I took two deep breaths, but the noise outside was still driving me crazy.
I tried a different tactic. “Aren’t you worried they’ll disturb Erica?”
1/0
09:08
Chapter 2
“Erica went to work this morning.”
Great. So I was the only one being tormented.
I hung up and stormed upstairs to change. If I couldn’t fight them, I could at least flee.
I used Hans’s card to check into a five–star hotel and took a glorious afternoon nap.
09:08
Later that day, I got a text from my father. It was an ultimatum: come work at Hans’s company, or all my credit cards would be cut off.
I ignored it, happily swiping Hans’s card instead.
“I’m sorry, miss, but this card has been declined,” the smiling cashier informed me.
Fuming, I called Hans again. “You froze the card?”
“Come to my office. I’ll unfreeze it.”
I gritted my teeth. “Hans, I’m a spoiled brat who knows nothing about business. What could I possibly do at your company?”
His disdain was palpable through the phone. “You think I expect you to actually do anything? I just can’t stand seeing you with so much free time on your hands.”
10
Hans was getting his revenge.
My brazen attitude had finally pushed him too far. And I had to admit, for a villain, he knew exactly where to strike. In this world, no money
meant no life.
The only silver lining was that his affection level for me had crawled up to 40. At least I was officially more likable than a random dog now.
At two o’clock sharp, I clicked my heels into Hans’s office. He was in the middle of an international video conference and didn’t have time for
- me. Instead, his assistant handed me a file. I flipped it open.
Responsible for Mr. Thorne’s daily meals and well–being. Includes coffee runs, lunch orders…
This wasn’t a job. This was a nanny position.
I snapped the folder shut just as Hans finished his meeting. He looked at me. “There’s an auction tonight. You’re coming with me.”
I nodded, my face a blank mask. “When do I get my card back?”
“There’s a three–day probationary period,” he said, steepling his fingers on the desk, his dark eyes fixed on me. “We’ll talk about it after you pass.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
I wanted to strangle him. Gritting my teeth, I opened my banking app. Thankfully, I still had a few thousand dollars in my account. If I was care-
ful, it could last me a month.
Just then, a notification popped up on my phone. I tapped it. It was a voice message.
“Hey beautiful, when are we finally going to meet?”
11
I could feel the murderous intent radiating off the villain.
Under his terrifying glare, I calmly switched off my phone screen, meeting his gaze without flinching. “So sorry about that, Mr. Thorne. Forgot to turn down the volume.”
The new guys my friend had sent over were all such sweet–talkers. They called me “beautiful” and “angel,” and I was eating it up. I had planned to meet one of them tomorrow, but it looked like that would have to be postponed.
Hans’s eyes were practically daggers. His long fingers tightened around his pen, knuckles turning white. “Already found my replacement, have
we?”
2/9
09:08
Chapter 2
“Of course not. He’s just a friend,” I said with a wave of my hand.
09.08
His expression grew even colder. “Right. I should call your father and congratulate him. I didn’t know he had another son so late in life. As an elder, I should probably send a gift.”
He actually picked up his phone to call my dad.
“Wait!” I yelped, stopping him. “Don’t! We can talk about this.”
My father adored me, but he treated Hans like his own son, which was why he was so obsessed with me marrying him. If he found out I was texting other guys behind Hans’s back, he’d probably fly home and scatter my ashes himself.
“Delete him,” Hans commanded.
“Fine.”
It was no big deal. I still had two others.
He rounded the desk and snatched my phone. As his long fingers scrolled through my chats, his face grew progressively darker.
“Host, villain’s kill–o–meter is at 100!” the System shrieked in my head.
That high? I glanced towards the door, wondering if I should make a run for it.
“Oh, wait, never mind. It’s not directed at you,” the System added. “He wants to murder Boy Toy Number One.”
Oh. Well, that was fine then.
12
After the tragic loss of Boy Toy Number One, I reluctantly accompanied Hans to the auction.
Given his status, we were seated in a private suite on the second floor. Directly across from us, in another suite, were the hero and heroine.
