Chapter 39

The ignorant are fearless. Song Qingre, do you even know what you're saying?

In the dead of night, her breathing was heavy, her heart racing. She didn't dare.

She tried to shake her head, but Song Qingre's grip was firm, fingers pressing tightly against her jaw, holding her still.

"No..." Yan Qingqiu refused. She was scared.

Song Qingre nodded, withdrew her fingers, and lowered her head until their noses touched. "When you came in earlier, didn't you say I looked a little lonely? I was really scared. I thought, what do I do? Qiuqiu saw through me. I was so frightened I couldn't even move."

Her voice was soft, ethereal, blending with the warmth of her body like it might evaporate at any moment.

Yan Qingqiu's chest rose and fell with nervous tension. She assumed Song Qingre's silence meant she'd seen those bizarre wives of hers, but she didn't dare ask.

"What do I do?" she asked.

Song Qingre was shameless. Brazen.

But she couldn't scold her—she didn't know anything. If she let something slip, that would be bad.

The glowing jellyfish outside the window drifted closer and closer, nearly pressing against the glass. If the light shone in, or someone saw it...

Well, it was already shining in.

Like a lamp lit just for them.

"Hm?" Song Qingre shifted, sensing the light, starting to turn her head to see where it came from.

Yan Qingqiu's hands were pinned, so she couldn't do anything. She lifted her body, craned her neck, and kissed Song Qingre's thin lips.

Song Qingre's lips were warm from having been heated by her moments ago. They breathed together, breath mingling, and she felt a scorching weight.

And a faint citrus scent.

The mermaid from the deep sea seemed to be drawing closer. Yan Qingqiu clenched Song Qingre's waist in fear. Song Qingre's lips parted, and she chased them again, not daring to let her notice, saying, "Look, the starlight is really bright tonight..."

"Mm."

Song Qingre pressed down again, accompanied by a surge of rich citrus fragrance. Soon, only one pheromone filled the air around her.

It was pure Song Qingre.

This time, Song Qingre bit her jaw. Yan Qingqiu lowered her head, her eyelids fluttering. This suffocating feeling was like being deep in the sea.

Song Qingre continued kissing downward, trailing to her neck, then clamped a hand over her mouth, controlling her movements.

Every muffled moan from Yan Qingqiu bit into her palm.

She watched Song Qingre slide under the covers, then Song Qingre released her hand. She lay there, eyes open, lying in a room in her own home yet feeling like she'd been transported to some other dimension.

So frightening. So strange. So utterly deadly.

"Ah..." Yan Qingqiu raised her hand and covered her own mouth.

Song Qingre was kissing her.

·

Such a bizarre night.

Yan Qingqiu's heart was tormented and conflicted, yet she found a twisted enjoyment in it.

Because she'd had the thought of giving the body back, yet she was still using it. The feeling was too painful, too agonizing. She cursed herself a thousand times for being cheap and shameless.

She was terrified, all alone like this. After struggling for a long time, she decided she wouldn't let Song Qingre have it easy either, clamping down tightly around her neck.

I'm sorry, Miss Yan, for doing strange things with your body.

But it's all Song Qingre's fault.

She's the one who dragged me into hell.

Wuwu.

She couldn't help crying, the tears coming fast.

Amid the complex sensations, she breathed heavily, not daring to open her eyes for fear of seeing all sorts of inhuman creatures.

She tried to struggle, but Song Qingre caught her legs and tugged her down hard, biting her until she curled up, sobbing in fits and starts.

Song Qingre licked her tears away completely, as if saying to her: It's okay, I'll die with you.

After a long, long time, she revived, barely half alive.

Yan Qingqiu took a deep breath. Song Qingre licked her lips in front of her, then turned to lie facing her, speaking softly. She placed her hand over Yan Qingqiu's face, directly covering her eyes.

Her voice was low, like a whisper, and when it reached Yan Qingqiu's ears, it became incredibly magnetic.

