Ch 78: Rebirth of the Tool Man in a Pampered Protagonist Novel

“I’m sorry… I’m back.”

When Fang Ziyang received this message from Shi Liangchen, his entire face suddenly changed.

To others, this message might not seem strange, but in his eyes, it was enough to stir up a storm of astonishment, understanding the hidden meaning within.

If… if he didn’t misunderstand, did this message mean that Shi Liangchen had also been reborn?

Otherwise, why would the other person use the words “I’m sorry, I’m back”?

Although it hadn’t been confirmed face-to-face yet.

But Fang Ziyang was 90% sure about his guess.

The reason was simple. Shi Meijing had been directly disposed of this time. With Shi Liangchen’s deep affection for his sister, he would never easily accept this reality. He would definitely be very angry and relentlessly pursue the case, making it a big issue and seeking revenge against the perpetrators who harmed his sister.

He might even develop resentment towards Fang Ziyang because, on the surface, it appeared that Shi Meijing fell victim to the criminals, and he would bear some responsibility.

But now, although Shi Liangchen looks very sad, he hasn’t done anything to lose control of his emotions as a family member. He didn’t blame Fang Ziyang either, showing a level of maturity and calmness that is completely contrary to Shi Liangchen’s character of loving his sister.

And now, with Shi Liangchen’s text message, everything might make sense.

Because he has been reborn, and before his rebirth, he saw through Shi Meijing’s malicious and selfish true nature. That’s why Shi Liangchen can remain so calm about his sister’s ordeal.

“There is something important I need to tell you…”

Fang Ziyang felt mixed and restless. He didn’t want to see the previous life’s Shi Liangchen again, but reason told him that he had to meet the person.

It wasn’t about nostalgia; he needed to determine whether the person was now an enemy or a friend. Shi Liangchen’s sudden rebirth had disrupted his plans, and he couldn’t let such an unexpected event escape his control.

He had come this far and was about to fulfill his revenge soon. He couldn’t afford another defeat.

After careful consideration, Fang Ziyang decided to go to the meeting and replied to the message, confirming the meeting location.

–

Considering that the conversation might involve the topic of rebirth, Fang Ziyang didn’t simply arrange to meet at an outside café this time. Instead, he chose a private room in the Crown Club.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Xie Zheng, with the security measures at the Crown Club, ensured that the private rooms were the safest place for a conversation.

To prevent eavesdropping, he even personally installed jamming devices before leaving.

Once everything was in order, Fang Ziyang went to the meeting.

“Ziyang…”

When Shi Liangchen saw him, he anxiously stood up from the sofa in the private room. His expression was filled with excitement and suppressed pain.

Just with that one glance, Fang Ziyang could confirm that the current Shi Liangchen was indeed reborn. After all, they had been partners for nearly ten years, and he was too familiar with Shi Liangchen’s every move.

While he had considered clearing his debts with Shi Liangchen in the previous life by sacrificing himself, when Shi Liangchen chose to accept Yan Tong’s deal in this life, Fang Ziyang could no longer have an ounce of sympathy for him.

“People can change, but their true nature is hard to overcome. We can no longer be friends, and I will never forgive you.”

“Say what you have to say directly, but if you’re going to apologize or express regret, then there’s no need for us to continue this conversation today…”

Fang Ziyang calmly sat down, his gaze cold, not hiding his attitude of keeping his distance from the other person.

With one sentence, he cut off most of what Shi Liangchen wanted to say.

“I… I deserve your hatred. Everything is my own doing.”

Shi Liangchen’s face was filled with bitterness, as if he had just bitten into a bitter gall, and the bitterness seemed to permeate his entire body.

He never expected to get the chance to be reborn. He thought it was a stroke of luck from the heavens. However, when he learned the time of his rebirth, he realized that it was just another punishment from the heavens.

He owed Ziyang too much, so much that he couldn’t repay it even in his previous life.

Taking a deep breath, Shi Liangchen tried to suppress the bitterness in his heart and said with determination, “Ziyang, I know you will never forgive me. I went down the wrong path in the previous life, and in this life, you gave me a chance, but I still couldn’t seize it. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I hope you can give me a chance to redeem myself. Let’s work together again, can we?”

“Do you think I would trust you again?”

Fang Ziyang raised his eyes and looked sarcastically at the person in front of him, the partner he once trusted the most, the one who had completely destroyed all his hopes.

“Shi Liangchen, since you have been reborn too, let me ask you, would you trust Shi Meijing again?”

No, he wouldn’t.

Of course, he wouldn’t.

Shi Liangchen’s face turned pale. Just as Fang Ziyang hated Shi Meijing, he also hated Shi Liangchen in the same way. Ziyang had suffered more in the previous life, and he couldn’t even be magnanimous. How could Ziyang ever trust him again?

But he couldn’t let that happen.

He had to cooperate with Ziyang because only through their collaboration could they achieve a perfect victory.

Swallowing the taste of blood in his mouth, Shi Liangchen’s voice trembled as he said, “But what if I tell you… I didn’t die when we escaped from the cruise ship in the previous life?”

