At dusk, the barbecue shop run by the “Big Brother” at the entrance of Panlong Community was already filled with many customers. The rich, smoky aroma of grilled meat lingered throughout the small establishment.
Even with the shop nearly full, Lan Yu alone occupied a small table quietly. The person he was waiting for still hadn’t arrived and he had no intention of ordering anything in advance.
He tapped the worn surface of his old phone and the scratched up screen lit up. It had already been half an hour past the agreed meeting time.
The door to the barbecue shop swung open again. Lan Yu instinctively looked toward the entrance. The familiar silhouette stepped inside and he immediately stood up.
The middle aged man who had just entered tugged down the zipper of his thick coat and shed the heavy layer. The coat was loosely pulled to the side as he moved and as he turned back, his gaze met Lan Yu’s. Only then did he realize that Lan Yu had already approached him.
“Sorry, I’m late. I had to work overtime today, suddenly and without warning.” Zhou Hesheng loosened his grip on the coat and watched as Lan Yu neatly folded the garment, placing it carefully into the storage bag provided by the shop.
“This way, Zhou ge.” Lan Yu set the coat bag on the empty seat beside him. Only after Zhou Hesheng sat down did he take his own seat, pouring hot tea into Zhou Hesheng’s cup as he said, “Order whatever you like. Dinner’s on me today.”
Scanning the QR code at the corner of the table, Zhou Hesheng browsed the menu and said, “You’ve only been working for a short while. How much could you have saved already? I appreciate the sentiment but wait until you’re more comfortable financially before treating me.”
“I’m doing okay right now. One meal won’t be a problem.” Lan Yu’s voice was calm. This meal was meant to be a thank you dinner. He couldn’t afford anything extravagant but even if it was only barbecue, he wanted to express his gratitude properly.
“Didn’t you just pay rent? And you still say you’re doing okay?” Zhou Hesheng teased.
Lan Yu shook his head. “It’s fine. I have enough.”
Zhou didn’t press the issue further and instead asked, “Have you finished moving in?”
“Mm.” Lan Yu nodded.
Zhou Hesheng chuckled. “I thought you’d accumulated a pile of stuff after staying so long but it only took one bag. I was even wondering if I should take half a day off to help you pack.”
Lan Yu’s fingers traced the rim of his teacup, a bit unconsciously. “You’ve taken care of me for so long, Zhou ge. You’ve already helped me more than enough. I can’t trouble you any further.”
Watching the young man, Zhou Hesheng recalled their first meeting.
He had been driving to the train station to drop off a friend. As he entered the station area, a young man standing by the roadside caught his attention, thinly dressed, shivering from the cold.
An hour later, when he came back out, he saw the same young man walking slowly along the road, lips almost purple from the cold. The area was surrounded by roads and overpasses; the youth had clearly wandered into the wrong place.
Zhou stopped the car out of a simple impulse to help, intending to give him a ride… yet somehow, he ended up bringing Lan Yu home instead.
“What would you have done without me, really?” Zhou said lightly, mostly joking.
He was thirteen years older than Lan Yu, owned a car and a home in the city and had never married. When he learned Lan Yu had run away from home, he hadn’t pried into the reasons, everyone had their own difficulties, after all and simply decided to help by letting him stay temporarily.
Lan Yu felt a little embarrassed and sincerely grateful. “Thank you, Zhou ge.”
Even now, whenever he thinks back to that time, his mind was full of disbelief, “How did I dare do that?”
He had chosen a city at random, bought a train ticket with the last of his money, carrying nothing more than a plastic bag of instant noodles. He still remembered stepping out of the station penniless, gazing up at the snow covered unfamiliar city while wearing thin clothes. Just imagining it now made his spine go cold, if not for Zhou Hesheng’s sudden kindness that day…
“You didn’t have to move out so quickly. You were living just fine at my place.” Zhou remarked.
Lan Yu shook his head again. “I can’t rely on you forever. You’ve helped me too much already. When I earn more in the future, I’ll repay the rent.”
Right after settling in at Zhou’s place, Lan Yu had immediately found a job as a waiter. Three to four months later, he had finally saved up a bit of money and moved into his own rented room without delay.
“You’re really serious about keeping things clear, huh? But at least you’re not an ungrateful brat, which puts my mind at ease.”
Even though it wasn’t exactly a compliment, hearing it eased Lan Yu’s tension. “Thank you, Zhou ge.”
Zhou took a sip of his tea, eyes resting on the young man’s face and suddenly asked, “You moved out this quickly… was it because you saw I was dating someone?”
Lan Yu lowered his head, his fingers nervously rubbing the rim of the cup. He didn’t admit it but he didn’t deny it either.
“So it was that. You… ah, forget it. Since you’ve moved out, just remember to stay in touch.” Zhou sighed helplessly.
