If Gu Leizhou hadn't shown up, the original host would have agreed without hesitation and obediently followed the instructions given by the man in the hat.
The man in the hat, as promised, gave him the money.
However, the Original Body did not use this money to repay his gambling debts. Instead, he took it and gambled again. He knew that his brother, whom he had harmed, could no longer earn as much as before. Gu Liao Chuan would not continue to bail him out of his gambling debts, so this 500,000 yuan was his final chance!
But in reality, gamblers never truly have a final chance—only a deeper pit waiting for them. Unsurprisingly, his ultimate fate was to lose everything. After having a finger chopped off and fleeing home, it was still his elderly parents and his most despised younger brother who cleaned up the mess for him.
The original host single-handedly ruined Gu Liao Chuan's reputation, but his talent remained. To help the original host repay the massive and ever-growing gambling debt, Gu Liao Chuan became a ghostwriter for the very person who had falsely accused him of plagiarism. Only the one who had wronged him knew exactly how innocent he was and dared to use him without worry, paying him for his work.
Of course, the person who had falsely accused Gu Liao Chuan of plagiarism and turned the tables on him was not acting out of kindness. Without Gu Liao Chuan's creative work, even the songs he acquired at the highest prices were constantly criticized by audiences and fans.
Gu Liao Chuan naturally harbored hatred—hatred for the one who had turned the tables on him and even greater hatred for his older brother, who had pushed him into this situation. Yet, whether out of gratitude for his brother's past life-saving act or his parents' upbringing, he could not abandon his brother.
He told himself he would only help this once, but he didn't know it would truly be the last time.
The original host resented him—first for his achievements, for replacing him as the one praised by the villagers, and even more for making such a big splash at such a young age, earning so much money, becoming a star, and being loved by so many.
Even after the original host had destroyed his career, once Gu Liao Chuan managed to gather all the money to repay the debts, the original host still felt jealousy. He was jealous that Gu Liao Chuan could still earn so much money and hated him for not being willing to share it from the start, which had led to his own finger being severed.
So, in the middle of the night, the original host secretly took a knife, intending to kill him. However, he was caught by his father, who had gotten up during the night. His father rushed over to restrain the original host, trying to protect his younger son, but in the heat of the moment, the original host struck his father first. Gu Liao Chuan and his mother, awakened by the commotion, were also targeted by the enraged original host, who raised the knife toward them.
After committing the murders, the original host did not leave home. Instead, he stayed, brushing off anyone who came looking. However, the villagers were naturally close-knit, and while Gu Liao Chuan's disappearance could be explained away as him leaving for the city, the absence of his parents could not.
Driven to madness, the original host came up with a foolproof plan to avoid detection: wipe out the entire village!
If everyone in the village died, no one would notice his parents' disappearance or keep hounding him with questions. No one would look at him with strange eyes, gossip behind his back, or lament how he had shown such promise as a child only to amount to nothing, making him feel ashamed.
The village's drinking water mostly came from two wells in the area, so he directly sprinkled the medicine he had long prepared for his younger brother but never used into them.
…
[So this is what you call a Premium Life? Premium… as in this kind of premium?]
[Yes, Host. What did you think it was?]
Gu Leizhou clicked his tongue, feeling that this System was a bit of a scam. But the next second, he heard another voice in his mind. [Ding, the Godly Tycoon Check-in System is now activated. Would you like to check in, Master?]
Gu Leizhou took a breath, his eyes flickering slightly before asking, [So, what’s your name again?]
[This System’s full name is the Premium Reclamation and Reformation System! Its primary duty is to guide the Host to various worlds to reclaim Premium individuals, assist in their reformation, and prevent them from harming others. The Host’s task is to take over the Premium individual’s life, help them survive in these worlds, and become a reliable person who no longer drags others down. Once the Host completes a certain number of tasks, they will be granted rebirth.]
Gu Leizhou was curious. [How do you assist in reforming Premium individuals?]
[By relocating them to uninhabited planets for afforestation, moving mountains and filling seas, substituting for virtuous individuals facing death to experience the process of dying on their behalf, and ensuring they receive other treatments they deserve based on their Premium value…]
Gu Leizhou fell silent, deeply convinced that this System had mastered the art of rhetoric.
[Did you hear any other sounds or see anything? And can you read everything I’m thinking in my mind?]
[First question: This System is unaware of what the Host is referring to. No other sounds were heard, and the Host’s view is limited to a wall. If the Host heard something, it may be due to neurological confusion caused by memory absorption. It is recommended that the Host get some rest.
Second question: The Host is a lawful citizen of the Galaxy, protected by the Galaxy Convention. This System can only receive information when the Host communicates directly with it.]
Gu Leizhou nodded, then turned his attention to the screen before him. It was simple, displaying only one line: [Would the Host like to proceed with the check-in?]
Gu Leizhou silently thought [Yes] toward the screen.
A gift box then popped up on the screen, swayed twice, and exploded into confetti. [Congratulations, Host! You have obtained an A88 sports car!]
Gu Leizhou had never heard of the A88 sports car, but an image of the car appeared on the screen. The entire body of the car was a dazzling silver, sleek and streamlined—a luxurious and eye-catching vehicle.
Gu Leizhou asked the Premium Reclamation and Reformation System a few more questions, gaining a clearer understanding of the situation. He then tapped the "Extract" button on the screen.
Within two minutes, he received a call from the 4S dealership. He picked up the car, drove it straight to the bank, transferred the 200,000 yuan from the card to his own account, and withdrew some cash. Finally, he returned to his rented apartment. The entire process went smoothly—no one looked down on him, he didn’t run into any acquaintances, and even the Premium Reclamation and Reformation System temporarily left, taking the reclaimed soul of the original host with it.
