The System finally caught on. I hadn't broken the male lead. I hadn't tortured him. Instead, I’d fallen in love with him, and we’d had a child. For that, I was forcibly ejected from the mission world. But now, it's back. 【Your son is a violent, twisted mess, and he’s blocking the heroine from taking her rightful place.】 The System's voice echoed in my mind, cold and synthetic. 【You have to fix him. Straighten him out so the main storyline can proceed.】 When I returned, my sweet little boy was gone. In his place stood a cool, defiant teenager. I watched him from a distance, laughing and joking with a classmate. Lying piece of junk, I cursed the System silently. My son is just as sweet as I remember. Then, in a flash, I saw him grab the other boy's head and slam it into the graffiti-covered wall. Before I could even process the shock, he was standing in front of me, a lazy, arrogant smirk playing on his lips. “Hey, beautiful. Can I get your number?” My jaw dropped. Brawling and hitting on girls? I grabbed his ear and twisted. “You little monster! I’m your mother!” 1 It had been three years in the real world since I was torn away. I never thought the System would contact me again. It told me my son, Liam, had become unhinged and violent. Not only was he preventing the designated heroine from taking my place, but he had also hurt her multiple times. I believed the part about him hating her—that I could understand. But hurting her? I had my doubts. When I left, he was only five. A tiny, sweet-faced boy. The heroine had already made her appearance back then. What could a five-year-old possibly do to a grown woman? “I’ll go back,” I told the System, my voice firm. “But on one condition. I get to stay there. Permanently.” A long, crackling silence followed before it finally conceded, with a single, unbending rule: I was forbidden from interfering with the love story between the male and female leads. When I opened my eyes again, I was back. Twelve years had passed in this world. A stack of high school textbooks sat on the desk in front of me. I fumbled inside the desk, my fingers closing around a small compact mirror. The face staring back was young, fresh, and completely unfamiliar. I forced a smile. “System, can’t you just make me a teacher? It would be so much easier to get the mission done.” The System’s voice dripped with sarcasm. 【Oh, I’m sure. Easier to complete the mission, or easier to seduce the male lead again?】 【I’m warning you,】 it continued, 【Don’t even think about it. Ethan belongs to the heroine.】 I rolled my eyes. “You don’t have to remind me. I’m over him.” It wasn’t a complete lie. He’d only married me back then because of our son, out of a stubborn sense of duty. He’d never once said he loved me. Whatever fledgling feelings might have been there were surely eroded by twelve years of absence. My only focus now was my son. The System informed me he was on the basketball court, and my heart hammered with excitement as I rushed over. I couldn’t wait to see what my clingy, adorable little boy had grown into. I spotted him before I even set foot on the court, a tall, impossibly cool teenager who commanded attention without trying. His handsome face was a perfect echo of my own, especially his eyes. Recognition hit me like a tidal wave. A swell of pride filled my chest. “See, System? Look how gorgeous my son is. I make good-looking kids.” I watched him walk over to a classmate, gently adjusting the boy’s collar. “And he’s so kind to his friends. You see? He’s not violent at all.” The next second, I watched Liam grab that same classmate by the back of the head and smash his face into the graffiti-splattered wall. The System’s voice was dry. 【Right. So very ‘kind.’】 2 I stood frozen, convinced my eyes were playing tricks on me. By the time I snapped out of it, Liam was standing right in front of me, radiating pure bad-boy energy. “Hey, beautiful. Can I get your number?” My mind short-circuited. Fistfights and now flirting? Without a second thought, I grabbed his ear and gave it a sharp twist. “You little monster! I’m your mother!” His face contorted in a pained grimace as he wrenched his ear free. “You’re crazy. Get help.” “Speaking of help,” I shot back, undeterred, “you’ve got a little birthmark on your left butt cheek. I used to draw a flower around it and take pictures. I’m sure you’ve seen them.” Liam’s expression shifted from annoyance to stunned disbelief. “Who the hell are you?” I sighed, letting my shoulders slump. “I really am your mom. Ever hear of time travel? That’s