As Yin Minglu’s long life came to an end and he returned to the space, he earnestly reviewed his life. Although it really felt like a vacation, the original owner’s desire was to be a diligent and harmless “rice bug.” So, he felt perfectly justified. He had no regrets for spending his years in leisure, nor was he ashamed of his lack of achievements.
As soon as his figure appeared in the office, the Milk Doll System floated over and huffed coldly, “Had a good time, huh?”
“Not bad.” The young man’s lips curled up slightly, his smile restrained. He raised his wristwatch and checked the announcement. After a brief moment of contemplation, he asked, “Is the boss in another closed-off slumber again?”
“Yes.” The Milk Doll System spun around in the air and nodded in response. The boss’s slumber was no secret to them.
Their boss at the Reincarnation Company was a remarkable individual. He was enigmatic, never seen, and in a sense, he resembled a god of creation. With a wave of his hand, he created thousands of large worlds and countless small worlds. A mere sword strike from him could shake the heavens and overturn the seas of the world. However, for reasons unknown, he perpetually slumbered, seemingly restoring his power within an endless sleep.
“I wonder how long this time will take,” the young man murmured to himself.
“It should take a very, very long time. Don’t you know the story of the boss during his lifetime?” The Milk Doll System poked Yin Minglu’s face, feeling the soft depression and then gleefully poked a few more times, successfully capturing the young man’s attention. He tilted his head curiously, asking, “What story?”
“It is said that our boss, in his previous life, was the most likely cultivator in the immortal realm to ascend to immortality after a thousand years of cultivation. Before his ascension, he took on a disciple and doted on him immensely, forming a deep master-disciple bond. The disciple had unparalleled talent and reached the pinnacle of the Golden Core stage in less than a hundred years. Unfortunately, he lacked worldly experience and possessed a rare treasure that drew the covetous eyes of many. He was eventually besieged by a large group of cultivators. It’s a pity that this young genius, highly regarded by everyone in the cultivation world, perished, and his soul fragments scattered across various worlds. After committing murder and robbery, these people pretended as if nothing had happened, concealing their tracks. Upon learning of his disciple’s demise, the immortal who was in the midst of transcending tribulation fell into complete madness.”
The rumors spoke of that solitary cultivator, with jet-black hair and a white robe, wielding a long sword, killing gods and immortals, and slaughtering countless immortal sects, leaving the cultivation world littered with corpses. His eyes, as black as lacquer, lost some of their clarity, appearing eerie. Covered in blood, he walked through the world, plunging it into suffering and misery.
The Milk Doll System omitted the gruesome and ambiguous second half of the story, focusing only on the first part. This was because the young man sometimes had a compassionate heart, and hearing this story would make him empathize more than he already did. Most of the time, he would feel sorrow for the people involved, which was why he had been besieged in his past life.
Not to mention, the person he was now was an incomplete soul fragment, a powerless human.
After hearing the story, the young man indeed felt sympathy. He sighed and said, “Our boss really had a tragic past. I should get to work now. What’s the next assignment?”
The chubby-faced Milk Doll System had a momentary shock on its pudgy little face: ???
Then it stammered, “This story is so poignant, don’t you feel moved at all? Listening to your past life’s story, how can you remain so calm and dedicated to thinking about work?”
“Of course, I do,” the young man replied with a puzzled expression. He was moved, but ultimately, this was someone else’s story, and it didn’t directly affect him.
The Milk Doll System choked on its words in desperation and said, “But the immortal had it really rough. Some say that the one who died wasn’t actually his disciple but his future Dao companion. That’s why he fell into madness after such a shock.”
“Oh, so it wasn’t a master-disciple relationship but a love story seeking revenge for his future Dao companion?” The young man suddenly realized and said with sympathy, “In that case, our boss had it even worse.” No wonder he frequently entered the cycle of reincarnation to search for the so-called soul fragment. As employees, they needed to work hard to help the boss realize his dream sooner.
The Milk Doll System: “…” Can you say something other than “worse”?
“Alright, let’s get back to work,” the young man disregarded his own system’s blank expression and picked up another assignment from the table. He carefully reviewed it and then fell into deep thought, deciding to accept it.
