Tsundere Men Have the Best Luck

I transmigrated into a clich, high-society romance novel.
The heroines family had just gone bankrupt, and she was being publicly humiliated by the villain.
With a wicked smirk, the villain drawled, Kiss me. One million dollars.
I rushed forward, threw my arms around his neck, and smeared his face with my lipstick. Then, playing the part of a sweet, innocent girl, I cooed, Oh, darling, I hope I dont kiss you into bankruptcy.

1
On the 7,001st day of being so broke I considered reporting my own poverty to the police, I was suddenly transported into a book.
It was a high-society Mary Sue novel, and I had become the young heiress whose family had just lost everything.
But whether the family was rich or broke didn't really matter. This was a Mary Sue novel, after all. The default setting was that every man alive was hopelessly in love with me.
Having read the entire book, I could best describe it as: The Heroine and Her Army of Simps.
The man in front of me, however, was the one exception. The only man in the entire book who wasn't a total simp. He was also the main villainTim Thorne.
Tim leaned back in his chair, the picture of lazy arrogance, a cigarette dangling from his fingers. His eyes swept over me for a moment before he spoke, his voice dripping with scorn. Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in. Our dear Miss Monroe.
The others in the private room took their cue, chiming in with glee.
The Monroe Corporation collapsed, didn't it? I bet the debt collectors have worn a path to your door.
Life without money must be tough.
Hey, we were classmates once, Mia. If you beg me, maybe Ill spare you a few bucks.
Tim let out a short, sharp laugh, flicking ash from his cigarette with careless grace. What do you say? Feel like begging?
The laughter in the room grew louder.
Alright, how about this, Tim said, as if making a grand concession. Begging is probably too hard for you. How about kissing?
His gaze swept across the room. Kiss anyone in here. Including me.
One kiss, he said, a cruel smile playing on his lips, is worth a million dollars.
The room erupted in cheers. I could see it in their eyesthe glee, the tension, the eager anticipation. And in Tims eyes, pure, cold indifference.
In the original novel, the heroine, unable to bear the humiliation, stormed out in a tearful rage.
But I wasn't the original heroine.
I was broke.
Looking back on the 7,001 days of my previous life, had there ever been an easier way to make money?
Absolutely not.
With all eyes on me, I walked straight toward Tim. I didn't just stop in front of him; I sat down right on his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck.
Jaws around the room practically hit the floor.
I looked into Tim's eyes and whispered, "Are you serious about this?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Of course."
Well, then. He couldn't blame me for what came next.
I cupped his face, held his head, and, like I was using a rubber stamp, eagerly began plastering his face with kisses.
With each kiss, I chanted silently in my head: A million. Another million. And another million.
The room grew quieter and quieter, until the only sound was the wet smack of my lips against his skin.
...It was actually pretty embarrassing.
A wave of belated awkwardness washed over me, but I wasn't about to let this opportunity slip away. I summoned my courage, planted a few more for good measure, and then finally let him go.
Tim was completely dumbfounded.
In fact, everyone in the room was dumbfounded.
You could have heard a pin drop.
I slid off his lap, calmly smoothed down my dress, and wiped my lips with the back of my hand.
Tim stared at me, sputtering. "Youyouyou"
Afraid he was about to back out of the deal, I put on my most innocent, doe-eyed expression. "Oh, darling," I cooed, "I'm not going to kiss you into bankruptcy, am I?"
"Don't be ridiculous." Tim snapped back to his usual arrogant self in a second. "You could glue your lips to my face for the rest of your life, and I could still afford it!"

I gave him a token round of applause. "Great. Pay up, then."
Tim looked away, his perfectly sculpted fingers yanking at the collar of his shirt. He pulled out his phone and made a call to his assistant, his voice a mask of nonchalance. "Bring me the checkbook."
He looked utterly ridiculous, trying to act cool with bright red lipstick smeared all over his face. I had to bite my cheek to keep from laughing out loud.
While we waited for the check, Tim suddenly asked, "How many times did you kiss me? Do you remember?"
I glanced at him.
He quickly looked away. "No reason. Just, you know, for the final amount."
I shook my head.
He turned to the others. They all shook their heads too.
A look of exasperated resignation crossed his face. "Fine. We'll have to check the security footage."
In the end, Tim watched the security footage five times.
Only after this meticulous verification did he finally sign and hand me the check.

Unbelievable. He was a cheapskate, too.

