Chapter 1: I Want to Complain

Bang!

Hiss!

Song Huan’s head slammed against the bedpost, causing her to gasp sharply.

“Just bear with it, young lady,” a woman’s impatient voice snapped beside her. “The Marquis hasn’t returned to his chambers yet. You can’t move the bridal veil on your head.”

Song Huan didn’t reply, her mind still reeling. She gently rubbed her forehead, a faint shimmer of tears welling in her clear eyes.

The woman’s gaze turned contemptuous. “Such a low-class thing…” she muttered under her breath.

Song Huan blinked, confused.

As her senses gradually returned, she lowered her gaze to the crimson veil blocking her vision. A red bridal veil. It seemed she had transmigrated into the world of the novel My Husband Wields Supreme Power.

The candlelight cast the woman’s shadow across Song Huan’s eyes, and a red Life Value warning flashed above it.

This was the System that had brought Song Huan into the book world—her only cheat ability. Whenever someone nearby had less than twelve hours of life remaining, a red frame would appear above their head.

But that was all—a damn useless skill.

Song Huan silently cursed. Recalling the original owner of this body and her fleeting, insignificant role in the novel, she felt a headache coming on.

The first mention of the original owner came when the male lead sent his men to investigate the villain, Pei Yan. The report stated: “Pei Yan once had a wife, the eldest daughter of a minor seventh-rank official, named Song Huan. She died suddenly on their wedding night, her true cause of death still under investigation. Furthermore, a month after Song Huan’s death, Pei Yan ordered the extermination of the Song family.”

The only other mention came when Pei Yan defended himself to the female lead. He claimed that Song Huan had been poisoned before their marriage—the poison took effect on their wedding night, causing her to vomit blood and die. He insisted he had no part in her death.

Beyond those two instances, the original owner was never mentioned again.

In short, the System had assigned Song Huan a character who was utterly insignificant—a background character behind the background. She couldn’t even find satisfaction in knowing the full story.

Song Huan remembered this pitiful role because she shared the same name. When she first read those passages, she always felt a chill down her spine…

A few days after finishing the book, she died a gruesome death—her body torn to pieces.

Unable to reincarnate, she was instead sent to live in the novel’s world.

However, something went wrong with the damn System. Song Huan was supposed to transmigrate after the original Song Huan had died from poisoning. She should have taken her place afterward.

Instead, she closed her eyes amidst a blinding white light, only to slam her head against a bedpost. When she opened her eyes again, she was here.

***

The candlelight flickered in the room. An exquisite array of pastries adorned a nearby table, while a set of ceremonial items sat neatly arranged on a high table: a veil-lifting rod, a pot of wine, and a pair of white jade cups.

Song Huan touched her lips—they were clean.

Clearly, the original Song Huan hadn’t yet been poisoned. Had she arrived too early?

“System?”

“……”

“Administrator?”

“……”

“Did you mess up the timing? Or is there some extra mission I can complete to earn Life Value?”

Before transmigrating, the Administrator had shown her the System’s manual and a stack of survival guides for various novel worlds—including a “Rebirth Manual.” Since her original character was supposed to die, Song Huan had to complete daily tasks to stay alive.

But according to protocol, the System should have granted her an initial Life Value based on the world she was entering.

She checked the Life Value panel. Still grayed out. No transaction history.

She sent message after message, but the System remained unresponsive.

Song Huan’s heart began to pound. All the manuals she’d studied were useless if the System was offline.

“Damn System!” she cursed under her breath.

At that moment, an alarm blared in her ears: Beep-beep-beep! A red frame flashed on her bridal veil, displaying white text: Friendly Reminder: Dear Song Huan, your Life Value has only half an hour remaining.

Song Huan gasped, then exploded: “Holy shit!”

This damned System is a trap!

Before she could react further, the doors and windows of the room shattered simultaneously. Black-clad figures burst through, instantly killing her dowry matron and maids.

Song Huan tore off her bridal veil. Her eyes widened as she watched the matron and maids fall, their throats slit in a single stroke.

At the same moment, a cold blade pressed against her neck…

Everything happened too fast. Song Huan dared not make a sound, eyes fixed on the black-clad figure holding her fate in their hands.

Her bright eyes shimmered like water, as if conveying affection in a single glance.

The assassin’s blade paused imperceptibly.

That hesitation gave her a sliver of a chance. With a sharp whoosh, a short blade flew through the air, slicing across the assassin’s neck before embedding in the bedpost with a dull thud.

Blood gushed from his throat. His eyes widened in disbelief.

A tall, elegant figure in crimson wedding robes appeared—like a divine being summoned from the heavens.

Is that Pei Yan?

