Miraculously, the three divine essences fused together, bursting forth with dazzling light before swiftly entering Chao Zhuo’s body.
“We’ll meet again. I’ll wait for you in the next world, or perhaps you’ll be the one waiting for me.”
Bai Jiao spoke in an utterly calm voice, displaying not the slightest trace of fear at the prospect of death.
Just as he had said, they would meet again. They would travel through one passage of time after another, crossing from one world into the next. Even when they finally reached the end of their journey, they would still be together, their bond remaining unchanged throughout eternity.
【Wah-kaka! What happened?!】
886 stared blankly at the scene unfolding before it, completely bewildered.
How had its host been whispering sweet nothings to his beloved just a moment ago, only for the two of them to suddenly teleport to the Origin World’s Energy Administration transit station in the very next second?!
Bai Jiao had not yet managed to recover from the emotions of his previous world. He remained silent for several seconds, taking a little longer to collect himself before finally raising his head and asking, “Has the matter on Academician Yao’s side been resolved?”
【Let me check!】
Having received its host’s instruction, 886 immediately began checking the relevant information.
【No! It still shows that Academician Yao is busy.】
“Then we’ll proceed directly to the next world.”
The only possible explanation for his sudden departure was that Chao Zhuo had been the one to send him out.
Bai Jiao had some suspicions regarding Chao Zhuo’s condition, but since he couldn’t meet Chao Zhuo at the moment, there was no way for him to make any decisions or draw any conclusions on his own.
【Host, the main system is currently undergoing maintenance. You’ll have to wait until tomorrow before you can enter the next world.】
886 flew back and forth through the air, then asked, 【Host, would you like to go home and rest for a day first? I saw that your parents sent you a message asking you to come home for a meal.】
“When did they send it?”
【Three days ago.】
“Just reply with a full stop.”
Bai Jiao sat up from the medical pod and stretched his body a little, then picked up the bath towel lying beside him and prepared to take a shower.
He had spent far too long drifting through the small worlds, but his body had been well protected by the medical pod throughout the process. Apart from some emotional fluctuations resembling withdrawal symptoms and occasional feelings of disorientation, he hadn’t suffered any other adverse effects.
The bathroom was a separate, spacious compartment with excellent soundproofing. However, after finishing his shower and stepping outside, he would have to walk through a long corridor where Alpha employees from various departments gathered together, joking around and chatting noisily with one another.
Bai Jiao didn’t intend to linger there. Nevertheless, he happened to overhear someone mentioning Chao Zhuo’s name.
“Working in the Career Department really makes you feel like you’re living one day less for every day you work. With our team leader’s example right in front of us, I’ve absolutely got to go on a blind date today. My second father has already arranged three Omegas for me…”
“Why doesn’t Chao Zhuo find himself an Omega? Doesn’t he get along pretty well with everyone? I remember that in the Career Department alone, almost half of the Omegas liked him.”
“Who knows? Anyway, I haven’t seen our team leader in ages. I heard he’s still undergoing treatment, but I don’t even know whether he’ll recover. He’s far too stubborn. It’s obviously something that could be solved just by finding himself an Omega.”
After leaving the small worlds, Bai Jiao could decide for himself whether he wanted his system to accompany him or not.
He opened his personal communicator, connected to 886, and instructed it to investigate more details about Chao Zhuo’s past.
In Bai Jiao’s own memories, there was very little information about Chao Zhuo. The only scenes that came to mind were a few occasions when they had attended work reports and the time Chao Zhuo had invited him to a gathering with the rest of his team, only for Bai Jiao to turn down the invitation.
The other man’s handsome, spirited face had always carried a bright, sunny smile. He seemed cheerful, knew how to conduct himself appropriately, understood the importance of boundaries, and was both generous and well-mannered. He was completely different from the clingy pest Bai Jiao had encountered in the small worlds, the one who was always pestering him with questions about whether he loved him.
