Chapter 1

End-of-year bonuses were being distributed, and the boss called me into his office alone.

He tapped his fingers on the desk, cutting straight to the chase: “Sophia, you’re a key technical asset to the company. For this year’s bonus, I’m giving you three choices.”

“First, an apartment in the city center, valued at five million.”

“Second, a cash bonus of one million.”

“Third, a month’s paid long leave.”

I’d dreamed of owning a home in this city my whole life!

I decisively declared: “I choose the apartment!”

The words had barely left my lips when a flash of cold steel appeared. The boss, Marcus Zane, somehow held a knife, and he just… cut me down.

I opened my eyes again, still in the office.

Marcus’s voice echoed, word for word: “Sophia, you’re a key technical asset to the company. For this year’s bonus…”

Cold sweat instantly drenched my back.

I swallowed hard and changed my mind: “I choose the cash!”

Another stab, and I died again.

The third time I opened my eyes, I looked at Marcus’s half-smile, my voice trembling: “I, I choose a month’s leave…”

The knife flashed again, and I was gone.

The fourth time I opened my eyes, Marcus was about to speak.

I dropped to my knees with a thud.

“Boss! What do you want me to choose?!”

1

Across from me, Marcus Zane frowned, then bent down to help me up.

“Sophia, why did you suddenly kneel?”

I scrambled to my feet, glancing at the clock on the wall.

9:15 AM again.

If he hadn't killed me three times already, I might have actually been moved by his feigned concern for his subordinate.

I was shaking uncontrollably.

Marcus grinned, a peculiar smile spreading across his face: “Sophia, you’re a key technical asset to the company. For this year’s bonus, I’m giving you three choices. First, an apartment in the city center…” He repeated the three options.

“Wait!” I blurted out, interrupting him in a panic. The memory of the previous three lives still stung in my chest. It seemed that to survive, the key lay in how I answered this choice.

After much thought, forgoing the bonus altogether should be safe, right?

I steeled myself and stated directly: “Mr. Zane, thank you for your generosity. I won’t be taking a bonus this year.”

“Uh, I still have work to do, so I’ll just head out…”

I turned and walked towards the door, desperate to leave the office. But as soon as I turned, a knife plunged into my heart from behind. As I fell, I saw the blood dripping from Marcus’s knife. He lowered his head and licked a drop of blood that had splattered on his cheek, his lips twisting into a grotesque, sinister grin.

Everything went black.

I opened my eyes again, back at 9:15 AM. My heart pounded furiously as I stiffly looked up.

Marcus sat opposite me.

“Sophia, you’re a key technical asset to the company. For this year’s bonus, I’m giving you three choices…”

2

I trembled, succumbing to a wave of despair. All three options were wrong. The fourth time, even not choosing was a dead end. What did he want me to choose for this bonus?

Since joining this company, I'd been the first to arrive, the last to leave, working tirelessly, dedicating myself entirely to my tasks. I only took my rightful salary and never actively asked for an annual bonus. Just as I couldn't wrap my head around it, Marcus repeated that fatal question.

I took a deep breath, mustering my courage to look at him: “Mr. Zane, whatever you give, I’ll take. Even if it’s nothing, that’s fine. I’ll leave it all to you!”

He paused. This time, he didn’t immediately kill me with the knife. It seemed I’d gambled correctly. Marcus narrowed his eyes, his tone unreadable: “Sophia, the annual bonus is a company benefit for its employees. You’ve generated such significant revenue for the company; it’s what you deserve.”

“Every qualifying employee gets a share. Just choose, don’t worry about it. Don’t waste time; others are waiting!”

As he spoke, I thought I saw a glint of a knife by his hand. My heart pounded; I had no idea how to choose. Then his phrase, “others are waiting,” abruptly popped into my mind. My heart skipped a beat. Marcus’s secretary, Sarah Hayes, delivered coffee promptly at 9:30 AM every day. If she came in, I could use it as an opportunity to escape.

“Sophia! Hurry and choose one, do you want the house or the money…” Marcus’s voice was icy. Cold sweat trickled down my neck, my heart racing.

