The neon glow of Midnight Bar reflected off polished marble floors, casting fragmented rainbows across the crowd. Lin Yi leaned against the second-floor railing, a glass of scotch swirling in his hand as his gaze swept the dance floor below. He had been coming here for weeks, bored of the usual sycophants and gold diggers who flocked to his family name. Tonight, however, something different caught his eye.
A woman sat alone at a corner booth, her posture regal even in the dim light. She wore a black dress that hugged her curves without being vulgar, and her hair fell in dark waves past her shoulders. Her face was a study in controlled coolness—full lips pressed into a slight frown as she scrolled through her phone, clearly unimpressed by the men who occasionally approached her. Each time, she dismissed them with a wave of her hand, barely lifting her gaze.
Lin Yi’s lips curved into a slow smile. He recognized that pride. The way her chin tilted up just slightly, the way she held her drink as if it were beneath her. This was no ordinary socialite. This was an heiress, a woman accustomed to power.
He descended the stairs, weaving through the crowd with practiced ease. As he drew closer, he caught the faint scent of jasmine and something floral. He stopped a few feet from her table, waiting until she looked up.
“This seat taken?” he asked, his voice smooth, polite.
Su Wanqing glanced at him, her eyes scanning his expensive watch, his tailored suit, the practiced charm in his smile. She had seen a hundred men like him. “It’s reserved,” she said, her tone ice-cold.
Lin Yi chuckled, unoffended. “Reserved for someone special, or for solitude?”
“Both.” She returned her attention to her phone, clearly dismissing him.
He nodded, stepping back. “Enjoy your night.”
He didn’t push. That would be a mistake. Instead, he found a seat at the bar, ordering another drink while keeping her in his peripheral vision. She was a fortress, but every fortress had a crack.
Then it happened.
A sudden wave of dizziness washed over him. The bar noise faded to a low hum, and a transparent blue screen materialized in front of his eyes, floating like a ghost.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZING…]
Lin Yi blinked, thinking the scotch had finally hit him. But the screen remained, sharp and clear.
[System: The Perfect Trainer v1.0]
[Target: Female subjects. Purpose: Complete control, psychological conditioning, ultimate submission.]
[Status: Unbound. Activate? Y/N]
His heart pounded, but his face remained calm. He had read enough web novels to recognize the trope. This was real. And the possibilities—they flooded his mind like a dark tide.
He thought Y.
[ACTIVATION COMPLETE.]
[New user: Lin Yi. Level: 1. Abilities: Basic Charm +10%, Basic Suggestion +5%.]
[First mission unlocked: Make Su Wanqing actively invite you on a date within 48 hours. Reward: Level up, new abilities. Failure: Penalty.]
Lin Yi’s smile widened. Su Wanqing. The system even knew her name. He finished his drink, the plan already forming.
He waited until he saw her stand, purse in hand, ready to leave. He timed his approach perfectly, intercepting her near the exit.
“Miss,” he said, his voice laced with the new, subtle charm that the system had granted. “I know I’m being forward, but there’s a KTV lounge just around the corner—private rooms, excellent singing. I owe you an apology for disturbing you earlier. Let me make it up with a drink, no strings attached.”
She opened her mouth to refuse, but something flickered in her eyes. A trace of hesitation. The system’s suggestion working at the edges of her mind.
“I don’t sing,” she said, but her voice lacked the earlier steel.
“Neither do I. We can just talk. I promise, I’m more interesting than I look.”
A pause. Then, to her own apparent surprise, she nodded. “One drink.”
The KTV lounge was exclusive, the kind where VIPs booked entire floors. Lin Yi had reserved a room with plush velvet sofas, dim lighting, and a karaoke system that could be either background or center stage. He guided Su Wanqing inside, gesturing for her to sit.
She chose the far end of the sofa, still guarded. But when the waiter brought a bottle of Macallan 25, her eyes widened slightly. “You don’t skimp.”
“Only the best.” He poured two glasses, handing her one with a flourish. “To new acquaintances.”
They clinked glasses. She drank, a small sip. He matched her pace, watching.
The conversation was light at first—her business, his family’s real estate empire, mutual acquaintances in the upper circles. She relaxed incrementally, her shoulders losing their tension. Lin Yi kept the talk engaging, punctuated with jokes that made her lips twitch into reluctant smiles.
But the scotch was doing its work. Her words began to blur at the edges. She blinked hard, shaking her head as if to clear it.
“I should go,” she said, but her voice was slurred.
“Just a little more water,” Lin Yi said, sliding a glass toward her laced with a tasteless sedative he had prepared earlier. “You’ll feel better.”
She drank. Within minutes, her eyes grew heavy, her head lolling back against the sofa.
Lin Yi set down his glass, the mask of politeness slipping. He studied her—vulnerable, defenseless, beautiful. The system pinged.
[Partial mission progress. Target inebriated. Continue conditioning. Suggest using touch to reinforce submission.]
He reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face. She stirred, murmuring something unintelligible. His fingers trailed down her cheek, her neck, stopping at the collar of her dress.
“You’re so proud,” he whispered. “But pride is just a wall. And walls fall.”
She didn’t respond. Her breathing was deep, regular.
Lin Yi pulled out his phone, taking a few carefully angled photos. Not explicit, but compromising. A record. A leash.
Then he helped her stand, supporting her weight as he guided her out of the room. The staff smiled knowingly, seeing a man helping his drunk companion. No one questioned.
He put her in a taxi, giving the driver her address—he had seen her driver’s license while she was unconscious. “She’s had too much. Take her home.”
The taxi pulled away. Lin Yi stood on the curb, watching the red taillights disappear. The system hummed.
[Mission update: Target’s resistance lowered. Next step: Secure active invitation. Use dangling memory as catalyst.]
Lin Yi laughed softly into the night. She would not remember the details, only the shame of losing control. And when she woke, she would find a text from him: “Hope you got home safe. Let’s do it again sometime—I’ll keep the drinks light.”
She would respond. Women always did when they thought they owed an explanation. And from that thread, he would weave a web.
Back in his car, he sat for a moment, fingers drumming on the steering wheel. The system’s presence was a constant whisper in his mind, promising power and pleasure. He had always known he was different—darker, hungrier. Now, he had the means to indulge.
Su Wanqing was only the first. There would be others. Her friends, her family. All those who looked down from their ivory towers. He would bring them low, one by one, and they would thank him for it.
He started the engine, the city lights blurring past as he drove home, a predator already savoring the next hunt.