In the dead of winter, Chen Zhou walked out the door wearing only a heavy coat.
By evening, as the streetlights began to flicker on, the streets were filled with bustling pedestrians heading lively toward the park. Today was the park’s once-every-five-years fireworks show, and Chen Zhou had also gone out.
He boarded a bus, found a seat by the window, and sat down. Cantonese pop songs from his headphones wrapped around him, and feeling a bit lightheaded, Chen Zhou leaned against the window to nap for a while.
“Holding tightly, kissing tightly, is the spring breeze blowing over me? Holding tightly, kissing tightly, is that you, tulip…”
He had not expected to actually fall asleep.
“Young man, hey! Wake up!”
An elderly man’s voice woke Chen Zhou, who blinked dazedly and squinted uncomfortably against the surrounding light.
“We’ve arrived, hurry up and get off! This is the last trip.”
The tone was far from friendly, and the rough manner made Chen Zhou frown.
Something was wrong; these were not the people from a city bus.
Chen Zhou caught the mixed smells inside the vehicle and quickly looked around. The compartment was narrow, looking like a rural shuttle bus operating between towns. The surrounding passengers had all cleared out, and even the scenery outside the windows had changed completely.
Was he dreaming? Chen Zhou squinted, and the old man up front started grumbling again, forcing him to head toward the exit.
Everything felt overly real. He looked at his own hands: his skin tone was fairly fair yet somewhat rough, and his fingernails were neatly trimmed. Looking further down, he wore jeans patched in a few places, and the shoes on his feet had seen better days, looking yellowish from being washed multiple times.
[Ding-dong, hello, I am 126. Welcome to this world.]
What on earth is this? Chen Zhou stopped by the roadside.
The system seemed to anticipate his reaction and continued unhurriedly: [Mr. Chen, you have entered a virtual world. We have extracted your consciousness, and you need to complete missions. Once all missions are completed, you will be able to leave.]
Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. “Huh? Why should I? What if I refuse?”
The system continued: [Then you won’t be able to leave. But don’t worry, time here is different from reality; a long time might pass here while very little time passes in reality.]
Chen Zhou accused it, “Why are you threatening me?”
126 fell silent, thought for a moment, and changed its tone: [I am not, I am just following orders.]
Chen Zhou:
After a moment, Chen Zhou looked at everything around him and suddenly asked, “What are the missions?”
The universe was full of wonders, and Chen Zhou had an easygoing personality, taking things as they came. So what if his soul was placed into someone else’s body? What was there to fear?
Suddenly, a flood of information was crammed into his mind.
It contained the original host’s memories and the context of this world.
The original host was named Li Jia. Like Chen Zhou, he was twenty years old and one of the few people in the village to pass the college entrance examination. However, finding a job proved very difficult for him. With an introverted personality and parents who pinned high hopes on him, they funded his education despite enduring great hardship. He did not know how to say smooth words, carrying only rustic honesty. Not only was he frequently bullied in town, but he had also just lost his newly found job, which was why he had slunk back home.
Li Jia was good-looking and had been the subject of harsh gossip since childhood, so he always made a point of looking dusty and disheveled. Knowing he was weak, the villagers often bullied him, but there was always one person who helped him: Cao Ying, who had also attended college in the village and later found a decent job. Gentle and magnanimous, Cao Ying was someone everyone in the village liked to associate with, and almost inevitably, Li Jia developed a secret crush on him.
Chen Zhou pressed his lips together as he sorted through the information.
[Mr. Chen, from now on, I will be the one assigning your missions.] That voice sounded again. [In this world, you only need to play the cannon fodder who secretly admires the protagonist gong, Cao Ying. You will randomly receive tasks and corresponding points. Once completed, you will earn points. Additionally, to better complete the mission, you had better not go OOC.]
“Got it,” Chen Zhou pondered inwardly.
This original host’s personality was worlds apart from his own; Chen Zhou was usually a playful drama queen, but this was his first time facing an acting challenge.
Following the original host’s memories, Chen Zhou slowly walked home. Chen Zhou was someone who could never stay idle; along the way, he stopped to watch any commotion and even wanted to buy small trinkets, though he ultimately gave up because he lacked money.
“You guys make these things look quite realistic.” Chen Zhou had already started chatting with 126, rambling on about all sorts of things. “If I leave, can you give me some of these as gifts?”