“I will, Zhou ge.” Lan Yu nodded with utmost seriousness.
Zhou didn’t dislike him at all. After living together for three or four months, he had found Lan Yu so quiet he was almost invisible. He rarely left his room unless necessary yet whenever Zhou needed anything, Lan Yu never refused, obedient, considerate and always reliable.
“To be honest, you say you lived at my place for free but you handled the cleaning and cooking so well that I felt like I was the one getting the better end of the deal.”
Hearing that, Lan Yu finally lifted his gaze and looked at him directly, asking cautiously, “I… did a good job?”
“Of course you did. Ever since I bought that apartment, it has never been that clean. You’re impressive, you keep everything spotless but somehow I can always find exactly what I need.”
As Zhou noticed Lan Yu’s subtle reaction, he immediately added a few more words of praise.
Lan Yu blinked. “Actually, Zhou ge… your habits are very consistent. Once I figured out your patterns, it became easy to organize things.”
“You cooked according to my taste too, didn’t you? Your cooking’s gotten better and better. I never told you which dishes I liked yet you always got it right.”
Lan Yu still wasn’t smiling but his expression had softened because of the praise. “You don’t really pick at your food but if you reach for the same dish repeatedly, that means you like it. If you only eat a little, that means you’re not a fan and the ones you don’t care for, you only eat toward the very end.”
“I didn’t even know I had that habit. You’re pretty sharp, huh.” Zhou Hesheng sounded genuinely surprised.
Lan Yu had just been praised and his eyes flickered with a subtle light. His lips curved up ever so slightly.
“It’s a bit of a pity you won’t be living with me anymore. I rented for years and had quite a few roommates. Not a single one of them was as capable as you.” Zhou spoke from the heart, a sense of real regret woven into his tone.
“You have a girlfriend. Staying there would only make things inconvenient.” Lan Yu lowered his gaze, his eyes drifting toward the side.
“No, no, we haven’t reached that stage at all.” Zhou had originally felt it wasn’t something to be embarrassed about but Lan Yu’s reaction made him self conscious.
He picked up the teapot, gently refusing Lan Yu’s attempt to take it from him and poured water for them both.
“If you two really get together in the future, I’ll treat you to a meal to celebrate.” Lan Yu said seriously.
Zhou let out a laugh. “If I really get together with her, what are you treating me for? I should be the one treating you.”
By the time all the dishes arrived, Zhou had already given one reminder after another, fussing a little too much. Toward obedient, quiet Lan Yu, he naturally felt a bit more protective and from beginning to end, Lan Yu didn’t show the slightest hint of impatience.
He listened so earnestly that it looked like he might take out a notebook to jot things down. Eventually, Lan Yu’s serious expression made Zhou laugh helplessly.
“It’s not like you’re living that far away. I don’t really have anything worth nagging about anyway.” Zhou waved his hand dismissively.
“Thank you again, Zhou ge.” Lan Yu said once more.
“Alright, alright. You’re great in every way except for saying thank you too often. Where’s the need for so many thanks? If that’s how you want to talk, then I should be the one thanking you. I didn’t have to do laundry, didn’t have to sweep the floors and when I stumbled home drunk, someone even fed me hangover medicine.”
Zhou cut him off mid sentence.
“That was what I should do.” Lan Yu replied quietly. Living under someone’s roof, eating someone’s food, if he didn’t do anything in return, he would feel extremely uneasy. He could only help with the things he was capable of.
“If you really want to calculate it so clearly, then what you did was simply exchanging labor for housing. Fair trade. Saying so many thanks on top of that is unnecessary.” Zhou lectured him.
But Lan Yu shook his head. “It’s not the same. If not for you, ”
“There he goes again.” Zhou waved him off, impatient but not truly angry.
Even though Zhou didn’t care, Lan Yu truly couldn’t care.
Three to four months ago, he had suddenly transmigrated. Completely unprepared.
And worse, images of a novel surfaced in his mind. A story about someone named Yi Lingxi.
He spent a long time digesting the contents of that book. In short, the protagonist, Yi Lingxi, because he resembled the powerful head of a prominent family, was chosen by the young master of a rival corporation to infiltrate that wealthy household by posing as an illegitimate son.
Exceptionally intelligent and uniquely charming, Yi Lingxi attracted countless influential figures and became the object of admiration for many, navigating their emotions and affections with ease.
In the book, there was a character who shared his name, Lan Yu. That Lan Yu was Yi Lingxi’s weakness.
Their families lived close to each other and they were in the same welfare home. Because of various coincidences, the two grew up together. As Yi Lingxi’s only childhood friend, the one who accompanied him and helped him, Yi Lingxi cared for Lan Yu with a unique, unwavering fondness.
Even after being accepted into the Yi family, Yi Lingxi never forgot Lan Yu.
