SBTW 5

Shuttle Between Two Worlds: The Chief Minister’s E-Commerce Minion

Chapter 5: Tian Qiqi! This Official Forbids You from Leaving!

Court of Judicial Review, Chief Minister's Official Chamber.

Midnight, 11:45 PM.

The Du Residence underground conspiracy case had been interrogated and wrapped up late into the night. Du Wansheng had likely been thoroughly traumatized by Tian Qiqi's stun gun, because he barely put up any resistance before weeping and handing over the complete list of accomplices.

A faint scent of sandalwood drifted through the chamber. A space normally so cold and stern it felt almost inhuman was suddenly imbued with an un-court-like lively warmth, all because Tian Qiqi was sitting at the tea table enjoying snacks.

Huangfu Ye rolled back the sleeves of his ink-black official robes, gracefully washing the tea set, warming the cups, and pouring the water.

As wisps of steam drifted upward, his stern features were softened slightly by the tea vapor, making him look far less unapproachable and oppressive than usual.

"Lady Tian." He pushed a clear cup of tea toward her. "This tea is the emperor's tribute Wuyi Dahongpao, yielding only a few ounces a year. Have a taste."

Tian Qiqi’s eyes instantly lit up. "Tribute tea?"

She carefully picked up the teacup and took a tiny sip. As the rich tea fragrance blossomed across the tip of her tongue, her entire face lit up.

"So good! It's even more fragrant than the tea bases at my usual boba shops. Imperial stuff really hits different."

Watching her completely unscripted, natural reaction, a faint, wispy trace of a smile unconsciously flickered at the bottom of Huangfu Ye's eyes.

Without a word, he nudged a plate of osmanthus cakes closer to her.

"Tonight's venture to the Du Residence... thanks to your assistance, those... magic treasures of yours truly opened this official's eyes."

As he spoke, his gaze drifted to the Bluetooth earbud resting on the tea table.

He had already removed the tiny white gadget, setting it neatly by the edge of the table, yet his right ear seemed to retain the strange, lingering warmth from the secret passageway just moments ago.

Not to mention the sound of her slowed breathing right beside his ear.

Tian Qiqi didn't notice his momentary distraction. Munching on an osmanthus cake, she waved a hand with a smile. "We're just helping each other out. You're in charge of catching the bad guys, and I'm in charge of tech support. Teamwork makes the dream work."

Once she finished speaking, she very naturally patted Huangfu Ye on the arm.

"If the Court of Judicial Review runs into another case like this down the road, feel free to call me. I'll hook you up with a regular-client twenty-percent discount."

Huangfu Ye lowered his gaze to the spot she had just patted. If anyone else had dared to be so presumptuous, he would have long since iced over and stepped away.

Yet Tian Qiqi's movements were so fluid and her smile so bright—as if she fundamentally didn't understand the concepts of social hierarchy or personal space—that his usual mysophobia and rigid rules were left completely stranded with nowhere to act.

Before long, however, his gaze locked onto her wrist, where a bizarre bracelet flickered with a faint blue light, its digital numbers ticking down step by step.

[Countdown: 00:04:48]

Huangfu Ye's brow furrowed slightly. "Lady Tian, what do those numbers signify?"

Glancing down at it, Tian Qiqi nearly choked on her osmanthus cake. "Oh no, time's almost up."

According to that quirky time-travel rule, she could only stay in ancient times for a maximum of twelve hours a day.

The moment the clock struck midnight, no matter where she happened to be, she would get yanked right back to the modern era.

And right now, she had less than five minutes left.

Stuffing the last bite of pastry into her mouth, Tian Qiqi scrambled into a flurry of chaotic pack-up mode.

Bluetooth earbuds, phone, entrenching tool, scissors, flashlight—she shoved everything back into her backpack in one messy heap.

"Lord Huangfu, I'm so sorry," she blurted out in a rush while zipping up her bag. "My overtime hours are up, so I gotta clock out and head home."

Huangfu Ye's expression shifted slightly. "Clock out?"

Rising to his feet, his tall frame blocked her path as an unmistakable strain crept into his tone for the very first time.

"The curfew has already fallen, and the Court of Judicial Review is heavily guarded. How do you plan to leave? This official will order a carriage to escort you."

Looking up at him, Tian Qiqi almost wanted to laugh. Here the guy was, wearing a stony expression while talking as if he genuinely feared she'd get lost in the middle of the night.

"No need for an escort." Slinging her backpack on, she flashed him an apologetic yet blinding smile. "I'm not walking out; I'm just heading straight back."

Huangfu Ye’s gaze darkened. "Back to where?"

Glancing down at her watch, Tian Qiqi sped up her delivery.

"Back to the modern world, or you could think of it as returning to heaven! Either way, I'll probably pop back up tomorrow at noon, and I'll drop by the Court of Judicial Review to find you then."

[Countdown: 00:00:10]

That familiar pulling sensation in the air was already beginning to surface.

Before Tian Qiqi's smile could fully fade, Huangfu Ye caught sight of her silhouette beginning to radiate a faint white glow, and his heart violently plummeted.

