Mu Yue exchanged contact information with Ye Luling. After lunch, Ye Luling hurried off to find her bodyguard.
Mu Yue reminded her that she needed to secretly install the camera when she was alone with the bodyguard, and that she absolutely had to be careful not to get caught. She also warned her not to carelessly leave personal belongings—like her phone—on tables or the bar, in case the scumbag saw messages she was sending and turned the tables by setting her up instead.
The little princess sent several “Got it” stickers and eagerly went off to get busy.
Meanwhile, Mu Yue found a restaurant and enjoyed her lunch. It was indeed scorching outside, so after eating, she strolled around indoors, browsing the sights and taking photos whenever she spotted something interesting.
With so few guests around, it was genuinely a pleasure to wander about. It felt as though everything here had been arranged solely for her. And since anyone who could be on the ship at this time was clearly a VIP, the staff were unfailingly gentle and attentive, exceptionally skilled at making guests feel appreciated. By the end of it, Mu Yue felt thoroughly relaxed in both body and mind.
Once she grew a little tired from walking, Mu Yue returned to her room for a nap. Boarding was at two in the afternoon, and the ship was scheduled to set sail at five.
When Mu Yue woke up, she saw a little bear sprawled across her pillow. The moment it saw her open her eyes, it eagerly claimed credit.
“Host, Host! My appeal succeeded! I got fifty points!”
The bear puffed out its chest, its face practically screaming, *Praise me, praise me!*
Mu Yue reached out and patted its head with a finger. “Oh my, Little Fan, you’re amazing!”
The bear let out a silly “Hehe,” rolled around on the pillow, and looked utterly delighted.
“Host, you have so many points now. Isn’t there anything you want to buy?” The other three systems appeared one after another, trying to steal some of Bear-Bear’s spotlight.
Their words reminded Mu Yue that it had indeed been a while since she had taken stock of her assets.
She opened the skin menu.
After her gaokao results came out, she had received 400 points as a reward for beating the score cutoff. Recent expenses for swimming lessons, getting her driver’s license, and other costs came to 54 points. Another 246 points had come from daily check-ins and draws. Adding her previous balance and the fifty points she had just received, she currently had a total of 984 points.
Once her university admission letter arrived, she would receive another 500 points.
Mu Yue looked over the numbers and decided to pay off the remaining installments for the Chef Card first. The monthly installments for the two cards came to 155 points, of which 55 points were for the Chef Card. After deducting the three months she had already paid, she could settle it in one payment of 835 points, leaving her with 149 points.
“Huh? Why pay off the character card first, Host? You could still buy other cards in installments!”
“Exactly, exactly!”
Mu Yue smiled. “I could, but having debt hanging over me never feels comfortable. I’d rather pay it off and feel more at ease.”
If she truly needed something, she would not hesitate to take out a high-interest loan. But since there was nothing she urgently needed right now, and she had the points on hand, it made more sense to clear one debt first.
After paying off the points, Mu Yue checked her account balance. She currently had more than 22 million in it. Part of it had accumulated from daily check-ins, while another three or four million had come from random rewards.
These days, Mu Yue collected the daily check-in payout one day and opened blind boxes the next. Relying solely on blind boxes was simply too dependent on luck.
There were, of course, other things in the loot boxes besides money and points. One was an “Utter Lack of Presence” aura. Several of the systems were deeply dissatisfied with it: a host ought to shine brilliantly—what use was an aura that made her completely unnoticeable?
But Mu Yue saw it differently. She found the aura quite interesting. Once activated, people would instinctively overlook her. They would not notice her until she was practically standing in front of them. It was almost like invisibility.
There was also a painting of lotuses worth around one hundred thousand yuan; a set of antique tea ware worth a little over three million; and an extremely abstract plastic chair—utterly uncomfortable to sit on—with a minimum valuation of fifty thousand. Mu Yue could not appreciate the chair in the slightest, so she had the system recycle it, earning herself thirty thousand yuan back.
Finally, there were two items.
The loot boxes had definitely not been a loss, though she had not drawn anything especially valuable. This month, she had renewed her lease with Luo Feiyang. If she still had not drawn anything worthwhile by the end of the month, she would have to consider whether to rent a similar place in A City first, or buy a somewhat smaller apartment instead.