"Go to sleep now, or I won't be able to stop myself from doing something to you."

Yan Qingqiu gasped for air, her lips parting slightly as she panted in the lingering warmth.

"Be good." Song Qingre moved half her palm away and kissed the corner of her eye. Her tone was fiercely possessive. "Dream of me."

Yan Qingqiu didn't dare open her eyes.

··

When morning came, Yan Qingqiu woke with a start. Her first instinct was to look at the window, and she did so cautiously, hiding under the covers with only her eyes peeking out.

There was nothing outside the window. The bizarre apparitions from last night were finally gone.

She swallowed heavily, shifted her body, and felt a hand resting on her waist. She turned to look—Song Qingre was still sleeping behind her, eyes closed, breathing even, her face almost impossibly delicate.

Why... did she suddenly come to mind?

Recalling the events of last night, she started to blush.

She burrowed deeper into the covers, opened the surveillance app from inside her blanket cocoon, and checked the feeds one by one. Soon, she turned it off. All 365 wives seemed to be there.

Some of the aquatic wives were soaking in the pool, their fish tails slapping the water. Others sat on the balcony, tails coiled around the railing.

A few couldn't be seen—they might be hiding inside the rooms.

Each one was gracefully posed, impossibly beautiful.

Stupid System—it's been a whole night, why haven't they disappeared yet? What exactly do you want?

Wives are so beautiful. Song Qingre's face is so beautiful.

She actually wanted to look again. She held back, turned off the surveillance feed, and looked at the Song Qingre beside her instead. Anyway, it was the same face. This one was even more...

She crawled out a bit more, and her head emerged right into Song Qingre's eyes.

Song Qingre had just woken up, propped on her arm, languid and affectionate, a smile on her lips as she looked at her. "Awake?"

Yan Qingqiu shoved her phone under the pillow and said calmly, "I woke up ages ago. Earlier than you. When did you fall asleep last night?"

Did you wake up after I fell asleep, and did my inhumanly beautiful wives scare you?

Yan Qingqiu nodded, her cheek rubbing against the pillow.

Song Qingre said, "After finishing last night, it was so comfortable pressing down on you to sleep that I slept straight through till morning."

Yan Qingqiu was about to get up when Song Qingre's hand reached over her shoulder to grab something from the bedside. Yan Qingqiu shrank back down and said, "Why are you always reaching over me to grab things?"

Song Qingre explained, "The spot you're sleeping in is where I usually sleep. My stuff is all on your side of the nightstand."

"Oh." Yan Qingqiu said nothing more. After all, she'd enjoyed the use of that mouth—she couldn't very well scold her with it now. That would be too much.

Song Qingre picked up the remote and opened the curtains a crack.

The autumn sun streamed in.

"How did you sleep?" Song Qingre asked.

Yan Qingqiu recalled everything from last night—it was like a dazzling, gorgeous dream that had dragged her into an endless abyss. "...Pretty good, I guess."

"I thought so too." Song Qingre propped her chin on her hand and evaluated seriously. "Qiuqiu looks beautiful when she cries. Her tears taste good too. Sweet."

She stared straight into Yan Qingqiu's eyes. Yan Qingqiu swallowed. Song Qingre hadn't been as nervous as she was last night—she'd been elegant, unhurried, like having a meal, then wiping her chin with a tissue afterward.

Yan Qingqiu's eyes were wet in the morning light.

Song Qingre glanced at her a few times out of the corner of her eye, then leaned down. Yan Qingqiu quickly pressed a finger to her lips. "I haven't brushed my teeth yet."

Song Qingre brushed her lips against Yan Qingqiu's finger. "Qiuqiu, I know exactly what I'm saying, don't you?"

I do...

Yan Qingqiu felt it. So what if she'd cried? What else could she do? She pushed Song Qingre away.

The moment she got up, she regretted it. She was only wearing a top—damn that Song Qingre, she hadn't bothered to dress her properly last night. She picked up her sleep pants, but they didn't seem clean. She threw them away again.

