He Xingzhi sat by the accounting desk, propping her chin on her hand, her fingertips idly flicking the abacus in front of her. The sandalwood beads clattered softly under her touch.
It was mid-morning, the quietest hour at Jinxi Lou. The morning crowd had already dispersed, and the lunch reservations had yet to arrive. Even the chefs prepping ingredients in the kitchen outnumbered the current patrons.
As she absentmindedly spun the abacus beads, her thoughts drifted back to last night’s dream.
At first, He Xingzhi had forgotten what she’d dreamed about—until this morning, when Cui Xizhen, visiting Jinxi Lou for breakfast from the prince’s estate, suddenly called out “A-Zhi” behind her. The nickname triggered a strange sense of déjà vu, as if someone else had once called her that.
After some reflection, He Xingzhi realized it was from her dream.
She was terrible at coming up with names—all her gaming IDs were just her real name, “He Xingzhi,” the same one she used in the real world.
But in reality, no one ever called her “A-Zhi.” The nickname sounded too literary. Most friends called her Xingzhi or simply “Xingxing.” Even in games, only Cui Xizhen ever used “A-Zhi.”
So who was the man in her dream who’d called her that?
He Xingzhi sighed heavily, resting her head in her hands. She rarely dreamed, but when she did, the dreams were always illogical and surreal.
Lately, she’d been having these strange dreams more often.
There was always an unfamiliar man in them—his face obscured, his voice indistinct, and she couldn’t even tell if it was the same person each time.
The settings shifted unpredictably, and the figures in her dreams wore different attire and behaved differently. The only constant was that everything took place in ancient times.
“Maybe I’ve been here too long, and now even my dreams are set in the past…” He Xingzhi muttered to herself, trying to rationalize it.
Her reasoning wasn’t baseless. This wasn’t her first time playing The Woven Dreams of the Floating World.
Years ago, during her freshman year of college, her professor had introduced her to a beta test for a game developed by a student team—the precursor to The Woven Dreams.
For months after quitting the game, she’d kept dreaming of ancient scenes.
Though she couldn’t remember the details now, she recalled the dreams being steeped in classical aesthetics.
Back then, the game wasn’t as polished, and the otome romance routes hadn’t been developed yet. He Xingzhi had played the business strategy mode.
But a critical bug had forced her out of the game, wiping her account data—along with all her in-game memories.
If not for the hefty testing fee the development team occasionally deposited into her bank account, she might’ve forgotten she’d ever played it.
All she vaguely remembered was an NPC who’d boosted her financial luck, making the gameplay smooth and enjoyable. Even then, she’d sensed the game would be a hit.
As her thoughts settled, a flashing notification popped up on her system—a reminder that a new story event would trigger today.
Just then, a new customer entered. Her gaze instinctively flicked toward the door.
The rain had just cleared, and the sunlight danced on the wet pavement like scattered mica flakes.
It was the perfect weather for springtime flutters of the heart.
He Xingzhi dipped her brush in ink, intending to finish logging the morning’s accounts. The usual manager, Zhang, was away today, so she was filling in as the bookkeeper. Once she wrapped up her work, she’d dive back into her romance game with full focus!
The abacus beads clinked crisply under her fingers…
Yet the entire day passed without incident. Nothing special happened, let alone the promised new story event.
Aside from catching a glimpse of the Ninth Prince, who’d come to Jinxi Lou to enjoy the music, He Xingzhi hadn’t seen any of the other male leads—much less spoken to them.
Now, drowsy from soaking in the bathtub, she stood with a splash, hastily dried herself, and collapsed onto her bed.
Though exhaustion tugged at her, an inexplicable unease lingered, her eyelids twitching restlessly.
She shut her eyes, but the trembling persisted.
Tossing and turning, counting sheep, spinning stories in her head—nothing lulled her to sleep.
After another hour of futile struggle, He Xingzhi gave up.
Irritated, she raked a hand through her hair, got up, and pinned her waist-length locks into a loose bun—a hairstyle she’d only recently learned.
Lighting a firestarter, she stepped out of her room and headed toward the front courtyard of Jinxi Lou, making her way to the small accounting office on the third floor.
Since childhood, He Xingzhi had harbored a peculiar habit: counting money when she couldn’t sleep.
It was inevitable—loving money came effortlessly to her.
Nothing in the world delighted her more than wealth, for money never deceived her.
As a child, she’d counted lucky money; as an adult, she tallied her savings.
The habit had followed her here. In the month since her arrival, she’d mastered the abacus. Even knowing the currency wasn’t real, the sight of stacks of silver notes and chests of treasure never failed to thrill her.
The main accounting office, storing deeds, loan agreements, and banquet reservations, was connected to her quarters in the rear courtyard.
The small office, used for petty cash—walk-in payments and grocery purchases—was tucked at the eastern end of the third floor.
Humming a tune she didn’t remember learning, He Xingzhi jingled the keys and pushed open the familiar door.
The room, about the size of two private dining chambers, resembled a study more than an accounting space.
She lit the candlesticks with her firestarter, and warm golden light flooded the room.
Outside, Jinxi Lou was still lively—red lanterns glowed above the entrance, laughter and drinking games mingled with the aroma of food and wine, all swallowed by the night.
Grinning, He Xingzhi pulled out the month’s ledger and the cashbox, settling in to count.
Strings of copper coins filled the box, their metallic scent blending with the wood’s fragrance.
She pulled out the threaded coins, lining them up on the table. Halfway through, rain began pattering against the roof tiles—a soft, unobtrusive sound.
Glancing at the window, she noted it was still open. The office’s window was usually locked, but she’d cracked it earlier, finding the room too stuffy after lighting the candles.