For now, Mu Yue did not want to think about that. Looking again at the two items, she remembered wondering what kind of situation she would ever use them in. But as she examined them now, a very interesting way to play with them gradually took shape in her mind.
Just thinking about what she was about to do on this cruise ship made Mu Yue want to laugh. Her mood could not have been better.
She changed into a swimsuit. The cruise ship had an abundance of water attractions, spread across several themed areas, with all kinds of pools, waterslides, and enclosed water chutes everywhere. There was even surfing on the deck. Passengers had already begun boarding, and from her balcony she could see the crowds gathering below.
Mu Yue went to the deck first to try surfing. She did not know how, but that was fine—there were instructors here, and for casual fun, that was more than enough.
If Mu Yue became interested, she could always learn proper surfing later. Once she mastered it, the Academic Overachiever System would reward her with points as well.
On this cruise ship, all one needed to do each day was eat and play, play and eat, and forget every worry.
There were more than twenty restaurants, about half of them free. Some required payment, while others were reserved for suite guests. Day or night, there were always different performances: stage plays, magic shows, singing and dancing, and so on. Yes, including the strip show Cheng Zimin had mentioned.
Mu Yue did not actually like it that much. The men performed too crudely and too directly. They had a certain wildness to them, but not much aesthetic appeal.
Mu Yue preferred something shy and teasing, half-hidden and half-revealed—ideally with a touch of embarrassed unease, as though they were being reluctantly forced into it.
Ahem. She had gotten sidetracked.
Besides all that entertainment, there were naturally card games and board games as well. And where there were card games, there was, of course, the X-Ray-Vision Male Lead’s prime stage for showing off.
As soon as Wang Jian boarded the ship, he spent half the afternoon picking up women on the dance floor at the bar. Once night fell, he headed straight for the gaming area. On the way, he encountered two female servers, took food and drinks from their trays, and said to them, “White and red. Black lace.”
The two waitresses had no idea they had just been ogled. Unable to understand his language, they had no clue what he was saying and assumed he was complimenting their looks. They flashed Wang Jian open, generous smiles.
Wang Jian laughed heartily as well.
The ship had only just set sail, and international waters were still a long way off. The gaming areas currently open were merely appetizers before dinner. Half a month ago, Wang Jian would have looked down on such small stakes—they would not even have been enough to fill the gaps between his teeth. But now, he was short on cash.
He had gone to great lengths to obtain this ticket, even owing someone a favor for it. Once he got back, he would have to help that person appraise some stones.
The more Wang Jian thought about it, the angrier he became. Why the hell did private transactions have to be taxed? That fine had wiped out all the effort he had put in lately. And even more infuriating was that Zhang guy—did he think he could control everything in this gambling city? Wang Jian had refused to work under him, and the man had actually pulled this kind of stunt on him!
Just wait. If he did not get revenge for this, he would write his name backward! There were plenty of rich people on this ship.
The moment Wang Jian arrived, he went through a whole sequence of events: “a rich young heir mocking him,” “everyone looking down on him,” “a beautiful woman becoming curious,” “the rich young heir flying into a rage,” “the beauty taking a liking to him,” “the rich young heir losing it and starting to gamble recklessly,” and finally, “the rich young heir’s defeat.”
In less than two hours, cheers were erupting throughout the gaming area, and circles upon circles of people had gathered around Wang Jian.
After just one night, quite a few people already knew his name.
“Wang Jian? Who’s that?” Fang Surou rolled her eyes in disdain. What a tacky name. Then she looked at the photo her second brother had taken and nearly felt sick. “Brother, seriously? You want me to help you get close to someone like this?”
The man in the photo looked utterly ordinary, without the slightest trace of class or charisma. There was even something a little sleazy about his eyes and brows. Her brother actually wanted her to approach him so that he could take her brother into the casino later? It would lower her standards just being associated with him. Someone like Wang Jian would not even be worthy of carrying her shoes in ordinary circumstances.
“Oh, Surou, you don’t understand. This guy really has some skills,” Fang Suyi said excitedly. “I watched the whole thing last night. He made more than five million all by himself! Out of ten rounds, he won eight! And I could tell—the times he lost, he did it on purpose. He has the ability to win every single time. Do you understand how incredible those odds are?”
