At the reunion, my CEO husband deliberately lost a game. With his friends egging him on, he planned to tie the knot with his first love and announce it on SnapChat. Everyone present started cheering them on, and my husband eagerly pulled out the divorce papers, demanding my cooperation: “It’s just a game, don’t take it too seriously.” I stayed silent for a long time, and everyone expected me to explode. But I just took the divorce papers and said calmly: “Divorce is fine, but I need you to do three things first.” He readily agreed, rushing me to sign, even promising eagerly: “Forget three things, I’ll do three hundred, as long as you sign! And once we remarry, I’ll give you a lavish wedding!” But he didn’t know that the moment he decided to divorce me, my ‘capture’ mission had already failed, and the system was about to erase me. I could only survive by completing the three tasks the system gave me. Seeing me sign, my husband, Liam Sterling, happily put away the divorce papers. Everyone exchanged glances, a smirk of triumph on their faces. That’s when I finally understood: this reunion was a setup, a carefully laid trap just for me. On the virtual screen behind Liam, four blood-red words screamed: “CAPTURE FAILED.” The system’s electronic voice drilled into my mind: “Host, only if you marry your target for seven years can you offset the life-for-a-life exchange. You’re just an hour and a half short of seven years. In 48 hours, you’ll be erased.” Its tone shifted: “However, seeing your pitiful state, you can survive if you complete three tasks within the deadline.” “Now issuing Task One.” “Make Liam Sterling confess his love to you in public.” I laughed out loud. I just signed divorce papers, and now the system wants him to confess his love to me? Clara Davis stood up, her pretty face tight with resolve: “Liam, if you have to agree to Avery’s unreasonable requests because of me, then I’ll gladly accept punishment. I’ll drink three shots of vodka!” Liam’s eyes were filled with heartache: “It’s fine, she can’t stir up any trouble.” I gave a self-deprecating laugh. Seven years ago, on our wedding day, Liam was supposed to elope for love, but Clara ran off with all his savings and disappeared. After that, he firmly believed I was behind it and constantly clashed with me. We went from childhood sweethearts to bitter enemies. I thought that if I genuinely loved him, I could eventually win him over. For the past two years, he had almost accepted our situation, even remembering to leave work early to celebrate our wedding anniversary. But then, Clara came back. Only then did I realize he had never forgotten her, and he’d even set up this elaborate scheme just to marry her. He’d even forgotten that today was our seventh wedding anniversary. Now, the seven stolen years were finally to be returned. But I still wanted to live. I spoke up: “Liam Sterling, the first thing I want you to do is confess your love to me.” “Confess to me exactly how you confessed to Clara Davis back then.” Liam froze, his eyes wide with disbelief. The private room erupted: “Avery, don’t be unreasonable! You’ve already signed the divorce papers, there’s no need to be so petty and embarrass Liam!” “Liam, don’t listen to her nonsense! She’s just trying to cause trouble!” It was truly ironic. These people had received many favors from me in the past. Now that Sterling Corp. was so powerful, they constantly mocked me. Clara’s face was flushed with anger: “Avery, you’re really just messing with him! Liam, I won’t let you suffer this humiliation!” My own husband confessing to me was a humiliation in her eyes? I coldly scanned the room, then yawned: “I’m talking to Liam Sterling. Does it concern you to interrupt?” “Liam Sterling, if you don’t confess, I’m leaving. And I won’t bother with the divorce certificate.” After so many years together, I knew his temper. His brows furrowed, and he said impatiently: “I thought you were being sensible today, but it turns out you just thought of a new trick. If I confess, you’ll obediently get the divorce certificate?” It seemed he was truly desperate to marry Clara and make it official. “Yes.” Liam’s face darkened, and he spoke as if facing death: “Avery, be with me. I’ll buy you two bottles of milk every day and warm them with my body heat, so you always drink them at room temperature…” Clara’s eyes welled with tears, and she murmured: “Liam, you still remember.” Everyone in the room couldn’t help