Chapter 1: System Emergence

A crowd passed at the fashion party in one of London's business buildings. A man who worked as a waiter appeared distressed. His face was bright red, indicating that he was enraged.

"That's my girlfriend, what is she doing here?" the man muttered, his voice sad.

The 1.84-metre tall man was dressed in neat clothes, typical of a waiter at a high-class event; he walked up to a woman who had become his lover in the past year.

She held one of the suit men and chatted with them. They looked like an intimate couple, especially when the woman was timid, and the man showed romantic gestures and kissed her.

"Amanda Larkin, how could you lie to me!" Ashton shouted as he pulled her hand away from the crowd.

Everyone in the ballroom stared at them. Amanda, who was instantly taken, was furious. Ashton humiliated her, especially when she saw that her new lover was also upset.

SLAP!

Amanda slapped Ashton hard, which shocked everyone. All activity there seemed to stop momentarily, and people stared at them.

"Ashton Myers, we're not in a relationship anymore! In case you forgot, let me remind you that I said goodbye to you two weeks ago!" Amanda insisted, in what was a lie.

Amanda's words made people begin to understand what was happening. They believed Ashton couldn't accept Amanda's decision and pursued her alone. They mocked Ashton's party-crashing actions.

"What a crazy man! He keeps chasing after his girlfriend, who has already said goodbye!"

"That guy must be stalking. How did he get to a high-class party like this?"

"Judging from his outfit, it's clear he is a butler. I think it's natural that she left him. What woman would want to be with a poor man in metropolitan life?"

"Amanda's decision is understandable; life requires a lot of money. If she had stayed with Ashton, her life wouldn't have kept up with the fast pace of change."

Amanda steps into the arms of the expensively dressed man who brought her. His name was Valentino Smith. They looked down at Ashton demeaningly.

"Amanda, but we've..." Ashton struggled for words; he couldn't find a reason to keep their relationship.

Ashton is poor, but he gives Amanda the best. Despite their simple relationship, Ashton is loyal to Amanda and hopes to marry her one day. Reality is cruel, unfortunately.

"Haha, you heard what Amanda said. Stop chasing her again; starting today, I officially introduce Amanda as my girlfriend. As for you, you somehow managed to be at this event, but whatever agency you work for, I'm sure you'll be fired," Valentino said with a sneer.

The man looked sick of seeing Ashton's face ruining his mood.

That sentence made a man in the crowd step forward and say, "I'm sorry, Mr Smith. This man is a part-time worker we just hired, but not anymore. Ashton, you're fired."

The drama that captivated the guests culminates. What happened was natural when someone offended a rich man like Valentino. He is even one of the main investors, so indirectly Valentino is Ashton's boss.

"Me, fired?" Dejected, he muttered. His part-time job was serving at events like this. Without a job, Ashton would be homeless.

"You heard, right? Get your ass out of here," Valentino said irritably.

"Ashton, leave before the guards drag you out by force," Amanda said coldly. She felt stupid for dating Ashton, a useless man.

Ashton tries to recover after Amanda betrays him, and he loses his job. He will remember the day.

But Ashton is not a weak man. He may not have anything he can be proud of, but Ashton still has self-respect.

"I will remember you and make you regret it in the future!" said Ashton emphatically.

Hearing that sentence, both of them burst out laughing. They felt like they had heard the funniest joke.

"Haha, a rubbish man like you won't get anything done. Security, drag this guy away," Valentino alluded with a laugh.

BAAM!

It was 11.30 pm, and the weather outside was not good as Ashton was driven out of the building. The sound of thunder rumbled amidst the heavy rain, rapidly soaking Ashton's clothes.

"Fuck! Those people born were lucky, and I was lucky to be born. They can make their wishes come true, but reality can never make me have wishes," Ashron shouted, cursing his fate as he walked away.

Ashton looked at his reflection in the puddle. The light from the London bridge was also reflected there. He felt uncomfortable as the falling rain distorted his shadow.

"God, can't you give me a miracle? Everything about you is driving me crazy. I feel like I'm losing my faith right now. It seems like the religion people talk about is just a lie."

Ashton mocked as he crossed. The heavy rain and thunderclouds obscured Ashton's view.

VROOM!

Ashton was thrown several metres by a speeding car. After falling, Ashton's head hit the hard road, causing fresh blood to flow everywhere, making survival impossible. The worst was death; Ashton was unconscious immediately.

Someone saw the incident and called the emergency unit, which took Ashton to the nearest hospital. A man's serious accident shocked and frenzied the neighbourhood.

Ashton heard a strange sound in his hospital bed that woke him up.

[RING! Do you accept the Reality-Changing System? Yes or No]

"Huh, system?" Ashton was confused and thought he was hallucinating. Ashton felt a pain in his head, especially when the smell of disinfectant pierced his nose.

"Hold on, last time I was on the road, a high-speed car hit me. Am I still alive?"

In shock Ashton stood up, then walked outside to see the situation, which turned out to be true. Ashton was just confused by the strange screen floating in front of him. Ashton tried to rub his eyes, but the panel did not disappear.

"Damn, is my brain having a breakdown?" complained Ashton in annoyance.

[Of course not. Sir, you can choose to accept the Reality-Changing System or not.]

Ashton was surprised to hear a strange noise in his head while no one was there. He seemed to be trying hard to think, "Is the sound coming from this panel?"

[That's right, the system is talking to you.]

"Haha, this can't be real!" said Ashton scornfully. If someone sees it, they assume that the man is crazy.

But out of curiosity, Ashton asked, "System, what can you do?"

[The system can help you change your fate]

When he heard that, Ashton looked excited, he responded, "Alright, let's see how you change my fate!"