Chapter 2#

Chapter 2#

At the moment of impact, Wen Qiu felt no pain.

He even “watched” himself drive the battered car safely back to the villa, completely unharmed.

It was a horrifying experience.

The things around him blurred into indistinct shapes, time becoming scattered lines. Like an outside observer, he watched himself struggle, resent, and scheme for Lou Yue by any means necessary. Then he watched Lou Yue weep and laugh for Meng Shuyi, refusing to leave his side through thick and thin.

He was a clown, foolishly believing he loved Lou Yue, constantly attacking Meng Shuyi and targeting the Meng family. In the end, the person in Lou Yue’s heart bore the surname Meng, not Wen.

Finally, he died alone in a foreign land, leaving all his belongings to Lou Yue.

Wen Qiu snapped his eyes open, only to find the crumpled front of the car still before him, along with the deflated airbag.

It felt like he had just woken from a dream.

But he knew with absolute clarity—it wasn’t a dream.

It had truly happened.

The world he lived in was nothing more than a melodramatic web novel, with Lou Yue and Meng Shuyi as the protagonists.

And he was merely the villainous side character whose only purpose was to create obstacles for the leads and push their relationship forward.

He called his assistant to handle the damaged car, while Wen Qiu himself staggered to the roadside, looking toward the direction of the villa.

His mind was in turmoil, thoughts scattered in disarray. All he knew was that he couldn’t go back.

Ji Liao played with his phone as he waited for Villain A to return.

But he waited until he was yawning nonstop, and still no sign of anyone.

He fell asleep without realizing it. When he opened his eyes again, he was still in the ornate room.

Ji Liao fumbled for his phone and checked his account balance first.

Five hundred thousand. Still there.

He instantly relaxed.

He really had transmigrated into the book.

Climbing out of the plush bed, Ji Liao brushed his teeth, took a shower, tidied himself up, then hummed a tune as he headed to the walk-in closet.

The spacious closet was packed with clothes. Judging by the sizes, they were definitely prepared for the original owner—every piece was brand new with tags still attached.

No point in leaving them hanging, right? Ji Liao had no shame. He immediately picked out a cream-colored athletic set and put it on.

Maybe it was all in his head, but this tens-of-thousands-yuan tracksuit did feel more comfortable than the ones costing a few dozen.

After blow-drying his hair, he opened the bedroom door again.

The figure was gone from the doorway.

Only then did he notice that the entire villa was silent, as if still asleep.

Where had everyone gone?

Villain A hadn’t come back?

Ji Liao was baffled but decided to just step out of the room.

The moment he exited, his gaze landed on a massive crystal chandelier—strands of sparkling beads cascading from the vaulted ceiling all the way down to the lower floor.

In his original world, Ji Liao had visited villas belonging to some of his clients’ families. Each had its own charm. Back then, he’d thought that with his salary, he could never afford to live in such a beautiful house in a lifetime.

Life was full of surprises—and now he was living in one!

And he hadn’t spent a single cent of his own money!

The slight confusion from earlier quickly dissipated.

Since he was here, he might as well make the best of it.

Ji Liao took a tour of the entire villa, found a charger to juice up his phone, then headed to the kitchen to look for food.

Gotta say, the villa’s location was a bit remote. He’d gotten hungry in the middle of the night, but when he opened the food delivery app, the delivery fees were all pretty steep.

Wouldn’t spending his own money on overtime just mean working at a loss?

So ordering takeout was out of the question.

The high-end smart refrigerator hummed with its working light, and the coffee machine was running normally too.

He opened the fridge—and it was packed to the brim with a dazzling array of food.

How extravagant. The villain rarely even stayed here, yet every essential item was fully stocked.

He made himself a simple meal and sat at the dining table, eating while enjoying the view.

The entire dining area and living room were open-plan. Looking up, his gaze could pass directly over the wide sofa and out through the floor-to-ceiling windows to the sprawling lawn beyond.

It was a beautiful day today. The sunlight generously bathed the earth, and the lush green grass radiated vibrant life.

Ji Liao was in a fantastic mood. He pulled out his phone, snapped a few photos, and checked his WeChat.

WeChat was quiet too. Villain A hadn’t accepted his friend request.

No matter. So what if the boss was aloof?

Fifty thousand was worth it.

He tapped on the phone number, typed out a message, and sent a text:

【Mr. Wen, will you be back tonight? I’ll cook for you.】

As long as the money was right, this worker was very proactive.

Wen Qiu wandered back to his office in a daze, not even sure when he’d fallen asleep. When he opened his eyes again, the sunlight was harsh and glaring.