【Host, Dr. Yao just sent you a message! He said that everything is ready and you can enter the next world now. He’s urging you to hurry over.】
Bai Jiao pulled himself out of his memories. He had been about to head straight over with nothing more than a bathrobe thrown casually around his body, but then he remembered that the nearby bathroom was reserved for Omegas.
Whether his appearance would cause a commotion was one concern. More importantly, if his lover found out that he had simply strolled out in public like that, who knew how jealous the man would become?
After considering the consequences, Bai Jiao decided it would be better to return and change into a proper set of clothes before leaving.
886 flew outside to greet the adorable Omegas. It was just about to ask whether the gifts in their hands were intended for its own host when someone suddenly grabbed it by the wings and carried it away.
886 cried out, 【Ow, ow, ow! It hurts!】
Wuwuwuwu! Its host wasn’t cute at all compared to those adorable Omegas! It desperately wanted to trade him in for a sweet, soft, fragrant Omega host instead!
No, wait! Changing hosts to the little one would work, too.
No, that’s not right! The little one’s true identity was the team leader of the Career Department! He was the host of the person directly above its own host!
Ahhhhhhhhh! This was the end of the world! It didn’t want to live anymore!
【Queue up. This world…】
【Transmitting world information… Transmitting world mission…】
This was a world derived from The Gentle Substitute, a popular substitute-themed novel in the Origin World.
The protagonist was named Bai Jiahe, the younger son of the wealthy Bai family, who had only recently been brought back after being found. With an outstanding elder brother already ahead of him, the return of another son who had been lost at a young age and forced to grow up wandering outside the family naturally did not earn him any affection in a household of merchants who valued profit above everything else.
His father showed him no love, his mother had no affection for him, and even the wealthy second-generation heirs around him looked down on him. One after another, they bullied, humiliated, and deliberately suppressed him.
Things became even worse after Bai Jiahe’s elder brother went abroad. Because Bai Jiahe bore some resemblance to his older brother, the others began treating him as a substitute, toying with him and subjecting him to all kinds of humiliation and degradation.
However, Bai Jiahe did not allow himself to sink into despair. Instead, he seized every opportunity to climb higher, relentlessly pursuing success until he became a nationally renowned, top-tier actor. He then began expanding his career into the international entertainment industry, making everyone who had once looked down on him regret their actions.
Bai Jiao’s identity in this world was none other than the unfortunate elder brother, the original beloved who had left the country. After everyone finally realized that the person they truly loved was Bai Jiahe, they redirected all their resentment and hostility toward Bai Jiao, blaming him for everything and joining forces to attack him. In the end, his story concluded with a miserable death on the streets.
“This plot feels very familiar,” Bai Jiao commented.
It was almost identical to the plot of the first world: the beloved elder brother went abroad, the younger brother became his substitute, and eventually, the elder brother turned into a vicious villain whom everyone united against and trampled into the ground.
【Sob, sob! Host, this kind of story has been really popular lately! The difference is that this time, it isn’t one of those tragic stories where the protagonist dies! Our protagonist relies on his own abilities to slap everyone in the face and prove them wrong!】
Bai Jiao wasn’t particularly interested.
At the current point in the storyline, the original host was about to return to the country to participate in his first variety show, where he would come face-to-face with the protagonist, Bai Jiahe.
According to the original plot, the protagonist, Bai Jiahe, would be ordered by a group of brainless love interests to behave badly on the variety show. Their intention was to use his poor performance to highlight the original host’s aloofness, elegance, and seemingly flawless character.
However, things would not go according to their expectations. Instead, Bai Jiahe would stand out from the crowd, earning widespread attention and admiration. Meanwhile, the original host would become the target of everyone’s condemnation and insults, while Bai Jiahe himself would gain a substantial number of new fans.
Naturally, the brainless love interests would then turn around and subject Bai Jiahe to both physical and emotional abuse, beating him, berating him, and tormenting him in every possible way. This would later become one of the major reasons behind their eventual pursuit of him in the infamous Chasing His Husband to the Crematorium storyline, where they would desperately try to win back the heart of the person they had once mistreated.
