"But in those times, divorced women were seen as worse than useless. Their reputation was tarnished, their futures completely erased. Ji Yu knew this. She understood that if she returned to her village as a divorced woman, the community would treat her as a shameful outcast. Her own family would likely abandon her. Her father, having sent her to the capital with high expectations, would be enraged. She feared that he might even go as far as to harm her, viewing her as nothing more than a failed investment.
"Tears welled up in her eyes, her voice trembling as she pleaded to stay, to fight for her dignity, to at least hear his reasoning. But Li Mingxuan had other plans. He held the power, and with cold precision, he threatened her, leaving no room for argument.
"Her hands shook, her will crumbling under pressure. With trembling fingers, she signed the divorce paper. Her signature was the final confirmation of her descent.
"Li Mingxuan, not a shred of emotion in his eyes, handed her a meager sum of money—just one hundred dollars—and a one-way train ticket. Without a word of warmth or regret, he told her to leave."
The system sighed, softer now, almost mournful.
"Host, this was the life the original Ji Yu was supposed to live. A life erased from history, forgotten by everyone except the cruel hands of fate."
The system's voice grew somber, almost heavy, as if carrying the weight of an unavoidable tragedy.
"Hopeless and in total despair, Ji Yu left the Li family mansion, her steps slow and mechanical, as if she no longer belonged to the world of the living. Her eyes were dull, lacking focus, her face pale and drained of any emotion except for a lingering emptiness. The grand estate, with its towering walls and cold marble floors, seemed to mock her—each step she took felt heavier than the last.
"She made her way toward the train station, the one place that should have symbolized freedom, a chance to escape the nightmare. But at that moment, it was just another symbol of hopelessness. The crowded streets of the capital, filled with busy businessmen, laughing couples, and indifferent pedestrians, blurred into one endless sea of strangers. None of them paid her the slightest attention. No one noticed the small woman from the countryside wandering aimlessly among them.
"Her small cloth bag hung limply by her side, carrying the few meager possessions she had left: a handful of coins, a simple comb, and the one thing she clung to—a train ticket that was supposed to take her back home.
"But fate, as cruel as ever, was not finished with her yet.
"Just as she approached the entrance of the old, gray train station—its walls peeling, its floors sticky with years of neglect—a shadow moved faster than she could react. A pickpocket, small and agile, slipped right past the crowd and snatched her bag.
"The moment Ji Yu realized what had happened, her chest tightened. Her heart thumped wildly, not from the effort, but from sheer panic. Her breath hitched in her throat.
"'Hey!' she cried out, her voice cracking, trembling with a mix of fear and desperation.
"She took off after the thief, her legs pumping faster than they ever had before, driven by a primal need to recover what little she had left. Her eyes were wide with terror, her vision slightly blurred by tears. The city, normally bustling and noisy, now seemed oppressively silent in her mind, as if the world had turned against her.
"She didn't notice the tram tracks just a few meters ahead. The thief, fully aware of her frantic chase, disappeared into the crowd as if they were part of it. Ji Yu, too focused on catching up, didn't see the tram hurtling toward her—its metal body gleaming under the pale streetlights, its wheels roaring with unstoppable force.
"The collision was merciless.
"A sickening thud echoed through the air as her frail body was struck and thrown several feet away. Her small frame, already exhausted and fragile, could not withstand the brutal impact. Blood began to pool beneath her, mingling with the grimy pavement.
"It was a spot death. Instant. No prolonged suffering, no dramatic last words. Just a harsh, abrupt end.
"People around barely flinched. The crowded capital was too indifferent, too preoccupied with their own worries and ambitions. No one knew her name. No one shed a tear. No one stopped.
"The system's tone softened, as if mourning its own words. 'Her life—so full of potential, yet so cruelly erased—became nothing more than a fleeting shadow in the vastness of the city. Forgotten before her body even hit the ground.'
"In that vast urban sprawl, among millions of faces, she was nothing more than a passing, insignificant story. A girl who had no future, no legacy, no memory left behind.
"A life erased."
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..
Inside her mind, Ji Yu narrowed her eyes slightly. A cold, sharp light flashed deep within them. This would not be her fate. She could not accept the sad story the system had just told her. It was too cruel, too unfair. She would not end up like the original Ji Yu—a girl abandoned, robbed, and dead without a single person caring.
The system's voice, usually so cheerful and playful, now carried a firm tone of purpose. "Host, your compulsory mission in this world is to make sure that Li Mingxuan and the female lead do not end up together. You must change the story. You must change your fate."
Ji Yu sat still for a long moment, absorbing the weight of that statement. Her heart, heavy with the system's grim words, began to burn with quiet determination. The thought of a future in which her life was meaningless, where her death was just a statistic of despair in history, was unacceptable. She wouldn't let that happen.
"I see," Ji Yu murmured softly, almost as if testing the words on her tongue. Her voice felt strange in the quiet room, but steady. A practical question rose naturally, clear and necessary: "Can I divorce him or not?"
The system answered almost too quickly, its tone bright and supportive, "Don't worry, host! There's no OOC—that means Out Of Character—in the worlds generated by the Mirror World. You're free to do whatever you want,
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Thanks for reading.
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