126: No.
[However, there is a newbie gift for the host. Would you like to accept it?]
[Sure.]
The moment Chen Zhou finished speaking, he felt a cool breeze blowing toward him.
Accompanied by the breeze, about ten minutes later, he finally reached the village. People greeted him along the way, and Chen Zhou followed the original host’s persona, lowering his head shyly and somewhat bashfully as he whispered back.
[The host is doing well.] 126 timely offered feedback.
Chen Zhou did not falsely modesty, “Of course.”
After a moment, Chen Zhou walked over to the edge of a rice paddy. Since it was summer, it was peak farming season, and several strong men were busy working.
Chen Zhou caught sight of a back; the man was shirtless, with well-defined back muscles. When he turned sideways, Chen Zhou clearly saw his profile—he was very handsome, and beads of sweat trickling down his temple slid past his jawline. As he faced him, Chen Zhou caught sight of his abs and V-line against honey-colored skin.
“Such a nice body,” Chen Zhou said sincerely.
Chen Zhou searched his memories: that was Cao Ying’s friend, Xu Nian, who was a few years older than Li Jia and currently did business outside, occasionally returning to help out with farm work at home.
“Yo, the top student is back?” A teasing voice called out from over there, apparently from the young men who always loved to tease the original host.
Two of them came up from the fields, deliberately walking past Chen Zhou while shaking their hands and dusting off their clothes. Chen Zhou looked down and saw muddy spatters staining his shoes.
Chen Zhou frowned in displeasure, but kept silent because the original host practically never fought back.
“Did the top student make some money? Come tell us about it.”
“Hey, forget it. He probably looks down on us anyway. We aren’t the same kind of people.”
The provocation wasn’t over yet; while they didn’t say much on the surface, their attitude was infuriating.
Chen Zhou thought about leaving, but a voice coldly interrupted everything: “Have you guys finished all your work?”
The voice was low, flat in tone, yet inexplicably carried an unforced authority.
“…Nian, Nian-ge.” Those two instantly deflated. “Almost, we’re almost done.”
“Is that so? I haven’t finished mine yet; if you’re that idle, come over and help.”
As soon as Xu Nian spoke, those two completely changed their demeanor, stammering for a moment before scurrying back to work.
Xu Nian worked fast and was actually practically finished. A moment later, he walked over to the river to wash his hands, only to turn around and see that the person who had just been bullied had not left yet, staring right at him unblinkingly.
Xu Nian looked at him expressionlessly, noticing that this person was even thinner than in his memory, his face dirty, yet his eyes were very clean, his full lips chapped from severe dryness.
“Something the matter?” Xu Nian withdrew his gaze from the other person’s face and asked.
“Ge,” Chen Zhou called him.
Xu Nian was taken aback. He was usually called “Brother Xu Nian”—why was it so affectionate this time?
“Thank you.”
Xu Nian turned his head and saw Chen Zhou curving the corners of his lips. “Goodbye.”
Without lingering, Chen Zhou turned to leave, but Xu Nian suddenly grabbed his arm.
“You’re going the wrong way.”
Chen Zhou:
“Oh, right.” Chen Zhou rubbed his nose awkwardly and changed direction.
“Li Jia.”
Xu Nian called him again, his gaze landing on his slightly parted lips. He realized what he was doing only after calling out, though it felt awkward not to say anything else.
“Your mouth is bleeding.” Xu Nian met his gaze and walked away with stride after speaking.
Chen Zhou stood frozen in place for a long while before licking the corner of his mouth, tasting a faint metallic rust.
It was already late by the time Chen Zhou got home, and his parents showered him with affectionate concern the moment they saw him.
“How many days are you staying, kid?” Li Jia’s mother, Chen Hui, asked. “Drink that soup quickly, it’s way too hot today.”
In his memories, the original host hadn’t told his parents the truth about losing his job, only saying he was coming back to stay for a few days.
Chen Zhou fell silent, finished the soup, and said, “Probably, probably staying a few more days.”
As soon as those words fell, 126’s voice rang out: [Host, please complete Mission 1: Inquire about Cao Ying’s recent status and hobbies from his friend, Xu Nian.]
