After Binding the Deathwish System, the Tables Turned

The day Vivian forced the divorce papers on me, I was bound to the Deathwish System. The system’s command echoed in my head: “Slap her across the face and tell her to get lost.” I trembled. Vivian was ruthless. If I dared to stand in the way of her reunion with her long-lost love, she would tear me to pieces. But the system’s threat was chillingly clear: “If you don’t start courting death, you’re going to die. Now.” I had no choice. My hand flew out, and I slapped her. Terrified, I turned and ran from the house the moment my palm made contact. Then the system gave me my next task: smash the window of a police car parked on the street. I was starting to think the system just wanted me dead. But after I shattered the squad car’s side mirror, I finally understood. The life the system wanted me to destroy wasn’t my own. It was theirs.

1 I stared at the squad car, my mind reeling. “No way. That’s a crime!” The voice in my head was cold as ice. “Court death, or you die.” I wouldn’t have believed it. But half an hour ago, that voice had appeared out of nowhere. It told me I was the male lead in a tragedy, a story written to end with my death. Once Vivian’s first love, Adrian Levy, returned to the country, I would be thrown out. After a series of brutal, heart-wrenching events—being tormented, used as a blood bag, and having my kidney stolen—I was destined to be beaten to death by a group of thugs and left to die in an alley. A shiver went down my spine. Adrian had returned last month. And this month, Vivian had started staying out late. Her gaze would drift when she looked at me. I found a man’s cologne in her pocket, one I didn’t wear. She’d step away to take her calls. I knew our hollow marriage was finally over. Today, she handed me the divorce papers. “Adrian won’t see me,” she’d said, her voice flat. “He says we need to keep our distance now that I’m married.” “You know his health is fragile. He can’t be left alone.” “Just sign the papers, Ethan.” I glanced at the agreement. There was no mention of assets. Nothing for me. My savings had been spent years ago, helping Vivian rebuild her empire after her family went bankrupt. For the past few years, she’d been ashamed of me, forbidding me from working. If she kicked me out, I wouldn’t have enough money for dinner. I wanted to reason with her, but the system had ordered me to slap her instead. Everyone knew Vivian Levy, the self-made tycoon, was a shark who played for keeps. Slapping her was a genuine death wish. Now, the system was pushing me again. “Smash it! Now!” Terrified that its prophecy would come true, I grabbed a loose brick from the pavement and brought it down hard on the side mirror. With a loud crack, the mirror shattered and fell to the ground. The car alarm blared, and three officers rushed out from around the corner. I immediately raised my hands, ready to surrender. The lead officer gestured, and I was taken to the precinct. In the interrogation room, an officer held up my blood test results. “No alcohol, stable mental state. So why’d you smash a squad car?” “You do realize that’s a crime, right?” I repeated the lines the system fed me. “I know. I did it on purpose. I know exactly what I’m doing.” A young female officer looked at me, completely baffled. “What’s wrong with you? Get dumped?” I told her the truth. “No. Getting a divorce.” The officer cleared her throat. “Full restitution for the damages, a one-thousand-dollar fine, and ten days in a holding cell.” “You should call your family. And don’t do this again.” I dutifully handed over my bank cards, but every single one was declined. Vivian was already teaching me a lesson. The officers told me to call my family. I dialed Vivian’s number ten times. No answer. On the eleventh try, I found I’d been blocked. The female officer used the precinct’s landline. The moment she said my name, she was cut off. Vivian’s voice, which had once been so gentle, was now cold enough to freeze water. “Ethan? Call me back when he’s dead.” The officers exchanged uneasy glances. The female officer looked at my file again, at the two words printed there: Orphan. Her expression soured. “Just take him to the holding cell.” The ten days weren’t as bad as I’d expected. I was busy with daily routines and educational sessions, which left little time to think about Vivian. When I got my phone back, it was flooded with missed calls from Vivian and her assistant. I called her back. “Where are you?” she demanded, her voice sharp. “The file I left in my office drawer. Where did you hide it?!”

