Chapter 37 -

Chapter 37: Chapter

The moment Yimei closed the wooden door to her private bedchamber, a high-pitched, frantic robotic chime echoed directly inside her mind.

⁠[WARNING! SYSTEM ERROR! HOST IS DEVIATING FROM THE CORE SCRIPT!]⁠

⁠[ALERT: Target Bai Zhengyu’s Favorability Score: 0/100]⁠

⁠[NOTIFICATION: Host’s current action path does NOT match the prescribed romance plot. You are supposed to gain the target’s Favorability Points, not become his co-conspirator in a bloodbath! Please adjust your behavior immediately!]⁠

Yimei didn’t even blink. Ignoring the flashing blue text box hovering in her vision, she walked calmly over to her mahogany desk. She lit a small brass oil lamp, unrolled a fresh sheet of Xuan paper, and dipped her ink brush into the dark paste.

⁠[Host, are you listening to me?!]⁠ Nine’s voice buzzed like an annoyed mosquito in her head. ⁠[If you refuse to earn Favorability Points, you will NEVER trigger the system’s return portal! You will be stuck here forever and won’t get to go back to your original world!]⁠

Yimei kept writing, her slender fingers guiding the brush in sharp, elegant strokes across the paper as she outlined a list of rare medicinal herbs.

"I don’t mind," Yimei replied casually in her mind, her voice as smooth as ice.

⁠[...What do you mean you don’t mind?!]⁠ Nine squeaked in sheer disbelief.

"My past life wasn’t exactly a fairytale," Yimei said, her dark eyes reflecting the flickering yellow lamplight. "I worked myself to death every single day just to survive. Here, I’m younger, I’m significantly prettier, and I actually have the freedom and knowledge to build a life for myself."

⁠[But... but the romance plot!]⁠ Nine whined. ⁠[You’re supposed to melt his cold heart with gentle love and sweetness!]⁠

"Gentle love doesn’t work on a man who hates his entire bloodline," Yimei countered flatly, setting her brush down to let the ink dry. "Zhengyu doesn’t need a sweet, helpless wife—he needs a competent ally. I will fix his legs, help him tear down this rotten house, and clear his path until he becomes the Great General. Once he reaches the top and we get divorced, I’ll take my money, my tea house, and leave."

She leaned back in her chair, a cold, satisfied smile touching her lips. "A peaceful, wealthy life on my own terms. That is the plot I’m writing."

Yimei smoothed out the blank sheet of rice paper, dipping her brush into the dark ink with practiced ease. On paper, drafting a mutual contract for the two of them was simple enough: layout the terms, set clear boundaries, and establish a clean exit strategy for when the time came.

[Host, if his favorability points increase during this process... will you still complete the mission?] System Nine’s mechanical voice hummed directly inside her mind, sounding unusually hesitant.

Yimei’s wrist paused mid-stroke, a droplet of ink hovering just above the paper before she shrugged nonchalantly.

"I will indeed make his favorability points increase," she thought back, a sly glint in her eyes. "How else am I supposed to buy things from the system store? Or does your system work differently?"

[Host can purchase skills and items from the system main supply market, but wasting your favorability points is not advisable,] Nine cautioned, its voice sounding distinctly exasperated. [Favorability points are directly tied to your survival metrics and mission completion rank. Treating them purely as pocket change for convenience items will severely limit your fallback options if things go sideways.]

Yimei scoffed inwardly, brushing off the warning as she brought her brush back to the page.

"Side options are for people who intend to stay," she thought back, outlining the first clause of her contract with neat, fluid calligraphy. "I just need enough points to buy what keeps me alive until the final blow, nothing more, nothing less."

Meanwhile, in Madame Chen’s warm, expensive room, the air was thick with anger.

Madame Chen sat stiffly on her wooden couch, breathing heavily in frustration. Beside her, Madame Liu calmly sipped her warm tea, acting totally relaxed despite the drama from the feast.

Across from them, Madame Zhang slowly turned her teacup in her hands, lost in thought. "Sister Chen, that girl needs to be taught a lesson. Sister Liu hasn’t even paid her back for what she did to her m. In just one day, that girl made Grandmother hate and punish her, and now she is coming after you. I don’t know if I will be her next target."

"That useless girl cannot do anything to us," Madame Liu sneered, setting her cup down with a sharp click. "Just because she got a few nice words from the elders, she thinks she has won! I already sent someone to look into her business. That precious tea house of hers... let’s see if it is still standing by tomorrow morning. It will be gone before sunrise."

Madame Liu laughed out loud, and Madame Zhang quickly joined in with a mean giggle.

Madame Chen looked at them with cold, sharp eyes. "Whatever you two decide to do with her, make sure you hide every clue. Do not leave anything that connects back to us. I will not let that brat cause any more trouble for my side of the family."

"Sister Chen, you should be more worried about your own house," Madame Liu said, waving her fan with a fake smile. "You have such a ’smart’ daughter-in-law. You need to put her in her place. Since she clearly does not know how to run that silk shop, you should take it away from her and give it to your son, Wenliang, instead."

"Don’t worry, leave my daughter in law to me.. I’ll teach her properly. She hates Yimei as much as we do despite them being sisters. Since they have both lived with each other for so long I’ll use that as my advantage.. these An sisters won’t come and spoil the plans I have laid out for my son.. none of them will ever get that chance .. mark my words."