In order to coax Lu Zhuonian away, Chen Zemian compromised and coaxed Young Master Lu for a long time.
He swore to heaven that he would never leave the hospital, even filling out a bronchoscopy application as a guarantee, promising Lu Zhuonian that if he escaped, he would undergo ten bronchoscopies as punishment once found. Only then did he barely satisfy the prince, who left the observation room with his bodyguards and driver.
Thanks to his privileges as the young master, Chen Zemian’s examination report came out very quickly. Apart from the high alcohol concentration in his body, there were no other urgent symptoms.
There was a grade 2 nodule in the lymph node, generally benign.
Chen Zemian didn’t have this problem before and guessed it was caused by Chen Zhe’s bad mood and frustration.
He didn’t take it seriously but deliberately placed the report on top, hoping that Lu Zhuonian would change his mind after seeing it and stop bothering him.
The environment of the private hospital was very good. The observation room was a single room, very quiet with no doctors or nurses to disturb him. It was just that the lights were a bit too bright.
Chen Zemian had a lot on his mind, and there were bodyguards stationed at the door.
It was probably difficult to fall asleep in such a strange and uncomfortable environment.
He lay on his side on the hospital bed, resting his arm on it, watching the ups and downs of the electrocardiogram on the monitor, and soon fell asleep again.
In his dream, Chen Zemian vaguely saw some memories of the original owner, Chen Zhe, which were fragmented, scattered, and intermittent—unable to be connected into a complete story.
When he woke up in the morning, he caught a glimpse of the sunrise glow outside the window but wanted to dream a little longer, so he covered his head with the quilt and continued to sleep.
Half asleep and half awake, he suddenly heard a heart-wrenching cry—
“Chen Zhe!”
Before Chen Zemian opened his eyes, he suddenly felt something pounce on him, pressing so hard he almost vomited blood.
A trembling hand lifted the quilt from above Chen Zemian’s head.
Chen Zemian opened his eyes with a frown and looked at the person who nearly crushed him.
The face in front of him quickly matched the memory from his dream.
Chen Zemian called out the other person’s name: “Xiao Kesong?”
Xiao Kesong’s eyes were red. He first reached out to touch Chen Zemian’s face to check his temperature, then used his fingers to feel his breathing.
Breathing. Alive!
Xiao Kesong hugged Chen Zemian in surprise: “That’s great, Chen Zhe, you’re not dead!”
Chen Zemian pushed Xiao Kesong away and sat up with his hand: “If you hit my stomach with your elbow again, I’ll die.”
Xiao Kesong quickly withdrew his arm, then touched Chen Zemian everywhere to confirm he was indeed intact, before hitting his shoulder complainingly: “You scared me to death. I heard Zhuo Nian say that you were in the emergency room. When I came and saw the white cloth covering your face, I thought you were dead.”
Chen Zemian’s head was buzzing: “I’m sleeping, Xiao Shao, the morning light is dazzling.”
Xiao Kesong said: “Where is the morning light? It’s past ten o’clock. Get up quickly, I’ll take you to breakfast.”
Chen Zemian politely refused: “I’m sleeping, Xiao Shao, the morning light is dazzling. I want to go home and sleep.”
Xiao Kesong didn’t force him. “Okay, I’ll take you home, then go back to school. You were frightened last night. Let me take care of Xu Shaoyang. They won’t dare to bother you again in the future. I heard someone named Wu Xu fought you? He touched you with that hand? I sent someone to break his hand.”
Chen Zemian listened to Xiao Kesong’s chatter and hesitated, “Mr. Xiao, you…”
Xiao Kesong asked, “What’s wrong?”
Chen Zemian shook his head. “Nothing, you’re pretty good to me.”
Xiao Kesong punched Chen Zemian again, “What are you talking about? When have I ever been mean to you?”
Chen Zemian smiled and said nothing.
In the original book, Xiao Kesong treated Chen Zhe badly in the second chapter when he officially appeared.
The book said Xiao Kesong’s kindness to Chen Zhe was fake, and he just wanted to trick Chen Zhe into the circle of young masters for fun.
