Chapter 1: The System Came Too Early

Zhenan is a small county town in the south, where the late summer heat is unbearable.

Jiang Nian had just returned home when the refrigerator door opened, and a cloud of white mist rushed at his face.

He searched for a while, finally pulling out the few leftover slices of bread from morning and gnawed on them reluctantly. A little food settled in his stomach, and he finally felt better.

A buzz—his phone vibrated; someone was calling him.

Le Zhi, the class life committee member, a pimple-faced show-off, had added everyone in class to his QQ. He called it "uniting classmates," but really he was just after the girls' attention.

"Jiang Nian, Zhou Yuting's organizing a get-together—she told me to ask if you're coming?" Le Zhi's voice carried a hint of coaxing; he'd once said he liked Zhou Yuting.

To be honest, hardly any boy in class didn't like Zhou Yuting—including Jiang Nian.

Zhou Yuting had an oval face, willow-browed eyes, a slender waist, long legs, and beneath her summer uniform, breasts as soft as the spring ridgeline. Smart and rich, she was the class study committee member.

"No."

"Really not going? Don't you remember her birthday party?" Le Zhi urged. "Come on, she didn't mean it—she was just joking."

The moment he thought of the birthday party, Jiang Nian's anger flared.

A while back, Zhou Yuting celebrated her birthday with six or seven people over dinner.

Jiang Nian, out of kindness, went to the nearby convenience store to buy Water-Soluble C100. When he returned, he heard Liu Feipeng and several girls laughing at him.

"He didn't just bail, did he? We ordered quite a bit here. Probably thought it was split evenly—he doesn't know tonight's all paid for by Dapeng."

"Yeah, and he went on and on about how good that drink was. Does he even have a few bucks?"

"Haha, he's a warm guy—ranked right behind the dog."

The group laughed loudly, making Jiang Nian feel sick outside the private room. He heard Zhou Yuting's laughter—she'd always been close to him, yet said not a word in his defense.

Since then, Jiang Nian had seen through them—all worthless bastards.

If it weren't for Zhou Yuting's birthday party, he'd never have gone. Think you're rich? Your superiority comes from stepping on others. Ugly face, flashy tricks.

If I had money, I wouldn't even glance at someone like Zhou Yuting. I was blind before—fuck, this is how they really saw me!

"No. Let them have their fun." Jiang Nian sneered.

Le Zhi replied, "Alright, I'll tell Miss Zhou."

Jiang Nian set his phone down, leaned back on the sofa, and sighed deeply. The world had changed—when did kindness become a joke?

His chest rose and fell. Without money, you're bullied. With money, everything you do is right.

At the peak of his rage, a ding echoed in his mind. A semi-transparent panel appeared before him, white characters slowly forming line by line.

【At eighteen, you got into an ordinary second-tier university. After graduation, you joined a big company, worked yourself to liver failure, ran errands until your legs gave out—but got no promotion or raise.

At twenty-eight, your parents, desperate, urged you to go on blind dates. To protect your dignity, they carefully held out a savings card.

At thirty, the bride's family demanded 588,000 RMB as bride price. You bit your lip and took out loans for a house and car—1.34 million RMB. Gold and jewelry: 80,000 RMB. Gift for in-laws: 128,000 RMB. Change-of-name fee: 30,000 RMB. Arrival and departure gifts: 66,000 RMB.

At the wedding, the emcee asked the bride if she would marry you. She said no. In that moment, your ears rang; you stared at her face and felt like a stranger.

At thirty-two, you still married her. You and your wife lived in cold detachment. In a luxury hotel, guests filled the room, all smiling.

The bouquet was tossed high into the air, like a white pigeon soaring.

At thirty-five, you lost your job. Your wife grew more dissatisfied. You had no children. Your medical reports grew worse each time. Arguments grew more frequent.

At thirty-eight, your suitcase rolled across the floor as your wife sneered, calling you a waste. Your cracked phone lit up—your parents were calling, the ringtone kept ringing.

In the ruins, you bent down and lit a cigarette.

Host: Jiang Nian. Divorce Comeback System loaded…

Do you… have the courage… to begin… a comeback… at this crossroads of middle age?】

On the sofa, Jiang Nian stared at the words in his mind, frozen.

Divorce? Thirty-eight?

Huh?

Wait… this panel's describing me? Jiang Nian… the name's right. He sat there dazed for over ten minutes, skin prickling with goosebumps.

Suddenly, he snapped his head up—something struck him.

"No, I'm only eighteen!"

Holy shit, did this system come too early?

He stared at the final line of white text on the panel: Do you… have the courage… to begin… a comeback… at this crossroads of thirty or forty?

He reached out—two faint options appeared: Yes or No.

There was no real hesitation here. If the system was fake, he'd just played a life simulation game. If it was real, he had no reason to refuse.

Jiang Nian knew well how low poverty could make a person sink. He'd been relatively lucky—at least his parents bore the weight when the sky fell; his living standard wasn't bad.

But what if he couldn't shield his parents from the storm later?

In this world, you can be incompetent—but you cannot be poor. Hard work doesn't guarantee returns. Choose the wrong path, and every step after is wrong.

Choice: Yes.

The panel vibrated once, then displayed a new line of small text.

【Divorce Comeback Game loaded. Host: Jiang Nian, male, age: 38.

Your marriage failed. At the crossroads of middle age, you remembered your childhood sweetheart. After marriage, you cut off contact—no news of her since.

Re-establish contact with Xu Qianqian. Reward: 300 RMB.】

After reading, Jiang Nian grimaced. Why was this system so flowery?

But it didn't matter—money was all that counted.

Re-establish contact with his estranged childhood sweetheart, Xu Qianqian… Hmm… He stood up and paced around the living room. He opened the door, stared at Xu Qianqian's apartment across the hall, and fell into thought.

Hmm…

Bang! Bang! Bang!!

Jiang Nian pounded on the door with all his strength, "Xu Qianqian, what are you doing?!"

Before long, hurried footsteps came from behind the door, and before the person arrived, a crisp, bright voice stabbed out first.

"Get lost, Jiang Nian, are you trying to die?!"

Swoosh—the door was pulled open, revealing a sulky, delicate little face.

A slender, graceful young girl appeared, about a little over one meter sixty, wearing a cream-colored knit top, her chest bulging as if hiding treasure.

The girl's eyes were lively, her skin was Bai Xi, her brows like distant mountains, her smooth long hair tied up with a rubber band. He hadn't noticed before—she was a living, breathing great beauty in the making.

Too bad the two of them had never gotten along since childhood, and their relationship had deteriorated sharply since middle school.

Stealing Xu Qianqian's ice cream, flushing her pet turtle down the drain to "set it free."

When Xu Qianqian had a slight cold, he had, without a word of explanation, princess-carried her straight to the hospital, causing her to miss her exam—and Jiang Nian got the only first-in-class rank of his life.

With so many such misdeeds, the fact that he was still alive today he should thank Xu Qianqian for her grace of not killing him.