Author Archives: Thandar

Shao Ye placed the rose on the windowsill, waved at Pei Fangyan, and, without going inside again, climbed back down from the balcony.

Only after he had been gone for a while did Pei Fangyan wheel himself over to the window. He reached out, picked up the rose Shao Ye had left behind, and turned it idly in his hand for a moment before asking Steward Liu to bring a vase and placing the flower inside.

Seeing that Pei Fangyan seemed to be in a good mood, Steward Liu asked, “Sir, did someone come just now?”

Pei Fangyan let out a soft laugh. “A little fool.”

Steward Liu paused, then carefully asked, “Shao Ye?”

Hearing him guess correctly at once, Pei Fangyan’s smile widened even more.

It had been a long time since Steward Liu had seen him smile so happily, and for the first time, he felt a faint sense of crisis about his own job.

The moonlight was hazy, the night cool as water. After leaving Pei Fangyan, Shao Ye didn’t go back to his room to sleep. Instead, he wandered over to Su Yuexiang’s place again.

She lived in a two-story standalone villa. Standing outside the small garden below, Shao Ye looked up. The lights inside were on, the curtains open, and he could clearly see four figures moving around.

He was speechless. In the time it took him to go report earlier, another one had climbed up.

Well, that made it perfect. Peak romance.

He couldn’t help but think to himself that the three of them really didn’t treat themselves as outsiders at all.

His Seventh Uncle didn’t want to interfere, but as the future chief steward of the residence, Shao Ye felt it was necessary to teach them a lesson. If they dared act like this right under Seventh Uncle’s nose, who knew what they might do outside?

They needed to learn who actually called the shots here.

Seeing that they didn’t seem to be leaving anytime soon, Shao Ye immediately went to the kennel, brought over the three Rottweilers, and stationed them at the front door to block any escape.

Then he took some dog waste that hadn’t yet been cleaned up and tossed it into the small garden below the balcony. After estimating the angles, he was certain that no matter whether they climbed down from the left or the right, they would definitely step in it.

But even after waiting for a long time, the three upstairs showed no sign of leaving—if anything, they seemed to be getting more engrossed in conversation. Gritting his teeth, Shao Ye decided this punishment still wasn’t enough. He went to Steward Liu and asked for some lubricant oil, then smeared it along the railings of the first-floor windows. If they wanted to land safely, they would definitely have to grab onto those rails.

With everything set up, Shao Ye finally felt satisfied. He snapped his fingers, and the Rottweilers at the door immediately responded, barking loudly.

There were only three dogs in the residence, all belonging to Pei Fangyan. Hearing the barking, the people upstairs instinctively thought it was a warning from him. Losing any mood to argue, they hurriedly climbed down from the balcony. But when they reached the first floor, their hands slipped, and one after another they fell straight into the garden below.

Cursing and retching erupted almost simultaneously.

Seeing the long-awaited scene unfold, Shao Ye clapped his hands, fully satisfied, and led the three Rottweilers away. That night, he slept soundly.

Steward Liu, however, couldn’t sleep. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out what Shao Ye intended to do with that lubricant. There weren’t even any bicycle chains in the residence that needed oiling.

Considering that Pei Fangyan’s attitude toward Shao Ye that night had been somewhat unusual, he decided to report it.

After hearing this, even Pei Fangyan was puzzled. “What does he want that for?”

“I asked him, but he didn’t say,” Steward Liu replied.

“Go take a look,” Pei Fangyan said.

Steward Liu quickly pulled up the residence’s surveillance footage. What he saw was He Jiahui and the others’ miserable state. They had already climbed out of the garden, and because the Rottweilers had appeared, they assumed everything had been arranged by Pei Fangyan. They didn’t dare make a fuss—more importantly, it was far too embarrassing.

Earlier, Su Yuexiang had heard the commotion and asked if they had fallen, but all three stubbornly insisted they were fine, afraid she might come downstairs to see them.

Now, the three unfortunate brothers staggered along, vomiting as they cursed.

Pei Fangyan was truly despicable—using such dirty, underhanded tactics!

After some thought, Steward Liu saved the footage and sent it to Pei Fangyan.

After watching it twice, Pei Fangyan’s mood indeed improved quite a bit. Wasn’t this far more entertaining than a soccer match?

He said to the steward, “When you have time, upgrade the surveillance cameras in the residence.”

The steward replied awkwardly, “These are already the best available, sir.”

“What a pity,” Pei Fangyan said. A pity the footage didn’t capture their expressions more clearly.

The night breeze rippled the surface of the pond, fish darting happily through the fractured reflection of the moon. As night gave way to dawn, the morning light revealed glistening dewdrops rolling off broad leaves, as if racing one another.

After breakfast, Pei Fangyan sat on the first floor working. Translated on Hololo novels. Hearing two barks from outside, his hand paused slightly over the documents. It wasn’t the fierce barking reserved for strangers, but something softer—almost like a whine.

Even he rarely heard his dogs make that sound for him. “What’s going on outside?” he asked.

Steward Liu walked to the window and saw that the three Rottweilers, which usually bared their teeth at him, were happily playing with Shao Ye. Fresh from their morning run, all three charged at him at once, knocking him onto the lawn.

Seeing this, Steward Liu had many things he wanted to say. Since when did these dogs have two faces?

Turning to report back, he found that Pei Fangyan had already wheeled himself over to the floor-to-ceiling window. Looking out at the three dogs and one man on the lawn, he saw that Shao Ye’s T-shirt had been tugged up during their play, revealing half his abs and a lean waist, his whole body radiating youthful energy.

“When did the dogs get so close to him?” Pei Fangyan asked.

Unable to tell whether his tone carried approval or displeasure, Steward Liu answered honestly, “Probably yesterday.”

“You had him feed the dogs?”

“Yes,” Steward Liu said, suddenly feeling uneasy. He hadn’t expected Shao Ye to win over the dogs so easily—or to gain Pei Fangyan’s favor in less than a day.

His position as steward suddenly felt somewhat unstable.

“Should I call him back?” he asked.

“No need,” Pei Fangyan said with a faint smile. “Let them play. Didn’t the old master leave such a large lawn for the children to enjoy?”

Steward Liu moved his lips, wanting to say—sir, don’t you think this “child” is a bit too big?

The other young people in the residence all had work to attend to during the day, but Shao Ye could roam freely. Yet he wasn’t in the mood to wander. If he spent all day walking dogs and playing around, when would his “Rome” ever be built? Was he supposed to rely on Rome to build itself?

No. He had to rely on himself.

After making inquiries from multiple sources, Shao Ye learned that every afternoon his Seventh Uncle had a two-hour rest period. During that time, professionals would come to give him leg massages and other forms of care. Usually, Steward Liu would stay by Pei Fangyan’s side then. Shao Ye felt this job required the least skill—he could completely take over.

So that afternoon, Pei Fangyan saw Shao Ye peeking in through the crack of the door. He asked, “Why are you here? Where’s Steward Liu?”

Shao Ye pushed the door open and walked in. “Steward Liu got his clothes wet and went to change. If you need anything, Seventh Uncle, you can just tell me.”

Pei Fangyan nodded and said nothing more. At this hour, there was usually nothing important anyway. The steward was only there to occasionally hand him something or pour water.

Pei Fangyan lay on the bed wearing loose silk sleep pants. His legs had been well maintained over the years, showing no signs of atrophy. The massage therapist stood nearby, pressing downward steadily with both hands.

Shao Ye crouched by the bedside, watching quietly for a moment before looking up with concern. “Seventh Uncle, does it hurt?”

Pei Fangyan lowered his gaze to meet his. “If it hurts, that’s actually a good thing.”

Pain meant there was still sensation.

Shao Ye pressed his lips together, then asked, “When will your legs get better?”

“Maybe they never will,” Pei Fangyan said calmly, as if he had long accepted it.

But Shao Ye couldn’t accept it. Why had his uncle saved that Su Yuexiang back then? Was she really that important?

Thinking about how she was his uncle’s “white moonlight,” he felt as if ants were gnawing at his heart—bitter and uncomfortable. He could try to replace Steward Liu, but it seemed impossible to push Su Yuexiang out of his uncle’s heart.

Taking a deep breath, Shao Ye told himself that if he couldn’t replace her, it just meant he wasn’t trying hard enough. Pointing at the therapist’s hands, he said, “Seventh Uncle, can I learn this?”

Pei Fangyan saw that just moments ago he had looked dejected, and now suddenly he was full of enthusiasm again. Unable to read his thoughts, he asked, “What would you gain from learning this?”

“I can help massage your legs,” Shao Ye said. “I think I’m stronger than him. Maybe it’ll be more effective.”

The massage therapist: “……”

Was he about to lose his job too?!

Pei Fangyan smiled. “Then go ahead and learn.”

By the time Steward Liu hurried back after changing his clothes, he found the therapist pushed aside, while Shao Ye enthusiastically took over the massage.

Steward Liu looked at the therapist in confusion. The therapist could only shrug helplessly—if the master allowed it, what could he do?

Steward Liu was speechless. What kind of person was this? Wasn’t it enough to take one job—he had to take two?

Earlier, someone had left a hose out on the lawn. When Steward Liu went to put it away, he ended up getting sprayed all over. He rushed back to change, only to find his door blocked from the outside. Without his phone and with the stairs being difficult at his age, he had to shout for quite a while before a servant finally came to let him out.

After Shao Ye left, Steward Liu reported the incident. Pei Fangyan simply smiled and said, “Let him come in the afternoons from now on.”

Steward Liu: “……”

Was he really going to lose his job? That was way too fast!

Would he have to start calling him “Steward Shao” tomorrow?

Years of professional training allowed Steward Liu to maintain a polite smile even in the face of possible unemployment. He even proactively asked, “Sir, would you like me to teach Shao Ye the duties of a steward?”

Pei Fangyan chuckled. “Why would he need to learn that? Do you really intend for him to take over your position?”

Wasn’t that exactly what was happening?

Steward Liu asked curiously, “Then what are your intentions, sir?”

Pei Fangyan shook his head. “No particular plan. I just happened to meet an interesting junior and want to spend some time talking with him.”

“I see,” Steward Liu said, though doubt lingered. It still felt like his master was being unusually tolerant toward Shao Ye.

Pei Tiancheng felt the same—Pei Fangyan’s temper seemed to have improved a lot to tolerate his son for this long. Every day, he made video calls to Shao Ye to confirm that his limbs were all intact. He had even brought home a statue of Guanyin from a temple, praying to it whenever he had the chance.

So far, it seemed Guanyin was indeed quite effective.

As for Shao Ye, he firmly believed everything he had now was the result of his own hard work. He diligently completed each of his tasks. Between feeding and walking the dogs and giving Pei Fangyan massages, he also made sure to keep an eye on the others in the residence. Translated on Hololo novels. Since they were all living here, they had to follow the rules—be upright and behave properly.

At first, his cousins hadn’t taken him seriously. After all, even if he did well as a “steward candidate,” his ceiling was limited. Pei Fangyan would have to be out of his mind to hand the entire Pei family over to him.

But Shao Ye had a habit of reporting everything. Even bringing a girlfriend back overnight—he would report it to Seventh Uncle. Sure, the girlfriends weren’t even the same on consecutive nights, but was it really necessary to unleash dogs on them?!

One of his cousins complained while running, “This isn’t some inheritance game—it’s basically a battle royale!”

After several cousins conducted a “scientific and rigorous” discussion, they ultimately reached a unanimous decision: they had to eliminate Shao Ye first.

This wasn’t an easy task. If they worked together with him, they could have used common tactics like framing, theft, or concealment. But Shao Ye stayed in the old residence all day, and they had no idea what his job even was. Every morning when they went to work, they saw him jogging with three Rottweilers, and when they got off work in the evening, they saw him out again jogging with those same three dogs.

There was no way he spent the entire day just running, right?

They continued to scheme. Since they had no interaction with him, they would create some. They had already prepared the drugs and were just waiting for Shao Ye to take them, lose control, and do something crazy in the old residence. If he could even do something to Pei Fangyan’s “white moonlight,” that would be even better.

They didn’t dare make a move against Shao Ye inside the old residence. First, there were surveillance cameras everywhere, making it easy to leave evidence. Second, they were afraid of angering Pei Fangyan. If that happened, all of them might end up paying the price.

Still, Shao Ye spent all day in the old residence with Pei Fangyan, who was disabled. That had to be boring, right? If they invited him out to do something fun, he probably wouldn’t refuse.

With several “great minds” put together, they quickly settled on the location for their plan: a bar.

But just after they sent out the invitation, Shao Ye went straight to Pei Fangyan and reported them, saying they were neglecting their duties, thinking about partying at a bar instead of working, and suggesting they be kicked out of the old residence.

Enraged, the group cursed him nonstop in various dialects for two and a half hours. They even started looking into his background, swearing to find his weakness.

However, when they saw the investigation report the detective sent back, which cost one hundred thousand, they all fell silent for quite a while.

In the end, someone offered an inspired suggestion: “How about we invite him to that newly opened gym nearby instead?”

---

Author’s Note:

【No. 6, what kind of person are you?! You’re ruining people’s lives!】

I just wanted to watch a melodramatic show. What did I do wrong? I had been watching other streams before. You all said No. 6 was about to be eliminated and his stream was especially exciting, so I came over. And what did I see? What did I see?!

Now when I watch He Jiahuai trying to force a kiss on Su Yuexiang in other streams, I can’t help but think of that night when he fell flat on his face in No. 6’s stream. I know the He Jiahuai in other streams is innocent and pure, but I still can’t accept it—

: Truly face-planting like a dog eating dirt.

: The other two didn’t escape either, right?

: You should thank No. 6. After pulling that stunt, he didn’t even post about it.

: But Seventh Uncle has the video.

: Seventh Uncle: Victory is in hand.

: He Jiahuai and the others are blaming this on Seventh Uncle. Honestly, he’s not entirely innocent. I think he and No. 6 are cut from the same cloth.

: I can tell the person above is a He fan. You’re really triggered, huh?

: It’s true. No. 6 gives him a flower and he treasures it like it’s priceless, even putting it in a vase. Even if he’s not gay now, he’s not far from it. I hope Seventh Uncle’s fans know their place and stop dragging our Jiahuai into this. Our Jiahuai is a straight man, okay? Praying for him.

: That’s called having manners, okay? Not like your rabid He fans who want to bite everyone.

: Oh please, manners? His second sister gave him a Buddhist amulet and he threw it straight into the trash. Is that manners? Even if he has manners, it’s only visible to No. 6. Sounds even more like he’s gay. Hope he keeps his distance from our Jiahuai and doesn’t corrupt him.

: Holy crap, what is this?! What is this!!! I ship it, I ship it, I ship it hard!!!

: “Our Jiahuai baby”? You guys really say that out loud? That amulet his sister gave him was shady to begin with. Was he supposed to worship it? His leg was crippled for Su Yuexiang, and you fans will say anything just to smear him!

: Whether it was for Su Yuexiang is still debatable. He himself said it wasn’t. Translated on Hololo novels. And honestly, he doesn’t seem that devoted to her. Today when he watched No. 6 playing with the dogs, his eyes were practically glued there.

: I ship it, I ship it, I’m still shipping it.

: He just doesn’t want Su Yuexiang to feel guilty! He doesn’t want to burden her! He already said he treats No. 6 as a junior. What’s wrong with looking at a junior a bit more?

: A junior? There are tons of juniors in the old residence. Why does he only stare at No. 6? Honestly, thank goodness for No. 6, otherwise what if he stared at our Jiahuai instead?

: And didn’t you Seventh Uncle fans say he’s a germaphobe? His massage therapist disinfects everything and wears gloves, but today No. 6 touched him directly. Where did the germaphobia go? Just admit it, stanning a gay man isn’t that embarrassing. You just lost the matchup again.

: Ship ship ship ship ship—

: Looks like a rat snuck into our thread.

: Where are the Seventh Uncle fans now? Why aren’t you arguing back?

: They went to start a thread calling He Jiahuai trash.

: That’s not insulting, that’s education.

: Damn it! You can’t play fair!

: I have another question. Why are those cannon fodder NPCs plotting to drug No. 6? Shouldn’t this kind of cliché plot happen to the male and female leads?

: You’re asking me? Ask the production team!

: Ship ship ship—wait no! What male and female leads? Don’t talk nonsense. Our No. 6 stream has always been dual male leads.

≽^•⩊•^≼

Next

After all, they were still father and son. Even if this son of his wasn’t very sharp and constantly got on his nerves, he couldn’t just watch him walk straight into a grave.

“Um… how about we just forget it,” Pei Tiancheng said, forcing a smile, his tone earnest.

Pei Fangyan looked puzzled. “Didn’t you just spend all that time telling me you wanted me to keep Xiao Ye by my side? Why the sudden change of heart?”

Pei Tiancheng hurriedly explained, “It’s not that I’m unwilling. I just suddenly realized that Xiao Ye is clumsy. If he stays with you, not only might he not be of any help, he could even cause trouble.”

“Where am I—”

Shao Ye had just begun to defend himself when Pei Tiancheng pinched his arm hard. In a low voice, he threatened, “Shut up.”

He didn’t hold back at all, as if putting his full strength into it. Shao Ye sucked in a sharp breath from the pain, his face twisting uncontrollably.

Patting Shao Ye’s shoulder, Pei Tiancheng smiled at Pei Fangyan. “Look at this kid, so silly he’s practically drooling.”

“It’s fine,” Pei Fangyan said without changing expression. “I happen to like the silly ones.”