But in Chen Zemian’s ears, Xiao Kesong’s heart-wrenching cry of “Chen Zhe” just now, and the pair of red, tearful eyes when he lifted the quilt thinking Chen Zhe was dead, still faintly echoed.
Could that be fake?
Xiao Kesong didn’t study acting, so how could he have such good acting skills? Besides, he is a grown man, so it would be far-fetched for him to act in front of Chen Zhe, especially as a “corpse.”
The author of the original book probably changed the settings because he was criticized by readers, and the later changes are likely unrealistic.
Chen Zemian couldn’t remember where his home was, but fortunately, Xiao Kesong knew and sent him back.
On the edge of the old city was a rather old resettlement house.
Items on the street were placed in a mess; cars and electric vehicles were parked haphazardly, and Xiao Kesong’s car couldn’t drive in.
Chen Zemian got out of the car on the roadside.
On the way, Chen Zemian chatted with Xiao Kesong and learned that the latter didn’t know he had lost his memory and had never been to his house, so he gave up asking for the exact address.
Xiao Kesong dropped Chen Zemian off and drove away, but then backed up, rolled down the window, and called out, “Chen Zhe.”
Chen Zemian walked over to the window: “What’s wrong?”
Xiao Kesong leaned into the passenger-side storage box and took out two bundles of hundred-dollar bills. “Zhuo Nian said you lost your cell phone. Go buy a new one quickly, or I won’t be able to contact you.”
Chen Zemian looked at the two bundles of bills but didn’t take them.
Xiao Kesong slapped the money into Chen Zemian’s arms. “Just take it. Why are you being polite? If you didn’t know your phone was lost, who would use cash nowadays?”
Chen Zemian said, “Okay, I’ll take it for now and return it to you later.”
Xiao Kesong showed an indescribable expression. “Oh, you’re paying back such a small amount? Can you stop embarrassing me?”
Chen Zemian: “…”
Xiao Kesong raised his chin. “Call me in the evening. I’ll pick you up after class to go out and play.”
Chen Zemian didn’t really want to have anything to do with these young masters, but since he had taken Xiao Kesong’s money, he figured he’d find a chance to pay it back later. So he said, “Okay, leave me your phone number.”
“How come you can’t even remember my number?” Xiao Kesong complained, took out a pen, and grabbed a banknote from Chen Zemian’s hand, ready to write down the number.
Chen Zemian stretched out his palm. “It’s illegal to write on coins. Write on my hand.”
Xiao Kesong wrote a string of numbers on Chen Zemian’s hand: “The last time I wrote on someone’s palm was when I was dating a beautiful girl in a bar.”
Chen Zemian’s mind flashed with sporadic memories, and he hesitantly said, “Isn’t that… what happened last week?”
Xiao Kesong laughed. “Yeah, I haven’t been there for a long time.”
Chen Zemian glanced at the phone number, recited it twice in his mind to remember it, and replied casually, “Your ‘long time’ really isn’t long.”
Xiao Kesong waved his hand. “We’ll go together another day. I’m leaving first. Bye.”
Chen Zemian watched Xiao Kesong leave.
From the memory fragments in last night’s dream, Chen Zemian learned that the current timeline was still very early.
The original novel’s plot begins when Lu Zhuonian graduates from university, but now Lu Zhuonian is still a sophomore.
The three-year gap wasn’t mentioned much later, so Chen Zemian didn’t know what Chen Zhe should be doing.
Probably working?
The old town was messy but had complete infrastructure and many shops. Chen Zemian saw a mobile phone store within two blocks.
As soon as he stepped in, the place felt very familiar.
The boss was leaning on a recliner playing on the computer. When he saw Chen Zemian come in, he greeted him, “You’re here.”
He seemed very familiar with him.
The little flower dog in the store ran over, circling Chen Zemian and wagging its tail.
Related memories resurfaced in Chen Zemian’s mind.
He bent down and petted the little flower dog. “Zhuangzhuang.”
The boss sighed. “You’re so heartless, Chen Zhe. I called you, but you ignored me. Take care of the dog first.”
Chen Zemian smiled and walked to the counter. “Brother Wei, I want to buy a mobile phone.”
Qian Jiawei sat up straight and saw the money in Chen Zemian’s hand. “Wow, you’re rich! Walking around with two bundles of cash in such a chaotic area? Aren’t you afraid of being robbed?”
Chen Zemian said, “You don’t have a pocket.”
Qian Jiawei took out a phone case. “Hurry and put it in for you.”
Chen Zemian obediently put the money into the paper bag. “I’ll take it out and give it to you later. I really want to buy a phone.”
Qian Jiawei took out a few phones for Chen Zemian to choose from. “Where’s your old phone? I’ll transfer the data for you.”
“My phone fell into the sink, and I have to go get a new SIM card,” Chen Zemian said as he picked up a new phone and handed the money to Qian Jiawei. “How much is this?”
Qian Jiawei didn’t bother with formalities. He counted the money himself, took it, and joked, “Where did it fall? I’ll go find it. Then I can repair it and maybe sell it — it’s about 80% new.”
Chen Zemian glanced at the time; it was just about dinner. “Have you eaten yet, Wei Ge? Let me treat you.”
Qian Jiawei shook the cash he had just received. “How can that be? If I treat you, it’s like you’ve opened a business for me.”
Chen Zemian said, “No, you didn’t make any money off me in the first place.”
Qian Jiawei poured some dog food for the dog and locked the store door. “That’s impossible. I made three hundred.”
Chen Zemian hadn’t fully integrated the original owner’s memories yet. He felt strange in this half-familiar area. He couldn’t recall the exact location of the store or which way to turn at the next street, but when he really got there, some memory points surfaced — like the affordable prices of a certain cooked food stall, the delicious roast duck at another, and the bank over there that closed at noon.
He thought he should hang around here more often; maybe it would help him remember.
Now that he had arrived in this world inside the book, he had to live well here — for himself, and also for Chen Zhe.
Chen Zemian adapted quickly. His father had moved around a lot for work when he was young, living in different cities several times. After adjusting to new habits, he realized that different environments often had something in common, and it wasn’t so hard to find a place that felt comfortable.
He felt very relaxed getting along with Qian Jiawei and Xiao Kesong. This was probably influenced by the original owner’s memories — subconsciously, he felt these two people could be trusted.
Qian Jiawei took Chen Zemian to the business hall to apply for a new SIM card. After inserting the card and connecting to the internet, he helped Chen Zemian restore his mobile phone data, download commonly used apps, and log in for authentication while they walked to a restaurant.
Chen Zemian only needed to scan his face for facial recognition. Qian Jiawei even knew the passwords for many of his apps, since Chen Zhe had bought his last two phones from him.
Qian Jiawei handed the phone to Chen Zemian. “Data from the same brand can be copied with one click. This is a bit troublesome — many passwords need to be reset. I’ll reset your previous ones for you.”
Chen Zemian asked, “Which one was it before?”
Qian Jiawei glanced at him. “Big C, small z987654321+@.”
Chen Zemian frowned. “That’s so complicated.”
Qian Jiawei said in disbelief, “What’s complicated about it? It’s just the first letter of your name, uppercase and lowercase letters, plus @.”
Chen Zemian tried hard to remember it and wrote the password in his memo.
Qian Jiawei teased, “You’ve been drinking so much you’ve got Alzheimer’s. I see you’re slow to react to everything today.”
Chen Zemian smiled silently.
They found a restaurant and ate stone pot fish. The place was small but used fresh ingredients. The live fish was slaughtered and sliced into finger-thick fillets, coated with egg and flour, fried, then braised.
Chen Zemian didn’t expect food at a random restaurant to be so delicious. He accidentally ate too much and got a stomachache. He gave up the idea of wandering the neighborhood and tricked Qian Jiawei into sending him home, saying he wanted to change the router because the internet was slow.
At the door of his house, Chen Zemian looked around and subconsciously touched the doormat — and found the house key there.
Qian Jiawei quickly replaced the router and went back to mind the store. Before leaving, he tossed two boxes of cigarettes to Chen Zemian, saying they were cheap, newly bought, and for him to smoke for fun.
