Chapter 388: Chapter 386: This Is Too Crazy
"My name is Mia Grant."
"I’m from Nynton. I don’t remember how old I am now. Anyway, when I died, I was college-aged. But I never went to college."
"My father passed away when I was very young. His family took all the compensation money, so my mother had no choice but to take me with her when she remarried."
"She married a repairman, and he had a son a year or two younger than me."
"At first, life was okay."
"But over time, their true colors showed. Even the kindest-seeming people can turn ugly."
"At home, I had to guard against my stepfather’s advances. At school, I had to deal with my stepbrother’s harassment and being ostracized by my classmates."
"Maybe it was because I had a decent-looking face, but my personality was timid and quiet. I was like an invisible outcast in my class."
"Eventually, I ran away from that home."
"The price was that even though I loved to study and had good grades, I didn’t continue my education."
"My life was ruined, just like that."
"I sometimes wondered, if I had submitted to my stepfather back then, would I have been able to continue my studies? Could I have gotten into a top university, moved to the capital, gotten far, far away from them, and started a new life?"
"But there are no ’what ifs’."
"Even if I could do it all over again, I would make the same choice."
"The consequence of that choice was that my life became incredibly hard for a time."
"Because I wasn’t an adult, there weren’t many jobs I could find."
"I also nearly went down the wrong path."
"I don’t know why, even when things were so tough, I couldn’t let go of my so-called dignity. What’s the point of having principles? Can they fill your stomach?"
"But I was too young, and I stubbornly stuck to one path, determined to see it through to the end."
"So I lived a wretched life, relying on my own two hands. Just like most people in this world who feel life is unfair but still live on with optimism, I worked hard just to fill my stomach."
"I didn’t think my future would ever change, but I never thought about ending my own life, either."
"Maybe God truly never smiled on me. One winter night, I was holding a windfall, on the very eve of starting a new life, and then... I was just gone."
"My death was very sudden. But to say I wasn’t blessed at all wouldn’t be quite right. Because now, I’m here."
"I don’t know how to explain all this."
"But there is indeed something in my mind called a ’system,’ and it’s sounding an alarm right now."
"This is the world of a novel, and you are one of the male leads."
"But I am not your female lead."
"It was all a bizarre mistake."
"You asked what I want to do. It’s because I feel like I’ve forgotten a lot of things, and I don’t want to live my life in a confused haze."
"So, I’m going to challenge the rules."
"If this world ends up collapsing, then I will be the sinner here."
"I might regret it, but if I had to do it all over, I would still do the same thing."
"Well, that’s the end of today’s pre-dinner story."
"Are you satisfied?"
Mia Grant leaned back, a smile on her face as she looked at the man across from her.
Yates Donovan had long prepared himself to receive this information, but hearing it still felt like a blow to the head, leaving his thoughts in a jumble.
"I don’t want to go out," Yates Donovan said.
Mia Grant tilted her head, her gaze unreadable.
"So, can I smoke in here? Just half a cigarette will do."
Mia Grant nodded.
’Anyone who heard those words would find it impossible to remain calm.’
’Never mind him; my own heart is racing.’
’If I could, I’d like a cigarette to calm my nerves, too.’
’I know this is insane.’
’Otherwise, the system wouldn’t be blaring its alarm.’
’It’s so damn loud.’
"Can I ask a question?"
"Of course," Mia Grant smiled.
"I’m in your dreams, and you’re in mine. It’s like a complete, real story. According to what you’ve said, if I only exist in this novel’s world, why would I appear in your world?"
"That’s the very question that’s been tormenting me. It made me unable to tell what was real. A while ago, the system was gone, and I thought its previous appearance had just been a hallucination."
"So I went to see a psychiatrist. But today, it suddenly reappeared. It won’t answer my questions, though, so this is the only way."
"I don’t want you to stop me. Because if you do, this plan to fake my death might very well turn into me actually dying before all of you."
The subtext was clear: If you stop me, I’ll kill myself.
Yates Donovan’s hand paused as he was lighting his cigarette. The next second, he looked up and gave her a deep, long look.
"So, does Simon Adler know about this?"
"No. I’d probably be locked up as a lunatic, wouldn’t I?"
"So I’m the first one?"
"Yes."
The man laughed. He choked on the smoke, making his laughter sound a bit ragged, but he kept laughing.
He looked very happy.
"Alright."
"What can I do for you?"
"Are you sure you want to help me? If you do this, you and everyone else will die. And so will I."
"Whatever. If I go before you, I can get everything ready for you down there."
The two exchanged a look and smiled at each other.
"Simon Adler helped me contact a reliable doctor."
Mia Grant sent him the forged medical report from Simon Adler. "Actually, it’s hard to fool everyone this way."
"So, for the sake of authenticity, I told Simon Adler to make his move against the Grant couple and Serena Grant as quickly as possible—and to be merciless."
"Even a cornered rabbit will bite."
"What do you mean?" Yates Donovan’s brow twitched.
The medical report only said that Mia Grant had a terminal illness.
But from the sound of it, it seemed she didn’t intend to use that tactic.
"I’m betting they’ll hire someone to kill me, or to kidnap me."
Yates Donovan put down his phone, suppressed his emotions, and tried to reason with her in as steady a tone as possible. "If you push them too far, they really will resort to lethal measures. Betting your life on the actions of others is not a wise decision."
"But it’s the most realistic way,"
Mia Grant said.
"..." Yates Donovan was so angry his hands were shaking.
"It doesn’t really matter. If this world is truly going to collapse in the end, then my death is a foregone conclusion anyway."
"I’ve already made up my mind. This is how it’s going to be."
"If things go smoothly, we’ll see results by next week."
"...Give me some time. I’ll help you come up with a foolproof plan. There’s no need to go to such extremes."
"Simon Adler is an idiot, but I’ll help you think of a better..."
"No need," Mia Grant cut him off coolly.
"I just need you to cooperate with me."
The rest of the meal was tense. As it was ending, Yates Donovan clung to a sliver of hope and asked, "Felix Sinclair has been working hard on it. The answers you want might not be far off."
"You know better than I do how difficult that is."
Mia Grant managed a smile. "I really want to know... what other stories took place between me and all of you."
"You’re looking forward to it too, aren’t you?"
At that moment, Yates Donovan was finally certain: Mia Grant was even crazier than he was.
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