Pei Tiancheng: “……”

The more Pei Fangyan insisted on keeping Shao Ye, the more Pei Tiancheng felt something was off. He pressed on, “Xiao Ye has never passed math since he was young. Even now, he has to count on his fingers for simple addition and subtraction within ten. He’s really not suitable to stay by your side.”

Shao Ye stared at his “kind and loving” father in shock. Sure, his math wasn’t great, but there was no need to slander him like this!

Pei Fangyan didn’t mind at all. “That’s fine. As long as he’s physically strong. I’d even like to see Xiao Ye play soccer someday.”

Pei Tiancheng: “……”

Enough already! How many times had he brought this up? Couldn’t the man be a little more broad-minded?

At this point, Pei Tiancheng was almost certain that Pei Fangyan had no good intentions toward Shao Ye.

Pei Fangyan smiled and asked, “Big brother, you’re not worried about leaving Xiao Ye with me, are you?”

“No, of course not,” Pei Tiancheng said, forcing out a strained smile. Seeing that Pei Fangyan was determined to keep Shao Ye, he didn’t dare object further. Who knew what unpleasant methods this man might resort to otherwise? “Since you think so highly of him, then let Xiao Ye stay. If he becomes annoying, just throw him out. No need to be polite.”

The smile at Pei Fangyan’s lips deepened. “You worry too much, big brother. Xiao Ye is so interesting. How could I bear to drive him away?”

Hearing this, Shao Ye proudly puffed out his chest. It was June, the weather hot. Translated on Hololo novels. He wore a white short-sleeved shirt, slightly damp with sweat after running around with He Jiahui. The fabric clung faintly to his body, half-transparent.

Pei Fangyan’s gaze drifted downward, landing on his strong, well-built legs.

Pei Tiancheng felt like crying. His foolish son—sold off and still helping count the money.

All he could do was pray that if Pei Fangyan was going to “sell” him, it would at least be to a decent place. “Then I’ll have to trouble you to take good care of Xiao Ye.”

“Of course,” Pei Fangyan replied. He turned to give the steward a few instructions, then pivoted his wheelchair and left at an unhurried pace.

After parting with his father, Shao Ye followed the old steward further inside. Along the way, he kept trying to ask about Pei Fangyan’s preferences and daily routine, but the steward was tight-lipped and refused to reveal anything.

Shao Ye pouted, thinking to himself, Fine, sooner or later I’ll figure it out.

…

After meeting Su Yuexiang, she was immediately elevated from an ordinary maid in the old residence to its most honored guest. Yet she felt no joy at all—only pain and guilt. She had previously heard servants say that Pei Fangyan’s legs had been injured while protecting his “white moonlight,” but she had never imagined that person would be herself.

She went to ask Pei Fangyan if it was true. Lowering his head, he told her it wasn’t.

But Su Yuexiang didn’t believe him. She felt she owed him far too much. At this point, she could only choose to stay at the old residence and look for a chance to repay his kindness.

…

In the ornamental pond, the koi, full and content, lazily swished their tails as they drifted along. A gentle breeze brushed through the treetops, casting dappled shadows through the windows onto the pale carpet inside, like bamboo leaves embroidered across its surface.

Including Shao Ye, there were thirteen young people gathered at the old residence today. Among them were top students from prestigious universities, but also a few who had merely gone abroad to polish their resumes—Shao Ye being one of them.

Seated in his wheelchair, Pei Fangyan set down the neatly compiled list the steward had just handed him and asked, “Now that you’ve come here, what kind of work do you want to do?”

What they wanted, of course, was to inherit the entire Pei family business—but saying that now would be no different from courting death. Most of these young people had only just graduated and lacked experience. They glanced at one another, unsure how to answer.

Shao Ye’s dark eyes turned slightly. He already had an idea.

Pei Fangyan’s gaze settled on He Jiahui. “Jiahui, you go first.”

He Jiahui stepped forward. “Seventh Uncle, I’m still young and unfamiliar with the company’s operations. I’d like to start at the lowest level, gain a deep understanding of how things work, and build practical experience.”

Pei Fangyan nodded, seemingly satisfied. “Good. You have a plan and are willing to endure hardship. That’s very good—you’ll be capable of great things in the future.”

With He Jiahui setting the standard answer, the others quickly followed, all expressing their willingness to start from the bottom.

Pei Fangyan agreed to each in turn. Finally, his gaze fell on Shao Ye. “And you, Xiao Ye?”

Shao Ye had long prepared his answer. After waiting so long, it was finally his turn. His eyes lit up as he asked, “Seventh Uncle, can I choose anything?”

As soon as he spoke, the others couldn’t help turning to look at him. So there was someone with a different answer among them. They thought, This fool isn’t about to say he wants to be general manager, is he?

Pei Fangyan didn’t answer directly. “Go ahead.”

Shao Ye grinned brightly, rubbing his hands together with anticipation. “Then I want to do Steward Liu’s job.”

The old steward, who had been standing behind Pei Fangyan with a polite smile, along with everyone else: “?”

Pei Fangyan didn’t seem particularly surprised—though he was someone who rarely showed his emotions. After a brief silence, he smiled and asked, “And why do you want to be a steward?”

With full confidence, Shao Ye said, “I think I’m perfectly suited for it.”

Everyone looked at him, silently disagreeing. If anything, he looked far more suited to being a bodyguard.

Pei Fangyan asked again, “But if you take Steward Liu’s job, what will Steward Liu do?”

Shao Ye answered as if it were obvious, “He can retire and go home.”

Steward Liu: “……”

Was this revenge for him not sharing information that morning?

Everyone silently complained. They had all come here to compete for the position of heir to the Pei family, yet somehow someone had slipped in aiming to inherit the role of steward. The situation was so absurd they could barely make sense of it.

Pei Fangyan still wasn’t willing to give up Steward Liu. “After all these years, I’m used to having Steward Liu by my side.”

Without a trace of modesty, Shao Ye said, “Seventh Uncle, I can do the job even better than Steward Liu.”

Steward Liu continued to smile.

Pei Fangyan said, “Habits aren’t changed overnight. How about you follow Steward Liu first and learn from him?”

“…Alright,” Shao Ye agreed reluctantly. He wasn’t very satisfied with the arrangement, but he also knew Rome wasn’t built in a day—he’d just have to give Rome a couple more days.

The others looked at Shao Ye as if he were some kind of odd creature. They truly wanted to know what went on in his head. Translated on Hololo novels. Even if he knew he had no chance of being named heir, there was no need to lower himself to becoming a steward, right?

They couldn’t help but think, if only all their competitors were this foolish. When Pei Fangyan said he would let him learn under Steward Liu, wasn’t that just handing him over to be dealt with? And yet he was still grinning like an idiot!

Soon, Pei Fangyan had arrangements made for all these younger relatives. They would stay at the old residence for the time being, making it convenient for work and interaction.

Shao Ye was naturally assigned a room as well. Behind it was a kennel. The furnishings inside were no different from anyone else’s; the only drawback was that it was a bit far from where Pei Fangyan lived.

Shao Ye understood immediately. This had to be Steward Liu’s scheme—he was afraid Shao Ye might replace him. But he had underestimated Shao Ye. Did he really think this could stop him from getting closer to Seventh Uncle?

Ever since leaving Shao Ye at the old residence, Pei Tiancheng had been on edge. That evening, when word came from the residence that Shao Ye had already offended Steward Liu on his very first day, he nearly lost his breath on the spot.

He quickly made a video call to Shao Ye. After confirming his son was still alive and well, Shao Ye noticed his father’s pale expression and asked, “Dad, what’s wrong?”

Clutching his chest, Pei Tiancheng said, “I feel like my heart’s not doing so well.”

“Wait for me,” Shao Ye said quickly. “I’ll go ask Seventh Uncle for leave right now and take you to the hospital.”

Pei Tiancheng was a little moved, though not much. “No need. Let it keep hurting. I’ll go buy a grave plot tomorrow—two plots. Maybe the two of us can die together.”

“Dad, at a time like this you’re still joking with me?” Shao Ye protested.

Pei Tiancheng gave a dry laugh and didn’t feel like talking anymore. Seeing that his son was fine for now, he hung up.

That evening, Steward Liu gave Shao Ye his first task in the residence: feeding the dogs. Pei Fangyan kept three Rottweilers there—extremely fierce, recognizing no one but their master. Normally, they were fed and trained by a professional handler.

Shao Ye knew none of this. He simply carried nearly ten pounds of meat to the kennel. The three Rottweilers were in excellent condition, their coats sleek and glossy, full of energy.

At first, they weren’t particularly friendly toward him. But after eating, they sniffed him a bit, then all three suddenly lay down and exposed their bellies to him.

Not holding back, Shao Ye reached out and gave each of them a good rub. His father had said Steward Liu would make things difficult for him, but from the looks of it, Steward Liu wasn’t so bad—just extremely guarded, not giving him any chance to get close to Seventh Uncle.

With nothing else to do, after feeding the dogs, Shao Ye simply grabbed their leashes and took them out for a night run around the lawn.

He hadn’t expected a night run to bring unexpected gains. From a distance, he saw He Jiahui climbing up to Su Yuexiang’s balcony, knocking on the window before slipping inside. Not long after, Pei Jingnan—his third uncle’s second son—also climbed up with flowers in hand. Su Yuexiang seemed even happier to see him and let him in as well.

Shao Ye scratched his head. Should he climb up too and take a look?

He hadn’t fully sorted out his own thoughts yet. He didn’t like Su Yuexiang at all and wanted her as far from his Seventh Uncle as possible, but at the same time, he didn’t want her to be with He Jiahui or the others either. If that happened, Seventh Uncle would definitely be heartbroken.

He Jiahui and Pei Jingnan both knew she was Seventh Uncle’s “white moonlight,” yet they still dared to climb her balcony. Utterly unfilial! Report it—he had to report it!

Shao Ye immediately returned the three Rottweilers to the kennel, created a distraction to draw the old steward away, and successfully made his way to Pei Fangyan’s bedroom. He knocked on the door. “Seventh Uncle, Seventh Uncle.”

“Come in,” Pei Fangyan said from inside. Sitting in his wheelchair, he looked up as the door opened a crack. A head peeked in first, then Shao Ye’s whole figure squeezed through. “What is it?”

Shao Ye immediately reported, “Seventh Uncle, I just saw He Jiahui and Pei Jingnan climbing Su Yuexiang’s window.”

“Understood,” Pei Fangyan replied.

That was it?

Shao Ye asked, “Aren’t you going to do anything? Not even go take a look?”

“Did Su Yuexiang call for help?” Pei Fangyan asked.

“No,” Shao Ye shook his head.

“Then what is there for me to manage?” Pei Fangyan said, sounding almost regretful. “Climbing windows is the romance of young people. I can’t take part in it—does that mean I should stop them from doing so?”

Shao Ye scratched his head. “…But two people climbing up—doesn’t that exceed the acceptable level of romance? Seventh Uncle, why don’t you just kick both He Jiahui and Pei Jingnan out?”

Pei Fangyan said softly, “And what would that accomplish? In my condition, how much longer can I even stay here in the old residence?”

Inside, Shao Ye cried out: just as he thought, his Seventh Uncle’s mental state really did need some healing!

With seriousness, he said, “Seventh Uncle, you really should’ve gone with me to that soccer match. I think after watching it, your mindset would definitely be much better.”

“Why?” Pei Fangyan asked.

Shao Ye replied, “It was a disabled soccer match.”

He had seen it broadcast on TV—it was incredibly moving and inspiring.

Pei Fangyan fell silent for a long while, then called out to him, “Xiao Ye.”

“Yes, Seventh Uncle?” Shao Ye answered immediately. “Are you interested now? If you are, there’s another match next month—I’ll buy the tickets right away.”

Pei Fangyan shook his head and said, “No. What I mean is, sometimes I think your father’s concerns are actually right.”

Shao Ye disagreed. “My dad is too narrow-minded. I’ve already told him off. Seventh Uncle, don’t take it to heart.”

Pei Fangyan raised a hand and rubbed his temple, then waved at Shao Ye. “Alright, go back and get some sleep.”

Shao Ye hadn’t managed to drag both He Jiahuai and Pei Jingnan down with him, so he felt a bit disappointed. He responded with a quiet “okay,” then left with a dejected expression, closing the door behind him.

The room returned to silence. Pei Fangyan reached out, picked up the tablet on the table, and opened the sports channel on a video site. His finger paused for a moment, then he silently set the tablet back down.

Not long after, a strange noise came from outside the balcony. Pei Fangyan turned his head to look and saw Shao Ye, who had just left, climbing up from below with both hands gripping the edge of the balcony. Translated on Hololo novels. There was even a freshly picked rose clamped between his teeth.

“Seventh Uncle,” he said, taking the rose out of his mouth, “you’re still very young too.”

If you can’t climb out the window but someone climbs in for you, that still counts as participation, right?

Romance, effortlessly achieved.

His neat rows of white teeth reflected the lights on both sides of the balcony, almost dazzling to the eyes. Looking at his proudly puffed-out chest, Pei Fangyan felt a faint itch in his heart. He curved his lips and slowly smiled.

---

Author’s Note:

【Why did No. 6’s livestream data suddenly spike? Did he start romancing Seventh Uncle again?】

: Better hurry and watch. If you don’t, No. 6 is about to get eliminated.

: Other streamers working hard is important, but No. 6’s reckless antics are just too entertaining.

: Seventh Uncle’s temper is really too good.

: Hahahahaha I never would’ve imagined that No. 6 bought tickets for disabled football.

: Pei Tiancheng: I didn’t expect that either.

: Pei Tiancheng: How many more surprises are you hiding from your dad?

: But No. 6 climbed through the window for Seventh Uncle and even gave him flowers.

: Seventh Uncle is even more annoyed with him now. Don’t you think that look he gave him at the end was like he wanted to kill him? That feeling of wanting to skin him alive is already overflowing.

: Wait, don’t say that. This analysis feels kind of familiar.

: Yeah, that micro-expression analysis expert who quit the internet used to talk about the president and No. 6 like this too.

: …

: Saying it like that somehow makes the “skinning him alive” part sound kind of suggestive.

: I kind of want to ship No. 6 and Seventh Uncle now.

: You might get torn apart by the female lead’s fans, Seventh Uncle’s fans, and the female lead–Seventh Uncle shippers.

: If they can’t tear me apart, they’ll only make me stronger. And now I already have a countermeasure.

: What?

: I’m going to bring in outside reinforcements.

: What kind of reinforcements could beat those three groups?

: Xi Wang Tian Ye.

: Are you crazy?! You should be grateful they’re not already dragging you.

: Heh, I’ve already found five reasons why Seventh Uncle is the president.

: ??????

: Seventh Uncle is the president???? Where did you get that from??? Is it reliable? If it is, our Xi Wang Tian Ye group is charging in.

: Trust me. Absolutely reliable.

1. They’re both men.
2. They’re both important NPCs in Neverland.
3. They both wear black suits.
4. They’ve never appeared together.
5. Their wife is No. 6.

: …

: …

: I believe you my ass!

: The fifth point… questionable.

: Go on then, go get your reinforcements. I’ll stay here tapping my digital wooden fish, accumulating some cyber merit for you.

: Safe travels, no need to see you off.

≽^•⩊•^≼

Faced with his father’s sarcasm, Shao Ye straightened his chest and argued firmly, “I’m not that stupid.”

Pei Tiancheng let out a cold laugh, gritting his teeth. “Not that stupid, and you still gave your Seventh Uncle soccer tickets?!”

“I invited him to watch soccer, not play it…” Shao Ye trailed off, growing less and less confident, his voice dropping.

That immediately reminded Pei Tiancheng of how, at the old residence, Pei Fangyan had pointed out that even if he could stand again, he still wouldn’t be able to play sports. The thought made his chest tighten with frustration.

God knew how much he had once wanted to inherit the Pei family business. He was Old Master Pei’s eldest son, and a legitimate one at that. Back then, he had always thought that even if he couldn’t take the entire estate, he should at least get the largest share. In the end, he got nothing at all. To this day, he still couldn’t understand what the old man had been thinking, handing the entire Pei family over to an outsider.

Unfortunately, he only had one son, Shao Ye. At his age, it was far too late to start over and raise another.

Ever since Pei Tiancheng found out that Shao Ye had given Pei Fangyan two soccer tickets, he had spent an entire week listening to the Buddhist scriptures just to calm himself down. He had only just managed to steady his mindset, and now Pei Fangyan was planning to choose an heir from among the younger generation. Looking at his own son, there was clearly no hope. Pei Tiancheng felt he would need to listen to that scripture for at least another three to five years.

Competing through their children was clearly a lost cause. This was simply his fate. Pei Tiancheng consoled himself over and over again. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. He no longer asked for wealth or glory, only that he could live peacefully. With Shao Ye’s brain, if he went to the old residence, he wouldn’t be able to compete with those people. He might even end up being used as a pawn. It would be better to stay far away from this place of trouble.

But Shao Ye had no intention of staying away. He was determined to push his way in. Walking over, he pleaded with Pei Tiancheng, “Dad, I really want to go to the old residence.”

“No.” Pei Tiancheng refused immediately. He truly wanted to live a few more years.

“Dad…” Shao Ye plopped down beside him, draping an arm over his shoulder as he promised, “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely take great care of Seventh Uncle.”

How could he possibly not worry? Based on those two soccer tickets?

Was his heart really that big?

