Chapter 1
At the New Year's class reunion, Shirley Lane accused me of stealing her diamond ring worth 60 thousand dollars.
Amidst the disdainful gazes of the entire class, she even had the security guards strip me right there in public. She livestreamed the whole humiliating scene online. I ended up jumping to my death in shame and despair.
When I opened my eyes again, I realized I hadn't died after all. But it turned out that every bit of misfortune I'd gone through was actually just a task on Shirley's system, assigned for her to complete.
She was the chosen one, the beloved heroine, while I was nothing but the cannon fodder villain she used to rack up experience.
Right now, she was gloating as she used her system to predict the future, ready to trample over me again to boost herself even higher.
Just when I was in despair, a cold, mechanical voice rang out. [Illegal intrusion detected. Granting you Time Reversal Administrator privileges.]
Looking at Shirley's hypocritical face, I smiled.
This time, I was the one in control of time.
The rules of this game? I called the shots now.
The mechanical voice faded away.
A translucent countdown hovered in front of me. [30 seconds until the Theft Accusation is triggered.]
My heart raced.
I was in a lavish banquet hall. The crystal chandeliers were so bright they made me dizzy, and the noise from my classmates toasting and chatting was almost deafening.
In my previous life, it was right here that Shirley accused me of stealing her 60-thousand-dollar diamond ring.
She had the security guards tear off my clothes and search me, broadcasting it live online for everyone to see.
I was overwhelmed by the shame. That night, I ended up throwing myself off the eighteenth floor.
It wasn't until after I died that I realized I was just a side character, while she was the protagonist favored by fate.
She had a "Luck Plundering System." As long as she destroyed my reputation, she could drain my life force to power up.
But now, I had come back.
And I was bound to something called "Time Reversal Administrator Privileges."
The countdown ticked down to 15 seconds.
Shirley, dressed in a red designer gown, walked toward me with a glass of red wine in hand.
She wore a smile, but her eyes were cold and predatory, like a hunter sizing up her prey.
She opened her arms for a hug. "Natalie, it's been a while."
Her system panel flickered above her head. [Task: Frame Natalie. Place the ring in her right pocket. Reward: Luck Points +500.]
As she hugged me, I felt a sudden weight in my right pocket.
A cold, hard metal ring was slid into my pocket.
She moved so fast that no one noticed a thing.
I froze.
The cold dread from being stripped in front of everyone crept up my spine.
I wanted to run, but my legs cramped up, feeling like jelly.
I wanted to scream, but my throat felt clogged, unable to get a sound out.
But I couldn't just run.
If I bolted, everyone would think I was guilty and trying to make a getaway.
I bit down hard on my tongue, the taste of blood filling my mouth. The pain forced the fear to the back of my mind.
The countdown hit five seconds.
Playing along, I let my body go slack, acting tipsy as I stumbled right into Shirley.
"Whoa!" she screamed.
Red wine went flying, soaking her dress.
This was it.
With her screaming, shoving, and the crowd closing in, my hand shot into my right pocket and clamped down hard on the ring.
The cold metal bit into my palm.
I didn't take it out or throw it on the floor.
Throwing it on the floor would make them accuse me of destroying evidence.
Using the motion of steadying myself against a waist-high decorative vase, I casually slipped the ring into the dense soil among the thick plants.
After all that, my hands were soaked with sweat.
Shirley pushed me away, completely ignoring the wine splashed all over her dress.
She grabbed at her bare finger and cried out in panic, "Oh dear, my ring! My 'Heart of the Ocean' diamond ring is gone."
Her shrill voice cut through the entire banquet hall.
"That was the proposal ring Fred gave me. It's worth 60 thousand dollars."
Fred Dunn stormed over.
He was Shirley's top lapdog.
He shoved me so hard that I nearly lost my balance, stumbling back several steps. "Natalie, you were the only one who hugged Shirley. Did you see the ring?"
I rubbed the shoulder that had been shoved, keeping my head down and pretending to shrink back.
My classmates formed a tight circle around me, their eyes stabbing into me like needles.
Someone whipped out their phone. The livestream was already rolling.
The chat exploded on the livestream, comments flying by.
[It's Natalie again? Broke girls always cause drama.]
[I bet she took it. She deliberately spilled the wine just now to cover up her theft.]
Fred jabbed a finger right in my face. "Natalie, are you so broke that you've lost your mind? How dare you steal something like that? Hand it over."
Shirley, eyes red and watery, clung to Fred, playing the victim hard. "Fred, don't be so harsh. Maybe Natalie just lost her head for a second and borrowed it to try it on."
I borrowed it to try it on?
She just made me look guilty as hell.
I looked up.
This time, I didn't cry or beg.
I stared right at Shirley, seeing past her flawless makeup to the phony face underneath.
"Go ahead and search me," I said.
I didn't raise my voice, but everyone heard me loud and clear.
"But if you find nothing, I want you to apologize to me."
Shirley paused for a moment, then her eyes narrowed with contempt.
Her system panel flashed overhead. [Target provocation detected. Turn up the humiliation.]
She was convinced that the ring was in my pocket.