After Transmigrating into a Book, I Was Marked by the Beautiful Mad Villain - Chapter 12

The reticent and cold Shen Han maintained her usual calm expression at this moment.

She merely twitched the tip of her brow ever so slightly before stepping into the living room.

“Secretary Zhuang,” Shen Han spoke up to alert him as she approached.

Su Mi looked up at the sound and found Xu Nanqiao and Shen Han together. Like Secretary Zhuang, she froze in sync.

Indeed, Shen Han almost never came downstairs at this time.

Could it be… she’s finally seen the light? She can’t bear to let Xu Nanqiao leave?

Su Mi’s expression shifted subtly as her gaze darted between the two of them, and she broke into a radiant smile.

“Sister, Nanqiao, good afternoon. Today ended so quickly; the time spent together just now must have been quite pleasant… Hmm?”

As she spoke, she asked the system to pull up the villain’s blackening value, intending to record the fluctuations before and after each reading session.

When she saw that blackish-red number clearly, Su Mi couldn’t help but let her voice trail off, unable to hide her shock.

Why was it 82%?!

The first reading session had dropped it by a full 10%. Last night’s blackening value was 87%, meaning it had only decreased by 5%—exactly half as much as last time.

If the rate of the blackening value’s increase was average, wouldn’t the world be finished in just a few months?

Su Mi was practically collapsing internally.

She looked up at Xu Nanqiao with a “wanting to cry but having no tears” expression.

Being stared at like this made Xu Nanqiao feel a bit flustered. She hesitated and said, “It… it was alright, I guess.”

Su Mi then turned her gaze toward Shen Han.

Shen Han was wearing a cream-white business suit today. Her ink-black hair was simply tied back, with a few strands hanging over the left side of her forehead and a long, slender wooden bead earring dangling from her right ear.

She looked sharp, but her temperament always seemed a bit sickly, and her expression was gloomy. Even a single glance could tell that her mood wasn’t particularly pleasant.

Hearing this, she raised her eyes and arched a single brow, asking with a faint, inscrutable smile, “What? If it wasn’t pleasant enough, do you want to read too?”

Great, she had just been caught in the crossfire.

Staring into Shen Han’s eyes, which were like ink-dark pools, Su Mi felt her skin crawl. She shrank her neck and shook her head violently.

Shen Han had followed them downstairs today, which was out of the ordinary. Was it because the reading wasn’t very pleasant, her mood was bad, and she wanted to spend a little more time with Xu Nanqiao to supplement the “medicine” for her heartache?

In that case, weren’t she and Secretary Zhuang acting as third and fourth wheels here?

Su Mi felt a sudden stroke of inspiration.

She tugged at Secretary Zhuang… wait, she missed.

Secretary Zhuang had already stood up at some unknown point.

Although she didn’t know why Secretary Zhuang had suddenly stood up, Su Mi followed suit.

She tried to change the subject naturally, saying, “Then there’s no need. How could I ever compare to Nanqiao? Oh! Since you two are going to read, I’ve been sitting for a while and feel a bit stuffy…”

Saying this, Su Mi turned and looked at Secretary Zhuang with high spirits. “Secretary Zhuang, you said earlier that you could take me to see the beautiful sunset here. Since we have time now, I’d really like to go see it. Shall we?”

A hint of shock appeared on Secretary Zhuang’s poker face.

He opened his mouth, nearly blurting out, “I…”

Su Mi smiled and grabbed Secretary Zhuang’s sleeve, saying, “Let’s go, let’s go.”

Under the indiscernible gazes of Shen Han and Xu Nanqiao, Su Mi forcibly pulled Secretary Zhuang out.

As soon as the two left the house, Secretary Zhuang quietly shook off Su Mi’s pull.

He then very deliberately smoothed out the wrinkles on his gray suit where Su Mi had grabbed him.

Secretary Zhuang said cautiously, “Miss Su, I am merely President Shen’s secretary. Please do not do this in front of President Shen…”

Su Mi: “…”

How can you be so unobservant, you personal secretary?

She led Secretary Zhuang a few steps further away from the mansion before whispering sneakily, “Don’t you think my sister is… quite special toward Nanqiao?”

Secretary Zhuang asked in confusion, “Special?”

Su Mi hummed and said suggestively, “Think about it. Isn’t her mood always influenced by Nanqiao? Doesn’t her mood only get better after Nanqiao visits? There are no other Omegas around her, you get it, right?”

Secretary Zhuang still looked confused. “Get what?”

“…” Su Mi was speechless for a moment and said, “Nothing. I just feel that to my sister, Nanqiao is probably unique.”

Secretary Zhuang seemed to understand partially, but he shook his head.

He shook his head and said, “You can be more confident. I believe that in President Shen’s eyes, you are also unique.”

Hearing this answer, Su Mi was almost stunned.

According to the original plot, if she was the number one little lackey by Shen Han’s side, then Secretary Zhuang was at least the head eunuch in charge.

How could this person’s sensitivity be so poor? Is his EQ even lower than hers?

He couldn’t even tell who Shen Han was being special to or who she had feelings for.

Su Mi paused and asked, “Don’t… don’t you think that, except in front of Nanqiao, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen sister so happy?”

Say it! Say that classic CEO novel butler line!

Secretary Zhuang: “Has President Shen ever been ‘that’ happy?”