Seeing that Pei Tiancheng remained unmoved, Shao Ye pressed on, trying both emotion and reason. “Dad, if I don’t go, Seventh Uncle will hand the Pei family to someone else. What if it goes to that surname He from Second Aunt’s side? Can you stand that? Just imagine—during New Year gatherings, everyone will be talking about how well their kids are doing under Seventh Uncle, and only me with nothing. Would you be able to hold your head up?”

Who made it so he couldn’t hold his head up? Even if he went, Pei Fangyan would still give the family to someone else.

But Pei Tiancheng was indeed somewhat persuaded. He said, “Let me think about it.”

“Dad, what’s there to think about? This opportunity is right in front of us. Can you really just let it go?” Shao Ye said, patting his father’s thigh.

An opportunity? To him, this was clearly a trap!

Pei Tiancheng felt his thigh go numb from that slap and quickly pushed Shao Ye away, scooting to the side. Translated on Hololo novels. This son of his was truly confident. If he himself had even a fraction of that confidence back when he fought for the inheritance, he wouldn’t have spent sleepless nights losing clumps of hair.

Looking at Shao Ye, he said seriously, “I need to think about whether your Seventh Uncle might take it out on me too. If he gets angry and throws you out of the Pei family, will he cut off my share as well? At my age, I can’t handle that kind of trouble.”

Shao Ye: “…”

He tried to defend Pei Fangyan. “My Seventh Uncle is actually a very good person. Dad, you’re just being—” Under Pei Tiancheng’s murderous glare, he swallowed the rest of the sentence.

“Heh… heh heh…” Pei Tiancheng laughed without warmth. This was the funniest joke he had heard all year—and coming from his own son made it even funnier.

He took a deep breath, recited a few lines of scripture in his mind, and finally softened his stance a little. “Even if you want to go, what does that matter? This isn’t something I can decide. It depends on your Seventh Uncle.”

“Dad, don’t worry. Seventh Uncle definitely won’t reject me.” Shao Ye thumped his chest confidently.

Where did that confidence even come from? Pei Tiancheng sighed again. He really couldn’t raise another son at this point. Maybe he should just steal one. His younger sister’s son seemed pretty well raised.

After seriously considering the feasibility of “stealing an account,” Pei Tiancheng let out a long sigh and said, “Fine. I’ll take you to the old residence tomorrow. We’ll see what your Seventh Uncle thinks first. If he doesn’t want to keep you, you’ll come back with me obediently. No arguing. Got it?”

The reason he was willing to swallow his pride and take Shao Ye there wasn’t because he believed his son could win Pei Fangyan’s favor. It was mainly because Shao Ye had been studying abroad for years and had no contact with the rest of the Pei family. If he could use this opportunity to build good relationships with his cousins, then after Pei Tiancheng was gone, they might at least be willing to throw him a scrap or two, rather than letting him be completely cast aside.

Even if he couldn’t win over Pei Fangyan, getting along well with peers should be doable, right? Whenever Pei Tiancheng visited the gym to find Shao Ye, he always saw people eager to befriend his son.

He repeatedly instructed him, “If your Seventh Uncle agrees to keep you, then at the old residence you must get along well with your cousins. Don’t treat them as competitors. Treat them as family—as your future bosses. Understand?”

Shao Ye nodded obediently, though inwardly he thought, as if they were worthy.

The next morning, just before setting out, Pei Tiancheng suddenly remembered something and asked, “By the way, you know about your Seventh Uncle’s ‘white moonlight,’ right?”

Shao Ye gave a quiet “mm,” his expression not looking very good.

“Her name is Su Yuexiang. You must never mention her in front of your Seventh Uncle, and don’t get involved in anything related to her.”

“Isn’t she dead?” Shao Ye asked.

Pei Tiancheng said, “Not necessarily. Recently, I heard someone saw a person who looks exactly like her appear in the Pei family’s old residence.”

“Oh,” Shao Ye responded without much emotion, then asked, “Was it because of her that my Seventh Uncle got into that car accident?”

Pei Tiancheng replied, “Mm, probably. That’s what people outside are saying, anyway.”

Shao Ye nodded, then said, “I don’t like her.”

Pei Tiancheng glanced at him and sighed in relief. “Thank goodness. If you did like her, that would be a real problem.”

At least that was one less thing for him to worry about.

Pei Fangyan now lived in the innermost part of the old residence. From the main gate, it was quite a long walk before reaching him. Pei Tiancheng brought Shao Ye to the side of an ornamental pond and said, “Wait here. I’ll go in first and talk to your Seventh Uncle, sound him out a bit, then come back to get you.”

Shao Ye felt he could just go in together with him, but after being glared at fiercely by his father, he could only behave himself.

The morning sunlight filtered through layers of leaves, scattering in dappled patterns at Shao Ye’s feet. After Pei Tiancheng had been gone for quite a while without returning, Shao Ye, who could never sit still, wandered along the pebble path toward the eastern garden. Translated on Hololo novels. The moment he looked up, he saw his second aunt’s son, He Jiahui, tugging at a girl dressed in a servant’s uniform.

Shao Ye immediately took out his phone and aimed the camera at them. He Jiahui dared to do something like this in broad daylight at the old residence, so he had to secure some evidence. Unfortunately, he was too far away to hear what they were saying. He wanted to move closer, but there was no good cover ahead. After hesitating for a moment, seeing that He Jiahui seemed completely absorbed in pulling at the girl, Shao Ye lightened his steps and crept forward like a cat stalking its prey.

“How could you forget me! Do you know how I’ve lived these past years?!” He Jiahui roared, then suddenly stepped forward and grabbed the girl into an embrace. The girl struggled continuously, insisting that he had mistaken her for someone else.

Just as Shao Ye was about to lower his phone and step in to help, He Jiahui noticed him first and shouted, “What are you filming?!”

Shao Ye froze. It was his first time playing paparazzi, and being caught made him instinctively guilty.

He Jiahui strode over quickly, shouting harshly, “What did you record? Delete it!”

Reacting so strongly, he must have captured something important. Fighting here in front of Seventh Uncle wouldn’t be good. After a brief thought, Shao Ye pocketed his phone, turned, and ran.

Seeing him run, He Jiahui became certain he had filmed something critical and immediately gave chase. The two ran from the small garden to the ornamental pond, then from the pond to the large lawn behind.

The Pei family’s old residence had been rebuilt a few years before the old master passed away. Back then, he had envisioned four generations living together under one roof, so there would surely be many children. He had deliberately left a large lawn for them to play on. Sadly, only a few years later, he passed away, never seeing the happy scene he had imagined.

The floor-to-ceiling windows of the ground floor where Pei Fangyan now lived faced directly onto that lawn. Sitting in his wheelchair, he listened absentmindedly as Pei Tiancheng recounted stories from their childhood. Sunlight streamed through the wide windows, falling warmly over him.

Pei Fangyan glanced down at his watch, thinking it was about time to send his guest off. As he lifted his head, he happened to catch sight of a young man sprinting across the lawn outside the window. His legs were strong, his posture agile. Under the sunlight, his honey-toned skin seemed to glow as if liquid gold were flowing over it. He ran swiftly, like a gust of wind, like a cheetah racing across the grasslands.

Pei Fangyan’s gaze paused slightly. Turning his head, he asked the steward, “Who is that?”

The old steward followed his line of sight, then cast a sympathetic glance at the still-unaware Pei Tiancheng before replying, “Sir, that is your elder brother’s son.”

Pei Tiancheng: “?”

His eyesight wasn’t great with age, and his position was slightly off, so he couldn’t see what was happening outside. But hadn’t he told Shao Ye to wait obediently outside?

Pei Fangyan asked, “The one who gave me the soccer tickets?”

“Yes,” the steward replied.

Pei Fangyan seemed to smile faintly. Turning back to Pei Tiancheng, he said, “Elder Brother, your nephew must be quite good at soccer.”

Pei Tiancheng: “……”

Was this never going to be let go?

He forced an awkward smile and cautiously asked, “What is Xiao Ye doing out there? I told him to wait outside. Maybe he has something he wants to ask me.”

The steward said, “It looks like he’s competing with someone to see who can run faster.”

Pei Tiancheng: “……”

Leave. Right now.

But Pei Fangyan didn’t give him the chance. He instructed the steward, “Go see what they’re doing.”

Soon, both Shao Ye and He Jiahui were brought into the reception hall on the ground floor. For a moment, Pei Tiancheng even had the urge to strangle Shao Ye on the spot. Translated on Hololo novels. But when he saw that the fool racing against his son was He Jiahui, the “model child” often held up as an example, his mood shifted in an instant. He even felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

So one day, even He Jiahui could be dragged down to the same level as his son—and still lose.

Pei Fangyan said calmly, “Explain yourselves. What were you two doing outside just now?”

Afraid Shao Ye might say something unfavorable, He Jiahui spoke first, “Nothing, Seventh Uncle. I was just playing with Shao Ye, right, Shao Ye?”

He figured Shao Ye wouldn’t publicly expose the fact that he had secretly filmed him—but he had clearly underestimated this cousin of his.

“Who’s playing with you?” Shao Ye rolled his eyes at He Jiahuai, then stepped forward and said to Pei Fangyan, “Seventh Uncle, I want to report He Jiahuai for using force and bullying others in the old residence!”

He Jiahuai froze for a moment, then quickly snapped back, “That’s nonsense.”

Shao Ye raised his phone and said, “I recorded everything. There’s video on my phone.”

“That was—” He Jiahuai started to explain, but he didn’t want Pei Fangyan to learn the girl’s identity. Ever since he discovered she had returned, he had wanted to take her away from the Pei family’s old residence.

“Let me see it,” Pei Fangyan said.

Shao Ye immediately handed over his phone. On the screen, the clip he had just recorded in the small garden was looping. After watching it, Pei Fangyan asked He Jiahuai, “Is the person in this video Yuexiang?”

Yuexiang? The name sounded familiar.

He Jiahuai wanted to deny it, but since Pei Fangyan already knew about her, he would find out sooner or later. With difficulty, he admitted, “Yes.”

“She’s back… she’s still alive? And I didn’t even know.” Pei Fangyan’s voice was filled with deep guilt and sorrow.

Oh, so it was Su Yuexiang. That girl was actually Su Yuexiang. Shao Ye immediately started cursing to himself.

Pei Fangyan let out a soft sigh, his tone both joyful and wistful. “I always thought she was gone. I didn’t expect her to be right by my side all along. Jiahuai, where is she now? I want to see her.”

He Jiahuai really didn’t want Pei Fangyan to meet Su Yuexiang. He knew how Pei Fangyan felt about her. If Su Yuexiang also learned that Pei Fangyan’s leg had been crippled years ago while protecting her, his own path to love would only become even more difficult. But in this old residence, he couldn’t go against Pei Fangyan.

After weighing the pros and cons, He Jiahuai said, “Seventh Uncle, come with me.”

Shao Ye wanted to follow and take a look, but the old steward stopped him. He clenched his teeth, making a grinding sound, unsure whether it was because of Su Yuexiang’s return from the dead, or because Pei Fangyan had chosen He Jiahuai to lead the way instead of him.

Hearing the commotion, Pei Tiancheng turned to look at him. Seeing his lips pressed tightly together, his face showing a mix of grievance and jealousy, he asked with a hint of schadenfreude, “What’s wrong with you? Why the long face? Now you realize you made a big mistake? I told you to behave, but you wouldn’t listen.”

Shao Ye said indignantly, “Dad, is there any way to withdraw the accusation I just made?”

Pei Tiancheng almost laughed out of anger. He snorted, “I wish I could withdraw you.”

Pei Fangyan, who had already gone some distance outside, suddenly turned his wheelchair around for some reason, returned to the doorway, and said to Pei Tiancheng, “Brother, your son is quite impressive. From now on, let him stay by my side.”

The grievance on Shao Ye’s face instantly turned into a blooming smile.

But when Pei Tiancheng looked at Pei Fangyan’s smiling face at the doorway, he felt chills running down his back. He had a strong premonition that if he really left Shao Ye here, his foolish son would probably be toyed to death in this old residence.

⸻

Author’s Note:

[The accusation format is wrong. Go back and redo it.]

“Your humble servant wishes to accuse Consort He of illicit relations and corrupting the harem—his crimes are unforgivable!”

: Damn, hahaha.

: Pei Tiancheng: Everything your dad told you, you didn’t listen to a single word.

: How did he not listen? Didn’t he immediately have a “friendly match” with He Jiahuai?

: Friendly? That was life-threatening.

: This plot feels oddly familiar.

: No. 6 was at least the only one to clear the last world, so why are so few people betting on him? No respect at all.

: Did you bet on him?

: Nope.

: I’m dying, Seventh Uncle watching them through the floor-to-ceiling window looked like he was watching two idiots.

: He Jiahuai, what’s going on with you? You’re not like this in other streams.

: I told you, stupidity is contagious.

: “I remember running in the sunset that day, that was my lost youth.”

: Seventh Uncle: My youth was not like that, don’t drag me into this.

: I saw some expert theories outside saying the female lead has two more secret admirers coming to the old residence. No. 6 can keep reporting them then.

: Hope he follows the proper format next time, thanks.

: Seventh Uncle likes the female lead too, would he really hand the Pei family over to a romantic rival?

: He’s pretty rational. I think he’ll make the best decision.

: I want to make a meme video of No. 6’s accusation with chaotic CP pairings. Where should I post it?

: You might get flamed.

: It’s fine, I’m not afraid. I just want traffic. Whether it’s hate or love, it’s still attention.

: Then go post it in those three big groups.

: I checked over there, not many people.

: Try those Xi Wang Tian Ye forums, there are lots of people there.

: …

: …

: But there might be too many people there.

≽^•⩊•^≼

World 2 – Elite Family

【A plane crash six years ago severed all ties between them. The chasm between life and death stretched across their path, leaving the living with endless regret and pain. The campus bench no longer held the lover from the past, and in the ancient, silent mansion, even the sunlight gradually turned cold. Only in the depths of midnight dreams could they reunite for a fleeting moment.

Six years later, the one who had died appeared before them again, but with all memories lost. The tangled love and hatred of the past had already faded like drifting clouds. At the crossroads of fate, which direction must one take to find their true love? The pages of time write new lines of poetry, about you, about me, about love…】

It was June, the trees lush and verdant. From early morning, the servants of the Pei household were already busy preparing for that evening’s banquet. It had been nearly half a month since the head of the family, Pei Fangyan, was discharged from the hospital. After more than half a year of silence, the old Pei residence was finally lively once again.

Several years ago, Pei Fangyan had been in a car accident. Both his legs were severely injured, and because a heavy rainstorm that day had caused traffic to stall, treatment was delayed. Translated on Hololo novels. Even after consulting renowned doctors from both within the country and abroad, none were able to restore his ability to walk normally. For all these years, Pei Fangyan had relied on a wheelchair, and every so often he had to return to the hospital for maintenance and examinations.

Over the years, rumors persisted that the accident had occurred because he was trying to protect his “white moonlight.” That woman had been his nephew’s girlfriend, someone who had broken up and reconciled with the nephew many times. Eventually, disheartened, she chose to go abroad, only to be caught in a plane crash. She died in that disaster, leaving not even a fragment of her remains behind. In the end, the few close friends who mourned her each took a piece of the wreckage as a keepsake.

It was said that even past the age of thirty, Pei Fangyan had never married because he could not forget her.

As night fell, the old Pei residence blazed with light. The elderly steward, dressed in a black tailcoat, stood at the entrance of the hall directing the newly hired servants to welcome guests. Most of those attending tonight were members of the Pei family themselves.

The Pei family was vast. Setting aside the many distant relatives invited today, Old Master Pei alone had five sons and three daughters, six of whom he had raised to adulthood. Pei Fangyan ranked seventh and was the only child Old Master Pei had adopted from outside. After graduating from university, he left home and built his career from nothing, establishing a massive business empire at a young age.

At the time, Old Master Pei had been gravely ill, and the siblings had fought fiercely over the family inheritance. Yet none of them had paid much attention to Pei Fangyan. Their thinking was simple: no matter how capable he was, his blood was not that of the Pei family. The old master might be dying, but he was not senile enough to hand over generations of family wealth to an outsider.

But none of them had expected that, before his death, Old Master Pei would announce in front of everyone that Pei Fangyan would be the next head of the family. That very night, after declaring his will, the old man passed away with a smile, leaving them no chance to persuade him otherwise.

Pei Fangyan became the head of the family and took control of all its businesses. As children, they had looked down on this adopted son their father had brought home, believing he stood beneath them in status. Now, however, they had to carefully read his expression just to receive a share of the benefits he distributed.

The eldest, Pei Tiancheng, often sighed to others that fortunes truly reversed over time.

After the old master’s death, the rest of the family did not wish to remain and live under Pei Fangyan’s authority. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. One after another, they moved out, until only he remained as the sole master of the vast estate.

When they received invitations from the old residence a few days ago, the siblings all found it strange. Pei Fangyan had never liked lively gatherings, so why was he suddenly hosting a banquet? They discussed it privately but could not reach any conclusion. Could it be that his legs had improved? If so, that would be unfortunate news.

The fragrance of flowers mingled with the scent of wine, filling the grand hall. Lights gleamed on all sides as people came and went. Acquaintances nodded to one another, exchanged jokes, and chatted about their children’s studies and marriages. Their shadows overlapped and separated across the polished floor.

After the guests had finished their first round of dining, the old steward finally wheeled Pei Fangyan in from outside. Thirty-two years old this year, he wore a classic black suit paired with a white shirt, understated yet refined. His features were sharp and cold, his complexion slightly pale, perhaps from long deprivation of sunlight.

The moment he appeared, the lively hall fell silent. The crowd parted instinctively, making way for him.

