The Abusive Novel System Pleads with Me to Resign

Though Shen Yao was as skinny as a beanpole, he was still a nearly twenty-year-old guy.

With some effort, he managed to haul the person into the car.

Shen Ying started the engine and drove toward another location.

While she was engaged in what looked suspiciously like criminal activity, Lu Linwei was in a foul mood.

Over the past two days, he had been glancing at his personal phone constantly, snatching it up whenever it rang, only to toss it aside in disappointment at the caller ID.

Gritting his teeth, he thought—*three days had passed, and that woman still hadn’t called to apologize.*

Just as he was about to order someone to track her movements, his personal phone rang again.

A flicker of anticipation crossed Lu Linwei’s face, but it vanished instantly. Without hesitation, he rejected the call.

But the caller was persistent, immediately dialing again.

Lu Linwei answered impatiently, “Speak.”

His cousin Lu Linqi’s frantic voice came through: “Bro, get over here! I just saw that wom—*your wife*—enter a hotel with some guy.”

Lu Linwei shot to his feet. “Where are you?”

In less than twenty minutes, Lu Linwei stood before his cousin.

Lu Linqi was waiting in the hotel lobby, leaping up from the sofa the moment he spotted him.

“Bro, finally! They’ve been upstairs for ages. I couldn’t get their room number.”

This upscale hotel valued guest privacy, but Lu Linwei was an exception.

The moment he stepped through the doors, the manager descended. The instant Lu Linwei provided Shen Ying’s details, the manager handed over the room number.

Without another word, Lu Linwei turned and strode toward the elevator. Lu Linqi didn’t dare speak a word, seeing his brother’s expression.

The elevator ascended to the 39th floor. Lu Linwei marched straight to the room, where the manager swiped the keycard.

Before the door could fully open, Lu Linwei kicked it in and stormed inside.

But the room was empty—only two empty wineglasses on the table hinted that someone had been there.

A staff member entered and said, “The guests in this room have already left. They went straight to the garage.”

Lu Linwei’s voice was icy. “Keep looking.”

---

Meanwhile, Shen Ying directed Shen Yao to dump Zhuang Yi onto the bed. Though Zhuang Yi was unconscious and limp, his full weight was still too much for Shen Yao’s scrawny frame.

Even for such a short distance, Shen Yao was struggling.

After dropping Zhuang Yi, Shen Yao collapsed onto the couch, panting heavily.

Once he caught his breath, he asked nervously, “Sis… are we breaking the law here?”

“I’ve got college entrance exams coming up. If I get arrested and disqualified, Mom and Dad will *kill* me.”

Shen Ying tossed him a water bottle and said breezily, “Relax. I’ve got evidence that *he* was the one who drugged me. We’re not harvesting his kidneys or assaulting him—just kindly relocating a criminal who accidentally dosed himself with his own shady concoction. If the cops don’t give me a commendation, I’ll be filing a complaint.”

Shen Yao shot up. “Drugged?! Then why are we keeping him here? Let’s call the police! No—wait, let me stomp on his junk a few times first. We’ll just say he got high on his own supply and tried to hump a lamppost.”

Shen Ying smirked. “Maybe later.”

Seeing her confidence, Shen Yao—well-acquainted with his sister’s ruthless schemes—sidled closer and wheedled, “Sis, I did such heavy lifting today. How much are you paying me?”

Shen Ying waved a hand. “Two hundred, no less.”

Shen Yao pouted. “Why the pay cut?”

She scolded, “Construction workers break their backs all day for three hundred. You worked for *fifteen minutes* and got two-thirds of that. What more do you want?”

Shen Yao shut up.

Only then did Shen Ying leisurely fish out Zhuang Yi’s phone, unlocking it with his fingerprint. She scrolled through his messages and call logs, quickly identifying her target.

Apparently, their departure from the original hotel hadn’t gone unnoticed. The other party had called repeatedly and bombarded Zhuang Yi with texts, demanding to know his whereabouts.

Shen Ying flopped onto the couch, feigning unconsciousness, and had her brother take a photo of her with Zhuang Yi’s phone.

She sent the picture, followed by a message:

> *On second thought, your offer’s too low.

