Chapter 1: System, You’ve Bound Yourself to the Wrong Person!

Gods Within the Door:

Greetings, as if in person.

"The day our disgrace will be exposed to the world has finally come."

"In order to maintain social stability, and to preserve your teacher’s esteemed reputation in academic circles, and to prevent any of you from revealing your true academic level the moment you open your mouth, I have specially drawn up the following 'Code of Conduct for New Graduates Entering Society':"

"First, overcome setbacks; don’t cry about missing your mother—don’t act like an overgrown infant."
"Second, speak with substance; don’t let people instantly think you’re uncouth."
"Third, don’t shower attention on just one girl for no reason, not even if you like her—cast a wide net, fish slowly."
"Fourth, if you get into trouble, don’t mention your teacher’s name."

Shudu, Jade City Residential Area.
The bedroom door was closed, the curtains drawn.
A computer desk, a pack of tissues, a voluptuous beauty displayed on the screen.
Lin Ran stared at the monitor, his right hand moving rapidly...

At that moment, Professor Zeng’s "Code of Conduct for New Graduates Entering Society" popped up. As Lin Ran was retouching the beauty’s photo, he replied in the group chat: “Old Zeng, explain more about casting a wide net and fishing slowly.”

Professor Zeng: “You cheeky brat, have you found an internship yet?”
Lin Ran: “I sent out a few resumes, but it’s not worth a damn. I’m back home for now, doing some photo-retouching online to get by. I’ll look for a job in a few days.”
Wang Hao: “Lin Ran, where are you planning to job-hunt?”
Lin Ran: “On the high-speed rail.”
Wang Hao: “We studied game design, what’s that got to do with high-speed rail?”
Lin Ran: “See, that’s what you don’t get. This high-speed rail is the Beijing-Shanghai line—it’s for transferring southern coolies to the north, express delivery of labor, and in business class you can meet bosses face-to-face, hand out resumes directly—much better than submitting them online.”
Wang Hao: “Damn, makes sense!”
Professor Zeng: “Students I’ve taught don’t cower—go for it! Whenever you hit a roadblock, look for answers in the ‘Code of Conduct for New Graduates’.”
Lin Ran: “OK, give me some time, and when I’m successful and famous, I’ll drive a Mercedes to school to treat you to a drink.”
Professor Zeng: “Screenshot saved.”

Since graduation, Lin Ran had been freelancing from home, retouching photos to earn some pocket money.

Still, he had two plans:
One, sending out resumes for internships, aiming for a decent job.
Two, donning the yellow jacket: "Your food delivery is here, please leave a five-star review."

Graduates these days are pragmatic—clear-headed as can be.

[If you’d had this clarity before getting married, you wouldn’t be facing divorce today.]
[You were once high-spirited, living freely and alone, but you chose marriage. What has marriage brought men?]
[Restrictions, burdens, another mouth to feed, endless toil—you gave everything, and still came to divorce.]

Suddenly, Lin Ran found himself contemplating the true meaning of marriage—something a man his age shouldn’t yet be pondering.

“???”

He was utterly bewildered.

[Stop staring at her legs in black stockings. She’s no longer yours. Some burdens are too heavy for your shoulders.]

[With a single ‘let’s get divorced,’ you both went and got the divorce certificate.]

[Divorce-to-Godhood System loaded.]

“Divorce? Godhood? System?”

“Wait, when did I ever get married, let alone divorced?”

[Excessive grief has made you forget today’s divorce, but perhaps that’s for the best; forgetting is a new beginning.]

“...”

What nonsense was this system spouting?

Lin Ran’s mind was about to overheat.

Wait a second...

Let’s think this through.

Did I get divorced today?

But I just graduated from college.

Yet the system is real.

Did it arrive too early?

Is my future to marry a beauty with long legs in black stockings and then get divorced because she never loved me?

That can’t be right.

The system clearly says the divorce is today.

What the hell?

Test it?

“What’s my wife’s name?”

[You don’t know?]

“How would I?”

[Good, you’ve even forgotten her surname. You’re not beyond hope—you’re adapting quickly.]

[You still think divorce is bad news, don’t you?]

“There’s good and bad. The bad news is, I’m divorced and she’s not my wife anymore. The good news is… she’s now someone else’s wife.”

The system was silent for a long time.

Perhaps it hadn’t expected the host’s awareness to be so terrifyingly high!

