The System held up an unlimited black card, pointing at the miserable second male lead who was currently getting drenched in the pouring rain. "The male and female leads are already together. All that’s left is the second male lead, who couldn't get the girl. He’s fallen into the mud, and nobody cares about him." "Your mission is to use this money to help him make a comeback. You are his light in the darkness." The System spat everywhere as it enthusiastically explained the plot. I knew the story. After the second male lead struck it rich, he would resent me. He would feel that my money had humiliated him during his lowest point, and he would take extreme revenge on me. Only after I died would he suddenly come to his senses and realize he had been in love with me all along. He would become an alcoholic. He would kneel before my fresh grave, weeping every night to express his grief. Hearing this pitch-black script, I was so moved that tears welled up in my eyes. With lightning speed, I snatched the black card right out of the System's hands. I slammed on the gas pedal, my car speeding past the depressed second male lead by the curb, splashing a massive puddle of dirty rainwater all over his clothes. Then, I headed straight for the nearest luxury mall. I swiped the card for thirteen designer bags and eight chunky gold bracelets. Clinking and clanking under the weight of the jewelry, I stuffed the trunk full. "I've been dirt-poor for twenty-four years, and I suddenly transmigrated into a billionaire." "I need the salvation of this black card way more than he does." 01 The trunk of the car was packed to the brim. I wiped a bead of sweat from my forehead and slammed the trunk shut with a satisfying thud. The System was panicking, shouting in my head: "Host! You were brought to this world to redeem the second male lead! If you don't complete the mission, you will be punished!" I agilely dropped to the ground and slid right under the car tire. "The punishment is being wiped out of existence, right?" "Stop nagging. Hack the car and run me over right now!" The System roared with imposing fury: "It’s a fate worse than death! If you don't complete the mission, you will be trapped in this world forever!" The air froze for a split second. I quickly propped myself up and scrambled out from under the tire. The heavy stack of gold bracelets on my arm clinked musically against each other. My voice trembled with sheer excitement: "Are you saying... the penalty for failing the mission is that I get to stay in this world forever as the daughter of the city's richest tycoon? I wake up every day with endless money? I'm the top VIP at every luxury boutique? I can buy as many bags as I want?" The System was speechless. Then, it tried a softer, more persuasive tone: "Host, think about your parents. If you don't go back, how will they survive?" I boldly patted my chest. "Don't worry about them. I'm the one who turned on the gas valve and flicked the lighter. I sent the whole family packing together." "Before I transmigrated, they tried to sell me to a fifty-year-old creep for a fifty-thousand-dollar bride price. I got into a massive brawl with the whole family, and finally, I turned on the gas to take us all down together." The System made one last, desperate struggle: "Before you transmigrated, what was your name?" "Penny. Because that's all I was worth to them." Silence fell. Smug and satisfied, I drove my haul of luxury goods home. Passing by the same intersection, I once again saw the miserable second male lead, Caleb Vance. He looked impatient and anxious. He was standing miserably under an awning to dodge the rain, holding his phone, stubbornly dialing a number over and over again. I cast a sideways glance at my phone sitting on the passenger seat, set to silent. The screen had lit up and gone dark countless times. Finally, the last call automatically hung up, and the screen stayed frozen on Instagram. Underneath a long block of text and a received money transfer notification, was the last message Caleb had sent me earlier that day: [Stop using your money to trample on my dignity. Every time you do this, it just makes me feel sick.] 02 I never felt that having money thrown at me was a humiliation. Before I transmigrated, I got accepted into a state college. But my biased parents pointed right at my nose and cursed at me: "What does a girl need college for? Go find a job at the local factory to help support the family. When you're old enough, get married and bring in a dowry. Then we won't have wasted all this money raising you." Carrying a cheap duffel bag, I left those two hideous faces behind and took the train to college alone. Student loans paid for