"I'm going to shower. Go to my room and bring me some pajamas."

As Yan Qingqiu showered, she soaked in the bath for a long time, cupping water and splashing her face repeatedly. Her mind was full of the images from last night. She closed her eyes and leaned back, thinking of the chaotic wives, then of Song Qingre kissing her under the covers.

Artists... they really know what they're doing.

Yan Qingqiu exhaled, dipped her fingers in the water, and pressed them to her temples. Why hasn't the System collected the wives yet? Why hasn't it fixed the bug? If I have a few more nights like that, I might really end up with all 365 wives—truly, I can't handle it...

After soaking for a while, she got out of the bath and found a bag hanging by the door. Inside was the clothes she needed.

A white Chinese-style cheongsam with long sleeves, paired with wide-legged white trousers. Worn together, it looked like a cheongsam dress. She didn't remember owning such a set.

But if it looked good, that was enough. She put on a pearl necklace and a pair of amber earrings, then examined herself in the mirror. Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.

Song Qingre must have gone downstairs. Yan Qingqiu immediately summoned the System, and the moment it appeared, she snapped, 【Do you know what I went through last night?】

The System: 【No, I couldn't reach you at all last night. But I detected your heartbeat was very fast. What happened?】

Thinking about last night was enough to make her heart race.

Yan Qingqiu said coldly, 【Last night was terrifying. They got out! Some were on my bed, some were floating outside my window. The whole night. Your game is seriously messed up. Go run a virus scan.】

The System seemed startled too, silent for a long time, then said weakly, 【Host, I've told you countless times. We're a legitimate modern-background adult game. We've never been strange. It's the things you exchanged for that are strange. You've made our game strange too.】

Yan Qingqiu: 【Those were things you exchanged for me. They came from you.】

The System seemed unwilling to argue, letting out a huff.

Yan Qingqiu: 【Trash game. Trash game.】

After being berated for a while, the System's temper frayed, and its tone changed: 【We are a high-level game world. Please do not insult us with your shallow knowledge. Since we still have to cooperate in the future, I don't want things to get ugly. So please control your emotions. If you can't, I won't hesitate to use special measures to shut you up.】

Yan Qingqiu pressed her lips together. This game was truly disgusting. One little complaint and it got upset, and now it was threatening coercive punishments to make her submit. Hah. I, Yan Qingqiu, am a woman of iron. Do you think you can break me?

The System beeped a couple more times, and she got annoyed, so she just stopped responding. The System told her to go check whether any of the wives had escaped, but she ignored it and refused to check. If they ran, they ran. My wives have freedom—what can I do about it, hmph.

Let them run, then. I don't care. I'll just watch whether you'll let this game crash. I bet you wouldn't dare.

The System asked, 【Why aren't you talking anymore? Please don't throw a tantrum.】

I won't reply. It'll drive you crazy.

【Host, please respond. Host? Why can't I hear you? Host?】

The System seemed puzzled for a moment, then its detection process kicked in: 【Detection should be active. Running diagnostics...】

【Initiating stimulation to the host's neural pathways.】

This time, Yan Qingqiu was clever. Even when it hurt, she didn't show it. She endured it, forcing herself to hold still, letting the System think she was broken.

It hurt so much—her temples felt like they were exploding. Worse than before. Even the back of her neck throbbed, as if needles were piercing her gland, twisting and churning. The System didn't hold back at all when dealing with her.

She felt so pitiful. Before, no one cared about her or loved her. Now, everything she had came from occupying someone else's body. If she gave it all back, she wouldn't be so glamorous anymore. The sadness made her hiccup a sob. But she quickly pulled herself together.

The System attacked for a while, then stopped, going silent afterward. Yan Qingqiu couldn't be bothered to respond. She hoped it would go back for repairs soon.

Heh.

Drive you crazy. Let you fail to figure out what I'm thinking.