I wasn’t sure if they were doing it on purpose, but Leo had his arm wrapped possessively around Erica’s waist, the perfect picture of a doting
couple.
I idly popped grapes into my mouth, enjoying the show as Hans’s face shifted from pale to green to black.
“Hurts, doesn’t it?” I said, crossing my legs nonchalantly. “See, that’s what a real boyfriend looks like. All your gifts and grand gestures just make you look like the backup plan.”
System: “Warning! Villain’s affection level has decreased by 1.”
I ignored it and continued, “Hans, I don’t think you have a chance. This obsession is just going to drive you crazy.”
System: “Warning! Warning! Villain’s affection level has decreased by 5!”
So annoying.
“Turn off the affection level notifications,” I told the System.
After a moment of silence, it confirmed, “Affection level notifications have been disabled.”
“You know, Hans-”
My words were cut short. A hand, smelling faintly of mint, brushed past my cheek. A moment later, a grape was slipped between my lips. Hans looked at me with disgust. “Can’t even food shut you up?”
I swallowed the grape and finally fell silent. But it was as if he’d developed a new addiction. He kept feeding me, one grape after another. Jesus Christ, I never knew this masochist had a feeding fetish.
My mouth was nearly full when I glanced across the room. Erica was nestled in Leo’s arms, eating grapes he had peeled for her.
Son of a bitch. I was just a prop.
09:08
Chapter 2
13
Hans won the bid for a necklace.
09.08
It was supposedly once worn by the queen of some European country. He and Leo had gone head–to–head for it, driving the price from twenty million all the way up to a hundred million.
I wasn’t surprised. Erica had mentioned admiring the necklace earlier. The two men were just trying to outdo each other to win her favor.
After the auction, Hans drove me home. As I saw Erica getting into a car behind us, a thought struck me. “Hey System, what’s Hans’s affection level for Erica?”
“Beep… crrrk…”
The System’s voice sounded strange, staticky.
“System? You okay?”
After a long pause, it finally answered. “The villain’s affection level for the heroine is… 30.”
14
I thought I’d misheard.
I made it ask again, and again, but the answer was the same.
“Host, I think… maybe the villain doesn’t actually like the heroine!” the System said, its confidence suddenly restored.
I rolled my eyes. “You’re the one who told me the villain was in love with the heroine. Now you’re saying he’s not? You know, System, for all my failures, you deserve most of the credit.”
The System sounded uncertain again. “I find it strange too. How could it only be 30…”
I ignored it, convinced it was just malfunctioning. The moment this mission was over, I was putting in a request to have it serviced.
When Hans dropped me off, he followed me inside. It looked like he was planning to stay the night. I didn’t mind. After all, he’d paid for the place.
He walked me to my bedroom door and handed me the box from the auction.
“What, you want me to deliver your gift for you?” I snapped. There was a limit to how much of a prop I was willing to be.
He gave me a look of pure disgust. “It’s for you.”
E?”
He didn’t explain. “You can have the morning off tomorrow. We’re leaving for a business trip in the afternoon.”
With that, he turned and left.
I stood there, holding the hundred–million–dollar necklace, watching his retreating back. “System,” I whispered, “do you think… he’s starting to
like me?”
Giving a girl a necklace like this had to mean something, right?
The Systern was ecstatic. “Definitely! The villain is totally falling for you!”
The thought kept me up all night. It was an unexpected victory after I’d completely given up.
I decided then and there. It was time to get back in the game.
15
Okay, game over. I’m out again.
The moment I came downstairs this morning, I saw her. The heroine, Erica Meadows, sitting in my living room.
She and Hans were chatting and laughing, having a wonderful time. And while Hans’s expression was still cool, the easy way he responded to
her… that was not the behavior of a man with an affection level of 30.
4/9
09:08
Chapter 2
446
09.08
I roared at the System, “Check it again! What is his affection level for her, right now!”
The System jumped, startled by my tone. It whispered back, “Eighty.”
I knew it! This useless piece of junk!