The steward pushed him to the center of the hall and stopped. Translated on Hololo novels. Seated calmly in his wheelchair, Pei Fangyan showed none of the gloom of a long illness. His gaze swept over the crowd as he began with a polite remark, “Apologies for calling everyone here tonight.”

As soon as he finished speaking, someone immediately responded that they had nothing better to do at home, and gathering at the old residence was a good thing.

Pei Fangyan smiled faintly, then spoke directly, “As you all know, my health has not been good these past years. So I’ve been thinking—it would be better to establish my will sooner rather than later.”

At these words, everyone was startled. They looked at one another, unsure what he was truly getting at.

After all, Pei Fangyan was still unmarried and had no children. The people closest to him were this large Pei family. The heir named in his will would surely have to be chosen from among them.

Their thoughts immediately stirred, though in front of him they did not dare show their excitement too openly. The eldest brother, Pei Tiancheng, spoke up, “What are you saying, little brother? Your complexion has been improving lately. And with medical technology advancing every day, perhaps one day there will be a way to cure your legs.”

Others quickly echoed his words.

Looking at Pei Tiancheng, Pei Fangyan smiled. “There’s no need to persuade me. I know my own body. Even if one day I could stand again, things like playing sports would still be out of the question.”

Pei Tiancheng’s expression stiffened. He retreated awkwardly and said nothing more for the rest of the evening.

As if unaware, Pei Fangyan continued, “So I thought that while my condition hasn’t worsened too much yet, I should choose an heir early. I have no descendants, but fortunately the Pei family is large. I’d like to select a few to stay by my side and train them. You have no objections, I assume?”

How could they object? They would have gladly tied their children to his wheelchair if they could.

“No objections, none at all! Little brother, what about my son A-Yang?”

“Our Xiao Liang is excellent too—he’s a master’s student at a prestigious university!”

“My Lili is even a doctoral student!”

Watching his younger siblings eagerly recommend their children, Pei Tiancheng hesitated for a long time at the back. In the end, he still did not speak.

After the banquet ended, everyone except Pei Tiancheng left in high spirits. Although it would be some time before Pei Fangyan chose an heir, each of them believed their own child was the most outstanding and would surely win his favor. Translated on Hololo novels. They could not help but feel that fate had come full circle—after all the twists and turns, the Pei family would ultimately return to their own hands.

The fourth sibling walked briskly over and patted Pei Tiancheng on the shoulder. “Big brother, why didn’t you talk to Seventh Brother? You could’ve sent Xiao Ye to stay by his side.”

Pei Tiancheng forced a thin smile. “Xiao Ye… Xiao Ye isn’t interested in that.”

The fourth nodded knowingly. “Right, Xiao Ye wants to be an athlete, doesn’t he? That’s good—parents don’t have to worry. Unlike us. With that build of his, he looks like a future gold medalist.”

Pei Tiancheng: “….”

The “Xiao Ye” they were talking about was, at that very moment, in the most luxurious gym in the city. He struck several poses, admiring in the mirror the full, powerful muscles of his body with satisfaction.

After appreciating himself for a while, Shao Ye moved to a Smith machine to finish his final set of the day.

He had only just started when an acquaintance came over and asked, “Why are you still here?”

Without stopping his movements, Shao Ye turned his head and glanced at him, replying matter-of-factly, “Aren’t I here every day?”

The other person looked a bit anxious. “Your Pei family’s old residence is holding a family banquet tonight. Why didn’t you go?”

“There’s something like that? I didn’t know!” Shao Ye was genuinely stunned, his eyes widening as he asked.

“Did you offend your Seventh Uncle?”

Shao Ye stepped down from the Smith machine and shook his head. “No way. Not long ago I even gave my Seventh Uncle tickets.”

Unfortunately, his uncle had never replied, and the tickets had already expired for quite some time.

“Then is it because you didn’t change your surname, so they don’t acknowledge you?” Before Shao Ye could respond, the man dismissed his own guess. “No, that can’t be it. He Jiahui—your second aunt’s son—went too.”

When Shao Ye was born, his parents had already divorced. He was given custody to his mother and took her surname. When he was seven, his mother passed away from illness, and he was brought back to the Pei family. To honor her memory, he kept her surname ever since.

Shao Ye looked at the man suspiciously. “Wait, how do you know so much about my family?”

“It’s all over Moments. Haven’t you seen it?” the man replied.

No one knew who had leaked the news that Pei Fangyan was selecting an heir, but by now, almost the entire upper circle knew.

Except Shao Ye.

He had only returned at the beginning of the year after studying abroad. Most of his WeChat contacts were from overseas. After coming back, he had added quite a few people from the gym, but they all turned out to be gay. The only difference was whether they came out quickly or slowly. Every time one did, Shao Ye deleted them. After several months, the number of his contacts had somehow increased by exactly zero.

Just hearing that Pei Fangyan had hosted a family banquet without inviting him already made Shao Ye anxious. Learning that his uncle intended to select candidates to train by his side made him even more anxious.

He hurriedly drove back, but by the time he reached the old residence, the banquet had long since ended, and Pei Fangyan had already retired for the night.

Full of regret, Shao Ye could only turn his car around and head home. He found his father, Pei Tiancheng, and asked, “Dad, there was a banquet at the old residence tonight?”

Pei Tiancheng was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper. Hearing the question, he simply gave a brief “Mm.”

“Something this big, and you didn’t tell me?” Shao Ye exclaimed.

Pei Tiancheng looked up at him. “Why would I tell you? Don’t you dislike attending these kinds of banquets? Go do your own thing.”

“I don’t like banquets, but didn’t we agree when I came back that I should make more of an impression in front of Seventh Uncle? Then our family might get a bigger share at the end of the year.”

Pei Tiancheng set down his newspaper, took a deep breath, and said earnestly, “Xiao Ye, your father was wrong before. Let’s forget about this. Just pretend I never said it. As for the Pei family’s assets, we’ll take whatever share we can get. It’s all fate.”

Now even more confused, Shao Ye asked, “Dad, why are you suddenly so dispirited? This isn’t like you. Did someone threaten you? I’ll go teach them a lesson!”

As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, looking ready to go pick a fight. Pei Tiancheng quickly said, “I’m not asking you to win your Seventh Uncle’s favor anymore. I just ask that you don’t go annoy him.”

Shao Ye was indignant. If He Jiahui could go, why couldn’t he? Puffing out his chest, he said, “Dad, are you looking down on me?”

“Looking down on you? How much more respect do you want from me!” Pei Tiancheng shot him a glare and slammed the newspaper onto the coffee table with a smack.

With a dark expression, he scolded, “Your Seventh Uncle was in a car accident. Both his legs can’t walk. Everyone else either found hospitals, recommended doctors, even invited famous monks and Taoists to perform rituals for him. And what did you give him?”

“Uh… well…” Shao Ye gave an awkward laugh, trying to organize his words. “My Seventh Uncle’s legs have been like this for years. Everyone else focuses on treating his body, but I wanted to encourage him mentally. That match—”

Pei Tiancheng cut him off, glaring. “Don’t change the subject. Tell me, what exactly did you give him?”

Still trying to soften it, Shao Ye said, “Dad, sometimes we shouldn’t only look at external results. I think inner healing is also important. Seventh Uncle should go out more, see the world—”

Hearing his excuses only made Pei Tiancheng angrier. He picked up the newspaper again as if to hit him. “Do you believe I won’t smack you? Say it!”

Seeing there was no escaping, Shao Ye finally lowered his head, staring at his feet, and muttered, “Two… soccer tickets.”

Pei Tiancheng had already known about it. Hearing it again, he wasn’t as furious as before, but still snapped, “I should be grateful you didn’t send your Seventh Uncle a gym membership card.”

---

Author’s note:

[No. 6, it really had to be you.]

This task was actually pretty simple. As long as you get listed among Seventh Uncle’s heir candidates, that’s enough. I saw other streams already getting listed on the first day and thought the task was kind of boring. Didn’t expect you, No. 6, to give me this kind of surprise. As expected of the man who can win over the guild leader.

: No. 6, it really had to be you
: No. 6, it really had to be you
: No. 6, it really had to be you

: By the way, who wrote those two intro paragraphs at the beginning? That was unbearable. If not, let my niece who just started kindergarten write it

: Seriously, just those two paragraphs are enough for me to spend a lifetime trying to forget

: About you, about me, about love…

: Shut up!

: Honestly, No. 1 the top student and No. 4 the little lamb didn’t really want to go either, but Pei Tiancheng forced them. But No. 6, my friend, he’s a true legend. He wanted to go, and Pei Tiancheng was desperately holding onto his leg to stop him

: Pei Tiancheng: Even though I really, really, really want the Pei family fortune, I choose to stay alive

: Pei Tiancheng, can you perform that again in front of No. 6?
“You don’t go to the old residence, then don’t call me your father anymore.” .gif

: To No. 6: If you go to the old residence, we’ll have to reunite as father and son in the underworld

: Pei Tiancheng: I still want to live a few more years, spare me

: I really want to know what expression Seventh Uncle had when he saw those soccer tickets

: And they were even consecutive seats. What was No. 6 thinking? Going together with Seventh Uncle?

: He’s actually kind of sweet… I’m starting to ship them

: Shut up upstairs, you’re making me think of things I shouldn’t

: Hahahahahahahaha I’m dying laughing is this Qingming relief or what

≽^•⩊•^≼

After Shao Ye and Xi Guanming confirmed their relationship, time seemed to pass especially quickly. In the blink of an eye, the semester was over; in another blink, Xi Guanming had graduated, and Shao Ye had moved up to his final year of high school.

Just as Xi Guanming had told him before, there was almost nothing Shao Ye couldn’t do at this school, even though Xi Guanming was no longer the student council president. Still, aside from occasionally showing off a bit among his classmates, Shao Ye didn’t cause any major trouble. That left Xi Guanming feeling faintly disappointed.

It was also that year that Old Master Xi learned his grandson had found himself a boyfriend. He was so angry he didn’t eat for a whole day. In the middle of the night, he woke up and sat there holding his old companion—a thirteen-year-old Alaskan malamute—pondering when exactly their family had developed a “gay gene.”

Fortunately, after two nights, the old man came to terms with it. His grandson had always been emotionally distant; the fact that he had found someone at all was already good enough. No need to demand too much. It was a new era—man or woman, it was all the same.

After graduating, Xi Guanming chose a local university. His course load wasn’t heavy, and when he had time, he would still drop by Golden Laburnum—no one dared stop him. Shao Ye applied for day schooling and didn’t have to attend evening study sessions anymore. After classes, he would go straight home in Xi Guanming’s car. This happy routine continued until Shao Ye finished his college entrance exams.

Every year, about seventy percent of Golden Laburnum’s graduates went on to top universities around the world. As expected, Shao Ye fell into the remaining thirty percent.

After the graduation ceremony, Shao Ye and Xi Guanming returned home. They messed around from the living room to the bathroom, and from the bathroom to the gym, the pink yoga ball bouncing up and down.

In the end, Shao Ye lay on the soft carpet in the living room, bright red cords draped over his body. Under the bright lights, he had to squint. Xi Guanming held both ends of the cords and, in no time, finished arranging them into a new design. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. The red cords crisscrossed over Shao Ye’s chest, tied deliberately tight so they pressed into his skin. Afterward, Xi Guanming stood back and admired it for a while, clearly pleased.

But later, when they moved into the bedroom, the cords somehow turned into a dead knot. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t untangle them.

Shao Ye panicked. If this stayed wrapped around him, wouldn’t people think he was some kind of freak if he wore less clothing outside? Was this some kind of scheme by the president?

He cast a suspicious glance over, only to see Xi Guanming grab a pair of scissors and snip the cords apart with a clean cut.

Oh. Right. Scissors existed. He must’ve been shaken senseless earlier.

After showering, they went back to bed. Before sleeping, Shao Ye glanced at his phone—it was almost three in the morning. The moment he lay down, he fell asleep, but his rest was anything but peaceful.

He dreamed endlessly, one dream after another, without a moment to breathe. Eventually, half-asleep, he felt as if he were lying in a stark white laboratory. People nearby were reading out data he couldn’t understand.

His heart began to race faster and faster, an overwhelming sensation sweeping through him. He jolted awake.

Xi Guanming hadn’t fallen asleep. Seeing him suddenly sit up, he asked, “What’s wrong? A nightmare?”

“Not a nightmare,” Shao Ye said, clutching his chest. Even now, his heart was pounding uncontrollably. “I don’t know what’s happening. I feel really uneasy, like something big is about to happen. President… could it be an earthquake?”

Didn’t dogs usually start barking first before an earthquake?

The feeling intensified. Shao Ye thought he could hear someone calling his name from far away, as if trying to pull him out of this world. And faintly, he seemed to understand.

Xi Guanming reached over and turned on the bedside lamp. Shao Ye looked at him with attachment, his eyes slightly damp.

“President… I’m leaving,” he said.

Xi Guanming had always kept his darker side well hidden, only revealing glimpses of it when they were together in bed. Shao Ye was tall and strong, like nothing could bring him down. Xi Guanming had always liked teasing him until he cried from sheer overwhelm. But now, seeing him on the verge of real tears, all he felt was a sharp ache in his chest.

He pulled Shao Ye into an embrace. “I know. I know.”

He had long sensed that one day, they would part in this world—but also that one day, they would meet again.

Gently patting Shao Ye’s back, he comforted him, “Baby, don’t be afraid. Don’t be sad. Trust me—we’ll see each other again very soon.”

The night was silent, the moonlight flowing across the sky.

Under the pale glow, Golden Laburnum revealed a quiet beauty different from the daytime. Marble statues pointed toward the artificial lake in the north, where two swans played on the shimmering water.

And with that, the grand live broadcast came to a perfect end.

When Shao Ye opened his eyes again, he found himself lying inside a game pod. Everything around him was stark white, just like in his dream. A staff member from Neverland stood nearby and congratulated him:

“Congratulations, Mr. Shao. You are the only winner of this game.”

Shao Ye froze for a moment.

Then he remembered. He had participated in Neverland’s project as a volunteer. Everything he experienced at Golden Laburnum had only been part of a game. By successfully graduating, he had won.

He should have been happy—but for some reason, he couldn’t feel it.

Still, he remembered what Xi Guanming had told him: they would meet again soon.

For reasons he couldn’t explain, even if someone told him now that the president had only been an NPC, Shao Ye still trusted him completely. He believed every word Xi Guanming had said would come true.

He quickly adjusted his emotions, sat up in the pod, and asked the staff member, “I’m the only winner?”

“Yes. You’re the only player who successfully graduated from Golden Laburnum,” the staff member replied.

Shao Ye was surprised. Graduating from Golden Laburnum hadn’t seemed that hard to him. The project hadn’t required them to get into top universities either.

“So… did the others’ families go bankrupt?” he asked.

For five families to go bankrupt at once would be impressive… Could it be that Tang Qichuan had secretly pulled some strings for him? If so, that guy wasn’t bad—maybe he deserved a promotion someday.

Staff: “……”

He briefly explained the outcomes of the other volunteers to Shao Ye. Aside from No. 3 and No. 4, who had been eliminated early:

No. 1, the top student, couldn’t stand the learning environment at Golden Laburnum. It was all fighting and chaos, nothing like a proper school. In a fit of anger, he transferred.

No. 2, the “little sun,” was accidentally pushed down the stairs during a student brawl, broke a leg, and took a leave of absence.

No. 5, the rich young lady, openly pursued Jin Feng. Not wanting Jiang Yan to misunderstand, Jin Feng went directly to her father to explain. Her father found it embarrassing and arranged for her to transfer schools.

After listening, Shao Ye asked in confusion, “Why does that school feel like it’s at war every day? Doesn’t the president do anything about it?”

Staff: “……”

Could it be because he interfered too much?

So next, Shao Ye learned from the staff all the things Xi Guanming had done. He suddenly understood. In the end, it was still the president helping him behind the scenes. As for Tang Qichuan, he could go cool off somewhere else.

“Um…” Shao Ye spoke up.

The staff member asked, “Mr. Shao, is there anything else you need?”

Shao Ye asked hesitantly, “What will happen to Golden Laburnum in the future?”

The staff replied, “We’ll temporarily seal the Golden Laburnum scenario and reopen it during the public beta.”

Shao Ye nodded, climbed out of the simulation pod, looked around, and asked if there was a gym nearby.

There was. The staff led him there, and once inside, Shao Ye immediately started an intense workout.

After learning that Shao Ye had awakened, the Supervisory Bureau sent people to check on him. After all, he came from their organization, so they had some responsibility to look after him.

Shao Ye had been lying in the pod for over a month. On the surface, his physique hadn’t changed much, but he felt weaker and was determined to build himself back up. If not for this project, he wouldn’t be in such a rush now. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Turning around, he glared at the Supervisory Bureau staff and snapped, “What are you looking at? When His Majesty wakes up, none of you are getting off easy.”

Everyone fell silent.

After the livestream ended, Tang Qichuan personally called the Neverland project team. Not to congratulate them, but to sneer and question whether this was how they stimulated Shao Ye’s hippocampus to help recover his memory. What kind of memory could that possibly recover?

The project team felt wronged. As soon as Xi Guanming and Shao Ye had their first intimate interaction, they had checked all backend data. Everything was normal. Xi Guanming’s self-awareness had simply developed fully. Maybe he just liked muscular men like Shao Ye. What could they do? It wasn’t like they could hide his muscles.

Still, they weren’t the Supervisory Bureau. They were a bit worried that once His Majesty woke up, they’d be in trouble.

