They were in charge of being beautiful, and she was in charge of taking the hits.

"So you really don't like me being with other men, right?"

Wu Ziyan covered her mouth and laughed, then used her other hand to brush away the stray hairs on Chu Qiu's forehead. At that moment, all he could see was her smiling face.

This was the first time he had ever done this. He slowly raised his hand and gently placed a finger on her lips. The touch was tingling and cool, and the hairs on the back of his head stood on end. Then he turned and ran away.

It took Wu Ziyan a while to recall that her hand was trembling and her fingers were icy cold. Strangely, her heart also skipped a beat. She smiled again, turned around, and left.

Huang Ziliang was already waiting in the distance. It seemed that a more detailed plan had been written down, down to how many people were needed, the estimated consumption of food, supplies, time, and so on.

After careful discussion with Wu Ziyan, they decided to hold a meeting the next day to announce the project plan.

As night deepened and the dew grew heavy, a group of people sat in a tent, whispering and chattering. Then a voice rang out, and finally everyone fell silent.

"My lord, if we don't act now, we may miss our chance. I heard she's going to have another meeting tomorrow, and she'll probably be preparing to return to the capital soon."

"No rush, let's see what tricks she has up her sleeve tomorrow."

"But they're pressuring us from above..."

Clang! The sound of things scattering all over the ground. Those people left one after another and went home. Those who had endured the wrath of the thunderbolt were all holding their breath. Rank can crush people. The higher-ups only knew how to exert pressure, but who was on the scene to understand the situation?

The next morning, before everyone was fully awake, they were startled awake by a loud noise, and then saw a place with blue smoke rising from it.

Wu Ziyan was the first to go out and see. It was the place where Changsun Boyou and the fireworks craftsmen were researching explosives. Oh no, I hope nothing bad has happened to that person.

Everyone looked toward the source of the smoke, when a man with a face blackened by soot rushed out and ran toward Wu Ziyan, panting heavily. He leaned on his knees and said slowly and deliberately, "It's done, it's done, sir."

It seems they succeeded. They originally thought it would take a long time to develop it, but they broke through the problem so quickly thanks to their tireless efforts day and night. Wu Ziyan's joy was written all over his face.

She quickened her pace and headed towards the house. Several people were sitting outside, their faces all dark and grimy. Wu Ziyan was the first to offer her condolences to those present.

Then she walked up to Changsun Boyu. She looked at him with indescribable emotions in her eyes, mostly gratitude and a little pity. After they washed up, they went to the open space on the high platform.

After a passionate speech, this time no one caused trouble or questioned them. Over the past few days, the people had seen through what kind of people they were, and the detailed tasks assigned to each person were arranged by a dedicated person.

Just as Wu Ziyan stepped down from the platform and was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a child ran up to her and handed her a note: "Sister, someone asked me to give this to you?"

"Who is it?" Wu Ziyan asked, somewhat puzzled. Why not just say it in person? Why write these little notes?

When she opened it, she couldn't make out whose handwriting it was, but it said something like, "Meet me at the riverbank to the south this afternoon."

Wu Ziyan thought for a moment. The river to the south was turbulent with whirlpools, and there were deep pools further down. This didn't seem like a prank, or someone was just trying to do something new.

She clutched the note tightly. Changsun Boyu, who was walking ahead, turned back to look at Wu Ziyan: "Hurry up, my lady, there are still many things to do."

"Okay, here it comes." He casually tucked the note into his sleeve.

She was traveling with Changsun Boyu, but the note hadn't been properly placed and had fallen out of her sleeve. Changsun Boyu picked it up and looked at it, then stared at Wu Ziyan and teased, "Miss, where have you been attracting attention again? And how come you're so popular?"

"Then why don't you come with me this afternoon and see what kind of butterfly it is?"

Although it was just a joke from Wu Ziyan, he took it to heart and kept following Wu Ziyan. Wu Ziyan had no choice but to gather the group together for a small meeting.

"I guess some people have finally lost their patience. If, and I mean if, something happens to me this afternoon, any one of you should send this letter to my residence."

Wu Ziyan took out a letter, placed it on the table, and looked at the people around her who were staring at her.

Their eyes were full of doubt, or perhaps they were wondering why these things were being brought up all of a sudden. Changsun Boyu patted Wu Ziyan's shoulder without hesitation, his tone still languid: "Don't overthink it. Maybe it was written to you by some man who admires you."

At this point, the others were unaware of the note. Wu Ziyan took it out and placed it on the table. Everyone read it and remained silent.

"It must be a trap. The water to the south is swift and turbulent, with whirlpools and undercurrents. There's no one around. It's definitely not a good place!" Huang Ziliang's eyes were sharp. He was indeed a strategist, with his insight always coming first.

"If that's the case, why did you go there yourself?" Han Yuxiu asked, puzzled.

"Big fish need a long line, and besides, I'm very lucky. None of you should come with me this afternoon."

Wu Ziyan surveyed the surrounding crowd with his gaze. Huang Ziliang nodded, smiling as he held the unfinished task assignment sheet in his hand. He trusted Wu Ziyan completely; a smart person wouldn't risk their life.

After hesitating, the others nodded, but Changsun Boyu said, "Well, we agreed at the beginning that if it really is that womanizer who has slept with our young lady, we'll all be heartbroken."

When Chu Qiu heard the words "flower butterfly," he clenched his fist, wanting to say that he would go too. But then he saw Wu Ziyan looking at him with trust in her eyes: "I'm counting on you for their safety."

Helpless, everyone dispersed to attend to their own business. Meanwhile, the discussion continued about whether the matter could be accomplished. Two more hours passed, and the sky gradually turned overcast. After so many days of sunshine, the sudden gloom must have been a sign of something. But Wu Ziyan wasn't too worried.

After all, she had already discussed the countermeasures with Xiaoyun before leaving. Her predictions about these kinds of things were usually accurate. After all, she was a "system" player, and having watched so many TV dramas over the years, she knew that these were all the same old tricks.

So all she had to do was wait for things to happen, and here, Changsun Boyu really did stay by her side the whole time, as if afraid that she would sneak away.

He stared at her, and Wu Ziyan couldn't stand it any longer and asked, "You're a man, staring at a woman like that, isn't that unbecoming of a man?"