[A failed marriage isn’t worth remembering. Throw away everything about her from your life—contacts, belongings, even those black stockings you stashed as a memento.]

“...”

Lin Ran didn’t have any contact info for a former wife in his phone; the only thing at the bottom of his drawer was his own pair of boxers with a hole—no black stockings of hers.

Lin Ran wasn’t that kind of person.

He had no such collecting habit.

[You’re even stronger than expected. You’ve thrown everything of hers out of your life. Reward: 1000 yuan.]

He understood now, at last.

The system hadn’t come early—it had bound itself to the wrong person.

It was supposed to bind to a recently divorced man, but instead, it attached itself to Lin Ran, fresh out of college.

Utterly absurd—could something like this even happen?

Ding dong!

Lin Ran watched as his balance went from 5300 to 6300.

Lin Ran’s mouth was harder to control than an AK-47’s recoil.

Shh! He must never let the system realize it had bound to the wrong person.

[Living well after divorce will torment her more than anything. From now on, transform yourself, rise again, and when you reappear before her as a god among men, make her regret it for life!]

So, he was supposed to take revenge on his ex-wife?

But who was his ex-wife?

With so many divorced women everywhere, where would he even start?

And why had they divorced?

The system’s clues were pitiful—just one: [Loves wearing black stockings.]

There were countless women in stockings.

His mind was numb.

Bang~

Just then, Lin Ran’s father burst in: “Son…”

Startled, Lin Ran slammed his laptop shut. “Dad! Can’t you knock?”

“Sigh… Son, if you can’t find a job, at least don’t stay home watching that stuff all day—it’s bad for your health.”

“Dad, this is my job.”

“Oh~ You’re one of those online content reviewers?”

“No, I’m just retouching photos for people—eight yuan a photo. It’s not what you’re thinking.”

“Come eat. And wash your hands first!”

“...”

Lin Ran sent the finished photo to his client on WeChat.

Lin Ran: [Take a look, how’s this?]
Female client: [Impressive, looks really natural. I zoomed in and it’s gotten pinker.]
Lin Ran: [There was too much pigmentation before, so I cropped and replaced your lip color.]
Female client: [(Shyly) Could you add some text for me? Just write ‘College Student Part-time’...]
Lin Ran: [Name your price.]

The female client bashfully sent her offer.

“Wow, that much?”

He quickly added the text, sent it off, got paid, and went to eat.

The Lin family had a three-bedroom apartment. Both parents were ordinary people.

The three sat at the table for dinner.

Lin’s mother put a chicken drumstick in his bowl.

“Son, I know job-hunting is tough for graduates, but don’t stress too much. We’ll take our time, alright?”

“Mom, Dad, don’t worry. I won’t let you down.”

“Son, while we’re taking our time with work, it’s time you think about a girlfriend. There’s a nice girl—Auntie Li says she’s lively, outgoing, loves to travel. Why don’t you meet her?”

Getting a matchmaking introduction right after graduation?

In ordinary families, you’re expected to get either a job or a spouse—pick one.

“No need.”

A girlfriend? Lin Ran only wanted to make money!

Who knew when the system might realize it had the wrong host and unbind itself?

Love? Please, even a dog wouldn’t bother!

[The best way to forget a failed marriage is to start a new romance. Even if you can’t win her heart, being with her body isn’t too bad…]

Why was this system so sleazy?

It was trying every trick to get him to move on from his supposed failed marriage.

[Divorce-to-Godhood: Start one or several romances, and earn generous rewards.]

Fine! Not even a dog would bother with love, but I’ll do it.

“Mom, have Aunt Li send me the girl’s number.”

Soon, Aunt Li sent the number. Lin Ran didn’t like calling strangers—too awkward—so he entered the number on WeChat to add her.

[Chen Xin’er (Little Airplane) Available Nationwide]

???

So this is what "outgoing and loves to travel" meant?

His mother asked, “Did you add her? How is she?”

Lin Ran replied, “She’s very nice, just… not my type. Don’t worry about this, I’m done eating, I’m taking the dog for a walk.”

He escaped quickly.

Taking his husky, he strolled to East Lake Park.

[Once again, you return to the place where you first met her. You act like you’ve moved on, but deep down you haven’t. And as luck would have it…]

“What?”

“The place we met?”

The stalk of wild grass in Lin Ran’s mouth nearly fell out.

His ex-wife was local? And lived nearby?

The range suddenly narrowed.

Today, after her divorce, would she come here to say goodbye?

