Chapter 81: Ye Zeqian
Back in the worlds of the previous books, Li Dong had already noticed something strange.
No matter which male lead he lived with, after spending enough time together, he would always end up treating them like the same person.
He couldn’t tell if the problem lay with himself or with the fact that all those male protagonists and little shous shared far too many similarities.
Li Dong didn’t dwell on it. Only in the stillness of the night would he sometimes wonder how these unscientific worlds were created in the first place.
Did technology in his real world ever reach this level?
As far as he remembered, it hadn’t. In his time, even holographic games were still under development, let alone such advanced virtual worlds.
But perhaps such technology did exist, only hidden from the public eye.
Sometimes, Li Dong would think: whose hands were his every move in?
Yet he rarely let himself dwell on questions that had no answers. He cared more about the present, what he wanted to do, what he ought to do.
That, at least, was the one thing a person could control. It sounded a little sad in theory.
But in truth, it wasn’t. Li Dong found his life fulfilling, and he lived with a clear conscience.
If the so-called “controller” would grant him the time, he could burn brightly for another ten thousand years.
Right now, life was perfectly pleasant. Fine wine, good food, the lover ever by his side, and the sword in his hand.
As he slowly replayed every memory frame by frame, the once-ordinary citizen Li Dong felt a rush of heroic pride. His life had not been lived in vain.
Sometimes, he would be so overcome with excitement that he’d dance with his sword in the icy snow, a sight that would haunt the soul of anyone lucky enough to witness it.
Sometimes, he would stay up all night in the Sect Leader’s arms, talking about life, only for the two of them to be unable to get out of bed the next day.
If you asked the Sect Leader when he loved him most, it was when Li Dong went a little mad.
And if you asked when he hated him most… well, that was also when Li Dong went a little mad.
“Yuyu,” Li Dong said. When he didn’t speak love words, that was fine but when he did, every one of them pierced Nian Yuzhuo’s heart. “I hate that human life is only a hundred years long.” He pointed at the man before him. “That means I can only stay with you for a hundred years.”
That one sentence left the Sect Leader unable to eat for three days. There was still so much time left, yet the mere thought of parting filled him with dread.
Li Dong wrapped his arms around the despondent man. “But I’m not afraid,” he said softly. “I have a feeling I’ll meet you again.”
Nian Yuzhuo murmured, “But I’ve done so much evil. Who knows if I’ll even have another life…”
His heart ached bitterly. He had never regretted his sins so much before.
If he could live again, he’d show more restraint, learn to let things go.
“There definitely will be another life,” Li Dong said firmly.
“Mm. I hope so too.” Nian Yuzhuo leaned into his lover’s arms, completely at peace.
On the screen, the two lovers in their flowing robes leaned close together. The wind lifted their long hair and sent their sleeves fluttering.
“One just finished another world,” said the intelligent system. If it could make facial expressions, it would surely look moved. “Sir, was there something special about this one?”
After all, from the very start, it had watched its master taking screenshots nonstop, frantically collecting data.
So the system was puzzled. It seemed that only when observing Number One did its master show any real enthusiasm for work.
The rest of the time, he slacked off terribly, doing the bare minimum whenever he could.
“You can analyze it yourself,” Yu Jiqing said vaguely when he didn’t have an answer.
“Based on my analysis, there’s nothing special about it,” the system replied. “If anything, I’ve determined that Number One’s persona in this unit possesses traits that are highly attractive to humans.”
“Oh.” Not a bad observation.
“It’s possible he’s your type, sir.”
“You think I’m gay?” Yu Jiqing’s fingers flew across the keyboard as he swiftly adjusted the emotional parameters of the man inside the nutrient pod.
It was something he had to do after every completed world, just like how soldiers returning from war needed therapy, or else they’d never recover.
“I’m not sure,” said the system. “But according to research, about ten percent of the human population are potential homosexuals. They can marry and have children with the opposite sex, yet also accept relationships with the same sex. If they never meet someone of the same sex they’re attracted to, they live their lives like ordinary straight people.”
“Mm-hmm. Connect Number One to the next world.”
“Of course. He’s waking up soon.” The system followed the doctor’s orders and got to work.
That was why Li Dong always slept for a while before entering a new world. When he awoke, the psychological burden had lightened enough for him to face the next life with ease.
It didn’t work the same for everyone; it depended on the subject’s baseline mental state.
“Done, connection complete.”
As the data for the new world finished transmitting, the scene on the large screen shifted. From an ancient wooden pavilion to a dazzlingly ornate restaurant.
“Though I do have a question,” the system said, glancing at its master, who was staring intently at the screen. “The protagonists the first batch of testers encountered… they somewhat resemble you.”
“To you, all humans look the same,” Yu Jiqing scoffed, for once mocking the system’s habit of stereotyping.
“That’s only because it’s true,” the system replied matter-of-factly.
Meanwhile, in the martial-arts world, Li Dong, who’d long grown used to drinking pure white liquor, suddenly caught the faint, lingering scent of foreign spirits at his nose.
Even before he opened his eyes, he knew he had returned to a modern world.