Knock, knock.

Two soft taps on the door, like a lifeline I’d seized. I almost instinctively blurted out, “Enter!”

Sarah pushed the door open, the aroma of coffee filling the room. “Mr. Zane, your coffee.” Marcus’s words were abruptly cut off, his face livid. I couldn’t worry about that now. With Sarah present, he surely wouldn’t dare to kill me in front of someone else. Seizing this window of opportunity, I abruptly stood up. “Mr. Zane, I’ll step out for now and get back to you about the bonus after I’ve considered it.”

As I rushed to the office door, “Ah!” Sarah’s piercing scream echoed behind me. My blood instantly froze. I stopped dead, turning back to see a sight that made my scalp prickle. Marcus’s dagger was plunged into Sarah’s heart. Drops of blood trickled down the blade, crimsoning her white blouse. My mind exploded. Sarah had worked by Marcus’s side for eight years, his most trusted right-hand woman!

Her body swayed, then she fell heavily into a pool of blood. I heard her faint voice: “Sophia, run… quick…” Marcus frowned and fiercely stabbed her twice more. Sarah’s body twitched twice, then went completely still. My hand, which had been reaching for the door, fell back in despair.

No. Sarah had always been so kind to me. If I escaped now, breaking this death loop, then she would truly be dead. Details of each reincarnation cycle flashed through my mind, and an answer emerged. Perhaps… this was the correct answer to the problem.

Before I could even speak it, Marcus’s grotesque face was already inches from mine. “You just said you needed to consider? Then die!” The cold blade sliced across my throat. I died again.

3

Opening my eyes, my first instinct was to touch my neck; my skin was smooth and intact. There was no blood on the floor, no sign of Sarah’s body. The clock on the wall read 9:15 AM. Marcus across from me looked slightly puzzled, then asked if I’d been working overtime. I forced myself to calm down, my hands trembling violently, but I still managed a strained smile: “Yes, Mr. Zane, I had an all-night meeting with overseas clients, so I didn’t rest well.”

I responded casually, but my mind was racing. Was Marcus’s purpose in making me choose the bonus merely to find an excuse to kill me? All three options were wrong, and saying “I need to consider” or “I don’t want it” was a definite dead end.

This company was the culmination of generations of the Zane family’s hard work. Marcus and I had no grudges; I was his most capable subordinate. Our superior-subordinate relationship was harmonious, with no friction whatsoever. Furthermore, I was the only one in the entire company who could oversee my current project from start to finish. Any slight misstep would lead to astronomical losses, even outright bankruptcy.

An answer was gradually forming in my mind. But I needed time to verify its correctness. I took a deep breath, forcing down the surging fear in my heart. Quickly scanning my surroundings, this office was at the very end of the corridor, and the soundproofing was ridiculously good; even if I screamed at the top of my lungs, no one outside would hear.

Ten more minutes. Sarah would come in to deliver coffee punctually. This time, I couldn't repeat the same mistake, and I certainly couldn't drag her into danger. I subtly slipped my hand into my pocket, preparing to press the emergency alarm on my phone. Empty. My heart suddenly sank as I remembered. In my hurry to get into the office this morning, I had carelessly left my phone on my desk outside.

“Sophia, I’m asking you, what do you want for this year’s bonus? An apartment in the city center…” Marcus across from me was still speaking, delivering that deadly question again.

I sighed, sliding off my chair onto the floor. Ignoring his words, I started to cry at the top of my lungs: “Mr. Zane, you know I’m an orphan, never had anyone to care for me since childhood. I finally saved up a little money from work, but I haven’t even had a single day to enjoy it…”

I sobbed ramblingly, recounting my life from the orphanage to school, from starting work to now. As I cried, I slowly edged towards Marcus’s desk. Marcus tried his best to hide his impatience. “I know you’ve had it tough, which is why the company’s bonus for you is exceptionally generous. Hurry and choose. Once you choose, you can live a good life.” I sneered inwardly. Was a “good life” him sending me to my grave?