No wonder he gave me the necklace last night. He wanted to trade it for my condo so he could be closer to her. The classic “close to the wat er, first to see the moon” strategy.
I was going back to my checked–out life.
After a brief hello, I left the condo, graciously giving them their space. Then, I immediately texted Boy Toy Number Two to set up a date.
My friend replied, “For real? What about your fiancé?”
I texted back, “My fiancé is dead to me. From now on, call me Queen Diana.”
Boy Toy Number Two was handsome, with a sweet, boyish personality, but his eight–pack abs were the real deal. My eyes practically popped out of my head. I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out and taking his hand.
This was the life. Who cared about missions and villains?
“Warning! Warning! Level one alert! Hostile entity approaching!” the System blared.
“Who is it now?” I grumbled.
System: “Your fiancé. The one you just declared dead.”
16
I was dragged home by Hans.
He shoved me onto the sofa and loomed over me. “Diana. Care to explain?”
I smoothed my disheveled hair and met his fiery gaze calmly. “He’s my next prospect.”
Hans seemed taken aback by my honesty. He clenched his jaw, his grip on my arm tightening. “You want to break the engagement?”
“Look, you don’t want to marry me anyway. What’s the point of dragging this out?” I sighed heavily, patting his shoulder with my free hand. “Mr. Thorne, it’s not that I didn’t try. You’re just not into me. Am I supposed to waste my whole life on you?”
I was truly done. When this was all over, I would just accept the penalty.
Hans’s lips thinned. After a long moment, I heard him mutter, “Maybe if we just tried a little longer…”
I didn’t catch the rest.
He let me go, his cold mask snapping back into place. “Have you considered the consequences of breaking our engagement?”
I actually gave it some thought. “Becoming single and starting my fabulous life over?” I asked hopefully.
He looked like he wanted to eat me alive. His face was a mask of fury. “Starting your life over? Diana, you wish.”
See? I’ve always been an optimist.
Perhaps he’d gotten so angry he’d looped back to calm. He looked at me coolly. “Fine. You want to end the engagement, you can. Over the past three years, you’ve spent roughly two hundred million of my money. I’m not in the habit of financing another man’s wife. I’ll round it down for you. Two hundred million.”
My smile froze on my face.
Two hundred million…
There was no way I could come up with that on my own. And if my father found out it was a breakup fee, he wouldn’t give me a dime. He’d probably fly back from overseas just to kill me.
I quickly changed my tune, pouring Hans a glass of water. “Why bring money into this? It’s so tacky. If you’re not in a hurry to break up, Mr. Tho- rne, then neither am I.”
5/9
09:08
09:08
Chapter 2
He didn’t take the glass, just looked down at me. “Don’t even think about it again.”
17
Erica sought me out.
After the “boy toy” incident, Hans had me on a tight leash. Erica had to catch me during my lunch break.
“Let’s get straight to it,” I said as soon as we sat down. “I only have an hour.”
Erica looked surprised for a moment, then nodded, her expression serious. “We’re in the same business.”
Huh?
Seeing my confusion, she clarified. “The System.”
At that moment, my own System finally reacted. “Ping! Detecting presence of System Unit 17!”
You useless piece of junk! I’ve met the heroine multiple times, and you’re only detecting her now?!
Wait a minute.
A thought struck me. “The past seven times… were you here too?!”
Erica nodded, offering a slightly embarrassed smile. “Sorry. I chose to pursue two targets simultaneously. I didn’t know you existed.”
I understood immediately. Mission success was based on completion percentage, but some transmigrators chose to tackle multiple targets at
once. Work one job, get paid for several. Who wouldn’t want that?
No wonder winning Hans over had been so difficult. The woman in front of me was clearly a higher–level player. Losing to her made sense. The
real blame lay with the main System for putting two of us in the same world.
“I can give up on Hans…”
Before Erica could finish, I held up a hand. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Your affection level with him is already at 80. You’re almost there.”
“But you’ll be penalized,” she said, looking at me with concern.
I waved it off. “It’s just a few points.”