Shao Ye’s successful “graduation” pushed Neverland’s popularity to another peak. Discussions exploded everywhere, from serious analysis to shipping to conspiracy theories. If people could imagine it, someone online was already saying it. The traffic they were getting far exceeded expectations.

But the team didn’t have time to celebrate. They were already preparing for the next livestream.

A staff member asked the person in charge, “Should we adjust the data settings for the next session?”

Logically, some adjustments were needed, especially to reduce the chances of volunteers forming romantic relationships with key NPCs. However, after the Golden Laburnum scenario ended, they discovered that His Majesty’s long-dormant consciousness had finally shown signs of activity, likely triggered by certain events in Golden Laburnum.

If they accidentally altered the wrong data and affected His Majesty, that would be disastrous. Unfortunately, due to Xi Guanming’s interference, they couldn’t determine which NPC His Majesty’s consciousness had been projected onto, nor which event had triggered it. So they kept this information confidential.

After careful consideration, the supervisor finally said cautiously, “Increase Q-058’s charm value to the maximum. Don’t change anything else.”

This time, there absolutely wouldn’t be another case of an NPC “falling for someone else.” If everything went smoothly, by the end of the next livestream, they would definitely identify His Majesty’s true identity.

Shao Ye knew nothing about their plans. After each livestream, there was a half-month break. He spent that time training hard, occasionally browsing the network during rest. At one point, he saw people on the forum calling him a “chief eunuch.” He immediately registered an account to correct them, saying it should be “chief palace administrator,” only to be met with a flood of mocking laughter. He was so mad he wanted to jump through the screen and unplug their internet.

Half a month later, Shao Ye reluctantly set down his dumbbells and left the gym. Walking down the corridor, the bright lights cast his shadow onto the smooth, mirror-like floor beneath his feet. Looking at the closed door ahead, he suddenly thought that he might soon see the president again.

His pace quickened.

He jumped into the simulation pod, ready to begin his second livestream.

≽^•⩊•^≼

When Shao Ye and Xi Guanming returned home and he saw the clothes Xi Guanming had bought online, his mouth opened and closed for a long while. In the end, he felt that words simply couldn’t express what he was feeling.

He had been too naive. There really were clothes in this world he had never worn before—not just a few, but many. But looking at that bundle of red ropes, Shao Ye sincerely wondered… could this even count as clothing?

Where on earth had the president found all this stuff?

He gave Xi Guanming a thumbs-up.

Xi Guanming took it as praise and even nodded. “I knew you’d like it.”

Like it? Based on what?!

Shao Ye felt there was clearly some misunderstanding here, and that he really needed to have a proper talk with him.

But before he could bring it up, Xi Guanming spoke first. “Try it on, okay?”

His tone was polite and gentle, as natural as if he were asking Shao Ye to taste a new dish at a restaurant. His dark eyes were deep like the sea, full of what looked like affection.

Under that gaze, Shao Ye’s heart wavered. Before he knew it, he had already nodded. “…Alright.”

He hated himself!

Why couldn’t he refuse? Was he just born to be a lackey?!

Xi Guanming smiled and didn’t hold back at all. “Then try this one first.”

What he handed over was a pink-and-white maid outfit. The seller had even thoughtfully included a pair of cat-ear headbands.

Shao Ye weighed it in his hands. “Do I really have to wear this? It looks kind of small—I might not even fit.”

Xi Guanming seemed not to hear the second half of that sentence. He only said, “I really want to see it. Please, Shao Ye.”

Shao Ye’s “natural-born lackey physique” activated again. He grabbed the clothes and went into the bathroom to change.

This maid outfit wasn’t just a little small—it was extremely small. It squeezed tightly over his chest muscles, the sleeves were oddly cut, and he didn’t dare make any big movements. The skirt was ridiculously short, barely covering half his backside.

Looking at himself in the mirror, he thought if he sent this photo back to the seller, they’d probably pay him to delete it overnight.

This was way too weird! The fabric at his chest looked like it was about to burst. Honestly, he’d rather just wear two leather straps.

Xi Guanming sat on the sofa reading a magazine. Hearing the door open, he looked up and saw Shao Ye walking over, face scrunched up, tugging at the hem of the skirt.

He set the magazine aside. His gaze settled heavily on Shao Ye’s chest, then slowly moved downward. He licked his slightly dry lips but said nothing.

Shao Ye glanced down at himself, then scratched his neck. Standing across the coffee table, he complained, “President, this outfit is too small. It’s uncomfortable.”

Xi Guanming nodded in agreement. “It is a bit small. Come here—I’ll loosen it for you.”

Completely unsuspecting, Shao Ye walked over and bent down, assuming there must be some hidden clasp he had missed.

Instead, Xi Guanming grabbed the thin fabric over his chest and, with a sharp rip, tore it apart. The cloth split to either side, fully exposing Shao Ye’s chest.

Shao Ye: “…”

That’s it? He could’ve done that himself!

After tearing it open, Xi Guanming’s gaze lingered on the faint bite marks that hadn’t fully faded from his chest. After a moment, he looked up and said, “This looks better. What do you think?”

It didn’t look that great to begin with!

Before Shao Ye could respond, Xi Guanming pulled him forward, and he fell heavily onto the sofa.

Another two hours passed just like that. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. The expensive maid outfit was completely ruined—there was no wearing it a second time.

Later, Xi Guanming had two rooms on the first floor knocked together and turned into a gym. Within two days, all the equipment Shao Ye needed was fully set up. He stood in front of the pec-deck machine, eager to try it, but the moment Xi Guanming walked in, he somehow ended up crashing into a yoga ball first.

Was this a gym or some kind of themed hotel?

A gym-themed… something. Well, that was certainly novel.

The seven-day holiday passed quickly. When Shao Ye returned to Golden Laburnum, he felt as though a lifetime had gone by. Now nearly 80% of the students knew he had something going on with Student Council President Xi Guanming, and the remaining 20% were in the process of learning it.

Whenever there was any news from the student council, the class monitor would send Shao Ye to Xi Guanming to gather information. Some students even tried to bribe him—after being caught burning paper offerings in the dorm by the student council, they would give him gifts and ask him to put in a good word for them.

Shao Ye was speechless.

What kind of people were these?!

Even more ridiculous was what happened that afternoon. After his first math class, he woke up from a nap and planned to run a couple of laps on the field to clear his head. But before he could even start, Si Xu blocked his way and said:

“Whatever Xi Guanming can give you, I can give you double—just leave him.”

Shao Ye scratched his head. He must still be dreaming, right? What kind of ridiculous dream was this?

This whole situation actually started from a conversation between Si Xu and Zong Xingze. They had gone from talking about Jiang Yan to the student council, then to Xi Guanming, and agreed that he had been getting more and more overbearing lately. The four of them had originally been equals, but now Xi Guanming seemed to be rising above them. He needed to be taught a lesson.

Direct methods wouldn’t work against him at Golden Laburnum, but if they could somehow get Shao Ye to break with him, then the look on Xi Guanming’s face would surely be worth it.

Zong Xingze had casually suggested the idea, then immediately said it was just a passing thought. But Si Xu went home and thought about it—why not try? There was no downside, and it might even be entertaining.

And so, here they were.

Seeing Shao Ye remain silent, Si Xu pressed, “Is double not enough? Don’t be too greedy.”

Shao Ye was completely baffled. What was wrong with this guy? It was almost scary. Should he call the school doctor?

Si Xu continued, “Even if Xi Guanming really likes you, do you think the Xi family patriarch would accept his grandson being some disgusting homosexual? Think about what your ending would be.”

Shao Ye rolled his eyes. Yep—definitely sick. What did that old man’s opinion have to do with him?

Si Xu saw the disdain in that eye roll and grew even angrier. “You don’t even actually like Xi Guanming—who are you pretending for?!”

“Who said I don’t really like him?” Shao Ye shot back immediately. How could he just slander him like that?

Through gritted teeth, Si Xu said, “Before this, you kept telling me to stay away from Jiang Yan! What’s wrong with you?!”

Shao Ye looked at him with pure contempt. “That just means you don’t understand strategy. It’s called openly building a plank road while secretly advancing elsewhere.”

Si Xu: “Huh?”

Shao Ye didn’t say it out loud, but he kept thinking about that night when Xi Guanming asked whether he loved him. Later, he went online to look up the difference between love and liking. The internet said things like: liking is indulgent, love is restraint; truly loving someone means wanting them to be happy, even if they don’t love you back.

Shao Ye thought about it. Wasn’t that exactly the mindset he had when he wanted to be Xi Guanming’s underling? The article was very long, and he read it word for word with serious dedication. By the end, he felt as if his soul had been cleansed. He even began to wonder whether, deep down, he had known he and the president had no chance, which was why he used the excuse of being a “lackey” to get close to him.

And lately, there were also a few voices on the forum claiming that he was actually very scheming, deliberately pretending to be dumb to lower the president’s guard, then taking advantage of the moment to get physically close to him and force the president to take responsibility, which was how he became the president’s boyfriend.

The phrase “openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing at Chencang” was something he’d learned from the forum. This line of thinking was actually quite niche, and most students dismissed it outright. But after reading it, Shao Ye was still deeply shocked. Was he really that clever?

Si Xu was equally shocked. “You actually have true love for him?”

“You’re the weird one. Of course it’s true love. If it wasn’t, why would we be together?” You could question his motives, but not his feelings.

Shao Ye had even seriously considered that if, the first time they met, Xi Guanming had asked him to be his boyfriend, he probably wouldn’t have refused.

He posted this thought on the country’s biggest Q&A website, and the responses were surprisingly consistent: If that’s not true love, then what is?

But Si Xu probably didn’t understand feelings anyway. Shao Ye went straight for the emotional kill: “No wonder Jiang Yan doesn’t like you.”

Si Xu had come today intending to break them up, but hearing that, he lost his composure first. His face darkened. Since things couldn’t be settled peacefully, he might as well be ruthless. He shot Shao Ye a sinister look and said, “Just you wait.”

Shao Ye ignored him. Why should he wait? Who did Si Xu think he was? Not punching him on the spot was already restraint. After all, he was the president’s boyfriend now. In public, he had to mind his image.

Fuming, Si Xu turned and left. The class bell had already rung for a while. Shao Ye thought that since he was already late, a bit later wouldn’t matter. He planned to go for a quick run first. Surely the teacher would understand. But as he turned around, he walked straight into Xi Guanming.

He gave an awkward smile, rubbed his nose, and asked, “President, when did you get here?”

“I’ve been here for a while,” Xi Guanming said. “Planning to skip class again?”

“Hehe, no, no. I’m heading back now,” Shao Ye replied.

Xi Guanming fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, “We’re true love?”

Shao Ye blinked, realizing Xi Guanming really had been there long enough to hear his entire conversation with Si Xu.

“Of course!” he said firmly, then added with some confusion, “Aren’t we?”

The thought that the president might just be playing with him, like some people on the forum suggested, made Shao Ye feel uncomfortably upset.

Xi Guanming seemed not to notice the change in his expression and said, “Then prove it.”

Prove what? How?

Shao Ye looked around. The bell had already rung, and everyone had gone back to class. This place was quiet and remote, with no one around. He cleared his throat and loudly declared, “President, I love you!”

How was that? Good enough proof, right? Look at that boldness.

But wow, that was so embarrassing. How did he even say it out loud? As soon as he finished, Shao Ye felt like scratching at the goosebumps on his arms. He glanced at Xi Guanming, who stood there motionless, his gaze deep, almost like a flame burning within.

Why wasn’t the president reacting? Did he freeze?

Autumn wind swept through the treetops, and ginkgo leaves fell, scattering across the ground. Xi Guanming had only meant to trick him into giving him a kiss, but instead heard those three words directly from him.

He was momentarily stunned, as if on barren land after a storm, countless fragrant flowers suddenly bloomed.

“I love you too,” Xi Guanming said.

No matter how it started, as long as it was real, as long as he would only love him, that was enough.

The fallen ginkgo leaves paved their path back in gold, glowing under the sunlight.

After returning, Si Xu contacted some friends outside the school. Even if he couldn’t drive Shao Ye out of Golden Laburnum, he would at least make him suffer. Otherwise, they’d really think he was easy to bully.

He had just hung up when he turned and saw Xi Guanming standing at the door like a tall shadow, startling him.

Annoyed, Si Xu snapped, “When did you get here? Don’t you know how to knock?”

Xi Guanming didn’t answer. He simply said, “For helping me get an answer, I’ll let you off this time.”

Si Xu found it ridiculous and sneered, “Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about it?”

Xi Guanming smiled at him and said slowly, “I’ll kill you.”

Si Xu froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. Had Xi Guanming not grown out of his edgy phase yet? Kill him? Why not just blow up the school while he’s at it?

Xi Guanming’s smile didn’t change. He walked toward Si Xu, a thin blade somehow appearing in his hand. Sunlight reflected off the blade into Si Xu’s eyes, making them sting. Then he heard Xi Guanming ask leisurely, “You think I wouldn’t dare?”

“Si Xu, in this world, there’s nothing I wouldn’t dare to do.”

Si Xu was about to speak, but the moment he met Xi Guanming’s eyes, he froze in place. In that instant, it felt like he saw countless omens of death within those dark, icy pupils. He muttered, “You’re insane.”

“Insane?” Xi Guanming let out a soft laugh. He lifted his head and looked through the glass window at the clear blue sky outside. “This world is fake to begin with. He’s my only light.”

---

Author’s note:

[Qingming thread: What did the president mean by that line? I’m getting goosebumps]

Don’t mention the second half, can we leave the OP a bit of peace? I really don’t want to ship them

: “This world is fake”… does the president know something? Suddenly feels like The Truman Show

: Well… technically… we are watching a Truman Show

: …That’s true

: But the president is different! He’s a native NPC!

: Maybe he’s just using a rhetorical device

: What kind? Irony?

: It’s a metaphor! He used a metaphor!

: …The metaphor is in the second half, which OP said not to mention (whispers: it’s so sweet though)

: I don’t get it. There are six participants, so why is No. 6 the “only light”? Didn’t No. 3 also try to cling to him? Why did No. 3 get expelled then?

: I want to answer that objectively, but OP won’t let me

: I’m wondering if the president just hasn’t suffered in love yet, so he thinks the world is fake

: frozen smile.jpg Thinking of my ex…

: The real suffering is waiting for him later. Once the stream ends, No. 6 will be gone

: Gone Girl

: Stop, I’ve suffered enough reading fanfics, why am I suffering here too? Isn’t this thread supposed to be sweet?

: ???? something’s off about you

: Has the official side said anything?

: They’re probably confused too. Ever since No. 6 got together with the president, the plot’s been out of control

: “President smashing a wall,” guess the idiom

: “Boring a hole in the wall to steal light!”

: No. 6: hehe, your light is here

: Is no one going to do anything about this world full of CP fans?

: Don’t call us CP fans. Please address us as canon-ship supporters, thank you

: Where are the moderators? Haven’t seen them working for days

: Out of five moderators, four turned out to be CP fans. No wonder they were reporting so hard earlier, just to force the official side to release content

: Isn’t there one left?

: The last one is just a regular user

: Good enough, at least someone can still do their job. @ them

: lol she’ll probably say, “as a neutral observer, I also think Xi Guanming × Shao Ye is very shippable”

: …

≽^•⩊•^≼

Thandar: omg omg omg he knowsssssss

Red wine?

Mango pudding with red wine? What a strange combination.

But if the president wanted to eat it that way, there had to be a reason.

Shao Ye nodded and made a mental note of it.

By now, he had basically moved his daily essentials and spare clothes over. As he rummaged through his suitcase for something suitable to wear at the president’s place, he also wondered which winery’s red wine would pair well with pudding.

Xi Guanming crouched down beside him, picking up the clothes he had tossed aside, neatly folding them and putting them back into the suitcase.

After packing what he needed, they stopped by Luostin to get a mango pudding, then drove away from Golden Laburnum.

Xi Guanming’s house was in the suburbs, not far from the school—a two-story villa he had bought two years ago. He didn’t come here often, but he hired a cleaner to tidy up every Saturday.

Today was Sunday, so the place still looked fairly clean, with hardly any dust. The décor was simple, similar to the dorm, with only a few basic pieces of furniture and appliances.

Xi Guanming led Shao Ye upstairs, pushed open the bedroom door, and said, “The other rooms haven’t been cleaned. Sleep with me tonight, okay?”

“Sure,” Shao Ye said. They already slept together at school anyway. He went in and casually set his bag by the bedside.

Xi Guanming stood at the doorway watching him, a smile lingering at the corner of his lips. How could he be so easy to fool?

“What do you want to eat?” he asked.

“Anything’s fine,” Shao Ye replied, turning back to him. “President, can you cook?”

“I can a little,” Xi Guanming said, “but there’s no cookware or ingredients here. We’ll have to order takeout tonight.”

Shao Ye didn’t mind. He wasn’t picky—just as long as it wasn’t terrible.

After dinner, Shao Ye took the mango pudding out of the fridge and tapped it twice with a spoon. The whole thing wobbled with a soft duang duang.

Xi Guanming narrowed his eyes slightly at the pudding on the table. Original translation at HololoNovels dot com. He took a sip of water and shifted his sitting position.

After tapping it, Shao Ye looked up and asked, “President, you really don’t want any? It’s really good.”

Xi Guanming set his glass down and shook his head. “I’ll have something later. You go ahead.”

So Shao Ye finished the whole pudding himself. Sitting on the couch, he rubbed his stomach in satisfaction. Full and content, he started to feel sleepy—but it also seemed a bit early to go to bed.

