Attack and Defense Across the Video Call

At 8:59 p.m.

Lin Chen took a deep breath and checked his appearance one last time.

His hair was perfect, the angle was perfect, and the bouquet of sunflowers and baby's breath in the background added just the right touch of warmth and style.

He had deliberately changed into a fine light gray knit sweater, making him look approachable and gentle.

Calm down, calm down!

Lin Chen, you can do this!

Remember, you're Chenxing, the witty and humorous forum expert, not the little assistant who trembles in fear of President Yan!

His heart pounded like a drum in his chest. He was looking forward to finally seeing Little Moon's face, and his immense excitement over the system's activation had yet to subside.

He tried to put Yan Iceberg and Kexiang Technology out of his mind for the moment and focus all his attention on the video call about to begin.

At nine o'clock sharp.

The video app's notification sounded on his computer right on time.

Lin Chen nearly held his breath as he clicked the answer button.

The screen froze for a moment before the picture lit up.

But his girlfriend's face did not appear as he had expected.

The camera seemed to be deliberately aimed at the ceiling—or rather, at a strikingly designed chandelier that cast a soft glow.

"Uh... Little Moon?"

Lin Chen called out tentatively, his heart skipping a beat.

What's going on? Is the connection lagging?

Or... did she change her mind at the last minute?

Don't do this! I've prepared for so long!

"Mm... can you hear me?"

A slightly husky yet extraordinarily familiar woman's voice came through the speakers. Her tone was gentle, with a faint trace of languor.

That voice...

Lin Chen froze!

That voice... why did it sound so much like...

Holy shit! Why does she sound so much like President Yan?!

It's an illusion! I must be so nervous that I'm imagining things!

President Yan's voice is colder and harder, like ice hitting marble. This voice is obviously softer and more... alluring?

Right, it's an illusion!

He forcibly suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and hurried to answer:

"I can hear you! Loud and clear! What about you? Can you see me?"

"Mm... I can."

Her voice seemed to hold a trace of laughter. "But... I think there's something wrong with my camera. Let me adjust it."

As soon as she finished speaking, the picture on the screen began to move slowly downward.

Her face did not appear. The first thing he saw was a long, fair neck with the graceful lines of a swan.

Farther down were delicate collarbones, glowing softly in the gentle light.

She seemed to be wearing a silk bathrobe, its neckline slightly open. That tantalizing glimpse set his heart racing far more than a direct display would have.

The picture finally settled on the area below her chest.

Lin Chen swallowed involuntarily, his throat feeling a little dry.

This... is her camera broken?

This is obviously a precise tactical cover-up! An expert!

An absolute expert! But... those proportions... incredible!

Her neck is beautiful, and so are her collarbones... I wonder about her face... bah!

Lin Chen, what are you thinking? How can you do this to Little Moon?!

Even though she hasn't shown her face... her voice is so sweet, and her figure is so good. President Yan doesn't have that kind of charm...

In her apartment, Yan Qingyue watched Lin Chen's transfixed expression on the split screen and listened to his incoherent inner voice. Beneath her face mask, the corners of her mouth curled up smugly.

It seemed to be working well.

She had deliberately adjusted her voice just now, making it softer and more seductive than when she was at work.

As for not showing her face?

For one thing, she had not yet figured out how to explain this "coincidence." For another... she found it especially fun to tease him like this and watch him panic and speculate inwardly.

"Just now... I think I heard you say something about striking it rich?"

Yan Qingyue brought it up as if by chance, her voice still soft. "Did something good happen?"

She was very curious about what his earlier grand declaration about striking it rich had actually meant.

Lin Chen's heart tightened, and he snapped out of the temptation of her beauty.

I'm done for! Did I get so excited that I accidentally muttered it out loud?

The system is an absolute top secret! I can't tell anyone!

"Huh? Oh! No, it's nothing!"

He hurriedly brushed it off, his brain racing. "It's just... a lottery ticket I bought earlier seems to have won a small prize. I got a little excited, haha, just a little excited..."

Sorry, lottery bro, I'm making you take the blame!

But the system is too unbelievable. If I told anyone, they'd think I was crazy!

Especially if she found out I was still entertaining the utterly outrageous idea of making President Yan work for me...

A lottery ticket? Yan Qingyue raised an eyebrow.

That excuse was really half-hearted.

And a small prize?

The wild joy in his thoughts did not sound like he had merely won a small prize.

Still, he seemed determined to keep it hidden.

She was in no hurry to expose him; there would be plenty of opportunities to dig it out of him later.

"Oh? Congratulations."

Her tone was cheerful as she changed the subject at just the right moment. "The flowers behind you are beautiful. Sunflowers and baby's breath?"

"Right! I just bought them. I thought... they were so sunny, just like you."

Lin Chen followed up with a sweet line without missing a beat, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

That was close. I managed to fool her!