But the original Lan Yu had a petty personality and liked taking advantage of others. After seeing Yi Lingxi rise in status and wealth, jealousy sprouted in his heart.
Wanting to climb up through his old friend, he made one foolish decision after another. His stupidity highlighted Yi Lingxi’s brilliance, giving the protagonist more chances to shine and impress those powerful admirers.
In the novel, Lan Yu was the embarrassing, low level “close friend” that Yi Lingxi adored and because the influential figures who loved Yi Lingxi couldn’t tolerate Lan Yu, they “taught him lessons” behind the scenes… more than once.
And then, when Lan Yu pulled out the ID he had found on himself and saw the bold characters, Lan Yu, his mind went blank.
Then he saw the contact name in the phone he carried: “Cheng Lingxi.”
Cheng was the surname of the welfare home’s director. Before Yi Lingxi was “found and brought home by the wealthy family,” he had been called Cheng Lingxi.
It was hard to believe. Ridiculous, even but reality gave him no room for doubt.
Lan Yu vividly remembered his own death, illness at the age of seventeen. Yet now he could run, jump, breathe freely. A healthy body. A nineteen year old’s ID. A phone that unlocked with his face.
Terrifying.
An unfamiliar set of parents, an unfamiliar family, an unfamiliar “best friend,” and the unfamiliar “future plot” looming in his mind, threats, being used as bait, being drugged, kidnapped, beaten, losing a hand, crushed into the mud and eventually spiraling toward self destruction.
All of it was terrifying.
And on top of that, the chat on his phone displayed the words “running away from home.”
The original Lan Yu had left home after a fight with his family and was in the middle of running away…
He absolutely, under no circumstances, could allow the story to continue as written.
He could never accept that fate.
So he fully committed to running away from home.
His brain had overheated and he fled. Only when he boarded the train did he begin calming down, only to panic more and more. By the time he found himself standing beside a snow covered road, freezing to the point that his limbs went numb, his mind had completely shut down.
Zhou Hesheng’s sudden help had fallen from the sky like a miracle. To Lan Yu, he was the first familiar, warm presence in this strange world.
After settling into Zhou’s home, Lan Yu had spent many nights researching. In his past life, he had never read novels but now he understood, his situation was called “transmigrating into a book.” And he finally understood exactly what role he occupied within the story.
Although he shuddered at how recklessly he had acted at the beginning, now that he had survived the most dangerous period, he didn’t regret it.
“Don’t you miss your parents?” Zhou asked.
“No.”
He had never even met them and as for those “future parents” who would stay silent while the original Lan Yu suffered, he couldn’t speak for the original but he didn’t want them.
“Do you not have any good friends either?” Zhou asked again.
“No.”
Friends who would drag him into misery, even if they treated him well, were nothing more than walking disasters.
“Do you plan to stay here from now on? You’re really not going back?”
As he asked, Zhou took part of the meat Lan Yu had piled into his small plate and gave it back to him.
“I’m absolutely not going back.”
Why would he go back just to become a plot advancing disposable cannon fodder?!
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Cresvynia
[Translator]
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Who wants to go back to be a minor plot device?Chapter 2 · StartChapter 3 · I’m terrified of ghostsChapter 4 · Do ghosts exist in this world?Chapter 5 · ShadowChapter 6 · There’s something wrong with how this book is dressedChapter 7 · The ghost drew a heart for himChapter 8 · Make troubleChapter 9 · Don’t scare me!Chapter 10 · I’d rather be scared to death than go backChapter 11 · Want to eat together?Chapter 12 · A cleaning ghostChapter 13 · Regret it now?Chapter 14 · ParentsChapter 15 · Find FaultChapter 16 · Ghostly photos?Chapter 17 · Nickname: White ShadowChapter 18 · A haunted taxi?Chapter 19 · Extreme fear turns to angerChapter 20 · I used to be a messChapter 21 · Best friendChapter 22 · Turning pointChapter 23 · The threat of ghostsChapter 24 · It’s not a ghost, it’s eerinessChapter 25 Part 1 · First time entering the eerie houseChapter 25 Part 2 · First time entering the eerie houseChapter 26 · Borrow moneyChapter 27 · He’s jealousChapter 28 · RetributionChapter 29 · Revenge from a Strange SourceChapter 30 Part 1 · How could you be so carelessChapter 30 Part 2 · How could you be so carelessChapter 31 Part 1 · What would happen if I ran away from home again?Chapter 31 Part 2 · What would happen if I ran away from home again?Chapter 32 Part 1 · Firmly uphold the right to privacyChapter 32 Part 2 · Firmly uphold the right to privacyChapter 33 Part 1 · The brother who brought down death to protect his belovedChapter 33 Part 2 · The brother