“Quick! Someone help them!”
“Oh no, even Mr. Bennett jumped into the sea after her!”
“Now this is true love, I’m totally shipping them.”
“...”
The deck was a scene of chaos as people scurried around, finally managing to pull the two from the water. Only after the pair was rescued did the tension ease a little.
“What on earth is going on? Why did both of you end up in the water, Ms. Harper and Mr. Bennett?” The director’s voice was stern and icy.
“Why else? Ms. Elena Harper must’ve done something reckless again.”
“Well, the cameras caught everything. Director, go have a look at the live stream playback.”
“This is so annoying. The show just started today, and we’ve already got this kind of mess. Honestly…” The speaker trailed off, knowing they couldn’t say more with the live stream still running.
Hearing those voices vaguely, Elena Harper felt like there was heavy pressure on her chest, as if someone kept pressing down hard, forcing the seawater out of her lungs. Only when she finally coughed up the water did that suffocating, bloated sensation begin to fade.
“Cough... cough…”
A fit of violent coughing hit her like her lungs were trying to escape her body. It took her a while to recover from it. Slowly, she opened her eyes, squinting slightly as her gaze swept over the surroundings. Her mind started piecing together where she was and what had just happened. The yacht, party, cameras, and several staff members—all these elements painted a vivid scene, and yet she knew one thing for sure: she’d fallen into the water.
Or rather, this body had drowned. She had only just taken over, stepping into the shell of this body after its demise.
Her wet clothes clung to her skin, and the salty sea breeze sent a shiver down her spine. Her head throbbed intensely as foreign memories flooded in, muddling her own thoughts.
As fragments of those memories settled, she slowly sat up, her gaze dropping to her drenched body and then shifting to the scene a few meters away. A man was wrapping a towel around the woman in his arms, speaking to her in hushed, soothing tones.
That man was this body's ex-fiancé. And the woman? Isabelle Harper—the one responsible for pushing "her" into the ocean.
In the book, Isabelle Harper was the fake heiress who stole another’s life. Always scheming behind the scenes, she had tormented the original owner of this body countless times. And this time, she’d truly gone too far, leaving the original owner to die.
The original owner didn’t know how to swim—and worse, was terrified of water. Panicked and struggling, her leg cramped. She flailed helplessly for minutes, and no help came. She drowned.
“Get me a towel.”
The demanding, hoarse voice cut through the chaos. A nearby staff member jumped in surprise, instinctively rushing off to fetch a bathrobe, which was then handed over to Elena Harper.
The cameras were still rolling.They were all focused on Isabelle Harper. Even though Elena Harper had been rescued, no one bothered to cover her with a towel right away!
Elena wrapped herself in a bathrobe and slowly stood up. Her movements were deliberate, and water dripped off her, forming ink-like stains on the deck as she walked.
“Elena, maybe you should go back to your room and rest for now...” One of the crew members suggested, his voice tinged with caution. He seemed genuinely worried that Elena might make a scene—especially since the live broadcast was still ongoing. If something spiraled out of control, cleanup would be a nightmare.
Yet, he couldn’t shake the eerie feeling in the air. There was something about Elena in that moment—something sinister, almost dangerous.
Before he could say anything else, hurried footsteps echoed across the deck. The sight of the man leading the pack made several crew members' faces visibly tighten.
Alexander Reid, Elena’s husband.
Though they had been married for only two weeks and skipped the extravagant wedding fanfare, gossip swirled like wildfire. Fans speculated that Alexander had been blackmailed into the marriage, possibly forced by some incriminating leverage. But no matter what rumors circulated, the legal fact remained—they were, indeed, officially married.
This cruise marked the start of the first segment of their show, and barely into their voyage, chaos ensued. Alexander had been resting in his room due to exhaustion—
Which made the dark, oppressive aura enveloping him at this moment all the more suffocating.Alexander Reid's cold gaze swept across the crowd before finally resting on Elena Harper.
A crisp notification chimed in his head, and Alexander's brow furrowed slightly.
"Ding! Task failed: Prevent Elena Harper from falling into the sea. No rewards issued. A random penalty will now be applied—"
"Random penalty in progress... Ding!"