However, he was still living in a rented apartment. When Gu Liao Chuan had just earned his first sum of money, he had taken all of it under the pretense of wanting to buy a house. At first, he genuinely intended to purchase a home for himself, but after showing off the money and receiving praise from fellow tenants, he ended up spending over twenty thousand in a single round of treating others.
As for the remaining money, it naturally became the start of his gambling habit.
As soon as he arrived at the rental apartment, he ran into the landlord. The landlord was a woman in her forties. Gu Leizhou rarely saw male landlords—rent collection and other matters were all handled by her. Seeing him return, she immediately approached him, likely intending to ask for the rent.
But before she could speak, she caught sight of the sports car, and her eyes instantly lit up. "Wow, where did you get this car? It must be expensive, right?" She looked left and right, wanting to touch it but not daring to.
Gu Leizhou imitated the Original Body's tone, leaning against the car and speaking loudly, "Of course! It's worth more than your entire house!"
The landlady’s smile faded, and she rolled her eyes, saying irritably, "Is this car even yours? Pay the rent first before bragging! If you don’t pay the rent today, I’ll just use the key to open your door and throw all your belongings out!"
Gu Leizhou snorted arrogantly and pulled out the cash he had just withdrawn, counting out a stack and handing it to her.
The landlady’s smile froze. She hadn’t expected him to actually have the money. Without hesitation, she took the cash and counted it, only to find an extra ten bills.
She looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Gu Leizhou waved his hand grandly. "I told you I have money. The extra is for Nannan to buy candy!"
Nannan was the landlady’s youngest daughter.
The landlady looked him up and down several times. "Why are you so generous this time?"
"I have money!" Gu Leizhou replied.
Seeing his confident demeanor, the landlady still found it strange. "Then why were you never this generous before?"
"You always asked at the wrong time. Every time you asked, I just happened to be broke!"
The landlady retorted, "Nonsense! Didn’t I always ask right after you finished bragging? You had money for gambling, money for treating others, but no money for rent?"
Gu Leizhou shrugged nonchalantly. "Listen to yourself! You always asked for money right after I finished gambling or treating others. Of course, I was broke by then!"
Hearing this, the landlady thought back and realized it was indeed true. Still, she remained half-convinced, but the extra thousand yuan in her hand was real. She knew a thing or two about this guy’s situation.
She wanted to take the money and leave, but her feet wouldn’t move. After hesitating for a while, she finally looked down at the extra thousand yuan and couldn’t help but speak up.
"Leizhou, you’ve been renting here for so many years. Let me give you some advice—if you still have money, you should move out. The environment here isn’t good enough for you. If you’re willing to move out, forget about giving me an extra thousand—I’ll give you an extra thousand instead! You’re still young. Find a proper job, your family supports you, use the money to buy a car or a house, and then get married. Your life would be so much better than renting a place here!"
"Sis, are you trying to kick me out? Didn’t I just pay the rent?" Gu Leizhou, who had been leaning against the car, straightened up.
The landlady sighed. It wasn’t convenient to talk where they were now, and she didn’t trust Gu Leizhou enough to speak openly. She could only stammer, “If you say you have money, then go rent a better place! It’s not convenient for you to keep living here while driving such a nice car. If anything gets scratched, I can’t afford to pay for it!”
If Gu Leizhou were in his thirties or forties, the landlady wouldn’t have said another word in front of him. But he was only in his twenties now, having started renting her place since he was eighteen—barely older than her own son. Watching him go down the wrong path, she couldn’t help feeling uneasy. She had tried hinting at it a few times, but he always grew impatient.
Yet she didn’t dare say outright, “Don’t rent from me anymore. There are plenty of wolves and tigers among the tenants here, all eyeing the little money you have, resenting and envying you.” This kid had a screw loose. Once, when she tried to advise him plainly, he turned around and told the very person she was warning him about, nearly causing trouble for her. Utterly unreliable!
She had already made up her mind never to remind him again, but today, his actions actually seemed decent.
“Sis, just tell me—are you in some kind of trouble?”
Inspired, the landlady nodded repeatedly. “Yes, our family is going through something right now. We’re short on money. Everyone else’s rent has gone up, but yours hasn’t, considering how long you’ve been renting here. If you move out, I can rent it for more! And honestly, I really think you could afford a better place!”
The landlady thought that with Gu Leizhou’s temper, he’d agree to move out in anger after hearing this. After all, many tenants had moved out because of rent increases—not necessarily because the new price was too high, but because they simply disliked the idea of a hike and would rather rent a similar place elsewhere.
To her surprise, he glanced at her sheepishly, opened the car door, and pulled out another stack of cash. Together with what was left from earlier, he tried to shove it all into her hands.
“You… what are you doing?”
“Take it, Sis. Aren’t you in trouble? Don’t say anything more, Sis—I understand!”
The landlady was stunned. She really wanted to ask him: What exactly do you understand? This guy couldn’t even pay his rent on time normally. Even when he had money, he’d spend it all, preferring to hang out with those troublemakers for a few more days rather than pay the rent. This time, she had come specifically to corner him. How could he not only pay the rent so easily but also try to give her extra money? Was it just because she happened to catch him at the right moment?
She had no intention of taking it, since her real goal was to get Gu Leizhou to leave. But he insisted, and when he saw she really didn’t want it, he simply placed the money on the nearby parcel shelf. Before leaving, he even added, “Sis, why are you being so polite with me? Is it enough? If not, just tell me—I have more!”
Author’s Note: