I accepted a system quest to redeem the tragic second male lead of a romance novel. Over a few years, he gradually healed from his past trauma. Everyone said he loved me, treated me even better than he ever treated the original female lead. Until he discovered the female lead's childhood diary. It was filled with entries about her secret crush on him... The feelings he had deliberately suppressed reignited like a dying ember catching the wind. He started revolving his life around her again. Everyone thought I would have a breakdown, including the system. But I just calmly waited for the quest to end. When the system asked if I wanted to stay, I firmly shook my head. "Suffering for the female lead is the second male lead's destiny. He doesn't deserve my redemption." 01 On the weekend, after visiting Arthur's parents, we were driving home from their estate when his phone suddenly started ringing with a ringtone I had never heard before. The ringtone was a bit staticky. It sounded like a poorly played violin mixed with electronic interference, like someone had recorded it on a cheap phone. I frowned, and before I could even speak, I saw Arthur visibly freeze. A few seconds later, he almost frantically pulled the car over to the side of the road. He didn't even wait for the car to come to a complete stop before hastily answering the phone. The soundproofing in the car was excellent, making the interior exceptionally quiet. Even though Arthur tried his best to lean away, I could still clearly hear the soft female voice on the other end. It was Chloe. I knew it. Only she could make the usually composed Arthur Sterling lose his cool in a second. Sure enough, after hanging up, Arthur immediately looked at me with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Elena. I can't take you home." "Why?" I asked, knowing full well what the answer would be. "Chloe... she just landed at the airport. She can't get an Uber, and it's too late. It's really dangerous for a girl out there alone." I lowered my eyes and gave a soft "oh." "Can't you just take me with you? It's not like there's only one seat in the car." Arthur's expression grew incredibly awkward. "Chloe... she... she..." He stammered, unable to form a complete sentence. But I knew exactly what he meant. He just wanted to say that Chloe didn't like me and definitely didn't want to see me. He didn't want to make things unpleasant for her. Since the atmosphere had already reached this point, saying anything more would be useless. I grabbed my purse, opened the car door, and stepped out. Arthur threw out two more "I'm sorry"s. Then he slammed on the gas and sped past me. 02 Wearing high heels and clutching my coat tight against the biting wind, I walked step-by-step along the mountain road. After Arthur's parents retired, they didn't want to stay in the city, so they moved back to their old estate in the suburbs. This meant that every time Arthur and I visited them, it was at least an hour's drive. Arthur was clearly too excited. His mind was completely consumed by the fact that Chloe was back, and he couldn't let her freeze at the airport alone. But he forgot how far this mountain road was. I couldn't even hail an Uber out here. How was I supposed to walk back? [He even forgot to drop you off at an intersection where you could easily get a ride.] The system chimed in, twisting the knife. "..." I sighed helplessly. "Can you stop constantly reading my mind?" [Sorry, sorry, I couldn't help myself.] The system sheepishly retreated. The mountain road was incredibly difficult to navigate at night. Once I finally made it to the main road, I immediately found the nearest hotel. I couldn't walk another step. That night, I lay alone on a soft, king-sized bed. Even though I was exhausted, I wasn't sleepy at all. This was already my third year transmigrated into this world. Before I arrived, the story belonging to the female lead, Chloe, had already ended. Like every happy ending, she lived happily ever after with the male lead. Leaving behind only the second male lead, Arthur, to drown his sorrows in alcohol every day, silently pining for her. And my appearance was meant to fulfill the dreams of countless readers: to heal Arthur. To be fair, I gave it my all during these three years. Arthur's attitude towards me slowly shifted from initial resistance to a deep affection. I once believed I had successfully unlocked his heart. But then that diary surfaced... Arthur finally, belatedly realized that the young Chloe had once liked him too. He had just been too dense back then, giving the male lead the perfect opportunity to swoop in. See? That's the magnetic pull the female lead has on the second male lead. No matter how much I did. As long as the female lead gave him a sliver of hope, he would reignite like a dying ember catching the wind. 03 I barely slept at the hotel. Until I checked out the next morning, my phone didn't receive a single new message. It was obvious Arthur hadn't gone home last night. Otherwise, he definitely would have asked where I was. It was the weekend. I didn't have to go to work, so I just waited at home. But by evening, Arthur still hadn't returned. My long-silent phone finally received a new message. [Having dinner with some college friends. I won't be home for dinner.] I stayed silent for a moment, then replied: [Okay.] I wasn't hungry to begin with, and now I had even less of an appetite. I just sat on the edge of the sofa, quietly lost in thought. Suddenly, my phone started vibrating frantically. I answered it, and a cacophony of noise instantly blasted through the speaker. It was Mia, Arthur's