This wasn't a standard departure, nor was it light gongfu, nor any method within his realm of understanding.

For the first time, he clearly sensed that this girl—who had turned the entire Court of Judicial Review upside down—truly did not belong here.

"Tian Qiqi." Huangfu Ye's voice dropped lower, carrying a panic he didn't even realize was there. "You are forbidden to leave."

Extending a long arm, his sharply-knuckled fingers firmly clamped around her wrist.

The grip was heavy, as if he intended to use all his internal energy to forcibly anchor her in place.

[Countdown: 00:00:03]

Tian Qiqi blinked in surprise at his grip.

Huangfu Ye's palm radiated a startling, scorching heat, and deep within those obsidian eyes—normally so calm they bordered on ruthless—lay a rare, uncharacteristic anxiety and loss of control. Her heart skipped a beat, any teasing remarks stuck instantly in her throat. Raising her free hand, she gently pressed it over the back of his hand, softening her tone as well.

"Don't stress, I'll be right back tomorrow."

[Countdown: 00:00:00]

Hum—

A brilliant white light flashed abruptly.

Huangfu Ye's fingertips tightened instinctively, but he caught nothing save for a patch of rapidly dissolving micro-light as Tian Qiqi vanished into thin air right before his eyes.

The chamber fell dead silent instantly. The fragrance of tea still hung in the thick air, half a plate of osmanthus cakes remained untouched, and even a few crumbs dropped by Tian Qiqi during her snack time still littered the tea table—yet the person sitting right across from him moments ago was gone without a trace.

Standing frozen in place, Huangfu Ye maintained his posture of reaching out and grabbing. His palm remained completely empty; her warm wrist was gone, replaced only by a lingering, faint sweetness in the air and that strange, unfamiliar aura that always lingered briefly after every shuttle.

"Tian Qiqi," he murmured under his breath, his voice soft, receiving no response whatsoever.

Hearing the commotion outside, the secret guards pushed the door open promptly, freezing slightly upon taking in the scene within. "Prince Consort, what has occurred?"

Hands resting on their saber hilts with defensive vigilance, they halted collectively as they looked at the empty tea table in the chamber.

That Lady Tian from just a moment ago had actually vanished.

Without answering, Huangfu Ye simply stared down at his own palm, his chest rising and falling far more sharply than usual.

He suddenly realized that his internal energy could not keep her, his power and status could not bind her, and even physically locking his fingers around her wrist could not prevent her from leaving. That total lack of control felt far too foreign to Huangfu Ye, and far too deeply displeasing.

Time ticked away drop by drop. After a long stretch, he finally lowered his hand, shoving that trace of nearly uncontrollable shock deep back down into the abyss until nothing remained save for a chillingly dark edge. "All of you, withdraw."

Not daring to ask further questions, the guards lowered their heads and backed out of the chamber. As the doors clicked shut once more, the room plunged back into quietness, leaving only the scent of tea lingering on the table.

The doors closed tightly once more.

Standing beside the tea table, Huangfu Ye let his gaze fall upon the teacup she had used. Her sprightly voice seemed to still echo around his ears.

Tomorrow at noon, I'll probably pop back up.

Closing his eyes, he reopened them to a gaze that had regained its icy composure—though that composure now harbored a stubbornness even he couldn't quite explain.

"Tian Qiqi," he muttered her name under his breath, sounding as though he were cross-examining a criminal, though his tail-end words pressed down with a hard-to-detect trace of grinding teeth. "You had better keep your word."

At the exact same time.

Modern era, New Taipei City basement warehouse.

Tian Qiqi landed with a thud straight back onto her independent-coil mattress, her backpack rolling off to the side while the entrenching tool and scissors inside clattered loudly against each other.

Clutched tightly in her hand was the tribute jade teacup she had smuggled back from the Court of Judicial Review.

Lying flat for a few seconds, she slowly raised her wrist to look at the faint red ring left behind where Huangfu Ye had grabbed her.

Gazing at the mark, she inexplicably pictured his flustered look from moments earlier.

That perpetually frosty Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review had actually genuinely wanted to keep her behind.

Her cheeks grew warm, prompting her to sit up quickly and give her own face a light slap.

"No, no, no—no matter how gorgeous ancient guys are, modern orders still need to be shipped out."

Turning her head to check the wall clock: 12:01 AM, while her phone notification chimes buzzed away in a wild frenzy.

Taking a deep breath, Tian Qiqi hopped up with practiced efficiency and sat back down in front of her computer to open the e-commerce backend.

As the screen lit up, an overwhelming wave of unread messages popped right onto the display.

Looking over the alerts demanding faster shipments, inquiring about sizes, and asking about discounts, the mood that had just been scrambled by romance was quickly anchored right back down by hard reality.

"Alright," she said, tying her hair back tightly with an expression of revived brightness. "Time to hustle for cash first. Tomorrow at noon, I'll pack some even more practical gear and head back to work with Lord Huangfu."

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