“If you’re tired, go lie down for a bit,” Xi Guanming said kindly, since he probably wouldn’t be able to sleep later.

It was a holiday anyway—no need to wake up early tomorrow. A nap didn’t sound like a bad idea. Shao Ye yawned and headed upstairs. After climbing a couple of steps, he paused, sensing something off, and turned back.

“President, aren’t you coming up?”

Xi Guanming sat on the couch and turned his head toward him. “You go ahead. I ordered something online. It’ll be delivered soon.”

“Oh,” Shao Ye said, not asking what it was, and slowly went upstairs.

Xi Guanming waited downstairs for over half an hour before the doorbell rang. The item he had been waiting for had arrived.

Carrying the sealed package and a bottle of red wine that had already been decanted, he leisurely went upstairs.

In the bedroom, Shao Ye was already asleep on his bed. Xi Guanming stood there for a while, looking at him, thinking everything about him was just right—except for one thing.

He hadn’t taken all his clothes off.

How could he go to bed like that?

Xi Guanming didn’t wake him. Instead, he sat down by the bed and unwrapped the package at an unhurried pace, carefully checking everything inside. Once he confirmed that the models and dates were correct, he arranged them neatly on the cabinet in the order he planned to use them.

The room was dimly lit, and Shao Ye seemed to be sleeping even more soundly. Xi Guanming still didn’t wake him. He turned down the volume on his phone and watched a couple of short videos first.

Shao Ye slept for more than three hours. After finishing the videos, Xi Guanming went to the next room to grab two pillows, thinking they might be useful later. Then he took a shower and changed into fresh clothes.

When he returned, the person on the bed was finally starting to wake up. He leaned down and kissed the corner of Shao Ye’s lips.

“President?” Shao Ye opened his eyes and called out.

The moment he spoke, Xi Guanming’s tongue slipped into his mouth, exploring freely. It still tasted faintly of mango pudding.

Shao Ye had just woken up and wasn’t fully conscious yet. His eyes widened as he let Xi Guanming take in the lingering sweetness from his mouth.

The kiss was intense—so much so that Shao Ye felt like he was about to be swallowed whole. And yet… it felt good, so good that his whole body seemed to melt.

Why was the president so good at this?

After a long while, the kiss finally ended. Xi Guanming pinned Shao Ye’s right hand above his head with one hand, while the other deftly began undoing the buttons on his shirt. Looking at Shao Ye’s flushed face, he lowered his head to kiss him again and asked:

“Do you like me?”

Under the hazy light, with a faint jasmine scent in the air, Shao Ye looked at him and thought the president somehow looked even better than before he fell asleep.

Without thinking, he answered, “I like you.”

“Do you really like me?” Xi Guanming asked.

“I really do.”

“Tell me the truth.”

That was the truth. So Shao Ye repeated, “I like you.”

“Then do you love me?” Xi Guanming asked again.

His kisses trailed from Shao Ye’s lips down to his neck, his shoulders, his collarbone, continuing lower, while his hands kept working. Of the five buttons, only one remained undone.

When Shao Ye didn’t answer, Xi Guanming lightly bit him and asked, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Shao Ye felt a faint sting. Looking down in confusion, he asked, “Is love… different from liking?”

Xi Guanming lifted his eyes to meet Shao Ye’s confused gaze. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Love is probably liking someone a lot, a lot. It’s when there’s no second choice besides me, and you don’t allow me to have a second choice either.”

He paused, his dark eyes reflecting only Shao Ye. “It’s liking someone with the determination to stay together forever.”

His interest and affection for Shao Ye had already far exceeded what he once thought. If it were only a little, why would he hold back so much? He would have devoured him long ago, instead of slowly guiding him, step by step, into willingly walking into his own net.

Shao Ye nodded, half-understanding. Then, as if suddenly enlightened, he said, “So does that mean I fell in love with you the first time I saw you, President?”

Xi Guanming couldn’t help but laugh. Shao Ye always managed to surprise him in unexpected ways.

The buttons had already been undone. Cooperating, Shao Ye shrank his arms slightly, then lifted his upper body, letting the shirt slide smoothly off him. Xi Guanming tossed it aside, gave his chest a light slap, and joked, “No wonder you’ve been seducing me all along.”

“Huh?” Shao Ye blinked. Where did that come from?!

Xi Guanming smiled and asked, “And you still wanted to match me with Jiang Yan?”

“I just wanted to be your underling,” Shao Ye quickly clarified.

“An irreplaceable underling? One who stays with me forever? One who can support you anytime, anywhere? One who stands on your side unconditionally?” Xi Guanming asked.

With each question, Shao Ye nodded. Exactly! The president finally understood his grand ambition.

Xi Guanming laughed at his own words and patted Shao Ye’s cheek. “Such strong possessiveness for an underling. Are you sure that’s what you want to be?”

Shao Ye’s nod stopped midway. Why couldn’t it be?

“If I were really with someone else, would you be happy?” Xi Guanming asked again.

This question had come up before, and back then it had already shaken Shao Ye’s simple worldview.

“Why aren’t you answering?” Xi Guanming asked, pulling off his pants. “Could you accept someone else treating you like this?”

Shao Ye didn’t even need to imagine it. Just hearing that made goosebumps rise all over his body. “I’d punch his teeth out.”

Xi Guanming laughed softly and looked down at him. Shao Ye was now completely naked on the bed, his honey-colored muscles gleaming under the light.

Xi Guanming knelt on one knee beside the bed. His own clothes were still neatly on, though his shirt was slightly wrinkled from earlier.

Even now, Shao Ye hadn’t realized what was about to happen tonight. After all, similar things had happened in the dorm before. He was just wondering if he should turn over and lie down himself when he saw Xi Guanming suddenly reach for the bottle of red wine by the bedside.

Following his movement, Shao Ye reminded him, “President, I don’t think there are any glasses here.”

“How could there not be?” Xi Guanming unscrewed the cap and said softly.

Shao Ye looked around but still couldn’t find any “glass.” Was it like the emperor’s new clothes, visible only to smart people?

Wait… did that mean he’d just insulted himself again?

When he looked back, he saw Xi Guanming tilting the bottle slightly. Cool wine flowed out in a thin stream, falling onto his body and running down along his chest.

“Isn’t this a glass?” Xi Guanming lowered his head, savoring what he had long desired.

So that was the “glass.”

Shao Ye opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. Surely he wasn’t supposed to shout something dramatic here.

Half a bottle of wine was used up like that. Though today’s “game” was different, Shao Ye was still turned over midway. He couldn’t see what Xi Guanming was doing, only clearly feel the wine flowing down his back and being slowly licked clean.

The sheets and even the mattress underneath were probably beyond saving. He felt as though his entire body had been soaked in wine, the rich fragrance permeating every inch of his skin. Shao Ye was so overwhelmed he could barely think.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Xi Guanming pick up something else from the bedside, but before he could see clearly, Xi Guanming had already withdrawn his hand.

It didn’t matter. Soon enough, Shao Ye found out what it was.

As the bed rocked, he heard Xi Guanming whisper in his ear, calling him “Shao Ye,” calling him “baby,” even calling him “wife.”

Shao Ye felt his face burn hot enough to fry an egg. The president really had no filter in moments like this! Completely uninhibited! He even asked Shao Ye to call him “husband.” Shao Ye couldn’t bring himself to say it, but in the end, unable to bear it, he did—followed by another two hours of activity.

The school gave them a seven-day break. For the first three days, Shao Ye didn’t wear a single proper piece of clothing. Most of their time was spent on the bed, and during that time, they changed rooms five times.

The first and second time, Shao Ye didn’t think much of it. By the third time, he finally realized—hadn’t the president said the other rooms weren’t even prepared?

No matter how good his stamina was, three days of this nonstop left him somewhat overwhelmed. So by noon on the fourth day, after strong protest from Shao Ye, they finally decided to go out for a walk.

Shao Ye had actually planned to find a gym nearby. All this “activity” hadn’t really trained his muscles at all! His chest still looked the same in the mirror, but that might just be because it had been… overworked.

Xi Guanming drove him to a nearby mall. After walking around, Shao Ye didn’t find a gym, but he did run into Jiang Yan. She was working part-time at a milk tea shop during the break. As expected, Si Xu had followed her there and immediately ordered a hundred cups of milk tea, thoroughly irritating her.

Xi Guanming had stepped aside earlier to take a phone call and hadn’t returned yet. So Shao Ye stood under a sign holding two portions of fried chicken, watching the scene while waiting.

Soon, Si Xu was kicked out of the shop. When he spotted Shao Ye nearby, he let out a cold laugh. As a straight man, learning that Xi Guanming was gay and had chosen someone like Shao Ye made him feel, overnight, like he had risen above him in status.

When Shao Ye saw him smiling like a bad guy, he asked, “What’s wrong with your mouth? Why is it crooked like that? Did you become someone’s kept husband or something?”

“You—” Si Xu was so angry his temples throbbed. But knowing he couldn’t beat Shao Ye, he could only snort coldly and turn to leave.

By the time Xi Guanming finished his call and came over, he happened to see Si Xu storming off in frustration. Taking the fried chicken Shao Ye handed him, he asked, “Did you provoke him again?”

“Uh…” Only then did Shao Ye remember that the president had told him not to get involved in matters between Si Xu and Jiang Yan. Did this count as getting involved? He asked a bit nervously, “Am I not allowed to provoke him?”

“You are,” Xi Guanming said without hesitation. “At Golden Laburnum, there’s basically nothing you’re not allowed to do. But…”

Shao Ye widened his eyes, waiting seriously for what came next, afraid he might miss something and cause trouble for the president.

Then he heard Xi Guanming smile and say, “Let’s go home first. I bought you a few sets of clothes online. They should’ve arrived already. Try them on when we get back and let me see.”

Shao Ye said innocently, “Why buy me clothes? I already have enough to wear.”

“They’re ones you haven’t worn before,” Xi Guanming replied.

Shao Ye’s brain didn’t quite process that. Clothes were just clothes, weren’t they? How could there be ones he hadn’t worn before?

⸻

Author’s note:

Bonus short scene:

When Shao Ye heard the president wanted to drink red wine, he remembered his dad had a bottle of top-quality wine at home and immediately encouraged the president to go steal it.

The president thought about how Shao Ye’s dad had been mocked for twenty years just for bringing half a box of rotten apples. If they got caught stealing wine, he’d probably be nagged to death, so he wasn’t very willing. But now that Shao Ye had “upgraded” to boyfriend status, his temper had grown too. The president couldn’t refuse him and ended up going along to steal it.

Afterward, thinking about what the wine would be used for, the president’s last bit of morality made him swap the bottle out. Shao Ye never noticed.

⸻

[As of this morning, I’ve watched swans for 86 hours, 27 minutes, and 31 seconds. Do you know how I survived those 86 hours?! Why are we still watching swans even after they went to the president’s house?!]

: Gotta say, both the president and No. 6 have great stamina

: From my observation, the two swans at the president’s house are at least a few pounds heavier than the ones at school. The smaller one has an asymmetrical black marking on its beak, its left wing has about three fewer feathers than the right, and its tail looks like it’s been pecked… hold on, I need to switch positions before I continue

: You don’t need to continue, we already know you’ve been watching way too long

: Why watch swans? Go watch explosions in other streams! It’s way more exciting, especially in a campus setting

: If I’d heard the president say No. 6 could do anything in Golden Laburnum before, I’d say he was just acting cool. Now after seeing three explosions, I can only say… No. 6, your good fortune is yet to come

: Are we sure the explosions were all done by the president?

: He didn’t show up directly, but his presence is everywhere

: I’m speechless. The principal even patted the president’s shoulder and said “good job”

: Well, it probably did take a lot of effort to arrange all this

: Three auditoriums exploded, and the official side has nothing to say?

: The official says NPCs in Neverland have their own motivations, not under their control

: …

: I thought No. 1, the top student, would graduate smoothly. Who knew going to school could be life-threatening

: My childhood dream of blowing up a school came true in a way I really didn’t want

: Good thing this is just a campus world. I don’t even want to imagine what the president would do in a war setting

: I have an idea. What would happen if we dropped No. 6 into another stream?

: I don’t know about the other streams, but No. 6’s stream would probably explode instantly

: I’m starting to believe the president and No. 6 really aren’t arranged by the system

: Why not? No. 6 was already a guaranteed entrant. This kind of plot isn’t that strange

: ?????

: Not strange???

: Who is No. 6 supposed to be? You think he can get this kind of cheat? Behind the system is the Elders Council

: I’ve been saying he’s some kind of chief eunuch all along, and none of you believed me!!!

: #%￥#￥%…

: @moderator There’s someone losing their mind in here, call the police

≽^•⩊•^≼

Thandar: Please give this novel a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on novel updates if you enjoy it so far. It’ll motivate this translator to release new chapters faster 🥲😘

Previous

Lin Wu opened the messages.

【How did it go?】

【Can you receive this?】

【S, can you receive this?】

………

Seven minutes had passed since the memory refresh. These three messages had come in roughly every two minutes. After steadying himself, Lin Wu replied: 【Sorry, I had something come up just now.】

“It replied!” The moment Lin Wu responded, in the residential compound in 2004, seventeen-year-old Lin Wu and Qin Weidong both let out a sigh of relief. Seven minutes earlier, they had sent messages as usual. After building up a tacit understanding over time, their first message was typically sent between 10:12 and 10:13.

After sending, they waited for a reply. One minute, two minutes… as time passed bit by bit, their mood shifted from relaxed to anxious. They were worried something had happened to the other side. Now, at last, there was a response.

“Is there a new ending?” Lin Wu immediately asked.

“On November 19, you prepared in advance according to the plan. The killer who murdered Wang Jiahui has been identified: Guo Chengchun, male, born in 1972, a worker on the Xuhu Daming construction team. He has an extreme personality with strong vindictive tendencies. This was a random copycat crime…” Lin Wu clearly explained the information from his side.

Seventeen-year-old Lin Wu and Qin Weidong read carefully. Then suddenly, they both sensed something off. “A copycat crime?”

“Mm. It was his first offense. Because of the severe social impact, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Due to fights in prison, he was prosecuted twice more. There is no possibility of release.”

“What about my mom?” Lin Wu’s heart skipped a beat.

“She was killed on November 26. After that, there were three more victims. The killer still has no leads.”

“There’s a second killer?” Lin Wu frowned unconsciously upon reading that line.

“It’s okay.” Qin Weidong had been watching Lin Wu’s emotions the whole time. After reassuring him, he sent: “We still have a chance, right? Can we track Luo Xiaorong the same way we tracked Wang Jiahui, and then find the second killer?”

“Mm. This ending isn’t perfect, but Huihui and Uncle Wang are safe.”

“Should we open the next ending line?” Lin Wu also tried to remain calm.

“Mm.” They had already confirmed one killer. Since there was still some time before his crime, they planned to find the second killer and capture him in one move, avoiding unnecessary risks.

“You were injured while subduing the killer. After we open this next line, you must be more careful,” Lin Wu reminded seriously after explaining some details of the sixth ending.

“Where were you injured?” Qin Weidong was shocked.

“My arm… I had some cuts…” Lin Wu briefly described the injury.

“Let me see!” In the room, Qin Weidong pushed up Lin Wu’s sleeve. Right now, his arm was smooth and unmarked. Qin Weidong let out a breath, then suddenly realized something important. “Where was I when you were tracking the killer? I’m close with you. There’s no way I wouldn’t be involved.”

“You’re tall. Too noticeable. Lin Wu didn’t let you go,” Lin Wu paused before answering. In truth, he didn’t know either why Qin Weidong wasn’t in those memories. He could only guess that without the bridge of the space-time phone, they had lost contact.

“Is that so…” Qin Weidong frowned, then asked, “How do you know all this so clearly?”

“I’m good friends with Lin Wu. He told me,” the thirty-seven-year-old Lin Wu replied.

At 10:27, the space-time connection ended. Now, Qin Weidong sat on the edge of the bed while Lin Wu sat on a chair. Both were thinking about what they had just learned.

Boom!

A loud crash came from outside the window. At some point, it had started raining.

“Um…” Lin Wu spoke first.

“What is it?” Qin Weidong looked at him.

“Do you want to let go first?” Lin Wu gestured toward his arm.

Only then did Qin Weidong realize he was still gripping Lin Wu’s arm. Translated on Hololo novels. He had been thinking so hard that he had unconsciously tightened his grip, leaving a red mark.

“Sorry, does it hurt?” Lin Wu’s skin was fair, and the red mark stood out sharply. Qin Weidong immediately panicked.

“It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt.” Lin Wu pulled his sleeve back down. Qin Weidong watched him, seeming like he wanted to say something but didn’t.

At 10:30, the rain outside grew heavier. Qin Weidong stood by the window and looked out. “Do you have an umbrella?”

“Yes.” Lin Wu found a black umbrella.

“Alright, I’ll head back then.” Qin Weidong took the umbrella and prepared to leave.

“I’ll walk you out.” Lin Wu followed behind him.

They reached the entrance on the first floor. It had turned into a sudden downpour. Earlier it had only been light rain, but now it was coming down as hard as hail.

“This umbrella isn’t enough. You should go back. I’ll just make it on my own,” Qin Weidong said after gauging the rain.

“Are there still cars at the entrance?” Lin Wu asked.

“There are. Don’t worry about it.” Qin Weidong said that, but it didn’t seem like it would be easy to get a taxi.

The rain kept getting heavier. He looked at the water pooling on the ground and was about to open the umbrella and rush out.

“Qin Weidong,” Lin Wu suddenly called out.