Erica thought for a moment, then took my hand. “If I succeed, I’ll give you the points from Hans’s route. This was a system error anyway. I’ll file
a report and request compensation for you.”
Damn. She really was the heroine. What a class act.
A wide grin spread across my face, and I squeezed her hand back. “Just one question.”
Erica: “What is it?”
“While you’re at it, can you request to win me over too?”
12
The heroine got to work.
Every evening, I’d see Erica walking towards my condo, a box of homemade pastries in hand. I’d be lounging in my hammock on the balcony, which gave me a perfect view of the two of them chatting in my yard.
My System, upon learning about the presence of its former master, System Unit 17, had joined me in giving up. Apparently, 17 had been its mentor, but my System was so useless that it failed its evaluation for three years straight and was kicked out. And then, lucky me, I got stuck
with it.
“Sigh,” the Systern lamented. “Maybe in the next world, we should try for two targets?”
“I’m flattered you think so highly of me,” I said dryly
I glanced down again, and my eyes met Hans’s. His message was clear: Don’t interfere.
I calmly got up and went back inside. Fine by me. I was getting tired of watching their sickeningly sweet drama anyway.
6/9
09:08
Chapter 2
09.08
I took a shower. When I came out of the bathroom, there was an unexpected guest in my room.
I was topless, my skin flushed and rosy from the hot water.
An unnatural expression flickered across Hans’s face. He quickly turned his back to me.
I calmly wrapped a towel around myself. “Need something?”
“Have you been watching us this whole time?” he asked, still not facing me. He’d recently gotten a haircut, leaving his ears exposed. Under the lamplight, I could have sworn they were turning red.
“Yep. Her pastries look delicious. You should save me some next time.”
They always made my mouth water, but I didn’t want to be a third wheel.
I don’t know what I said that set him off, but he abandoned all pretense of being a gentleman and spun around to glare at me.
“And you’re not even jealous?”
19
Hans looked furious.
Because I wasn’t jealous?
I thought for a moment, then put on a sad expression. “Oh, I’m used to it. After all, she’s the one you love. I wish you two a long and happy life together.”
That only made him angrier. I could practically see the hair on his head standing on end. Seriously? He gets mad even when I’m wishing him well? I didn’t get it.
The System’s voice echoed faintly in my mind. “Could it be… that he’s mad because you don’t care that he’s with another woman?”
That actually made sense.
So, I decided to try the opposite approach.
My expression instantly turned cold. I looked down my nose at the villain before me. “Hans, this is my house. In the future, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bring other women here for your little romantic rendezvous.”
His features softened immediately. Even the frost in his cold eyes began to thaw.
“It won’t happen again,” he said.
20
True to his word, I didn’t see the heroine at my house again.
During that time, my relationship with Hans improved significantly. Though I had been cold and harsh to him at first–blaming him for seven lifetimes of failure–I let go of my grudge once I found out I’d been competing against Erica. There’s no shame in losing to a pro. And I couldn’t blame Hans; a master–level player was just that charismatic.
A container of barbecue was placed in front of me. Hans, just back from working late, looked tired. “Eat this and throw away the trash. Don’t leave it overnight.”
I nodded, finding him more and more agreeable. If you took marriage out of the equation, Hans actually made an excellent roommate.
I took the barbecue out to the balcony. From the yard next door, I could hear the faint sounds of an argument. I found a good spot and leaned over to get a better look. I couldn’t make out the exact words, but it was something along the lines of “You don’t have me in your heart.”
I figured it out pretty quickly. The master player had slipped up.
I called Hans over and pointed to the bickering hero and heroine next door. “Hans, this is your chance.”
He merely glanced over, then said, “Eat your barbecue while it’s hot.”
“You’re not even going to do anything?” I thought he was a lost cause.
7/9
09:08
Chapter 2
09.08
He was silent for a long while before finally saying, “Diana, from now on, Erica Meadows and I have nothing to do with each other.”
21
I thought Erica and Hans had just had a fight.
But the next day, Erica told me, “Hans’s high affection level was because of an item I was using.”
I didn’t understand. “What item?”
