The System's New Mission and a Quietly Changing Relationship

Lin Chen spent the entire morning on edge, only to find that Yan Qingyue really did seem to have no intention of pursuing what had happened the night before.

She handled her work and gave instructions as usual, her tone even and her gaze calm, as if she had not been the one who had taken him home and left him medicine the previous night.

He breathed a little easier, but the inexplicable flutter and confusion in his heart had not entirely faded.

Could President Yan really have changed her ways? Or did I actually not say anything too outrageous last night?

As he dealt with his emails, he could not help pondering it in secret.

Just as his thoughts were in turmoil, the electronic voice he had not heard in some time rang out in his mind again—

[Ding—The host's recent behavior has been detected to have triggered a hidden condition.]

[New mission issued: Foundation of a business empire.]

[Mission requirements: Using the abilities granted by the system (including but not limited to investment advice, Golden Eye, Information Insight, and so on), independently complete a successful investment or business operation with a net profit of no less than one million yuan within three months.

The funds must belong to the host or be obtained through legitimate financing. Yan Qingyue's resources and those of her company must not be used directly or indirectly.]

[Mission rewards: 500 system points.]

[Intermediate Information Insight] skill (can be used actively, with a cooldown of 72 hours), and one mysterious gift package.]

[Failure penalty: One existing skill will be randomly removed, and system points will be reset to zero.]

Lin Chen abruptly stopped working on his emails, his eyes widening in an instant!

Complete it independently? A million in net profit?! Three months?!

System, have you gone mad?! Everything I own only adds up to a little over a hundred thousand yuan!

I made a little from Kexiang Technology, but I'm still a long way from a million!

And I can't rely on President Yan's help? How is that even possible?!

He felt the headache that had just eased threatening to return.

This mission was far too difficult! It was practically hell mode!

Wait... the system said "using the abilities granted by the system"... Golden Eye? Information Insight?

He suddenly remembered the bargain he had unearthed at the last auction.

If Golden Eye had not tipped him off, how could he have found the jeweled flower ornament inside that rosewood box?

Perhaps... the system was telling him not to limit himself to the financial market?

Were there other ways to amass funds quickly?

His mind began racing.

Unearthing undervalued antiques? But where would I find that many bargains? Besides, I'd need capital and expert knowledge...

Information asymmetry? Use Information Insight to obtain some inside information? But would that count as breaking the rules?

Or... combine it with Golden Eye to find other undervalued items?

Jewelry, for example? Rough gemstones? Or even... information about future technology products?

Ideas flashed through his mind one after another, and he quickly rejected or retained them.

He realized that this was not merely a money-making mission, but also a comprehensive test of whether he could use the system's abilities flexibly.

Just as he was absorbed in thinking and planning for the new mission, the internal phone rang again.

It was Yan Qingyue.

Lin Chen's heart tightened, and he hurriedly picked up.

"President Yan?"

"Come out with me this afternoon."

Yan Qingyue's voice was as cool as ever, but it seemed... a little less icy than usual?

"We're going to an art bonded warehouse. That jeweled flower ornament from last time needs to go through some filing and appraisal procedures. Come with me and take notes."

The bonded warehouse? And she was taking him?

Lin Chen was momentarily stunned.

For matters involving the handover of specific items and professional appraisal, President Yan usually took someone from legal or a more specialized art consultant.

Why is she taking me again today? Is it because I found the hidden compartment last time?

He muttered inwardly, but immediately answered, "All right, President Yan. I'll get ready right away."

That afternoon, in the car on the way to the bonded warehouse, the silence was somewhat awkward.

Lin Chen sat stiffly upright, looking straight ahead and trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible, while still turning the system mission over in his mind.

Yan Qingyue, meanwhile, looked out the window, occasionally glancing at the man beside her from the corner of her eye. He was clearly miles away in his thoughts, yet trying hard to look calm.

She could clearly hear his jumbled thoughts about "one million," "Golden Eye," "unearthing bargains," and all sorts of other things. Although she could not hear the specific contents of the system, she could sense that he seemed to be worrying and making plans for something important.

This made her a little curious.

What was he plotting now?

Was it related to that "overseas investment fund" from last time?

Or had he discovered another "intuition"?

After last night, she found that she could apparently no longer regard Lin Chen purely as an amusing "toy" to tease or a "subordinate," as she had before.

The truths he had spoken while drunk, his clumsy attempts to protect her, and the way he was now thinking seriously about something all stirred an unusual feeling in her heart.