but applaud, marveling at Liam’s deep affection, still remembering his confession to Clara Davis eight years ago. Watching the two exchange increasingly loving gazes, I felt a wave of nausea and left my seat: “I have to go. Something came up.” Behind me, the room erupted in laughter, mocking me for shooting myself in the foot. As I walked out, my best friend, Chloe Miller, somehow heard the news and rushed to the restaurant, demanding answers: “Did you really sign the divorce papers with Liam, are you insane? You begged on your knees to marry him, giving up a marriage alliance with a billionaire’s son, and now you’re just divorcing him, letting that trash Clara snatch him up?” I was silent. Back then, the Sterling family was on the verge of bankruptcy. To help Liam, I gave up a marriage with the son of a billionaire and resolutely married him. My parents were furious and disowned me. I was ostracized by my family, and even as the CEO’s wife, I couldn’t interfere with anything in the Sterling family, leaving me in an awkward position. But Liam, after Clara returned to the country, immediately arranged a Vice President position for her without a word, even putting her in charge of billions of dollars. Love and lack of love, it was very obvious. My sky-high heels had rubbed my heels raw, and I uncomfortably shifted my stance, unable to stop myself from scoffing: “You think she’s trash, but Liam treats her like a treasure. What can I do?” Chloe sighed, giving me a supportive squeeze: “Men are like shoes, if they don’t fit, we just get new ones!” As she spoke, Liam came downstairs, dotingly ruffling Clara’s hair: “Clara, let’s go take our wedding photos first, then buy rings. When we go to the registry office, I’ll have a convoy of thirty cars pick you up!” His gaze met mine, and Liam’s lips tightened into a thin line, his voice cold: “Avery, there are still two things left. If you’re playing games, I won’t make it easy for you!” I lowered my eyes and smiled bitterly. He didn’t know I had wanted to keep my distance from him for a long time; I was only forced to interact with him to stay alive. After he walked away, I called out to the system in my mind: “Was that task completed?” “Barely satisfactory,” the system’s voice was flat. “Now, issuing Task Two.” “Go on a date with Liam Sterling for one day.”
I stumbled. “Are you serious? Liam Sterling barely tolerates me today. If I ask him to go on a date with me, he’ll definitely think I’m messing with him!” The system was cold: “Host has no right to question. You can choose to abandon the task and be erased.” At midnight, I tossed and turned, thinking about the system’s task. Bang! Liam kicked open the door and dragged me out of bed. In the darkness, his angry eyes glowed ominously: “Are you happy now? Because of the scene you caused today, Clara went home sick. I took care of her until past midnight before her fever broke!” I pried his hand off and forced a smile: “It was just a game. Couldn’t you have called it off? Who would take a CEO like you seriously?” Liam choked, then sighed softly: “It was just a game, why didn’t you cooperate?” I said nonchalantly: “Second thing. Tomorrow, you cancel all your work and spend the day with me.” Liam’s face immediately turned cold: “Avery, are you pushing your luck? You’re really taking advantage!” He slammed the door shut and left. A bitter taste filled my mouth. I knew this would be the outcome. The next morning, however, he still knocked on my door, his face sullen: “I lost a million dollars today because of you. What do you want, spill it.” Because of me? More like to get the marriage certificate with Clara as soon as possible. The system told me the date wasn’t the main point; the key was for Liam Sterling to spend six consecutive hours with me. I took Liam to the mall to pass the time. The whole way, he never looked up from his phone. Occasionally, he’d stop outside a women’s clothing store or a luxury boutique and just casually buy a ton of stuff. All of it was for Clara. In our seven years of marriage, he had never bought me anything. The dress I was wearing was worn out and pilled. He retaliated against me by poaching my family’s business. My dad scolded me for betraying our family, and I was blacklisted by the industry. No one knew that beneath my glamorous exterior, I lived on the meager salary from online part-time jobs. I persevered until noon. Liam looked impatient, so I quickly took him to a hot pot