Han Yanyan watched with a smile as Leo fled in despair, reflected in the glass wall. Only when his figure disappeared did she turn around. She walked around the cultivation room and finally settled on a fruit tree bearing fruit. She carefully broke off a branch that was as thick as her thumb and as long as her palm. As she snapped it off, she paid attention to the angle of force, causing one end of the branch to break off quite sharply.
Holding the branch in her hand, she walked toward the exit, but the door of the cultivation room did not open automatically.
“Han Yanyan, please leave the lethal weapon in your hand behind,” the electronic voice of the control system said.
As she expected, the system had been monitoring her. If she attempted to take anything even slightly sharp from its designated place, it would trigger a warning.
“Is this what you mean?” She raised the small branch and said, “It’s just a piece of wood.”
The system replied unemotionally, “The sharp end has an angle of less than thirty degrees, and the overall hardness is greater than one hundred twenty Mohs scale; it falls under the category of ‘sharp weapon.’”
Han Yanyan played with the branch and asked, “No matter how I hide it, in my clothes or in my hair, you will still be able to find it, right?”
The system said, “I have been ordered to monitor your behavior. Hiding any weapon externally will inevitably be detected.”
For a moment, Han Yanyan's fingers on the branch paused, and then she suddenly asked, “System, do you have other voices?”
“...I am ordered to use the current voice,” the system replied.
After a brief silence, Han Yanyan asked, “Is Leo listening to this conversation?”
“No.”
“Will you report our conversation to him?”
“If he inquires, I will.”
“What if he doesn’t ask, then you won’t, right?”
“Yes.”
“This conversation feels familiar; we have had similar exchanges before. So, are you the system that builds the world with me?”
“Yes, I am the only control system on this ship.”
Han Yanyan slowly exhaled. How could she overlook something so important?
“System, do you know? At first, I thought Leo was you, and you were Leo,” she said.
The system replied unemotionally, “To increase credibility, the administrator used this voice at the beginning of your interaction with me.”
“Yes, he always spoke with this voice back then, so I constantly overlooked your existence.” Han Yanyan looked up at the ceiling and smiled. “Then let’s get to know each other again. Hello, I am Han Yanyan.”
“Hello, I am the control system of this ship.” The electronic voice remained cold and emotionless.
But Han Yanyan felt satisfied. Perhaps it was because she held resentment and hostility towards Leo, refusing to face the fact that he was indeed a brilliant scientist. But once she acknowledged that, it immediately struck her — with his extraordinary genius and technology, how could the “system” he used be anything other than remarkable?
Han Yanyan gazed up at the ceiling, her smile widening.
“Is there any way for me to convince you to let me take this out?” she asked, raising the broken branch.
“No,” the system answered. “I have been ordered to prevent you from obtaining lethal weapons.”
“Okay.” Han Yanyan relaxed her grip, letting the broken branch fall to the ground.
With a swipe, the door of the cultivation room opened.
Han Yanyan shot a meaningful glance at the ceiling and said, “Thank you—” before stepping outside.
The electronic eye captured her glance, transmitting the scene instantly to the system's core, analyzing her expression and subtle gestures, converting them into data.
To calm himself, Leo threw himself into research. Once he engaged in it, he easily became absorbed. By the time he pulled himself away, he had missed dinner with Han Yanyan.
He felt very frustrated.
“Han Yanyan inquired about whether there were any movies or television entertainment,” the system reported.
Leo broke out in a cold sweat: “You—you showed her?”
“Without your permission, I refused her,” the system replied. “She wanted to consult you, but you gave an order in the cultivation room prohibiting her from interrupting your research, thus…”
“Got it!” Leo interrupted, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “First, package and encrypt all my little films… three-fold encryption! She must not see them! Also, what I said was for her, not for you. If she wants to find me, no matter when or what I’m doing, notify me immediately.”
“Understood, Master.”
“Oh, and give her access, then download some television programs for her. Filter out news, current events, and educational programs. Only let her watch soap operas and entertainment variety shows.”
“Understood, Master,” the system answered obediently.
Leo grabbed a quick bite and lingered outside Han Yanyan’s door for a long while, yet he couldn’t think of any excuse to go in. With disappointment, he left.
To relieve his emotions, he returned to his research and ended up toiling until midnight. When he woke up the next day, he realized he had missed breakfast and was nearing lunchtime.
“Where is she? What is she doing?” Leo asked hurriedly.
“Warning! Han Yanyan is currently in possession of a lethal cold weapon! Repeat: Warning! Han Yanyan is currently in possession of a lethal cold weapon!” The system loyally reported.
Leo jumped up.
Just then, Han Yanyan heard the noise and turned to find Leo barging into the kitchen with a gun in hand, seething with killing intent. Above him hovered four drones, each aiming at her.
Understanding the situation, Han Yanyan raised both hands—her left was empty, and her right held a knife.
Leo was stunned. “W-what are you doing?”
With an innocent expression, Han Yanyan replied, “Cooking.”
“C-cooking what?” Leo’s face turned red. The absurdity of him holding a gun while she was in an apron made him appear foolish.
“The food from the machine was terrible, so I wanted to make it myself.” Han Yanyan explained, “I’ve been staying outside for a few days, and I didn’t want to force myself to eat that kind of cafeteria slop. Can I put my hands down now?”
With a huff, Leo lowered his gun, slightly irritated. “Then hurry up, and put the knife back in its place after you’re done.”
Having said that, he turned and left, leaving two drones to watch her from behind.
Han Yanyan didn’t mind. Humming a little tune, she continued chopping meat and vegetables. After years in this world, she felt a bit clumsy at first. Yet, after practicing on a dish, she reclaimed her familiarity and set to meticulously cooking.