Besides selling electronics, Qian Jiawei’s store also recycled famous cigarettes and liquors. Chen Zhe often got some good cigarettes and liquors when accompanying the young masters for meals and drinks, then sold them to Qian Jiawei for money.
Chen Zemian sent Qian Jiawei off, then stood at the door, looking at Chen Zhe’s house.
Chen Zhe was an illegitimate child and the only one left at home after his mother passed away. He didn’t seem very good at cleaning. The room was a bit messy — lots of things scattered on the entrance cabinet, including scissors, headphones, express boxes, mineral water bottles, and several boxes of medicine.
Chen Zemian picked them up and examined the medicines: anti-inflammatory, analgesic, hangover remedy, and gastritis treatment.
So the stomachache wasn’t just from overeating.
Chen Zhe’s stomach had never been in good shape. Judging by the hurriedly taken medicine, he probably knew he’d have to drink before going out yesterday, so he took painkillers in advance.
Not an easy life.
Chen Zemian casually swept the medicine into the drawer without entering the bedroom. He pushed aside clothes piled on the sofa, found a spot to lie down, curled up slightly, covered his stomach, and thought about what to do next.
Before he traveled through time, he was a chief planner at a game company. Making games was profitable but also costly. Previously, he worked at a large company with capital backing, so funds weren’t a worry. He launched several popular games, with his highest year-end bonus hitting seven figures.
He didn’t know what was popular in this world.
At the start of the novel’s timeline, Lu Zhuonian had already graduated university. The Lu family was very rich, investing in new energy, AI, real estate, and such. They often bought land, but there was no mention of games.
Maybe he’d check the mobile app store later.
There was a chain of contempt in gaming — online game developers looked down on mobile game developers, but mobile games really made money.
Chen Zemian had several game ideas but lacked start-up capital.
If only he had $200,000. He could spend $100,000 contracting the project to a senior student, and use the rest on marketing and promotion. Once popular, he could sell the copyright and make money from reselling.
Thinking of this, Chen Zemian got up, holding his stomach, sat before the computer, and typed all afternoon, drafting a 10,000-word basic framework for the game.
This was his own idea, but he had died suddenly before he could report it to the company.
It’s easy to die when working.
But their boss gave them too much.
Fortunately, he was dissecting an urban novel while working overtime. Had he been reading Western fantasy or cultivation novels, it’s questionable if he’d still be alive.
Chen Zemian lost track of time while working. He felt a stomachache at first, but it subsided as he typed. When he finally noticed, it was dark — the whole room dark.
Pouring water, he glanced at his phone and saw several missed calls — all from Xiao Kesong.
Only then did he remember his dinner appointment and quickly returned the call.
Xiao Kesong sounded unhappy when he answered. Chen Zemian explained his phone had been on silent. Xiao Kesong reluctantly forgave him and gave him an address, asking him to come over quickly.
Chen Zemian entered the address into navigation and saw it was a racing club. He guessed Lu Zhuonian was probably there too.
Sure enough, he was right.
Among a group of handsome young men in flashy clothes, Lu Zhuonian stood out the most.
Wearing a dark windbreaker, his back to the light, his figure stretched out, the hem of his coat gently swaying in the night wind, adding a wild, unrestrained aura. He stood on a high stand, with the Milky Way behind him, looking down from above with a cold, noble temperament — as if the center of the universe.
As expected from the male protagonist of a novel, his aura set him apart from everyone else.
Xiao Kesong saw Chen Zemian and waved. “Chen Zhe, come up.”
Everyone looked toward Chen Zhe, but Lu Zhuonian didn’t move, as if it didn’t matter who came or not.
Chen Zemian stepped onto the stairs and heard someone picking a fight before he even entered.
“Mr. Xiao, your little brother is quite arrogant. Everyone is here, and they’re just waiting for him,” said Liu Yuebo.
When Chen Zhe saw someone he knew, Chen Zemian’s name popped up in his mind, along with Chen Zhe’s impression of him.
Chen Zemian felt a little annoyed.