> This is my college classmate—she’s had a crush on me for years, trusts me completely.

> I can’t bring myself to hurt such a good woman… unless you raise the price.*

The reply was furious:

> *You’re blackmailing me NOW? Don’t forget your debts. I helped you with the loan sharks—I can just as easily unleash them on you again.*

Unfazed, Shen Ying typed back:

> *No need for threats. Time’s running out, and the drug’s wearing off.

> If you don’t find her soon, all your effort’s wasted. Next time, she’ll be on guard.*

After a tense pause, the other side caved:

> *How much?*

Shen Ying named a figure guaranteed to sting.

> *Wire it to the account I specify. The second the money clears, you get the address.*

With no choice, the other party complied. True to her word, Shen Ying sent the location the moment the payment arrived.

By then, Zhuang Yi was groggily coming to.

His eyes fluttered open, confusion giving way to alarm as he tried—and failed—to sit up, his limbs still weak from the drugs.

He glared at Shen Ying. “What the hell did you do?”

She dangled his phone. “Someone was asking about you. I figured—you’re a big-shot influencer, right? Can’t just give out your whereabouts for free.”

“So I quoted them an outrageous price. Shockingly, they paid up. Though they *did* call me a backstabbing swindler and threatened to kill me.”

Zhuang Yi’s blood ran cold. Despite his lavish lifestyle, gambling debts had buried him.

If this person could silence loan sharks with a snap, he couldn’t imagine what they’d do to him over *this*.

“You bitch!” he snarled. “You’ve *ruined* me!”

Shen Ying smiled sweetly. “Oh, don’t worry. I *did* realize you’re in trouble, so I bought you a one-way ticket to northern Myanmar.”

“Welcome to the land of opportunity, pretty boy.”

Zhuang Yi lunged—only for Shen Ying to slap him back onto the bed with a sharp *crack!*

Then, right in front of him, she shed her outerwear, revealing a knit camisole.

She tugged one strap off her shoulder and lay beside Zhuang Yi, directing Shen Yao to stand at a specific angle.

From that vantage point, it would look like she was naked and entwined with him.

“Perfect. Take the shot. Let me check it—we’ll adjust if needed.”

Oblivious, Shen Yao raised the phone—just as the door exploded inward with a deafening crash.

He yelped and hit the floor.

Lu Linwei stormed in, flanked by his men. The sight that greeted him—Shen Ying half-dressed beside another man—sent fury blazing through him.

Without a word, he hauled Zhuang Yi up and punched him so hard two teeth went flying.

Shen Ying quickly stepped forward to stop Lu Linwei, who was about to continue beating Zhuang Yi, shouting urgently, "Stop! Stop it right now!"

She snatched Zhuang Yi away, seeing his mouth full of blood and half his face swollen beyond recognition, his features twisted in pain.

Her heart ached instantly, and she stood up, yelling at Lu Linwei, "What the hell have you done?"

Lu Linwei looked like he wanted to tear her apart, his expression dark as ink. "Two days. Just two days, and you couldn’t wait to betray me."

"I was foolish enough to hope you’d reflect on your mistakes and come back to me. But now it’s clear—you’re beyond redemption—"

Before he could finish, another voice chimed in: "Brother Lu? What are you doing here?"

Lu Linwei turned his terrifying gaze toward Shen Yao, his mind going blank for a split second.

"You—why are you here?" he asked with a sinking feeling.

Meanwhile, Shen Ying grew even more furious. "You bashed his face in! Now I have to carefully angle him so it doesn’t look too obvious."

She urged Shen Yao, "Hurry up, quick! Before this idiot’s whole face swells into a pig’s head. Take the shots now!"

She then shoved Lu Linwei aside. "Move! You’re blocking the shot!"

Lu Linwei was pushed away like a useless stick, watching as Shen Ying pressed down on the injured man’s face, making him yelp in pain.

She silenced him with a glare. "Keep howling, and you’ll spend all night redoing this with fresh bruises."

Faced with a room full of Shen Ying’s people, Zhuang Yi had no choice but to lie still and let them handle him.

Lu Linwei saw Shen Ying about to lie down next to the man again. Now that he was calmer, he noticed they weren’t even touching—just positioned to look suggestive from certain angles.

