01:00 a.m.
The campus lights die one by one.
Chen Yanxi slips through the side door of the lab building; the card reader beeps once.
044 whispers in her earpiece:
[Five-star target Shen Yan—B2 lot, plate Jing-A·66666.]
The elevator drops.
Steel walls show her face, expressionless.
Doors open. Cold air and gasoline rush in.
Shen Yan leans against the Maybach, a cigarette ember glowing between his fingers.
When he sees her, he crushes it under his shoe.
"Get in."
Voice like ice cracking.
The back seat is vast—leather and cedar.
Door shuts; rain is gone.
He hands her a black velvet box.
Inside: a single diamond stud, cold as frost.
"Deposit," he says.
She snaps the lid shut, pockets it.
"Mission?"
"Tomorrow, eight p.m.—charity auction. Be my date."
"Role?"
"Girlfriend."
"Price?"
"One million base, ten percent of final hammer."
She meets his eyes for the first time.
"Deal."
2
03:00 a.m.
Dorm curfew is long past.
She climbs through the window, quieter than the cat on the ledge.
Feng Yu snores, teeth grinding.
044 glows faint blue in the dark:
[Side quest unlocked: unknown star rating at auction.]
She removes her make-up by phone light.
Cotton pads come away faint red, half-dried blood.
A text from an unknown number flashes:
Don't trust him. —Q
She reads, deletes.
Cedar still clings to her fingertips.
3
07:00 a.m.
044 fires a high-frequency pulse.
[Countdown: 40 h 00 m. Wake up.]
She showers, dresses—black tee, denim jacket.
Cafeteria soy milk is thin; she drinks two mouthfuls and leaves.
Campus forum is scarlet:
"Foreign-lang goddess out all night—seen leaving in luxury car."
Photo: Maybach taillight, plate blurred.
Top comment:
Sis is on a rampage.
She scrolls past, unbothered.
10:00 a.m.
Lecture hall.
Qi Si isn't wearing glasses; his eyes are colder.
Slide two is frozen on the screen. He taps the board.
"Subjunctive or indicative? Chen Yanxi."
She stands.
"Subjunctive. The main clause expresses emotion."
He nods, gaze like X-ray.
The bell rings. As he passes her desk he murmurs,
"Reference room. Ten tonight."
His thumb brushes the corner of her page—one deliberate crease.
12:00 p.m.
Library rooftop.
Wind flips her bangs.
Fei Ye waits by the railing, two iced Americanos dangling from one hand.
"Skipping class?"
"Approved absence."
He offers a can; she doesn't take it.
"Explain."
"Contract expired. Explanation delivered."
He crushes the empty can; metal pops.
"I want a refund."
"Shelf life ended."
She walks downstairs without looking back.
Fei Ye watches the crushed can arc into the bin.
The clang echoes like a broken heartbeat.
04:00 p.m.
Bank alert:
+1,000,000.00 ¥ — Deposit
044 updates:
[Main quest: auction tomorrow. Target Shen Yan favor ≥60.]
She closes the app, looks up.
Clouds hang low—last lap of the countdown.