Cupid On Duty

Chapter 5: Grapes Are Temporary, Glaciers Are Forever

The charity gala had officially entered its final act. Waiters cleared empty champagne flutes, the string quartet switched to softer tunes, and the air carried that unmistakable scent of exhaustion and expensive perfume.

Zhao Sera slumped against the buffet table, popping the very last grape into her mouth with a victorious crunch.

“Mission status: survived,” she muttered to herself. “Sub-mission status: Lin Han actually chuckled. Which means progress! And if I can get my ice-queen sister to admit she doesn’t hate him, that’s basically endgame.”

The system gave a polite ding.

[Progress: 15%. Continue facilitating interaction.]

“Fifteen percent? That’s practically a passing grade. You know what they call that in school? A miracle.”

[Warning: Insufficient for soul fragment retrieval.]

Sera waved dismissively. “Details, details. You have to celebrate small victories! Or else the grapes feel unappreciated.”

“You call that progress?”

The voice was smooth, low, and carrying just enough chill to turn her spine into a popsicle.

Sera nearly inhaled the grape stem. She turned slowly, already knowing who it was.

And there he was. Jin Victor. Again.

Why was it always him? Did he live here? Did he teleport behind her like a cursed Pokémon?

“You!” she squeaked, pointing at him with the dramatic flair of someone falsely accused on a talk show. “Do you practice sneaking up on people, or are you naturally terrifying?”

Victor raised one brow. “You were speaking to yourself.”

“Correction,” Sera said quickly. “I was speaking to the grapes. Very different.”

His lips twitched, but his eyes remained sharp. “You meddled tonight.”

“Meddled?” she repeated, offended. “Excuse me, I call it proactive matchmaking support services.”

“You dragged Lin Han across the room like he was under arrest.”

“He needed exercise.”

“You insulted Chen Kai in front of the Zhao and Lin board members.”

“Okay, that one was community service.”

His gaze deepened, studying her like she was a puzzle missing half the pieces. “You don’t seem to understand the consequences of your actions.”

Sera lifted her chin. “Oh, I understand just fine. My sister deserves happiness, Lin Han clearly likes her but can’t confess, and those scheming extras are out to ruin everything. If I don’t meddle, the entire universe collapses—metaphorically speaking.”

Victor stepped closer, and suddenly the buffet table behind her felt much too small to lean against. “And what do you gain from this… meddling?”

Sera hesitated. She couldn’t exactly say, Well, Mr. Glacier, I’m actually dead and on a cosmic mission to glue hearts together so I can collect soul fragments. That would sound insane.

So she grinned instead. “Satisfaction. Like finishing a puzzle. Or organizing your sock drawer. Pure joy.”

“Joy,” he repeated, skeptical.

“Exactly! See, you get it.” She wagged her finger. “Maybe you should try it sometime, Mr. Always-Frowning.”

For a moment, silence stretched between them. His face betrayed nothing, but Sera could swear the temperature dropped two degrees.

Then—just barely—the corner of his mouth curved. Not quite a smile, but close enough to send her brain into error mode.

“Wait—did you just—?!” She gasped dramatically. “Oh my gosh, Jin Victor can smile! Someone call the press, we’re witnessing history!”

His expression shuttered immediately. “You talk too much.”

“That’s my brand,” she said cheerfully.

Victor leaned closer, voice dropping. “Be careful, Zhao Sera. This world doesn’t forgive mistakes. Neither do I.”

Her grin faltered. The seriousness in his tone left goosebumps racing up her arms.

But Sera was nothing if not stubborn. She forced a laugh. “Wow. That was chilling. Very horror-movie-trailer of you. Ten out of ten intimidation. But sorry, I’m not scared.”

He held her gaze, unblinking. “You should be.”

Sera’s heart did a ridiculous skip, like it couldn’t decide between fear and… something else she refused to name.

Desperate to escape, she tried to sidestep, but his hand caught her wrist—not harshly, but firmly enough to freeze her in place.

“You should worry less about grapes,” he murmured, eyes glinting with something unreadable, “and more about yourself.”

Then he let go, stepping back as smoothly as he’d appeared, and walked away.

Sera stood rooted, staring after him with her mouth open.

“…What the hell was that?” she whispered. “Intimidation? A threat? A… really weird form of flirting?”

The system dinged in her head.

[Warning: Distraction Detected.]

“Oh, shut up,” she muttered, clutching her clutch bag to her chest. “I am not distracted. Nope. No distractions here. Just grapes. Lots of grapes.”

But even as she said it, her pulse hammered like a drumline, and the image of Jin Victor’s almost-smile refused to leave her head.

The next morning, the entire city’s finance blogs and tabloids buzzed about the gala: the alliances made, the celebrity drama, Chen Kai’s perfectly staged smile, and Zhao Ling’s regal presence.

Hidden between those headlines, however, was one blurry candid: Jin Victor standing much too close to Zhao Sera, hand lightly gripping her wrist, eyes locked on her.

The caption read: “Mysterious Heir and Zhao Family’s Youngest Daughter—What’s Their Connection?”

Sera spat out her morning tea when she saw it.

“Oh no. Nope. Absolutely not.” She grabbed the newspaper and shook it like it had personally offended her. “System! How do I delete reality?!”

The system, as always, was unhelpful.

[Reminder: Focus on Zhao Ling and Lin Han.]



Sera buried her face in her hands. “I am focusing! But the universe keeps throwing a scary CEO at me!”