She snuck out of the room, hunched over because of the pain. As she shuffled along, she spotted a pearl on the floor.

A large, purple-gold pearl. Even someone like her, who didn't know much about such things, could tell it was exceptional. She picked it up, examined it, and continued into the room. There was another pearl by the door.

She furrowed her brow and kept picking them up. Inside the room, she found several more, until one hand couldn't hold them all.

She found a jewelry box and placed them inside. It was full to the brim. Held up to the light, each pearl shimmered with luster. They were clearly the product of a high-grade clam... no, actually, they didn't quite look like clam pearls.

Of all jewelry, pearls were her favorite.

She usually wore pearl bracelets too.

But whose were these?

Only a few people in the house could afford them.

Yan Qingqiu changed her earrings, tidied herself up, and went downstairs. She first asked the maids in a roundabout way. They all shook their heads, saying they'd never seen the pearls.

One maid said, "Oh, Miss, this morning we found some fish in the pond—sea bream, eels. They must have gotten in somehow. Quite a few of them. The master said not to eat them yet, to have someone come look first. I was thinking maybe some fry got in by accident."

Another maid said, "But these are saltwater fish, aren't they?"

"Well, I hope we can eat them. They look really fresh."

Yan Qingqiu immediately thought of the big box of pearls she'd picked up. Were they gifts from her wives?

Mermaid tears turned into pearls, didn't they?

No way... Oh my god.

Gifts from her wives?

Thinking about it that way, her wives really did love her.

Just moments ago, she'd been thinking no one in this world loved her. Now, did she have 365 wives loving her? She was a little moved.

I'm really such a jerk. I was thinking about sending my wives away. I was even scared of them. Yan Qingqiu felt she deserved to slap herself.

What a heartless woman.

Yan Qingqiu took a deep breath. She went back upstairs to look for more goodies and found a fur coat that she was fairly—but not entirely—sure hadn't been there before.

So thoughtful. Knowing autumn would turn to winter, they'd given her a fur coat.

Yan Qingqiu wandered out to the yard and spotted several types of saltwater fish in the pond. The butler was netting them out to transfer into the aquarium, to keep them from eating the other fish or dying in the fresh water.

"And there are these big prawns too. Well hidden."

Yan Qingqiu looked at them and nearly drooled, but the household rules forbade eating them. So she could only head back to the living room for her bland, boring meal.

During breakfast, Yan Fu ate while watching the news, occasionally letting out a chuckle.

Yan Qingqiu glanced over and asked curiously, "Why do you read the newspaper every day? Isn't there morning news?" Dad read it every day, and it made her want to read it too.

"Can't keep up. Sometimes the news I want to watch airs much later, and by then I'm in business meetings. No time for TV."

Yan Fu paused, then let out another laugh. Yan Qingqiu was eating her egg custard with her head down when she heard him say, "The news is pretty funny these days. Some people claim they caught an alien on camera—a glowing jellyfish floating in the sky around five or six in the morning, like it's absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. Hahaha. 'Absorbing essence' at five in the morning? Bullshit."

"Cough, cough, cough!" Yan Qingqiu coughed, egg custard going down the wrong pipe. She covered her mouth and coughed violently. Absurd, absolutely absurd. She managed to choke out, "N-no way. What is it?"

"Eat slowly." Yan Fu handed her a tissue from beside him. She wiped her mouth while staring at the newspaper in his hand. Yan Fu said, "You think it's funny too, right? Haha. Alien sightings have been all over the place these past few years. I figure it's just bored young folks, internet celebrities, some little brats pulling stunts for attention. Not worth taking seriously."

Yan Qingqiu coughed even harder. She hurriedly asked the butler to take away her egg custard. She was unwilling to give up, so she grabbed the newspaper to look. On the color page, there was a faint pink, translucent outline. It was too high up to be clearly captured, but no matter how she looked at it... it was her tentacled jellyfish wife.

