Chapter 1: The First Flower & Eighteenth Tier
When Xu Yin regained his senses, he realized he had just opened a door.
The door to the rooftop.
The sun was shining brightly outside, and a few steps away by the railing, a tall man had his arm around another man’s shoulder, as if they were whispering something. When they heard the door open, they turned their heads, their expressions changing slightly.
The tall man cleared his throat and moved his fingertips, retracting his hand.
The other man, who appeared somewhat handsome, subtly curled his lips but quickly turned into an awkward expression, stammering, “Xu Yin, why are you here?”
Xu Yin had just finished receiving the memories of the original host, and his head throbbed a bit. After some mental sorting, he roughly understood the storyline.
The original host was an obscure 18th-tier celebrity, possessing an excellent face—well, a face almost identical to Xu Yin’s. However, despite acting in TV dramas and appearing on variety shows, he had no presence in the entertainment industry.
His career was stagnant, but his love life was tumultuous.
Half a year after joining the company, he developed a vague relationship with the company’s young master, the tall and handsome man nearby, Wen Yan.
The original host had never dated before and had always lacked interest in girly girls. It was only after Wen Yan took the initiative to approach him that he realized he had feelings for men.
Their first encounter had been at a company cocktail party. The tall and handsome Wen Yan approached him with a glass of wine, smiling and clinking glasses with him. His eyes sparkled like stars, leaving the original host enchanted.
After that night, Wen Yan began appearing frequently at the company and always seemed to have various chance encounters with the original host.
In elevators, in the coffee room, on the street, they exchanged a few words, shared a cup of coffee, or walked together for a while. The original host, an honest and naive young man, easily fell for Wen Yan’s charms.
As for Wen Yan, he did indeed support the original host, at least compared to other 18th-tier artists in the company. However, it couldn’t be said that his resources were outstanding, as the company itself had limited resources, and there were other figures within the company keeping an eye on them.
But those resources were enough to move the original host. While he worked diligently with a sense of guilt, he wholeheartedly awaited the day when Wen Yan would officially reach out to him—a day when he would confess his feelings, as he dared not do it himself.
Who could have expected that in the middle of his half-fulfilled dream of love, Wen Yan’s Bai Yueguang1TL: ‘Bai Yueguang’ means White moonlight. It also basically means ‘First Love’. and childhood sweetheart—the one he had pursued relentlessly throughout high school without success—Nan Ye, returned to the country due to his family’s financial difficulties after having gone abroad.
Nan Ye was still as clean, handsome, and clear as he had been in the past. However, he was no longer the untouchable youth sitting on a cloud. The confidence between his eyebrows had been replaced by a hint of melancholy.
Well, now that Bai Yuegang had returned pitifully to the country, would Wen Yan still have the energy to focus on the original host?
Not only had Bai Yuegang pitifully returned to the country, but he also wanted to enter the entertainment industry to make money to support his family. Would Wen Yan still have the energy to care for the original host?
Not only did Bai Yuegang sign with Wen Yan’s company under Wen Yan’s ‘efforts’, but there were even signs of him being moved by Wen Yan and showing interest. Would Wen Yan still, still, still have the energy to take an interest in the original host?
The answer was yes.
Wen Yan, this kind of scumbag, had one arm around Nan Ye and the other around the original host, like an emperor with a harem, leading a very enjoyable life.
Xu Yin sighed.
The original host, the naive child, actually wanted to compete with Nan Ye for favor, but in the end, Wen Scumbag, while initially trying to “share his affections equally,” gradually had his soul taken away by the always silently melancholic Nan Ye.
The manager noticed that the original host was falling out of favor and stopped caring about him—after all, he was an 18th-tier artist who couldn’t be helped even with the favor of the young master. Without the young master’s favor, what else could he do? He regretted signing him in the first place just because he thought the original host had potential because of his face!
With no work and the money in hand just barely enough to cover the weekly and monthly calls from his family, who cried for money, the original host had no choice. Today, he had originally planned to come to the company and have a good talk with his manager.
It was impossible for him to talk to Wen Yan himself because he always believed that his love for Wen Yan was genuine and unrelated to personal gain. Even though Wen Yan provided him with resources, he felt ashamed, but he couldn’t refuse Wen Yan’s persistence, so he had to work hard. But asking Wen Yan for resources on his own initiative was impossible.
However, the manager was also practical and said to him, “Why can’t you learn from Nan Ye and capture Young Master Wen’s heart?”