His suit jacket lay discarded on the floor, and his dress shirt was wrinkled. But the injuries from last night’s crash had already healed—an Alpha’s regenerative abilities were astonishing.

Even the nightmare that had plagued him all night left no trace behind.

Wen Qiu’s eyes were clear and sharp.

There were two missed calls on his phone. One from his assistant, one from Lou Yue.

There were also unread messages.

Wen Qiu ignored everything else and checked Lou Yue’s message first.

【Qiu-ge, I’m sorry.】

Lou Yue and Wen Qiu had grown up together.

Wen Qiu’s awkward position in his family was much like Lou Yue’s situation in the Lou family.

The two had encouraged each other through their formative years, sharing a deep bond.

Unfortunately, Lou Yue saw Wen Qiu as an older brother, while Wen Qiu harbored feelings for Lou Yue that went beyond family.

He’d only been waiting until his wings were fully grown to help Lou Yue escape the cage.

He never expected that plans couldn’t keep up with changes—Lou Yue had been “sold” by the Lou family to the Meng family ahead of schedule.

Before last night, Wen Qiu had been burning with indignation over this, heartbroken for Lou Yue, cursing the Lou and Meng families.

But now, he knew Lou Yue and Meng Shuyi were destined for each other.

His one-sided protection and antagonism would only cause Lou Yue trouble.

Though only one night had passed, Wen Qiu had genuinely lived an entire lifetime.

He didn’t want to be a clown anymore.

Setting aside his love for Lou Yue, from now on, they would only be family.

So he replied:

【I’m fine. Do what you want to do. I’ll always support you.】

After exiting the chat, Wen Qiu noticed another friend request.

He opened it. The sender was a user with the ID “Blossoms of Fortune.”

The note said: I’m Ji Liao.

If not for the note, Wen Qiu would have genuinely assumed it was some elder relative.

Then Wen Qiu rejected the friend request.

But no sooner had he exited the screen than a new message notification popped up.

Still Ji Liao.

Ji Liao finished his meal, and Wen Qiu still hadn’t replied.

No matter. He was just expressing his sincerity to his boss.

Even better if Wen Qiu didn’t come back.

He continued scrolling through his phone.

Actually, he really wanted to go out and explore, but he didn’t have a key and didn’t dare to leave the house carelessly.

At least the internet was working.

With internet and WiFi, he wouldn’t get bored even staying in one place.

Ji Liao first downloaded a property app to check local housing prices.

Then he browsed the food delivery app to get a sense of local living costs.

Same as his original world—this city was still dazzling and expensive, with housing prices that felt like they could eat people alive.

The fifty thousand in his card was even more appealing now.

Before, he hadn’t even saved up a down payment. Now, he could buy a house outright in just a few months.

Outright!

One giant step closer to his dream!

Before falling asleep last night, he’d hesitated for exactly one second, feeling that this windfall was a bit shady.

But if he didn’t act as the substitute—

His past life flashed through his mind again: the crowded subway during morning rush hour, the cramped rental room, the price tags he compared over and over at the supermarket…

Terrifying!

Ji Liao shook his head. He wasn’t exactly a paragon of virtue anyway.

Opening his messages, he sent Wen Qiu another text:

【I’m a really good cook.】

Whether Wen Qiu came back or not, he was going to give it his all and show off his skills first!

Having made up his mind, Ji Liao started browsing recipes.

After that, he cleaned up the kitchen and prepped ingredients.

Ji Liao hadn’t been bragging—he really was a decent cook.

To save money for a house, after graduating from university, while everyone else at work ordered takeout, he insisted on cooking for himself. Save wherever you can!

Over time, it leveled up his cooking skills.

Time flew by.

When Wen Qiu returned, Ji Liao had just finished pouring sizzling hot oil over the boiled beef slices.

Sizzle—the room filled with the fragrance of Sichuan peppercorns.

Because Lou Yue was a singer, she kept a light and bland diet year-round to protect her voice. For Lou Yue’s sake, Wen Qiu had followed suit with the bland diet.

So no one knew that Wen Qiu actually loved spicy food.

But Ji Liao knew.

Wen Qiu entered through the garage door, and the moment it opened, he was hit in the face with a rich, numbing spiciness.

So fragrant.

He didn’t need to guess who it was. Wen Qiu changed his shoes and followed the scent to the kitchen, where he saw that familiar back.

It was as if Lou Yue, wearing an apron, were bustling about for him.

But that wasn’t Lou Yue.

That was Ji Liao—the person he needed to get rid of.