"Random penalty: Hemoptysis debuff. Unfortunately, this penalty will affect the host’s wife, Elena Harper. Duration: 30 days. Hemoptysis debuff has been activated!"
What the hell kind of punishment was this?!
He didn’t manage to stop her, yet the penalty was passed onto Elena?!
Alexander’s pupils constricted as he stared at her. Suddenly, Elena's face went pale, and blood spewed from her mouth.
Alexander: "!"
Elena, caught off guard and coughing up blood: "!"
Without wasting a second, he rushed forward, scooping her up in a bridal carry. His pace quickened as he strode into the ship’s cabin.
In his arms, Elena tasted the metallic tang of blood in her throat, her head spinning with confusion. For a moment, she was dazed.
A sickly, malicious supporting role, and now she had a new perk: "spontaneous blood-spitting"?
Strangely enough, though, she felt oddly lighter after that sudden mouthful of blood.
Just... "."Alexander Reid carefully placed Elena Harper on the bed, his gaze lingering on her pale, almost bloodless face. A stab of guilt and self-reproach rose in his chest. "You..."
Just as he began to speak, he found himself silenced by the look in her eyes.
Elena’s stare was deep and penetrating.
Although the original soul of this body was gone, she had now taken over this life. And this man? He was her so-called contractual husband. "Alexander Reid."
Feeling a bit awkward, he cleared his throat and said, "You should take a hot shower first. Get cleaned up, and I'll take you to the hospital for a check."
The sticky dampness clinging to her skin was indeed unbearable. Elena nodded and stood up. "Alright."
As she walked into the bathroom, the sound of running water soon echoed through the room. Alexander sat still, his thoughts drifting.
...
About fifteen minutes earlier, in this very room, Alexander had jolted awake from an unrestful sleep.
After taking some time to regain his composure and process everything, he realized one thing for certain—he had been reborn.
Through a series of bizarre and untimely deaths, he had ultimately met his end after being diagnosed with cancer. Three days after receiving the diagnosis, it had all come to an abrupt stop—he was dead.
As though fate allowed no other outcome.
The absurdity of it all hadn't fully sunk in when a synthesized voice suddenly echoed in his mind. "System activation successful! The Glamorous Couple Life Extension System is now at your service!"
Alexander Reid raised an eyebrow. A life-extension system?
"First of all, congratulations to the host on binding to this system. Your adorable host assistant will now transmit your story script."
Suddenly, his mind was flooded with a stream of information, taking him off guard. "What the—?"
"The system has detected that you are married. Your legal spouse is Elena Harper, a so-called 'vicious supporting character.' The couple-binding can only be established with her."
Alexander snapped back to attention. "What does that mean?"
"It means even if you get a divorce and marry someone else, you won't meet the conditions for this system's support. To put it simply, you must maintain a legal marriage with Elena Harper. By spending money on her and completing the system's tasks to create the illusion of a loving wealthy couple, you can live up to 99 years old."
With memories of his previous life and a brain stuffed with this role's storyline, his initial plan to divorce his contractual wife was now on shaky ground. "..."
So, was this system bound to him, or to Elena Harper?
"Tasks will be randomly assigned, with rewards and punishments also randomly distributed. These can affect either the host or the host's spouse."【Friendly Reminder: The host currently has approximately 74 to 77 days of life left. If the host doesn’t want to die prematurely, please actively spend money on your wife and complete system tasks!】
Alexander Reid pressed his temples. Elena Harper was a vicious supporting character, but him—
He was worse than her!
He was just a backdrop character!
A backdrop character who also happened to be Elena’s dead husband, with all his assets landing squarely in her hands after he died...
His headache worsened. Divorce? Not allowed. Adopting a kid to groom as an heir? Also a no-go!
He was 27 years old. Ten years of hard work in the entertainment industry, crawling his way up to establish his own entertainment company and making smart investments that were absolute money machines. His total assets? Over a hundred billion.
And yet, all of it belonged to Elena.The content provided appears to be primarily a description and set-up of the novel, along with specific stylistic and translation guidelines. As there is no narrative scene or specific text to rewrite, I cannot perform the requested task.