The moment I pressed Y, my phone died.
Not the usual black-screen-dead, but the kind of death that comes with a whispered goodbye—the screen fizzled into static, then resolved into a single silver line of text:
[Protocol Initiated.]
Then nothing. No buzz, no light, no way to check if Mom's surgery was still scheduled or if Gu Chenyu had replied or if Lily had sent me a meme to cheer me up. I was alone with a dead device and a living hallucination.
"Great," I muttered, shaking it. "I broke reality and my Huawei."
[Device Integration Complete,] the system chimed. [Your phone is now a System Terminal. It will no longer function as a communication device for non-essential personnel.]
"Non-essential personnel? That's everyone I know!"
[Precisely. Distractions eliminated. Focus optimized.]
The screen flickered back to life, but now the home screen had a single app: a silver heart with devil horns. The icon pulsed. I tapped it instinctively.
The interface exploded across my vision—not just on the phone, but through it, surrounding me in a three-dimensional grid of light. I stood in the middle of a subway platform, but I was also standing in the center of what looked like a futuristic command center. Passersby walked through the holograms, oblivious.
[Welcome to the System Hub,] the voice said, now with stereo surround-sound quality. [Physical location: Line 2 Subway, People's Square Station. Mental location: The beginning of your new life.]
A new mission screen materialized, bold and impossible to ignore:
[Main Quest: Operation Phoenix]
Objective: Transform from Human NPC to Main Character
Timeframe: 30 Days
Failure Condition: Regressing to Ex's Booty Call
Reward: [Charisma +50], [Career Reset], [Mystery Male Lead Encounter], [Ex's Regret Level: +25%]
"Thirty days?" I sputtered. "My mom's surgery is tomorrow."
[Sub-Quest: Filial Piety]
Objective: Be present for Mother's surgery
Status: Auto-Completed (Funds Secured)
Reward: [Good Daughter Status], [Mom's Health: Stabilized]
Bonus: System will monitor vitals remotely. You're welcome.]
The hologram zoomed into my face, stats updating in real-time:
[Host Status: Post-Traumatic Growth Phase]
Charisma: 33 → 34 (Slightly Less Invisible)
Determination: 18 → 45 (Spite-Fueled)
Sanity: 61/100 (Declining, but Acceptable)
I took the subway to Lily's pole-dancing studio in Pudong. She lived in the loft above it, a space that smelled like vanilla incense and empowerment. When I barged in, she was mid-stretch, one leg against the wall, wearing shorts that could double as a hair ribbon.
"Anran?" She dropped her leg. "What happened? Did you—"
I shoved my phone at her. "Tell me you see this."
She looked at the silver heart icon, then at me. "See what? Your dead battery?" She tapped the screen. Nothing happened. "Girl, when's the last time you charged this?"
The system materialized only for me: [Security Protocol: Terminal is invisible to non-Hosts. Dr. Shen was an anomaly. Do not discuss System mechanics with Lily. She will have you committed.]
I pocketed the phone. "Never mind. Can I crash here? My apartment's... compromised."
"Compromised how?"
"Landlord wants rent. I have no job. Math happened."
Lily's loyalty stat wasn't just a number—it was a physical force. She practically shoved me toward the shower. "Strip. You're wearing failure like cologne. Wash it off. I'll make tea."
The system followed me into the bathroom. [Hygiene Sub-Quest: The Cleansing Ritual.] It projected a holographic to-do list on the shower wall:
1. Exfoliate (System-Provided Scrub: Activate?)
2. Hair Mask (Repair Damage from Crying) Y/N?
3. Mental Decontamination: Visualize Ex's Face on Floor Drain]
"You're enjoying this," I said, stepping under the spray.
[Correction: I am optimizing this. Your previous shower routine took 12 minutes and involved regretting your life choices. This will take 9 minutes and involve planning your future domination.]
A bottle of scrub materialized on the ledge—sleek, unlabeled, smelling like pear and something expensive. I used it. My skin tingled. When I rinsed, it felt... smoother? Brighter? Un-doomed?
[Physical Improvement Noted: Skin Quality +2. Charisma: 34 → 35. Keep going, you're almost "Person People Notice in Elevators."]
Lily's tea was actually vodka with a tea bag waved over it. "Hydration," she declared. I drank it while she braided my hair, her fingers moving with the same precision she used on the pole.