2
I walked out of that room clutching a check for thirty-five million dollars, my mind reeling.
Money had never come this easily. I was half-convinced I was dreaming.
Just as I was about to pinch myself, a voice echoed in my head:
[Tim Thorne Affection: 5%.]
I froze. "What was that?"
The voice, which I now recognized as a System, chirped excitedly: [Once Tim Thorne's affection for you reaches 100%, you can return to your original world!]
"No! I don't want to go back!" I protested.
I was dirt poor in my old world. Here, I just made thirty-five million dollars in five minutes. It was a no-brainer. Besides, I was kind of looking forward to the romance part of this novel. A whole cast of handsome men falling all over me? That sounded way better than any power fantasy.
The System hesitated. [Well, um...]
An idea struck me. "I just won't try to win him over. If his affection stays at 5% forever, then I can't ever go back, right?"
The System stammered again. [Well, I, uh...]
I mentally high-fived myself for my genius.
[Ding! Rules have been updated!]
The System's voice was suddenly cheerful. [When Tim Thorne's affection reaches 100%, you will be able to stay in this world forever!]
I was silent for a full five seconds before I found my voice. "Are you kidding me?"
The System replied mischievously, [The rules are the rules! The mission timer is one month. Good luck!~]

Sensing my despair, the System added: [Thirty-five million dollars, though.]
That snapped me out of it.
There was nothing more terrifying than being poor. I had to conquer Tim Thorne within a month.
But as I thought about the original plot, my head started to ache. Tim was an arrogant, self-obsessed narcissist. How the hell was I supposed to make him fall in love with me in thirty days?
"Wait, how did his affection go up by 5% just now?"
[He was watching the security footage.]

I pleaded carefully, "Is there any way we can make him watch it for, say, three days straight?"
[That would depend on his personal willingness.]
Apparently, Tim's personal willingness was quite strong.
By the time I went to the bank the next day to cash the check, his affection level had already climbed to 13%.
According to the System, he'd spent the entire night watching the footage.
I remembered the look of disdain on his face in the club and couldn't help but scoff.
Heh. Men.
The check cleared, and my bank account swelled by thirty-five million. I was just wondering where to go on a massive shopping spree when my phone rang. It was Tim.
His tone was as arrogant and condescending as ever. "I hear our dear Miss Monroe is a little short on cash?"
"Get to the point," I said, my patience already thin.
He was silent for a beat. "Pretend to be my girlfriend for a month. Name your price."
I was shocked. I checked with the System. "I don't remember this happening in the book."
[Correct. The original plot is now completely off the rails. You are free to improvise.]

Was this not a golden opportunity falling right into my lap? I was just worrying about how to get close to him.
Tim, impatient with my silence, snapped, "What? Not interested?"
"I am," I purred, switching to a soft, gentle tone. "I'm just curious why, that's all."
"You don't need to know why," he said, his voice cold. "All you need to know is that for the next month, you're my girlfriend."
I played along. "Okay, darling~"
He hung up instantly.
A moment later, the System's cool, metallic voice chimed in: [Tim Thorne Affection increased by 2%. Current Affection: 15%.]
I scoffed again.
Heh. Men.