Lin Ran looked around.

By the lakeside, the sunset shimmered on the water—breathtaking.

A leggy beauty in athletic shorts walked her dog by the lake, unhooked the leash, and let her snow-white Samoyed frolic in the water.

She took off her sandals, stepping gracefully onto the lakeshore, dipping her delicate feet into the water, savoring a moment of summer coolness.

A breeze blew, tossing her long hair.

She tucked a stray lock behind her ear, bent down to scoop water, and playfully splashed her Samoyed.

“Baibai, today is a wonderful day. I’m so happy—finally free!”

Girl and dog, laughing together.

Each time she bent down, her athletic shorts hugged her peach-shaped curves.

Not far away, Lin Ran lay reclined on the grass, chewing on wild grass, watching the scene unfold.

“So smooth!”

“Woof woof~”

His husky suddenly dashed forward, zipped past the beauty, and pounced on the Samoyed, executing a flurry of uncouth dog behavior!

Startled, the beauty splashed water frantically to break them up.

“Whose husky is this? Come get it—it’s gotten stuck to my dog! I swear, this is Mount Shu!”

Lin Ran was stunned, the wild grass dropping from his mouth.

“Wangcai, come back! Aren’t you ashamed? Get back here, you rascal!”

Oh my god—

This was mortifying beyond words.

“Move it! If you don’t, I’ll beat you—Mount Shu, I’m counting: one, two—”

Brandishing a stone, the beauty threatened.

“Don’t hit! I’m coming.”

Lin Ran hurried over, nudged the husky with his foot.

“Wangcai, let go! Did you hear me?”

The husky glanced at Lin Ran, then continued...

“Three!”

The beauty lost patience and hurled the stone.

“Woof~” Wangcai dodged, slipped off the Samoyed, then snatched the beauty’s sandal and bolted across the grass.

“Ugh, that damned husky bullies my Baibai, and now steals my shoe?”

Barefoot, she chased after, but the grass was prickly—she hadn’t run two steps before, “Ah!”—she tripped and fell.

The Samoyed came over, nuzzling its owner.

Girl and dog, both in distress.

“Damn it!”

She thumped the ground in frustration.

“Wangcai, come back—one, two, three!”

Lin Ran barked the order.

Wangcai obediently returned, sat nearby, wagging his tail.

“You’re looking for trouble!”

Lin Ran took the sandal from his mouth and gave him a light smack.

“Sorry about that.”

He awkwardly handed the sandal to the beauty.

She sat cross-legged on the grass, disheveled, glaring at the two male troublemakers—man and dog alike.

“Why didn’t you leash your dog?”

“Did you leash yours?”

“I...”

She was at a loss for words.

“So it’s my Baibai’s fault? Baibai’s just a kid, but your husky... Ugh—”

She tried to calm herself.

“No point arguing. I just want to know—if she gets pregnant, what then? I won’t allow my Samoyed to have mixed pups with a husky.”

She patted her Baibai with concern.

“Tell you what, I’ll transfer money to you—buy some dog contraceptives. It was Wangcai’s fault. Is that fair?”

She sighed: “There’s no other way. Leave your number, just in case it doesn’t work. If she gets pregnant, I’ll contact you. What’s your name? I’ll note it down.”

“Lin Ran. And you?”

“Jian Weian.”

Lin Ran transferred her fifty yuan.

“Today’s really unlucky. I thought leaving the civil affairs office would change my fortune, but now this happens,” Jian Weian grumbled as she put on her shoes.

Civil affairs office?

Lin Ran froze.

“Miss, did you go to the civil affairs office to get divorced today?”

Jian Weian ignored him.

“Did you wear black stockings to the civil affairs office?”

“Hey!”

She snapped.

“Sorry, sorry!”

Lin Ran cursed himself for being too eager to find his ex-wife—what kind of idiotic questions were those?

Jian Weian brushed the grass off her shorts, took her dog, and walked away.

“Jian Weian, don’t forget to get contraceptives!”

People nearby looked over.

What’s going on? In broad daylight, making a beautiful woman take contraceptives?

“Thank you very much, ‘dog man’!”

She turned, hair flying, dog in tow, and left.

Was Jian Weian the ex-wife?

The system never said how long they were married—was it a flash marriage and quick divorce? Or a year? Two? Ten?

Now, every woman Lin Ran saw seemed like she could be his ex-wife.

If he didn’t find her, what if the system discovered its mistake and unbound itself one day?