After Cao Ying went to work in town, Li Jia rarely contacted him, causing them to drift apart significantly; he didn’t even know Cao Ying had met someone he liked in town. Unlike him, however, Xu Nian was often in town and kept in closer touch with Cao Ying.
Chen Zhou acknowledged it in his mind, thought for a moment, and headed out with some grain and food made by Chen Hui.
“Mom, I’m heading out.”
Xu Nian’s house was on the west side of the village. Chen Zhou’s family had modest means, so their home was located further out, requiring a short walk to reach Xu Nian’s place.
Xu Nian was washing his face in the courtyard. When Chen Zhou arrived, he saw him splashing water onto his face. The house was quiet, and Chen Zhou remembered that Xu Nian’s father had passed away early, and his mother was always in poor health.
Resting his hands on the edge of the sink, shirtless with prominent shoulder blades and smooth arm muscle contours, Xu Nian took a drink of water.
People in the village often did this; the well water was very clean and tasted cool and refreshing when swallowed.
“Ge,” Chen Zhou called out.
Xu Nian turned his head and saw Chen Zhou standing stupidly with a pile of clattering items in his arms.
Xu Nian wiped his face, walked over, and lit a cigarette. “Something up?”
Smoke exhaled from Xu Nian’s lips, and Chen Zhou caught the scent of tobacco. He sat down across from Xu Nian and pushed the items forward.
Noticing the guy’s earlier frown, Xu Nian asked, “What? You mind?”
Chen Zhou paused, shook his head, and said obediently, “Ge, constantly drinking cold water isn’t good for you.”
Clearly not expecting him to say that, Xu Nian froze for a second before letting out a low chuckle. “I’m not that delicate.”
Rubbing his nose in silence, Chen Zhou waited a moment before speaking up. “Ge, do you… still keep in touch with Cao Ying-ge?”
Still smoking, Xu Nian didn’t answer right away. He suddenly remembered back when they were in the village, this kid always loved sticking close behind Cao Ying.
After a short pause, he suddenly leaned in close, startling Chen Zhou, who instinctively leaned backward. It turned out Xu Nian was just grabbing an orange from the side.
“What?”
Pressing his lips together and rubbing his hands, Chen Zhou simply cut straight to the point. “I just wanted to ask how Cao Ying-ge has been doing lately. I haven’t seen him in a long time.”
Without finishing his cigarette, Xu Nian directly stubbed it out. “He’s doing fine, working as a teacher in town.”
[Is that enough, System?] Chen Zhou asked quietly.
[Not yet, host, you haven’t asked about his hobbies.]
Chen Zhou rolled his eyes internally.
Xu Nian was a man of few words, and Chen Zhou had to wait a long time just to get that single answer, leaving him with no choice but to press on. “Then, Ge, what does Cao Ying-ge like?”
Xu Nian looked somewhat impatient. He had initially thought this kid came over to thank him, only to start questioning him left and right. Since Xu Nian was already a man of few words, a barrage of questions quickly exhausted his patience. For some reason earlier that morning, despite never sticking his nose into other people’s business, he had impulsively helped him out; now, looking at this kid’s clean face and expression, he felt awkward again.
What a pain, Xu Nian cursed himself.
Standing up, he said, “I forgot. Why don’t you just go ask him yourself?”
Sensing his impatience but unable to avoid asking, Chen Zhou temporarily dropped the original host’s persona, stepped closer, and coaxed, “Ge, tell me about it.”
Losing his footing for a second, Chen Zhou stumbled slightly and instinctively grabbed Xu Nian’s arm.
Feeling a hand whose skin temperature was lower than his own, Xu Nian felt a strange sensation that made him deeply uncomfortable. Unaware of his thoughts, Chen Zhou kept asking.
Shoving backward, Xu Nian abruptly pulled away from Chen Zhou’s touch and casually brushed him off. “Reading.”
Seeing him finally give in, Chen Zhou pressed his lips together and took a step back. Knowing Xu Nian was hard to approach, he knew when to quit while he was ahead.
Glancing at the pack of cigarettes on the table, Chen Zhou said, “Ge, smoking too much is bad for your health. Remember to eat the things I brought you, I’m heading back.”
Xu Nian didn’t say anything, and Chen Zhou turned to walk away.
“Stop right there.”
Looking back, Chen Zhou saw Xu Nian walk over holding something and shove it into his arms.
It was a heavy bag of fruit.