Chapter 15: A Raise

Dragon Xiaobao’s crying ceased.

“Mo... mother.” He gazed at her, his small mouth pouting in grievance.

Shi Chuchu said nothing, simply holding him gently in her arms.

The little one buried his face in her neck and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Tara and the other servants had long been escorted outside by the steward. At this moment, only the family of three remained in the room, each lost in their own thoughts.

Long Yuan watched the scene silently, his feelings complex.

Shi Chuchu hugged the child, her heart pounding with dread.

“System! Didn’t you say the child wouldn’t recognize me? How could he suddenly call me ‘mother’? Won’t this make Long Yuan suspicious?” she urgently questioned the system in her mind.

The system was equally perplexed.

“Logically, he shouldn’t have recognized you... I programmed the cheat code so that the beast husband and the cub with high corruption values wouldn’t be able to see your face clearly. Could it be that this dragon-lion cub doesn’t hate you? That seems unlikely...”

Shi Chuchu was stunned.

“Then check the cub’s corruption value! You’re telling me it probably is so? Brother, can you please be more professional!”

The system was a bit shy.

“I don’t have the access to see the cub’s corruption value, only the male leads’. Wait! Long Yuan’s corruption value just dropped by 10 points! It’s now at 80!”

Shi Chuchu’s spirits lifted. Could there be such good news?

From the fluctuations in Long Yuan’s corruption value, she had vaguely discerned a pattern—

1. Secretly taking advantage of him lowers the corruption value.

2. Teasing him with familiar “exclusive Shi Chuchu gestures” lowers his corruption value.

3. Showing a “motherly affection” with Long Xiaobao in front of him lowers his corruption value.

Overall, his thought process was somewhat understandable.

But the last two points were risky to implement; they required a delicate balance between making him feel familiarity without arousing his suspicion about her identity. The line was extremely fine, and a single misstep could cause disaster.

It seemed best to rely mainly on the first rule, with the second and third as support.

Shi Chuchu pondered her future strategy solemnly, unaware that Long Yuan’s gaze upon her grew ever deeper.

“Shi Chuchu,” Long Yuan suddenly spoke again.

She instinctively looked up at him, realizing this was another trap and breaking out in a cold sweat.

Her mind raced and she blurted, “Marshal, you always get my name wrong. I told you, it’s Chu Shi.”

Long Yuan fell silent for a moment, his expression unreadable, his tone indifferent. “Apologies.”

He took the sleeping cub from Shi Chuchu’s arms and placed him gently on the bed, wiping the tears from his face and pulling the blanket up to cover him.

“Follow me.”

With that, Long Yuan left the room, and Shi Chuchu followed him to his study.

She often visited Long Yuan’s study before; if she remembered correctly, Long Xiaobao was born there...

Shi Chuchu rubbed her face, trying to pull her wandering thoughts back, and sat properly opposite Long Yuan across the desk.

Long Yuan stared at the desk for a long while, perhaps recalling the times they had once “messed up” this very desk together.

After about five minutes, Long Yuan spoke: “Aren’t you curious why Xiaobao called you ‘mother’?”

Shi Chuchu rolled her eyes inwardly. What else could it be but that Xiaobao was originally her child?

Outwardly, she feigned confusion and innocence. “Could it be because I resemble Xiaobao’s mother?”

Long Yuan’s expression darkened slightly but he nodded.

“You and Xiaobao’s mother share a ninety percent similarity in physique... that’s why he mistook you for her.”

Shi Chuchu suddenly had a mischievous thought and boldly praised, “Marshal, you have excellent taste. Xiaobao’s mother must be a goddess of unparalleled beauty.”

Long Yuan: ...

Seeing his expressionless face, Shi Chuchu realized this was a perfect opportunity to test his attitude.

“Marshal, what kind of person is Xiaobao’s mother?”

Long Yuan sneered coldly. “She’s a ruthless, heartless, shallow, and hypocritical woman—beautiful in appearance but utterly devoid of any genuine warmth.”

Shi Chuchu was momentarily stunned, then smiled shyly.

How touching.

Despite such hatred, Long Yuan still gave her a perfect compliment on her looks.

Ah, sometimes being too beautiful is truly a curse~

She naturally ignored the preceding negative remarks and indulged in her reverie for a moment before changing the subject.

“Marshal, you called me here—do you have instructions for me?”

Long Yuan was silent for a moment before saying, “Since Xiaobao now depends on you more than ever, I want you to stay with him as much as possible, responding to his emotional needs twenty-four hours a day.”

Shi Chuchu almost doubted her hearing. “...You’re saying, twenty-four hours??”

Long Yuan cut her off tersely: “Ten times the salary.”

Shi Chuchu frowned. As a succubus, she only cared for handsome men; money was meaningless to her. She instinctively wanted to refuse.

At that moment, the system suddenly chimed in.

“Wait, host! Staying with the cub twenty-four hours a day greatly increases your opportunities to interact with Long Yuan! Imagine a dark, windy night, after the cub has been put to sleep, you and Long Yuan alone in the room... ahem, there’s no need for me to elaborate further~”

Shi Chuchu’s eyes brightened.

“No problem, I accept!” she said eagerly, looking at Long Yuan with a passionate gaze. “It’s a deal—no backing out!”

Long Yuan watched her expression flip a full 180 degrees in an instant. For some reason, he felt her gaze was less like looking at a person and more like eyeing a juicy piece of meat.

Suppressing his subtle awkwardness and discomfort, he nodded, then coldly warned her.

“Although Xiaobao currently mistakes you for his mother, I will find a way to correct his perception soon. You must also be careful to maintain boundaries in your daily interactions with him.”

Shi Chuchu rubbed her hands together. “Got it, got it. When do I start?”

Long Yuan’s face was expressionless. “Now.”

After a pause, he continued: “Starting tonight, you will move into the side room of Xiaobao’s children’s suite. Of course, you may sleep with him as well—it will be up to his will.”

Shi Chuchu was overjoyed.

Tonight! Tonight she could feast again!

From now on, it would no longer be just one satisfying meal but every meal fully satisfying!

She moved swiftly. After leaving Long Yuan’s study, she returned to her room to pack her belongings, carrying her very limited possessions and hastening without looking back toward Long Xiaobao’s luxurious children’s suite.

Before leaving, Tara leaned against her doorframe and sneered sarcastically at her.

“Heh, you really lucked out, but don’t get cocky too soon. The young master isn’t easy to take care of!”

Hearing her biting sarcasm, Shi Chuchu suddenly slapped her forehead, took a step back, and warmly grasped Tara’s hand.

“No choice, it’s all thanks to having a fellow traveler to make me look good~”

“I got lucky thanks to you, you piece of crap.”

“Thanks a lot~”

With that, ignoring Tara’s sudden dark expression, Shi Chuchu strode away, ready to embrace her bright new life.