college friend. She and I were actually pretty close. Right now, she was keeping her voice low, asking me nervously, "Elena, what's going on with you and Arthur?" "What do you mean?" "We're having a college reunion. He said he could bring a plus-one, but he showed up with some strange woman." I froze for a second, then immediately realized who this woman was—nine times out of ten, it was Chloe. "Why didn't he bring you? Is he cheating?" Mia was always blunt. But having been bound to the system for years, I was already used to defending Arthur. "Don't misunderstand. I was busy today. Besides, that's his sister." "What 'sister'? The way they're making eyes at each other, she looks like a little homewrecker." "..." Mia was furious on my behalf. Afraid she would make a scene, I could only make up a few more excuses for Arthur. She hung up, still half-doubting me. But not long after, she sent me a few photos. [Look at the way they're staring at each other. You can practically cut the tension with a knife! Something's wrong, very wrong! [Look, Arthur is even taking drinks for that little homewrecker! [Elena, I'll block the door for you. Get over here, now!] 04 Half an hour later, following the location Mia sent, I arrived at the restaurant where they were having dinner. Except... I was there to bring Arthur his medicine. Since a few years ago, when Chloe and the male lead left to travel the world, Arthur had developed a habit of heavy drinking. Like every deeply devoted second male lead in a novel, he had neglected his health, completely ruining his body. His stomach was practically destroyed. Every time his stomach issues flared up, he would be in agonizing pain. So, I hadn't let him drink for a long time. But now... I guess what was meant to happen, happened. I sat outside the private dining room and texted Arthur to come out and get his medicine. But time ticked by, minute by minute. My legs were getting stiff from sitting, and he still hadn't replied. The sounds of laughter and cheering kept drifting through the door. Exhausted, I had no choice but to stand up and slowly push the door open. Mia saw me first, her face lighting up with excitement. I guiltily avoided her gaze, walked over to Arthur, and pressed the pill bottle into his hand. "I texted you, but you didn't reply. I had to bring it in myself." Arthur looked panicked, his eyes constantly darting toward Chloe, who was sitting next to him. Chloe, on the other hand, sat calmly. She didn't greet me, just focused entirely on swirling the glass in her hand. The atmosphere in the room suddenly turned incredibly awkward. I quickly waved my hands at them. "It's fine, I was just dropping something off. You guys keep having fun." Then I pushed the door open and walked back out. 05 By the time I got into a taxi, my phone was blowing up with messages. Mia was furious with me for not standing my ground. [Elena, what are you doing?! [When people throw mud at you, do you just lie down and take it?] I closed my phone, feeling a bit helpless. What was I supposed to do? This mission was destined to fail. Right now, the best choice for me was to maintain my persona as the understanding, considerate partner. I needed to rack up as many "persona points" as possible so the penalty wouldn't be too harsh when the mission ended. Besides, the good news was that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. According to the original mission timeline, I only had to endure this for another six months. 06 Just as the taxi was approaching my apartment complex, Mia started bombarding me with messages again. [Holy shit, is this woman married?! [Some guy just kicked open our private room door and dragged her out. [Arthur thought she was in danger and chased after them, but they ended up making out passionately outside. [Elena, you knew already, didn't you? [This circle is so messed up.] Holding my phone, I almost instantly understood Chloe's goal. She had lost interest in Arthur a long time ago; she was just using him to make the male lead jealous. Looking at it this way, was Arthur, the ultimate tool, really any better off than I was? ... That night, it was incredibly late by the time Arthur got home. As soon as he pushed the door open, he collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud. He was covered in cold sweat, his shirt soaked through. His face was a sickly pale, his lips completely devoid of color. It was obvious his old stomach issue was acting up again. "Did you take the medicine I gave you?" I asked. Arthur's eyes flickered. I immediately knew the answer. He definitely hadn't taken it. Of course, how could he bring himself to take the medicine I brought while he was in front of Chloe? I sighed, helped him up, poured a glass of water, and handed it to him along with his medication. This time, he didn't refuse. He obediently took the pills and leaned against the sofa, waiting for the pain to subside. After a long while, seeming to feel a bit better, he opened his eyes and said "I'm sorry" to me. "I brought Chloe to the college reunion today purely because she happened to be right next to me. "She told me she hasn't had a proper meal in a long time. That delinquent she's with doesn't even have a real job. I really don't know how he takes care of her..." "Wait," I gently interrupted him. "What does that have to do with you? Love makes you blind to hardship. Besides, both of you have your own families now." Arthur froze. After what felt like an eternity, he turned his face away and muttered, "That's true." "It's best if you can see that. Actually, Chloe isn't as perfect as you think she is. Your