Fang Surou looked doubtful. “Is he really that good?”
“He really is!” Fang Suyi hurriedly said. “And it’s not like I’m asking you to do anything. Just help your brother start a conversation so I can get to know him.”
Fang Surou muttered, “If you want to meet him, then go meet him yourself. Why drag me into it...?”
Fang Suyi gave her a look that said, You know why. “My little sister is so pretty and charming. That country bumpkin is bound to be completely smitten the moment you show up. Besides, I’m your brother—I would never hurt you. I absolutely won’t let him lay a finger on you!”
Seeing that Fang Surou was still hesitating, Fang Suyi gritted his teeth and raised the offer. “How about this? If you pull it off, I’ll give you five hundred thousand yuan in spending money! You can buy all those clothes and handbags you love!”
Fang Surou’s eyes lit up, and only then did she agree. Then she added, “But, Brother, don’t forget about that thing.”
“Don’t worry! How could I forget?” Fang Suyi ground his teeth. “As long as I get to see her and find out which room she’s staying in—heh!”
“I’ll go ask around,” Fang Surou volunteered. Naturally, it wasn’t solely for the sake of getting revenge on Mu Yue. She also wanted the chance to make connections with other wealthy young ladies.
At that moment, none of them knew that everything they were doing was being watched by Mu Yue.
“Well, that’s unexpected. The villain from this story has gotten involved with the protagonist from that one.” Mu Yue was getting a manicure as she watched the surveillance footage her system companions had captured for her.
She had four systems. Technology like this didn’t even cost her any points.
Wang Jian? The name perfectly matched Mu Yue’s stereotype of a male-lead protagonist from a power-fantasy novel. The more ordinary the name, the more satisfying it was supposed to sound when shouted during some ridiculously badass moment—though Mu Yue couldn’t relate. She simply couldn’t put herself in the shoes of a loser guy.
With his golden finger, Wang Jian had an easy time winning in the games area. He even “carefully” threw a few rounds on purpose, avoiding a perfect winning record so the casino wouldn’t blacklist him too soon. But honestly, he was far too greedy. The rounds he lost were all small ones, while the rounds he won were all big. His so-called caution wasn’t cautious in the slightest.
The feeling was rather like... well, the political intrigue in certain historical idol dramas.
Over the next few days, Ye Luling would invite Mu Yue out to eat and have fun from time to time. Mu Yue had come here to enjoy herself in the first place, so naturally she wasn’t about to neglect good food and entertainment.
After spending two or three days together, Ye Luling liked Mu Yue even more. She trailed after her like a little tail, wanting to invite Mu Yue along for everything she did. This made her fiancé extremely annoyed.
With Mu Yue around, he could find even fewer opportunities to take things further with Ye Luling. So, when he learned that someone was asking about Mu Yue, he spread the news himself.
He painted Mu Yue as the daughter of an ultra-wealthy family. Whether men or women, there would always be people eager to ingratiate themselves with her. Besides, he wasn’t exactly making it up—he might not know her personally, but the room she was staying in spoke for itself.
He thought this would keep Mu Yue tied up. Either she would be too occupied to bother with Ye Luling, or the constant harassment would annoy her into staying indoors. As long as she had no time to spend with Ye Luling, he would have the chance to resume his pursuit.
But to his surprise, Mu Yue was completely unaffected. She still ate, drank, and played as she pleased, while Ye Luling continued following her everywhere.
Instead, the fiancé was the one being pestered by people asking where Mu Yue was and where they might run into her. He was furious and baffled at the same time. What was going on? She was such a conspicuous person—were they all blind? And how was he supposed to know where she was? Stop asking already! So annoying!
Mu Yue and Ye Luling soaked in the hot springs, sipping fruit wine as they watched the fiancé get surrounded by a crowd and lose his temper.
See? Mu Yue had said that the “No Presence” aura was pretty useful.
After watching a little longer, Mu Yue realized that Fang Surou had actually managed to find out her room number, as well as some of the places she usually passed through.
The fiancé had noticed her too and could tell she was planning something. Recognizing a kindred spirit, the two of them naturally joined forces.
The fiancé had brought drugs with him in the first place. Now that he knew someone wanted to set Mu Yue up, he generously shared them with Fang Surou. Fang Surou barely had to do anything—she had both the tools and the manpower ready at hand.
