’What kind of RUBBISH world is this?!’ Heena thought with frustration. ’There’s not even a single piece of modern technology! If there was, I could have planted a listening device or at least a recorder or SOMETHING to capture these conversations!’

’But no. I have to rely on SQUATTING IN BUSHES like some kind of medieval spy!’

She was about to complain more to the System when Maya nodded to her servant, apparently having received whatever message the woman was delivering.

And then Heena got her answer about what was happening.

Because Chen Yifan—the male lead himself—came walking into the courtyard garden.

And damn it. Damn it all to hell.

Heena was NOT going to lie to herself about this objective fact:

Chen Yifan was HANDSOME.

Like, genuinely, objectively, undeniably attractive.

He was actually MORE handsome than Samuel, if she was being completely honest.

The long black hair that fell to his wrists—silky soft and shining like expensive fabric, worn completely loose like some kind of classical Chinese swordsman from ancient legends.

The elegant bone structure of his face—sharp but not harsh, refined without being feminine.

The tall, lean build that suggested both physical capability and scholarly refinement.

He was wearing what Heena could only describe as a "normal scholar’s outfit"—though she refused to call it a "robe" because honestly, she still didn’t understand the naming conventions for clothing in this world and it frustrated her.

’Fuck it, whatever,’ she thought. ’The point is he looks good. Annoyingly good.’

Chen Yifan walked forward with the natural confidence of someone who was used to being admired and respected.

As soon as she saw him approaching, Maya stood up immediately, a brilliant smile spreading across her face.

The man also smiled in return—warm, genuine-looking, the kind of smile that made him even MORE attractive.

Both of them sat down at the stone table, and Maya’s maid discretely withdrew to give them privacy.

And looking at Maya’s face, at her expression, at the way her eyes literally SPARKLED when she looked at Chen Yifan—

You could immediately tell that she looked exactly like a young girl experiencing her first love.

The softness in her features, the shy but eager smile, the way she leaned slightly toward him without even realizing it—

Just by LOOKING at her, anyone with eyes could guess what was happening.

She was falling for this man.

Probably had already fallen.

’And yet that old bastard of a husband couldn’t even figure this out,’ Heena thought with disgust. ’How absolutely USELESS can one man be?!’

---

’’[The Eavesdropping Attempt - Part Two]’’

Behind the bushes, Heena shifted her position slightly, trying to get a better angle to at least read their lips if she couldn’t hear their words.

The System, still nursing his sore head from the earlier slap, whispered, ’Host, maybe we should get closer? There’s another set of bushes about three meters to the left that would give us better line of sight—’

"Absolutely not," Heena hissed back. "Moving now would risk being spotted. We stay here and work with what we have."

She squinted, trying to focus on Chen Yifan’s mouth as he spoke to Maya.

But the distance and angle made it nearly impossible to lip-read accurately.

’This is ridiculous,’ she thought. ’In my last world, I had entire networks of spies with advanced surveillance equipment. I had listening devices that could pick up conversations from half a kilometer away. I had video recording that could capture even whispered exchanges.’

’And now I’m reduced to SQUATTING IN BUSHES trying to read lips like some kind of amateur!’

The System, sensing her frustration, tried to be helpful: ’Host, I could try to enhance your hearing temporarily? It would cost some energy points, but—’

"How much energy?" Heena interrupted.

’Um... about 500 points for a five-minute enhancement.’

Heena did rapid mental math. "That’s too expensive for potentially useless information. Save the points for emergencies."

She continued watching Maya and Chen Yifan interact.

The way they smiled at each other. The way Maya’s hand occasionally reached across the table as if to touch his, then pulled back shyly. The way Chen Yifan leaned forward attentively, clearly hanging on her every word.

’This is bad,’ Heena analyzed. ’This isn’t just a casual acquaintance or a strategic alliance. This looks like genuine emotional attachment on both sides.’

’Which makes it much more dangerous.’

’People in love do stupid, reckless things to protect their beloved. They ignore evidence, dismiss warnings, and attack anyone who threatens their relationship.’

’If Chen Yifan is truly falling for Maya, he’ll defend her against ANY accusation, no matter how much evidence we provide.’

Behind her, partially hidden by a different section of bushes, TWO MORE pairs of eyes were also watching the scene.

Samuel had followed Heena when she’d sneaked out of their quarters that afternoon, worried about her physical condition after the previous night’s... exertions.

And his personal guard Wei had, of course, followed Samuel.

So now there were FOUR people total hiding in various bushes around Maya’s courtyard, all spying on the same conversation.

It would have been comedic if the situation weren’t so serious.

Samuel crept closer to where Heena was hiding and whispered, "What are you doing out here? You should be resting!"

Heena nearly jumped out of her skin at the unexpected voice.

She whipped around to find Samuel crouched behind her, looking concerned and slightly exasperated.

"What are YOU doing here?!" she hissed back.

"Following my wife who sneaked out of bed despite being barely able to walk!" Samuel whispered urgently. "You collapsed yesterday! You should be RESTING, not conducting surveillance operations in garden shrubbery!"

"I’m FINE," Heena insisted, though her cramping legs suggested otherwise. "And this is important! Maya is meeting with Chen Yifan!"

"I can SEE that," Samuel replied. "But you could have asked me to do this surveillance instead of risking your own health!"

"I need to see it myself," Heena argued. "I need to assess their body language, their expressions, the nature of their relationship—"

"You need to REST," Samuel interrupted firmly. "Your body went through significant trauma. You can barely sit up without help. What are you going to do if they spot you and you need to run? You’ll collapse after three steps!"

Heena glared at him. "I’m a professional. I know how to avoid detection."

"You’re a professional who is currently INJURED and EXHAUSTED," Samuel countered. "Let me handle this."

"No."

"Wife—"

"I said NO, husband ."

They glared at each other in a silent battle of wills.

The System watched this domestic argument with growing amusement.

Finally, Samuel sighed and said, "Fine. We’ll BOTH stay and observe. But if you start feeling faint or in too much pain, you’re going back to bed immediately. Understood?"

"Fine," Heena agreed grudgingly.

They both turned back to watch Maya and Chen Yifan.

Who were now holding hands across the table.

Actually, openly, obviously holding hands.

Maya was blushing. Chen Yifan was smiling tenderly.

---

’’[The Conversation They Couldn’t Hear]’’

What Heena and Samuel COULDN’T hear, but desperately wished they could:

Maya was saying in a soft, emotional voice: "Thank you so much for helping me. My husband was being so unreasonable, confining me like a prisoner over baseless accusations. If you hadn’t intervened—"