It seemed this was not the first time Liu Yuebo had squeezed Chen Zhe.
Based on Chen Zhe’s personality, he definitely wouldn’t refute if he was bullied; he might even apologize with a smile. After all, the young masters and young ladies present all had better family backgrounds than him. Even if some of the male and female companions weren’t second-generation rich, they were more or less lovers whom he couldn’t afford to offend.
Chen Zemian didn’t care about that.
Whoever made him feel bad would be in trouble.
Chen Zemian stepped onto the stands and stood in front of Liu Yuebo. “What are you waiting for me for?”
Liu Yuebo was stunned. He had never expected Chen Zhe to respond like this, but he quickly recovered and a sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of his lips. “Chen Zhe, you’ve become more tempered since I last saw you a few days ago. Who are you to ask me that?”
Chen Zemian replied, “Then I don’t understand. You just said that I’m more arrogant than Young Master Xiao, and that I’m not worthy to ask you. So, do you look down on me or on Young Master Xiao?”
Liu Yuebo’s expression changed, and he subconsciously glanced at Xiao Kesong’s face.
Xiao Kesong was indeed a little unhappy. “This was supposed to be a temporary gathering. If you’re late, so be it. Come here quickly.”
Seeing the tense atmosphere, the people around quickly changed the subject and talked about something else.
Chen Zhe’s presence in the young master circle was already low, and after offending Liu Yuebo, no one paid attention to him. People came and went, and no one took the initiative to talk to him.
After a while, Lu Zhuonian and the others went down to the court to compete.
Xiao Kesong was not around, and the others didn’t even bother to pretend. A space quickly formed around Chen Zemian, and the exclusion was obvious.
Someone else might have felt awkward, but Chen Zemian enjoyed the quiet. He leaned on the edge of the stands and saw two familiar bodyguards below.
One was the one who stayed at the hospital to watch over him last night. He had been there before Chen Zemian fell asleep but disappeared after he woke up. Probably because nothing abnormal was found in the physical examination report, Lu Zhuonian withdrew the surveillance.
The circle of wealthy families was not an environment Chen Zemian was familiar with, so it was inevitable he felt a bit bored here.
When reading a book, you put yourself in the main character’s perspective and feel excited no matter what the plot is.
For example, racing is a matter of life and death, with lives hanging by a thread, crossing the finish line to win and break records. The excitement of extreme speed is unparalleled, and it can also win the admiration of passersby and the hearts of beautiful women.
But from Chen Zemian’s perspective, it was just luxury cars running around the venue. He didn’t feel any passion but thought the engine noises and screams were very loud.
You can’t blame him for lacking passion.
Before traveling through time, he had been working for many years, and now Lu Zhuonian was only 19. The young masters and young ladies he socialized with were also very young, mostly between 17 and 22, in the prime of their youth. They were naturally incomparable to Chen Zemian, the iron-blooded social animal.
Watching the sports cars circle the track, Chen Zemian was so bored he zoned out.
It was like waiting outside an inflatable castle for kids to finish playing until your eyes become lifeless.
Chen Zemian yawned.
When can I go home? I really want to go back and write the game planning framework.
You could bring a notebook next time.
Of course, it would be best if there’s no next time.
When the game was over, Chen Zemian felt a little sleepy.
But today’s game wasn’t over yet, and they were actually going out for drinks to celebrate.
Just now, Lu Zhuonian ranked first by a huge margin, and it seemed he had broken a club record. His results flashed on the main screen, and the sixteen side screens replayed the highlights.
The lights flashed, the music blasted, the atmosphere reached its peak, everyone cheered, and some people even opened champagne and shook it to celebrate.
Chen Zemian regretted not wearing a raincoat.
He tried hard to squeeze through the crowd, walked to Xiao Kesong, and tactfully asked to leave. “I want to go home and sleep.” It was too noisy. Xiao Kesong didn’t hear clearly what Chen Zemian said and tilted his head, saying loudly, “Ah?”
Chen Zemian put a hand to his mouth, leaned close to Xiao Kesong, and said, “You guys go and play! I want to go home and sleep!”
