After a brief moment of shock, Duan Xuanyu did indeed accept it.
He asked inside his head, "What do you want?"
[Due to a spacetime bug, you were brought to this world. If you want to return to Northern Liang, you must stop loving Su Mian completely, because you belong to two different worlds to begin with.]
Duan Xuanyu sneered.
"Why should I listen to you?"
"Get out of my head."
In all his years, Duan Xuanyu had never let anything control him.
Whatever he wanted to do, he would accomplish.
If heaven stood in his way, he would destroy heaven.
If earth stood in his way, he would obliterate earth.
The realm was his, and so was Su Mian.
[Master, have you forgotten?]
[Have you forgotten how many years you searched for her?]
"Get out."
"Don't make me dig out my own brain to gouge you out."
At the mall.
Su Mian had already called out to the system several times in her head, but it hadn't answered.
This system had been rather quiet in the previous world, too.
But it was quite prompt about delivering rewards.
As a modern person who had transmigrated to ancient times, the reason she had learned lightness skills and martial arts so quickly was actually that she had redeemed them through the system.
She had never blamed the system for taking her to ancient times, either.
After all, she had been on the verge of death after a car accident in the modern world. Having her complete missions was the system giving her a chance to come back to life.
For this transmigration, the system had paid her one billion.
Every time, the price had been clearly stated, and both sides benefited.
It paid more than any boss would, and it didn't psychologically manipulate people, either.
Its only flaw was that it often went offline and ignored her.
Su Mian sighed.
Unexpectedly, the system suddenly popped up again:
[Master, were you looking for me?]
"...Yes. Tell me, why do I have scars left by two different spacetimes?"
"Is the reason I have premonitions about certain major events that I've been to this world before?"
"Could it be that I'm not a cannon-fodder villainess in a short face-slapping story, but an infinite-flow heroine?"
[Drooling, vacant-looking Patrick Star meme.jpg]
Su Mian: "..."
Rather than waste time with this brain-dead system, she might as well go home and get some more sleep.
Su Mian waved to Sister Li, intending to say goodbye.
Sister Li suddenly ran over again, all excited. "Mianmian, I just got word! Tonight, you're going to meet the company's senior management over dinner!"
Su Mian looked horrified. "Can I skip it? Filming for the dating show starts again tomorrow, and I haven't had a single day off!"
Sister Li said, "No, you can't. Your contract stipulates that you must cooperate with all the company's arrangements, or you'll have to pay damages and be shelved indefinitely!"
"Besides, this means the higher-ups appreciate you! I hear there'll be plenty of famous directors and producers at dinner. Put on a good showing and land yourself a female lead!"
"Our President Lu will be there, too. He'll look out for you!"
Su Mian didn't particularly care about making movies or TV dramas. After all, she would leave this world sooner or later.
But being shelved indefinitely?!
Wouldn't that mean she couldn't take part in the dating show?
Wouldn't that mean she couldn't complete her mission to go home?
Su Mian rallied again!
"Just you wait, you slutty little job! I'm going to work you to death today! Until I'm completely worn out!"
Although Lu Zhou was the president of Starry Entertainment Company, he was actually still constrained by several shareholders.
He didn't want to give Su Mian any opportunities, lest the girl grow even more arrogant.
However, the shareholders had all noticed Su Mian's recent surge in popularity, which far surpassed Fang Nuonuo's.
Moreover, her saving the woman in labor at the hospital had even led several official media accounts to follow her.
Her public reputation was excellent now.
Only a fool would refuse to promote her and insist on promoting someone who had no audience appeal instead.
So the shareholders had told him to find Su Mian some opportunities in film and television, too.
That was how tonight's dinner had come about.
Besides...
Lu Zhou thought again of the crisscrossing scars on Su Mian's wrists.
He suddenly understood something.
Su Mian had been acting out so much lately, deliberately pretending not to like him, because she must have wanted to get his attention.
