Fate System

Alice Chen woke up with a start. The excited chatters and giggles were like an annoying buzz in her head. As her eyes scanned the all-too-familiar classroom, her face went blank with confusion. She was dead—so how could she still be here?

She could still remember the horrific details of her death, strapped to a hospital bed by her husband and family, all her organs forcefully removed and donated to her twin sister.

All her life, Alice had never known about her twin sister's existence. It turned out she had only been a pawn to the Chen family. They had never loved her. The only reason they raised her, supported her career, and arranged her marriage to one of the top ten elite families in the country was so that Angela could one day take over everything.

Subconsciously, two teardrops slid down her face. Even as the buzz in the classroom grew louder, she paid no attention to it. Perhaps she was simply reliving her past memories… or perhaps this was her ghost wandering about.

"Alice, didn't you say you had something to announce to the class?"

At once, the noise in the classroom died down, and all eyes turned to her. Faced with countless eager and expectant gazes, Alice was taken aback. Wait! They could all see her?

"Congratulations, Host! You've been reborn through the help of the Fate System."

A clear voice rang through her mind. Alice's fingers trembled. She had read plenty of reincarnation and rebirth stories, but she had always dismissed them as mere myths. She never expected to experience one herself.

As the system's voice echoed in her mind, everything around her suddenly froze. It was as if someone had pressed the pause button. Everyone stopped moving, even the boy about to jump down from the table remained suspended in mid-air.

Oblivious to Alice's shock, the system continued in its cheerful voice.

"You've been transported six years into the past, giving you a chance to rewrite your fate. However, this system comes with one condition."

"What condition?" Alice's voice was shaky, and she pinched herself hard to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.

"You must complete the tasks assigned by the system to earn rewards. Failure to complete these tasks will result in punishment. However, there is one major challenge you must complete. If you fail, you will disintegrate within three months."

"Three months?" Alice echoed in shock. What if the challenge was something impossible, like finding a dinosaur, ruling the world, or even capturing a unicorn?

"You can rest assured—it's nothing that complicated. If you agree to this condition, it means you accept the terms of the contract. If you refuse, I'll simply erase you from this world, and everything will continue as before in the present timeline."

"What's the condition?"

"For now, I can't tell you. But once the time comes, you'll find out."

Alice didn't trust this system. The idea of signing a contract without knowing its full terms didn't sit well with her. Her face twisted into a deep frown as she debated her choices. If she rejected the system's offer, everything would return to the present, and the people who had hurt her would get away with their crimes.

No! She couldn't forgive them.

Rage pulsed through her veins as she recalled every painful detail of her past. She would make them pay for everything they had done to her—even if it meant binding herself to the system.

"You have one hour to decide," the system echoed.

"I accept your condition," Alice said without hesitation. "I don't care what the challenge is."

Even if she couldn't complete it, she had three months—more than enough time to get her revenge.

"Congratulations! You have now sealed your contract with the Fate System. Your first task has been assigned: launch your first counterattack. Protect Evelyn Zhou and expose Kendra Lu."

As if someone had pressed the play button, the classroom suddenly came back to life. The noise resumed, and the chaos ensued.

Alice was still in amazement, even as the long-haired beauty in front of her continued gesturing at her. It was Kendra Lu—her high school best friend.

"Alice, you told me last night that you discovered something about Evelyn Zhou," Kendra said softly, her tone gentle yet carefully calculated to attract attention.

More gazes turned toward them.

The object of discussion, Evelyn Zhou, was a short-haired girl seated quietly at the front of the class. Upon hearing her name, a cold glint flashed in her eyes.

"Alice Chen, shut your mouth! Don't go around yapping nonsense. What lies have you decided to spew this time?" Evelyn fired back hotly.

"Evelyn! Your aggressiveness only proves that you have something to hide!" someone retorted.

"Exactly! If not, you wouldn't be so agitated right now," another added.

Alice's personality at State High wasn't exactly lovable. In fact, she was hated by almost everyone. She had a habit of digging up dirt on people she disliked and exposing them publicly. Over time, she had made countless enemies for herself. The only people who stood by her were her three friends—Kendra Lu, Serena Su, and Donovan Hao.

Although the class didn't like Alice, the information she revealed was always accurate. Mess with Alice Chen, and she would dig up your buried secrets. Some even called her "Snoop-lice" or "Detective Busybody."

Alice and Evelyn had been enemies for a long time. The reason? Evelyn constantly spoke ill of the Chen family, and Alice, unwilling to let anyone discredit her family, had always tried to find dirt to use against her.

Last night, Alice had discovered something shocking about Evelyn and immediately called Kendra to tell her about it. However, due to poor reception, she hadn't been able to reveal everything over the phone. This only made Kendra impatient. She couldn't wait to see Evelyn get exposed, so she chose to bring it up during break time when the entire class was present and at its liveliest.

"Why should I get agitated over something a proud, fake bitch like Alice says? If you keep yapping nonsense, I won't mind tearing your mouth apart," Evelyn sneered, rolling up her sleeves to reveal her fists, causing some students to retreat.

The class didn't like Alice, but that didn't mean they liked Evelyn either. Unlike the rich heirs and heiresses who mostly attended State High, Evelyn came from a poor family. Yet, she never fawned over anyone. She detested spoiled elites and wasn't afraid to curse them out. In fact, she was like a tomboy.

It wasn't surprising that the class sided with Alice and continued hurling insults at Evelyn.

"Anytime you're confronted, you resort to violence. You don't belong in our school, and it's high time you got kicked out!"

"Get lost from State High, Evelyn Zhou!"

"Yes! Get lost!"

"Alice hasn't even said anything, and you're already telling Evelyn to get lost, what if she doesn't have any dirt on Evelyn" Lisa Mo, a quiet girl at the back, spoke softly. Her words, though gentle, carried weight. The heated debate quieted, and everyone instead directed their gazes at Alice.

Alice continued staring blankly, making Kendra impatient.

"Hey, Lisa! Alice is a daughter of the reputable Chen family. Why would she dishonor her family by lying? If she didn't find out anything about Evelyn, she wouldn't have mentioned it to me!" Kendra argued fiercely.

On the surface, Kendra seemed like a supportive friend, but she was simply goading Alice. By mentioning the dishonor it would bring to the Chen family, she hoped Alice would blurt out the news, ruin Evelyn's reputation, and create more enemies for herself.

In the past, Alice had trusted her three friends, believing they genuinely cared for her. Unbeknownst to her, they had been planted by the Chen family to influence her decisions and ultimately lead her to ruin.

In her past life, due to Kendra's baiting, she had revealed Evelyn's secret identity as an underground fighter and provided evidence of her involvement in illegal matches. The news had reached the school authorities, and Evelyn was expelled from State High. At the school, underground fighting was considered a serious offense, and anyone caught engaging in it faced immediate expulsion.

A cold chill swept over Alice's face, and her lips curved into a smirk.

"Who said I had something to reveal about Evelyn?"

The entire class was taken aback, staring at her in confusion. Hadn't Kendra just said Alice had dirt on Evelyn?

Even Evelyn raised an eyebrow.

"Kendra, didn't you say—"

"I'm not lying!" A trace of panic flashed across Kendra's face. Despite the poor phone reception last night, she was sure she had heard Alice clearly. Why was she denying it now?

Seeing Kendra's panicked expression, Alice's smirk widened.

"Actually, I do have an announcement to make. I discovered something about someone in this class—but it's not Evelyn Zhou. It's Kendra!"