restaurant. Just as we ordered, his face changed as he looked at his phone. He made a call, his voice filled with urgent worry: “How can you not eat? No appetite without me? Okay, I’m coming back right now!” He then grabbed his coat and rushed to leave: “Urgent company business. I’m leaving first.” I knew this must be Clara’s doing. “Will you come back?” My task wasn’t finished yet. He seemed to remember something and nodded: “I will.” But I never expected him to return with Clara. Liam carefully tended to Clara, feeding her, wiping her mouth, acting like he was nursing a paralytic patient. They looked like an affectionate couple, while I was just a stranger sharing their table. After that, whatever I wanted to eat, Clara would point to and demand. I lost my appetite and pushed my forks aside. She looked triumphant, saying with exaggerated sweetness: “The food Liam feeds me tastes especially delicious…” Under the table, she deliberately stomped on my foot. I hissed in pain, but Liam paid no attention. Fortunately, we just needed to watch a movie to reach six hours, so I grudgingly endured her. Who knew there were only two tickets left at the movie theater? Clara spoke first, her eyes red: “Liam, you and Avery go watch it. I know she’s using the divorce as an excuse to spend time with you, but it’s okay, I won’t be a third wheel! I’ll leave now!” Liam panicked, quickly grabbing her hand: “What nonsense are you talking about? Forget the stupid movie, I’ll spend the whole afternoon with you instead, okay?” I pleaded calmly: “Liam Sterling, just watch this movie with me, and I’ll let you go, I won’t bother you anymore.” But Liam pushed me away with a shove, and the popcorn I was holding scattered everywhere. “Avery, stop pretending! I’ve already told you I could never like someone as selfish, arrogant, and self-righteous as you. Clara is generous and kind enough not to blame you, but that doesn’t mean I’ll indulge you. I’ve already been more than generous by taking you shopping today!” He held Clara’s hand and turned to leave. “Warning: Host is performing passively. Electric shock penalty. Please convince Liam Sterling to return within one minute.” The next second, a powerful current surged through my body. I instantly collapsed to my knees, my kneecaps hitting the ground with a loud thud, my body convulsing. Gritting my teeth, I begged with all my might: “Liam Sterling! Please, come watch the movie with me, or I’ll die! Please…” Liam turned back frantically, his pupils constricting when he saw me on the ground. He instinctively took a step. “Liam, go ahead. Avery is usually so healthy, but now she’s suddenly fainted. She must be seriously ill. Go with her, don’t worry about me.” Clara suddenly spoke. Liam’s steps halted, and his expression turned cold: “Avery, now you’ve learned to fake falls? What are you trying to prove, playing helpless? Don’t make me look down on you.” He abandoned me. No matter how much I called out, he never looked back. After a long time, the system’s punishment ended. My face was pale, as if I’d been pulled from water. Many people gathered around, offering to take me to the hospital. The system warned sternly: “Task Two completion rate is only fifty percent. If Task Three cannot be completed perfectly, Host, you will still be erased.” The panel changed, displaying only one line of text: “Make Liam Sterling propose to you.” I gave a desolate laugh, losing all my strength and collapsing onto the ground. This was an impossible task. When I opened my eyes again, I was in the hospital. Chloe rushed to hand me water, her eyes filled with sympathy: “The doctor said you have organ failure and won’t live for more than three days. Does Liam know? Is this why you divorced him?” I knew this was a side effect of the system’s punishment. Three days? Only twenty-four hours left. I didn’t want to grovel and make Liam pity me. After all, I had once been a wealthy young woman; I had my pride. I shook my head: “No. Chloe, as friends, I have one favor to ask. After I die, just tell everyone I traveled abroad and settled there. Don’t let them see how miserably I died.” Chloe’s eyes reddened, and she wiped her face: “You saved Liam’s life during the avalanche back then, but he thought Clara saved him. He’s misunderstood and tormented you for so many years, you—” My phone on the table rang urgently. It was Liam. Chloe answered, unable to help herself: “Liam Sterling, do you know Avery is sick!”