my tuition, but I didn't have a single penny to my name. Luckily, I shared a dorm with a hot-tempered rich girl. The rhinestones glued to her acrylic nails alone were worth a month of my living expenses. I became her personal runner. Every day, I eagerly fetched her water, picked up her Amazon packages, and bought her food. I even happily accepted the expensive makeup and clothes she casually tossed out. Everyone criticized me for having no spine. They called me a lapdog, saying I’d throw away my dignity for a few bucks. But I had done the math very clearly. Buying her lunch earned me a solid twenty-dollar tip. Running downstairs for a package or coffee was at least ten. The out-of-season clothes she tossed me were all designer brands. The soft, tailored feeling of those clothes on my skin was something the frayed, cheap rags in my closet could never compare to. When a starving person is handed a bowl of white rice, their first reaction should be gratitude as they wolf it down. Not staring at the grains, screaming that the rice isn't organic. Thanks to her, I smoothly finished my four years of college and even saved up a few thousand dollars. But Caleb Vance was different. Every time I transferred him money, he silently and swiftly accepted it. Then, he would bristle like a porcupine, screaming about his grievances to protect his fragile, crumbling ego. He couldn't bear to part with the money, but he wanted people to kneel when they handed it to him. He was a gold digger playing the martyr. The heavy rain poured relentlessly, washing away the summer heat. I drove back to the mansion and struggled to drag the shopping bags inside. A mountain of subtly luxurious boxes sat in the middle of the living room, taking up half the space. Stepping closer, I could smell the elegant, rich leather of the bags. The smell of money. It was truly a mood-booster. Seeing me hopelessly intoxicated by the bags, the System couldn't help but speak up: "Host, have some pity on the second male lead and redeem him. Because of his unrequited love, he's actually developed depression." I practically crawled on the floor with dark energy: "I was poor for twenty-four years! My depression is way worse than his!" "If you nag me one more time, my depression is going to turn into bipolar disorder tonight!" The System smartly shut up. Martha, the housekeeper, walked out of the kitchen. She glanced behind me, and seeing no sign of Caleb, her face darkened with displeasure. "Miss Aurelia, didn't you drive out to pick up Mr. Vance?" "It's pouring out there. You came back all by yourself. What is Mr. Vance supposed to do?" 03 I raised my cold eyes to look at her. Martha's resentment was plain as day, as if Mr. Vance was the actual master of this mansion. And I was just a temporary guest. Caleb Vance was the famous brooding campus heartthrob. With his dark, handsome face and his faded plaid shirts, standing in the dappled sunlight beneath the trees, he had completely mesmerized the original owner of this body. In college, the gap between their social classes wasn't so obvious. But once they entered the real world, they both returned to their respective tiers. Without a background, he hit wall after wall, his career going absolutely nowhere. To make matters worse, his secret crush, the female lead, was passionately involved with the male lead. It left Caleb completely disheartened, walking around like a zombie. I had brought him into the mansion, cleaning out the best guest room on the second floor for him to live in. By now, Caleb had been living here for over a year. In that year, he was gentle and kind to absolutely everyone in the house. Martha once shattered an incredibly expensive porcelain vase. Following the contract, I suggested deducting the damages from her salary. Caleb stood to the side and said coldly: "Have some mercy. It's just a few porcelain bowls. Do you really need to be this ruthless?" "When are you going to drop this habit of using money to humiliate people?" Those words nailed me to a pillar of shame, making me look like some unforgivably wicked, spoiled heiress. He gave his gentleness to everyone else, leaving only distance and coldness for me. The System was truly ridiculous. It wanted me to redeem a man who had just tripped over his own feet in the game of love. Compared to him, the one who needed redemption was my own battered, traumatized soul. Wasn't it? "Mr. Vance?" I let out a cold laugh. "Since when did this house get a 'Mister'? Martha, who exactly signs your paychecks? Have you forgotten?" Martha froze, opening her mouth to argue. The front door clicked open. Dripping wet, Caleb scanned his fingerprint and stepped inside. And hiding behind