire!"
’Wait, wait, wait, I’m the one who’s supposed to be seducing him, not the other way around!’
’This is completely backward!’
Jiang You was incredibly frustrated with herself.
’I have a mission to complete!’
Shen Lan chuckled softly again. His fingers, which had paused at the fourth button, resumed their downward journey.
Jiang You’s gaze was involuntarily drawn to him, but she pretended to be demure.
Shen Lan suddenly moved the terminal closer, and a close-up of his abs filled the screen.
"See clearly?" Shen Lan asked with a soft laugh.
Jiang You hadn’t expected him to suddenly move the terminal. The intersecting shadows made the lines of his abs appear and disappear. His V-lines dipped into his suit trousers, and a blue vein tracing one of those lines vanished into the waistband, creating a provocatively sexy sight.
Her head felt a little fuzzy, and her cheeks grew hot.
’Aaaah! Abs! V-lines...!’