Chapter 1: life choices system Activated
(Brain storage here!)
(Original newcomers can't make it, so it's a bit cliché)
(1. Turn into an older sister, 2. Turn into a loli, 3. Turn into a young girl)
(Disclaimer: All characters appearing are adults, there are no negative implications, it has no relation or allusion to reality, and interactions between characters are purely 'female friendships'. Please pass the review.)
Sea City, the night was as dark as ink, with occasional lightning and thunder.
Amidst the swaying rain curtain, neon lights shone brightly.
Inside a manor, in a splendid hall, a birthday banquet was grandly held.
Under the warm lighting, a well-dressed emcee stood in the center of the hall: "Welcome, distinguished guests, to the birthday banquet of Lan Hong, the head of the Lan Family. Now, please welcome Patriarch Lan to the stage."
"Lan Hong, the head of the Lan Family? Birthday banquet? Hiss!"
When Su Ci realized where she was, she couldn't help but gasp.
She clearly remembered that she had just been driving and was crushed into a meat patty by an oncoming dump truck.
Now, realizing it, she discovered that she had transmigrated!
She had transmigrated into a cool harem novel she had read, featuring a Dragon King protagonist, and her current identity was a late-stage villainess with the same name.
Because she refused the advances of Ye Chen, the Dragon King, she was assassinated and run over by a dump truck while escaping.
There was no time to mourn the brother who had left her; what awaited her was immense wealth.
The Original Owner's identity was not simple; her background was the Su Family, one of the four great families in the Capital. Due to her outstanding talent and intelligence, she became the sole heir.
Her current net worth was enough for her past self to squander for several lifetimes.
Her visit to Sea City now was mainly to finalize matters for the company under her name.
Isn't it just two taels of flesh missing between her legs? Compared to immense wealth, it's not worth mentioning.
For some perverts, this is even a good thing that kills two birds with one stone.
Unfortunately, she wouldn't live for many years, and becoming part of the Dragon King's harem was not within her consideration.
Her thoughts returned, and Su Ci looked at the incredibly luxurious and magnificent hall. The atmosphere was lively and harmonious, with men and women in evening gowns standing or sitting around. They were either politicians or business magnates, along with their descendants.
Based on snippets of conversation, Su Ci judged that it was still the early stage of the plot.
At the Lan Family Patriarch's birthday banquet, Lan Hong would announce the news of the marriage alliance between the Lan Family and the Tang Family.
"Miss, are you alright!"
Beside her, a slightly concerned voice spoke. Su Ci turned her head to see a capable and valiant woman, about 1.8 meters tall, dressed in a sharp suit and tie.
Su Ci had some impression of the person beside her; she was her personal bodyguard, Jiang Su.
As a bodyguard, such banquets usually didn't allow them to be brought in.
However, Jiang Su had another identity: Su Ci's personal assistant and secretary.
Su Ci shook her head without speaking, afraid of revealing any flaws.
After all, the setting of this novel still involved some supernatural elements. If anything unusual were discovered, she might be finished.
Just then, Lan Hong, accompanied by his wife Jiang Fu, stood in the center of the hall. He first expressed gratitude to the guests: "Dear friends and family, today is not only my birthday banquet, but I also have a joyous announcement to make."
Saying this, he looked up at the second floor. At this moment, the lights dimmed appropriately, with only a single beam of pure white light shining on the spiral staircase.
A woman in a magnificent off-white strapless evening gown was seen, her slender fingers resting on the handrail, her nails painted with a glossy polish, round and full. Her long, straight, well-proportioned legs wore white high heels adorned with sparkling Diamonds (shattered diamonds) that glittered under the light. She descended the stairs step by step, her light makeup elegant and exquisitely beautiful, her eyes slightly red, making her a sight to behold, with a fragmented light in her gaze.
She was the first female protagonist to appear in the Dragon King's harem novel, Lan Wanting.
Su Ci nodded frequently. As the female protagonist, Lan Wanting's appearance was flawless.
Her gaze seemed to inadvertently drift towards the second floor. In the shadows stood a gloomy man, who appeared to be in his early twenties, gripping the railing with both hands, looking as if everyone owed him a fortune.
This was the protagonist of the Dragon King's harem novel, Ye Chen. Due to his excellent skills, he saved Lan Hong in an 'accident' and was hired by Lan Hong as Lan Wanting's personal bodyguard.
His true identity was the Hall Master of the Dragon God Hall in the Middle East, possessing various skills from classic Dragon King novels.
Smart veteran readers already knew the direction of the plot.
Just then, an untimely mechanical synthetic voice sounded in Su Ci's mind:
[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have triggered a critical life node. The life choices system has been successfully activated.]
Upon hearing this, Su Ci picked up a glass of juice from beside her and took a sip to suppress the shock in her heart.
It was the legendary cheat finger essential for transmigration! Wouldn't she be able to escape the plot-kill then?!
Seeing that no one noticed her, Su Ci found a seat and asked in her mind, "What is your function?"
[Ding! This system is primarily responsible for providing the host with various choices when facing the most important life nodes, breaking predetermined destinies, and granting corresponding rewards.]
[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have received a Newbie Gift Package (Newbie Gift Package). Open it? Yes/No?]
"There's even a Newbie Gift Package!"
Su Ci grew increasingly satisfied with this life choices system. It was much easier to use than some unscrupulous systems in novels, and she even got a Newbie Gift Package at the start.
"Open the package."
[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have received the Eye of Investigation, which can probe anyone's panel, and one breath concealment jade talisman, which conceals cultivation realm and physique.]