“In my last world, I successfully captured three male leads at once, and the system rewarded me with an affection–boosting item. In this world, all key male characters started with an affection level of sixty or seventy towards me.”
Damn. I wanted an item like that.
“But,” Erica sighed, looking at me, “every time I failed before, it was right after I married the hero. The villain’s affection for me would plummet. I thought it was my fault, but then I saw you.”
“Your presence,” she explained, “negates the effect of the item, causing the villain’s affection level to drop to its natural state. And every time I got married, the villain would go dark, and your mission would be declared a failure, pulling you from the world.”
“So, we’ve both been repeating this, over and over again.”
22
It all finally made sense.
Why Hans’s affection for Erica was so volatile. The item made him inevitably drawn to her, but as a key character in this world, he couldn’t be completely controlled by it.
And I was the variable that broke the spell.
“So,” I asked the System, “what’s his affection level for me right now?”
“Eighty–five.”
I nearly jumped for joy. It was like winning the lottery after deciding to just give up.
Erica was no longer pursuing Hans; the points from the main hero were far more valuable, and she wouldn’t risk the greater prize for a smaller
one.
And Hans’s affection for me? It was just one step away from the finish line.
23
I never expected my own father to be the ultimate wingman.
I don’t know what “unfounded” rumors he heard, but he flew in from overseas and demanded that Hans and I get married within the month.
Naturally, I had no objections. I looked at Hans.
He slid a folder across the table to me. I was puzzled. “A prenup?”
I opened it. Inside were pages and pages of wedding dress designs.
Stunned, I stared at him suspiciously. “You’ve had this planned for a while?”
“No,” he denied instantly. Then, with an air of forced nonchalance, he steepled his fingers on his lap and looked at me coolly. “Only for a couple of days.”
I rolled my eyes. “Hans, is it that hard to admit you’ve fallen for me?”
He looked a little flustered.
I continued, gloating, “I told you from the beginning. I’m beautiful, graceful, and a total catch. Anyone who can’t see that is blind.”
Hans’s expression became unreadable.
I asked the System, “What do you think he’s thinking right now? Is he thinking his life is complete now that he gets to marry me?”
8/9
09.08
Chapter 2
The System replied immediately, “He’s probably thinking, ‘Do I really have to go through with this?“”
09.08
24
Hans and I spent the next few days in a blissful honeymoon phase.
I sacrificed my body and soul, shamelessly flirting and seducing him, but his affection level stubbornly remained at 95. It just wouldn’t budge.
On our wedding day, Erica came.
I had the System constantly monitoring Hans’s affection level for her. It stayed at a steady 30. Perfect. His feelings for me were rock solid.
Erica smiled and handed me a gift. “Congratulations on your wedding. Don’t forget to grab dinner with me after our missions are complete.”
I nodded and asked about her own mission.
She glanced at Hans, who was a short distance away, and lowered her voice. “I’ll be leaving today. I may not have captured the villain, but the points from the hero are more than enough to let me live lavishly for a while.”
After Erica left, Hans came to my side, a hint of displeasure in his voice. “How did you two become friends?”
I gave him a disdainful look. “Should I have become her enemy because of you?”
Ha. As if any man was worth that.
25
Three months into our marriage, life was sweet.
I had to admit, Hans was a wonderful husband. He let me do whatever I wanted, encouraging my lazy, spoiled lifestyle. The only problem was his affection level, which was still stuck just shy of a perfect score. It was incredibly frustrating.”
“Maybe…” the System began tentatively, “you should try… that?”
“What?”
The System instantly downloaded a very… spicy movie clip into my brain.
The more it showed me, the more excited it became. “Whips, candles, the whole nine yards!”
“Isn’t that… a bit much?” I said, my mouth twitching.
System: “Do you have any better ideas?”
Damn it…
Here goes nothing.
26
That night, I was exhausted, but Hans was full of energy, carrying me to the bath.
The moment the hot water enveloped me, I felt myself drifting off to sleep.
System: “Ping! Villain’s affection level has reached 100.”
…He really was a masochist.
(The End)
