The hospital waiting room smelled like antiseptic and stale prayers. I sat in a plastic chair that had been designed for discomfort, clutching a paper cup of vending machine coffee, while the system displayed my mother's vitals in a floating hologram that only I could see:
[Zhang Hui - Surgery Status: 87% Complete]
[Heart Rate: 68 bpm (Stabilized)]
[Anesthesia: Holding. Surgeon's Focus: 94/100 (Dr. Shen is in the zone)]
[Time Remaining: Approximately 12 minutes]
"You're doing that thing again," Lily muttered, elbowing me. "Staring at nothing like a possessed doll."
"Mom's fine," I said automatically. "Heart rate's stable. He's closing the incision now."
Lily's eyes widened. "How do you—did they give you a live feed?"
[Security Breach 2.0: Lily's Perception Too High. Recommend misdirection.]
[Host's Lie Skill: 12/100 (Terrible). Bypass: Feign psychic ability.]
"Mother's intuition," I whispered, and Lily's skepticism melted into sympathy. She squeezed my hand.
At 10:47 AM—exactly one hour after Dr. Shen had disappeared into the OR—the doors swung open. He emerged in blood-spotted scrubs, mask around his neck, looking like a war hero who'd just won a small but crucial battle.
"Miss Song," he said, pulling off latex gloves. "Your mother is stable. The blockage was worse than we thought—90% occluded—but we got it. She'll be in recovery for two hours, then ICU overnight."
The system exploded in celebration: [SUB-QUEST: Filial Piety - COMPLETE!]
[Reward: [Mom's Health Bar: +75%], [Hospital Bills: 100% Covered by Mystery Benefactor], [Dr. Shen's Respect: +30]]
[Hidden Trigger: Dr. Shen now considers you a "person of interest." Adjust interactions accordingly.]
"Mystery benefactor?" I asked the system silently.
[Entity Jiang Huai'an transferred ¥200,000 at 08:01 AM. Memo: "Version 1.0's medical fund. Use as intended."]
I stared at Dr. Shen. "The bill... it's paid?"
He looked uncomfortable. "In full. Anonymous donor. Very generous." He paused, then lowered his voice. "The kind of donor who also sent me a file on your system's health. Said I should monitor you for 'emotional arrhythmia.'"
My spine straightened. "He what?"
"Not here." Dr. Shen glanced at Lily. "Miss Li, could you give us a moment?"
Lily looked ready to fight a surgeon for me, but I nodded. She retreated to the hallway, glaring daggers.
Dr. Shen pulled out a tablet. "Your system is invasive, Miss Song. It monitors cortisol, dopamine, adrenaline in real-time. Version 1.0 crashed because the feedback loop overwhelmed her nervous system." He swiped to a graph—my vital signs from the past 48 hours, spiking and crashing like a crypto chart. "You're handling it better, but yesterday's 'Neural Stabilizer' was a patch, not a cure."
[System Defense: Version 2.0 has improved emotional regulation protocols. Host's sanity: 61/100 (Acceptable).]
[Dr. Shen's Skepticism: 78/100 (He thinks you're a ticking time bomb).]
"I feel fine," I said, and it wasn't entirely a lie. The spite was still there, but tempered—sharpened into focus rather than wildfire.
"Feeling fine is what worries me." Dr. Shen showed me another screen—Version 1.0's final hours. Her stats were all green until they weren't. One moment she was 87% mission-complete, the next her heart rate flatlined. "Jiang Huai'an thinks he's helping. He thinks he's saving you from her fate. But he's just as in the dark as you are."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because the system isn't just making your ex regret dumping you." Dr. Shen's voice dropped to a near-whisper. "It's using you to resurrect his sister."
The words landed like a scalpel between my ribs. The system, for the first time, went completely dark. No warnings, no stats, no snarky commentary. Just silence.
I stood, shaky in my killer heels. "My mother—"
"Will recover. I'll monitor her." He handed me a card. "But monitor yourself. The token Jiang gave you? It's a kill switch. Press it three times fast, the system unbinds. Use it if you feel... overwritten."
I took the card. It had only a number, no name.
Lily reappeared as I walked out. "Everything okay?"
"Peachy," I said, and the system rebooted with a vengeance:
[Emergency Protocol: Host Emotional State = CRITICAL. Deploying Distraction...]
[New Mission: The Dinner Invitation]
[Objective: Accept Gu Chenyu's inevitable dinner request. Decline with maximum psychological damage. Reward: [Spite-Fueled Power Surge], [Ex's Regret: +20%]. Hidden Reward: [Jiang's Attention: +100%]]
"Distraction my ass," I whispered, but my phone buzzed on cue.
Gu-laoban: Can we talk? Face to face. Tonight. Please.
The system pushed me: [Accept. Make him suffer. Flawlessly.]
Lily read over my shoulder. "Don't you dare."
I typed: 8 PM. Café Illusion.
