Chapter 1 — World Destruction

Only three months had passed in the real world.

But in the original world…

Three years had gone by.

So when I saw Xie Chu again, everything had changed.

The arrogant, reckless boy I remembered had grown into a mature man. He appeared on the giant screen looking elegant and refined, with the kind of devastatingly handsome face that made you want to wrap him up and take him home.

I glanced around.

The SG Group’s new product launch was being broadcast live to the entire world, and the event was packed with all the major players.

The male lead was here.

The female lead was here too.

According to the original storyline, Xie Chu was supposed to propose to the female lead during this globally televised event today. After she rejected him, he would officially become nothing more than a stepping stone for the romance between the main couple.

I asked the system, utterly confused,

“What exactly is about to collapse? Everything looks perfectly fine to me.”

The system practically screamed:

【Fine?! Are you kidding me?! Look again!】

I had only just returned, and my new body still didn’t feel completely familiar. I focused my eyes and looked more carefully.

Wait…

Wasn’t the female lead supposed to have eyes only for the male lead?

So why was she staring at Xie Chu with sparkling eyes full of admiration?

Slowly, I turned toward him.

His dark eyes were still deep and intense, carrying that same familiar obsession. The corner of his lips was slightly curved upward. Every now and then, his fingers would brush lightly over the ring on his index finger.

My heart suddenly clenched.

That ring…

That diamond…

Don’t tell me it was made from my ashes.

Three years ago, I had personally driven a blade straight through Xie Chu’s heart.

That single stab had also crushed the last shred of humanity left inside him.

His corruption level immediately shot up to 100%.

His bodyguards rushed in and kicked me straight across the room. I slammed my head against the corner of a table and died on the spot.

Mission complete.

Clean and simple.

After I returned to the real world, the system had even sighed in admiration.

【As expected of a final-boss-level villain. Burning you to ashes wasn’t enough. He actually had your remains compressed into a diamond and turned it into a ring. He wears it on his hand and stares at it every single day.】

Me: “…”

Just hearing that made my blood run cold.

The system continued rambling:

【Thank goodness I reacted quickly. Otherwise, he probably would’ve tortured you to death all over again!】

It wasn’t exactly wrong.

After all, I’d chosen the exact moment when he loved me the most to plunge a knife through his heart.

It would’ve been stranger if he hadn’t hated me.

According to the original plot, he was supposed to gradually forget about me.

Who could’ve guessed that not only would he fail to forget me…

He’d turn my ashes into a diamond ring and wear it every day, just to remind himself how badly he’d been deceived by some nameless girl.

I rubbed my temples.

“So what the hell is going on now?”

It had been the system that dragged me into this world in the first place, claiming there was something wrong with Xie Chu’s character settings.

It had also been the system that ordered me to extinguish the last spark of light in his heart.

Now that he’d successfully evolved into the ultimate villain they wanted…

They were turning around and asking me to save him?

Were these people seriously out of their minds?

The system immediately protested:

【We’re not crazy! Stop staring at the ring and look at Xie Chu’s other hand!】

I glanced over.

“It’s just a remote control. He’s introducing the product, isn’t he?”

The system practically sobbed itself hoarse.

【THAT’S NOT A REMOTE CONTROL FOR THE SCREEN!!! That man is completely insane! All the important characters are gathered here today. In five minutes, he’s going to blow up this entire auditorium!!!】

【There’s something I’ve been hiding from you. The moment we confirmed that you were dead, Xie Chu’s corruption level shot straight up to 200%. And after that, it doubled every single year. We thought things might get better once the female lead appeared… But who would’ve thought…】

【Anyway, you’re the only one who can save us now! You’ve got four minutes left. You have to stop Xie Chu! If you fail, the mission is over, and we’re both going to blow up like fireworks! Hurry, Qianqian! Only three minutes left!】

My head was ringing.

But when I thought about it…

Blowing up the entire auditorium really was something Xie Chu might do.

【Qianqian, think of something! Ahhh! He’s touching the remote! Is he going to detonate it early?! Ahhh! He’s smiling too! That creepy, sinister smile!】

The constant screaming gave me such a headache that I finally snapped.

“SHUT UP!!!”

I was about to have a stroke.

I looked up at Xie Chu on the stage.

He was dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, his tall frame straight and imposing. His elegant bearing made him look like the male lead in some billionaire romance movie.

He really was smiling.

But there wasn’t a trace of warmth in his eyes.

That gaze…

It was as if he were looking at a room full of walking corpses.

【Qianqian… two minutes left…】

I let my shoulders slump and simply gave up.

“There’s nothing I can do.”

Forget two minutes.

Even if you gave me two hours, it wouldn’t matter.

Xie Chu and I had no connection left between us.

How was I supposed to change his mind?

【Waaaaah… I don’t care! This is my life too! Qianqian, I spent every last point I had to exchange for this final chance for you! There’s only one minute left! You have to take it!】

The final chance?

Just then, Xie Chu finished his speech.

He lowered his head in a courteous gesture.

“Please look forward to it.”

Then he raised his head again, the faintest smile curling across his lips.

I saw his thumb move.

My heart lurched—

Bang.

The entire auditorium went dark.

Screams erupted from every corner as chaos swept through the crowd.

And in that exact moment, I suddenly felt a breath I knew all too well.

Through the dim emergency lighting…

I froze.

The system had dropped me directly beside Xie Chu?!

【Qianqian, hurry! Do it!】

I couldn’t see the remote anywhere.

【Qianqian! Think about your mother lying in the hospital!】

I gritted my teeth.

I grabbed the collar of the man in front of me and yanked him down.

In the darkness, acting purely on instinct, I found his lips.

And then…

I kissed him.