me. I’ve jumped forward from the past.” I held up my hands. “I know it sounds insane, but I’m not lying.” His eyes, a complex storm of emotions, stared at me for a long moment before he turned and walked away. I reached for him. “Don’t touch me!” he snapped, batting my hand away. The rejection stung. I stood motionless, watching his retreating back. He might believe me, but my sudden disappearance all those years ago had clearly left a deep wound. But time was on my side now. I would spend the rest of my life healing that wound. I made my way to the nurse’s office and found the student Liam had assaulted. His forehead was freshly bandaged. I took the opportunity to ask him what the fight was about. It turned out he’d accidentally knocked a cheap, childish-looking watch out of Liam’s hand and stepped on it. My breath caught. It had to be the Disney watch I’d given him for his fifth birthday. It was the last gift I ever gave him. To think he’d treasured it for over a decade… a lump formed in my throat. I paid for the student’s medical expenses and apologized profusely on Liam’s behalf. Once I was sure he wasn’t seriously hurt and wouldn’t press charges, I headed back to class. 3 The System had assigned me the identity of a new transfer student in her senior year, in a different class from Liam. After talking to a few classmates, I quickly learned that my son was the school’s reigning bad boy. Skipping class and getting into fights were his trademarks, and even the teachers were too scared to rein him in. “What about his father? Doesn’t he do anything?” I asked a girl sitting near me. “Ethan? Rumor is, he spoils Liam rotten. Lets him do whatever he wants.” She lowered her voice conspiratorially. “I also heard Ethan has this woman he’s been seeing for over ten years, his old flame or something. But because Liam can’t stand her, they’ve never made it official.” Spoils him? That didn’t sound like Ethan at all. The Ethan I knew was a strict, almost unyielding father. He’d started Liam on multilingual lessons and all sorts of skill-based training courses before he was even in kindergarten. Whenever Liam came crying to me, begging for a break, Ethan would just lecture him. We fought constantly over how to raise our son. Well, I fought. He would just listen quietly and then do exactly what he’d planned anyway. A few times, I got so fed up I packed a bag for myself and Liam and stormed out. He’d just assume we were out for a little trip and come pick us up a day later without a hint of remorse. Had my disappearance changed him that much? If so, I was going to give him a piece of my mind. Veering from one extreme of parenting to the other—from iron-fisted discipline to total neglect—was just reckless. After school, I went to the mall and picked out a new, sleek watch for Liam. I spent all of the next day at school looking for him, but he never showed up. That evening, the System finally informed me that he’d gone off with a group of street racers to ride motorcycles. My head spun. He didn’t even have a driver’s license! What was he thinking? I rushed to the spot they used for their races, a winding mountain road, and arrived just as one race was ending. A chorus of cheers erupted as Liam was swarmed by a celebratory crowd. He pulled out a wad of cash and threw it into the air, sending everyone scrambling. I nearly ground my teeth to dust. Little brat. Then, a girl with a face full of filler slinked up to him, pressing the cigarette she’d been smoking to his lips. Liam, without a hint of disgust, leaned in to take a drag from her hand. 4 I finally pushed my way through the crowd and smacked the cigarette from the girl’s hand. “This isn’t for you,” I said, grabbing Liam’s wrist. “We’re going home.” He seemed dazed for a moment, letting me pull him a few steps before he came to his senses. “What are you doing here?” “Trying to keep you from getting yourself killed,” I hissed. The System had warned me about this group. A few of them had criminal records, including a heavily tattooed guy named Marco who had it out for Liam. He’d already tampered with Liam’s bike, planning to make him crash tonight. On these treacherous mountain roads, a crash like that would be fatal. Thankfully, I’d arrived before his race with Marco was scheduled to start. We’d barely taken another step when Marco himself blocked our path. “Win one race and you think you can just leave?” he sneered, his face a mask of aggression. “That’s not how it works.” He looked dangerous. I tried to de-escalate. “Sorry, we have a family