Watching this unfold, Mu Yue was speechless. See? She had been right: the plot armor had been handed over to the Fang family! Nothing the heroine wanted ever came easily, while this false heiress got whatever she wanted without even trying. It was ridiculously easy for her.
“Big Sister Mu,” Ye Luling said as she swam over, “you’re smiling kind of strangely.”
“Am I?” Mu Yue took a slow sip of her drink. “I just received word. Your fiancé is about to make his move.”
“What move?” Ye Luling immediately grew nervous. “Is he going to kidnap me?”
Mu Yue did not hide the truth from her. “Not kidnapping. But something worse. He wants to drug you and violate you.”
Ye Luling’s face went white, and tears quickly welled up in her round eyes. Sixteen was not six—of course she understood what Mu Yue meant. She did not even ask why.
What else could the reason be? She did not like him. She would not obey him. He wanted to control her. She did not doubt that he was capable of it. Ye Luling might be innocent, but she could sense the goodwill and malice of the people around her.
She liked clinging to Mu Yue because she could feel that Mu Yue genuinely treated her with kindness and goodwill. And unlike the girls who usually flocked around her—who claimed to like her while slandering her behind her back—Mu Yue was different. She had no ulterior motive, no intention of gaining anything from her, and no desire to use her as a stepping stone to get close to her father.
Around Mu Yue, she felt at ease.
But around that fiancé, it was completely different. Afraid and angry, Ye Luling did not know what she should do. All she could do was look at Mu Yue pleadingly.
Mu Yue stroked her hair. This little princess had been raised without much independence and had developed a habit of relying on others. That really was not a good thing. Even if they dealt with this scumbag, there might very well be another one after him—unless she had someone by her side who would truly consider her best interests.
“Lingling, besides your father, do you have anyone else close to you—someone you can trust?” Her useless father was the first person to rule out.
“I do.” Ye Luling nodded as she wiped away her tears. “My maternal grandparents are especially good to me.”
As she spoke, she even showed Mu Yue some photos of her family.
She really had no guard up at all. Still, judging from the photos, her maternal grandparents both looked healthy. Mu Yue did not ask about her mother. There was no need to. If Ye Luling’s mother were around, how could something as absurd as her sixteen-year-old daughter having a fiancé have happened?
Mu Yue said, “Good. Once we get back, tell them about this first. They’ll help you figure out what to do.”
Ye Luling nodded eagerly, like a chicken pecking at grain. She hesitated for a moment—shouldn’t they tell her dad first?
But then she remembered: she had always said she didn’t like it, that she hated it, yet her father had never believed her. This time, she would be the very last to tell him. Let him learn his lesson!
After they finished soaking, Mu Yue reminded Ye Luling of a few things, and the two went their separate ways.
That night, the ship had entered international waters. The casino opened, and Wang Jian’s personal stage began.
Fang Surou also successfully introduced Fang Suyi to Wang Jian.
With his golden finger, Wang Jian had exceptionally high standards. Still, the false heiress was an important character after all, and she did have some charm. Though Wang Jian did not think much of her, he did not reject Fang Surou’s overtures, considering that all the women aboard were daughters of wealthy families.
After all, such a wonderful prospect was something he would never even have dared dream of in the past.
Fang Suyi, tagging along behind Wang Jian, quickly found himself winning until his face was glowing with excitement. Fang Surou, meanwhile, was thrilled on one hand and hurried off to soothe her fiancé on the other.
Wang Jian was the male lead of a stallion novel—he was extremely sensitive and sharp when it came to such matters. How could he possibly allow a woman he had set his sights on to throw herself at another man? In his story, he was the one who stole other men’s women; the reverse was absolutely unacceptable.
And so, in no time at all, the drama Mu Yue was following turned into a scene where the stallion-novel protagonist provoked the false heiress’s fiancé. The fiancé turned red with rage, stormed to the gambling tables, lost everything, then slapped the false heiress in humiliation and fury before leaving in a huff.
And that was not the end of it.
Once the stallion-novel protagonist came to his senses and realized that the Fang siblings had merely wanted to use him to make money—and that Fang Surou did not actually think highly of him at all—the plot moved seamlessly on to its next act.