When the robot brought out four plates of food, Leo's eyes widened in surprise—the food smelled really good.
Han Yanyan honestly left all the utensils in the kitchen and entered the dining room empty-handed. “How does it taste?” she asked. “This meat has been frozen for quite some time, hasn’t it?”
Leo wasn’t focused on these small details and asked the system, “How long has it been?”
The system replied, “Two years and four months.”
Seeing Han Yanyan’s expression turn sour, he hurriedly explained, “I used instant freezing technology; theoretically, it can freeze for twenty years without spoiling.”
It sounded impressive, but it wasn’t appealing. Han Yanyan lost her appetite.
As for Leo, after tasting a bite, his mood became complicated—it was really delicious.
He had seen her cooking for Yao Chen in the underworld, but he always thought of it as part of her persona and couldn’t help but ask, “Is this something you naturally know how to do? Or did you learn it in this world?”
“I’ve always known how,” Han Yanyan shrugged, stirring her rice with her chopsticks absentmindedly. “I used to cook for my boyfriend every day. He loved my cooking.”
The discomfort grew in Leo’s heart. “You still have a boyfriend?”
“Do you think everyone is like you, alone?” Han Yanyan teased him. “I’m already planning to get married.”
She stared at her bowl of rice, saying, “We agreed to marry after the new year. We promised that from now on, I’d cook for him every day and have three kids.”
Leo’s hand froze.
Han Yanyan continued to fixate on her rice. “Each child will be born into a loving home with both parents. If one isn’t enough, I will keep having more, ensuring they have siblings and won’t feel lonely.”
“Enough! Stop talking!” Leo said, his face pale as he clenched his utensils so tightly his knuckles turned white.
“Not enough!” Han Yanyan’s teeth ground together. “This is the life I was meant to have. Every day at home waiting for the kids to come back from school. I’m smart, so my kids will definitely be smart too. I will be proud of them, and soon, the certificates they bring home will cover the entire wall…”
“Enough!” Leo swept the dishes off the table wildly. The food splattered everywhere, creating a comical mess.
Han Yanyan’s memories and dreams were abruptly cut short. She fell silent, stubbornly staring at him.
“You! You can’t trick me!” Leo’s face was a ghastly shade, and he looked frightening. He stood up, eyes flashing with rage, yelling, “You aren't that kind of woman! You’re a liar!”
Han Yanyan chuckled coldly. “Sounds like you think you know me? Are we that familiar?”
Leo replied sharply, “You completely deceived Yao Chen! You’re not a good woman at all!”
“Then what about it? Were you sending me over to fall in love with him?” Han Yanyan glared at him. “Who warned me time and again that my life was in his hands and that I had to win over Yao Chen to survive?”
Leo fell mute. He couldn’t find any words to refute Han Yanyan, yet he absolutely didn’t believe she was the kind of virtuous and dutiful woman she portrayed herself to be.
His emotions were volatile, his chest heaving, but he fumbled for words and couldn’t vent it out. Finally, he kicked the table leg in anger, knocking over a chair as he stormed out.
Han Yanyan watched his retreating figure, pulled out a tissue, and slowly wiped the spilled soup off her arm, a slight smirk curling her lips.
Her boyfriend, of course, was pure fabrication. After all, the mother and child… that was a topic he couldn’t touch.
Leo Parker, carrying his mother’s surname, with an unknown father.
His mother worked on a wealthy planet when she was young and fell prey to the whims of a rich young man. Not only did she receive no compensation, but she was also abandoned. Ultimately, she returned to the poor planet with him.
To support them, she had to work hard, leaving her no time to care for him. From a young age, Leo learned to take care of himself. Life was tough, and this made his mother irritable. She blamed her hardships on his existence and would often beat him, wounding him physically and emotionally.
In a world that valued genetic excellence, those with superior genes often found wealth. Conversely, wealthier individuals generally had superior genes— and Leo Parker clearly inherited the excellent genes of the rich young man. He was perceptively brighter than his peers and excelled academically.
Yet, his mother resented his intelligence, reminding her of the man who had discarded her. In rage, she would tear apart all his awards and throw away his medals. In her madness, she even attempted to strip him of his right to an education, but thanks to his teachers, he managed to complete his schooling from grade one to twelve.
Leo rushed back to his room, stripped off the stained clothes, and jumped into the shower.
The hot water cascaded over him. He wiped his face.
It had truly been a long time since he had heard the words “mother” and “child.” He had never expected Han Yanyan would suddenly bring this topic up, catching him off guard, leading to an emotional eruption.
Why study? Why couldn’t he just go work in the mines to earn money now? Was it easy for him to support himself?
The woman yelled, tearing his awards to shreds and throwing them into the trash bin.
When drunk, she’d pull his hair, furiously shouting: “What’s the point of being so good-looking! You want to seduce women when you grow up, don’t you?”
The shoes hitting his face truly hurt.
She looked at him like he was an enemy.
“You've ruined my life! Why were you born? I must be cursed!” she wailed.
“You demon!”
Leo leaned against the wall, allowing the hot water to pour over him.
“You are the demon! You are the demon! Women are demons! — he screamed silently. Han Yanyan was a demon too! She was scarier than any other woman!
But it suddenly struck him—Han Yanyan didn’t even call herself Han Yanyan. Everything he thought he knew about her was false.
He actually had never truly understood her.
He couldn’t even imagine she could cook so deliciously. When she reminisced about future plans with her boyfriend, her eyes glistened with tears.
She wanted to have three children, longing for each child’s birth, loving them, and feeling proud of their intelligence, filling the walls with their certificates.
She… was that the type of woman she truly was?
Leo felt lost.