This assignment was not difficult either. The client shared the same name as him, and the storyline summary was roughly as follows: Perhaps every man has a crush on both a white rose and a red rose. Zhou Jinheng was no exception. He was the sensible only son of the Zhou family conglomerate, a prodigy since childhood, and the beloved young master in everyone’s eyes.
Since his teenage years, he had secretly loved his good friend Qiao An, but Qiao An had no romantic interest in him. So Zhou Jinheng could only silently devote himself, guarding this pure and warm white moonlight. It was only when Qiao An went abroad that he managed to move on from this painful unrequited love.
There was nothing unusual about it; it was just another unfulfilled love story. Who hasn’t experienced such feelings in their life?
But the problem arose when young Master Zhou began a relationship with the original owner, Yin Minglu. He gradually opened up to this affectionate and always cheerful young man, affectionately calling him “Little Rose.” Especially since the original owner deeply loved this man, he changed his naturally innocent and kind personality to please him. He learned various ways to please a man, and Zhou Jinheng, on one hand, despised his changes, but on the other hand, enjoyed the physical pleasures.
Their relationship gradually became stable, and they started buying a house and planning their wedding. Invitations were sent out, and friends and family were aware that the two of them were going to get married next year. However, the white moonlight, Qiao An, returned to the country after all these years. He hadn’t been doing well overseas and increasingly missed Zhou Jinheng’s past devotion to him. Zhou Jinheng himself couldn’t forget his old feelings. They began a secret affair, even as they were about to get married. Then, on the eve of the wedding, Zhou Jinheng left the original owner, Yin Minglu, and ran away with Qiao An.
Now, the original owner, who had foolishly waited for his partner, became the laughingstock of everyone. They mocked him for being a toad trying to eat swan’s meat1basically kind of like “you’re dreaming” or smthn similar I just can’t remember what it exactly was, thinking that sleeping with Zhou Jinheng made him Zhou Jinheng’s possession. Little did they know that for wealthy young men like Zhou Jinheng, he was nothing more than a disposable plaything.
What devastated the original owner even more was that when he and Zhou Jinheng were together, Zhou’s family strongly disapproved of their relationship. However, Zhou Jinheng had reassured him, saying that since they were both men and couldn’t have children, there would be less family resistance once they had a child of their own. So the original owner agreed, and Zhou Jinheng arranged for surrogacy, using his own blood to create a test-tube baby. While Zhou’s family never officially recognized them, this action effectively silenced them.
The child had no blood ties to the original owner, but he was the product of the deepest love between the two men. So, the original owner, despite being a grown adult, took exceptional care of the child, practically raising him from birth. However, when the two men broke up, the original owner believed that the child he had nurtured with all his heart, even though they were not biologically related, would at least have some attachment to him. To his shock, the child unhesitatingly ran to his biological father, Zhou Jinheng, and even raised his little face, holding Qiao An’s hand dependently.
Shocked and devastated, the original owner learned that his romantic rival, Qiao An, had already established a relationship with the child. Qiao An had privately been extremely gentle and manipulative toward the child, while the original owner, despite being very good to the child, acted like a strict father. He often forbade the child from using the phone for too long, eating unhealthy junk food, and imposed many restrictions. Naturally, in the child’s eyes, the original owner didn’t leave a good impression.
Furthermore, the child shared half of Qiao An’s blood, which meant that Yin Minglu had been raising Qiao An’s child all along, only to be rejected by the child in the end. He had spent his youthful innocence healing Zhou Jinheng, helping him move forward, pleasing him by changing himself to fit his preferences, and even enduring hardships to take care of the child. However, after Qiao An returned from abroad, he abandoned Yin Minglu without hesitation and publicly insulted him, claiming that he was dissolute at heart and not as dignified as Qiao An. This devastated the original owner, causing him immense pain.
Especially when he saw Qiao An and his beloved Zhou Jinheng, along with the child, happily together on the street, the image of the three of them as a harmonious family pierced his heart. The original owner chose to end it all in the bathtub, slitting his wrists in despair. Before dying, he made a final phone call to the scoundrel Zhou Jinheng, but the call was coldly disconnected.
He called once, disconnected once. On the third attempt, he couldn’t reach him anymore, as if he had been blocked.
