Chapter 1

Ever since my girlfriend pulled my younger brother out of a burning house, he developed severe emotional dependency on her.

His therapist warned us:

"Right now, he can't survive a single day without her."

From that moment on, Victoria and I had to drag my brother along on every single date. We even had to let him move into our shared apartment.

The night before our wedding, my brother had an anxiety attack and swallowed an entire bottle of sleeping pills. He ended up in the ICU.

Victoria smashed the empty pill bottle onto the floor in sheer frustration.

"He's such an exhausting mess! When will he ever stop clinging to us?!"

My parents and I sobbed, begging her to save him.

Yet, when we tried to get married for the eighth time, my brother collapsed from a panic attack and passed out.

I grabbed Victoria’s arm, begging her to sign our marriage license at City Hall before rushing to the hospital.

She shoved my hand away without a second thought.

"How can you be so selfish?! Keith is in the emergency room, and all you care about is signing some damn papers!"

My mother slapped me hard across the face, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You know damn well he can't survive without Victoria! How could you push for a wedding right now? Are you trying to get your own brother killed?!"

As they bolted toward the hospital without looking back, the system in my head let out a heavy sigh.

[Host, we can't drag this out any longer.]

[Tomorrow is your thirtieth birthday. If you fail to complete your mission to marry the female lead within twenty-four hours, you will be permanently erased.]

I glanced down at my phone, staring at the birthday countdown app Victoria had once set up for me.

A dry laugh escaped my lips, slowly turning into silent tears...

By the time I reached the hospital room, my brother had already regained consciousness.

He was clinging tightly to my girlfriend, burying his face in her side.

When I stepped through the door, Keith stared at the wedding band on my finger, then shifted his gaze to Victoria's hand resting gently on his waist. His eyes instantly welled with tears.

"Why are you and Victoria both wearing rings? Did I ruin your wedding again?"

"Of course not!"

My mother rushed over, grabbed my hand, and violently yanked the wedding ring off my finger.

"This... this is a special gift your brother and Victoria picked out for you just now. One for you, and one for Victoria."

Keith gasped, covering his mouth in shock.

"Really? I love it so much!"

Victoria took his trembling hand and gently slid my wedding band onto his finger.

"Of course. We know how much you love showing off, so we bought it just for you."

I clutched my bruised finger, watching my parents hover over Keith, beaming as they snapped photos of him and Victoria.

Standing there, I felt like a complete stranger who had wandered into the wrong room.

I dug my fingernails deep into my palms, forcing myself to endure the scene until Victoria finally lulled my brother to sleep.

Stepping forward, I took her hand.

"Victoria... he's asleep. Let's go to City Hall and finish the paperwork."

Victoria's eyes widened in disbelief. She reflexively cupped her hand over Keith's ear and snarled at me in a hushed voice:

"Are you seriously in that much of a rush?! It took me forever to get him to calm down and smile!"

My throat felt parched and raw. When I tried to speak, only a desperate whisper came out.

"Do you remember what I told you? If I don't marry you before I turn thirty, I'm going to die."

A holographic hourglass was floating in my vision, counting down twenty-four hours. One hour had already slipped away.

The incessant ticking echoed in my mind like a death knell.

My voice trembled uncontrollably.

"I really will die if we don't get married before my birthday. Please, just come with me. It won't take long. Just a quick signature."

Victoria knitted her brows in disgust.

"Leo, I don't have time for your stupid jokes!"

"The doctor said if we hadn't brought him in when we did, Keith would've suffered brain death! He just had his stomach pumped. I have to stay here with him!"

My mother smacked my shoulder hard, hissing under her breath.

"What kind of brother are you?! Your brother barely survived the ICU, and all you can think about is your own damn romance!"

The commotion woke Keith up. Bleary-eyed, he weakly gripped the hem of Victoria’s shirt.

"Where are you two going? Don't worry about me... just leave your jacket, Victoria. That's enough."

He looked at me, his voice trembling with tears.

"Leo, I'm sorry. I really don't want to cling to her like this. Just having her jacket is enough. If I can just smell her perfume, I'll be fine. Go do what you need to do."

Victoria immediately climbed back onto the bed, wrapping her arms around him.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay right here with you. Don't be scared."

She shot my mother a sharp look.

My mother grabbed me by the collar and shoved me out into the hallway.

"Go down to the cafeteria and get your brother some soup! He hasn't eaten all morning!"

I desperately clung to my mother's arm, pleading with everything I had left.

"Mom, I'm not lying! Please, just let Victoria come with me for thirty minutes! That's all I need!"

"There's a system inside my head! If I don't marry Victoria by the time I turn thirty, it's going to wipe me out of existence!"

My mother’s face twisted in rage. She began swinging her heavy purse, beating me with it relentlessly.

"Even now, you're still using such childish bullshit to compete with your sick brother!"

"You're the older brother! Why can't you just let him have his way for once?! You can get married any other day! Why can't your girlfriend look after your brother for a few hours without you throwing a tantrum?! How did you turn out so selfish?!"

My father gave me a look of pure disgust, then slammed the door shut right in my face.

My knees gave out, and I sank to the floor, watching another chunk of sand drain through the hourglass.

Mom, I wasn't lying to you.

If we don't sign those papers, I won't make it to tomorrow.