"What's wrong? Are you sick? Why are you coughing so hard?" Yan Fu asked in concern.

"It's nothing, nothing."

Yan Qingqiu's eyes stung from staring. She just wanted to say: Dear Dad, I'm the little brat. I'm sorry. It's my wife floating in the sky.

The butler swapped in a new plate and said, "Maybe it's a hot air balloon? At four or five in the morning, the sky isn't even light yet. Probably couldn't see clearly."

Yan Qingqiu's head ached. She felt Song Qingre watching her instead of eating, as if to say: Ooh, a jellyfish, huh.

Don't "ooh" me. If you looked closely, you'd realize that jellyfish has your face. Exactly your face.

"It does look a bit... familiar," the butler said.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Yan Qingqiu hurriedly said, "Uncle Dong, I need water."

She frantically called for the System, but it was still offline, no matter how she called. Her composure was shattering. Perverted, twisted, trash System—get online now!

The System wouldn't show, so she had to handle this herself. Trying to appear calm, she deflected, "Dad, you know about the surprise I've been preparing, right?"

Yan Fu raised an eyebrow, his gaze hinting back: Aren't you the one who wouldn't admit it? I said it was for the wedding house, and you stubbornly denied it.

I'm not brave anymore. Compared to having 365 wives, I think... I think the wedding house is nothing to be afraid of now.

I'd rather have Song Qingre think I'm planning some bizarre, twisted wedding ritual.

Yan Fu smiled and looked at Song Qingre, hinting, "Little Re, you have something to look forward to."

Song Qingre looked at Yan Fu curiously. "Oh? Is there a surprise for me?"

Yan Qingqiu snuck a glance at Song Qingre, thinking: This way, you won't suspect anything, right? I was doing those weird things because I'm preparing a gift for you.

Yan Fu looked at Yan Qingqiu, and seeing she hadn't stopped him, quickly added, "That's right, that's right. It's a gift for you. And a big one. She's been preparing for days and won't let us peek."

Song Qingre set down her spoon and elegantly dabbed her lips. "Then I'll definitely be looking forward to it. After all, the last time Qiuqiu said she wanted to give me a wife."

Yan Fu marveled. Qiuqiu was quite wild.

Watching them banter back and forth, Yan Fu was deeply gratified. However, his expression toward Song Qingre grew a bit more serious as he said, "You two shouldn't be so tense all the time. Little Re, take a look at the paper, have a laugh..."

Song Qingre reached for the newspaper too. She was very interested in that jellyfish, and she kept sneaking glances at Yan Qingqiu while looking at it.

"Hey, hey, don't! She's an artist—wouldn't it be weird for her to read lowbrow news like this? Give it here, give it here."

Yan Qingqiu hurriedly snatched the newspaper away, not giving Song Qingre any chance to read it. "Focus on your painting. Don't look at this silly news."

Song Qingre nodded. "Thank you for your concern, Qiuqiu."

Yan Qingqiu didn't retort. After finishing her meal, she wiped her mouth. She watched Song Qingre dab her lips, not daring to move or struggle.

Song Qingre stood up, picked up her coat from the back of the chair, and said with a smile, "I'm off to work."

Yan Qingqiu left the door first, brought the car around first, then blocked Song Qingre's path first, with an overbearing, unreasonable air.

Just as she was about to speak, she overheard Yan Fu say to the butler, "Hey, Uncle Dong, go take a look at what she's got going on in the villa. Help her out. A little thing like her can't manage on her own."

"Very well." The butler nodded respectfully.

Yan Qingqiu closed her eyes. She made Song Qingre stand still, then ran back and said seriously, "Dad, I'm laying it out right now. If you two dare go and mess up my surprise, I'll never marry. I'll die alone." She pointed at Yan Fu and the butler. "Don't make me angry! There will be serious consequences! Got it? Remember what I said. I am not joking."