“Chao Yan’s drunk. Who’s taking him to get a room?” He heard He Yunkai’s voice, one hand clutching a bottle of whiskey, the other holding a cigarette. He was the one who’d just spent the whole evening forcing Xu Chaoyan to drink.
“Yunkai, seriously.” Tang Shaoshu, standing beside him, couldn’t bear to watch. “I’ll take Chao Yan to get a room,” he volunteered.
Hearing their conversation, Li Dong quickly pieced together the setting of this new world.
The “Xu Chaoyan” they were talking about was his current identity, a young businessman from a wealthy family who’d started his own company and achieved success.
He was 27 years old, gentle and considerate, handsome and charming. On the surface he seemed carefree and flirtatious, but once he met someone he liked, he became deeply affectionate, a typical cannon-fodder second male lead straight out of a novel or TV drama.
In this story, Xu Chaoyan was exactly that, a tragic male supporting role, worse off than most. Which was probably why he eventually blackened and turned into the villain.
The original novel’s plot was absurdly illogical. The scummy gong wanted to sleep with the male lead shou, but the shou was a total clean freak who refused to let anyone “develop” that part of his chrysanthemum. So the scummy gong went out and slept with women instead, only to get caught in the act.
The male lead shou, being a dominant shou, got furious and broke up with him.
The scummy gong, a domineering CEO type with a massive ego, felt that his actions were justified. After all, if the shou wouldn’t let him touch him, wasn’t it only natural to find someone else? Anyone who got mad about that must be crazy.
So the scummy gong immediately found a new boyfriend, partied every night, and even sent photos of his new lover serving him to the male lead just to spite him.
What a disgusting move. The male lead, a proud young peacock from a noble family, how could he stand such humiliation?
If he had just cut all ties with the scummy gong after that, Li Dong might’ve respected him.
But no, the male lead’s brain was full of sh*t. He decided to find the supporting male lead, Xu Chaoyan, and start dating him just to compete with the scummy gong.
He even slept with him. Then married him.
Thinking that would make the scummy gong regret it?
It worked! The scummy gong really did regret it! If that’s not peak nonsense logic, what is?
Li Dong had been furious reading that part. What did the poor supporting male lead ever do wrong?
Why did he deserve to be dragged into the mess of those two scumbags? No wonder he blackened later, it was totally justified.
In summary, this story was scummy gong × dumb shou. They deserved each other forever.
“I’m fine, no need to hold me.” Li Dong, now Xu Chaoyan, said calmly. It was only a bit of whiskey; he wasn’t the least bit drunk. His gaze was clear, his expression composed, and when he opened his eyes again, his aura had completely transformed.
“Chao Yan… you…” Tang Shaoshu, his high-school classmate and childhood friend, stared at him blankly. For a moment, he felt a mix of awe and pride, so this was the kind of man his old friend had become. “Still, that Yunkai really went too far.” He laughed and patted Li Dong on the shoulder.
“Yunkai’s still the same,” Li Dong said, leaning against the hotel hallway wall and loosening his tie for air. “A-Shu, go on ahead. I can manage.”
“It’s fine, I’ll stay with you,” Tang Shaoshu said. “It’s been nearly ten years since we last met. You’re a busy man now, it’s hard to catch you.”
“I’ve just got something to do,” Li Dong said as he unbuttoned his collar, revealing a glimpse of his well-built chest. “Let’s meet up properly another time.”
The mature man’s aura was magnetic, very eye-catching.
“A-alright…” Tang Shaoshu flushed bright red. He swore he was straight. He had a girlfriend.
“Good.” Li Dong patted his shoulder. “Call me sometime.”
After watching him leave, Li Dong paced the hallway a few times, hesitant.
“Sigh.” What a stupid male lead. For the sake of all the lovers who’d come before, Li Dong set off in the direction he remembered.
According to the original plot, right about now the scummy gong was bringing his new boyfriend to a social event. Both the gong and the shou were rising stars of high society, with many mutual friends.
Li Dong entered a public restroom and saw a tall, slender figure standing at the sink, washing his hands with a blank face.
Judging by how meticulous and time-consuming the process was, he was clearly a clean freak.
“Excuse me,” Li Dong said politely, stepping up beside him and pressing the soap dispenser.
His hand-washing method was just as thorough as the other man’s.
The first thing Ye Zeqian noticed was Li Dong’s hands. Well-groomed, refined, and pleasing to look at.
Those hands alone sparked his interest in this stranger. He raised his eyes to see what kind of person they belonged to.
One glance became two, then three, then four.
Through the mirror, Li Dong could see Ye Zeqian studying him from head to toe.
He pretended not to notice, drying his hands under the blower. The machine’s hum filled the bathroom, breaking the still silence.
When the noise stopped, Ye Zeqian finally spoke, just as in the original story. “Excuse me, sir,” he said. “I’d like to ask a favor, if you have the time.”
“What favor?” Li Dong turned to look at him, brows slightly furrowed.
He looked composed and cautious, but his gaze was steady and bright, his entire presence carrying an unspoken air of chivalry that made people instinctively trust him.
Even someone as picky as Ye Zeqian could find no fault in this unnamed man.
Author’s Note:
Good morning! There’ll be a second update today (￣3)(ε￣)
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