memory has idealized her. I don't believe you couldn't tell that she was just using you today..." Before I could finish, Arthur snapped his head back toward me. I had never seen his eyes look so cold. "Elena, you don't understand Chloe at all. What gives you the right to slander her to my face?" 07 After saying that, Arthur didn't even care about my shock. He grabbed his coat, furiously pushed the door open, and stomped into the living room. The bedroom returned to silence. I stayed quiet for a long time, then gave a self-deprecating shake of my head and lay back down on the bed. Not long after, the system randomly piped up: [Host, are you feeling pretty disappointed?] "Didn't I tell you to stop reading my mind?" The system chuckled awkwardly: [I was just curious.] I ignored it, but after a while, it couldn't hold back and asked me again. "Host, I can feel your sadness. Do you have feelings for the second male lead?" My eyelashes fluttered. Developing feelings for the target is a massive taboo when trying to complete a mission. I didn't need a reminder; I knew this very well. But... Arthur was, after all, my first mission target. I had spent three years with him, day in and day out. I'm human, not a robot. How could I not feel something? Seeing my silence, the system let out another awkward chuckle. [It's totally normal for you to like him. From what I know, almost everyone develops feelings for their first mission target. [And half of those people choose to stay forever.] I gave a faint "oh," and then heard the system ask: [Host, do you want to stay?] I remained silent. Honestly, during those three years of living with Arthur, the thought crossed my mind more than once: "Maybe he's forgotten the female lead and fallen for me," "Maybe staying like this wouldn't be so bad..." But looking at it now, I was being incredibly naive. My relationship with Arthur was like a seemingly solid block of ice. As soon as the sun came out, it was destined to melt into a muddy, messy puddle. 08 Early the next morning, Arthur rushed out of the house. I thought he was going to work, but near noon, his secretary suddenly called me. She said there was an urgent document that needed to be signed at the company, but she couldn't reach Arthur no matter what she tried. "Is Mr. Sterling coming to the office today?" I froze for a second, then snapped out of it, smoothly covering for him. "He's tied up today. You can just sign it. If there are any issues, I'll take the blame." The secretary agreed repeatedly and hung up. For some reason, I had a gut feeling. Arthur definitely went to find Chloe... Sure enough, toward evening, I received a video. It was from Mia, downloaded from some gossip account. She asked: [Elena, isn't that the little homewrecker? Why is she out buying a house with Arthur? [And the guy standing in the corner... isn't that the guy she was making out with last time? [Is Arthur seriously being a cuckold for these two?] I clicked on the video. It was definitely them. The gossip account's caption for the video was: [The city's most anticipated luxury condo development just opened, and it sold out in less than a day! There are just too many rich people!] ...My feelings were incredibly complicated. About six months ago, someone jumped off a building in the complex where Arthur and I lived. The surrounding neighbors gradually moved out. I felt it was getting too quiet and had mentioned it to Arthur. And what did he say? He said the company was too busy lately, and we'd look for a new place when he had some downtime. And so we waited, and waited, right up until now. Why, when it came to Chloe, was he suddenly not busy anymore? 09 That night, when Arthur returned, he was radiating a sweet, cloying perfume scent. He awkwardly took off his clothes, trying to cover it up. "Ugh, all these business dinners are so exhausting." Before I could speak, the system laughed. [Are you going to expose him, Host?] I shook my head. The scale in his heart had already completely tipped toward Chloe. What was the point of me exposing him? So, I took a deep breath, composed myself, and as usual, helped him put his clothes in the hamper. Arthur shot me a guilty look, then used taking a shower as an excuse to slip into the bathroom. The moment the door closed, I suddenly remembered something. I had left my tablet in there after watching the video this afternoon! "Arthur!" I ran over and knocked on the door, but there was no sound from inside for a long time. Just as I was about to knock again, I grabbed at thin air. Arthur pulled the door open and stood there, lips pressed tightly together, holding my tablet in his hand. And the tablet's screen was paused right on that video. [Hehe, the crematorium arc begins.] The system cheered. I sighed in exasperation. But Arthur thought I was venting my dissatisfaction at him, and his brow furrowed involuntarily. "Elena, don't overthink this. There's a reason I bought a house for her." "I know." I nodded, playing along perfectly. "You and Chloe are childhood friends. You were too dense when you were young and accidentally hurt her, so now you want to do everything in your power to make it up to her." Arthur choked on his words. "Elena, you..." "It's true, don't say anything else. I understand completely." "...That's good, then." Arthur finished speaking and went back into the bathroom. Leaving me standing there, completely expressionless. [Host, you seem really upset.] The system said softly. I ignored it, acting like I hadn't heard a thing.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "421727", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel