We’d been giving each other the silent treatment for three months when we were invited onto a variety show. The challenge: Call the person you love most. Out of spite, my boyfriend, the A-list movie star, called his assistant, Sherry. The internet went wild, shipping them instantly. I dialed an unknown number, calling my mom in a different universe. The internet mocked me. Sean sneered. "You're an orphan, Jenny. Where did you dig up a mother? Hiring an actor to save face? That’s a new low, even for you." I didn't say a word. As he smirked at me, I sprinted to the window and jumped. The System had just told me: If I die in this world, I can finally go home and reunite with my mom. "Hiring an actor to save face? That’s a new low!" [Host, as soon as your physical body dies in this world, you can go home.] Two voices rang out simultaneously. I stared blankly ahead, lost in thought for a moment. Sean thought I was looking at him and let out a contemptuous laugh. "What? Don't tell me you don't have anyone you love? That’s pathetic." The studio audience roared with laughter at his jab. I was the only one not laughing. He wasn't wrong. Since coming to this world and accepting the mission to make him fall in love with me, my entire life had revolved around him. I needed to complete the mission quickly to go home and save my sick mother. I didn't make friends. I relied only on him. I was like a parasitic vine. The internet called me "The World's Stickiest Chewing Gum." In the years when Sean loved me most, he used to hold me and promise, "Jenny, I'll be with you forever. We'll never be apart." I believed him. Until I walked in on him kissing Sherry. He explained it away impatiently, his eyes glued to Sherry's blushing face. "It was just a game, a penalty. Stop being so paranoid. We're innocent, stop having such a dirty mind." We had a huge fight. Then, three months ago, I caught them walking out of a bathroom together in bathrobes. I couldn't lie to myself anymore. He didn't even bother explaining. Instead, he put his arm around Sherry, seemingly on purpose. "Nag, nag, nag. All you do is fight. Can't you be more obedient like Sherry?" In that moment, I finally realized. It was over. I couldn't do this mission anymore. Luckily, the System didn't force me. It agreed to cancel the mission and even promised to honor the reward—curing my mom. With that, I had no more reservations. Recovering from my daze, the System's voice echoed in my mind again. [Host, your mother asked me to tell you that she misses you very much.] My nose stung, and tears welled up instantly. Yes, I have people I love. I have a mom. And I miss her so much. "I want... to go home." I muttered unconsciously, my voice choking up. Sean paused, a flash of hesitation in his eyes, but his mouth remained hard. "Jenny, your acting skills are really improving..." I pretended not to hear him. I stood up and walked quickly to the window. Amidst the screams of the crew and the crash of livestream equipment, I jumped straight off the ledge. Sean, I don't want you anymore. I don't want these five years of feelings anymore. I just want to go home. Chapter 1 When I woke up, the sharp smell of antiseptic filled my nose. I thought I was back. But before I could rejoice, a familiar voice made my heart sink. Regrettably, I didn't die. "Jenny, you jumped off a building to threaten me just because I called Sherry? I only said a few words to you! You started the fight!" "If you really wanted to die, go find a skyscraper! The third floor won't kill you. Stop acting." Sean's eyes were bloodshot. I stared at him blankly. Before I could speak, Sherry burst through the door. Her face was wet with tears, looking fragile and pitiful. "Jenny, I'm so sorry. Sean was just trying to make you jealous. I won't show up anymore. I won't disturb you guys again." She looked at Sean with teary, reluctant eyes, then turned to leave. She didn't get far before Sean grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. His face was dark. "You didn't do anything wrong, why leave? Don't cry. I'll make Jenny clarify everything for you." He turned to look at me, his gaze turning icy. "Jenny, because your jump was livestreamed, Sherry is getting cyberbullied. You need to put out a statement explaining she's innocent. She shouldn't be dragged into this." "Because of your stunt, people are calling Sherry a homewrecker. You need to apologize to her. You were wrong, and I won't indulge your tantrums anymore." I almost wanted to laugh. But then I realized none of this mattered anymore. I tossed my phone to Sean, my face calm. "Sure. Post whatever clarification you want." "I just want to go home." The System responded instantly: [Host, it will be soon.] I closed my eyes again. "Get out. Both of you." Sean froze, surprised I didn't fight back, but he didn't leave. He unlocked my phone and quickly posted the statement. When he handed the phone back, his expression was complicated. "Jenny, after all these years, your wallpaper is still that photo." I didn't speak. I glanced at the screen. It was a photo of Sean and me holding a cake, smiling brightly, full of love. I felt a bit dazed. Back then, he wasn't a movie star. He was a background actor, a stunt double. But when my birthday came, he spent every dime he had to buy me an expensive, beautiful cake. "Jenny, thank you for staying with me. From now on, I'll buy