emergency. He really can’t stay.” I tried to step around him, but one of his cronies moved to block me, his hand reaching out to shove me. In a flash, Liam yanked me behind him. He tossed a bank card at Marco’s feet. “Keep the winnings from the last race. Now tell your guys to get out of the way.” Marco let out a cold laugh, his eyes raking over me with a slimy gaze. “You want to leave? Fine. But first, she’s gotta make me happy.” Before the words were even fully out of his mouth, Liam’s fist connected with his face. The scene exploded into chaos. The guys who were friendly with Liam jumped into the fray, and a full-on brawl erupted. “I’ve already called the cops! Stop fighting!” I screamed, my voice lost in the pandemonium. Seeing he was losing the fight, Marco pulled a knife and lunged at Liam. Without thinking, I grabbed a heavy rock from the side of the road and slammed it against the back of Marco’s head. The wail of sirens cut through the night. Marco’s eyes widened as he stared at me, then he collapsed. I looked down at the blood on the rock and dropped it with a clatter. 5 I grabbed Liam’s arm, my voice trembling. “Is he… is he dead?” “Can I still run? Will they catch me?” “Liam, if I go to jail, will you visit me?” “It’s okay if you don’t. Just… just take care of yourself.” “And stop skipping school and fighting, okay? You have to study hard.” My rambling came to a halt, and I looked at him with wide, pleading eyes. “Can you… can you call me Mom?” Liam shot me a look that was pure, unadulterated exasperation. Then he turned and kicked the unconscious man on the ground. Marco, who had been utterly still a second ago, yelped and clutched his leg in pain. I blinked. This brat. He’d completely lost his childhood charm. The little boy I knew would have been crying and asking for a hug by now. This new version was just… a jerk. At the police station, a dozen or so of them were lined up against the wall, waiting for their parents to come bail them out. A few of the guys standing across from me started chatting. “You look like a good girl, but you’ve got guts,” one of them said with a grin. “You guys are pretty brave too,” I replied, trying to sound friendly. “Thanks for having my Liam’s back. I’ll treat you all to dinner sometime.” Their expressions immediately turned to ones of nosy curiosity. “So what’s the deal between you and Liam?” “I’m his…” “Sister,” Liam cut in before I could finish. My eyes lit up. Did that “sister” mean he was starting to accept me? I smiled and nudged his arm. “Liam, give me your hand.” He frowned. “What for?” “I have some candy for you. Want some?” He turned his head away, his voice cold. “I’m not a kid anymore. I don’t eat candy.” “Okay, fine. I’ll ask someone else then…” 6 I made a show of turning toward the other boys, and Liam immediately thrust his hand out in front of me. I couldn’t help but chuckle. This stubborn, awkward teenager was so much like his father. I took his hand, turned it palm-down, and gently fastened the new watch I’d bought around his wrist. “Do you like it?” He had turned back to face me at some point, his gaze fixed on the watch. For a split second, his eyes reddened. He pressed his lips together, and after a long moment, he held out his hand again. “Where’s my candy?” He really wants it? I thought, surprised. But he just said he didn’t eat candy. Feeling a pang of guilt, I gently closed his fingers into a fist. “I’ll buy you some as soon as we get out of here.” Just then, an officer called out our names. “You two can go. Your guardian is here to pick you up.” A knot of anxiety tightened in my stomach. I leaned closer to Liam and whispered, “You didn’t tell your dad who I am, did you?” “No. He just thinks you’re a classmate.” I let out a breath of relief. “Good. Keep it that way. Don’t tell him.” Liam gave me a questioning look, the word why practically written across his face. I avoided his gaze and blurted out the first excuse that came to mind. “I’m still young. I’m not into older men.” He nodded thoughtfully, seeming to accept it. I followed him out of the station, my heart pounding a nervous rhythm against my ribs. Standing by the curb was Ethan, dressed in a tailored black suit. Even from behind, his tall, powerful frame was as captivating as a magazine cover. My pulse quickened. Get a grip, I scolded myself. You can’t fall apart over a silhouette. Liam stopped and called out in a lazy tone, “Dad.” Ethan turned, and I immediately dropped my gaze to the pavement.
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