Volume One, Chapter Two: Undertaking the Mission with Pei Xi

She didn’t know when Pei Xi had left. The scene she had just witnessed was too shocking for Xu Qingning to calm down quickly, so she simply opened the manual to study the mission.

In the mission, Pei Xi was the head of the Pei family in Mist City. Unlike other powerful family heads, most of the Pei family’s authority lay in the hands of his uncle.

Pei Xi’s uncle, to secure his rightful rise, constantly plotted against Pei Xi—car accidents, poisonings, and all manner of schemes.

But Pei Xi was no pushover. Outwardly, he played the role of the harmonious family member with his uncle, but in truth, he was scheming a chess game to overturn the Pei family.

Xu Qingning was his shield in this game. Coming from an ordinary family, she was married off to Pei Xi so that his uncle would believe Pei Xi had neither the will nor the strength to contest power.

Little did anyone know that every so-called date was a cover for Pei Xi to go out and cultivate his power, arranging his pieces on the board. When the time was ripe, Pei Xi planned to stage an “accident” for her and use her funeral to eliminate his uncle’s influence.

From beginning to end, Xu Qingning was nothing more than a pawn to be sacrificed.

To repay her debts, she accepted Pei Xi’s one hundred million, ultimately using her life to complete the deal.

As the player, Xu Qingning’s task was to trigger the hidden ending—to protect her own life and make Pei Xi fall in love with her.

But over three years, she exhausted every tactic and still failed to find the hidden trigger, only to end each time in an “accident” arranged by Pei Xi.

Perhaps this time would be different. Somehow, Xu Qingning felt a flicker of hope. After all, Pei Xi in this mission had become an absolute egoist.

No one or nothing was more important than his own interests, but when you entered his world, you would receive absolute weight and favor.

That was exactly what Xu Qingning desired.

With these thoughts, she hummed a little tune as she got up and headed to the bathroom to freshen up—wash up and then sleep soundly.

While she had already drifted into deep sleep, Pei Xi’s side still had the lights on.

In the boxing room, the punching bag swayed slightly with the dull thuds of Pei Xi’s strikes.

He glanced at a certain spot, a mix of helplessness and amusement on his face. “No task to restrain me, and yet I’m so reckless. What if I end up scaring someone?”

No one answered. He shook his head and resumed punching.

His lascivious thoughts faded away with the sweat, taking the night with them.

Xu Qingning’s habitual lingering in bed was interrupted by the doorbell. Rubbing her eyes, she stumbled to open the door.

“Good morning, Miss Xu. I made breakfast. Would you like to eat together?”

Beauty and food perfectly dispelled her morning grumpiness. The aroma of fresh shrimp buns nearly overwhelmed her; without even washing up, she reached out and stuffed one into her mouth.

“Delicious, delicious! I’ll wash quickly, you wait a moment!”

Once inside the bathroom and seeing her reflection clearly, Xu Qingning wished she could punch herself twice.

Her hair was messy, clothes disheveled, and even the corners of her mouth bore crumbs from the bun.

Help! Could she just reboot like in the mission? If Pei Xi saw her like this, she might as well die on the spot!

She tidied herself up as fast as possible, ensuring her appearance was presentable before opening the door with relief.

After a satisfying breakfast, the two stood in front of the control console.

Xu Qingning looked at Pei Xi. “Besides what we agreed on yesterday, I want to add one more condition: you help me trigger the hidden ending.”

Pei Xi was momentarily stunned, then smiled gently. “Miss Xu, adding conditions on the fly means I must charge a fee.”

“What fee?”

He didn’t answer directly but instead asked, “Miss Xu, have you ever wondered why the hidden trigger has never been activated?”

“Why?”

As the start button was pressed and the scene shifted, Pei Xi’s voice became distant.

“Miss Xu, here’s some advice: sincerity is the ultimate killer move.”

“What do you mean? Hey, explain yourself clearly!”

When she regained consciousness, she had already entered the mission.

“Damn it! That rotten Pei Xi clearly doesn’t want to tell me!”

“What don’t you want me to tell you?”

A familiar voice sounded behind her. She turned and met his eyes.

It was the Pei Xi from the mission. This was their first encounter—the first scene of the mission—where she would accept Pei Xi’s one hundred million and become his wife.

But right now, she just wanted to punch him.

Sitting up straight again, she muttered, “Nothing.”

He handed her a cup of black tea. “Try it. The tea here is quite good.”

Faced with that face and his gentle smile, Xu Qingning’s irritation gradually faded.

“Thank you. Also, sorry, I wasn’t mad at you just now.”

“I know. Even if you were, it wouldn’t matter.”

He handed her the contract. “After all, this one hundred million will buy out your future freedom,” and, silently in his heart, her life as well.

“Miss Xu, please take a look. If there are no issues, I hope you can sign soon. This afternoon, we can get the marriage certificate.”

She skimmed through and signed her name at the end.

Closing the page, she didn’t immediately return it. “Pei Xi, why me?”

“There are many who suffer as I do, some even worse. So why me?”

She had never asked this before. Previously, after signing the contract and receiving the bank card, they would leave.

But today, for some reason, she wanted to know why Pei Xi had chosen her.

【Congratulations! Hidden trigger activated. Would you like to enable it?】

Xu Qingning was startled but quickly responded, choosing to enable it.

Only then did Pei Xi speak. “Indeed, I have many choices.”

He looked out at the passing traffic. “But, Miss Xu, you make me feel something.”

“After all, we will be together from now on. I think I have the freedom to choose someone I like.”

The tea before her was still warm. Xu Qingning took a sip. “What a coincidence. So do I.”

“Hope we cooperate well, Mr. Pei.”

“Of course.”

After Pei Xi’s car disappeared from her sight, Xu Qingning lowered her gaze.

“Hidden trigger? Pei Xi, I really suspect you did this on purpose.”

“Sincerity is the ultimate killer move? Fine, for the hidden ending, I’ll reluctantly believe you this once.”

“You better not lie to me, or after the mission ends, I’ll definitely complain to headquarters!”

Meanwhile, Pei Xi opened the contract and caressed the three characters on the paper—Xu Qingning—with a soft chuckle.

“Qingqing, the real game is about to begin.”