I struggled to sit up and stop her. On the other end of the phone, Liam paused for a second, then scoffed coldly: “Did Avery tell you to act? What’s a little fall going to do?” “Tell her to hurry up and state her last demand so we can get this over with. I don’t have time for her games.” Seeing how impatient he was, I took the phone and said seriously: “The third thing is simple. All you have to do is propose to me.” CRASH! A harsh sound came from the other end of the phone; something seemed to have fallen. Liam was frantic: “Clara, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me!” The next second, he lashed out at me: “Avery, are you crazy? Are you out of your mind? I’m not playing with you anymore! Go get the divorce certificate or don’t, I don’t care. We’ll be automatically divorced in thirty days anyway. I’m not like you, desperate to live. I can wait!” He hung up. My heart ached. I knew Liam wanted to get rid of me, but I never expected him to despise me so much. The system was still urging me to complete the task. But now I had no leverage over him. What else could I do? Fatigue washed over me like a tide. Even if I begged Liam on my knees, he would just think I was pulling tricks. If that’s the case, I might as well die with dignity. With that thought, I called him. He answered impatiently: “If you’re going to talk about me proposing to you again, just go to hell!” He didn’t know his words would turn out to be prophetic. My voice was calm: “I was just kidding. See you at the registry office tomorrow morning.” Liam was surprised: “That’s it? Are you being so cooperative?” “Don’t want to? Fine then.” “No! You better not be playing games!” He quickly agreed. Nine A.M. the next morning, at the registry office entrance. Liam yelled at me for being one minute late: “Avery, what are you doing now? You were really faking being sick yesterday! They say the wicked live forever, so you’ll probably live to be a hundred!” His friends also looked at me with mocking expressions. They were all waiting for Liam to get his marriage certificate with Clara, specially bringing confetti to celebrate. I found it amusing. In the past, when Liam and I made plans, he was never on time, repeatedly breaking promises, deliberately enjoying my distressed reactions. Today, I was only one minute late, and he was so anxious. “That’s right, I was doing it on purpose. I’ve changed my mind. The third thing is, I want you to carry me in to get the divorce certificate!” From where we stood, it was less than a hundred feet to the entrance. Liam looked at me suspiciously: “That simple?” Clara still rushed out to object, as if I were committing an unforgivable sin: “Liam is a CEO! How can you treat him like a servant and make him carry you? We don’t have to get this divorce certificate, I’ll wait for Liam forever!” Everyone else’s faces also darkened: “Avery, you’re shameless! This is clearly a deliberate obstruction! You just don’t want the divorce certificate!” I curved my lips into a smile, composed. Liam, however, declared decisively: “Fine. But if you cause any more trouble inside, I’ll make your life a living hell.” He walked up to me. I jumped onto his back without any hesitation. Liam gave a small “oh.” I was too light. Frighteningly light. You see, I used to have a fiery personality. I loved racing, hiking, rock climbing. My muscle mass was not to be underestimated. He instinctively asked: “Are you starving yourself?” I replied faintly: “You and Clara disgusted me so much I couldn’t eat.” Liam curled his lip: “That’s enough.” When we married years ago, he was practically dragged into the registry office by ten bodyguards, forced to get the marriage certificate, his face filled with disgust. Now, he walked steadily towards the registry office, step by step, but it was to divorce me. In a daze, I remembered when I was seventeen. Liam was caught in an avalanche while skiing. I rushed into the snowy field without a thought, screaming until my throat was hoarse before I found him. At that time, he had snow blindness, and his leg was injured, preventing him from standing. I half-carried, half-dragged him down the mountain for a day and a night, even cutting myself to give him my blood, hoping to restore his strength. In his semi-conscious state, Liam’s hot tears streamed onto my neck: “You’re so good to me! I’ll marry you!” I laughed, coaxing him not to break his promise. By the time we reached the bottom of the mountain, I should have died from hypothermia. The system bonded with me then. It said our love was truly great, and as long as I could marry him for seven years, it would grant me health and a long life. I agreed, secretly delighted that this was a freebie, and that we would surely be happy. But I never expected to wake up and see him confessing to Clara Davis in front of the entire school. He said he would marry me. But what I got was his endless gratitude towards Clara. I tried to explain, but he didn’t believe me. “The person who saved me was gentle like a goddess. You’re so rough and bossy, how could it be you?” Snapping back to reality, I whispered into Liam’s ear: “Liam Sterling, we’re even now.” He stopped walking: “What did you say?”