Wang Jian did not show it on the surface, but he began deliberately guiding Fang Suyi into losing. Since Wang Jian had not initially established himself as someone who won every game, a mix of wins and losses seemed perfectly normal. Fang Suyi failed to notice anything amiss. He simply thought his luck had been bad that round.
Wang Jian kept him hooked: lose twice, win once. No one could stop someone who had completely lost their head.
In the end, Fang Suyi not only lost all his winnings, but also lost an additional five million.
The Fang parents dragged him out of the casino in a daze, while Fang Surou—still trying to win back her fiancé—remained completely unaware of what had happened.
“Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!” Mu Yue clapped in delight. This was no less entertaining than the proper shows on board.
Was it an unexpected bonus?
Of course not.
It was Mu Yue who had arranged for the false heiress’s fiancé to be brought over. Fang Suyi and his sister were not fools. If they were sending their sister to butter Wang Jian up and make him happy, then naturally they could not let her legitimate fiancé see it. Of course they had been doing it behind his back.
But Mu Yue could not stand to watch that. How unfair would that be to the poor sap? He had traveled all this way just to make Fang Surou happy, and had even bought tickets for her entire family. Yet once they got aboard, they excluded him completely. What kind of behavior was that?
Mu Yue was a kindhearted person who loved helping others. Look at how happy that poor sap of a brother was smiling now!
System Four looked at the chaotic, devastated, furious faces on the surveillance footage: ...
He did not seem all that happy, though?
Still, could they apply for more points for this? What would this achievement be called? Stirring up discord?
Mu Yue said, “No rush, no rush. The main course hasn’t even begun yet.”
She gave the group time to settle down. In the early hours of the morning, she went out alone, deliberately wandering through secluded places while contacting Ye Luling.
The two agreed to meet at a bar later.
When the exhausted Fang Surou received the message, a hint of a smile finally appeared on her weary face. She hurried to find Fang Suyi and told him that Mu Yue had shown up.
Fang Suyi had lost so much money that he had been in a terrible mood. But when he thought of Mu Yue’s wealth, his spirits rose again. If he could really get her, wouldn’t five million be easy money?
As for whether she might refuse to go along with him and report him to the police instead, he had naturally made preparations. He wasn’t stupid enough to act personally. Instead, he intended to stage a scene.
For instance, someone could maliciously drug her, and he could swoop in as the hero to save the damsel. As for whether to sleep with her afterward, Fang Suyi was still weighing it up. Mu Yue had a strong personality; he felt he shouldn’t actually force things. Otherwise, not only would he fail to get what he wanted, he might end up being reported himself.
At the same time, Wang Jian had already made a fortune and returned to his room in high spirits. With his wallet full again, he drank a few extra glasses and soon passed out cold, leaving his door not quite shut.
Meanwhile, Mu Yue had arrived at the bar. Ye Luling was there too, along with her fiancé.
After chatting casually with Ye Luling for a few moments, Mu Yue said she needed to use the restroom. Ye Luling immediately linked arms with her, and the two left together.
The two drinks on the table were left there completely unguarded, while several people passed by them.
After leaving the bar, Mu Yue and Ye Luling parted ways and headed back to their respective rooms. Watching them leave, the wolves lurking in the night finally bared their fangs, eagerly locking onto their targets and following close behind.
When they saw the women heading into a quiet, deserted area, they could barely contain themselves.
Strangely, though, after they turned a corner, the figures ahead had vanished.
Just as they were about to curse, thinking their plan had failed, they rounded the next corner and spotted their targets again. The women staggered toward them, drawing close, their fragrance filling the air and stirring restless desires.
Before long, they found themselves unable to resist, embracing the beauties and entering a door that had been left slightly ajar.
Outside in the corridor, a delicate hand thoughtfully pulled the door shut behind them.
The two items Mu Yue had unlocked through check-in:
[Desire Unleashed]: In a specified setting, those affected will feel overwhelming desire for anyone they see. (The setting can be customized.)
[Spring Fever]: Fourteen times in one night is no longer just a dream!
Mu Yue wiped her hands with a wet wipe. Mm, those three men should have a very enjoyable night ahead of them. After all, this was exactly the sort of thing they loved doing most.