The car arrived at their destination.

The procedures were complicated and specialized.

Yan Qingyue communicated effortlessly with the warehouse staff and appraisers, showing a capable side of herself beyond business negotiations.

Lin Chen followed behind her, diligently noting down the key points while subconsciously activating Golden Eye and looking curiously around the place where countless precious artworks were stored.

However, most of the items produced no special reaction in his eyes. Evidently, either their value was already fully recognized,

or his Golden Eye's level was not yet high enough to see through to deeper information.

Just as the procedures were almost complete, a staff member pushed a cart past them, carrying several items that had just been shipped back from overseas and were awaiting registration for storage.

Among them was a small oil painting, simply wrapped in bubble wrap. It looked dull and dusty, utterly unremarkable.

Lin Chen's gaze happened to sweep over the painting, and an extremely faint warmth suddenly spread through his eyes!

Golden Eye reacted?!

His heart stirred, and he instinctively focused his gaze on it.

In his vision, an extremely faint, almost imperceptible glimmer seemed to appear on the surface of the ordinary-looking oil painting. At the same time, an extremely blurry, fragmented piece of information flooded into his mind—

[Perception: Surface layer of paint covering... underneath... hidden... signature?

...Value... severely underestimated... energy field faint but unusual...]

The information was extremely vague and disjointed, nowhere near as clear as when he had discovered the jeweled flower ornament's hidden compartment last time.

But the key phrases "value severely underestimated" and "unusual energy field" made Lin Chen's heart leap!

Could this be a real opportunity?!

He forced down his excitement and casually asked a nearby staff member,

"Hello, is that painting being put into storage this time too? It looks quite old."

The staff member glanced at it and replied offhandedly,

"Oh, that one? No. Another collector brought it here for temporary storage. Apparently, it was picked up at some small auction house abroad. It isn't worth much, and we're about to arrange for cleaning and a basic inspection."

Yan Qingyue also noticed Lin Chen's actions and question. She glanced at the unremarkable painting, then looked at Lin Chen with a somewhat probing gaze.

What has he found this time?

Her intuition told her that Lin Chen would not take an interest in something seemingly ordinary for no reason.

Catching Yan Qingyue's probing gaze, Lin Chen felt his heart tighten.

I can't make it too obvious! The mission says I can't rely on her help!

He quickly smiled and covered it up.

"Oh, I just thought the frame looked rather unusual, so I asked."

Yan Qingyue's eyes flickered slightly. She did not press him, but she made a mental note of the painting and Lin Chen's unusual interest in it.

On the way back after completing the procedures, Lin Chen was visibly distracted. His mind was filled with thoughts of the undervalued oil painting and how to find out where it came from and get his hands on it without alerting Yan Qingyue.

Seeing him like this, Yan Qingyue suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the car.

"By the way, there's a small private sales fair in Macau next week, mainly featuring modern and contemporary Asian art and Western antiques. Would you be interested in coming along to have a look? Consider it a chance to broaden your horizons."

Macau? A private sales fair?

Lin Chen's eyes lit up! This was like being handed a pillow just as he was dozing off!

Macau was a place where fish and dragons mingled, with even more chances to uncover bargains!

And once he was away from home, it would be easier to act alone, out of Yan Qingyue's sight!

But he immediately grew wary again.

Why did she suddenly invite me? Has she noticed something? Is she testing me?

He answered cautiously, "Thank you for giving me the opportunity, President Yan. I... I'd certainly like to go and learn.

But... at an event like that, wouldn't it be a little inappropriate for me to take you along?"

He was hinting that his rank was not high enough.

Yan Qingyue gave him a faint glance.

"You'll be going as my personal assistant. There's nothing inappropriate about it. Consider it a reward for last time... for finding the jeweled flower ornament in time."

She deliberately paused, watching his reaction.

Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat. Sure enough, it was because of what had happened last time!

Should I go or not? If I go, I'll have a chance to encounter more potentially undervalued items, but the risk is greater too, and I could easily be exposed.

If I don't go, it would be a shame to miss the opportunity...

He weighed the pros and cons, then finally gritted his teeth.

"Thank you, President Yan! I'll do my best and won't embarrass you!"

"Mm."

Yan Qingyue responded and turned back to the window, the corners of her lips curving upward almost imperceptibly.

The fish, it seemed, had taken the bait again.

And she suddenly felt that this relationship between them, which appeared to be one between superior and subordinate but was full of hidden currents and mutual probing, seemed more interesting than simply teasing him.

Something was quietly changing.