The conversation was dead.

Su Mi felt completely blocked, so she sulkily followed Secretary Zhuang toward a corner of the South Court.

The South Court was built against a mountain, and its landscaping was comparable to a large park. After walking for a short while, they even saw assisted-cycling vehicles that could be ridden by scanning a light-brain.

Compared to the bicycles usually seen, the main difference with these assisted vehicles was that they could connect to a light-brain and project a map and other information in front of the vehicle.

Secretary Zhuang explained, “This can only be connected with authorization. It has a detailed map introduction of the South Court specifically programmed into it. The place to watch the sunset is here.”

Secretary Zhuang pointed to the edge of a green area.

He conscientiously helped Su Mi set up the projection and the destination. Just as he was about to set up his own, his light-brain’s communication suddenly rang.

Perhaps it was something regarding work.

Su Mi was swiping through the map of the South Court, immersed in exploring the new world, when she suddenly heard Secretary Zhuang walk back and say apologetically, “I’m sorry, Miss Su, I have to go back. An important document has arrived at the gate, and I need to sign for it.”

Su Mi: “Then… I’ll go by myself first?”

Secretary Zhuang: “Alright. Just follow the map and the destination. The security within the South Court is very safe; you can rest assured.”

Once Secretary Zhuang’s figure disappeared around the corner of the path, Su Mi looked around and realized she was now the only one left.

It was early spring, and the trees here were sprouting tender green buds. From both near and far, it was a layer of fresh green against the deep blue sky before sunset; it was quite beautiful.

The air was filled with the fresh fragrance of grass and flowers.

Su Mi felt in a good mood.

The villain and Nanqiao were alone together again. The blackening value should show a bit more of a decrease when she left, which meant the mission was progressing steadily.

She was also happy to have some leisure time, to be able to ride a bike and feel the breeze in such a beautiful estate.

Su Mi hummed a little tune, got on the assisted vehicle, and slowly rode toward the path marked on the map.

The sunset spot Secretary Zhuang had marked was at a place where the icon looked like a fountain square. The guidance for this path was also very intelligent, even projecting a virtual arrow in front of the assisted vehicle.

Su Mi rode like this for a good while before suddenly crying out, “Ah!”

“System, are you there?” She stopped the bike, balancing it with one foot on the ground.

System: “^^.”

Su Mi asked, “Can you help me see which way to turn at the intersection ahead? Why does it feel like I’m getting further and further away…”

System: “Host, if you want to go toward the southeast, then ahead you should…”

After a strange pause, the system’s characters appeared in the air one by one: “You·Should·Turn·Around.”

Su Mi: “…”

She scratched her cheek and asked, “Is that so? I was just saying I felt like I took a wrong turn.”

The system said, “Yes. Your destination is in the southwest corner of the map, but your current direction is toward the southeast corner, which is also the exit of the South Court.”

Su Mi nodded and said, “It seems you’re right. I also just noticed that the downhill corner ahead is already the entrance to the South Court.”

She pointed toward the towering black iron carved gate that was faintly visible above the green trees lining the wide asphalt road.

Even a blind person could see that if she kept going down, she’d be out.

Both the system and Su Mi fell into a temporary silence.

System: “Have you always been a directional idiot?”

How blunt!

Su Mi: “Pre—pretty much.”

Because the light-brains in this world could completely take over a car’s driving route, Su Mi hadn’t been exposed yet.

However, an assisted vehicle still required manual pedaling. Su Mi followed the virtual guidance through the winding paths of the South Court’s gardens, and after only two intersections, she was completely lost.

Of course, Su Mi was still very optimistic.

“The sunset is still half an hour away. Besides, even if I don’t see the sunset, I’ve had a lot of fun riding today,” Su Mi comforted the system. She thought for a moment and added, “Also, this weakness of mine shouldn’t have any impact on the mission, so you don’t need to worry.”

The system typed a few ellipses and then sent a smiley face: “Don’t worry, Host. 622 was just a bit surprised.”

Su Mi said, “No one is perfect.”

As she got back on the bike and started pedaling, she said to the system, “But I thought this problem of mine had been cured. After all, isn’t being a directional idiot caused by brain cells? I soul-traversed here, so now my brain cells belong to the original body. Does that mean the original body was also a directional idiot?”

Unexpectedly, the system denied it, saying, “No, Host. Everything in this body now belongs to you. You can understand it as a completely identical replica. Therefore, the original cannon fodder definitely wasn’t a directional idiot.”

“Also, Host, your direction is wrong again.”

The system reminded her politely.

Su Mi: “…Changing it now.”

She braked hard and had just hopped off the assisted vehicle when she suddenly noticed a long black business car approaching and stopping right beside her.

Su Mi blinked. She watched as the rear window rolled down as if it were vanishing, and the villain’s familiar face appeared unexpectedly before her. Her brows were like flying clouds and her eyes were deep—she looked like a sickly giant beast.

Their eyes met. Shen Han didn’t say a word, yet she seemed to have said everything.

Meeting the woman’s quiet gaze, Su Mi’s mind was a mess.

Secretary Zhuang was right. Does this gloomy person, Shen Han, really have moments when she’s happy?

Filled with the embarrassment of being caught, Su Mi instinctively raised her hand and waved like a lucky cat.

“Sis—Sister?”