The General's Daughter: The Mission

After the hospital incident, Scarlet finally obtained Ares’ contact number.

At first, she stared at it for nearly ten minutes before gathering the courage to send a simple message.

Thank you again for taking care of me at the hospital. Thank you for the flowers. They still looked fresh.

Then, she sent the photo of yellow roses in a beautiful glass vase.

To her surprise, he replied.

From that day onward, Scarlet began messaging him regularly. Sometimes she asked if he had eaten. Sometimes she sent him random videos of herself and her friends doing ridiculous dances in the dormitory. Other times, she would purposely embarrass herself just to make him laugh.

Most of the time, Ares’ replies were short.

Take care.

Don’t skip meals.

That was stupid.

But occasionally, there would be something more.

A rare laughing emoji.

A dry sarcastic comment.

Once, he even sent her a selfie of him reading in the library. And there was a second one... that of a stray cat lying peacefully on his lap.

Scarlet nearly framed her phone after that.

Slowly, painfully, she realized she had been promoted in Ares’ life.

From complete stranger...to acquaintance.

But that wasn’t enough. She wanted more and that frustrated her.

”This won’t do,” Scarlet groaned one afternoon as she collapsed dramatically across the sofa in the university film club room.

Across from her, Gary Vice looked up from the storyboard he was sketching.

”What’s wrong with you now, Scar?”

”Ares,” she muttered miserably. ”No matter what I do, he still keeps this invisible wall around himself. It’s like talking to block of wood.”

Gary snorted.

”Girl, do you even read web novels?”

Scarlet blinked.

”What does that have to do with anything?”

Gary suddenly sat upright, his eyes sparkling with excitement like a mad scientist who had just discovered forbidden knowledge.

”Everything,” he declared dramatically. ”Web novels are the sacred scriptures of romance.”

Scarlet stared at him in confusion.

”You’ve officially lost your mind.”

”No, you’re just inexperienced.” Gary pointed accusingly at her. ”You’re approaching this wrong. Cute messages and accidental meetings only work for normal men. Ares isn’t normal.”

Scarlet frowned.

”What’s that supposed to mean?”

”That guy has trust issues written all over his face, especially to women,” Gary said bluntly. ”People admire him, chase him, flatter him... but nobody ever gets close to him emotionally. If you want to break through that cold shell, you need something unforgettable.”

Scarlet slowly narrowed her eyes.

”...What kind of unforgettable?”

Gary leaned closer and lowered his voice conspiratorially.

”You need to become someone important during a critical moment in his life.”

Scarlet blinked twice.

”I still don’t understand.”

”Girl, do I seriously have to spell this out for you?” Gary flicked her forehead. ”Use that brain of yours.”

”Ow!” Scarlet rubbed her forehead angrily. ”What, are you telling me to seduce him?”

”To be honest,” she admitted awkwardly, ”I’ve already been trying. It’s subtle seduction, okay? Sophisticated seduction. But it’s clearly not working.”

Gary looked horrified.

”Girl, did I say seduction?”

Scarlet paused.

”...No.”

”Exactly.” Gary slammed his notebook shut and grinned. ”You need a dramatic rescue scene.”

The way he said it immediately made Scarlet nervous.

”Gary... why do you sound like a movie villain?”

”Because I’ll be a famous director someday,” he corrected proudly. ”And this—” he gestured between them, ”—is cinema.”

Scarlet suddenly had a terrible feeling about this.

Gary pulled out several papers from his bag, revealing what looked disturbingly like an actual production outline.

Scene layouts.

Timing notes.

Even dialogue suggestions.

Scarlet’s jaw dropped.

”You already planned this?!”

”Obviously.” Gary looked offended she even asked. ”This is my directing project for my final exam. Romantic realism mixed with emotional tension. If executed properly, this could win awards.”

”You’re insane.”

”Thank you.”

Scarlet buried her face in her hands.

”Okay,” Gary continued excitedly, ”here’s the setup. We know goes to but groceries every Saturday right? He takes the old alley just outside the school. That alley is perfect.”

Scarlet nodded cautiously.

”So,” Gary said, lowering his voice dramatically, ”a group of hired thugs corner him there.”

Scarlet’s eyes widened.

”Hired thugs?!”

”Relax, they’re theater students,” Gary said dismissively. ”I already know a few guys willing to help for extra cash and free food.”

That somehow did not comfort her.

”They rough Ares up a little,” Gary continued while casually sketching arrows on paper, ”not enough to seriously hurt him, just enough to make the scene believable. Then—”

He pointed directly at Scarlet.

”—you arrive.”

Scarlet swallowed.

”You scream that the police are coming. Then play the recording. The fake thugs panic and run away. Then you help the injured and emotionally vulnerable Ares.”

Gary clasped his hands dramatically.

”And boom. Emotional bonding. You become his savior.”

Scarlet stared at him speechlessly.

The more he explained it, the more terrifyingly detailed the plan became.

Gary had already thought about everything.

Even Scarlet’s outfit.

”You should wear white,” he said thoughtfully. ”It makes you look more innocent and heroic.”

Scarlet genuinely wondered if her best friend was secretly a criminal mastermind.

”Gary...” she said weakly, ”...have you done this before?”

”Not exactly,” he admitted. ”But I’ve directed six romance shorts and watched over hundreds of web dramas. Trust me, audiences love rescue scenes.”

”This isn’t a drama! This is real life!” Scarlet protested.

Gary shrugged.

”Real life is just low-budget fiction.”

Scarlet fell silent. Deep down, she knew the plan was ridiculous.

Manipulative. Maybe even terrible.

But then she remembered Ares sitting beside her hospital bed with worry in his eyes.

Remembered his calm voice... His rare smiles...

And suddenly...

The idea of becoming someone unforgettable to him was overwhelmingly tempting.

No matter what.

She wanted Ares to look at her differently.

And if she had to become the heroine of a ridiculous staged drama to do it—

Then maybe...

Just maybe...

It was worth trying.

...

However, reality unfolded far differently from what Gary Vice had envisioned.

Far worse.

Hidden behind a pillar near the alley, Scarlet nervously peeked out while clutching the sleeves of her oversized hoodie.

Everything had started according to plan.

The fake thugs Gary hired — a few theater students wearing leather jackets and fake tattoos — approached Ares exactly on cue.

At first, Scarlet even thought the scene looked convincing.

Until Ares moved.

What happened next completely shattered every fantasy scenario Gary had created in his head.

One of the fake thugs grabbed Ares by the shoulder—

—and in the next second, the man was slammed face-first into the wall hard enough to crack the plaster.

Scarlet’s jaw dropped.

Another rushed forward with a metal pipe.

Ares dodged effortlessly, seized the weapon mid-swing, and drove his elbow into the attacker’s ribs with terrifying precision.

A sickening cry echoed through the alley.

The remaining fake thugs immediately panicked.

”WAIT—THIS ISN’T IN THE SCRIPT!”