The original host had awakened to the truth just before this part of the plot began. After realizing what fate awaited him, he had immediately started cursing and complaining furiously before making a hasty escape. He then signed a contract with the Origin World, allowing Bai Jiao to enter this world and complete the mission in his place.
【Host, you’re going to become a huge celebrity in this world!】
Bai Jiao had undertaken entertainment-industry missions in the past as well. However, in those worlds, he had always ended up changing careers and becoming a boss himself.
He wasn’t interested in acting. It was exhausting, demanding, and far too much trouble. Compared with enduring all the hardships of the entertainment industry, he much preferred becoming the owner of a company, sitting comfortably in his office, and directing everything from behind his desk.
That had been his original plan for this world, too, until he received the world mission.
【Transmitting world mission… World mission transmission in progress…】
【Main Mission: Redeem the cannon-fodder love interest, Xie Cheng, and collect a 100% Redemption Value.】
【Additional Mission: Fulfill the original host’s dream completely and ensure that everyone who bullied the original host in the original novel ends up homeless and destitute, wandering the streets.】
“Xie Cheng?” Bai Jiao rested his chin on his hand and remarked lazily, “This time, the name of the redemption target doesn’t contain any matching characters.”
【What?! How can it be someone else this time? What about the little one? Where’s the little one? Where’s Zhuozhuo?】
886 practically questioned the very meaning of its existence, growing so anxious that it immediately pulled up the profile of the cannon-fodder love interest.
The first thing that caught its eye was a handsome, distinguished face. His features were deep and sharply defined, while his light blue eyes were as clear and translucent as precious gemstones. He had a high, straight nose, and judging by his appearance, he seemed to be of mixed heritage. However, he didn’t look much like the little one in 886’s memories.
The little one had striking, masculine features and a bold, handsome appearance, although he could sometimes be described as beautiful, too. But the man in the profile before it was undeniably handsome, with the kind of looks that made people do a double take.
Bai Jiao glanced at the profile, his gaze immediately settling on one particularly important detail.
Impotent?
According to the comments in the original novel, this cannon-fodder love interest was actually quite popular. Who would have thought that he was impotent?
The reason Xie Cheng was classified as a cannon-fodder love interest was that he appeared only a handful of times throughout the original story. Whenever he did appear, he seemed to come with an overwhelming aura of dominance, as though he naturally commanded the attention of everyone around him.
Moreover, he never abused the protagonist, nor did he have much interaction with him at all. Strictly speaking, he was nothing more than an ordinary passerby in the story.
However, there were readers who particularly liked this type of character. Thanks to their enthusiasm, Xie Cheng had become popular enough to earn himself a place among the novel’s cannon-fodder love interests.
“I’ll know once I meet him.”
Bai Jiao felt absolutely nothing when looking at the photograph in the profile. As far as he knew, Chao Zhuo had transmigrated into this world at the same time as him, so he would only be able to determine whether Xie Cheng was his lover after meeting the man in person.
【Okay! Let’s go!】
Three days later, in the capital city of Huaguo, Beijing, at Club C.
The atmosphere inside the private room was lively and boisterous. Everyone who had arrived had their own individual seat, and, unlike their usual habits of bringing along their favorite handsome men or beautiful women to keep them company, not a single person had brought a lover or companion along to entertain them.
Xie Cheng held a wineglass in his hand, feeling an unusual sense of discomfort at seeing this group of people behaving so properly for once.
He had only moved to Beijing and established himself as one of the city’s rising wealthy elites within the past two years. His family fortune was based in Shenzhen, and since he had moved to a different city, it was only natural that he needed to establish good relationships with the local influential families and powerful figures. The easiest way to do that was to start with these wealthy second-generation heirs.
All he had to do was spend a little money, join them in their usual entertainment, and establish some connections. If business opportunities arose in the future, everyone could work together and make money.
These people usually lived rather extravagant lives, indulging in all kinds of pleasures and keeping handsome men and beautiful women by their sides wherever they went. Yet, today, in a truly miraculous turn of events, not a single person had brought anyone along. Instead, everyone was dressed with exceptional care and propriety. They didn’t look as though they were attending an ordinary gathering; rather, they seemed more like guests arriving at a formal banquet.
