Melodramatic System Short Stories & Novels

On the very first day of my rebirth, I immediately quit my job, a dream position with a lucrative salary and weekends off. Instead, I went straight to a shady loan shark to borrow ten million dollars. In my past life, my boyfriend’s childhood best friend used a system to steal my hard-earned paychecks. She took my money and traveled the world with my boyfriend. She even went live online to donate money to retirement homes, praised by netizens everywhere as a literal angel. Meanwhile, the one million dollars I had saved up for my mother’s life-saving surgery after working overnight shifts was wiped out in an instant. I begged her to return my money. Yet, she put on a pathetic, innocent act. “Have some self-respect! If you want money, earn it yourself. Why are you forcing me to hand over mine?” My boyfriend sneered at me. “Why can’t you learn from her and be an independent woman? Would you die if you weren't so greedy?!” The very next day, rumors framing me as a gold-digger blew up across the internet, which led my mom to die of a heart attack. My boyfriend and his childhood friend took my one million dollars, bought a luxury sports car, and went on a joyride without a care in the world. As for me, I was smuggled into an offshore scam compound, turned into a cash-generating puppet, and ultimately died after having my organs harvested. This time around, I’d love to see how his childhood friend travels the world while carrying a massive, mountain-high debt!

Everyone in Harbor City knew that my father maintained two households, one in the north and one in the south. My mother and I lived in Northport, while he kept his lifesaver and her daughter in Southport Years ago, Evelyn Hart took a knife meant for him during an explosion at the docks. He promised her his devotion for life. My mother fought with him over it for more than a decade. The women in their social circle mocked her for clinging to her position as Mrs. Lawson when she could not even drive his so-called lifesaver away. That changed when my mother became pregnant with my little brother. Evelyn flew into a hysterical rage over the phone and pressured my father to give her an answer. That very night, my father took my mother to the hospital and forced her to terminate the pregnancy. "Ava, we can have more children in the future, but I can’t abandon her and her daughter." The night my little brother was gone, my mother suddenly stopped crying. She simply held me and whispered. "Minnie, I’m going home." I knew that my mother was a system agent. She would survive as long as she gave my father a son and a daughter. But now, the mission had failed. The countdown above my mother’s head kept ticking down day by day. I called my father again and again, crying and begging him to come home and see my mother. However, he only snapped coldly. "Hasn’t your mother caused enough trouble after all these years? Tell her to stop using you and her life to compete for my affection." But this time, my mother truly had not been bluffing. The day the countdown reached zero, she slowly stopped breathing in my arms. I wiped away my tears and called the hospital. From that day on, I had neither a father nor a mother.

After transmigrating through three novels in a row, the hardest thing I ever suffer through is drinking iced long black. But when I open my eyes again, I somehow become the pathetic simp side character in a trashy romance novel. Just as I debate whether to file a complaint against the system, the trembling system hurriedly explains something to me. Although this is a trashy romance novel, it is also an unfinished abandoned novel. I ask, "So you're saying I decide how the story develops?" The system replied, "Yes. Everything is completely under your control." Satisfied, I lazily stretch and begin checking the original Jacob's background. He has a trillionaire father and a billionaire mother. On top of that, he has seven rich and beautiful older sisters. With such a ridiculously overpowered setup, how can he go around simping for a broke college girl with no money? What a complete waste!

I had been trying to court Liam Castle for five years. The only thing I needed for the system to declare my mission a success was to obtain the marriage license. I was so close, but Liam had cancelled our marriage registration for the ninth time. "Friday? I can't do Friday. I have to meet Nora's parents." Liam continued to explain disinterestedly, "Her parents have been grilling her to get a boyfriend, so I have to pretend to be her boyfriend so they'll let it rest. Why don't you ask the system for another month's extension? "Just tell the system you'll trade one month of your future lifespan for the extension, as you've always done. "We'll get married after I help deal with Nora's parents." He had always been aware of the system as well as the procedures for extending the deadline. What he did not know was that if I failed the mission, I only had ten months left to live. Now that he had extended it nine times, I was only one more extension from death. I decided I was done waiting for him. With that, I asked the system, "System, I remember you told me that, besides extending the deadline, I can also switch to a different target… "In that case, could I change the target?"