who brought down death to protect his belovedChapter 34 Part 1 · Being secretly massaged by a shadowy figure in publicChapter 34 Part 2 · Being secretly massaged by a shadowy figure in publicChapter 35 Part 1 · Go to my dear older brother and sister’s bedroomChapter 35 Part 2 · Go to my dear older brother and sister’s bedroomChapter 36 Part 1 · Being favored by everyone in the eerie houseChapter 36 Part 2 · Being favored by everyone in the eerie houseChapter 37 · We must protect our precious childChapter 38 · It’s too tragic, I can’t bear to watch anymoreChapter 39 · Because of the unique companionshipChapter 40 · The first meeting with the admirer of the protagonistChapter 41 · It’s eerie, but they’re all real family members!Chapter 42 · Using the eerie house to get a cheat codeChapter 43 · The baby’s crying after getting drunk is so cute!Chapter 44 · A traitorChapter 45 · All family members can help the baby.Chapter 46 · When the family is happy, they will hug their waistChapter 47 · Ear piercings were adornedChapter 48 · Treasure are the most precious itemsChapter 49 · Revenge is not an easy thing to doChapter 50 · Because I couldn’t see his faceChapter 51 · One of his brothers is a continuous mountain rangeChapter 52 · How could we possibly run into characters from the original storyChapter 53 · The gems my brother gave me piled up into a small mountainChapter 54 · One can feel an overwhelming sense of superiority.Chapter 55 · Sleeping with a shadowy figure means you won’t be afraid of ghosts at allChapter 56 · The fireworks display to celebrate my baby was absolutely devastating!Chapter 57 · It wasn’t this restaurant that treated us; it was another oneChapter 58 · His super-rich older sister paid for his treat!Chapter 59 · He’s different from beforeChapter 60 · It’s all so weird, isn’t it normal for people to want to disappear?Chapter 61 · Wen JieChapter 62 · Has the identity of this strange child been discovered?Chapter 63 · Those who make their child angry are unforgivableChapter 64 · Being too inquisitive about other people’s private affairs will bring you troubleChapter 65 · A person not to be covetedChapter 66 · Can you bridge the racial divide by staying close to your family?Chapter 67 · What to do if my child doesn’t want to celebrate their birthday?Chapter 68 · The baby is also a second-generation, a bizarre second-generation!Chapter 69 · We are clearly each other’s only friendsChapter 70 · The House of Eeries really did throw a ridiculously huge birthday partyChapter 71 · Why would he feel competitive towards his friend?Chapter 72 · Try to appease the jealous shadow.Chapter 73 · If you’re going to take revenge, you should do it in front of him!Chapter 74 · Now that things have come to thisChapter 75 · My baby’s travel is strange and worryingChapter 76 · One of the older brothers who crawled into the suitcase and followedChapter 77 · He resolutely refused to leave his abandoned brotherChapter 78 · I don’t want my baby to see my terrifying true formChapter 79 · I love hugging you like this.Chapter 80 · It’s a good thing to know you.Chapter 81 · Does my brother also want to go out and have some fun?Chapter 82 · His Older brother?Chapter 83 · Xiao Ming!Chapter 84 · I’m doing great as long as the original text doesn’t go crazyChapter 85 · What’s there to be afraid of when everything’s shrouded in eeriness?Chapter 86 · Let’s have a fight for the sake of the original ownerChapter 87 · How did they know he wasn’t the original owner?Chapter 88 Part 1 · Was the shadowy figure injured?Chapter 88 Part 2 · Was the shadowy figure injured?Chapter 88 Part 3 · Was the shadowy figure injured?Chapter 89 Part 1 · To inflict countless severe emotional blows on someoneChapter 89 Part 2 · To inflict countless severe emotional blows on someoneChapter 91 Part 1 · He was like a human in a supernatural taleChapter 91 Part 2 · He was like a human in a supernatural taleChapter 92 · Someone is secretly using underhanded tacticsChapter 93 · The right people I once followedChapter 94 · Let go of your prejudices against the protagonist.Okay! How come on one complain that we can’t right click the link and open a it in a new webapge??Chapter 95 · Favoritism from his current friendsChapter 96 · The baby is going to marry into our familyChapter 97 · The idea of falling in loveChapter 98 · Want to replace your baby?Chapter 99 · What’s wrong with double happiness?!Chapter 100 · It’s just a matter of raceChapter 101 · I need to balance dating and studying!Chapter 102 · After the shadowy figure gained a physical bodyChapter 103 · Confess your love to the eerie house!Chapter 104 · Even with such pampering, your baby still lacks a sense of security.Chapter 105 · How much help did he receive that he didn’t know about?Chapter 106 · You are not worthy to be the middlemanChapter 107 · Is there anything wrong with me being petty?Chapter 108 · You can have both love and studies!Chapter 109 · Suppressed and restrained desiresChapter 110 · What does an unforgettable yet ordinary date need?