The smile on Huo's face stiffened.
He had thought the contractor was behaving so well that he hadn't even considered the possibility of her being a little slow-witted. Somehow, he was beginning to worry about whether she could accomplish the tasks.
He sighed inwardly. He needed to seal this contract by all means.
With that thought, his normally thread-thin patience magically became endless.
His open palm changed into an index finger pointing at the black card she was holding.
"That is the contract."
With a serious expression, he continued his explanation.
"The moment you desired to agree, the card automatically brought you here. This means that you, dear contractor, have already agreed to the deal."
"You only need to sign your name to finalize everything, and you can start conquering different planes. Simple, isn't it?"
He smiled as gently as he could, trying not to frighten his one and only potential contractor.
After digesting what the man had told her, she lowered her head and examined the contract in her hand.
The card was still black, just as before, but its contents had changed. It now contained clauses pertaining to the agreement Mr. Huo had mentioned.
Overall, it simply stated that she would fulfill her duties as a tasker and that the points she earned would belong to her. However, the "Good Traits" she managed to corrupt would be surrendered to the System.
At the bottom was a signature line.
She had to say, this was the simplest and most dubious contract she had ever read.
Her gaze returned to the man, who was wearing a businesslike smile.
"What if I don't agree?" she asked.
"What?"
Mr. Huo's gentle facade finally shattered.
Knowing that no matter how powerful he was, he couldn't exactly force someone who was hell-bent on refusing, he could only ask her.
"Why?"
Seeing the disappointment in those originally indifferent eyes, she felt a pang of guilt. However, she knew she wasn't in the wrong.
She had her own opinions and the right to make her own choices. She had been stupid when she was alive, but she couldn't afford to remain stupid even in death.
So, she decided to answer him honestly.
"Why not?" she asked.
"As you know, I have already passed away. I'm on my way to being reincarnated. All I can do now is pray that my next life will be a good one."
She smiled.
[Yes, that's right. It's better to let go of everything so I can start over.]
Staring at the lady in front of him, who suddenly seemed to radiate an aura of enlightenment, he couldn't help but wonder.
"But weren't you betrayed? Didn't you hate them? Especially that sinister white-lotus sister of yours who schemed to have you killed?"
She was shocked by his words.
"How did you know that?" Her voice rose a few decibels.
"Oh, I know a lot of things," Huo stated matter-of-factly before leaning back in his chair. His mood had become noticeably more languid.
"I even know what happened in your world after your death. I also know that many other women have suffered the same fate as you."
His eyes held a meaningful glint as he looked at her.
Suddenly, an excited female voice filled the room.
"Are... are you God?!"
Her almond-shaped eyes stared at the handsome man in front of her. She couldn't believe that God actually looked like a model in his twenties. What a hunk!
Huo couldn't contain himself upon hearing her deduction.
He burst into laughter, completely abandoning his usual dignified demeanor. His stern, indifferent, businesslike expression suddenly transformed into that of a boy next door laughing his head off at a silly joke.
Once he had calmed down, he said,
"I may have godlike facial features, but I wouldn't dare call myself a God."
He smiled.
His former aura returned, and the tension from earlier had clearly eased.
The awe in her eyes instantly evaporated like drizzle on a hot pan.
No way. Even she knew that God couldn't possibly be this narcissistic.
"Are you secretly mocking me, dear contractor?"
His voice was exceptionally gentle, yet somehow sent shivers down her spine.
"No, sir. I wouldn't dare."
She hurriedly defended herself. Even as a ghost, she was afraid of experiencing a second death. She still needed her soul intact if she wanted to be reincarnated.
"Let's continue, then."
She unknowingly straightened her back and listened attentively.
"You said you don't agree because you hope to have a new life when you reincarnate?"
His piercing eyes watched her intently.
"Yes."
She was intimidated by his aura, but this was something she was willing to fight for.
This was her only chance.
Her chance to be happy.
Looking at her perseverance and hope-filled eyes, he almost didn't want to break the news to her.
But no. He needed this contract badly, and he had a hunch that this person was the only one who could pull it off.
Seeing the expression on his face, she could sense that something unpleasant was about to be revealed to her.
She felt anxious, but more than that, she was disappointed.
"Then what if I told you that even if you were reincarnated, you would still suffer the same fate?"
His words were undeniably gentle, so why did they feel as though they were tearing her entire being apart?
Looking at the distraught girl in front of him, he continued.
"Not only that. The same is true for your past lives and your future lives. You will continue to live through this over and over again. You won't remember what happened, but you will always share the same fate."
She looked at him almost pleadingly.
"No. You must be lying."
She had already crossed the distance between them.
She clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned pale as she rested them on his table. Her face was close enough for him to see just how devastated she was.
Close enough to hear her whisper,
"Please."
He continued watching her without uttering a word.
Inwardly, he sighed, thinking that fate was truly cruel.
He pitied this young lady.
Her endless cycle of rebirth was nothing more than an endless cycle of hell.
He gently poked her forehead with his index finger and said,
"See for yourself."
In that instant, time seemed to stop.
The moment his finger touched her skin, she saw her past and future.
Her countless past selves and her seemingly endless future selves.
They had all been deceived, betrayed, and manipulated.
They had all died in vain, carrying countless grievances.
They had all died hoping for another chance.
Hoping for redemption.
Hoping to be happy.
Finally, her tears fell like a broken string of pearls.
"They were all me."