“What is it?” The wind was loud, and Qin Weidong had to raise his voice.

“The rain’s too heavy. Come back upstairs with me.”

“What?”

“I said, the rain’s too heavy. Come back upstairs with me!”

………

Three minutes later, Lin Wu brought Qin Weidong back home. Qin Weidong followed behind in a daze. Just moments ago, he had still been thinking about how to get back to school, so how had he suddenly ended up back here with Lin Wu?

“This is my winter quilt. I washed it before putting it away, and aired it out again not long ago. You can make do with it for tonight?” After entering the room, Lin Wu took out a thick quilt from the wardrobe.

“Oh, okay, okay!” Qin Weidong finally snapped out of it, then immediately realized something important: there were only two beds in Lin Wu’s house. Luo Xiaorong slept in the next room… so he and Lin Wu were going to share a bed?

“Do you want to sleep on the inside or the outside?” Lin Wu placed the quilt on the bed, confirming Qin Weidong’s suspicion.

“Inside, I guess…” Qin Weidong was still a bit dazed.

“There’s no private bathroom at home. We usually go to the public bathhouse in the compound. It’s raining today, so it’s probably closed. Just make do for one night…” Lin Wu rolled the quilt into a cylinder and placed it on the inner side, then took out the pillow they usually used for back support. Soon, both their bedding was arranged.

He opened the wardrobe, intending to find Qin Weidong some sleepwear. After sizing him up, he said, “My sleepwear’s a bit small. It probably won’t fit you.”

“It’s fine. I usually sleep without clothes,” Qin Weidong said, then added a little awkwardly, “I showered at school yesterday.” He was actually worried Lin Wu might mind him using the same quilt.

“There are disposable cups and a new toothbrush at home. I’ll go find them.” Lin Wu smiled and brought him a disposable cup and a new toothbrush.

There were two sinks in the hallway at Lin Wu’s home, one for washing vegetables and cooking, the other for brushing teeth and washing up. Three minutes later, Qin Weidong stood in the hallway brushing his teeth while Lin Wu changed clothes and tidied the room.

As Qin Weidong brushed, he watched Lin Wu’s movements. During this time, Luo Xiaorong quietly opened her door a few times to peek outside. After Lin Wu went in and said something to her, she gradually fell asleep.

Once Qin Weidong finished washing up, Lin Wu went out to do the same. By the time he returned to the room, Qin Weidong had already wrapped himself in the blanket like a cocoon, his clothes neatly folded on the chair.

“Anything else you need? I’m turning off the light,” Lin Wu asked after setting his alarm.

“Go ahead!”

Lin Wu turned off the light, then slipped under the outer blanket. In the darkness, the senses became heightened. The moment Lin Wu lay down, Qin Weidong felt his body tense up instantly, his heart pounding rapidly. It felt strange.

“Is your arm okay?” Qin Weidong spoke, trying to break the odd tension.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” Lin Wu replied.

Qin Weidong felt like he had quite a strong grip. After thinking for a moment, he turned toward Lin Wu. “Let me see.”

“Now?”

“Yeah!” Qin Weidong turned on his phone flashlight.

Lin Wu had been lying with his right side facing Qin Weidong’s left. The injury had been on his left arm. Seeing how serious Qin Weidong was, he turned toward him and lifted his sleeve.

Qin Weidong placed the phone between their blankets, the light shining upward toward the ceiling. It wasn’t bright, but it was enough to see.

Qin Weidong reached out and carefully examined Lin Wu’s arm. “I didn’t notice earlier. You should’ve told me sooner. I held onto you for so long…” The more he thought about it, the more embarrassed he felt.

“It’s fine now. It didn’t hurt earlier either.” Lin Wu just had fair skin that showed marks easily. Physically, he was actually quite sturdy.

“You still should’ve said something!” After confirming there was nothing wrong, Qin Weidong asked, “Lin Wu, are we friends?”

“Do you need a friend?” Lin Wu didn’t understand why he suddenly brought this up.

“I do. I’ve got a lot of friends, but not many I’m truly close to. We kind of met in a pretty extraordinary way, and I think I’m a decent person, and you’re pretty good too, so… we’re friends, right?” Qin Weidong tried to sound casual, but there was sincerity in his voice.

Lin Wu didn’t really know how to define friendship, nor whether he needed it. In the end, he gave a vague answer: “I guess so.”

“Then from now on, take me with you when you do tracking or investigations. Honestly, I still don’t get why I wasn’t there before. It doesn’t fit my personality…” He felt that if he had been there in that previous ending, Lin Wu might not have gotten hurt.

“Mm.” The rain outside grew heavier. Lin Wu simply answered.

Qin Weidong was still thinking, then suddenly realized he was still “examining” Lin Wu’s arm. He quickly pulled down Lin Wu’s sleeve and tucked it back under the blanket. “It’s getting cold. Stay warm!”

“Okay.” Lin Wu couldn’t help but laugh at his actions.

Because Qin Weidong had leaned in to tuck his arm in, his body had unconsciously moved closer. Lowering his head slightly, he caught sight of Lin Wu smiling.

Thump, thump, thump!

His heartbeat sped up even more. From this angle, Lin Wu actually looked quite good… not just from this angle, even when they first met, he had already looked good…

Thump!

Qin Weidong quickly lay back down, fumbling to turn off the flashlight.

Now they shifted from facing each other to lying flat on their backs. After calming himself, Qin Weidong spoke again after a while, “Lin Wu.”

“Mm?”

“Are you asleep?”

“Not yet.”

“When are you going to claim the prize?” He didn’t lack money himself, but he knew the purchasing power of five hundred thousand. After claiming it, Lin Wu’s living conditions would likely improve.

“I already scratched and tore up the lottery tickets,” Lin Wu said after a pause. Once he confirmed he had returned to the starting point, he scratched them and tore them into powder, ensuring no one could restore them.

“Why?” Qin Weidong turned slightly in surprise.

There was a brief silence. After a while, Lin Wu said, “Being able to change the future is already lucky enough. I don’t know if that luck comes with a cost. I can’t be too greedy…”

Just as his future self had said, being able to repeatedly change fate was already a gift from fortune. He couldn’t be greedy.

Time passed little by little. Qin Weidong kept looking at Lin Wu’s profile as he lay there with his eyes closed. In the end, almost inaudibly, he murmured, “Lin Wu, you seem pretty smart, but sometimes you’re really kind of foolish.” Just like in the fourth ending. He had already achieved a perfect life, yet still chose to return to the beginning.

………

The next morning, Lin Wu was woken by a faint rustling sound. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Qin Weidong holding onto a chair with one hand while pulling up his pants with the other.

He had probably just gotten out of bed, his shirt not yet on. From Lin Wu’s angle, he could clearly see the lean, youthful muscles on Qin Weidong’s body. His skin was a warm wheat tone, his shoulders broad and waist narrow, carrying a kind of vibrant, healthy vitality.

Lin Wu’s gaze followed that line downward—

The school uniform pants were only halfway pulled up, and above them was a pair of blue cartoon boxer briefs.

Qin Weidong had just quietly gotten out of bed and was quietly putting on his pants. When he noticed Lin Wu was awake, he froze. Lin Wu was equally stunned, but after a moment, he shut his eyes again, pretending to still be asleep.

Three minutes later, the alarm rang. Qin Weidong was already fully dressed. Translated on Hololo novels. While he went to wash up, Lin Wu changed into his uniform. After finishing, the two of them put on their shoes and left together. Luo Xiaorong usually woke up naturally, so they didn’t wake her, and by unspoken agreement, neither of them mentioned the awkward moment from earlier.

“Xiao Wu, are you coming over for dinner today? Your Aunt Hao made sweet and sour ribs…” While Lin Wu and Qin Weidong went about their school day as usual, in 2024, Lin Wu received a call from Wang Manshan. Now that the killer of Wang Jiahui had been caught, in this ending, there was no tragedy for Wang Manshan’s family.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.

Next

“Mr. Lin, this is today’s autumn pear soup. The hotel has recently added a complimentary late-night snack service for long-term guests. If there’s anything you’d like to eat, you can also contact the front desk in advance.” At 9:50, in the Xu Hu Hotel of 2024, the attendant delivered another bowl of autumn pear soup just as before. Now that the weather was turning cooler, the hotel had added quite a few thoughtful warm services.

“Thank you.” Lin Wu had the attendant place the pear soup on the table, then sat down at the desk.

There was now a notebook on the table, with key pieces of information written inside such as “Li Jing 10.21” and “Wang Jiahui 11.19.” This was his case notebook. After his memory refreshed, what was written in it would differ slightly from what he had now, but he retained the memories of every ending, so those differences did not affect his analysis of the case as a whole.

Lin Wu set the notebook aside and began drinking the autumn pear soup. These soups were freshly simmered in earthenware pots and were delicious. At 10:20, after finishing the soup, his memory refreshed right on time.

…

October 21. He arrived at the classroom early.

“You’re here so early today.” Li Jing arrived ten minutes later than Lin Wu and looked surprised when she saw him. Her home was close to the school, so she usually got there before he did.

“I left early today,” Lin Wu said after a brief silence. According to the messages from the future, something would happen to Li Jing today.

“Lin Wu, what school are you planning to apply to later?” Li Jing did not notice the expression on his face. After setting down her schoolbag, she asked casually.

“I don’t know.” He knew he would later get into Jianghe University, but the future was made up of the present. If he let up now, his life’s trajectory could still change.

“You’ve been pretty steady these last few exams. If you can bring your English up, I feel like you could make a run at Jianghe University,” Li Jing said, helping him analyze it.

“What university are you planning on?” Lin Wu asked.

“Not sure yet. Maybe Jianghe University of Political Science and Law, or Jianghe University of Finance and Economics. It depends on how I estimate my gaokao (college entrance exam) score.” Li Jing was not as strong a student as Lin Wu, but she stayed steadily within the top twenty of the year. If she performed consistently, she could get into a very good key university.

“Let’s both do our best,” Lin Wu said encouragingly.

“Let’s both do our best!” Li Jing replied, making a little cheering gesture with her hand.

At 8:30, Li Jing packed up her things and got ready to go home. Lin Wu looked at her. “Li Jing.”

“What is it?” Li Jing turned around curiously.

“Nothing.” He had wanted to remind her to be careful, but he feared that, like in the second ending, one sentence from him might trigger an irreversible tragedy.

“See you tomorrow!” Li Jing said with a smile and a wave.

“Mm.” Lin Wu knew she would never come to school again after this.

The next day, Li Jing’s seat was empty. Aside from the students directly in front of, behind, and beside her, no one noticed that one classmate was missing.

At three in the afternoon, five police officers came to the back of the classroom, and then the students who were close to Li Jing were all called out.

At 4:15, Lin Wu was called out as well.

“Don’t be nervous. We just want to understand the situation a little,” one of the officers asked with practiced ease. “Has Li Jing shown anything unusual lately? For example, did she have conflicts with anyone outside school, or was she being followed?”

“I don’t know. Li Jing had a pretty good temper. I never saw her get into conflict with anyone. As for being followed… I didn’t notice anything.” Lin Wu answered seriously, like an ordinary deskmate, then looked up and asked, “May I ask if something happened to Li Jing?”

“No, we’re just looking into some things.” The officer wrote down what Lin Wu had said, asked a few more questions, then patted him on the shoulder. “Alright, you can go back now.”

“Mm.”

After returning to the classroom, Lin Wu heard plenty of people discussing whether something had happened to Li Jing. Someone even tapped him on the shoulder and asked what the police had said to him.

“Nothing much. They just asked about Li Jing’s situation at school.” Lin Wu did not join the discussion.

A week later, Li Jing’s case appeared in the newspaper. The report did not reveal her identity, only saying that on the evening of October 21, a female high school student had been followed after school. Translated on Hololo novels. Fortunately, a kind passerby had helped her, and her life was not in danger. The suspect had escaped, and the police reminded the public to pay attention to safety and avoid going out at night.

In the second week, Li Jing’s father withdrew her from school. Some classmates who were familiar with her said that she had transferred to a top provincial high school. Lin Wu’s deskmate was replaced by a boy with glasses.

November 18. Lin Wu asked for leave early, using family matters as an excuse.

“It’s a critical period for senior year. If you can avoid taking leave, then try not to,” the homeroom teacher said, with some disapproval, though in the end he still signed the leave slip.

At two in the afternoon on the nineteenth, Lin Wu found Wang Manshan.

“What are you doing here? Didn’t you have class today?” Wang Manshan was very surprised by Lin Wu’s sudden appearance.

“Uncle Wang, there’s something important I need to tell you,” Lin Wu said gravely.

“What is it?”

“I suspect Huihui is being followed. Do you remember that news last month about the high school girl who was followed…”

He did not mention the text messages. He only said that over the past few days, while going to and from school, he had felt that someone was tailing Huihui. He hoped Wang Manshan could find two people to lie in wait by the grove ahead of time. If someone really was up to no good, they could catch him red-handed and call the police immediately.

“I’ll stay with Huihui the whole time today. Find two people around your age and have them hide in advance. Don’t tell anyone else. The suspect may be carrying a weapon.”

After saying this, Lin Wu emphasized that the suspect sketch described a man around thirty years old. As long as they deployed carefully, the chances that the men Wang Manshan found would themselves be the killer were very small. If the killer did not appear, that would also indirectly prove that the killer was one of the two people Wang Manshan had brought in. In any case, as long as word did not get out, Lin Wu felt his plan should work.

“Xiao Wu, could this just be your imagination?” Wang Manshan was completely dazed after hearing this long explanation.

“The day before yesterday, I saw someone acting suspiciously in the grove. Huihui often takes that path, so I think it’s better if we’re careful.” Lin Wu knew Wang Manshan would agree, just as he had in the fourth ending.

“Should we tell Huihui first?” Wang Manshan agreed, and began analyzing the situation together with Lin Wu.

“I’m worried the suspect will realize something is wrong and run. Then Huihui could still be in danger.”

“Are you sure he’ll appear tonight?”

“It’s possible.”

Wang Manshan hesitated for a moment, then finally said, “Alright. Tonight I’ll call two people over to keep watch.”

“Not too many people. And they must be tight-lipped,” Lin Wu emphasized again.

“I understand,” Wang Manshan nodded seriously.

At 8:00 that evening, Lin Wu, dressed in sportswear, stood waiting at the entrance of Lide, pushing a bicycle. The bicycle had been borrowed for him by Wang Manshan, just right for keeping up with Wang Jiahui’s bike.

At 8:30, Lide dismissed for the day, and he quickly spotted Wang Jiahui. As usual, she rode alongside her classmates, chatting as they went. When they reached the intersection, they split up, leaving Wang Jiahui riding alone.

From Lide to the residential compound was about five kilometers. Lin Wu followed behind the entire time, doing his best to blend in as an ordinary passerby while subtly scanning the surroundings. There were pedestrians all around, as well as steel factory workers heading to the night shift. None of them looked like the killer.

At 7:50, the bicycle reached the area near the compound. Besides its three main gates, the compound also had a secluded side entrance. After entering through this small gate, one had to pass through a patch of woods. Few people used this path.

The building where Wang Jiahui lived was right near that grove. She habitually used the side gate when going to and from school, saving about three hundred meters compared to the main entrance.

Just as before, Wang Jiahui arrived at the side gate, lifted her bicycle slightly, and began pushing it inside.

Lin Wu kept a distance of about thirty meters behind her. After confirming there was no one else around, he quickened his pace, keeping himself concealed in the darkness, moving lightly, hardly daring to breathe.

Ah!

A scream of terror suddenly rang out ahead.

It was Wang Jiahui!

Lin Wu no longer cared about exposing himself and rushed forward immediately.

“Grab him!” Lin Wu heard Wang Manshan’s voice. At the same time, a shadowy figure stumbled toward him. He lunged forward to block it. The figure flailed wildly, and Lin Wu felt a sharp pain in his hand, but he didn’t stop. He forced the figure down and pinned him to the ground.

“Hold him down, quick, hold him down!” Wang Manshan came running over, breathing heavily.

Six hours earlier, Wang Manshan had followed Lin Wu’s plan and found two reliable coworkers. “Old Zhou, Old Li, are you busy after work? I need a favor.”

“What is it?” the two asked curiously.

“It’s something important. I can’t explain right now. Can you come to my place at seven?”

“Why so mysterious…” They found Wang Manshan a bit strange, but since they all lived in the same compound, they agreed.

At seven, the two arrived at Wang Manshan’s home.

“I think someone has set their sights on my daughter. Can you come with me to the grove later?” Seeing the time was right, Wang Manshan got straight to the point.

“What do you mean?” The two were taken aback.

“A couple of days ago, I picked her up from school and felt like someone was behind her. Gave me a really bad feeling.” Wang Manshan did not mention Lin Wu.

“Oh… alright…” The two agreed, still a bit confused.

“That person might have a weapon. Let’s bring something for self-defense.”

There wasn’t much at home for protection, so in the end the three of them left carrying scissors, a kitchen knife, and a fruit knife.

On their way out, they happened to run into Hao Shuqin.

“Where are you all going?” she asked curiously.

“Old Zhou’s treating us. We’re heading to the market to grab something to eat,” Wang Manshan said, nudging Old Zhou.

“Yeah, yeah, my treat!” Old Zhou quickly chimed in.

“Go on then, don’t drink too much,” Hao Shuqin said, not suspecting anything.

The three soon arrived at the grove. Translated on Hololo novels. It had been planted by the steel factory and covered about twenty acres. Dense and secluded, it was rarely passed through except by a few residents taking shortcuts.

