Chapter 49 Be careful what you say, or you'll get into trouble!
Hearing the door close, Shen Mi stiffly moved her body, clutching her chest as she sat up in bed. Beneath her right palm, something throbbing violently seemed to be breaking free of her body's constraints and leaping out.
My heart was beating incredibly fast, just like during the physical fitness test when I was in middle school.
Before she could even turn on the light, she grabbed a water glass from the bedside table, opened the lid, and recklessly took a big gulp.
Only when the cool water rolled down her throat and into her stomach, gradually dispelling the burning tension, did she feel a true sense of clarity.
But all around was quiet, as if she had returned to darkness. That tall body was pressing down on her, and his rapid breathing lingered in her ears.
Shen Mi bit her lower lip. To be honest, she couldn't tell whether it was his breathing or her own. She only remembered that she was conscious at the time, her heart was pounding, and she tried her best to close her eyes and not look at him.
His calloused hands brushed through her hair, his warm breath brushed against her face, and the fruity alcohol on his lips entered her nostrils. She trembled slightly, unable to pretend.
And finally, he whispered in her ear, "Goodnight."
Even now, Shen Mi can still recall the way the man gazed at him in the darkness, the barely suppressed heat, the moist breath, and the cautious touch.
Shen Mi suddenly felt very hot, her face flushed red, and at the slightest sound, she would jump up in a panic like a frightened bird.
Shen Mi couldn't describe her feelings. She suddenly buried her head in the pillow, using its soundproofing properties to start screaming softly.
The system patiently waited for her to finish expressing herself before starting the broadcast.
[Ding—Mission Completed! Target Jing Yuan's current favorability has increased by 20%. Congratulations, Host!]
Congratulations! Congratulations!
After a brief celebration, Shen Mi lay back on the bed and sighed deeply: "But I feel like I've let them down."
Only her soft breathing could be heard in the room; the system silently muted itself.
Shen Mi stared blankly at the ceiling, the image of Jing Yuan's smile from earlier that day flashing through her mind. For a moment, her heart seemed to tremble slightly.
She was feeling troubled, realizing she was caught in a dilemma. She knew what she was struggling with, and she also knew that excitement outweighed her anxiety.
Since Shen Mi came to this world, the system has seen everything. Like a god, it observes everything that happens invisibly and provides guidance at the right time.
Its capabilities are limited, and all it can offer is the experience accumulated in the past. As for the future direction, it only has a vague line, but after tonight, it believes that Shen Mi will definitely succeed in conquering him.
The system suddenly said, "That's only human nature."
Shen Mi was a little confused at first, then suddenly laughed after a few seconds. She understood that the system was making this joke to help her relax, but the next words took a sharp turn.
[Host, developing feelings for your target is perfectly normal; you don't need to worry too much, after all, they are all excellent. But I want to warn you that becoming overly immersed in the quest world will cause you to be assimilated into an NPC and lose your eligibility for romance.]
At that time, you will lose self-awareness, lose your memory, and become an insignificant nobody.
Fearing that it wasn't serious enough, the system changed its usual way of speaking and listed several consequences.
The balance between immersion and strategy will become clear after the system reaches its maximum level. To ensure a smooth return to your own world, I suggest you don't get too invested. You've already earned 360 Star Jade. To reach the system's maximum level, you still need to complete fifteen random tasks, which will take approximately thirty days in total.
Thirty days? Shen Mi counted on her fingers. She would reach the maximum level in another month. It was actually quite fast, at least faster than when she reached the maximum level in a game.
But for some reason, the place in my heart that was once boiling with passion slowly cooled down.
She stared blankly at the air in front of her, the system's notification still echoing in her ears: [To successfully complete the mission and return to your own world, I suggest you don't get too involved.]
Don't get too involved.
How much is too much? How much is too little? Is it the accelerated heartbeat when Jingyuan touches her, or the silent watchfulness of Danheng standing behind her?
She had been warned from the very beginning of her life that she only had one life, and failing the mission would mean a belated death. It was the excessive comfort of her recent life that had made her forget her fate. She was only there to complete a mission, so why did she feel an irresistible urge to respond, to get closer, to stay whenever those two pairs of eyes fell upon her?
【Please carefully weigh the ratio of emotional investment to mission objectives.】The system's voice was as calm as ever, like an iron bar striking the back of her head heavily.
"I understand, system. Thank you for reminding me."
Shen Mi knows herself well; she is someone who is easily moved and easily invested. The system had already warned her the night before she left Huangxing. She had always treated this as a child's game, letting herself immerse herself in it, enjoying the peace of this world and the care of those in it.
All stability is a poisonous apple that tempts one to depravity.
It was a temptation specifically designed for the character's chef. Shen Mi chuckled self-deprecatingly, telling himself to upgrade the system as soon as possible. With a standard of measurement, he would naturally be able to control his "emotions" within a normal range.
Thinking of this, Shen Mi suddenly felt much better.
Before I traveled here, I went out with a friend once. I don't know if I miscalculated the time or if I was just unlucky. I missed the bus and misremembered the start time of the show. We rushed, but in the end, we were stopped by security. We ended up listening to the show from outside the venue with flashlights.
She suddenly remembered a saying: A good mood does not come from smooth sailing, but grows from a calm and firm courage.
She hopes to develop the composure and courage to face any crisis.
The next day, I woke up to bright sunshine again.
Shen Mi brewed a pot of Pu'er tea and placed it at the door of Jing Yuan's room before going out to buy groceries.
She received the course schedule from Bai Qi. The first stage would only involve learning theoretical knowledge, and there would be dedicated lecturers to teach the key points of the theoretical knowledge.
Given that their driving school only has one instructor, this part should still be handled by Bai Xuan.
