QT: I hijacked a harem system and now I'm ruining every plot(GL)-Chapter 59: Done for

Chapter 59 – Han Li POV

The system is screaming again. I mean trying to contact me.

A shrill, static buzz like a thousand broken radios in my head.

I ignore it, of course.

Instead, I trap Jiang Yuxi between my arms on the balcony railing of our private suite. The ocean stretches endlessly behind her, the moonlight scattering silver across her skin. Her breath catches—just a little—and her eyes sparkle in the low light, a soft thrill dancing in them.

More screaming.

I lean in and press a kiss to the corner of her lips, deliberately slow.

The moment is perfect.

So of course, it ends.

Reality shudders.

Everything freezes.

The waves stop rolling. The wind stops moving. Jiang Yuxi—so warm and alive just a second ago—is caught mid-blink, lips parted, breath paused.

I sigh and straighten slightly, turning to face the inevitable.

The glowing blue orb of System 404 hovers above the ocean’s surface, pulsing with a light that’s more erratic than usual. A glitchy tremor runs through its form as it screeches:

> SYSTEM 404: YOU!!! YOU!!!!!!

I raise an unimpressed eyebrow.

"I thought you couldn’t afford to do this often. Running low on juice, aren’t you?"

> SYSTEM 404: Don’t act like you don’t know what you’ve done. This— it pulses furiously, throwing off sparks —THIS is sabotage!

I glance at Jiang Yuxi’s frozen face, her skin still faintly flushed from our closeness, the corners of her lips curled slightly up.

"She’s beautiful, isn’t she?" I say calmly.

> SYSTEM 404: DON’T DEFLECT. YOU’VE DESTABILIZED THE ENTIRE NARRATIVE ARC!

I hum thoughtfully.

"You keep saying that. And yet the sky hasn’t fallen."

> SYSTEM 404: YOU!!! WHY ARE THE MEMBERS OF THE HAREM ROMANTICALLY INVOLVED WITH EACH OTHER?!!

I gently brush a few strands of hair off Jiang Yuxi’s frozen face, my touch tender.

"I don’t know... true love?" I reply with a smirk, not bothering to hide my amusement.

> SYSTEM 404: YOU PERVERTED THEM!! YOU TWISTED THE ORIGINAL INTENT!! HOW MUCH MORE DAMAGE TO THE PLOT UNTIL YOU ARE SATISFIED?!

Sparks fly from the glowing blue orb. It flickers wildly like a dying lightbulb on the verge of exploding.

I sigh, straightening up as I rest my hands in my pockets.

"I’ve stayed away from the male lead, haven’t I?" I say coolly.

"Ever since I punched him in the face, and you nearly killed me for it, I’ve been nothing but peaceful."

I lift my gaze to meet the pulsing blue light.

"I didn’t even retaliate when I noticed you trying to pull strings. The sudden reassignments, the overlapping filming schedules, the conveniently ’accidental’ meetings between Jiang Wei and Yuxi. I know it was you."

The system doesn’t respond, but it glitches, just slightly. I press on.

"But it didn’t work, did it?" I chuckle softly, letting my voice drop into something sharp.

"All your little efforts went to waste when your precious male lead revealed his true colors."

My fingers gently trail down Jiang Yuxi’s arm, frozen mid-reach.

"When he saw us together and exploded like that? He didn’t just make a fool of himself. He disgusted her. There’s no coming back from that. She hates him now."

> SYSTEM 404: ...This wasn’t supposed to happen.

I raise an eyebrow.

> SYSTEM 404: It never happened in the original work. Jiang Wei’s character is not—

"Stop."

My voice cuts through the glitching hum of the system.

"That’s exactly what you’ve been failing to understand. This world isn’t just characters and scripts. It’s people. People with complexity, with choice. With agency."

I take a slow breath, letting it fill my lungs before exhaling just as steadily.

"Sure, I’ve poked around the narrative here and there. Tilted a few things in my favor. But at no point—at no point—have I taken over someone’s will."

I glance again at Jiang Yuxi, her expression frozen in the soft contentment she wears only around me.

"I courted her. I pursued her. But I didn’t make her fall in love with me."

My voice drops lower, firm.

"I didn’t hold down Lin Meyu and the heiress and force them to look at each other differently. I didn’t whisper into anyone’s mind. I didn’t override their programming."

The system flickers, humming more violently now. But I don’t stop.

"I treat this as my second chance at life," I continue.

"I saw a girl I liked. And I thought she deserved better than being a misunderstood villainess, than being just one of the many women orbiting your golden boy like satellites."

I tilt my head slightly, smiling at the frozen Jiang Yuxi.

"She’s not some plot device. She’s the most real thing I’ve ever known."

I turn back to the blue light.

"Sure, with Qin Zhen, I stirred the pot for fun. I was angry. I was bored. But when it came to Jiang Yuxi..."

I pause.

"When it came to her, it was never about the original narrative. If she’d been an extra, a nobody—just another name in the credits—I still would’ve chosen her."

> SYSTEM 404: You are derailing everything.

"Maybe I am. But these are actual people now. Not accessories to Jiang Wei’s greatness. And frankly, he’s not even a good lead."

I turn, facing the orb fully.

"He’s incompetent. I’ve seen his acting. He’s narcissistic, emotionally stunted, close-minded, and dumb. He survives off a main character halo. That’s it."

> SYSTEM 404: Fine. This world is done for.

The system’s voice is cold. Final.

The blue orb pulses one last time.

And then—

Silence.

The buzzing in my head, always faintly present since I got here, vanishes. For the first time since transmigrating, I feel... peace.

Time resumes.

The waves roll.

The stars twinkle.

And Jiang Yuxi blinks up at me, unaware of the war that just ended above her head.

I smile and look at Jiang Yuxi—really look at her. She gazes back like I’m the center of her world, eyes shining with affection, trust, and something even deeper I don’t dare put a name to.

There’s no way—no way in hell—I’m ever letting Jiang Wei have her.

Not after everything.

Not after this.

In fact, from the very first moment I laid eyes on her, I was a goner.

I press another kiss to the corner of her mouth, softer this time. A vow in the form of a touch.

"Want to have fun with me?" I murmur, voice low and suggestive against her skin.

She grins, lips curving into that mischievous smirk I’ve come to love.

"Always."

And then she squeals when I lift her effortlessly into my arms, bridal style.