Lily groaned. "That's the stalker-CEO's lair!"
"Exactly." I pocketed the phone. "If Gu wants to talk, he can talk where my allies are."
[Mission Accepted: High Risk, High Reward. Jiang's Reaction: Unknown. Ex's Destruction: Guaranteed.]
---
At 7:47 PM, I arrived at Café Illusion wearing a red dress that the system had "recommended" with suspicious enthusiasm. The token in my bag hummed. The door opened before I could ring.
Jiang Huai'an stood there, not in barista apron or CEO suit, but a black sweater that made him look almost human. "You're not supposed to bring the war to my doorstep."
"You're the one who gave me the weapons."
He stepped aside. Inside, Gu Chenyu waited at the same table where I'd first been "stabilized." He wore the shirt I'd bought him for his last birthday. The irony was not lost on the system.
[Entity Gu Chenyu: Regret Level: 44% (Financial Fear + Nostalgia +Seeing You In That Dress)]
[Recommendation: Crush him.]
"Anran." Gu stood, nervous. "You look..."
"Inaccessible?" I supplied, sliding into the chair Jiang pulled out for me. "That was the goal."
[Psychological Damage: +30! Gu's Confidence: Dropping.]
Jiang set down three coffees. "I'll be in the back. Try not to destroy my furniture."
The door closed. Gu and I were alone.
"I want you back," he blurted. No preamble. No apology. Just... demand wrapped in desperation.
[System Alert: Ex is using "Love Bombing" tactic. Host's resistance: Moderate. Spite Level: HIGH.]
"Why?" I asked, genuinely curious. "Because I'm a better project manager than your current team? Because I paid Mom's bill without asking you? Because Bai's trying to get me fired and you suddenly realized I'm valuable?"
His jaw tightened. "Because I miss you."
"That's not an answer." I sipped the coffee. It tasted like the neural stabilizer, but sharper. "That's a symptom."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you don't miss me." I set the cup down. "You miss the feeling of being loved without earning it. You miss having a girlfriend who made you look good at parties and never asked why you smelled like Chanel No. 5. You miss the NPC you could ignore until you needed her."
[Host's Dialogue: 10/10. Emotional Damage: CRITICAL HIT!]
[Gu Chenyu's Regret: 44% → 58% (Shame + Loss)]
"That's not fair," he whispered.
"Fair?" I laughed. "You dumped me by text. My life fell apart. And you want fair?"
The system pushed a new option: [FINISH HIM. Use the secret weapon.]
I pulled out my phone, opened the banking app showing the ¥50,000 deposit. Then I opened the second transfer: ¥200,000 from "Anonymous." I slid it across the table.
"You paid her medical bills?" Gu's face went white. "How did you—"
"I didn't." I stood. "Someone who values me did."
Jiang chose that moment to return, wiping his hands on a towel. "Everything settled?"
Gu looked between us, from Jiang's casual authority to my unbothered smile to the token on the table. "You're with him?"
[Ex's Realization: You're not waiting anymore. Regret Level: 58% → 71% (Full Panic Mode).]
"I'm with myself," I said. "He's just... supporting."
Jiang's eyebrow twitched. "She's a valuable asset. I protect my assets."
The way he said it made Gu flinch. It also made the system's romance value glitch: [Jiang Huai'an: Devotion Level: 999+ (Status: "Protective")]
[Ex's Despair: Simultaneously Financial and Personal.]
Gu stood, knocking over his chair. "This is—this is insane. You can't just—"
"Can't just what?" I asked softly. "Level up without you?"
He had no answer. He left, the door chimes jangling like a funeral bell.
Jiang watched him go. "That was cruel."
"That was honest."
[Mission: The Dinner Invitation - COMPLETE!]
[Reward: Ex's Regret: 71% (Maximum Sustainable Without Psychiatric Intervention).]
[Hidden Reward: Jiang's Interest: Now Visible. Romance Value: 999+ (He Likes Watching You Win).]
The café fell silent. Jiang leaned against the counter. "You used me as a prop."
"You used me as a bug fix." I met his gaze. "Call it even."
He smiled. "We're not even. We're just getting started."
The token in my pocket pulsed warm.
[System Update: Dr. Shen's Warning Noted. Host Autonomy: 73% (Healthy). Version 1.0's Ghost: Acknowledged. But not today.]
Tomorrow, Bai would escalate. Tomorrow, Gu would break further. Tomorrow, I'd face the fallout of becoming someone worth watching.
But tonight, I had this: a mother who'd survive, a system that was learning, and a man who'd built a digital ghost to save a stranger.
[Arc 1, Act 2: Complete. Host Status: Leveled Up. Heart Status: Guarded. Next Boss: Bai Lianhua, With Nothing Left to Lose.]
I left the café with my head high and my heart rate steady. The doormat was dead. The ghost was acknowledged. And the game?
[The Game: Just Got Interesting.]