Mainly, if the 365 wives were discovered, forget lonely death—I'd be socially dead right then and there, with no way to live!

"W-well... fine." Yan Fu nodded reluctantly, even more curious about what she was up to.

Yan Qingqiu ran back to Song Qingre, who took a step back, puzzled. "What's wrong?"

Yan Qingqiu said, "You're not going to work today. You're coming with me. To ER."

Song Qingre frowned, confused.

"You have to come with me today." Yan Qingqiu's tone was forceful.

"Why? Give me a reason."

Yan Qingqiu didn't know how to explain. She thought for a moment, swallowed her embarrassment, and beckoned Song Qingre closer. "Last night, you... used too much force. I think I pulled a ligament in my thigh. I can't walk properly now."

Song Qingre looked at her in surprise, her expression shocked. "Ah... why didn't you show it last night? I don't think I used that much force. Didn't feel like it was that bad."

Yan Qingqiu swallowed her shame and kept up the act. "I just didn't want to tell you. I was worried you'd be embarrassed."

"Thank you for protecting my pride, Qiuqiu. It was my first time doing something like that, so I really had no experience. So embarrassing."

Yan Qingqiu couldn't look at her. Please, don't sell yourself short. Anyway... she'd thought last night was genuinely good. She just wondered—if Song Qingre knew what last night had actually been like, would she still be making such requests?

Probably not. If she knew, she'd still dare.

Was she a bit too perverted?

Not a bit. She was extremely perverted.

Song Qingre didn't press further. She bent down and got into the car, sitting beside Yan Qingqiu. Her expression was apologetic. She bit her tongue slightly and said, "Then what do I do today?"

Yan Qingqiu sat up straight. "Whatever I tell you. Fetch me drinks, carry my bag."

Song Qingre said, "Yes, ma'am."

She smiled gently, but Yan Qingqiu couldn't bring herself to smile. Why does everything I say sound so weird? Like I'm some delicate little thing. The image of me as a tough Alpha is slipping away.

The car was quiet. She couldn't summon the System—Song Qingre was like a signal jammer. Yan Qingqiu didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

But regardless, from now on, whenever she was with Song Qingre, the System shouldn't be able to spy on her. Should she tell Song Qingre about the transmigration?

She thought and thought, but couldn't come to an answer. She pulled out her phone and looked. Sure enough, the alien story had made the news. Fortunately, everyone was treating it as a joke.

【These internet celebrities finally have some taste. Usually, the ugly aliens they cook up are just embarrassing to look at.】

【Waiting for experts to debunk this. Two residents mistook a floating plastic bag for an alien and took photos. Hahaha!】

【Honestly, if aliens look like this, I think I'm in. It hits my kinks, so embarrassing. I want to be tied up by tentacles.】

【This jellyfish is really pretty. Some artists are already drawing it. If you're interested, go check it out. It's kind of lewd. Deep-sea jellyfish A x soft Omega human.】

After scanning a few comments, Yan Qingqiu found that the public was still as unserious as always. Her real worry was influencers jumping on the trend, running out to see the jellyfish, or worse, sneaking into the villa to find her wives. That would be a disaster. She was truly anxious. She tapped into the most popular news post and saw the top comment, which had hundreds of thousands of likes.

Xiaoxi Liushui Hualala: 【I think I can debunk this, hahaha. I know what happened. It's a couple into roleplay, A and O, doing a tentacle play. They got too into it and accidentally let their expensive tentacle costume float into the sky. Heh heh haha. It drifted all night.】

Many replies underneath: 【Hahaha, I already thought it was funny, didn't expect it to be this hilarious. God, how mortifying would that be?】

【Damn, boss, got a video of the play? DM me.】

【Young people these days really know how to have fun. I heard this happened in a wealthy neighborhood. OP, tell us who the pervert is.】

Yan Qingqiu breathed a sigh of relief at that comment. Good thing this person was confidently steering the narrative. If everyone thought it was an alien, that would've been a disaster. She gave that comment a vigorous like: 【Sis, if you have a video, please send me a copy!】

A few seconds later, she sat bolt upright.