But it still irked him. "Stay away from that thing," he snapped.

Shen Ying shot back, "Life’s tough after getting fired by President Lu. Gotta take on side gigs to make ends meet."

"If you’re disgusted, feel free to walk out."

By now, Lu Linwei knew her well—her schemes were endless, but her motives were always simple.

"So," he asked, "who are you blackmailing now?"

Shen Yao immediately objected, "Brother Lu, how can you say that about my sister?"

"This bastard tried to drug her! He deserves everything he’s getting. My sister’s being merciful."

Lu Linwei instantly realized it was someone from his circle behind this dirty trick.

Guilt and anger surged in him as he said to Shen Ying, "Don’t worry. I’ll handle this."

Shen Ying waved him off. "No, no, no! President Lu, you already fired me. Don’t cut off my income too. I rely on these gigs—are you trying to drive your ex-employee to ruin?"

Lu Linwei was both furious and desperate. "Do you have to talk to me like this?"

Shen Ying scoffed. "Oh, please. It’s nothing compared to you dumping me on the street in the middle of the night."

"That street was right outside your place, and you committed a major offense," Lu Linwei argued sternly.

Shen Ying shrugged. "And I accepted it. Didn’t even demand severance pay when you fired me out of the blue."

Lu Linwei corrected, "I never said I was firing you."

He cleared his throat, adopting a haughty tone. "I assume you’ve realized your mistakes by now. I’ll allow you to return to your position temporarily—on probation."

Though he was still mad about the cooking incident, given the underhanded schemes targeting her, he’d rather keep her close where he could protect her.

But Shen Ying refused. "Nope. I haven’t realized anything—in fact, I’m still baffled. So I’ve stopped thinking about it. Clearly, I don’t meet President Lu’s standards for repentance. I don’t deserve my old job back."

Lu Linwei gritted his teeth, forcing himself to compromise. "You were targeted because of me. This won’t be the last time. Even if you’re stubborn, employee safety comes before personal grievances."

Shen Ying shook her head. "Can’t do it. I already feel guilty for disappointing you. How shameless would it be to seek your protection now? I may not be a model employee, but I still have some dignity."

Lu Linwei stared at her—the woman who’d pulled countless shameless stunts—now putting on a righteous act. His jaw clenched.

Finally, he took a deep breath and spat out, "Fine. I’m not angry anymore. Happy?"

Shen Ying remained deadpan. "But I’m angry at myself. How could I let President Lu drink takeout porridge? How could I expose your delicate stomach to questionable garbage? I should be executed for such crimes."

Lu Linwei narrowed his eyes. "...You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?"

Shen Ying burst into theatrical tears. "President Lu is still furious, yet he’s swallowing his pride just to protect me—a responsibility that isn’t even his! What did I ever do to deserve such a noble boss?"

"Thinking of how I’ve disrespected and neglected you, I’m too ashamed to live!"

Lu Linwei knew he had to surrender completely today. But what choice did he have? He needed to take her back—he’d never rest easy leaving her outside his protection.

After several more deep breaths, he blurted out in one go:

"I love takeout. Takeout is the best. Everything you ordered was perfect, absolutely tailored to my tastes. You’re the most considerate person alive."

He glared at her. "Satisfied?"

Shen Ying rolled her eyes. "And?"

Lu Linwei gritted out, "...Triple compensation."

Only then did Shen Ying relent. "See? Was that so hard?"

Lu Linwei exhaled in relief—followed by a wave of deep despair.

He’d practically knelt down and let her extort him.

But before he could fully relax, he saw Shen Ying moving to lie down again.

Annoyed, he demanded, "More photos?"

Shen Ying shot him a warning look. "Side hustle."

She urged Shen Yao to hurry up. The sound of his phone’s camera shutter filled the room as he snapped dozens of shots for her to choose from.

Shen Ying picked a few satisfactory ones and was about to use them when she suddenly glanced at Lu Linqi.

Lu Linqi, still bewildered by the sudden plot twists, froze under her gaze, his scalp prickling.

Then the woman spoke:

"But before we wrap up this side hustle, President Lu, do me a favor and rein in your mole first."