"The System can be upgraded, right? But how does it get upgraded?"
"[To upgrade, master must complete tasks. The Task for upgrading from Level One to Level Two is to make your dear Mr. Qin sincerely smile ten times because of you. Each smile earns one point, and when you have accumulated ten points, you can undertake the Upgrade Task. The Upgrade Task for Level One to Level Two is to personally make a cup of coffee for Mr. Qin, master. You must make it by hand!]"
"..." So that was it, no wonder it was called the Perfect Wife System, Su Yanyi had an epiphany!
Just make Qin Jiran sincerely smile ten times because of herself? Su Yanyi felt that this task seemed somewhat difficult. Apart from when acting, she really hadn't seen any smiles on that poker-faced Qin Jiran.
But it was the difficulty that made it challenging, and Su Yanyi found the task quite amusing. In fact, compared to upgrading the System, she felt that making Qin Jiran sincerely smile ten times was far more motivating and meaningful.
She truly wanted to see what that man would look like when he smiled sincerely!
Meanwhile, Qin Jiran was on the phone, giving instructions.
"I want to know everything that has happened around her recently, as long as it can be found out," Qin Jiran's voice was cold and firm, showing concern and a hint of decisiveness.
He didn't want to investigate Su Yanyi, but he was even less willing to allow anything untoward to happen to Su Yanyi without his knowledge. If he was powerless to change anything three years ago, now he was fully capable of doing things he wanted to do.
From what had happened that morning, Qin Jiran could clearly sense a change in Su Yanyi. Whether it was the decision not to divorce for the time being or the 'thank you' at the breakfast table, none of these were things the usual Su Yanyi would do.
After three years of marriage, Su Yanyi's coldness and stubbornness had seeped deep into Qin Jiran's bones. In Su Yanyi's eyes, there was only herself. No matter the occasion, he had never heard Su Yanyi say a single 'thank you' or any words of praise were extremely rare. Her changing decisions had almost never happened before, but now it had all happened, which made Qin Jiran unable to stop wondering.
What exactly happened?
Qin Jiran sat on the sofa outside Su Yanyi's bedroom, immersed in thought. He had also been sitting here last night, thinking all night long about the first time he saw Su Yanyi, the indescribable feelings when he was moved by her, his resolve to enter the entertainment industry for Su Yanyi's sake, their deal, their marriage, and also about Su Yanyi's indifference to him, her disdain...
Perhaps because of the contractual nature of their marriage, Su Yanyi had always thought he agreed to this deal for the sake of his career, treating him even colder than an ordinary person. He had anticipated this outcome when he agreed, but in the face of Su Yanyi, he couldn't utter a word of refusal. He even agreed somewhat confusedly.
But Qin Jiran never regretted such a choice and only blamed himself for being too clumsy, unable to garner even a little bit of favor from Su Yanyi in three years.
Qin Jiran sat there somewhat dejectedly, sighing deeply.
When Su Yanyi came out, what she happened to see was Qin Jiran's disheartened expression. She raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement appearing in her eyes. This man's manner seemed unusually comical, shedding some of his usual aloofness.
"Are you going out?" Qin Jiran looked at Su Yanyi, dressed to go out. It was now eight in the morning, the time they had agreed upon to handle the divorce proceedings. Both had cleared their schedules for this, and now they weren't going, which left him wondering where she was off to. Could it be that she had changed her mind and decided to go through with the divorce after all?
A sudden anxiety gripped Qin Jiran, his face stiffened a bit, but he still managed to maintain a stoic expression. No matter what, he would support Su Yanyi's decision.
"I'm going to the company," Su Yanyi explained, a rarity for her. Having thought things through, the typically decisive Su Yanyi couldn't lie still any longer. As she pondered the traitors and the despicable who had kicked her while she was down, a chill crept into her expression.
Qin Jiran had been watching Su Yanyi the whole time, not missing the hint of coldness in her eyes, and he couldn't help furrowing his brows. His voice grew a little heavy as he asked, "What happened?"
Su Yanyi glanced at Qin Jiran but didn't answer, unsure of how to. She couldn't very well tell him she knew which people would betray her in the future, so she needed to deal with them now.
Being stared at made Qin Jiran somewhat uncomfortable and he felt his question might have been too abrupt. After all, why would Su Yanyi report her work affairs to him?
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," Qin Jiran said, suppressing the bitterness in his heart and trying to stay calm. His concern had led him to overstep, and he feared it had only made Su Yanyi more annoyed with him.
And watching Qin Jiran hold himself back like that made Su Yanyi the one to frown.
"There's no need to apologize." If Qin Jiran wasn't good with words, Su Yanyi was no different. The words she meant to offer as explanation and comfort came out dry, devoid of any emotion.
Su Yanyi herself didn't realize the problem, her mouth twitching as if she wanted to give Qin Jiran a smile. But to Qin Jiran, it didn't seem like a smile at all. It looked more like a sneer, causing a pang of hurt deep inside him.
It seemed like Su Yanyi was growing to despise him more, even giving him a cold sneer. Mulling over this, Qin Jiran also moved his lips, mocking his own incompetence and clumsiness, failing to even win over the affection of the one he loved. After all the thought and time he had put in, it was still so disappointing.
Seeing Qin Jiran's forced smile, Su Yanyi's brows only furrowed deeper. If you don't want to smile, then don't, she thought. Such a strained smile—could he really believe she couldn't see right through it?
"Don't smile," Su Yanyi said sternly, with furrowed brows and a cool tone. Three simple words that held such authority, but they also made the atmosphere even more tense, so much that she herself realized there was a problem.
Su Yanyi took a moment to seriously reflect, then attempted to soften her tone as she said, "Stop smiling, it doesn't look nice." If you don't want to smile, then don't force it. A forced smile is really unattractive. She wanted to see his genuine smile.
"..." And Qin Jiran, who had been told twice now not to smile, was truly at a loss for words. He dropped the pitiful curve of his lips and looked at Su Yanyi awkwardly, uncertain of what to do.
Was even his smile becoming something she disliked? Should he stop smiling altogether in the future? He truly did not want Su Yanyi to hate him at all.
...