“What do you mean?”

Fang Ziyang’s body trembled, his emotions suddenly fluctuating.

Shi Liangchen closed his eyes, holding his head in his hands, his voice filled with pain.

“I didn’t die. At that time, I also thought I died, but fate let me survive. After you escaped, the people on the cruise ship threw my ‘corpse’ into the sea. However, at that time, I was only severely injured and unconscious, which caused a momentary cardiac arrest. After being thrown into the water, I regained consciousness due to the blessing in disguise and was rescued by a passing fishing boat.”

“I wanted to find you immediately, but when I woke up in the hospital and tried to contact you, all I got was the news of your suicide by jumping off a building. The pictures were filled with blood…”

And those eyes that couldn’t find peace.

He was on the verge of collapse.

He had everything planned so well. As long as he saved Ziyang, they could immediately leave the country.

He didn’t care about Shi Meijing anymore; he didn’t care about his parents’ instructions. He had already sacrificed so much for Shi Meijing, and he wanted to live for himself once. Even if Ziyang didn’t see him as a friend anymore, even if Ziyang didn’t fall in love with him, as long as he could be by Ziyang’s side in the future, he would be content.

But he never expected that Shi Meijing would reveal his whereabouts and destroy everything.

Furthermore, he couldn’t have imagined that when he heard news of Fang Ziyang again, it was already news of his death.

Jumping off a building, blood splattered everywhere.

“I know you couldn’t have committed suicide, I…”

Fang Ziyang interrupted, “No, I jumped off myself.”

Shi Liangchen looked up in disbelief.

Fang Ziyang remained calm, his tone as if he was telling someone else’s story. “I didn’t escape. They found me and brought many people with them. Mo Er wanted to turn me into a plaything to vent his anger on Yan Tong. He wouldn’t stop until he achieved his goal. Jumping off was my only way out, at least a clean death.”

“And all of this was caused by you. If it wasn’t for your betrayal, I would have won the competition and received protection from the country. Why would you need to save me?”

Like a sharp knife piercing his heart.

Shi Liangchen staggered, his whole body freezing, the pain making it almost impossible to breathe.

Fang Ziyang revealed a sardonic smile. “Shi Liangchen, I have been living in hell all this time. What right do you have to seek redemption?”

Shi Liangchen’s face turned pale, his heart being crushed inch by inch.

Fang Ziyang saw his expression without a trace of sympathy or pity. Regardless of Xie Wenxu or Shi Liangchen’s regret and apologies, they were all just their tormented conscience seeking redemption and solace.

Those people had been so heartless to him back then, so why should he generously offer them hope of redemption?

He wasn’t a saint. Those people sowed the seeds of their own suffering, and they should reap what they had sown. There was no magic pill for regrets in the world, even if they were reborn.

“Shi Liangchen, if you truly know how much I hate you and truly regret it, then please don’t seek redemption or comfort from me, or expect anything. This version of you only makes me look down on you even more…”

Fang Ziyang calmly looked at the person in front of him.

Shi Liangchen’s face lost all color.

He let out a bitter smile, giving up the last shred of hope for recovery. After a long time, he struggled to speak.

“He’s right. I don’t deserve to like you at all. I am alive only because even the heavens couldn’t bear to punish me.”

“He?” Fang Ziyang’s gaze flickered.

Shi Liangchen took out his phone, tapped a few times with his fingers, and sent a sketched picture to Fang Ziyang’s WeChat.

“Ziyang, even if you’re unwilling to give me a chance to redeem myself, there are some things I must do. Please trust me once again, even if it’s just for the person in this sketch.”

The photo Shi Liangchen sent was a hand-drawn sketch.

The sketch wasn’t of masterful quality, but it was still well done. It depicted a man sitting in a wheelchair, tall in stature, but his face was not visible.

Because his entire face was disfigured, the only thing that could be seen clearly were the man’s sharp and profound eyes. But from the overall aura, it was evident that the man had once been a ruler standing at the pinnacle of power.

And there were some familiarities.

Fang Ziyang asked, “Who is he?”

“I don’t know.”

Shi Liangchen shook his head. “All I know is that he sacrificed everything to seek revenge for you. Though the process and the outcome were tragic, he ultimately succeeded.”

“When I learned the news of your death back then, I was in great pain. During the time I was recovering, I found out many things…”

“I used to believe that you were an arrogant, overbearing second-generation rich man with a loose and immoral private life. After all, if you weren’t really that despicable, why would your own father, brother, and uncle despise you and cast you out? But later, I realized that there are truly heartless and disgusting relatives in this world.”

“Your family’s situation, Yan Tong drugging you, all the black material on the internet, I found out everything. And Shi Meijing… She never saw me as her brother from the beginning. She always believed that her parents died because of saving me, so it was only right for me and my parents to pay for her. Even my parents’ death was caused by her. I was just a complete fool.”

Just the thought of the various truths he had learned in the previous life made Shi Liangchen wish to tear apart his own existence.