They arrived at 7:10 and immediately found a concealed spot to hide.

“Everyone stay hidden. Don’t give anything away,” Wang Manshan reminded them before settling in.

“This feels like we’re filming a TV drama…” The two thought Wang Manshan was being overly paranoid, but they cooperated fully, not daring to check their phones or make a sound.

Just as they were starting to think Wang Manshan had imagined it all, at 7:50, a figure appeared in the grove. The figure was about 1.7 meters tall, male. At first they thought he was just cutting through, but after entering, he wandered around briefly before hiding behind an abandoned truck bed. That truck bed was only three meters away from Old Zhou. They were so afraid of being discovered that they barely dared to breathe.

The three of them couldn’t tell if the man was dangerous, so they continued waiting.

At 8:00, Wang Jiahui pushed her bicycle into the grove.

The moment she passed the truck bed, the man suddenly rushed out. Wang Manshan and the others were already prepared. As soon as they saw movement, they lunged forward. Realizing something was wrong, the man immediately turned and ran, only to run straight into Lin Wu.

Lin Wu blocked him with all his strength. The man flailed in panic. After a chaotic struggle, the man was finally subdued.

Wang Manshan switched on the flashlight—

“Quick, he’s got a knife, call the police first!”

At this moment, Lin Wu was pinning the man down. Once Old Zhou and Old Li reacted, they quickly knocked the knife out of the man’s hand, twisted his arms behind his back, and held him firmly to the ground.

Lin Wu got up and noticed a large gash running from his left forearm to the back of his hand. But it didn’t matter.

“Where’s Huihui?” Lin Wu asked.

“Brother Lin Wu, I’m fine.” Wang Jiahui stepped out from the side. She had been startled just now, but Wang Manshan and the others had moved quickly. Aside from a fall, she was unharmed.

“That’s good.” Lin Wu let out a breath of relief and looked at the man on the ground.

Male, around thirty years old, height between 170 and 175 centimeters, build suggesting manual labor. Everything matched.

Haa—

As if all his strength had drained away, Lin Wu dropped straight to the ground.

Five minutes later, the police arrived. After investigation, the man was identified as a worker from a nearby construction site. He confessed to the previous two cases without hesitation. The Xuhu serial murder case was about to be solved.

In the Xuhu Hotel, Lin Wu watched everything intently. The heaviness that had built up through the first five endings seemed to ease the moment the killer was caught. But three seconds later, that sense of relief vanished—

November 25. Luo Xiaorong went missing. He searched the entire night but couldn’t find her. On the morning of the 26th, Wang Manshan received a hurried phone call, then looked at him with concern.

“Lin Wu, you need to prepare yourself…” Wang Manshan said.

“What happened?” Lin Wu forced a smile, trying not to think of the worst.

“Something happened to your mom…”

Luo Xiaorong was dead. The cause of death was the same as before: a fatal throat cut. The location of death: a remote workshop in the Xuhu steel factory.

What differed from the previous times was that beside Luo Xiaorong’s body, there was a crudely drawn smiley face, as if mocking Lin Wu’s overestimation of himself.

The Xuhu murder case was still ongoing. This time, Wang Jiahui did not die, but after Luo Xiaorong, there were three more victims.

What followed passed like a blur. Because Wang Jiahui’s family had not been harmed, his memories changed drastically. His career trajectory remained similar to before, until September 2024, when he returned to Xuhu to deal with matters related to his house.

Ugh—

At the moment his memory refreshed, Lin Wu rushed into the bathroom and retched. It was a physical dry heave triggered by emotion. Twenty years. He had never expected the new ending to turn out like this.

“It’s okay… there’s still a chance…” Lin Wu forced himself to steady his mindset.

Although this ending was not perfect, it brought new breakthroughs:

1. The person who killed Wang Jiahui and the one who killed Luo Xiaorong were not the same. After professional interrogation, the grove attacker admitted it was a copycat crime. Wang Jiahui had been his first random target. Now that he was caught, Wang Jiahui was safe.
2. He still had another chance. Next time, he only needed to plan ahead specifically for Luo Xiaorong.

After calming himself, Lin Wu slowly rolled up his sleeve. There was a scar running across his arm and the back of his hand. Because the stab wound had been so deep back then, the scar was especially ugly, and it would ache on rainy days.

In this ending, he had directly felt that with each change, his own life might eventually be lost. Translated on Hololo novels. If that moment came, then in 2024, this hotel would no longer have a “Lin Wu.” He needed to give his seventeen-year-old self another serious warning.

Lin Wu drank a glass of water. At that moment, the new phone on the table rang. He picked it up and saw it was an unfamiliar number.

He answered the call.

“Is this Lin Wu?” A voice came through, one that sounded vaguely familiar.

“Who is this?” Lin Wu asked.

“It’s Gao Xiaoping. Do you remember me?”

“Class monitor Gao?” Lin Wu recalled. The other person had been his class monitor in high school.

“Haha, I heard from a classmate that someone saw you in Xuhu recently. You’re back? I asked the homeroom teacher for your number. Are you still in Xuhu? We’ve got a high school reunion next month. Are you coming?”

Gao Xiaoping chatted away on the other end. Lin Wu’s mind was a bit scattered. “When is it?”

“October 17. Are you free?”

“I’ll see when the time comes.”

“Alright! I’ll put your name down first. It’s been so many years since we’ve seen each other…”

After some polite exchanges, Lin Wu hung up. He then checked the time. 10:19.

He looked at the old phone. There were three unread messages on it, sent from his seventeen-year-old self.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.

“No, all choices that involve external interference are produced by causal actions.” Sitting on a hotel chair, Lin Wu slowly typed out this line.

“What does that mean?” Qin Weidong couldn’t make sense of it.

“It should be that the driving force generated by the action isn’t sufficient,” seventeen-year-old Lin Wu said after some thought.

Qin Weidong: ???

I don’t get it.

“We can divide the driving force that changes an ending into two aspects: internal drive and external drive. In the second and third endings, reminding Wang Jiahui and following Luo Xiaorong were mainly driven by myself, which belongs to internal drive. In other words, the moment I formed the thought, I had already reached the driving force needed to change the ending.

For example, if I want to eat beef lamian tomorrow, and nothing else interferes, then for me now, I haven’t eaten it yet. But for me twenty years later, I have already eaten that bowl of beef lamian. That result comes into being the moment I form the thought. That is an ending produced by internal driving force.

In the fourth ending, if I hadn’t bought the lottery ticket, Uncle Wang and the others wouldn’t have left. Buying the lottery ticket is a very strong driving force, an external one. Police intervention now also counts as external drive. We may think about calling the police, but we haven’t acted, so we can’t produce the corresponding ending.”

Lin Wu wrote down three words on the paper: thought, action, driving force.

A new ending requires a certain amount of driving force to come into being. In the second and third endings, the primary driving force was himself, so the moment he had the thought, a new ending was directly produced.

The fourth ending involved buying a lottery ticket. That belongs to an external force. Only when he carried out the action, generating sufficient driving force, could the ending occur. If it relied on thought alone, if he now imagined the world exploding, would tomorrow’s future tell him that the world had exploded? Obviously not.

“So we have to call the police first, and only if they have sufficient driving force can a new ending appear?” Qin Weidong asked, dazed.

“Yes.”

After thinking for a moment, Lin Wu sent a message: “If we call the police now, does that count as placing a move that can no longer be changed?”

“If we treat the present as reality and the active ending line as a simulated life, then calling the police in reality can’t be changed, but in the simulated life there’s still a chance to change it.” At Xu Hu Hotel, Lin Wu spoke after careful consideration. The moment his memories refreshed, he understood: his seventeen-year-old self hadn’t called the police yet, so no new ending could be produced.

Only by calling the police, gaining their trust, investigation, and deployment, could he generate enough driving force to change the ending and trigger a new one.

“Then what do we do now?” Qin Weidong was losing it. He hadn’t expected even calling the police to be this complicated.

“Open the sixth ending line. In that line, find the killer.”

The timelines of 2004 and 2024 were progressing simultaneously. Calling the police now would count as placing a move, so he had no intention of doing it immediately. Instead, he would first open a new ending line. His goal in the sixth ending was to track down the killer. This action was directly driven by “Lin Wu” himself, so it could immediately meet the conditions to open that ending line.

“This isn’t a simulation game.” Qin Weidong frowned. The other party seemed to be treating these repeated resets as a game, but this wasn’t a game. Every choice that caused change would also affect 2024.

“This is the most likely way to find the killer,” Lin Wu replied.

Qin Weidong looked at the seventeen-year-old Lin Wu.

“I’m fine,” the seventeen-year-old Lin Wu agreed as well.

“If you’re both fine, then I won’t worry about it anymore.”

Qin Weidong felt he couldn’t help. Translated on Hololo novels. After stewing in frustration for a while, he looked up at the moon outside. “It’s kind of amazing. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow or the day after, but the moment you make a decision, those unseen tomorrows already exist. They only feed back to us twenty years later. For us it’s just one day, but in reality twenty years have passed…”

Like the stars in the sky. We think their light is from now, but it has actually traveled a hundred light-years or more.

“We can just treat it as one day. For us, it’s only one day,” Lin Wu said, signaling him not to overthink.

【Qin Weidong.】 At 10:25, after they had finished discussing some details, the thirty-seven-year-old Lin Wu suddenly sent a message.

They had already exchanged names earlier. To avoid affecting “Lin Wu’s” future social connections, he hadn’t given his real name, only saying he was called S. He meant September, since they met in September. Qin Weidong thought the codename was unnecessarily mysterious and just referred to him as the unknown number.

【What is it?】 Qin Weidong asked when he saw the message.

At Xu Hu Hotel, Lin Wu looked at the news on his computer and slowly typed: 【Do you want to know what you’re like twenty years from now?】

At 10:12 tonight, his memory had refreshed to include walking home from school with Qin Weidong, and he also remembered Qin Weidong once saying, “I don’t know what I’ll be like in the future.”

In truth, not only Qin Weidong, he himself was curious about what Qin Weidong was like now. The two timelines were progressing in sync. He already knew Qin Weidong, but had no future memories involving him. He guessed those memories hadn’t happened yet, so they hadn’t appeared.

He had no future memories involving Qin Weidong, but that didn’t mean Qin Weidong would simply vanish. Just now, while chatting, he casually searched “Xu Hu Qin Weidong.” He hadn’t expected anything, but a web encyclopedia entry popped up—

Name: Qin Weidong

Identity: Founder of Tengfei Technology Company

Place of origin: Dayun County, Xu Hu City

Date of birth: July 25, 1987

Alma mater: Drucker Institute of Economics

……

……

Besides these, there was also a recent news headline: “On September 23, Qin Weidong, founder of Tengfei Technology, appeared at the Deep Sea Artificial Intelligence Expo and delivered an important speech on Tengfei’s future development…”

In the news, “Qin Weidong” was dressed in a sharp, well-tailored suit, standing before a massive all-English technological display. His posture was upright, his expression cold and composed, and he carried the unmistakable aura of someone long accustomed to a position of power. Lin Wu only needed a single glance to be certain this was not someone with the same name. It was the Qin Weidong he knew.

Lin Wu began searching for more detailed information on Qin Weidong—

According to the records, Qin Weidong went abroad to study in January 2005, returned to the country in 2010, and then founded Tengfei Technology. His father had started out in the steel business, later investing in hotels, transportation, real estate, and other industries. Law-abiding and business-savvy, he had already become the richest man in Xu Hu by 2008.

Qin Weidong studied business management. His technical foundation was relatively weak, but his sense for investment and strategy was exceptional. His technology company now focused on artificial intelligence and held considerable influence in the domestic tech industry. In short, his life had been smooth sailing. He had never known poverty, nor had he experienced any real low points.

Lin Wu noted the time Qin Weidong went abroad: January 2005.

He immediately understood why he had no memories involving him.

Right now, it was September 25, 2004 and September 25, 2024. These two points were connected by a twenty-year timeline in between.

But it was not yet September 26. So within this timeline, there were no space-time messages from September 26 onward. Even if they knew such messages would exist, “now” they could not receive them, because those events had not yet happened.

Fundamentally, he and Qin Weidong were strangers. Without the space-time messages, there would be no reason for them to stay in contact. Qin Weidong might still remember him, but after twenty years, in Qin Weidong’s eyes, he would probably be nothing more than a high school acquaintance who had once shared a strange, almost legendary experience.

“You know what I’m like twenty years from now?” Qin Weidong was clearly surprised after reading.

“Mm.” Lin Wu scrolled through the mouse. Information about Qin Weidong filled the screen.

“You don’t have to tell me the details. Just tell me if I’m doing well twenty years later, and if Qin Jianzhang is doing well. Oh right! Am I charming twenty years from now?” Qin Weidong wanted to know, but not too much. He wanted to keep some anticipation for the future.

Through Qin Weidong, Lin Wu found information on Qin Jianzhang. Qin Jianzhang appeared to be a cheerful middle-aged man. Translated on Hololo novels. His latest news was a skydiving video. In it, he flashed a peace sign at the camera, delivering some motivational lines about daring to try things in life. He looked to be in excellent spirits.

Lin Wu then looked again at photos of Qin Weidong from the Deep Sea Technology Expo two days ago. The man was handsome, impeccably dressed, mature, and undeniably charismatic.

“Very charming, and doing very well,” Lin Wu answered honestly.

“That’s good enough for me.” Qin Weidong was completely satisfied.

10:27. The messages ended.

“You’re really going to open the sixth ending line?”

Qin Weidong knew Lin Wu wanted to change the fate of his neighbor and his mother. He had already come to terms with it yesterday. Rather than trying to stop him, it would be better to help him find the killer as quickly as possible.

But the current timeline was no longer a straight line. It had become a loop: “2004—2024—2004.” The segment from 2004 to 2024 was something they could neither see nor touch, yet it objectively existed. If they failed, it would be cruel.

“We just need to sleep. Tomorrow night, we’ll have the answer,” Lin Wu said lightly.

“Mm.” The two of them tried not to think about the invisible twenty years in between.

10:35. Qin Weidong checked the time. “I’ll head back first.”

“I’ll walk you out.”

“I can go on my own.”

“It’s fine. I’ve got a flashlight.”

From Lin Wu’s home to the entrance of the residential compound was about two hundred meters. Qin Weidong had come from quite far away. Lin Wu felt uneasy letting him walk back alone.

“Alright…” Qin Weidong seemed to understand his thoughts and agreed.

The two walked out of the bedroom together. Just then, the door to the adjacent room opened with a click. Luo Xiaorong cautiously opened it, quickly stuffed something into Qin Weidong’s hand, then retreated and shut the door again.

“What is this?” Qin Weidong felt something cool in his hand. He looked down. It was a brown autumn pear.

“My mom gave it to you,” Lin Wu said, momentarily stunned. The pear was one of those Wang Manshan had sent earlier. When Qin Weidong had arrived, Lin Wu had wanted to find something to offer him but couldn’t. He had thought they were all gone. He hadn’t expected Luo Xiaorong to still have one.

“Thank you, Auntie!” Qin Weidong bowed toward the room, flattered.

“Let’s go downstairs.” Lin Wu smiled, turning on the flashlight and walking ahead. Luo Xiaorong wasn’t very sharp-minded, but sometimes she was surprisingly attentive. Earlier, Lin Wu had told her Qin Weidong was his classmate and not a bad person. She might not have fully understood what “classmate” meant, but seeing Lin Wu treat him kindly, she had tried to lower her guard.

Ten minutes later, Lin Wu walked Qin Weidong to the entrance. A taxi happened to be there.

“I’ll head back then?” Qin Weidong asked.

“Go on!” Lin Wu waved.

The taxi drove off.

11:00. Lin Wu returned home. His phone chimed.

【Did you get home?】

【I’m home. Good night.】

【Good night. See you tomorrow.】

【See you tomorrow.】

…

The next morning, after adjusting his state, Lin Wu arrived at the classroom. Li Jing had arrived earlier and was frowning over a math problem. When she saw him, her eyes lit up. “Lin Wu, how do you solve this trigonometry question?”

Lately, Lin Wu had been spacing out often, and Li Jing had been covering for him. Their relationship had grown closer.

“Let me see.” Lin Wu set down his bag and helped her. He solved the problem quickly.

“You’re amazing!” Li Jing said sincerely.

“It’s nothing.” Lin Wu glanced at her unconsciously. From his future self, he already knew Li Jing was the second victim. However, when she was attacked, someone happened to pass by, so her life wasn’t in danger. Her family was well-off. After the incident, she transferred schools and later got into a good university.

He worried that interfering carelessly might create a butterfly effect like in the fourth ending. Translated on Hololo novels. After thinking it through, he decided not to intervene. This way, her safety was absolutely guaranteed.

That evening, Qin Weidong waited for him again outside No. 1 High School.

“Should we find a 24-hour convenience store and wait for the message?” Lin Wu felt bad that Qin Weidong had to come every day.

“It’s fine. I’ve got nothing better to do anyway. From your place to the school by taxi, it’s pretty fast. At most fifteen minutes.” Qin Weidong said this and headed toward the bus stop first, leaving Lin Wu no choice but to follow.

9:10. The two of them arrived at Lin Wu’s home together. After yesterday’s meeting, although Luo Xiaorong didn’t come out, she seemed less tense than before.

Lin Wu tidied up the room. Just like yesterday, one of them studied while the other read.

If their reasoning was correct, tonight the sixth ending would refresh.

✧˖°.──⋆⭒˚.⋆💌⋆⭒˚.⋆──✧˖°.