No, even at a banquet, they wouldn’t necessarily need to be this restrained.
He had heard that someone they all shared a particular fondness for was returning to the country, and today’s gathering was a welcome-home banquet arranged in that person’s honor. As for any further details, Xie Cheng knew nothing about them. He had merely happened to be in the vicinity and decided to drop by for a drink and exchange a few toasts with the others.
Xie Cheng wasn’t particularly curious about who this extraordinarily important person might be. After finishing his drinks and exchanging the necessary pleasantries, he had intended to return to his own private room. However, he had consumed rather too much alcohol, and the effects were beginning to catch up with him. The alcohol was rising to his head, leaving him feeling increasingly uncomfortable, so he decided to change direction and wash his face first.
The moment he entered the restroom, he accidentally bumped into another person who was walking in at the same time. Xie Cheng hurriedly apologized, saying, “Sorry, I’ve had too much to drink. I didn’t mean to bump into you.”
He had only just managed to establish himself in Beijing, a city teeming with powerful and influential people. Moreover, this was the famous Club C, a place frequented by the city’s most prominent figures. He absolutely couldn’t afford to offend anyone here.
“It’s fine.”
The man’s voice was clear and cool, carrying a lazy, unhurried quality that flowed like a gentle mountain stream. Xie Cheng was momentarily stunned, and before he even realized what he was doing, he instinctively wanted to raise his head to see the speaker’s face.
However, when he finally lifted his head, he couldn’t see anyone at all. For a moment, Xie Cheng even wondered whether he had accidentally bumped into a ghost.
“If you’re not coming in, then at least close the door behind you.”
Bai Jiao stood in front of the washbasin, looking toward the entrance at the man who was so thoroughly drunk that he could barely tell which way was up. He couldn’t help feeling a little helpless as he asked, “Do you want everyone who walks past to get a good look at the inside of the men’s restroom?”
“Oh, oh, right. Sorry.”
Drunk Xie Cheng was nothing like his usual refined, dignified self. His movements were clumsy as he awkwardly backed out of the restroom and closed the door behind him.
After a while, Xie Cheng finally remembered what he had originally come in to do, so he pushed the door open and entered again.
Bai Jiao watched as he carefully closed the door this time. Xie Cheng then walked over to the washbasin, reached beneath the automatic faucet, and began washing his hair. He raised his head for a brief glance, but almost immediately forgot what he had intended to do in the first place. Instead, he stood there foolishly, staring fixedly at Bai Jiao.
Bai Jiao thought he looked rather ridiculous in that state. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “What are you looking at?”
Xie Cheng was so thoroughly intoxicated that his mind had become a complete blur. His tongue was thick with alcohol, and he answered with disarming honesty, “Y-You… you’re so beautiful…”
He had never seen anyone this beautiful in his entire life.
Suddenly, the words of his group of good-for-nothing friends echoed in Xie Cheng’s mind.
“Xie Cheng, you just haven’t met someone you actually like yet.”
“That’s how this circle works. If you don’t keep someone beautiful for yourself, someone else will get to them first.”
“You have to learn to strike first and get ahead of everyone else.”
He had already met all kinds of influential and wealthy people in their social circle, but Bai Jiao was an entirely unfamiliar face to him.
As Xie Cheng’s thoughts began to run wild, his imagination wandered further and further away from reality. His body seemed to have stopped obeying him altogether. He had absolutely no idea what he was doing, much less what he was saying.
Nevertheless, the caution ingrained in him by his nature as a businessman remained. Even in his drunken state, he managed to ask, “Do you… work here?”
Bai Jiao didn’t quite understand what he was getting at. Curious to discover what his lover, who had changed his name and identity in this world, was thinking, he simply nodded.
“You… you’re really beautiful. Can I… keep you?”
He could bring someone this beautiful home and keep him there as a lucky charm. Just having such a gorgeous person around to look at would be a pleasure in itself!