“After I was discharged from the hospital, I wanted to seek revenge for you, but I was powerless. The people around Yan Tong had too much influence, and I couldn’t do anything alone…”

“It was at that moment that the man in the wheelchair found me. His power and resources were incredibly strong, but he couldn’t appear publicly, so I became his representative outside.”

“He successfully dismantled Yan Tong’s people, but the outcome was as tragic as the effort he put in…”

As Shi Liangchen reached this point, he choked up and looked at Fang Ziyang.

“Ziyang, I know my words seem feeble and powerless, and I don’t know how to make you trust me again. But every word I say now is the truth.”

“Although you have done a lot now, and I believe you have the ability to directly kill Yan Tong, you are incapable of dealing with Mo Er at your current level. Even without Yan Tong, Mo Er would still target you. You should know how crazy the James family is for their interests…”

“That man back then was so powerful, yet he paid a heavy price to eliminate those people. Now, let me help you. Let us achieve success with the smallest cost.”

“Just consider it for the sake of saving the man in the sketch. It’s because of you that he ended up like this. He is the only person who truly loves you and has sacrificed everything for you… So, can you bear to see him fall into the hands of Mo Er’s people in the future, turning into that ghostly appearance?”

“I admit that I am despicable for using your soft-heartedness, but Ziyang… we now have a chance to change many things, don’t we?”

Shi Liangchen forced a smile through the difficulty.

As long as Ziyang was willing to let him help, he didn’t mind being a despicable and shameless person.

This was the only thing he could do for Ziyang now.

Fang Ziyang pondered as he looked at the sketch photo on his phone.

After a while, he raised his head. “Although I still can’t trust you completely, I have to admit that the sketch you presented has truly convinced me. Let’s start preparing from tomorrow, and next month, I will arrange for you to leave the country.”

Although he still couldn’t trust Shi Liangchen, he could still make use of him.

It would indeed be a waste to let go of Shi Liangchen, who had been reborn.

Finally hearing the answer he wanted, Shi Liangchen’s face lit up with a smile that came from the depths of his heart, a mix of sadness and contentment.

Even if he was just a pawn, as long as he was needed, his rebirth had meaning.

“Ziyang, if… if I had never lied to you, would you have liked me? Not just as a good friend.”

“No. Because there are no ‘ifs’.”

The clear voice echoed in the private room.

Shi Liangchen sat on the sofa and finally couldn’t hold back his tears.

He hated.

He hated himself for being so foolish.

Because of his own stupidity.

He wasn’t deserving.

…

On the other side.

After leaving the private room, Fang Ziyang could no longer maintain his cold expression.

He quickly rushed to the nearest restroom, locked the cubicle door, and couldn’t maintain his composure any longer. He couldn’t help but cover his mouth and silently cry.

He really couldn’t hold on to his sanity anymore.

The photo Shi Liangchen showed him, if the familiar feeling he sensed wasn’t wrong, then the man in the wheelchair with a disfigured face was very likely Xie Zheng.

The question that had been bothering him all along might finally have an explanation.

When he read the golden book, almost every plot had a reasonable explanation, except for one illogical part that described an overseas tycoon appearing as his “one-night stand” to seek revenge for him…

Although later, after recognizing his brother, he speculated that the so-called overseas tycoon was Rick, and Rick came back for revenge after knowing that he was Tang Xun’s biological younger brother.

But this logic, although plausible, still couldn’t explain one thing. Why would Rick appear as his “one-night stand”? With Rick’s love for his brother, how could he allow himself to be labeled with such absurdity?

But if… Xie Zheng didn’t die in the car accident, then everything would make sense.

From beginning to end, the one helping him seek revenge was Xie Zheng, and Rick and Shi Liangchen were sent as his representatives because Xie Zheng couldn’t personally appear.

Although he didn’t know what happened after his death in the previous life and how Xie Zheng sought revenge for him, Shi Liangchen’s description of the tragic circumstances made him understand.

But in the end, Rick failed and Shi Liangchen died, and it was only then that he was reborn. The outcome could be imagined…

Although the person sitting in the wheelchair in the sketch had a disfigured face and couldn’t be recognized, the figure and demeanor resembled Xie Zheng perfectly.

Besides Xie Zheng, there couldn’t be anyone else.

Fang Ziyang couldn’t describe his current emotions. He wanted to cry and laugh at the same time.

At this moment, he truly felt that he hadn’t been abandoned by everyone. Whether in the previous life or this life, there were people who genuinely liked him and treated him well.

He had his brother, Xie Zheng, and perhaps he should add another one, Brother-in-law Rick?

He didn’t know how long he stayed in the restroom, but once his emotions stabilized, he couldn’t hold back and immediately dialed Xie Zheng’s number.

“Hello?”

The call connected, and the man’s deep and magnetic voice came through.

It sounded so good. Fang Ziyang couldn’t help but cry and laugh at the same time. His voice carried a nasal tone, “Big Brother Xie, I missed you…”

On the other end of the phone, Xie Zheng’s ears turned red again. His wife always loved to act cute like this. He was really… really adorable.

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