On this trip, Shen Mi specifically bought ginger again. Last night before going to bed, she suddenly had an idea. She thought that ginger's spiciness could be removed by high heat, and since hot goat milk is only sweet when it's hot, could it be possible to combine the two to create a new drink?
Whether something is feasible or not, true knowledge must be gained through practice.
When I got home after shopping, I saw that the teapot that I had left at the door of Jingyuan's room that morning was empty and had even been washed clean, lying obediently on the drain rack.
Shen Mi smiled unconsciously, her heart filled with a silent clamor, as if fireworks had exploded inside.
Shen Mi quickly began his research, grinding ginger juice, filtering out the ginger powder, and adding it to the boiling hot goat milk in the appropriate amount.
She failed many times, and the spaces between her fingers gradually turned ginger yellow. Fortunately, hard work pays off. She spent a whole morning developing the recipe, making a mess of the kitchen, and the raw, pungent flavor of the ginger permeated her. Finally, she succeeded.
As usual, Shen Mi delivered lunch to Jing Yuan at noon today. They had already reached the Shence Mansion when Yu Tie informed Shen Mi that General Shen Mi was not there.
Shen Mi frowned and repeated, "Not here?"
Yu Tie nodded and told Shen Mi everything he knew.
"I heard from Yonghai that the general received an urgent report from the Ten Kings' Office and left before the meeting was even over. He looked very gloomy when he left, as if some prisoners had been forcibly taken away by the people of the Chiming Clan."
The Ten Kings' Court? Fugitives? The Vidyadhara Clan? Could it be that the previous events haven't ended yet? But wasn't the Rebellion of Drinking Moon over two hundred years ago?
It doesn't sound like something that should be happening right now.
Shen Mi whispered into Yu Tie's ear, "Is it related to the Yin Yue Rebellion?"
Upon hearing the words "the chaos of drinking the moon," Yu Tie trembled slightly, fearing that Shen Mi might reveal some other taboo words. He quickly covered Shen Mi's mouth and pulled her to a secluded corner.
"How can you say such things!" Her voice was full of worry. "There are many people and gossips in Shence Prefecture. Walls have ears. You could lose your life if you're not careful!"
Looking at his panicked appearance, Shen Mi felt a chill run down her spine. Yu Tie was right. Compared to the immeasurable lifespan of those on Luofu Mountain, her own few decades of lifespan were nothing more than a cup of tea, a meal, or a trip for them—incomparable.
If she gets locked up for decades because of her words, she'll be the one who suffers.
"I was also worried that the general might still be..." Shen Mi silently swallowed the last two words.
Yu Tie looked around, his attention focused on whether there were any suspicious people in the place where they had just stood, and didn't hear what Shen Mi was saying.
After observing for a few minutes and confirming that there was no immediate danger, Yu Tie secretly breathed a sigh of relief and solemnly instructed, "I don't know exactly what happened, but anything that can make the general so anxious is definitely not a small matter. The impact of the Yin Yue Rebellion was enormous; many people lost loved ones in that catastrophe and are naturally filled with resentment. Because of this, the general's post-disaster reconstruction work is not going well. Many people in Luofu distrust him because of his past relationship with that person. But they are also wary of the general's righteous act of sacrificing family for the greater good, so even if they are dissatisfied, they dare not say anything."
"Fortunately, only I heard what you said today. If someone with ulterior motives took advantage of the situation and tried to use your words to implicate the general, that would be bad."
Upon hearing this, Shen Mi felt a chill run down her spine, her heart pounding with fear, and her legs trembling uncontrollably.
Yu Tie continued, saying that his biggest worry now was that the elders of the Chiming clan were still not giving up and were plotting to take the sinful dragon away from the Ten Kings' Court.
Shen Mi felt as if the world was spinning. The sunlight on her body brought no warmth, and her hands and feet felt as if they were on ice, extremely cold.
Seeing that Shen Mi's face was terribly pale, Yu Tie worried that he might have been frightened by what Shen Mi had just said, so he quickly went over to check on him and asked with concern, "Shen Mi, are you alright?"
Shen Mi shook her head, feeling as if all her strength had been drained. She called out to Yu Tie and asked him to help her sit down to the side.
Yu Tie's original intention was just to tell Shen Mi to be careful, but he didn't expect it to frighten her. Yu Tie panicked. If it was because of him that Shen Mi had a fright, he would feel guilty and ashamed without anyone else saying it.
"Are you alright? I'll go buy you some hot goat milk to warm you up."
Shen Mi grabbed the bath iron and said weakly, "No, no, I must have been standing in the sun for too long and got heatstroke."
Yu Tie was even more upset after hearing her words. Luofu was all artificial sunlight, so how could there be any talk of heatstroke?
Shen Mi reassured him, "It's really nothing. Just sit down and rest for a bit."
"Okay, then I'll go with you." After saying that, she was about to stand next to Chen Mi.
Shen Mi glanced around, fearing it might cause misunderstandings, and quickly chased Yu Tie away.
Yu Tie kept turning back to ask if she was alright. Chen Mi's mind was in turmoil, and she had no spare energy, so she could only lie and say that she was fine.
After Yu Tie left, Chen Mi rested on her knees for a while. When she woke up, she saw a cup of hot goat milk next to her.
Shen Mi looked up and saw Yu Tie winking at her from a short distance away, as if to say to drink it while it's hot.
Shen Mi smiled knowingly and nodded.
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Author's Note: Dear family, wishing you all a happy and healthy Dragon Boat Festival in advance! I'll be taking a three-day break! The next update will be on Tuesday, so don't come back empty-handed!!! [Starry eyes][Starry eyes][Starry eyes][Starry eyes]
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