Little did he expect that the man he loved would block him from his life. The original owner weakly smiled, completely devoid of the will to live, and lay down in the bathtub, letting go. Blood bloomed like rose petals, staining the entire bathtub red. When the neighbors discovered it and called for an ambulance, it was already too late. At that moment, the original owner was only 23 years old, possessed exceptional creative talent, and had just received an offer from a major company. Even though he had left a scoundrel behind, he had plenty of wonderful years ahead of him to enjoy. Sadly, he chose to end his life so easily, completely taking love to heart.
Because he was so young, every relationship he had felt deeply impactful. However, after experiencing death once, the original owner woke up completely. His desire was to seek revenge on the so-called true lovers but, aside from that, he hoped this time the scoundrel would genuinely fall in love with him. Amidst the passionate and sincere red roses and the hypocritically pure white roses, he wished for one opportunity where the scoundrel would choose him.
The young man furrowed his brow. To be honest, when dealing with such a scoundrel, he would prefer to just kill him. However, since the original owner requested it, he was not unwilling to accept.
“Accepting the assignment: The Awakened Red Rose, preparing for transmission!”
…
As the notification sound from the system echoed in his mind, Yin Minglu slowly opened his eyes and found himself stretching out. There was a piece of clothing with a tag hanging on it, caught around his neck. His eyes initially showed a moment of confusion, but then he looked at the mirror in front of him and the dazzling chandelier above his head. That’s when he realized that he might be in a fitting room changing clothes.
He closed his eyes to recall the situation. At this time, it was the first half-year of the original owner’s relationship with the scoundrel Zhou Jinheng. Although they hadn’t reached the stage of discussing marriage, they were deeply in love, living together, and enjoying their time. During this particular day, the two of them were leisurely shopping on the street, with the original owner buying clothes while Zhou Jinheng kept him company. The shy, sweet, and passionate little rose had somewhat eased Zhou Jinheng’s emotional trauma. So, Zhou Jinheng liked this little lover, but could this affection compare to the deep-rooted love for the white moonlight?
Yin Minglu sneered to himself while thinking about how to handle the situation, and slowly got dressed.
Due to his reminiscing, he took quite some time. The shop assistant outside the door asked politely with a sweet voice, “Sir, do you need any assistance?”
“No, thank you,” Yin Minglu replied politely. After straightening the tag, he, unlike the original owner who needed encouragement, confidently walked out of the fitting room.
The young man who walked out of the fitting room in the upscale clothing store captivated all the customers. They looked at him in amazement. Indeed, the young man was exceptionally handsome, with delicate and exquisite features. His skin was fair, shining like milk under the crystal lights. His eyes, one black and one white, were striking, and his long, raven-black eyelashes added to his charm. Coupled with his innocent demeanor, he could easily outshine many young celebrities if featured in a magazine.
Particularly at this moment, he was wearing a white shirt, which made his slightly slender shoulders stand out. Although his aura seemed a bit difficult to control, his good looks surprisingly complemented the outfit.
“What a beautiful young man,” the people in the store secretly sighed.
Zhou Jinheng was also astonished. He hadn’t expected that the random shirt he had picked for the young man would fit him so perfectly. He had realized his mistake as soon as he handed over the shirt, as it leaned towards a more mature style and was clearly not something a young man of his age would typically wear. When the young man had hesitated for a moment but still accepted it and went into the fitting room to change, Zhou Jinheng had contemplated stopping him. However, by then, it was too late, and it would have seemed odd.
The result of the outfit was indeed astonishing. Originally, Zhou Jinheng had intended to avoid looking at the young man, keeping his head down and playing with his phone to avoid witnessing him changing clothes. In his mind, the white shirt had always been a symbol of Qiao An, the most handsome person he had ever seen wearing it. No one else could compare or surpass him.
Zhou Jinheng found himself unable to look away from the young man. While the shirt didn’t quite fit him, his natural good looks compensated for it. In the numerous mirrors around, the young man adjusted his hair, and the slightly undone white shirt revealed his slender collarbone.
Under the glaring lights, the shirt appeared somewhat see-through, allowing Zhou Jinheng to see the young man’s delicate, fair-skinned back, resembling a beautiful butterfly ready to take flight. He couldn’t recall Qiao An’s appearance anymore; the young man before him had completely replaced those memories.
“This kid is truly enchanting,” Zhou Jinheng could only think.
Love what you read? A little donation can go a long way!