The original host felt wronged instantly, turned and left, and went straight to the rooftop to calm down. However, he didn’t expect that as soon as he opened the door, he would see the Tongzhi2TL: Tongzhi means gay in english discourse. couple inside. In the moment when tears welled up in his eyes, Xu Yin transmigrated.
System 018 had mentioned that these worlds were randomly generated, and the original host was just a “shell“ created by the world to await the arrival of the task performer, with random past experiences being inserted as information streams.
Because it was truly random and casual, all kinds of plotlines could occur.
However, at this moment, Xu Yin still felt that this was too melodramatic.
He calmly wiped away the tears that had just filled his eyes, noticed Wen Yan sighing not far away, took a step forward, and spoke gently, “A-Yin, listen to my explanation…”
With a ‘bang’, the rooftop door slammed shut, and Xu Yin disappeared behind it.
Wen Yan: “???”
Nan Ye: “???”
Both of them wore confused expressions, as they hadn’t even begun their prepared performances.
After a moment of stiffness, Wen Yan cleared his throat and turned to whisper to Nan Ye, “I’ll go check on A-Yin.”
Nan Ye bit his lip, feeling uncomfortable. “Wen Yan…”
Wen Yan gently stroked his head with sympathy, and Nan Ye raised his gaze, his clear eyes shining like sunlight, shattered into a sparkling mosaic.
Wen Yan shook his head and said, “I… need to reconsider the relationship between the three of us. I’m sorry, I…”
He seemed unable to continue, paused, sighed, and added, “Let’s talk about it later. I’ll go see A-Yin first. He’s probably still waiting for me.”
With that, he let go and turned, taking a few steps toward the door.
As he reached the doorway, he stopped and turned back. On the other side of the railing, Nan Ye quickly turned to the side, seemingly avoiding his gaze, and wiped his eyes lightly. Wen Yan looked pained, but on the other side of the door, Xu Yin should still be waiting.
A-Yin always did this. He appeared to walk away decisively, but at this moment, he should be crouching outside the door, hugging his knees, silently waiting for him.
As for Nan Ye and Xu Yin, he genuinely couldn’t decide, really…
Wen Yan turned back, placed his hands on the door, pushed it open with force, and called out in a low voice to the outside of the door, “A-Yin…”
Outside the door, it was quiet and clean, with a tidy staircase.
Not a trace of a shadow.
Wen Yan, ‘Damn, how did he leave so quickly?!’
Wen Yan couldn’t believe it, and he quickly descended five flights of stairs, finally gasping for breath at the corner window on the tenth floor. From there, he saw Xu Yin sitting in a taxi on the roadside with his hands in his pockets. Wen Yan thought, ‘Choosing to take the elevator at a time like this disqualifies you from dramas!!!’
*
After Xu Yin got into the taxi, he opened the system chat window with his thoughts and found that the Iron Straight Man System 018 couldn’t take it anymore and was ranting a lot, such as ‘How can a grown man cry like this?’ ‘What kind of ridiculous plot is this?‘ ‘I’m about to explode‘ ‘Hurry up and leave‘ ‘If it were me, I’d punch that Wen Yan.‘ It’s clear how irritable and violent the system is.
Xu Yin chuckled: “Stay calm. Our mission has nothing to do with all of this, right?“3TL: By the way, Xu Yin and the systems’ conversation will be italized. This will indicate that they are conversing through text on a system chatbox or speech bubbles(In which, Xu Yin is the only one who can see it) and in Xu Yin’s thought.
System 018 finally caught its breath: “You’re right. Our goal is to become strong!”
After Xu Yin died in a car accident, he unexpectedly became bound with 018, a system supposedly created by high-dimensional beings. Legend has it that by completing missions and accumulating points, one can be resurrected. Xu Yin wasn’t sure if it was true, but since he was here, he might as well give it a try.
Of course, Xu Yin was quite troubled by 018’s initial statement, ‘What’s the use of being a handsome man? A man must be strong!‘
At that time, he let out a hesitant, ‘Uh…’
018 angrily exclaimed: “I can sense it! I can sense it! You just want to be a vase4TL: Being a Vase is like having a pretty face without some action. Basically, just a wallflower.!”
Xu Yin replied: “Being a vase isn’t illegal.”
018 retorted: “Is not breaking the law your life goal?”
Xu Yin sighed: “Well, I’m already dead, you know?”
018 insisted: “What’s in front of you now is an opportunity to earn points and come back to life!“
In short, after driving 018 to the brink of madness with his words, Xu Yin reluctantly nodded and cooperatively said, “Okay.”
So when the taxi dropped Xu Yin off at the small apartment of the original host, he first opened the task panel and rubbed his chin while studying it.
018 explained that he needed to deduct 10 points for each day he lived. The first day, which was today, was a free gift from the system.
To continue surviving in this world, Xu Yin needed to earn at least 10 points per day. There were various tasks to accumulate points, and when he reached a total of 50,000 points, he could be resurrected in his original world.
The primary tasks were divided into basic tasks and random tasks. The basic tasks included doing 50 push-ups or running for an hour, and each task was worth 3 points. As for the random tasks, as the name suggests, they were randomly assigned, with points awarded based on task difficulty.
018 kept popping up speech bubbles in the air in front of Xu Yin: “Random tasks start at 4 points, but they are truly random, and the timing is quite mysterious. If you stay cooped up at home all day, it’ll be tough to get them. So, try to get out and explore the outside world as much as possible.”
Xu Yin once again showed a troubled expression.
018 began to go mad: “No more hesitations! Remember our motto: A man must be strong!“
Xu Yin said: “Hao ba5TL: Hao ba means Okay..”
018 thought to itself, ‘I hate those two characters, Hao ba.’
Xu Yin checked the time. It was 4 o’clock in the afternoon. He planned to complete the push-up task first and then go for a run after dinner.
The original host had kept the one-bedroom apartment very clean, and Xu Yin changed into a T-shirt and lay down directly in the living room.
He wasn’t the type to exercise regularly, and the last time he did push-ups seemed to be back in high school – after all, they didn’t include this in the final exams for university physical education.
018 acted like a coach, constantly popping up speech bubbles.
“Keep your body straight!“
“Don’t let your butt stick up!“
“Good, now, one, down!“
Xu Yin adjusted his breathing slowly, doing push-ups one by one. When he reached the fifth one, he successfully felt the fatigue…
018: “Amazing!”
018: “Too bad, too bad!!“
018: “Only five, why are you panting?? Keep going!“
Xu Yin: “This feels like a bit too much, seriously.”
With a sigh of resignation, Xu Yin took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, adjusted his posture, and continued doing push-ups.
The process was painful, and he deeply regretted it. Xu Yin even thought about dying again right there, as he had an attitude of ‘If I can be resurrected, that’s great, but if not, it’s no big deal.’
However, 018 was too enthusiastic, and under his relentless coaching, Xu Yin managed to complete the fifty push-ups in twenty minutes. He lay on the floor, sweating and panting, and said: “System, I think…”
018 interrupted: “No, don’t think!“
018 had waited for fifty years to finally get his first host, and he absolutely wouldn’t let this little zero slip away!
Feeling guilty, 018 said: “I pushed you too hard. If you feel tired, you can take it slow. Um…”
Seeing how cautious 018 suddenly became, Xu Yin sighed in resignation once again.
After some thought, he sat up and wiped off the sweat. Well, since he was already here, he might as well make an effort to persevere and see what would happen when he returned to his original world.
He raised an eyebrow thoughtfully.
Just as he was thinking this, his phone, placed
on the side, suddenly vibrated. Xu Yin checked it, and the caller ID displayed “1”.
*
Back in his office, Wen Yan couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
How could Xu Yin just walk away like that? Even when there were opportunities to meet him before, he refused to leave.
What changed in his Ah Yin? That’s what Wen Yan was pondering. He picked up his phone and called Xu Yin’s manager, Liu He, asking, “How has Xu Yin been doing in his work lately?”
Liu He had just finished meeting with Xu Yin and was currently enjoying the company of the newly signed female artist, so he found this call a bit amusing. He sarcastically remarked that Xu Yin had indeed managed to capture Wen Taizi’s6TL: Taizi means Prince; Crown Prince; young master. attention again. It seemed like Xu Yin had some real skills!
Liu He wasn’t afraid of Xu Yin going to complain to Wen Yan. After all, Wen Yan had been in the entertainment industry for a long time and was well aware of its twists and turns. Many things didn’t need to be explicitly stated. As long as you acknowledged them, they could be overlooked. Liu He had been with this company for a while, and he didn’t believe Wen Yan would undermine his reputation for this.
He quickly responded with a smile, “He’s had fewer jobs recently. He’s also been feeling unwell, so he’s taking a break. He’ll be going for an audition in a few days.”
Wen Yan asked, “How long has he been on a break?”
Liu He hesitated and replied, “About half a month.”
Wen Yan had his phone on speaker, and when he heard this, he glanced at his assistant. The assistant hesitated for a moment. Although he didn’t understand why Wen Yan had gone to the rooftop with Nan Ye but was now suddenly interested in Xu Yin, he shook his head and whispered, “Three months.”
Wen Yan immediately turned back and slammed the table in anger. “You’re lying! You clearly told Xu Yin to take a three-month break, and you’re saying he’s been sitting at home picking his toes!”
Liu He in his thought, ‘What’s going on with Wen Taizi? Why isn’t he following the script?’7TL: And also, I’ll Italized the characters thoughts with the quotation ( ‘ ‘ ) Like this one.
Wen Yan continued to pound on the table, saying, “I didn’t pay attention to Xu Yin for only a few days, and you started brushing him off like this. Is this how you work as a manager?! If I don’t pay attention to him for a few more days, are you going to bury him?! Is this how you treat promising newcomers in the company?!”
When Liu He heard this, he was no longer pleased. After all, Wen Yan was only a few years older than him and had been in the industry for about the same amount of time.
He responded with a forced smile, “Mr. Wen, let’s be clear about this. If Xu Yin were truly a promising newcomer, the company would have already made him a star with all the resources he’s been given. But the fact remains that Xu Yin lacks the ability. He’s still young, and this is the time for him to improve himself. Otherwise, no amount of promotion can make him a big deal. I’ve been in this entertainment industry longer than you, and I consider the bigger picture. Sometimes, you have to think more long-term.”
Liu He thought to himself that Xu Yin was the kind of person who couldn’t be elevated and wouldn’t sleep with other bosses, so it was a waste of his good looks. Why should anyone feed him resources for nothing? Wen Yan understood this, so why was he pretending to be naive? Who’s the real fool here?
Wen Yan said expressionlessly, “Oh, so you’re trying to assert your seniority over me?”
Liu He chuckled, “No, how could that be? Uncle Liu8TL: He’s referring to himself if you don’t know. is just analyzing things with you.”
Wen Yan remarked, “Ah, you got fired.”
Liu He: ‘What the heck!’
Wen Yan continued, “And you talk about how a promising newcomer with so many resources should have become famous by now. Have you even looked at the kind of resources Xu Yin has been given?”
Liu He: ‘Aren’t those resources you provided?!’
Wen Yan said, “You’re right. You’re just a manager. What kind of resources have you obtained, and what kind of connections do you have in this industry? Are the resources you’ve acquired any good?”
He thought, ‘If I had good enough resources, why would I even be with you?!‘
Wen Yan added, “You’ve been with the company for a few years. How many artists have you brought up? Among your managed artists, isn’t Xu Yin the one with the highest status?”
Liu He thought, ‘Fvck! Aren’t almost all the artists in this company are either E-list or even lower? What’s your point?!‘
Wen Yan said regretfully, “You got fired. There’s no need to feel resentful. You can go and ask my dad whether he listens to me or you.”
Liu He: ‘Fvck off!‘
After hanging up the phone, the assistant on the side covered his chest and closed his eyes, grateful that this intense dogfight between dogs had finally come to an end.
Wen Yan sighed and said, “Liu He, that guy.”
The assistant once again slapped his chest heavily, covering it with his hand.
Wen Yan sighed and immediately picked up his phone to call Xu Yin.
At this moment, Xu Yin answered the call without immediately realizing who it was. It’s not easy for anyone to instantly recall memories from over two decades ago.
He calmed his breath, which had been affected by the recent exercise, and his voice was a bit husky as he politely said, “Hello.”
When Wen Yan heard Xu Yin’s distant and polite tone, he felt unhappy, but at the same time, his ears inexplicably itched, causing a strange sensation in his heart.
Wen Yan hesitated and stammered, “A-Yin, what are you doing now?”
‘Wen Yan?‘
Xu Yin raised an eyebrow and asked, “Mr. Wen, may I ask if there’s something you need?”
Wen Yan said bitterly, “A-Yin, why do you seem so distant from me?”
Xu Yin continued politely, “Mr. Wen, if there’s nothing specific, I will hang up the phone.”
Wen Yan thought, Why has his A-Yin become so emotionless?
In a hurry, Wen Yan added, “A-Yin, I’m sorry, I’ve been very busy lately and couldn’t take care of you. I just called Liu He and found out… so many things have happened recently.”
Xu Yin struggled to recall, well… recently, it seems like nothing happened, nothing happened except that the original owner spent three months picking his feet at home.
Wen Yan gently said, “Don’t worry, I’ve fired Liu He and will arrange a new manager for you. Work will resume soon.”
Xu Yin hesitated and said, “That’s not necessary.”
