The world smelled like whiskey and regrets.
When Shen Rui opened his eyes again, it wasn't to the sterile white of the hospital where his enemies had left him to bleed out. The ceiling above him was carved in deep mahogany, the beams shaped into swirling patterns of dragons and lotus blooms. Cool air brushed against his skin, and sunlight filtered in through half-drawn silk curtains, casting slivers of gold across a room far too elegant for a man who had just died.
The last thing he remembered was the knife. Cold, sharp, efficient. The voice of his assistant cold flat and unemotional as he gave the order. Shen Rui, the man who had clawed his way to the top of the entertainment industry, was betrayed and discarded. But now, against all logic, he found himself young again.
Somewhere within him, a low hum resonated, almost like a distant whisper threading through his bones.
Retake System: Booting…
Welcome, Shen Rui. You have been granted a second chance.
Objective: Retake your life. Protect her.
Initializing base functions… BP: 10,000.00 and PP: 0.0
New Mission: Encounter the woman who mourned your death.
The words lingered just long enough to register before vanishing into the quiet air. There were no holograms, no blinking screens, just the sense that they had always existed inside him.
Shen Rui inhaled slowly, the weight of memory pressing down on his chest. But this wasn't a dream. The air was too real. The pain too recent.
He moved to the mirror. The reflection that met him was younger, unburdened by time. No scars. No grey at the temples. The face of a man still full of potential, not the one who had died hardened and alone. Folded neatly in the corner of the bathroom sat a designer suit. A phone buzzed gently nearby.
Reminder: Blind Date at 10:00 AM. Taoyuan Café. Arranged by Elder Shen.
The old man's wish echoed faintly, settle down and get married. He had ignored the matchmaking attempts in his previous life. The women introduced had all been plastic smiles and thinly veiled ambition.
But this time, only one name flashed in his mind: Jiang Yue.
She had attended his funeral. She had wept when no one else had. Her tears hadn't been for his empire or his money, they had been for him, the man beneath the suits and press releases. She had once been just a shadow at the edge of his world. Now, she was the centre of it.
He had this one chance. He wouldn't waste it.
He pulled on the suit, every motion surreal. The silk slid over his arms, familiar yet foreign. In the mirror, he practiced his smile. It didn't reach his eyes.
Taoyuan Cafe was a small sanctuary tucked between two bookstores. Warm brick framed the glass exterior, and sunlight spilled through the windows, painting the wooden floor with quiet light. The scent of cinnamon and fresh espresso lingered in the air.
Shen Rui sat by the window, his watch ticking softly. He wore the suit from earlier, fitting him like a second skin. Outside, the world moved slowly. Inside, time stilled. His eyes tracked each person that entered, but none matched the image in his mind.
At 10:05, she arrived.
Jiang Yue stepped into the cafe with the quiet confidence of someone who had fought too many battles to be easily intimidated. Her coat was worn but clean, her boots scuffed but functional. Her hair was tied back, her features sharp and tired. There was no smile. Just a direct gaze as she approached.
She sat without preamble, setting her phone face-down.
"I'm not here to flirt or pretend," she said. "I don't care about your background, Mr. Shen. I need a name on a marriage license. Three months. Then we go our separate ways."
There was no hesitation in her voice, only necessity. He studied her carefully—the way she held herself, the way she kept her guard up. In another life, she had mourned him. In this one, she was barely surviving.
"Why three months?" he asked.
"There's a role I want. The producer only hires actresses with stable public images either married or engaged. It's stupid, but I need the job."
"And why choose me?"
"You didn't look like a man who would ask questions."
That made him smile, faint and amused. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a pen.
"Alright," he said. "Let's make it official."
Jiang Yue blinked. "You're agreeing?"
"I'm not looking for love either. Just someone quiet."
"I'm not quiet."
"I know."
A silence settled between them—not uncomfortable, but weighted. Not everything needed to be spoken. The pen moved between them. Contracts were signed. The moment solidified not just legally, but cosmically.
That night, the penthouse glowed under soft lighting. The marriage contract lay signed and sealed on the table. His legal team had moved with swift efficiency. Jiang Yue hadn't asked for money, only access to the legal status she needed.
She settled into the guest room with barely a word. She kept to herself, neither hostile nor warm. Shen Rui passed her room once and saw her standing by the window, hand resting on the glass.
He didn't disturb her.
Mission Complete: Establish Legal Marriage with Jiang Yue + 1,000.00 BP
New Mission Unlocked: "Influence Her Career Path Without Detection"
Hidden Stat Unlocked: Emotional Resonance (Low)
But to Shen Rui, this wasn't about numbers. It was about something deeper. He watched her silhouette as if it were art. The kind that only revealed its meaning in silence.
He remembered the hospital room that was cold, silent and abandoned. No visitors. No final words.
Except one.
Jiang Yue had come alone. She found the cremation room. No one knew how. She had left a lily on his urn and whispered,
"I wish you'd lived a little more selfishly."
Then disappeared.
The rooftop balcony stretched wide beneath the stars. Shen Rui stood in the quiet, the city below glowing like molten gold. Somewhere inside, Jiang Yue slept.
She had unknowingly changed everything.
He hadn't come back to rewrite his story.
He had come to build hers.
No more shadows. No more pain.
Not this time.
And in the hush of night, as wind whispered past glass and steel, he made his silent vow:
Whatever fate had planned, he would rewrite it.
For her.