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Sarah had arrived. Marcus raised his chin towards the door: “Come back later.” The moment his attention was diverted to the door, I swiftly pressed the emergency call button on the desk. As my finger lifted, I met Marcus’s utterly cold eyes.

“What are you doing?” He leaned closer, his figure completely engulfing me, head tilted, a chilling smile on his lips. “Bonus, three choices, what do you pick?”

I met his gaze and smiled too. “House, cash, leave—I want all three.”

4

After I voiced my answer, Marcus froze, clearly not expecting me to say that. He said in a strange tone, “A good choice. Too bad, though, you shouldn't have picked that.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he drew his knife and lunged at me. I was prepared, sidestepping to dodge and leaping up to escape. At the same time, Marcus quickly pursued me, closing in rapidly, catching up in a few seconds. Marcus grabbed my throat, and I opened my mouth, biting down hard on his wrist. He cried out, his grip loosening. I seized the opportunity, lunging forward to pick up the knife that had fallen to the floor.

However, he spun around quickly, grabbing my wrist, prying my fingers open, and fiercely snatching the knife back. The next second, he raised his hand, aiming for my chest. I desperately dodged. The knife missed by an inch, plunging into my arm, blood splattering. Marcus cursed, kicked me in the stomach, and raised the knife to strike again.

Just then, the office door burst open, and two security guards rushed in. Marcus’s hand stopped. Saved! I yelled, “Uncle Robert, Uncle Daniel, help me!” Robert and Daniel were honest and warm-hearted, and they had always treated me very well. They were also skilled in martial arts. Seeing them, I breathed a sigh of relief; with them here, I wouldn’t be killed. The emergency button next to Marcus’s desk led directly to security, summoning them instantly.

They stepped forward to help me up. “Mr. Zane, what are you doing?”

I shouted at them, “Uncle Robert, Uncle Daniel! Marcus is trying to kill me! He’s a murderer, call the police!”

Uncle Robert picked up his phone. “Zane, don’t think you can bully employees just because you’re the boss. I’m calling the police to arrest you…”

Marcus unhurriedly leaned back in his executive chair. “Uncle Robert, Uncle Daniel, what do you want for this year’s bonus? I have three options…”

As he spoke, my arm was suddenly gripped tight. Robert and Daniel held me firmly from behind. Their strength was terrifying; with a crack, my bone was snapped. The pain made my vision go black, but I gritted my teeth and turned my head. Uncle Daniel’s face was streaked with tears. “I’m sorry, Sophia. If you don’t die, we will.”

But why?! Why were they so afraid when they heard that question? And why did I have to die?

Marcus rose, a cruel grin on his face, stepping towards me. Just as the knife tip was about to slice my throat, the office door was pushed open again. “Mr. Zane, your coffee…”

Sarah stood at the doorway, holding a cup of coffee. Her eyes swept over everything in the room, and the coffee cup in her hand clattered to the floor. She froze for two seconds, then turned and bolted out the door, screaming, “Murder! Help me!” Robert and Daniel chased after her, grabbing her hair, covering her mouth, and roughly dragging her back.

I don’t know where I found the strength, but I lunged, biting down on Uncle Robert’s hand, tearing off a piece of flesh. “Sarah, run! Don’t mind me!” Robert and Daniel had to turn their attention to me, but I was too tenacious, allowing Sarah to break free. But she only ran a few steps before Marcus caught her again.

Sarah and I were locked back in the office. Marcus’s gaze darted between us, as if deciding who to kill first. Sarah’s shoulders hunched together; I could clearly hear her teeth chattering. I lifted my head, spitting fiercely at Marcus. “Sarah is innocent! Let her go! Otherwise, I’ll haunt you even as a ghost!”

Sure enough, he savagely grabbed me. I quickly dodged to the side, avoiding his hand. My ankle twisted, and I slammed hard against the desk. In my line of sight, I happened to see the annual performance report on the table. I finally understood why Marcus was so desperate to kill me, and why he forced me to choose from those bonus options…