My mission to win her love had failed, and the system told me I could leave this world in fifteen days. As soon as I heard the news, I agreed to the divorce my wife wanted. I stopped making a scene whenever she left me behind to take care of her childhood friend. I stopped screaming myself hoarse when she spent my money on vacations with him. At first, she even praised me for being understanding. Then she smiled and told me she planned to marry him, and I still didn't react. She began to panic.

I was bound to a Blessed Lineage System and thrown into a world of shifters. After a rabbit shifter named Rowan saved me, we slowly fell in love. Together, we had three little rabbit babies. But soon, the other shifter clans discovered my strange gift. While Rowan was out hunting, they took me away and forced me to bear their heirs. Rabbit shifters were born weak. To bring me back, Rowan fought with everything he had in the arena, only to be beaten down by the stronger clans. All he could do was watch as they dragged me away. When I finally escaped and returned to him, he did not despise me. Instead, he treated me even more tenderly, doing everything he could to make it up to me. But over the next five years, I was taken eight times. Again and again, I gave birth to children who were not his. I begged the system to send me home. But it told me I could never go back. Then, one day, I was taken again. Before I lost consciousness, I heard Rowan speaking to a wolf shifter. “Don’t hurt Ayla. She’s afraid of pain. Once she gives birth, send her back to me.” The wolf shifter let out a cold laugh. “She’s just a breeding vessel. Why are you acting so worried? Don’t worry. You’ll get what I promised. I’m far more generous than that black serpent.” Only then did I understand. Rowan had been trading me for resources all along. And because I was afraid he would blame himself, I had foolishly endured all that pain for him. I had almost given up completely. Then the system’s cold voice, silent for so long, suddenly rang in my mind. [Ding. System mission updated. Once the host has continued the bloodline of every shifter clan, she may return to her original world.] I froze. Only two clans were left. The wolves. And the foxes.

For three years, Hallie Larson has managed to keep her affair so carefully hidden that I can't find a single trace of the other man. Once, I find a pair of men's underwear in the back seat of her car, still warm, as if someone has only just taken them off. Other times, I notice fresh, suspicious marks behind her ear. Every time, I lose my temper. I tear through the house, demanding to know who the man is. Hallie only furrows her brow, looking more exhausted than guilty. "Sebastian, how long are you going to keep imagining things? If you're going to accuse me of cheating, then at least show me the man you claim exists." So, I start following her everywhere, 24 hours a day. I even call every relative and friend I can think of, asking them to stake out hotels with me so we can finally catch her in the act. But every time we force open a hotel room door, we find nothing. Mwanehilwe, Hallie is sitting calmly on the couch, a faint, mocking smile playing on her lips. "Go ahead," she says. "Search the room." On the way out of the room, my mother takes my hand and sighs. "Sebastian, trust is the most important thing in a marriage. You keep making a scene like this every day. What do you think you're doing to Hallie's reputation?" Even my best friend tries to talk some sense into me. "Maybe you're under too much stress. Maybe you're imagining all of this." But I can't forget what I see on Hallie's collarbone—a faint trace of moisture she hasn't completely wiped away. It's so out of place, so suspicious, that I can't bring myself to dismiss it.

I have an ability in which I can see the countdown to someone's emotional departure. The day Dad's countdown hits zero, he leaves behind divorce papers and abandons Mom and me. The day my best friend's countdown hits zero, she finally dumps her jerk of a boyfriend. I'm always terrified of seeing a countdown appear above Levi Hammond's head. But thankfully, seven years into our marriage, his head is still clear. I am thankful every day that I married a good man. However, when he picks me up from work last month, I look up and see bright red text burning into my vision. [702 days, 14 hours, 22 minutes.] That's less than two years from now. My heart clenches, and I frantically search for answers in my head. Have I done something wrong? Has he changed his mind? Things don't fall into place until our anniversary, when we run into his intern, Belinda Manning, outside his office building during a torrential downpour. She's soaked to the skin, but she still has a bright smile on her face. Levi hands her a pack of tissues to dry off, his face unreadable. However, in that instant, the countdown suddenly jumps. [327 days, 4 hours, 47 minutes.] The number of days has dropped by more than 300. The sound of rain is deafening in my ears. But I know now that I have found the reason for it.

My wife's family ran on the old logic: sons mattered, daughters were a tax. They called my five-year-old daughter "the cash drain" to her face. On New Year's Day, my wife told me my daughter was donating a kidney to her cousin. I was about to lose it on every adult in that room when something appeared in the air in front of me, a column of text only I could see: [Is this woman seriously the mother? She says it's a kidney transplant, but she actually wants the kid's heart.] [If I had a mom like that I'd have cut her off years ago.]