Damn. This person had actually captured a photo, and had even selflessly sent it to her via DM. It was the jellyfish floating in the sky, but it was dark and the jellyfish was too high up, barely visible.

But this photographer had a gift. She'd captured Yan Qingqiu's jellyfish wife beautifully—a glowing jellyfish flying through a forest of steel skyscrapers, the city's countless neon lights paling next to its radiance.

Yan Qingqiu was amazed. How did this saint manage to reply to DMs from tens of thousands of people? It turned out the account had set up an auto-reply.

Anyone who messaged or followed would automatically receive the image, whether they asked for it or not.

"..."

Amazing. If I'd met a living bodhisattva like you back in the real world, I never would've gotten scammed out of those few bucks.

At the office entrance, the System squeezed in a window to demand things from her again.

The System said seriously, 【Host, please maintain your previous progress and continue collecting plot points. Do not do anything that violates the laws!】

Yan Qingqiu pretended not to hear. She just wanted me to go work, and it has to dress it up so nicely. So boring. Not replying would drive it crazy.

The System reminded her again, nearly hysterical: 【Please be serious, Host! You've already caused an unprecedented error in our game. The first time in history!】

Yan Qingqiu couldn't help but snort. Last time you also said it broke the record for plot point collection. That aside, she quite liked this achievement. First person to crash the game. Amazing stuff.

Song Qingre, carrying her bag, looked at her in confusion. Yan Qingqiu said, "The jokes online are pretty funny."

She just wouldn't reply. Let the System stew.

As they entered the building, Song Qingre followed behind, holding her bag.

Su Xingjie was surprised to see Song Qingre and was about to ask, but Yan Qingqiu spoke first: "She owes me money. She's working for me now, acting as my maid."

Song Qingre nodded in agreement. Of course she wouldn't get upset with a delicate little Omega. She'd let her say whatever nonsense she wanted.

Su Xingjie didn't press, leading them to the office. But she couldn't help remarking, "You two have such a messy relationship, Qiuqiu. One minute mistress, the next maid. So weird."

Yan Qingqiu had said it casually. Now, after Su Xingjie's observation, she felt a flush of heat. Why did that sound so lewd?

They went in, and Yan Qingqiu nearly forgot where her office was. Fortunately, her two assistants were waiting at the door. She greeted them, and they all looked at Song Qingre with puzzlement.

They all thought Yan Qingqiu was impressive for making an artist carry her bag—especially an artist like Song Qingre.

Yan Qingqiu didn't explain. She said to Song Qingre, "Find somewhere to sit. I need to chat with Xingxing for a while. Don't bother us."

"Yes, miss." Song Qingre said.

This woman was really committed to the act.

Yan Qingqiu shook her head and sat on the sofa. Su Xingjie came over and sat beside her. "What's up?"

"Xingxing." Yan Qingqiu took out her phone and showed it to Su Xingjie. "Look at this Weibo account, 'Xiaoxi Liushui Hualala.' Is that Luo Xi?"

Su Xingjie took the phone and scrolled through the account's feed. "Most likely. I doubt anyone else on Weibo would simultaneously flaunt their wealth and constantly call someone a golden-haired bitch. And isn't that... you? Golden-haired."

Su Xingjie looked at her hair.

Yan Qingqiu nodded, then quickly added, "I have golden hair, but I'm not a bitch." She gritted her teeth. "I knew it. She's been spreading rumors about me this whole time."

"What did she do?" Su Xingjie asked, puzzled. "She slandered you? Don't be scared. If you want, later we'll corner her and curse her out. No problem."

"...N-no, that's not necessary." Yan Qingqiu put on a stern face. "Hmph. I'm not the type to hold a grudge."

Going after her over something like this would be embarrassing!