him was a frail, pale-faced girl. The female lead. 04 He actually brought the female lead back to my house. The System helpfully explained: "The male and female leads had a fight. The devoted second male lead thought his chance had finally come, so he couldn't wait to bring her back here." On campus, the main couple's romance had been explosive, teased by everyone as the ultimate fairytale between a CEO-in-training and a poor, innocent flower. But in the real world, the script turned into an ambitious girl accused of gold-digging, and a pragmatic heir who needed a strategically useful wife. Their love couldn't withstand the slightest storm. The one at the top wouldn't bend down to compromise. The one at the bottom demanded equal standing. After a massive blowout, the female lead stormed off and went looking for her backup plan: the second male lead. Overjoyed, Caleb thought his years of devoted pining had finally paid off. He rushed out into the pouring rain, desperate to bring her home. And because I was supposed to be worried about him, I was expected to humbly drive out and welcome the return of him and his true love. Caleb frowned at me: "Aurelia, why didn't you answer your phone?" "Do you know I waited for half the day for you to pick us up? Chloe almost caught a cold because of you." Ah, right. My new name was Aurelia Sterling. Golden, treasured, shining. A hundred times better than Penny. I had chewed on that name countless times in my mouth. I loved it. Martha, full of concern, quickly rushed over with two dry towels. She turned and joined the scolding: "Exactly, Miss Aurelia. How could you just come back alone? And look at all this useless stuff you bought." Caleb looked at the designer bags scattered across the floor. His face turned incredibly dark. "Aurelia, you have to stop throwing these rich-girl tantrums. You think you're so great just because you have money? Who are you destroying all this cash to impress?" "Why can't you fix these disgusting habits of yours?" Every time I spent money, Caleb would scowl and reprimand me. As if. As if I was spending money from his bank account. To get closer to him, and to protect his fragile, easily-shattered ego, the original Aurelia hadn't bought new clothes or eaten at high-end restaurants in ages. Even so, Caleb constantly had a black look on his face, dissatisfied with how freely she spent. I frowned back at him. "I'm spending my own money. What does it have to do with you?" "Or have you lived here so long, acting like a parasite, that you genuinely think everything here belongs to you?" 05 All the color drained from Caleb's face. The words were brutally sharp, carving out his precarious ego and throwing it on the floor to be stomped on. In the past, I would have catered to his pride. I would rehearse every single sentence in my head before speaking, terrified of upsetting him. His self-esteem was sensitive and fragile. It required careful pampering, and massive amounts of cash to water it. Martha tried to speak up to defend Caleb, but I waved my hand, cutting her off: "Martha, you're fired. Pack your things and get out right now." "Also, the cost of that porcelain vase you broke will be deducted from your final paycheck this month." Martha shrieked: "Miss Aurelia, you can't fire me! I didn't even do anything wrong!" Caleb rubbed his temples, expressing his deep disappointment in me. "Aurelia, you have never been poor, so you have no idea that this look of yours—using your money to pressure people—is truly, deeply ugly!" He was wrong. I had been poor. To the absolute bone. So poor I couldn't afford a single pen or a single meal. So poor I dug through trash cans for food. I scavenged stale bread that others threw away and stuffed it desperately into my mouth just to survive high school. So poor that when my rich college roommate tossed me that first twenty-dollar bill, I clutched the green paper and tossed and turned, so excited I didn't sleep all night. But I knew that poor people weren't like him. They didn't take someone's money and then turn around, bite the hand that fed them, and insult their benefactor. "Fine then." I looked him dead in the eyes. "Martha can stay. From now on, Mr. Vance will pay her salary." Whatever words Caleb had left instantly choked in his throat. He pressed his lips together and didn't make a sound. He couldn't bear to part with his own money. Even though I had transferred him so much, aside from buying suits to keep up appearances, he spent it all on gifts for the female lead. He had never given me so much as a cheap trinket to show any gratitude. As the estate manager dragged a crying, pleading Martha away, Chloe bit her lip. She first cast a deeply envious glance at the floor covered in luxury bags. Then, she reached out and tugged on Caleb's sleeve, looking innocent and uneasy: "Caleb, Aurelia is just jealous that you brought me back." "Maybe... maybe I should just leave." 