After I fail my mission, the system grants me three days to say goodbye. For the first time, I become the perfect husband in Kristen Snowe's eyes. I stop waiting up for her when she doesn't come home. I stop fighting with her over the money she keeps giving to her childhood friend, Jake Leigh. On the first day, she scoffs at me. "If you'd acted like this from the beginning, I wouldn't feel so sick and tired of you!" On the second day, she starts to get suspicious. "That's it? You're not mad? You're not up to something, are you?" By the third day, she's the one falling apart. "Honey… Why aren't you jealous anymore?" I smile. "Isn't this exactly what you wanted?"

I’ve cheated on my boyfriend, Julian, three times. The first time, I dumped him because he was broke and hooked up with his boss. The second time, I thought he was getting too old, so I went after a younger personal trainer. By the third time, I was just bored and wanted someone new. But right then, floating text flashed across my vision. “She has no idea he’s the missing heir to a multi-billion-dollar empire.” “Seriously. He gave her three chances to live in luxury, and she blew every single one.” I froze and looked at Julian. His fists were clenched and tears welled up in his bloodshot eyes. "Are you sure you want to leave me?" he asked. I shook my head, heart pounding. "What if I said... I'm mostly done cheating now? Would you forgive me?”

My sister, Luna Rivers, is famous in Bridgeburg for being absurdly devoted to her little brother. She spends millions of dollars to throw a party for my 18th birthday. But on the day of the party, she personally locks me inside a small dark room. By the time I smash the door open and stagger into the ballroom, covered in blood from head to toe, she is gently holding another man's hand as they cut the birthday cake that should be mine. That man looks exactly like me. Even the scar on his wrist is identical to mine. I barely take a step forward to demand an explanation when a flood of messages suddenly explode across my vision. "The male supporting character is hilarious. He's just an adopted stand-in. Why's he getting jealous of the main character?" "Just wait. Later, he goes completely insane trying to compete for affection. The female lead will break his arms and legs, then have him admitted to a mental hospital. Serves him right!" The blood in my veins turns to ice. Luna spots me. Her first reaction is to shield the man protectively behind her. Then she snaps coldly, "Don't make a scene. Jeremy is my real brother. I'll explain everything later." Jeremy? We have the same name and the same scar. I really am the perfect replacement.

Sadie White abandoned me for the 99th time on my birthday to find her old crush, who was threatening suicide. I told the System that this was the last straw. I was done trying to win her heart. I had spent 12 years giving it everything I had, hoping to win her over and bring some light into her world, yet it had all been for nothing. The System told me that if I died here, I could return to my original world. The first time, I tried to slit my wrist. Sadie kicked down the door and rushed me to the hospital, then angrily accused me of trying to manipulate her emotionally and get her attention. The second time, I overdosed on sleeping pills. She broke into my room just in time, wrapped her arms tightly around me, and told me she was sorry. Well, there was always gonna be next time.

Seven years after waking inside a novel, I had confessed to Claire Monroe ninety-nine times and been rejected every time. The moment I told the System I was giving up on my mission, Claire suddenly confessed to me instead. I was about to say yes when I started hearing my family's thoughts. [In our last life, this monster nearly got Ryan killed. Thank God we were all reborn. Once they're married, I'll cut off his arms and legs!] [Why wasn't he the one who died instead of my Ryan?] [If it weren't for Ryan, I would rather die than marry this bastard.] A flood of vicious thoughts crashed over me, and the world started to spin. The redemption I'd been so sure of was nothing but a joke.

After I switched bodies with my driver, I ended up trapped in the body of an overweight, unattractive man everyone looked down on. My sister Joanne Harper and my fiancée, Serena Lane, did everything they could to find a way to switch us back. Joanne hired an exorcist and even gave her own blood for the ritual. Serena climbed three thousand icy steps to a remote mountaintop chapel in the middle of a blizzard, dropping to her knees in prayer every few steps. But Julian Brown, now living in my body, looked at them pitifully. “My romance system says we can only switch back if both of you truly fall in love with me.” From that day on, Joanne appeared to indulge his every whim, buying him sports cars and mansions. Behind his back, she made it up to me tenfold, a hundredfold. In public, Serena kissed him and acted affectionate. The moment she turned away, she looked like she wanted to scrub herself head to toe with disinfectant. I thought they were forcing themselves through all of it for my sake. Until one day, I accidentally overheard my sister talking to my fiancée. “The exorcist said that in three more days, they’ll be stuck like this permanently.” “Julian is so innocent. He deserves a good life. Asher’s always been spoiled and arrogant. Maybe this will finally teach him a lesson.” What they didn’t know was that I had a system too. And if I didn’t get my body back in three days, I would die.