He didn't believe that someone who had slit her wrists for him could suddenly stop loving him.
He had to admit, she had succeeded.
So now he planned to take a step back, too.
He would help Su Mian secure a female lead tonight as an apology to her.
Then, after dinner, he would come completely clean with her about his identity, his assets, and absolutely everything else.
That evening.
Lu Zhou arrived early to meet the directors, producers, investors, and others in the industry, and secured a female lead for Su Mian, too.
Once their meeting was over, he sent them away.
Because tonight, he wanted to spend time alone with Su Mian.
After Lu Zhou was the only one left in the private room, the door was suddenly pushed open.
But the person who entered wasn't Su Mian. It was Xu Qingyun.
She wore a white dress, her long hair falling over her shoulders, looking gentle and sweet.
Lu Zhou was slightly taken aback. "What brings you here?"
Xu Qingyun walked over and sat beside him, resting her head gently on his shoulder.
"Brother Zhou, I heard from my daddy that you were having a get-together here with the uncles and aunties, so I invited myself. Huh? Where are all the uncles and aunties?"
Xu Qingyun's father was also a veteran artist in the industry, so those directors and producers all knew her. It was perfectly reasonable for her to come say hello.
Lu Zhou said, "They all had things to do, so they left."
Xu Qingyun blinked. "Wow, then it's just me and Brother Zhou having dinner together."
"..." Lu Zhou had intended to ask Xu Qingyun to leave first.
But then he thought that part of the reason Su Mian had broken up with him was her gold-digging.
And another part of it was probably her jealousy of Xu Qingyun.
Since Xu Qingyun happened to be here today, he could take the opportunity to clear things up with Su Mian.
He had always regarded Xu Qingyun as a younger sister.
They waited a little longer.
Su Mian arrived right on time.
As soon as she entered, Su Mian saw that it was just the two of them. "Huh? Why is nobody here? I'll leave, too, then."
Lu Zhou slapped the table in anger. "Su Mian! If you don't want to be shelved, get over here and sit down!"
Xu Qingyun's gaze flickered, but she immediately put on a smile and beckoned to Su Mian. "Miss Su, come sit here."
Su Mian turned back to glance at the two of them.
Fine, you asked for this.
Just don't regret it!
Soon, all the dishes had been served.
Spotting a steamed grouper, Xu Qingyun immediately said, "Brother Zhou, they have your favorite grouper! The fish here is really good."
Lu Zhou raised his chopsticks and was just about to take some.
Su Mian grabbed the table and spun the dish in front of herself with a whoosh. "Really? Let me try."
Lu Zhou's chopsticks hung awkwardly in midair.
He took a deep breath and reached toward another dish.
With another whoosh, Su Mian spun the table away again!
Lu Zhou reached again.
Su Mian spun again.
Reach, reach, reach.
Spin, spin, spin.
The table spun until it practically smoked, the dishes on top whirling into afterimages.
Lu Zhou kept taking deep breaths, suppressing his anger.
Su Mian smiled faintly.
You dared make me work overtime?
Then get ready to face a worker's wrath!
From now on, as long as I'm at the table, there's absolutely no way I'll let you get a single bite!
Xu Qingyun was dumbfounded.
She had thought Su Mian's craziness on the dating show was just her persona.
She hadn't expected her to actually be this unhinged!
In the end, Lu Zhou couldn't take it anymore and slammed the table. "Su Mian, that's enough!"
Su Mian's hands were aching from all the spinning, and she was getting hungry, too.
That'll do for now.
So she stopped, picked up her chopsticks, and began eating.
She couldn't let herself go hungry just to make her boss miserable.
I'm so good at taking care of myself... Su Mian was so touched by herself that her heart felt warm.
Su Mian grabbed the big Australian rock lobster on the table and shoved it into her mouth with a chomp.
Xu Qingyun suddenly said, "Brother Zhou, I want that shrimp, too."