06 She hunched her shoulders, looking utterly lost, and turned to go. Caleb grabbed her wrist. "It's too late, and it's still pouring outside. Where are you going to go? What if you run a fever?" "Just stay here tonight. I'll take you up to my room so you can take a hot shower." Saying that, he actually tried to step around me, intending to lead Chloe to the second floor. Caleb lived in the largest, south-facing guest suite on the second floor. It had a walk-in closet, an en-suite bathroom, and maids cleaning it daily. I immediately spoke up: "Hold it right there!" Caleb looked back, incredibly annoyed: "Aurelia, I'm warning you to stop right now. I don't have time to waste arguing with you." "The person I love has always been Chloe. As for you, I’ve only ever seen you as an older sister." I was exactly one month older than him. Technically an older sister. The System chimed in at exactly the wrong moment: "Host, why don't you just treat him like your real younger brother? Just redeem him a little bit, so I can finish my mission." "Right, what did your real younger brother say to you the most in your past life?" What did he say? I suddenly visualized my brother, Hunter, violently grabbing my hair, his chubby face magnified in my vision. I mimicked his tone and spoke aloud: "Other guys' sisters get married off so the family can use the dowry to pay for the brother! Why won't you get married?!" "If you don't get married, where am I going to get the money to buy a house and a car?!" "I'll beat you to death today!" The System fell silent again. My eyes were bloodshot. Caleb's face slowly began to merge with Hunter's. Hatred flooded my entire body. I grabbed the nearest heavy crystal vase and hurled it viciously right at him! My aim was slightly off. Along with Chloe's piercing scream, the vase shattered at his feet, sending shards of crystal flying everywhere. Caleb stumbled backward in shock. Recovering a second later, he immediately shielded Chloe behind him, his face contorting in rage: "Are you crazy?!" "Apologize to Chloe right now, or I'm moving out of your house tonight!" 07 I laughed, a bright, manic sound. I pointed at the wide-open front doors: "Great. Then get the hell out. And remember to pay back the year's worth of rent, plus every single cent I've ever transferred you." The storm raged outside. Caleb's face flickered in the flashes of lightning, his hands clenched tightly into fists. He didn't hide the hatred on his face at all. What did he hate me for? Hated that I gave him money? Hated that I helped him start a business? Hated that I used my own network to pave his way? After a long pause, I heard Caleb squeeze out through gritted teeth: "Aurelia Sterling, think this through carefully. If I walk out those doors today, I will absolutely never come back!" "Playing hard to get has never worked on me." I spoke slowly and methodically: "Why would I want a parasite like you to come back?" The color drained from his face entirely. Before today, I had never spoken to him so harshly. Chloe couldn't help but speak up for him: "Aurelia, how can you use your money to insult someone like this?" "Caleb is going to be successful! He's just as good as anyone else!" Of course Caleb was going to be successful. In the book, I exhausted all my resources to help him build his company, and cashed in every favor my family had to clear his path. On a road paved that smoothly, of course he walked without hurdles, easily amassing a billion-dollar net worth. But right now, he didn't have my help. Caleb was dead broke. All he had left was his unyielding, stubborn pride. Was a girl like Chloe, who dreamed of marrying into high society, really going to stick around a backup plan like him? Caleb grabbed Chloe's hand and walked out of the mansion. They walked agonizingly slowly. As if waiting for someone to lower themselves and beg them to stay. It wasn't until they were standing outside, and the heavy iron gates slammed shut behind them with a massive clang. Caleb, still trapped in the delusion that I would regret this, was violently struck by reality. Shock washed over his face as he stood in the rain, completely at a loss. Inside the mansion, the System carefully watched my blood-red eyes, tentatively trying to negotiate: "How about... you hire a psychiatrist to take a look?" "Right now, compared to the devoted second male lead, you look like the paranoid villain..."
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