2 I didn’t understand. I paused, confused. Vivian’s voice grew harsher. “I’m giving you half an hour. If that file isn’t back on my desk, I’m calling the police.” “Ethan, do not test my patience.” I was completely lost. I looked at the female officer standing beside me. She had heard everything and gestured for my phone. Taking it, she spoke in a serious tone. “Ms. Levy, your husband was just released from police custody. He still has a fine to pay.” “If you want to file a report, you can come directly to the precinct.” To my surprise, Vivian let out a cold laugh. “Ethan, I’m not in the mood for your games.” The next second, she hung up. I had no idea what was going on, but the police told me to wait at the station while they called Vivian to come and pay the fine. Half an hour later, Vivian stormed in. Her face was dark, and she was grilling one of the officers. “Are you telling me he was really in a holding cell for the past ten days? He didn’t go anywhere?” The officer snapped back, “Believe what you want. Just pay the fine.” On the way to her office, I pieced together the story from Vivian’s conversation with her assistant. Yesterday, a crucial bid proposal had vanished from her desk drawer. It was for the company’s most important project of the year, a highly confidential document, and Vivian had the only final copy. The bid was due tomorrow. I was confused. “Something that important didn’t have a backup?” The assistant answered in a small voice, “Mr. Levy accidentally spilled water on Ms. Levy’s laptop. The hard drive was completely fried.” Vivian’s voice was a low warning. “Adrian already feels terrible about it. He’s sensitive. You are not to mention this in front of him.” The entire office was in a state of emergency, everyone scrambling. The only person who wasn’t was Adrian, who was sitting in Vivian’s chair, lazily browsing the web. When he saw me, a smile spread across his face and he strode over. “Vivian, you found Ethan! Does that mean you found the file, too?” He took Vivian’s hand, his fingers playfully intertwining with hers. “I told you Ethan was just angry and took the file to get back at you. You don’t need to worry about the bid.” Vivian’s expression was strange. She said nothing. Adrian’s smile faltered. His eyes shifted to me. “Ethan, you didn’t… lose the file, did you?” When I didn’t answer, he frowned slightly. “Ethan, I heard Vivian asked for a divorce. I know what she did was wrong, and you must be upset.” “But you shouldn’t have taken a company document. That’s everyone’s hard work.” He changed his tone. “Just give the file back. I’ve already talked to Vivian. She won’t press charges.” Vivian forced out a few words. “He didn’t take it.” Adrian froze. “What? How is that possible…” Just then, the system’s voice boomed in my head. “Slap him. Hard. Now!” How could I dare to touch the man Vivian cherished? But looking at the scene before me, I understood. The system had made me smash the police car to give me an airtight alibi. It wasn’t trying to hurt me. With that realization, I swung with all my might. My palm connected with Adrian’s face with a sickening crack. “You fake!” I spat, reciting the lines the system had prepared. “Who the hell are you to stick your nose in my family’s business? If you’re so concerned, why don’t you try keeping your eyes off another man’s wife for a change!” “You knew I couldn’t have the file, so you fanned the flames on purpose. I bet you’re the one who took it!” The air went still. Adrian clutched his cheek, his face a mask of disbelief. “You…” I slapped him again, a backhand this time. “‘You’ what?! Don’t talk to me. I don’t speak to home-wrecking scum. It’s disgusting!” “Ethan, are you insane?!” Vivian finally reacted, grabbing my wrist. Following the system’s command, I snatched the water glass from her desk and threw its contents in her face. The scalding water drenched her. Vivian froze.

3 She stared at me, her eyes filled with a look of utter unfamiliarity, as if I were a complete stranger. “What have you become? If I had known you were this unreasonable, back then…” I cut her off. “If I had known you were no better than a public toilet, I never would have saved you!” Years ago, Vivian’s family went bankrupt. Her father jumped from a skyscraper, and her mother followed him in death. Creditors broke her leg and threw her into the sea. I was a fisherman back then. I found her and brought her home. I thought that with just the two of us, we could at least find warmth in each other. But Adrian’s return had turned our eight-year marriage into a joke. The system’s prophecies and interventions had thrown my life into chaos. Looking at the drenched, stunned Vivian, for the first time, I regretted that day. Suddenly, Adrian cried out. He stumbled, catching himself on the desk. “Vivian, I feel dizzy.” Without even wiping the water from her face, Vivian turned and rushed to his side, helping him to the sofa. She didn’t spare me a single glance. I turned to leave, but she stopped me. “Adrian fainted because of you. Don’t you move!” She buzzed for her private doctor. After hearing Vivian’s instructions, the doctor wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. “Ms. Levy, while you and Mr. Levy are both Type A, anemia doesn’t necessarily require a blood transfusion.” “And even if it did, we could…” “That’s too much trouble,” Vivian’s voice was glacial. “Ethan dared to lay a hand on him, so he can take responsibility.” “Just draw his blood.” The system urged me on. “Don’t just stand there. Time to make a scene!” I dug my nails into my palm, then threw open the office door. “Urgently seeking Type A blood!” I shouted into the bustling office. “Ten thousand dollars for a pint!” I turned back to face Vivian’s shocked expression. “What, you’re not willing to part with a little cash for him?” From down the hall, employees started to gather. “Ms. Levy, sir, I’m Type A! I even have my donor card. Is it really ten thousand dollars for a pint?” I smiled. “Our CEO is in a hurry to save Mr. Levy. The more, the merrier.” With that, I pushed through the crowd and went straight home. Under the system’s guidance, I spent the rest of the day drafting a new divorce agreement. It was two in the morning when Vivian finally came home, smelling of a cologne I’d always hated. She had already forgotten. She picked up the agreement I’d drafted and let out a series of cold, mocking laughs. “Ethan, asking me to leave with nothing? Have you lost your mind?” She tossed a document at me—a voluntary organ donation form. “No more games. Either you sign this, or I’ll have someone sign it for you.” I opened it. Just as I expected. She wanted my kidney. Vivian scribbled on the divorce agreement. “Adrian is having health problems. Help him. Think of it as helping me.” “As a thank you, I’ll give you a million dollars.” She stared at me coldly. “Don’t be greedy. Don’t make me think you had ulterior motives when you saved me all those years ago.” Perhaps she was too confident. After that, she went into the master bedroom to sleep. A cold wind blew in from the window, and a chill ran down my spine. Following the system’s command, I opened the laptop in the study. Vivian’s social media password was easy to guess: the date Adrian left the country. She had once tattooed that string of numbers on her ankle. I took a picture of the organ donation agreement and posted it online. The caption read: High price for a matching kidney, $1 million. Serious inquiries only. Below it, I posted Vivian’s phone number.