By the time the monthly blind date list grew longer than his company’s employee roster, Zhou Yanxing had started trying to dodge them—claiming he was too busy, too tired, about to board a flight, or hanging up with any excuse he could think of.
But somehow, the people he turned down always managed to run into him—at the office, during his commute—as if governed by some bizarre law of energy conservation: the lucky don’t stay lucky forever, but the unlucky might just be doomed for life.
The entire world seemed determined to see him married—as if staying single might actually kill him.
Zhou Yanxing looked at Chi Zhan, unhurried and composed.
“Why so quiet?”
What exactly is he supposed to say? Ask “how can I help”? That’d just be asking the obvious.
He gave a slight bow. “If you don’t wish to meet him, then I’ll just—”
“Wait,” Zhou Yanxing interrupted, seemingly changing his mind. After a brief pause, he said, “Bring him in.”
Lu Xiao was led nervously to the CEO’s office by Chi Zhan, but as they reached the door, his courage faltered.
He’d just been scrolling through the forums and stumbled on a trending post in the player strategy section calling Zhou Yanxing the “Romance Killer.” The thread had over a thousand replies—an absolute frenzy. As Lu Xiao scrolled through, he saw nothing but complaints about Zhou’s cold, unreasonable, impossible behavior. When he finally reached the last page, the only sentence there was:
“Do you know why no one’s ever successfully romanced him? Because all the players who tried… died.”
“……”
Help. Isn’t this supposed to be a dating sim? Why is it turning into a horror game?!
As he waited, his thoughts spiraled into absurdities. What if Zhou Yanxing had some kind of ability—like turning people to stone with a single glance?
“Um… Secretary Chi?” Lu Xiao stood frozen at the door, his face pale as paper, half-pleading, half-terrified. “Could you come in with me?”
It was the most baffling request Chi Zhan had ever heard.
“That… might not be appropriate.”
Lu Xiao was timid by nature—he couldn’t even handle horror movies. Now he was visibly trembling. When he saw Chi Zhan refuse, he quickly grabbed his sleeve.
“It’s nothing inappropriate! Please?”
He looked up at Chi Zhan with wide, pleading eyes.
Chi Zhan could only relent.
“Alright.”
Zhou Yanxing was idly playing with a fountain pen when the two of them walked in. Lu Xiao still hadn’t let go of Chi Zhan’s sleeve. Zhou raised a brow.
“You’re the one my mother arranged?”
Lu Xiao blinked.
“Who’s your mother?”
“Madam Lin.”
“Oh—yes! That’s right.”
Then he promptly ran out of things to say.
Zhou Yanxing eyed him.
“Why are you still clinging to my secretary? If you let go, are you going to float off into the sky?”
He gave Chi Zhan a glance.
“You can step out. I’ll call you later.”
Lu Xiao realized that just looking at Zhou Yanxing wouldn’t kill him after all. And damn, this man really did look like everyone’s ideal CEO—tall, handsome, radiating wealth and elegance. No wonder so many people were trying to romance him.
Once Chi Zhan left, Zhou Yanxing gave Lu Xiao a few glances but said nothing. He casually flipped through some documents, projecting an air of unreadable depth that made Lu Xiao increasingly uneasy.
“Lu Xiao. Male. Twenty-one. Lives in the suburbs. Education unknown.” Zhou skimmed the info and frowned slightly. “How did my mother even find someone like you? A hidden gem lost in the ocean?”
“……”
Player profiles were randomly generated by the system—some people got rich heirs with eight properties, while others drew disaster survivors. Lu Xiao, unfortunately, had drawn something worse than ordinary.
His personal storyline was so long he’d skipped through it all, so now he could only bluff.
“Actually… I’m the long-lost young master of the Lu family. I was just found recently.”
“I see. That’s not easy. But I’m curious—do none of you realize I have no intention of getting married? One after another, you all keep showing up. Isn’t it exhausting?”
Lu Xiao froze. He realized Zhou was referring to all the past players. But he couldn’t exactly say, It’s because your cold, untouchable vibe is irresistible. These days, male leads were all written to be aloof and picky—distant to the world, obsessed only with you. The colder and haughtier the character, the harder they fell, the more satisfying it was…
Cringey? Sure. But people loved it.
“Oh, right. I’m curious about something. If you can answer, I’ll reward you. Whatever you want—as long as it’s within my means.”
Lu Xiao perked up, just about to blurt, Then marry me!
But Zhou cut in as if he’d read his mind.
“Excludes emotional demands. I already have someone I like. I won’t fall for anyone else.”
This time, Lu Xiao was truly stunned.
Wait—someone had already successfully bagged Zhou Yanxing?
Why had no one posted about this? That was major news! The forums hadn’t even whispered about it!
“Who is it?” he couldn’t help asking.
“Answer my question first.”
He meant to trade answers.
Lu Xiao was dying of curiosity.
“Alright.”
Zhou Yanxing’s voice turned serious.
“There’s an item in this world called ‘One Spray Cure’—a medicine that instantly restores your health. Do you know it?”
“Of course! I even have some. It’s a newbie essential,” Lu Xiao said reflexively.
Every player received a starter kit when the game began—complete with clothing, medical supplies, phone, keys, and more. If you got injured, the spray healed you instantly.
But—how did Zhou know that?
Before Lu Xiao could make sense of it, Zhou asked a second question, his tone icy:
“Why were you clinging to my secretary just now?”
The question practically dripped with jealousy.
Something felt very off.
But Zhou’s gaze was sharp and unrelenting, forcing Lu Xiao to respond.
“I thought he looked familiar… kind of comforting. Like we’ve met before.”