As the system's prompt faded, a glint flashed in Su Ci's eyes, and a panel visible only to her appeared before her:
[Name: Su Ci; Gender: Female; Identity: Eldest Young Lady of the Capital's Su Family; Height: 173cm; Weight: 52kg;
Appearance: 98 (Max: 100, Note: This value is for reference only; in the eyes of a lover, even Xi Shi is but a commoner)
Charm: 92 (Max: 100, only affects initial favorability during first meetings)
IQ: 92 (Max: 120, value taken from the highest score in each subject)
Physical Fitness Score: 8 (Normal level: 6, normal person's max level: 10, martial artist: 11~10000)
Plot-kill Death Probability: 50% (Reaching 100% means a certain death ending)
Luck Value: 169037 (Note: All living beings possess luck value)
Luck Color: Black (Note: Colors are White, Blue, Red, Black, Gold. White: fixed luck value, cannot be improved. Blue: luck value can be improved, max 10000. Red: luck value can be improved, max 100000. Black: can be improved, max 300000. Gold: can be improved, no upper limit)
Available Points: 0
Free Attribute Points: 0
Skills: Top-tier Business Acumen, Intermediate Calligraphy, Intermediate Combat Arts
System Backpack: breath concealment jade talisman*1]
[Ding! For the host's better life experience, and also to fulfill the Original Owner's wish, do you wish to receive the Original Owner's relevant memories? Yes/No?]
Upon hearing this, Su Ci's eyes sparkled even more. Wasn't this exactly what she wanted? By accepting the Original Owner's memories, she would no longer have to worry about her identity being exposed.
However, noticing the words "Original Owner's wish," she was momentarily stunned. Could her transmigration here be related to the Original Owner?
[It is exactly as the host thinks. Due to the Original Owner's long-cherished wish, you have come here. Of course, your death is not related to this. As long as you fulfill the Original Owner's wish, she will hand everything over to you.]
The system's prompt brought her back to her senses, and she couldn't help but ask, "What is the Original Owner's long-cherished wish, and what will happen to me if I fail?"
[The Original Owner's long-cherished wish is to seek revenge on Ye Chen and protect her family and friends. Other actions are for the host to decide. If you fail, the host will suffer a plot-kill, but the system will ensure your soul enters reincarnation.]
"A clearly priced transaction?" Su Ci thought to herself. However, compared to a vague system, this indeed made her feel much more at ease: "Then let's do it. I am willing to fulfill the Original Owner's long-cherished wish."
The moment Su Ci made up her mind, countless memory fragments flashed through her mind like a magic lantern. There was none of the pain typically associated with receiving memories in novels; instead, she felt a sense of fulfillment in her heart.
The conversation with the system happened in an instant; no one detected anything unusual.
Just then, Lan Wanting and her parents, along with two other men and one woman, gathered in the center of the hall. The lights shone on them, as if this were a sacred and solemn ceremony.
In fact, for wealthy families, marriage alliances are not uncommon. They can strengthen cooperation between families and also elevate the status of the allied family line within the larger family structure.
Lan Wanting was reluctantly pushed forward by Jiang Fu.
Among those involved, she was the most resistant to this marriage alliance.
She disliked Tang Cheng from the bottom of her heart, but her family forced her into the marriage alliance, giving her no chance to refuse or choose.
Perhaps this was the price she had to pay for enjoying a life of wealth as a rich young lady.
A man in a custom-made suit walked towards Lan Wanting with an arrogant stride.
His eyes were sunken, and his dark eye bags couldn't be covered even with concealer, clearly indicating excessive indulgence.
He was the villainous 'lickspittle' in the early plot, Tang Cheng.
Some might ask, can he even be called a 'lickspittle'?
What does deep affection have to do with being lustful but not sincere?
In the original work, he pursued Lan Wanting for five years, but his repeated confessions were met with cruel rejections.
The more Lan Wanting acted this way, the more it ignited his desire for conquest.
After five years, their relationship remained as rigid as ice.
Tang Cheng, finally, reluctantly resorted to using his family's influence to forcefully take her.
Now, at this point, a strange sense of exhilaration surged within Tang Cheng. He scrutinized Lan Wanting as if she were an object.
Look! No matter how much you reject me, you cannot escape the fate of this marriage alliance.
Lan Wanting suppressed her discomfort and forced a smile.
Su Ci, with her God's perspective, knew that the Lan Family's action of marrying off Lan Wanting was extremely foolish.
Lan Wanting's inherent value was far greater than the value of the marriage alliance.
She secretly owned a self-made beauty company. Although it had only recently started, its market value had already reached fifty million.
This showed her excellent management capabilities; she was a strong professional.
Perhaps with more time, that beauty company might even become a listed company.
This was also one of the reasons why Ye Chen first set his sights on Lan Wanting.
[Ding! Detected that the host has encountered a life node. The female protagonist Lan Wanting is about to get engaged to the lickspittle villain Tang Cheng. The male protagonist Ye Chen will disregard everything to take Lan Wanting away, gaining her favorability, increasing male protagonist Ye Chen's luck value, and triggering a life node choice.]
[Option One: Pretend not to see anything, let the plot unfold smoothly, let Ye Chen's luck value increase, host's death probability +5%]
[Option Two: Prevent Ye Chen from taking Lan Wanting, allow Tang Cheng's engagement to succeed. Lan Wanting's favorability -25, Tang Cheng's favorability +30. Ancient Martial Arts realm increased to Early Stage Mingjin (Ancient Martial Arts and cultivation technique levels: Mingjin, Anjin, Huajin, Xiantian, Grandmaster)]
[Option Three: Shout to Lan Hong, "Old man, I'm interested in your daughter," then take Lan Wanting away. Ye Chen's favorability -5, Tang Cheng's favorability -20, Lan Wanting's favorability +20. Reward: Ciyang Physique, Free Attribute Points +5, Grandmaster-level top-tier cultivation technique "Ciyang Taiqing Art"]