"Then don't get mad. Getting angry over someone like her isn't worth it. Here, I'll show you something funny." Su Xingjie pulled out her own phone. "Did you see the news today? Hahaha, you know that jellyfish thing? Two people doing tentacle play got their glowing jellyfish suit stuck in the sky."

"Hahahaha." Su Xingjie laughed until she hiccuped. "Do you think they were running around naked?"

Yan Qingqiu suddenly felt dead inside.

Hah. Hah.

Su Xingjie even shared the news with her. "Qiubao, why aren't you laughing? Don't you have a low laugh threshold?"

"Hahaha." Yan Qingqiu laughed miserably. "Thanks for sharing, Xingxing."

Su Xingjie looked at her ears again. "Those purple-black pearls are so unique. They're gorgeous. From an auction? Last time I saw one like that, the price was pretty high. Tens of millions, or how much was it?"

"Really? That expensive?" Yan Qingqiu took off her earring to look. This was just a match she'd found from home—she didn't know what grade of pearl her mermaid wife had given her. She hadn't even had them made into jewelry yet. She had no idea how much they were worth.

As they were talking, several more push notifications popped up on her phone. It looked like some people were actually planning to stake out the jellyfish tonight.

The jellyfish story was spreading too fast and having too much impact. Sooner or later, someone would rush to cash in on the trend, and then it'd be clear whether it was an alien or some kind of play.

The System said, 【Think of a way to suppress this news. We're already working on recalling your 365 wives.】

See? Just like I said. The System had lied to her before, claiming they couldn't be recalled. Now they could.

Yan Qingqiu hadn't planned on replying, but this concerned the fate of her wives, so she had to respond.

Following her fine tradition of being a shameless nuisance who made herself sick just to annoy others, she said to the System with dripping sarcasm, 【It's fine. I think it's great. Today the jellyfish wife gets photographed. Tomorrow it'll be my metal robot wife. Hehe. You can't be too restrictive. I think over time, people in this world will just accept this reality. You should open your mind. I'm doing this for your lewd game's sake.】

【Thank you, System. At first I was scared, but now I'm really grateful to the organization. Having so many wives, hehe, it's really blissful. Exciting. I hope tonight when we get up to...】

She said all this without blushing or skipping a beat. When you shamelessly act out long enough, you lose your sense of boundaries.

The System: 【You got up to something?】

Damn. Her gloating had made her slip.

Yan Qingqiu: 【Just kidding.】

She could sense that if the System were a person, it would've slapped her by now. The System said, 【Don't get too cocky, Host. We've already decided to recall these non-biological NPCs. Expected to complete the recall within three days. Please make sure to keep it secret.】

Yan Qingqiu snorted. If the System wanted to shock her, she'd endure. Let's see who drives whom crazy.

Before, she and the System had a cordial relationship, but now they were basically at odds. But as the saying goes, where there's conflict, any spark can ignite it.

Yan Qingqiu: 【Three days? How about three months? You've already come all this way—why not stay a few more days? Sending them back so soon seems rude!】

She heard a gritted-teeth huff.

Yan Qingqiu was about to say more when the System spoke first: 【Don't even think about it! You can be bought off with a little something? Are you that easy to please?】

Yan Qingqiu: 【So those things... were really gifts from my wives? I'm so touched. They don't seem ill-intentioned.】

She gritted her teeth. 【How about keeping them? It's not like I can't afford to feed them. I think I can scrimp and save, buy a building later, and let all my wives live there. I'll support them!】

The System was dumbfounded: 【You really have no shame. Can you be normal? Do you even know what you're saying? You want to keep a bunch of monsters?】

Yan Qingqiu hated the way it kept calling them monsters. She thought she was being pretty bold. Keeping that many wives was no good, though. She snuck a glance at Song Qingre, who was standing by the bookshelf flipping through a modeling magazine, a strand of hair falling across her cheek.

If they worked together... it'd probably be easier. She wondered if anyone would be willing to help her keep the wives.