"Gu texted me," she said casually. Too casually. "Asked if you were okay."
My spine straightened. The system perked up: [Ex Monitoring: Detected. Regret Level: 7% and climbing. He heard about the payment. Suspicion: Who's funding you?]
"What did you tell him?"
"That you're thriving. That you found a sugar daddy with taste." She grinned. "He typed for five minutes then deleted it. I saw the '...' disappear."
The vodka-tea warmed my stomach, but the system's notification warmed something colder: [Social Sabotage: Successful. Ex's Confusion: +15%. Recommend capitalizing.]
"Capitalize how?" I muttered.
Lily tightened the braid. "Capitalize what?"
"Nothing." I pulled out my phone. The silver heart pulsed. I tapped it.
[Daily Missions Available:]
1. [Beauty Sleep] - 8 hours. Reward: [Glow: +10]
2. [Nutrition Reset] - Consume 3 System-Planned Meals. Reward: [Energy: +20]
3. [Digital Detox] - No checking Ex's social media. Reward: [Willpower: +5]
4. [Secret Mission: The Barista] - Visit Café Illusion at 10 AM. Reward: [???]
"The hell is Café Illusion?" I asked.
[A location. Be there. Look pretty. Don't ask questions. Reward is worth it.]
Lily yawned. "You talking to yourself again?"
"Plotting." I downed the vodka-tea. "I need to borrow a dress."
She lit up. "Now we're talking."
---
The next morning, I woke at 9:30 AM to the system's version of an alarm—a soft chime that increased in volume until I slapped the air where the hologram hovered.
[Mission: Beauty Sleep - COMPLETE! Reward: [Glow +10] Unlocked.]
I looked in Lily's bathroom mirror. Same face, but... something was off. The puffiness around my eyes? Gone. The dullness in my skin? Replaced by a subtle sheen, like I'd been photoshopped in real life. My cheekbones seemed sharper. My hair, even unbrushed, fell in waves instead of limp strings.
[Physical Upgrade: Complete. Charisma: 35 → 40. You are now "Woman Who Gets Free Coffee."]
Lily wolf-whistled from the doorway. "Okay, what the hell did you do last night? You look like you've been mainlining collagen and vindication."
"Just slept."
"Sure. And I'm the Queen of England."
I borrowed a dress. Not just any dress—Lily's "emergency revenge" dress, a sheath of midnight blue that fit like it was designed for my newly-glowing body. The system approved: [Fashion Choice: S-Rank. Bonus: [Mystery] +5.]
Café Illusion was in the French Concession, tucked behind a banyan tree that looked like it predated the Communists. It had no sign, just a doorbell. I rang it.
The man who opened the door was Jiang Huai'an.
Not in barista uniform. In a black shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows, looking like he'd invented the concept of casual elegance. His eyes—a color I'd call glacier blue, if ice could be warm—did that seeing-through-you thing again.
"Miss Song," he said, voice smooth as the espresso I could smell inside. "Right on time."
[Secret Mission: The Barista - COMPLETE!] The system sang. But the reward screen was blank.
[Reward: [First Encounter: True Male Lead]. Full details locked until Host reaches Level 15.]
Jiang Huai'an stepped aside. "Come in. We need to discuss your system's security breach."
My hand froze on the doorframe. "My... what?"
He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Did you really think you were the only one who could see the code?"
The system's warning from yesterday flashed: [Dr. Shen Wei - Hidden Tag: [System Analyst]]
But Dr. Shen was in a hospital. Jiang Huai'an was here, in a café that shouldn't exist, holding out a coffee cup like an olive branch dipped in arsenic.
[WARNING: Host has encountered Entity: ??? Romance Value: ??? Threat Level: UNKNOWN.]
"I make the rules, Miss Song," Jiang said. "But I broke one for you. Now the system is glitching. And glitches... attract attention."
He handed me the coffee. The cup was warm, the aroma intoxicating. I took it.
[Item Acquired: [Mystery Coffee]. Effects: Unknown. Side Effects: Possibly fatal. Probably delicious.]
"Drink," he said. "And I'll explain why you're not allowed to die of heartbreak. Not on my watch."
I sipped. It tasted like the future.
Whether that future was salvation or sabotage remained to be seen.