My throat itched, and I coughed up blood. The system’s punishment yesterday had ruined my internal organs. Even as I covered my mouth, a drop of blood splattered onto Liam’s neck. He flew into a rage: “Avery, are you trying to die? Coughing on my neck, how disgusting! Clean it up!” I wiped the blood from my lips, then gently pushed his head back to face forward. My voice was calm: “Look ahead, not at me.” Liam quickened his pace, walking closer to the divorce counter. Before he could put me down, I jumped off his back and quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe his neck. He still seemed unsatisfied, pulling out tissue after tissue, as if he’d been contaminated with something filthy. I couldn’t help but say: “Liam Sterling, since you’ve decided to be with Clara, don’t let her down.” Liam frowned, finally looking at me properly: “What nonsense are you talking about? It’s just one day, and you’re already this petty and intolerant? Don’t worry, once the game is over, I’ll give you a lavish wedding. I won’t go back on my word.” I curled my lips into a weak smile. On the divorce papers, I fumbled to find where to sign. My eyesight was the most severely affected of all my declining organs. Liam held my finger and pointed to the spot, scoffing: “What’s wrong with your eyes? Are you crying them blind because you’re sad about divorcing me?” I snorted: “It was so sickening it gave me a stye.” Since Clara returned to the country, I hadn’t bantered with him like this in a long time. Liam angrily pushed my arm: “Avery, you just can’t say anything nice, can you!” I grunted in pain, taking a while to recover. His face suddenly changed: “Are you really sick?” I acted nonchalant: “No. Hurry up and finish the procedures. I’m planning to travel abroad for a few days. There are plenty of other fish in the sea, why obsess over one person?” Everyone present couldn’t help but scoff, looking at me with expressions that clearly said, “Stop acting,” filled with disdain. Liam’s face remained grim, and he suddenly stood up. “No divorce.” “No divorce?” Clara exclaimed in surprise, then her eyes welled up with tears, saying aggrievedly: “Liam, if you can’t bear to, that’s okay. I’m willing to be punished. I just have a slight alcohol allergy, I won’t die. I’ll go buy liquor right now!” I was speechless, not understanding what Liam meant. I deliberately provoked him: “Stop messing around. Or are you really reluctant to let me go?” Liam, predictably, couldn’t stand the provocation and quickly signed the papers. “If it weren’t for your pitiful, pale face, I…” He trailed off. Then he took the divorce certificate with a sullen face, turned around, and sat with Clara at the marriage counter. Everyone crowded around them, their faces joyful. My business here was done. I turned to leave, but Liam suddenly called out to me: “Don’t go. Wait until Clara and I get our marriage certificate and post on SnapChat, then I’ll remarry you right away!” Divorce and remarrying? Did he think this was a game? I perfunctorily agreed and walked out of the registry office. On the virtual screen, the countdown showed thirteen hours left—enough time for me to handle my affairs. But I never expected my vision to turn blood-red: “Host Avery Hayes, task failed. Detected official divorce between the two. Countdown reset to zero!” I never imagined the system had this trick up its sleeve. I leaned on the registry office doorframe, collapsing softly to the ground. Inside the registry office, Liam Sterling was posing for photos with Clara Davis, their heads close together. The photographer kept calling out: “Closer, lovebirds! Yes, more intimate!”
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