After my system romance mission failed, I returned to my original world. I got married and had a child. Until seven years later, the System tracked me down— "The mental state of your original target is highly unstable. "And your first child is crying, demanding to see you. "Host, could you go back and take one last look?" 1 I hadn't been in contact with the System for years. When it finally reappeared, my husband, David, and I were walking back from the amusement park with our son. Noah was tugging at my hand, whining for McDonald's for dinner. I was just about to scold him and tell him he'd had enough burgers for the week, when— Suddenly. A familiar electronic hum echoed in my ear. Then came the System's robotic voice. "Host, long time no see." It looked at our happy family of three and seemed to choke up, unsure of how to begin. "It's like this. "Do you remember that novel transmigration mission from years ago? "Ever since you left, the target's mental state has been steadily deteriorating. He's incredibly unstable now. "And the son you gave birth to back then... he's crying and demanding to see you. "Could you... go back and check on the two of them?" 2 I froze. To say I had forgotten that part of my life would be a lie. Back then, I had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. I had less than three years to live. During the most agonizing phase of my treatment, I was bound to this romance System. I was pulled into an angst-filled, second-chance romance novel. My mission was to win the heart of the devoted second male lead. As long as he abandoned his entanglement with the male and female leads and agreed to marry me, my mission would be a success. I would be allowed to stay in that world in that body forever. If I returned to my original world, I didn't have much time left anyway. So, I cherished the opportunity. When Arthur was ultimately rejected by the female lead, Chloe, I stayed by his side. I comforted him. I kept him company. Slowly. His cold demeanor toward me softened into something gentle and attentive. Later, after a messy, drunken night, I got pregnant. I thought that was it. I thought we were going to get married. But his tone suddenly turned ice-cold. "Samantha. "You come from nothing. I can't marry you yet. "Have the child. Once he grows up a bit and the family officially accepts him, then we'll get married." 3 That was my first child. I named him Leo. I poured all my blood, sweat, and tears into raising him. The Sterling family was a billionaire dynasty. They controlled dozens of publicly traded companies and had their hands in countless industries. Arthur was the eldest son. Even though I was looked down upon, Leo, as the eldest grandson, was highly valued by the entire family. Almost every week, he was chauffeured back to the family manor so his grandparents could dote on him. By his first birthday, his first trust fund had already been established. When he was three or four, I was still used to calling an Uber to take him out, but Leo could already distinguish between the bespoke leather interiors of a Rolls-Royce and a Bentley. When he was five or six, I held him in my lap and tried to teach him basic addition and subtraction. He suddenly threw his pencil down. He looked up at me. "I'm going to inherit the company anyway. What's the point of learning this?" ... I never expected words like that to come out of a little child's mouth. That day, I gave him a long, stern lecture. Leo threw a massive tantrum and cried. Unable to watch, Arthur intervened and took him back to the main estate. The father and son didn't return to our apartment for a long time. The next time I saw them, months had passed. I had packed a homemade lunch and went to the estate to pick Leo up, planning to apologize and tell him Mommy had been too harsh. Instead, I watched him step out of a sleek black luxury SUV. His left hand was holding Arthur's, and his right hand was holding the hand of a woman in designer heels. In his sweet, childish voice, I heard him say: "Chloe, you should marry my dad! "My mom and dad aren't married anyway, so you can marry him!" 4 I stood frozen in place, clutching the lunchbox. Chloe was the female lead of this world. After going around in circles, she had come back. She tilted her head, sneaking a glance at Arthur, and smiled. "Why? Don't you want your mommy and daddy to be together?" Leo hesitated. "But... Grandpa and Grandma don't like my mom. "And Dad doesn't like her either." Arthur remained completely silent. His expression was blank. He didn't say a single word. —I really should have seen it coming. I had just been harboring a pathetic, naive fantasy that things would somehow get better. But they didn't. The devoted second male lead would always be drawn back to the female lead. Even the child I gave birth to was no exception. It made me look like an absolute joke. I didn't speak to anyone. I just turned around and walked away. That night, I rebooted the System. "I forfeit this mission. "I want to go home." 5 The System was utterly shocked by my decision to quit. "Host, why? "Even if the target won't marry you, you can just wait it out. "As long as he doesn't marry anyone else, you can stay here indefinitely." I thought of the way Leo had looked up at Chloe. I let out a self-deprecating laugh. Honestly, with the female lead back in the picture, given Arthur's personality, he would undoubtedly choose to be with her eventually. I might as well return to reality. Who knows, if I catch my cancer early enough, I might be able to squeeze out a few more years. Seeing my resolve, the System's usually flat, mechanical voice let out a heavy sigh. "Understood. "Give me a moment, Host. I'll submit an appeal to my superiors and see if I can help you out." When it returned, a full night had passed. This time, the System's volume was noticeably louder. "Host, my appeal was approved! "You can go home. You'll return to the exact moment you first transmigrated here. "I pooled all the mission points you earned here, plus some of my own personal savings from past jobs... and bought you a perfectly healthy body. So when you go back, your cancer will be completely cured. "Don't worry." I was stunned. I asked instinctively, "You used your own points? Won't you get in trouble?" The System hummed dismissively. "It's fine. "We're supposed to build good relationships with our Hosts anyway. "If I ever need a favor in the future, I might have to bother you." 6 True to its word, after I returned to the real world, the System cured my cancer. I lived life like a normal person. I met a man I loved, and who loved me. And I had my second child. The System never appeared again— Until today. Its tone was incredibly defeated. "The main issue is that the kid, Leo, is showing severe signs of walking down a dark path. He's thirteen now. "But his mindset is bizarrely mature and detached. He's completely isolated and has no friends. "We're terrified he's going to grow up into a major villain. "So we want to beg you, Host... Could you please go back and just keep him company for one month?" I thought back to the day I abandoned the mission. If the System hadn't used its own points to petition its superiors for me, I might not even be alive right now. So, even though I deeply, truly did not want to return to that world. I decided to say yes. "But," I said. "I have to discuss this with my husband first. "After all, I'm married now." The System immediately agreed. "Yes, of course. "I'll wait for you." My husband, David, knew all about this chapter of my life. He was an architect. He was also my boss. Before we officially started dating, I had confessed the entire story of my transmigration to him. So when he heard the word "System," he didn't look surprised. He just stopped chopping vegetables. He looked at me, his breathing hitching slightly. "Sam, you're going back? "Will you... not come back?"
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