But she's so observant; she even noticed the flowers in the background.

She's so thoughtful, completely different from a work machine like President Yan, who only looks at reports and data!

I like her!

Yan Qingyue: "..."

Should she thank him for finding a roundabout way to praise her?

Even if it was in such a split-personality fashion.

"Smooth talker."

She gave a light laugh, with just the right touch of playful reproach.

To further distract him from the "prize" and her "voice," she decided to turn up the heat.

On the screen, her crossed, beautiful legs shifted slightly.

The previously neat hem of her bathrobe slipped down a little with the movement, revealing more of her smooth, delicate lower leg and a perfectly contoured ankle.

Her toes were slender, their nails painted a pale pearlescent shade that looked especially alluring under the light.

Lin Chen's gaze was caught instantly, as though pulled in by a magnet.

Oh... oh my god... those legs... that ankle... was she God's graduation project?!

No, no! See no evil!

Lin Chen, you're a gentleman! You're here to video chat with your soulmate!

Not to look at her legs! But... they're so beautiful... I can't control my eyes!

Little Moon, are you testing my self-control?!

Listening to the inner monologue in which his righteous thoughts and wicked desires fought like crazy, Yan Qingyue nearly laughed out loud.

She tried to keep her voice steady, even adding just the right touch of shyness:

"Um... I still can't seem to get the camera adjusted... how about we leave it like this for today?

"Shall we... video chat another day?"

Retreating in order to advance.

It avoided the risk of showing her face, left him unlimited room for imagination, and let her maintain her "shy" persona.

Sure enough, although Lin Chen was extremely reluctant to part with the sight of those legs, he immediately behaved like a gentleman:

"It's fine, it's fine! It might be a driver issue. Try restarting your computer next time. Just hearing your voice makes me happy!"

Don't! I haven't seen enough... no, I mean, I haven't talked enough!

But she seems a little embarrassed, so I can't push her. Take it slow, take it slow... today was already a historic breakthrough!

At least I heard her voice and saw... ahem, ahem...

"Then you..."

Yan Qingyue's voice grew even softer. "Get some rest early too? Today... I was very happy talking to you."

"Me too!"

Lin Chen hurried to say, "Really happy! Then... good night? My moon."

He said those last two words with particular tenderness and affection.

"...Good night."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the screen before a nearly breathless reply came, and then the video call ended.

The moment the screen went dark, Lin Chen let out a long breath and collapsed back onto the sofa. He felt as though he had fought an intense battle, both excited and exhausted.

I did it! Even though I didn't see her face, it feels even better!

The mystery is maxed out! Her charm is off the charts!

Her voice is beautiful, her figure is unbeatable, and she's so shy and cute!

Perfect! Wait... that silence at the end... did my "my moon" make her swoon? Hehehe...

At the other end of the city, Yan Qingyue peeled off her face mask, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful face flushed red.

She raised a hand to touch her cheek. It was astonishingly hot.

His deep, gentle "my moon" had come through the speakers, and combined with the feelings of love and anticipation she had clearly sensed from him at the time, it had made her heart skip several beats.

The thrill of being separated by a screen, knowing exactly who the other person was while both of them "disguised" themselves, and the sense of control that came from clearly perceiving every fluctuation in his emotions let her experience an unprecedented... flutter in her heart.

She walked over to the wine cabinet and poured another glass of red wine. Gently swirling it, she watched the dark red liquid leave beautiful traces on the side of the glass.

"Kexiang Technology..."

She murmured to herself, recalling the name she had faintly heard in his thoughts earlier.

At the time, she had been too astonished by his grand boasts to pay much attention to that detail.

Now that she had calmed down, her professional sharpness had picked up on it.

Why would Lin Chen think of an obscure company listed on the Hong Kong stock market while in such a state of extreme excitement?

Did it have something to do with his supposed "prize"?

She picked up her phone and made a call:

"Secretary Li, look into a Hong Kong-listed company called Kexiang Technology for me. The ticker should be 08237. Yes, as detailed as possible, especially whether there have been any potential positive developments or movements lately. I want to see the report before work tomorrow morning."

After hanging up, she took a sip of red wine, her gaze falling on the computer screen that had already gone dark.

Lin Chen, oh, Lin Chen.

Just how many secrets are you still hiding?

Meanwhile, Lin Chen, completely unaware of any of this, excitedly opened his Hong Kong stock trading account and transferred in the fifty thousand yuan the system had given him, along with all the savings he had put aside. He rubbed his hands together in anticipation as he waited for 9:30 the next morning.

President Yan, Little Moon! Just wait and see! My era, the era of Lin Chen, is about to begin! Hahahahaha!

Yan Qingyue's hand, still holding her wineglass, paused again.

There it was again.

That inexplicable, wildly laughing inner voice, brimming with ambition.

She shook her head helplessly and drained her glass.

It looked like someone was going to lose sleep tonight.