His aura was overwhelming, towering as if he stood two meters eighty!

Song Huan’s eyes lit up instantly, her affection for Pei Yan soaring.

But before she could savor it, she was yanked back violently. The cold edge of a blade once again pressed against her throat.

Song Huan: ...Speechless with despair. …Wanting to cry.

What kind of plot twist is this?! Wasn’t she supposed to die from poison, coughing up blood? This looks more like getting her throat cut and bleeding out!

She sent the message to the System, wording it as gently as she could despite her fury.

No response.

“Marquis Pei, hand over the military seal of the Pei Family Army, and we might spare this little lady’s life.”

The assassin’s tone was chilling, sending cold shivers down Song Huan’s spine.

The military seal? Ha!

In the novel, even after falling for the female lead, Pei Yan only ever handed over a fake seal under extreme threats.

This assassin was overestimating her worth.

A cold wind swept through the room. Song Huan’s hands and feet turned icy.

Moonlight illuminated half of Pei Yan’s chiseled face. He smiled faintly as he stepped into the shadows. His voice was calm, clear as a mountain spring—yet his words were icy: “Delusional. Kill her if you want.”

“……” Song Huan had expected this. She cast him a numb glance and frantically tapped on the System interface.

What the hell? System, get your ass over here!

You gave me only half an hour of Life Value! That’s robbery!

Mommy, are you trying to kill me off on purpose?!

Waaah, I’ll never badmouth you again! Just give me a mission!

Waaah…

“……”

The damned System stayed silent like a dead chicken.

“Kill,” Pei Yan ordered with a wave of his hand.

Shadow guards swarmed from the darkness.

Realizing they couldn’t escape Pei Manor, the assassin opted for a suicide move. His sword slashed toward Song Huan!

“Ugh…” The plot unfolded like a tornado.

Song Huan clutched her throat, blood gushing between her fingers.

You bastard!

She didn’t even know who to curse. Darkness fell, and her soul floated weightlessly from her body.

Pei Yan appeared silently beside her. As she collapsed, his sword pierced the assassin’s heart.

***

When she came to, she was surrounded by a blinding white void. This time, the Administrator was nowhere to be found.

Only a bold, black message appeared: Welcome to the System Space Transit Station.

System: [Dear user, your current resurrection mission has failed. You have three remaining rebirth attempts. Would you like to continue targeting the villain Pei Yan, or choose one of the other two novels for your next mission?] 

Song Huan sneered. “Heh. Why should this count as a failed attempt?”

System: [Dear user, incorrect response. Please try again.] 

Song Huan: “Are you a human or a machine? I want to speak to a human customer rep.”

System: [Dear, your reply is in the wrong format.] 

System: [If you’ve forgotten the correct format, I can provide a pop-up menu with options.] 

System: [Would you like a pop-up menu? Reply with ‘1’ for yes, or ‘0’ for no.] 

Song Huan: “Fuck off!”

System: [Dear, your reply is in the wrong format.] 

Song Huan: “I want to speak to the Administrator!”

System: [Dear, your reply is in the wrong format.] 

Holy shit.

The Administrator wasn’t coming back. Resigned, she replied, “0.”

System: [You’ve chosen ‘no.’ Returning to the original question. Would you like it resent?] 

“Oh, sweetie, no need,” she said sweetly. She refused to believe there wasn’t a real human on the other end!

System: [ Understood. Please reply within one minute, or the system will automatically transport you to the second world.]

A red countdown timer popped up.

“……”

“Fine! You win! I’ll keep trying to conquer Pei Yan!”

She roared the words, cheeks flushed with frustration.

She had only three reincarnation chances. The other two options?

Dinosaur World Escape. And Zombie World Escape.

Compared to being stomped or bitten to death, Song Huan preferred humans!

Besides, she knew this novel’s plot. Even as a background character, she knew the big picture!

She had this!

But now she suspected the System was trying to sabotage her.

“I’m filing a complaint! You sent me back before the poisoning! That wasn’t a failed mission—it was your mistake!”

She floated cross-legged. “This isn’t working. You’re supposed to guide lost souls to salvation, not frustrate them into despair.”

System: [Please wait. Conducting system self-check.] 

The timer paused. Three seconds left.

System: [No errors found. Rebirth time was correct.] 

“Impossible!” Song Huan fumed.

System: [Please consult your personal Rebirth Manual for details.] 

This time, the System even dropped the usual “dear,” clearly done with her complaints.

Song Huan quickly pulled out the Rebirth Manual. In tiny text, it read: According to system regulations, a deviation of up to two hours before or after the host’s designated rebirth time is considered normal.

“……”

Her face darkened.

When she looked up again, her soul suddenly lost its weight.