Chapter 11: The Tug of War

The room was engulfed in silence.

“Shi Chuchu.”

Long Yuan suddenly called her name out of the blue.

Half asleep and half awake, Shi Chuchu instinctively wanted to respond.

At this critical moment—

[Stop! Stop, host! Don’t fall for it!!!]

The system, taking the form of a screaming chicken, emitted a sharp, explosive noise in her mind, successfully snapping Shi Chuchu awake.

Once fully alert, Shi Chuchu realized her current position and instantly broke out in a cold sweat.

She slowly lifted her head and met Long Yuan’s expressionless face.

Their eyes locked. She forced a stiff smile that looked worse than crying.

“S-sorry, Marshal... I have this... occasional sleepwalking habit...” Shi Chuchu stammered, quietly sliding off Long Yuan’s body and trying to discreetly put some distance between them.

Long Yuan watched her subtle movements, his eyes dark and inscrutable.

“What’s your name?” His gaze fell on the fluffy swirl of Shi Chuchu’s hair as he spoke calmly.

Nervously, Shi Chuchu glanced up at him and swallowed. “My name is Chu Shi.”

“Chu... Shi?” Long Yuan repeated, his eyes deepening with a playful glint.

Shi Chuchu nodded, striving to appear as natural as possible.

She knew she had been careless earlier, and Long Yuan was beginning to grow suspicious.

But then she reminded herself that her new identity in this world had already been fabricated by the system. What was there to worry about?

Even if Long Yuan was suspicious, he absolutely wouldn’t find any evidence!

As the two of them remained in tense standoff, the little cub in the next room woke up, making soft whining noises.

Shi Chuchu felt as if she had just been pardoned. For the first time in her life, she found the cub’s whimpering incredibly endearing. So excited, she dashed barefoot toward the cub’s room, forgetting all about her shoes.

Long Yuan’s eyes fell on those pale, delicate little feet, his expression unreadable. After a moment, he followed her.

The simultaneous appearance of the two clearly left the cub feeling conflicted.

At times, the chubby little hand would reach toward Long Yuan, then hesitantly glance at Shi Chuchu, unable to decide for a long while.

Shi Chuchu instinctively took a step back, not wanting to disturb the father and son, showing the tact of a diligent worker.

***

Long Yuan quickly picked up the little one from the bed, gently rubbing his plump, rosy cheeks.

“Little Bao, does your tummy still hurt?”

The cub blinked his big eyes and shook his head.

Seeing the father and son begin their private, tender moment, Shi Chuchu, not wanting to be a third wheel, quietly retreated, intending to return to her own room.

But the cub’s sharp eyes immediately caught her subtle movement, and he babbled as he waved at her.

Long Yuan’s cold gaze also shifted toward her.

Helpless, Shi Chuchu returned to the cub’s side, letting the little chubby hand grasp a lock of her hair, twirling it in his fingers.

To avoid getting her hair pulled painfully, Shi Chuchu instinctively moved a bit closer.

Just then, the slightly ajar door was pushed open. Tara, the healer, appeared at the doorway and clearly saw the scene inside—

A tall, handsome man holding a pale, adorable cub, his body slightly leaning to one side, while the beautiful woman beside him lovingly played with the little one...

For a moment, Tara was dazed, almost believing she was witnessing a happy family of three.

But the next moment, that daze was shattered by anger.

Something was wrong! Today was supposed to be her turn to soothe and care for the cub. How was this woman here?

Not only that, she was deliberately dressed in a nightgown, her skin exposed in broad swaths of white, practically seducing the Marshal!

Tara glared fiercely at Shi Chuchu’s back, gritting her teeth in hatred.

Suddenly, a cold gaze shot toward her. Tara froze, only then realizing that the Marshal had silently turned his head to look at her.

Her cheeks flushed as she hastily forced a sweet smile, feeling her heart race like a startled deer.

At the same time, she quickly took stock of her outfit—

A pale yellow short dress paired with an off-white headband, her fluffy chestnut curls tied into a lively ponytail, making her look fresh and gentle.

The kind of appearance both cub and man would find appealing.

Moreover, she had spent two hours meticulously applying a subtle, natural makeup—her efforts aimed not at the cub, but at the handsome man holding him.

She was determined to outshine that seductive woman!

With this thought, Tara smiled warmly and stepped forward, greeting Long Yuan softly.

“Good day, Marshal.”

Long Yuan’s gaze scrutinized her without a hint of emotion. After confirming she carried no weapons that could harm the cub, he coolly looked away.

“What’s your purpose here?”

Tara’s smile stiffened. As Long Yuan’s gaze shifted back to Shi Chuchu, a surge of resentment welled up inside her.

***

“I... I’m here to take care of the young master. According to the butler’s instructions, I’m responsible for soothing and caring for him today.”

Shi Chuchu’s eyes brightened as she suddenly remembered she didn’t have to work today. Her gaze toward Tara was immediately filled with gratitude.

What a good person, voluntarily taking the shift!

The next moment, she looked sincerely at Long Yuan. “Ms. Tara is right. Then I’ll clock out now... Excuse me, Marshal.”

With that, she decisively pulled her hair back from the cub’s hand and prepared to slip away.

Long Yuan’s expression remained indifferent as he watched her anxious demeanor, pinning her to the spot with a single sentence.

“Did I give you permission to leave?”

*

An hour later, Shi Chuchu sat in the prison cell, staring blankly at the wall, utterly despondent.

Long Yuan was truly impossible to deal with!

“When he was coaxing the cub, he let me out, and as soon as the cub was soothed, he locked me back in... Do I really have to conquer this dog of a man?!” she gritted her teeth, muttering to the system.

[Clearing throat... Cheer up, host. Although you’ve been locked back up, Long Yuan’s darkness value has dropped by 3 points. It’s now at 90!]

Shi Chuchu was taken aback, unable to stay angry.

“When did it drop?”

[Just now, while you were clinging to him like a koala bear~]

Shi Chuchu: !!!

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier!”

She was heartbroken.

So it turned out that intimate physical contact beyond embarrassment could also reduce the darkness value?!

Heavens! How many good opportunities had she missed?

[… Calm down, calm down, host! Your theories are still up for debate. It’s not yet certain what exactly caused the drop...]

As the system patiently urged her to endure a little longer to observe the situation, the metal door to the cell suddenly opened.

An expressionless guard entered, wordlessly tossing a bundle of bedding onto Shi Chuchu’s cold iron bed, then turning silently to leave. The metal door clanged shut again.

Shi Chuchu was utterly baffled, staring at the bedding on the bed, lost in thought.