On the Lunaris Festival, the palace banquet glittered with candlelight. It lasted until the Crown Prince rose and dismissed every consort of his for the sake of his first love, the woman he had never stopped idolizing. Everyone else accepted the gold coins from the prince and returned home for reunions. I had nowhere to go. I found a rope and hanged myself at the gate of the Withered Court. I had been reborn into this world and spent 21 years locked in the System's mission. It demanded that I court four designated male leads and earn absolute affection from at least one of them. I failed every route. The final path collapsed in my hands. The System offered one last mercy. If this body died, I could return home and reunite with my family. As my consciousness slipped away, I thought I heard someone scream my name, as if the world itself were breaking.

Just as I'm on the verge of successfully completing my mission, my System suddenly crashes and is replaced by a new one. That's when I learn the truth that Cherie Blackstone's agreement to marry me is fake from the very beginning. Not only does she already have a lover, but even her affection for me is also entirely feigned. She loathes me, the person who has been constantly pursuing her since childhood. Even her moments of intimacy with me are merely a ploy to let her true love be reborn inside my body. The new System can't bear to watch the situation get any worse and chooses to reveal the truth to me. It lets me make a choice. "If you choose to abandon the mission now, you will die together with her true love. But if you choose to complete the mission, you will receive a new body as compensation for the System switch. "However, before you receive your new body, you will lose all your memories and eventually die." So, does that mean I would forget Cherie and have her watch me die in the end? Of course I choose to continue with the mission with a deal like that.

Everyone said Finley Floyd was a total family man. His dad had been dead for twenty years, and he still found him a wife. Then he started calling me—someone two years younger than him—"Mommy." Yeah. My hand slipped. I accidentally assigned the affection points to the wrong role. And somehow, Finley really believed I was his mother. When I told him—again—that I wasn't his mom, he snapped. He yanked me into his arms and buried his face against me. "You are Mommy!"

I'm a good luck charm to my wife by nature. After marrying me, Heather Seymour, who's crippled because of a car crash, miraculously stands up on her own and gets to ditch the wheelchair. On top of that, her business is booming as well. In less than half a year, she successfully establishes her own company. After Heather's company goes public, she tells me with a smile that she wants to give me a huge gift at the celebration party. I'm filled with anticipation, thinking that Heather finally wants to fulfill her promise of having a child with me. But instead, Heather is seen lacing fingers with her subordinate, Lucas Mallard, at the celebration party. Not only does she announce her relationship with Lucas, but she also tosses me a divorce agreement. Her expression remains icy as she says, "Randall Grahm, if it wasn't for the fact that I got into an accident when Lucas was studying abroad, I wouldn't have married you, to begin with! "Now that my legs have recovered, my company is listed, and I'm pregnant with Lucas' baby, it's high time for you to return the position as the CEO's husband to him! Our family of three will finally be whole again!" It turns out that Heather married me just so I can take over the responsibilities of taking care of her back then. Everyone thinks that I'll go ballistic from rage, so they can't wait to see me humiliate myself. But I just agree with the divorce with a smile before dropping my signature on the paperwork. What Heather doesn't know is that I'm only a good luck charm to her simply because of the system I'm bound to. Once the divorce is official, the things that I've given to her—that are exchanged from the system—will be taken back one by one!

The System told me that, as a mission taker, I stood a chance of resurrecting my beloved if I cleared the game. As such, I dedicated my heart and spirit to charm the villainess, even if it meant dying ninety-nine times. When I played the game for the hundredth time, she sent me into a room with a deviant, just to satisfy her crush's whims. "You're not going to die anyway. I don't mind letting you be my boyfriend if you just make Henry laugh." She didn't know that there was a hidden rule—once I played the game a hundred times, my wish of resurrecting my beloved would be granted, success notwithstanding. I shall hence disappear from her world without a trace.