CHAPTER 1 – System Boot-Up
627 Words
When Lin Wanwan opened her eyes, she expected fluorescent lights.
She got silk instead. Gold silk. Phoenixes and peonies. Draped over carved wood. The bed was so soft she felt like she was sinking.
The air smelled like sandalwood. Something floral.
Either I'm in an expensive hospital. Or I'm hallucinating.
A girl in a flowing hanfu appeared. Sobbing. Hard. Her hairpins were shaking.
"Princess-Consort! Praise the heavens! You're awake! You scared us all to death when you bashed your head against the wall!"
Wanwan blinked. "I did what?"
"You said you'd rather die than live another day as the Duke's wife! You slammed your forehead into the pillar! Oh, the Duke was furious! He said if you wanted to die, you should do it somewhere else!"
This is definitely not a hospital.
A voice pinged inside her skull. Robotic. Cheerful. Wrong.
【DING! Ancient Survival Live-Stream System activating.】
【Host: Lin Wanwan. Status: Deceased (Modern Earth, 2026) → Reincarnated (Great Xuan Dynasty, Year 742).】
【Identity: Sixth Princess-Consort.】
【Primary Mission: 1,000,000 Likes = Return to Modern Era.】
【Current Likes: 0. Viewers: 42.】
【Side Mission: Survive until sunset. Reward: +50 Likes.】
Text started scrolling across her vision. Like someone stapled a Twitch chat directly into her brain.
【LMAO she died from Excel】
【Is that real silk?】
【Girl, you just tried to unalive yourself.】
【She's the villainess. Everyone hates her. RUN.】
Wanwan sat up too fast. Her vision swam.
The maid—Cuiping, the system said—gasped and tried to push her back down.
"Princess, you must rest! The physician said—"
"Cuiping," Wanwan said. Her voice was steady, which surprised her. "Tell me everything. Don't leave anything out."
Cuiping's face went pale.
"Princess, you never ask about your own life!"
"New me. Spill."
What Cuiping told her was brutal.
The original Lin Wanwan—same name, different soul—had been spoiled. Married to Prince Xiao Jingxing three years ago. Political alliance. The Emperor forced it.
The Duke hated her from day one.
So she made him pay.
She poisoned his tea. Not fatally. Just enough to make him sick.
She sold his favorite concubine-in-training to a merchant for pocket money.
She threw a tantrum at the Empress's birthday party and said the Empress's shoes were ugly.
She released fifty of his prized koi into the moat. Said she was bored. Said the fish looked smug.
She slapped a eunuch who stepped on her dress.
She called the Duke "emotionally constipated" in front of the entire court.
The capital had a betting pool. When would he divorce her? Odds: 3-to-1 for within the month.
Wanwan stared at the ceiling.
"So I'm a human disaster."
【Pretty much.】
【But you have us!】
【And a system!】
【And zero knowledge of ancient China!】
She took a breath. Deep. Slow.
Twenty-seven years old. Operations Manager. She'd survived four CEOs. Three restructuring rounds. A coworker who microwaved fish every Thursday.
This was just a new problem.
"System. How do I get more viewers?"
【Do something interesting. Create drama. Generate romance. We're a romance system.】
Wanwan cracked her knuckles.
"Cuiping! Where's the Duke?"
"In his study. But he gave strict orders—"
"Perfect."
She swung her legs over the side of the bed. Her head protested. She ignored it.
She grabbed a bowl of soup on the side table. Probably for her recovery. She didn't care.
She marched toward the door.
The bullet-chat exploded.
【She's going to poison him again】
【NO she's going to seduce him】
【This is a train wreck. I'M IN.】
【Viewers: 312. Likes: 7.】
- Writer
