Chapter 1

After two failed missions, Hendrick Campbell followed the system's advice and assumed a new identity as Cameron Campbell's twin brother. Thanks to his striking resemblance to Cameron, he managed to marry Lexie Shelton.

For eight years, he stood faithfully by her side until her affection level finally reached 99%.

He genuinely thought he had won.

Then Cameron came back and needed heart surgery. Lexie wanted Hendrick's heart.

She said without a care in the world, "I know you're a system host. You won't actually die before your mission is done. It's just a heart. Once this body gives out, you can just get a new identity and come back to me."

At that moment, Hendrick understood everything.

He finally knew why her affection level had always stuck at 99% and refused to budge.

She was using it to hold him hostage.

Whenever Hendrick refused, her affection level dropped by 1%.

In the end, she even spelled it out for him. "What's the point of fighting this? Even if you say no, you're stuck with me. You've still got your system's mission to run, and until it's finished, you don't have a choice except to keep pleasing me.

"If you just agree, I'll actually feel sorry for you, and my affection for you might even go up. Why can't you just be smart about this?"

Be smart about it.

Hendrick laughed until tears streamed down his face.

Lexie was undeniably smart. With an IQ of 153, she had climbed the ranks to become a top cardiothoracic surgeon at a remarkably young age.

Even her feelings had been broken down into numbers, measured out like liquid in a lab beaker. She used the faintest glimmer of hope to force him into compromise after compromise.

Right then, Hendrick realized that Lexie didn't dislike him. She was simply too cold and heartless.

In the end, even Nina Campbell, their daughter, whom he had cared for over the past seven years, turned out just like Lexie. "If you won't give Uncle Cameron your heart, I'm never calling you Dad again."

The hearts in that mother-daughter pair were like cold, unyielding blocks of iron that could never be warmed up.

Since that was how it was going to be, he refused to waste another eight years of his life.

"I've thought about it. If you guys want my heart so badly, you can have it," Hendrick said quietly.

At the same time, he spoke to the system in his mind. "Once this body dies, switch me to a new target."

[Are you sure you want to switch targets, Hendrick? Once you do, you and Lexie will have zero ties left, though you'll be reborn with a brand-new identity.]

"I'm sure."

Cutting ties completely sounded wonderful. He was done trying to win Lexie over.

A flash of surprise crossed Lexie's face, clearly not expecting him to cave so easily.

Sensing something off about Hendrick, she frowned, but she didn't think too much of it. "Come inside and rest first."

As soon as they stepped through the front door, Nina shoved something right into his face and looked down at him with an imperious glare. "Useless Dad, fix this!"

It was a broken toy car.

Judging by the style, it belonged to Cameron's son, Blake Campbell.

A bitter, cynical laugh escaped Hendrick's lips.

That mother-daughter duo was hopelessly devoted, extending their affection even to Blake.

Seeing him laugh, Nina frowned in irritation. "I need this fixed by tomorrow. Get it done right now."

Hendrick turned his gaze away coldly. "I can't."

The toy car had intricate mechanisms that made it far from easy to repair. It was a job that couldn't be rushed.

He had been standing out in the freezing cold for three hours, and his hands and feet were entirely numb. He couldn't do delicate work right now.

Nina threw a tantrum on the spot. "Why are you so useless? You can't do anything right. I already promised Blake I'd bring him a working one tomorrow, so you have to do it today!"