3
After hanging up, Tim sent me an address. [Come here.]
I glanced at it, put my phone away, and hailed a cab to the city's largest shopping mall.
The System was surprised. [You're not going?]
"No rush."
[A reminder: if you fail to complete the mission within one month, you may be expelled from this world.]
"I think a guy whose affection goes up by 13% just from watching a security video all night isn't going to be that hard to win over."
The System went silent.
"Besides," I added, "with a guy like Tim, you can't be too eager."
The book's primary description of Tim was "narcissist." His narcissism bordered on full-blown arrogance. He believed no woman on earth was worthy of him, which was why he kept his distance from them. Even when faced with the novel's stunningly beautiful original heroine, he remained unmoved. That was how he ended up as the main villain.
But after I showed up and aggressively kissed him, he seemed to be having second thoughts. What kind of narcissist gets a 13% affection boost from watching a video of himself all night? Surely he wasn't falling for his own on-screen persona.
My guess was that Tim Thorne liked a woman who took charge.
In other words, he might have a bit of a masochistic streak.
For the sake of my mission, I decided to test this theory.
After a three-hour shopping blitz, I finally remembered the man I'd left hanging. I arranged for the mall to deliver my purchases to the Monroe mansion and then caught another cab to the address Tim had sent.
By the time I arrived, the party was already in full swing.
I jogged up to Tim, slightly out of breath. "Sorry I'm late."
He shot me a look of disdain. "What took you so long?"
"I was picking out a present for you." I pushed a tie clip and a watch I'd bought into his hands. "It took a while to choose. I hope you like it."
Tim glanced at me, then looked around at his friends. "See? Now do you believe me?"
"The 'goddess' you all talk about is head over heels for me. Last night she even" He clicked his tongue, as if annoyed. "But since she clearly adores me, I'll let it slide."
"She confessed her love to me last night, and I accepted." Tim took my hand, which was hanging by my side. "Mia is my girlfriend now."
A collective gasp went through the crowd.
Clearly, Tim was savoring this moment. Now I understood why he needed me to pretend to be his girlfriend.
He wanted to show off. To use me as a trophy.
He was the same old narcissist, alright.
To test my theory, I decided to play along with his childish game.
I lowered my head, feigning shyness, and then peeked up at him from under my lashes. As if overcome with affection, I placed my hands on his shoulders, stood on my tiptoes, and leaned in to kiss him.
A light, quick peck on the lips.
Tim froze.
Then, his cheeks and ears turned a shade of crimson so deep it was visible to the naked eye.
He muttered dismissively, "What are you doing? We're in public," but I clearly heard the System's notification: [Tim Thorne Affection increased by 5%. Current Affection: 20%.]
I couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
This guy definitely liked it rough.

4
For the sake of my mission, I played the part of the perfect, doting girlfriend in front of Tim's friends, stroking his ego at every turn. He seemed to enjoy it on the surface, but his affection level didn't budge.
Just as I was starting to wonder if brute force was the only way to make progress, Tim pulled me into a secluded corner of the villa.
He leaned against the wall, legs casually crossed, arms folded as he studied me. "You're actually into me, aren't you?"

I figured he didn't need my real answer, so I went with my gut. "No."
"Stop pretending," he scoffed, his expression full of contempt. "It's obvious you're crazy about me."
I silently cursed him in my head. Narcissist.
Tim continued, his voice dripping with arrogance, "I'd advise you not to get too attached. Because... well, you know. I hate you."
"Why?"
"You don't need to know," he said, ever the tsundere king. "You just need to know that I hate you."

What a psycho.
I grumbled to the System, "Why does he hate me?"
The System provided the answer: [At the freshman welcome dance, he asked you for the first dance, and you turned him down.]
"That's it?"
I was floored by how petty he was. After a few seconds of frustration, another thought struck me. "Wait, I don't remember that part being in the book!" The book only mentioned that Tim disliked the heroine but never explained why.
[Correct. Now that he's been promoted to the male lead, his character has been more fleshed out.]
I muttered "psycho" again, this time aimed at the System.
[I can hear you, you know~]
I gave a tight, humorless smile. "I was saying it for you. What's the point of cursing you if you can't hear it?"
[...]
The other psycho, Tim, was still on his high horse. "I hope you understand that our relationship is just an act. Outside of necessary public appearances, please maintain your distance."
I let out a dry laugh. "Is this a 'necessary public appearance'?"
"No," he said.
I turned to leave. "In that case," I called over my shoulder, "I'll start keeping my distance right now."
For the rest of the evening, I didn't say another word to him. To any onlooker, it would have seemed like we were having a fight. But I was just deliberately provoking him. With a guy like Tim, who had a touch of a submissive streak, you had to give him the cold shoulder sometimes. Let him stew in it, get all worked up, and watch those affection points climb.
By the time I'd turned down the seventh guy who tried to chat me up, Tim's affection level had finally crept up to 27%.
As if he couldn't take it anymore, he marched over to me. "Let's go. I'm taking you home."
I followed him without a word. I thought that would be the end of the affection gains for the night, but the real drama was just beginning.
As we stepped out of the villa, a sleek, black Rolls-Royce pulled up on the sloped driveway. I assumed it was his and started to walk toward it.
But then, the back door opened, and a man stepped out.
He was impeccably dressed in a suit, his features sharp and cool, exuding an aura of refined elegance. He walked toward us with a steady, mature confidence.
I recognized him instantly. He was the original male lead.
Liam.
He stopped under the lights, his gaze locking onto me. "Mia, come here."
I hesitated, about to take a step, when Tim's hand suddenly shot out and gripped mine, squeezing tight.
His voice was tense, coming from above my head, laced with command.
"Mia, don't you dare go!"

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