Chapter 4 — The Task is Difficult

"The System can be upgraded, right? How is it done?"

[Master has to complete missions to level up. The Accumulation Mission requires Master to make dear Mr. Qin smile —genuinely— ten times. Each time will come with a one-point reward. Ten points are needed to unlock the Upgrade Mission. The Upgrade Mission requires Master to brew Mr. Qin a cup of coffee. A cup of coffee that you brewed yourself, okay, Master?]

"….." That explained why the System was called the Virtuous Wife System. Su Yanyi suddenly felt enlightened.

She had to make Qin Jiran smile genuinely ten times? She felt that the task was a bit difficult. Admittedly, aside from when he was acting, she had never seen a smile on his face before. However, Su Yanyi was interested in taking the challenge.

As the matter of fact, she felt that compared to upgrading the System, making Qin Jiran smile was far more motivating and meaningful. She really did want to see how that man looked when he was smiling!

…..

Meanwhile, Qin Jiran was talking on the phone, giving instructions to someone.

"Let me know everything you can dig up about what's happened to and around her recently." His voice was grim, and his expression was one of concern, with a hint of determination.

He didn't want to do an investigation on Su Yanyi, but he was even more unwilling to be kept in the dark if something bad had happened to Su Yanyi.

If he were the Qin Jiran from three years ago, he would've been powerless to do anything, but the current him held the power to do some of the things he wanted to do. To him, the events during breakfast and Su Yanyi's change had been clear as day.

Neither her decision to not divorce and the "thank you" she gave during breakfast were things that she would do under normal circumstances.

After three years of marriage, her indifference and stubbornness had left a deep impression on him. Her eyes only contained herself. Regardless of the occasion, he had never heard a "thank you" come out of her mouth before.

Words of praise were scarce, and the instances of her changing her mind were almost nonexistent.

And yet, just a few hours ago, it all occurred. Qin Jiran couldn't not overthink it.

Just what had happened?

Qin Jiran sat on the sofa outside of Su Yanyi's bedroom and began to think. Last night, he'd also sat in the same spot and contemplated for the entire night. He'd thought about the time he first met her.

The indescribable feeling he would get when she made his heart race.

His decision to enter the entertainment circle for her.

Their contract.

Their marriage.

And lastly, her indifference and disdain towards him…

Maybe it was due to the contractual nature of their marriage, but Su Yanyi had always believed that he'd agreed to it because it was a transaction that promised him a desirable future.

Therefore, the way she treated him was three times colder than how she usually treated others. When he agreed to her proposal, he'd expected the result to be like this, but in front of her, he was unable to say a single word of rejection. Back then, he had even felt a bit muddle-headed.

However, he never regretted his decision. He only blamed himself for being awkward and incompetent. Three years had passed, but he was still unable to make Su Yanyi feel even the slightest of affections towards him.

Qin Jiran felt somewhat depressed as he sat there, and he released a heavy sigh.

And thus, when Su Yanyi walked out of her bedroom, the first thing she saw was his dejected appearance. She raised her eyebrows, and a sliver of a smile entered her eyes. The sight of him like this was so unusual that it amused her.

Qin Jiran took in her outfit and asked, "Are you going out?"

It was eight in the morning. Their original plan was to go out and get the legal divorce procedures done, but now that they weren't going, they both had free time on their hands. Did she change her mind again?

His heart dropped, and his face hardened, but he reluctantly strove to remain expressionless. He would respect Su Yanyi's decision, no matter what it was.

"I'm going to the company," she explained, which was something she rarely did.

After a round of deliberation, Su Yanyi, who had always been proficient in everything she did, was unable to sit still knowing that all of those little traitors and the people who'd kicked her when she was down were still bustling around. The look in her eyes became ice-cold.

Qin Jiran had been looking at her the entire time and naturally noticed the coldness in her eyes. His eyebrows scrunched together, and in a somewhat solemn tone, he asked, "Did something happen?"

She shot him a glance and did not answer. She didn't know how to answer. It wasn't like she could tell him that she knew who would betray her in the future and was going to go deal with them.

A bit of unease crept into Qin Jiran's heart. He felt that he had been rude to ask. After all, why would she tell him about her matters at work?

Forcing down the bitterness in his heart, he apologized as calmly as possible, "Sorry. I shouldn't have asked." Worry had caused him to step out of line. Su Yanyi was probably fed up with him already.

As Su Yanyi looked at Qin Jiran, who was clearly trying to endure his feelings of dejection, she became the one scrunching her eyebrows instead.

"There's no need to apologize." If one were to call Qin Jiran ineloquent, then Su Yanyi wouldn't be considered any different. The words that were meant to be interpreted as comfort came out stiff and without the slightest of emotions.

However, Su Yanyi herself was not aware of this problem. She lifted the corners of her lips in an attempt to smile at him, but what Qin Jiran saw was the complete opposite. No matter how he looked, all he saw was a cold smile, and it made his heart tighten with a touch of pain.

It seemed that she was more disgusted with him now. She'd even revealed a cold smile.

At that, the corners of his lips also curved into a smile, but it was one of mockery towards his own incompetence and clumsiness. He didn't even know how to make the woman he loved like him back.

The situation was still so despairing, even after all the time and thought he'd spent on pursuing her.

Meanwhile, when Su Yanyi saw the forced smile on his face, the furrow between her brows deepened.

If you don't want to laugh, then don't laugh. Such a forced smile… did he think she was blind?

"Don't smile."

Her scrunched up eyebrows and her cold tone of voice gave her a very imposing vibe. The mood instantly became so stiff that even she noticed it.

Su Yanyi reflected on herself for a moment before speaking in what she assumed was a reassuring voice, "Don't smile. It doesn't look good."

Don't smile if you don't want to. Honestly, a forced smile was not good-looking at all. What she wanted to see was his real, genuine smile.

"….." Having been told twice to not smile, Qin Jiran found himself quite speechless. Retracting the pitiful arches from his lips, he looked at her with an embarrassed gaze and was somewhat at a loss.

Could it be that even his smile was disliked? Then from now on, should he stop smiling? He really didn't want to evoke her ire.

[Little Theater]

Film Emperor: Dear, you used to be so cold to me, you know?

Beloved Wife: Just bear with it, for now. The gentleness is still running wild on the path of learning.

VIN: Misunderstandings, oof. If only she'd continued speaking.

RELEASE SCHEDULE: 5x a week. Why? Because chapter 65 begins the 8k (in raws) chapters, so I'll need time to stockpile those.