THIP Chapter 17 V2

That night, as usual, Chu Jiyu hugged the person she liked. But this time, she noticed something—Mu Liuyin’s body stiffened slightly.

“Teacher, what’s wrong?” she asked, puzzled.

Mu Liuyin kept her composure and replied, “Nothing. Go to sleep.”

Since Chu Jiyu had only recently joined the company, she was constantly busy handling business affairs. Exhausted, she quickly fell asleep in Mu Liuyin’s arms.

Little did she know, Mu Liuyin was on the verge of a meltdown.

【Host! You almost got hard just now!!!】 Xiao Jiu exclaimed in shock. 【Are you sure you haven’t fallen for the target?】

Otherwise, how could a host who had always believed herself to be a woman suddenly react like this?

【Shut up!】 Mu Liuyin snapped, utterly embarrassed.

She lay there, eyes wide open, feeling flustered and unsettled. She didn’t manage to fall asleep until dawn.

Two days later, for the first time, Chu Jiyu unlocked the chain that had been secured around her ankle.

Chu Jiyu looked at her and said, “Teacher, let’s go take our wedding photos today.”

Mu Liuyin opened her mouth to respond but stopped when she saw the expectant light in Chu Jiyu’s eyes.

Just then, Xiao Jiu’s voice echoed in her mind: 【Warning! Chu Ruoyi is planning to make a move on the target today.】

Mu Liuyin’s expression didn’t change, but she quietly said, “Alright.”

She saw Chu Jiyu’s eyes light up the moment she agreed, like stars sparkling in the night—so breathtakingly beautiful.

Mu Liuyin’s heart ached faintly.

Maybe because they were going to take wedding photos, Chu Jiyu had given the driver the day off and decided to drive herself.

【Warning! Warning! The car is dangerous!】

The system’s alarm blared twice, and Xiao Jiu’s voice followed: 【Host, the car has been tampered with by Chu Ruoyi. It’s going to explode in approximately thirty minutes.】

Mu Liuyin’s heart skipped a beat.

About twenty minutes into the drive, Mu Liuyin turned to Chu Jiyu and said, “Pull over. I need you to get me some water.”

Chu Jiyu hesitated. “Teacher, come with me.”

Mu Liuyin, face pale, clutched her stomach. “I feel carsick.”

Seeing that she was still reluctant to leave, Mu Liuyin sighed helplessly. “I’m not going to run.”

Chu Jiyu didn’t seem convinced.

To Mu Liuyin’s utter disbelief, she pulled out a pair of handcuffs and secured one of Mu Liuyin’s wrists to the steering wheel.

Mu Liuyin: “…”

Satisfied, Chu Jiyu finally got out of the car to buy water.

The moment she was far enough away, the system’s voice echoed in Mu Liuyin’s mind.

【Main mission complete. The host will be extracted from the mission world in three minutes. Please prepare.】

【Countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…】

【0】

【Successfully exited the mission world.】

At that exact moment, a deafening explosion rang out.

Chu Jiyu, returning with the water, could only watch as flames erupted into the sky.

“Ningxi!!!”

…

Mu Liuyin stared blankly at her reflection in the lake’s surface.

She covered her face, unwilling to imagine how heartbroken Chu Jiyu must have been after her departure.

“Why did Chu Ruoyi act earlier than expected?” Mu Liuyin asked. “Why did the planned kidnapping turn into a car explosion?”

Xiao Jiu answered, 【Because the mission target, Chu Jiyu, took over as CEO of the Su Corporation and sent Chu Jianren to prison. Chu Ruoyi lost her qualification to inherit the company too early, so she decided to eliminate the target and take over the company herself.】

Mu Liuyin let out a soft “Oh.”

Xiao Jiu hesitated before asking, 【Host, don’t you want to know what happened after? The mission target is still married to you, you know!】

Mu Liuyin felt a sharp pain in her chest. She looked up at the floating water mirror, displaying the events of the mission world.

She saw Chu Jiyu go mad with grief, trying desperately to rush into the burning car, only to be held back by bystanders.

She saw the way Chu Jiyu’s eyes filled with an overwhelming flood of tears before she collapsed unconscious and was rushed to the hospital.

When she woke up, the first thing she did was investigate the explosion. When she discovered Chu Ruoyi was responsible, she immediately sent her to prison—where she was sentenced to death.

Then, Chu Jiyu married the already dead Mu Liuyin.

Mu Liuyin felt a pain so deep it was hard to breathe.

Tears slipped from her eyes, one drop at a time, as she imagined just how much her death had shattered Chu Jiyu.

She thought about how, just before getting out of the car, Chu Jiyu had handcuffed her to the steering wheel—how much guilt and regret she must have felt when she realized what had happened.

She saw how Chu Jiyu became increasingly silent, increasingly cold, her eyes only ever softening when she looked at photos of her.

Mu Liuyin felt like her heart was being torn apart.

From the very beginning… she never should have been so good to Chu Jiyu.

Xiao Jiu had never seen its host cry like this before. Confused and panicked, it floated closer, nudging her comfortingly.

A pale blue emotion-erasing serum appeared before Mu Liuyin.

She drank it.

As the effects of the serum took hold, Mu Liuyin touched her still-wet tears, suddenly unable to understand why she had even been crying.