you the prettiest, most expensive cake every year. We'll be together forever." Later, he got famous and kept his promise. But at some point, the cakes and gifts became cold and sharp. Eating them wasn't sweet anymore. It just left a bitter aftertaste. I lay in the hospital for a week, spending every day thinking about how to die. The day I was discharged, Sean came to pick me up. Fans were swarming the hospital entrance. Seeing me, they started screaming abuse. "Jenny, go die! Why didn't the fall kill you?!" "Manipulative bitch! Why are you so toxic?" "You framed Sherry as the mistress? You look more like the mistress! Who knows how many beds you climbed to get here!" I let it go in one ear and out the other. After so many years, I was used to the abuse. Sean thought I was tough, good-tempered, resilient. He often praised my "broad-mindedness." In reality, I was just numb from the pain. I hurt so much I couldn't change my expression. We finally shook off the fans, and Sean stopped the car in front of me. The passenger window rolled down, revealing Sherry's flushed face. "Jenny, get in quick. Your haters are coming back. Let's not get scolded together, haha." She stuck out her tongue, smiling like a cat that got the cream. Sean wasn't angry at all. He looked at Sherry with a smile, his eyes involuntarily soft. The passenger seat, once exclusively mine, had changed. There were small cosmetics, a mirror, and Sherry's favorite plush bunny and snacks. These were things Sean had forbidden me from keeping in the car. He claimed it would damage the interior or get photographed by paparazzi. Thinking about it now... it just depended on whether he loved you or not. But. It didn't matter. I took two steps back. I flagged down a taxi and went back to my small rental apartment. I sold off most of my assets and donated the money to charity. I was preparing a shard of porcelain to slit my wrists when the doorbell rang. Outside stood a grim-faced Sean, followed by a red-eyed Sherry. "Jenny, do you have to throw a tantrum? I honestly don't know what you're upset about now!" He sighed, looking at me heavily. As if resigning himself. "Fine. It's your birthday today. I won't fight with you. I bought a cake. We're here to celebrate." Sherry blushed slightly and stammered a "Happy Birthday." My gaze fell on the necklace she was wearing. Sherry touched it, smiling sweetly. "Sean gave this to me. I liked it the moment I saw it. He said it was just a trinket and gave it to me." Sean nodded, walking into the room and sitting down. "It was old anyway. Keeping it was pointless. If Sherry likes it, let her have it. I didn't like it anymore." I stiffened, stunned for a moment. That necklace was a matching couple's set we bought when we first got together. It cost a few hundred bucks—not much—but he treasured it back then. "I'm going to keep this forever! It's the proof of our love. If I lose it, punish me by never letting me see you again, okay?" Every year on his birthday, he loved wearing it with me. Starting last year, he stopped wearing it. I didn't ask. I just didn't expect to see it on Sherry's neck. When the cake box was opened, Sean froze, panic flashing in his eyes. I stopped his hand from closing the box. I saw the words clearly: [Happy Wedding.] Sean and Sherry, Happy Wedding. "Th-they must have made a mistake. Jenny, you won't be mad, right? It's just a cake. We can scrape the words off." Sherry looked pale, but behind Sean's back, her eyes were full of provocation. "Jenny, I'm sorry. I messed up. I didn't check with the baker carefully. I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to." She cried hard. The guilt on Sean's face vanished. He wiped her tears, cooing at her gently. Seeing me silent, his face darkened. "Jenny! Sherry is crying. How can you be so cold? It's just a cake. I'll buy you another one." "Can you stop being so petty? Besides, you jumping off the building got Sherry cyberbullied. She's already emotional, but she still came to celebrate your birthday. Why do you have to be against her?" I rubbed my temples, exhausted. My heart was flat. Sean was right. It's just a cake. It has flaws. But was it only the cake that was flawed? "Sean, let's break up." Chapter 2 Sean froze, looking at me in disbelief. I didn't wait for him to speak. My face was pale, my voice weak. "I'm going home. We won't see each other again. I wish you a happy life together." Crash. Sean knocked over a glass of water, standing there dazed. As if searching for proof that I was lying, he spoke hoarsely after a long silence. "Home? Where can you go besides my place? You don't have a home! Jenny, stop making a scene. You have no parents, where would you go?" "If you don't want to apologize to Sherry, just say so. I won't force you. But you can't just say break up like that!" I shook my head with difficulty. My body was getting weaker, my vision blurring. Sean panicked completely. As I fell, he rushed over and caught me. But he accidentally kicked over the black trash can. The blood inside spilled out instantly. My wrist, already cut, hit the floor hard. It hurt. "Ah! Blood! So much blood!" "Jenny! You're crazy! Who gave you permission to kill yourself?! What kind of drama are you staging now! Jenny!" I couldn't hear him clearly anymore. Sean. In this life and the next, let's never meet again.
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