episode_0014

Xu Nian nearly shouted.

She closed her eyes, pressed her hands against her skirt, and let out a loud cry—yet the volume still fell short of her expectations.

“So cute.”

One of the bodyguards couldn’t help but comment.

Only to earn an icy glare from the CEO.

He immediately fell silent.

“I don’t have time to waste here with you either. What question did Su Qingya tell you to ask me? Hurry up and say it.”

He seemed unwilling to stay even a second longer.

After all, the only one who had ever held his interest was Su Qingya.

But since this was Su Qingya’s younger sister before him, he managed to rein in his impatience a little.

How long had it been?

No one could understand his torment.

He suffered from a strange condition—what the doctors called a rare psychological disorder.

He felt an intense aversion toward any woman.

The only way to improve it was through contact with women.

But it was, after all, a psychological illness.

The mere sight of a woman made him nauseous—how could he possibly bring himself to touch one? And if he couldn’t touch women, how could he treat his condition?

It was a vicious cycle.

He had even begun to question whether his orientation was the problem.

No, impossible—that thought only made him even more disgusted.

If he hadn’t finally met a woman he could tolerate, he might have remained single for life, adopting a child from the family line instead.

That was why he was so fixated.

To him, Su Qingya was heaven-sent—his destined salvation.

Asking her to treat him to this meal was just an excuse to see her again.

It wasn’t as if he couldn’t afford a meal himself.

“What… are Emotion Beasts?” Xu Nian asked timidly.

The man stared at Xu Nian, silent for a few seconds.

“Hah. That foolish woman actually told you about this… Emotion Beasts are monsters born from human emotions. Since you know about them, Su Qingya must have already explained the basics to you.”

Xu Nian kept her eyes fixed on the man.

How concise.

But Xu Nian had no idea how much Su Qingya actually knew—after all, Su Qingya was still unconscious.

She deliberately skipped over the question, offering no answer.

“How many types of Emotion Beasts are there?”

“Currently, twenty-four are known. There may be more. Su Qingya’s emotion is [Fear]. Honestly, I’m quite curious about that.”

Xu Nian understood—with his personality, he probably wouldn’t bother listing the details for her.

But… twenty-four?

Wasn’t that a bit too many?

Still, what did he mean by being curious about Qingya’s emotion being [Fear]?

“How do they usually appear?”

“There’s no pattern. Like the one that attacked Su Qingya—if I hadn’t happened to pass by, she might have already become its meal.”

Xu Nian’s brow furrowed slightly, her long bangs and glasses obscuring her expression completely.

There was no gratitude in her eyes.

“Then… are there any organizations for this? If I’m ever in danger, who should I turn to for protection?”

“If you’re in danger, go to the authorities. You should know that much. But I can assign two Emotion Handlers to protect you. That woman Su Qingya has talent—if nothing goes wrong, she’ll probably be recruited by the authorities. Though, being part of the system means fewer resources than what our major families can freely provide.”

The implication was clear—he wanted Su Qingya to pledge herself to him. That way, he could use his resources to nurture her.

Hah.

As if.

Qingya is mine.

I don’t need your resources.

For a moment, Xu Nian fell silent.

The small porcelain doll sat quietly, stirring a flicker of irritation in the man across from her.

“Are you spacing out?”

“Ah, no, sorry! I-I was just thinking about what else Sister might have wanted to ask… Um, Emotion Handlers? What are those?”

The little loli’s voice was soft and sweet—even the two bodyguards couldn’t bring themselves to scold her when they saw her like this.

Unfortunately, the CEO had gynophobia—a psychological condition.

He wouldn’t care about any of that.

Still, the man only raised an eyebrow and said nothing more.

“Emotion Handlers are people who seize the authority of Emotion Beasts. Only emotion can kill emotion. Your sister happens to have the talent for it, and I have high hopes for her. I originally wanted to make her my secretary today, but it seems I’ll have to find another opportunity.”

Secretary?

Xu Nian clenched her fists.

Her acting was flawless—not a trace of discomfort showed on her face.

“Then… is there any chance I could become an Emotion Handler too?”

Xu Nian asked.

Even though she had already gotten the answer in her simulations.

“You?”

The man simply stared at Xu Nian in silence. In an instant, she felt a chill run through her body, her limbs growing stiff—she was slowly losing control.

But the sensation came and went just as quickly.

“What did you feel?”

Domination…

“I… I didn’t feel anything.”

“Now do you understand? Power requires talent—and you have none. Tch, strange. You’re sisters, yet one soars in the heavens while the other crawls in the dirt. Hmph. As expected of someone I’ve taken a liking to.”

The bodyguards wanted to remind the CEO to watch his words—how could he be so harsh on such an adorable little loli? But in the end, they didn’t dare speak up.

Xu Nian merely let a shadow settle deep in her eyes.

“Then… is there an Emotion Beast targeting me? Sometimes, I… I can’t stop myself from laughing.”

“No. Emotion Beasts prefer those who generate stronger emotional energy—those with the potential to become Emotion Handlers—or places with large crowds. They wouldn’t randomly target a weak little girl. But now that you know about them, they might one day use you as a medium to manifest and wreak havoc.”

“Since you can’t become an Emotion Handler, your only options are to seek protection… or have this memory erased. I can offer you protection—but only if your sister belongs to me.”

“Thank you. That’s… all I wanted to ask.”

Xu Nian smiled sweetly, her expression enough to melt hearts.

The two bodyguards couldn’t help but blush.

“What you wanted to ask? Hmph. Did you come here behind your sister’s back?”

“I-I’m sorry! I overheard it by accident, but… Sister didn’t want to talk about it.”

“I don’t like liars.”

He tapped the table but didn’t press the issue. “Go back. Tell your sister to come see me next time. Don’t make me go looking for her.”

Who do you think you are…

“Okay.”

“Hmph.”

The man snorted coldly and stood to leave.

Xu Nian quietly followed behind him.

Her soft, harmless demeanor didn’t raise any suspicion from the bodyguards.

They only reminded her not to step ahead of the CEO.

“Um… I have one last question. I promise, it’s the final one.”

The man stopped but didn’t turn around.

“Speak.”

No one expected it—

A fruit knife slipped from Xu Nian’s sleeve.

The blade plunged straight toward him.

Her face was alight with uncontrollable laughter.

“Can you please die for me?”

“Ahahahaha~”