Mu Jiahe laughed at Xiao Xun's words, "Then I'll tell you a story! Would you prefer to come listen, or stand there and listen?"
Xiao Xun walked to the bedside, "Before listening to the story, I'd like to ask, why did you build a platform under the bed? If you accidentally step off in the middle of the night, you'll fall down!"
Mu Jiahe pointed to the doorway, "What do you see when you first enter the room?"
Xiao Xun thought for a moment, "Under the bed!"
Then he had a sudden realization, "You're afraid of assassins hiding under the bed, right?"
Mu Jiahe poked Xiao Xun's forehead with her finger, "You really are a little dummy, but that's also an explanation. There are many places to hide here, why must it be under the bed? If it's to prevent hiding under the bed, I could just get a bed that can't hide anyone."
Xiao Xun pondered for a long time, "I can't guess, you tell me!"
"It's so that people who enter can't see what's happening on the bed, understand?"
Xiao Xun never expected that to be the reason, "It's a bit hard to understand. Without your permission, who would dare to enter? And since you've given permission, you'd naturally let them see."
Mu Jiahe spread her arms, her upper body leaning against the pillow, "If someone who doesn't have my permission suddenly bursts in, I won't even have time to react. This is the story I'm going to tell you."
Xiao Xun sat on the edge of the bed, looking into Mu Jiahe's eyes, "What story?"
"The story of how I became the Empress."
As the story began, she fell into a reverie:
Originally, I wasn't the first heir of the Guangyan family; my brother was.
But that year, the Orcs invaded from the north in large numbers. My brother was ordered by my father, the Emperor, to guard the border. However, there was a traitor in the army he led, and my brother died at the hands of the Orcish 'Fearless Vanguard.'
Grief-stricken by the loss of his son, my father lost interest in state affairs. This allowed my uncle to push open that door, hurl a spear directly, and kill him on this very bed, seizing political power.
At that time, I had been in that world for four years, and the company was at a critical juncture. I wasn't returning home every night like I do now, so I narrowly escaped.
Later, when I returned to the castle, my teacher, who is now our Grand High Priest, saved me. I meditated in the Elemental Temple for three days and finally comprehended the powers of both light and fire elements simultaneously.
With the support of the then Minister of Internal Affairs, Gelia, and the support of the three great knight legions, I successfully regained political power and imprisoned my uncle. Thus, I became the first Empress of the First Empire of Santiloman.
Seeing that Mu Jiahe had stopped speaking, Xiao Xun applauded enthusiastically, "That's truly an inspirational story! But how did you get to that world back then, and why did you appear in that place?"
Mu Jiahe smiled and said, "I'll tell you this story tomorrow night, alright?"
Xiao Xun was taken aback, "Alright, after all that, it turns out you're my Scheherazade."
Mu Jiahe raised her right hand, a blue flame igniting on it, "What do you mean? I'm Scheherazade, and you're the king. Are you trying to usurp the throne?"
Xiao Xun, flustered, stood up from the bed, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. I never meant that."
Mu Jiahe clenched her fist, the flames disappearing. She said expressionlessly, "Remember, no matter the occasion, some jokes can be made, and some cannot. People must know their place."
Looking at Mu Jiahe like this, beads of sweat appeared on Xiao Xun's forehead. The gentle beauty who had held him in her arms that morning was now a dignified Empress with an air of superiority.
Every word she spoke was like an ice pick, piercing Xiao Xun and sending shivers down his spine.
Time was up, and Mu Jiahe and Xiao Xun returned to the bedroom of this time.
Neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere was frozen to the extreme. Xiao Xun put on his clothes, "Ms. Mu, I'll go make you breakfast."
Mu Jiahe did not reply, lost in her thoughts.
Xiao Xun went to the kitchen, feeling a bit agitated. He didn't know why, perhaps it was exhaustion, perhaps it was Mu Jiahe's words, or perhaps it was the ingrained sense of hierarchy.
Since they had hot pot last night, his stomach felt unsettled.
There was still a lot of food left from yesterday in this world. Being thrifty, he knew it could be reheated and eaten, but he absolutely could not serve leftovers to Mu Jiahe.
Moreover, these items were not suitable for breakfast. He simply made some sandwiches and heated a cup of milk, placing them on the dining table.
After showering in his own bedroom, he returned to the dining table. The sandwiches were still there; Mu Jiahe had not come down.
Xiao Xun glanced at the staircase and decided to go up. When he reached the door, he gently knocked on the recently repaired door.
"Ms. Mu, the meal is ready. Please come down and eat!"
There was no response. Xiao Xun knocked again, still no movement.
Unable to resist, he pushed the door open and walked in. He saw Mu Jiahe lying on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
"Ms. Mu, I made some sandwiches. Please come down and eat something!" he said again, his back turned.
"You say..." Mu Jiahe finally spoke.
"Ancient wise emperors called themselves 'the solitary one.' They couldn't have friends, hobbies, or even love. As a woman, I have to do these men's jobs. It's too tiring..."
Xiao Xun didn't know how to comfort her, "Ms. Mu, my history knowledge isn't great, but I know it's not easy for you to govern such a large country so well. And in this world, you control such a large company. This burden would be heavy for anyone, let alone a woman."
"Yes! Only when I'm alone do I remember that I'm a woman."
She sat up and looked at Xiao Xun, who had his back to her, "Xiao Xun, I apologize for last night. I shouldn't have spoken to you in that tone. You know, after being in a high position for so long, some words just come out involuntarily."
"It's alright. I know my place. No matter which world it is, there's no such thing as fairness. I've known that since I was a child."
Mu Jiahe got up, casually threw on a robe, and gently patted Xiao Xun's shoulder, "Perhaps if my brother hadn't died, I would have stayed in that world forever, found someone I love and who loves me, and lived happily. Let's go! Eat something, and then we need to go to work..."
Today was the last day at Jingji Group. Since Lei Wenxiu had been caught in the act last night, Cui Zhihao should have found out.
When he reached the door of his office, the glass door was actually locked.
Xiao Xun sat by the office door, with his legs crossed, waiting.
When Cui Zhihao appeared from the stairwell, carrying his briefcase, he smiled, "Director Xiao, why are you sitting at the door and not going in?"
Xiao Xun knew he was doing it on purpose. He stood up and smiled, "You know the computer can't lock me out, so you had to lock the door. After all, this thing has no firewall."
Cui Zhihao still pretended not to know, pushing the door, "Huh? Why is the door locked? It must be the secretary who locked it."
He said this while taking a key from his briefcase, unlocking the door, and adding, "You don't know, things have been going missing from the office recently, so I mentioned it to her, and I didn't expect her to be so attentive."