Fortunately, the window was only half-open, and the rain was light. So He Xingzhi ignored the fine drizzle that was blown into the room by the wind. In her ears, the crisp sound of copper coins colliding rang out again.
He Xingzhi was counting the money when she suddenly stopped her hand. There seemed to be some strange noise outside the window.
On weekdays, Hongdou always joked that He Xingzhi had poor hearing and couldn't always hear what she said. But He Xingzhi felt wronged. Wasn't it well - known that a nearsighted person couldn't hear clearly without glasses? Works catalog of Emperor Guangwu of Han
She just couldn't hear clearly. However, she could detect very subtle sounds around her.
For example, the strange noise coming from outside the window right now made He Xingzhi's eyebrows twitch. Could it be a wild cat running around on the roof beams?
Unable to contain her curiosity, He Xingzhi stood up, smoothed out her dress, and walked straight towards the window. Before she reached the window, an arrow suddenly shot in from the outside.
Before she even realized what was flying towards her, He Xingzhi's body reacted first.
She pressed her palm hard on the window sill and spun around using the leverage. Her palm was dampened by the raindrops splashed on the window sill. Before she could feel the chill of the rain, the arrow hissed and pierced into the bookshelf behind her, with its feathers trembling.
He Xingzhi hadn't recovered from the sudden arrow when a man in black clothes sprang out from behind. The man was masked and glanced at her. It seemed that he was injured, and his heavy gasps reached He Xingzhi's ears. Then he grabbed He Xingzhi's wrist. Latest chapter of Great Qin: Starting with Picking up the Eight - year - old First Emperor
A sharp pain shot through her wrist. He Xingzhi looked at the blood - dripping machete in his hand.
The smell of blood overpowered the smell of copper in the accounting room. He Xingzhi's body instinctively stiffened.
"Stay alive and don't make a sound."
What a cliché line... He Xingzhi silently complained in her heart. Remembering that this was just a game, her pounding heart gradually calmed down.
As soon as the man in black finished speaking, another colder and more severe voice followed, "Let her go."
Along with the voice, a flying knife was thrown at the man in black. The flying knife neatly pierced the man's shoulder. The sharp pain in his shoulder made him lose his grip on He Xingzhi.
He Xingzhi instinctively pushed him away and ducked behind the bookshelf. She wasn't scared by the man in black, but was startled by the flying knife. She rubbed her palms, and fine beads of sweat had appeared on them due to the shock. Cao Cao Travels to Wu Dalang
Several people jumped into the accounting room through the window one after another and surrounded the man in black.
"Get him to talk."
But before the other tall and strong men could act, the man in black died right in front of them.
The man who threw the flying knife squatted in front of the man in black, felt his breath, and looked a little regretful. He calmly pulled out his flying knife from the man's shoulder and slowly wiped it clean with a handkerchief.
It was the first time for He Xingzhi to witness such a scene. She blinked in shock and it took her a while to recover.
She pursed her lips, and her throat was so dry that it tightened. Only then did she realize that someone had died in her accounting room...
However, He Xingzhi soon breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the person didn't die in other private rooms of the restaurant. As long as her business wasn't affected, everything would be okay.
He Xingzhi's fingers hanging by her side unconsciously gently rubbed the ribbon on her skirt. She scanned the group of people and her brain was working at high speed. These people had ordinary clothes, were quick in action, and were quite good at martial arts. They must not be ordinary people. Works catalog of Full Tang Splendor
Then she looked at the leading man. The man's appearance was particularly outstanding. He had thick eyebrows, red lips, and white teeth. Even though he was standing a bit far away and He Xingzhi couldn't see him clearly, she could tell that this man was extremely good - looking.
Well, none of the male leads were ugly.
Their eyes met.
"Sorry to have disturbed the owner."
Lu Jueming stepped forward, holding the official seal in his hand and presenting it to her. "I'm Lu Jueming, the Minister of the Supreme Court, investigating a case by imperial order."
As soon as he finished speaking, the system panel flashed up with the character setting introduction related to Lu Jueming.
This Lu Jueming in an indigo silk plain robe was exactly the fourth male lead to appear.
He Xingzhi looked up and secretly glanced at Lu Jueming. So this was the new plot point that started today.
She almost forgot that this was a love - strategy world full of pink bubbles. Even when encountering danger, it was still advancing her love line. Works catalog of Qin Dynasty Novelist
"Investigating a case?" she asked in confusion.
"This case is related to Jinxi Building," Lu Jueming put away the official seal. "So I need the cooperation of Owner He."
"What case? I don't know. I'm a law - abiding citizen."
He Xingzhi took two steps back unconsciously and blurted out the words without thinking.
A faint smile appeared on Lu Jueming's serious and calm face, as if he was amused by her reaction. He slightly parted his lips, as if thinking about how to explain the cause of the case to He Xingzhi.
Before he could speak, the door of the accounting room knocked twice, and a man in green clothes walked in.
He came in a hurry, and his footsteps were still hasty when he reached the door.
He Xingzhi turned her head following the sound, then squinted her eyes and gradually recognized the person.
Lu Jueming folded his hands in front of his body and bowed slightly. "Minister Song, that man committed suicide." Latest chapter of After Being Jilted, My Identity as a Poet Immortal Is Exposed
Song Huaijing stood by the threshold, his cold eyes falling on the man in black. He looked up at Lu Jueming and gave a few simple instructions.
Finally, he turned his gaze to He Xingzhi.
He saw He Xingzhi slightly tilting her head, staring straight at him with a mixture of strangeness, scrutiny, and confusion on her face.
Seeing that she was safe and sound, Song Huaijing concealed the expression on his face, but his sleeve robe covered his clenched hand.
He just thought that she didn't recognize him anymore.