Wen Yan: “???”
It was this sentence from Wen Yan that reminded Xu Yin. He wasn’t interested in the entertainment industry, and the emotional tangle between the original owner, Wen Yan, and Nan Ye was too complicated. Xu Yin didn’t want to get involved with them.
His voice was gentle, “If you want to help, I do have one thing.”
Wen Yan hadn’t reacted yet but quickly asked, “What is it?”
Xu Yin replied, “Can we terminate the contract peacefully, without any penalties?”
Wen Yan froze, never expecting Xu Yin to say this. He stammered, “Ter-terminate the contract?”
Xu Yin walked to the table, took a sip of water, and smiled, “Yes, is it possible?”
Xu Yin’s voice was unusually gentle, and his words made Wen Yan feel like he might be hearing things.
Wen Yan stiffly asked, “Wh-why would you suddenly want to terminate the contract?”
Just as Xu Yin was about to answer, Wen Yan forcefully interrupted him, “Isn’t your mother still in urgent need of money? If you don’t want to be an artist anymore, what job can cover your family’s expenses?”
Xu Yin: “…?”
As Wen Yan spoke, he softened his tone and advised earnestly, “Ah Yin, you must treat your mother well. She single-handedly raised you, and now that you’ve grown up, you should repay her kindness. Your family situation is in bad shape, and staying in the entertainment industry is where you can earn money that ordinary jobs can’t match. Only the money earned in the entertainment industry can properly support your parents.”
Xu Yin gazed up at the ceiling, pondering.
Were those parents who hadn’t really cared for the original owner since he was young, the same parents who once ran away without the original owner, nearly causing him to be beaten to death by a loan shark, only to be saved by a passerby? Were they the parents who now came crying, either begging for money to pay off their debts or complaining that they hadn’t had meat to eat?
The family situation was indeed in a very bad shape.
After thinking it through, Xu Yin sighed softly and said to Wen Yan, “Well…”
Knowing Xu Yin as he did, Wen Yan expected him to continue with a sob, sniffle, softly respond with an ‘Um‘, and then confess, ‘I… I saw you with Nan Ye today…’
And then he would promptly interrupt, soothing Xu Yin with his magnetic voice, and everything would be okay.
He heard Xu Yin’s unclear ‘Well‘, which didn’t quite align with his expectations, but he still listened attentively.
Then, on the other end of the phone, he heard Xu Yin gently say, “Mr. Wen, if you truly care about my parents, you can directly make a donation to them. You don’t need to involve me in this.”
Wen Yan: “???”
Expecting Xu Yin to sob and softly respond as usual, Wen Yan was puzzled by this response.
He waited for the next part, but Xu Yin continued, “Mr. Wen, can we set aside the discussion about donating to my parents for now and focus on the contract termination? What do you think?”
Wen Yan thought, ‘No, I don’t want to make a donation!‘
Wen Yan anxiously replied, “Ah Yin, today with Nan Ye on the rooftop was just a casual chat. You know his family situation was also in need of help right now!”
Xu Yin chuckled, “These matters have nothing to do with me, Mr. Wen. You have the freedom to pursue your love life. I’m just inquiring about the contract termination.”
Wen Yan was at a loss for words.
Xu Yin wasn’t one to utter cheesy lines like ‘I don’t like you anymore, I don’t love you, don’t come looking for me.’ To him, this relationship had nothing to do with him, so terms like “like” or “love” weren’t even in his dictionary when it came to Wen Yan. But even if he didn’t say it explicitly, he believed his attitude was clear enough.
Wen Yan doubted if he had misheard, yet the voice on the other end of the phone was soothing, and it didn’t sound like a manipulative tactic but rather sincere.
Wen Yan’s mind was in chaos. How could this be? What’s wrong with Xu Yin? Did he really want to terminate their contract? It couldn’t be true!
Xu Yin waited for a response but grew impatient when none came. He was about to say something when Wen Yan, in a fit of frustration, cut him off decisively, “No, don’t even think about it! I won’t let you leave me!!” With that, he hung up the phone.
Xu Yin put down his phone and stared at the screen.
Ah, he had just uttered a classic line from a melodramatic novel.
018 couldn’t help but comment: “Don’t you feel like giving him a good beating?“
Xu Yin replied: “Beating? Not really, he’s not that violent, and besides, fighting is quite tiring.”
With that, Xu Yin remembered something, accessed his contacts, looked at Wen Yan’s business card, and changed the name “1” to “0”. After making the change, he calmly put down his phone and got ready to prepare dinner.
018: “Tsk“.