Xiao Kesong looked surprised.
Generally, Chen Zhe would stay until the end in such situations, even diligently sending the young masters home, and almost never leaving early.
“Are you really not going?” Xiao Kesong asked.
Chen Zemian nodded firmly.
Xiao Kesong said, “Okay, Zhuonian broke the record. He’ll treat us to dinner tonight. Say hello to him before you leave.”
Chen Zemian: “…”
If a participant wants to leave early, he should tell the organizer out of courtesy. Xiao Kesong asked him to say hello to Lu Zhuonian, not to embarrass him, but to help him make his presence known.
If Chen Zhe was really here, he’d probably be happy to get this opportunity.
But Chen Zemian was a little scared.
First, he was not the real Chen Zhe, and didn’t have the strong motivation to please the rich second generation; second, he had just traveled through time yesterday and was drunk, with many flaws and a weak performance, and had already made an appointment with Lu Zhuonian; third, Lu Zhuonian was dark and ruthless, and unpredictable. Chen Zemian worried that he’d accidentally mess up and be taken back to the hospital for torture again.
But to go home and sleep, he still went.
When others saw Chen Zhe squeezing through, they thought he was trying to curry favor with Lu Zhuonian again. Though their facial expressions showed no obvious change, there was a hint of disdain in their eyes.
Chen Zemian was speechless, thinking, Aren’t you guys trying to curry favor with Lu Zhuonian by surrounding him?
Why are lackeys divided into different grades?
Compared to these people, Chen Zemian felt he wasn’t too abstract—or maybe Lu Zhuonian had seen so many abstract people that he wouldn’t take a slightly abstract lackey seriously.
Although he had accidentally bumped into Lu Zhuonian last night, he had admitted his mistake, begged for mercy under threat of a lumbar puncture, and even signed several humiliating inspection applications.
Lu Zhuonian was in a good mood when he left the hospital. He later withdrew the bodyguards guarding him. He must have calmed down and wouldn’t bother him anymore.
After some analysis, Chen Zemian convinced himself and mustered up the courage to approach Lu Zhuonian.
It was lively around Lu Zhuonian, but no one was within one meter. No one dared to get too close. Everyone knew he was a mysophobe and hated physical contact, so no one would offend him without knowing the consequences.
Only Ye Chen stood beside him.
Ye Chen was the last member of the main triangle and another childhood friend of Lu Zhuonian.
Chen Zemian couldn’t help but sigh. The male protagonist’s surname was Lu, and his two good brothers were named Xiao and Ye, respectively. It was obvious they were destined to be the protagonists.
According to the original setting, the iron triangle would enter the military, political, and business circles in the future:
Ye Chen was a national defense student and joined the army before graduation; Xiao Kesong took the Beijing municipal exam and successfully entered politics; Lu Zhuonian took over the Lu family industry ahead of schedule due to his father’s accidental death.
Although Lu Zhuonian was just a businessman, his two brothers were powerful and influential, which was indeed a protagonist configuration.
Chen Zemian struggled to squeeze into the inner circle and stood in front of the target on the right. He first complimented, “Congratulations, Mr. Lu.”
Lu Zhuonian acted as if he didn’t see Chen Zemian. He lowered his eyes, took off his half-finger gloves, then took a mineral water bottle from Ye Chen, unscrewed it, and took a sip.
He did all this in just half a minute—except ignoring Chen Zemian.
Seeing this, Ye Chen felt a little strange.
Lu Zhuonian had an arrogant personality but never bullied others. Many people came up to talk to him, and no matter how annoyed he was, he would not leave them alone. Even when most unwilling to talk, he would still raise his chin politely.
What happened today?
Ye Chen glanced at Chen Zemian.
Chen Zemian smiled and said, “Congratulations to Mr. Ye as well. You’re also very capable.”
Ye Chen nodded, but before he could say thank you, there was a “dong” sound next to him.
Lu Zhuonian withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn’t just thrown the half-drunk bottle of water into the trash can a second ago.
*****
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Author: LazyHermitGal
A Lazy Hermit Gal
