December 31st came around again, marking the end of another year. It was my 18th birthday, arriving as scheduled. Just like in the novel, Emily, the original female lead, was brought back to the Monroe house by Dylan as the plot.
Having grown up in an orphanage, her thin figure and a face remarkably similar to that of my mother could bring tears to my mother's eyes just by sight.
Of course, it only took one sentence from her, "Isabella, can you give me back my family?" for my parents and brother to cut ties with me without hesitation and throw me out.
What was supposed to be my birthday celebration turned effortlessly into a welcome party for Emily. But that was all inconsequential—I had been prepared for this!
My luggage was minimal, apart from a bunch of crystal bracelets I had bought, collecting crystals being my only hobby.
"Player, you are one kiss away from completing the task," the system timely reminded me. "Sigh, I know! But I can't find Dylan!" After Dylan brought Emily home, I hadn't seen him since, and he wasn’t responding to my messages! It was driving me crazy; this was supposed to be the last time!
Perhaps not wanting to see me fail at the last hurdle, the system kindly hinted at around eleven o'clock at night, "He's at the A Hotel."
"The A? That boy has some money!" I quickly hailed a cab to the A hotel while relentlessly pestering Dylan to give me his room number.
Dylan had just finished showering, his face slightly reddened from the steam, his chest bare, and droplets of water clinging to his hair, sliding down his sharply defined jawline.
"What, you're here to argue?" Dylan's face wore a playful smile.
"No, I'm here to kiss you."
"Why?" "The doctor said I lack life energy."
It was hard to control Dylan when his hands weren’t tied; I took a step forward, he stepped back.
"What, are you dancing the cha-cha with me?" I was getting impatient, time was running out.
Dylan remained silent, his dark eyes staring straight at me, as if trying to see through me. Just as I was about to touch him, he stepped back again: "For three years, you've had to kiss me every day."
"What's the purpose?" What else could the purpose be! Just to complete the task!
I checked my phone; it was already 59 minutes past. "If I don't kiss you, I'll die!"
Without thinking further, I lunged forward. "Ding—" At the moment our lips touched, the New Year’s bells chimed twelve times.
"Congratulations, Player, you have completed this term's task," the system’s voice also rang in my mind. Finally... it was done.
Before I could even catch my breath, a pair of hands with distinct knuckles pressed hard against my head. Warm lips covered mine again, intense and tingling with pain and numbness.
I was left breathless, with no escape. "If I give you my life energy,you won’t die now." He murmured against my lips, over and over. This, this, this! No, this is going beyond the script!
