Chapter 004: Substitute x Tyrant x White Moonlight (4)

Chapter 004: Substitute x Tyrant x White Moonlight (4)

No sense of victory.

This meal was eaten with absolutely no sense of victory.

Yan Chun ate without tasting, completely uninterested in the conversations at the dinner table.

A few penniless kids from the mountains, dreaming about studying medicine or law, taking postgraduate exams, and going abroad... What did it matter to him?

Though his weariness didn't show on his face, his sparse responses were all noted by Keding.

The system said, "You've managed to deflate them with your skills."

"Too kind, too kind," Keding replied modestly. "I only know how to eat, nothing else."

Cheng Junfeng agreed readily to the sponsorship, but there was no smile on his face.

After the dinner ended, he arranged for an assistant to send the students off in a car. Shen Xi also stood up, intending to hitch a ride home, but was politely stopped by another assistant.

The door closed silently, leaving only three people in the private room.

"Sit," the man said from the head of the table. "Let's talk."

Yan Chun, who had been distracted earlier, lifted his eyes, finally showing some interest in returning to the battlefield.

Keding saw everything clearly.

He knew that these two didn't really love each other deeply.

What they were infatuated with was the thrill of what they couldn't have and the power to take it away.

The system: "I'm getting nervous!"

"Are they going to fight? Keke, go! Take them down!"

Warm light poured down from above, casting a slender and lonely figure.

He sat alone across the round table, quietly watching the couple holding hands tightly.

"Alright, what do we talk about?"

Seeing Cheng Junfeng fall silent, Yan Chun spoke apologetically.

"Mr. Shen, charity is something we often do, but now... I'm more concerned about your state."

"To suddenly have the engagement terminated, anyone would find it hard to accept. I'm worried you're too upset."

Cheng Junfeng tightened his grip on Yan Chun's hand, intertwining their fingers, and asked indifferently, "On the day of the engagement banquet, you were smiling all the time. Was it an act, or were you truly happy?"

Keding sighed inwardly.

"These two are so well-matched, they don't even want to be human."

The system grew increasingly nervous: "Do you need some acting enhancement? I can make you cry instantly!"

"Oh, that won't be necessary."

Shen Xi looked down at the table, then after a long pause, smiled.

"I was genuinely happy that day."

"No, rather than saying happy, I'd say I felt blessed."

"Do you remember what we ate that day?"

Yan Chun's eyebrows twitched, sensing an ominous premonition.

Are you thinking with your stomach?

You're going to talk about food again?

Cheng Junfeng thought he was trying to change the subject and frowned. "I don't care about those things."

"I do care," Shen Xi raised his eyes and said calmly. "Since none of you care, let me repeat it."

"The signature dish that day was the Pine Leaf Crab, served three ways."

"The waiter said it came from the North Pacific in Canada, prepared with Shaoxing wine, and garnished with Tongling ginger."

"A crab leg was longer than my face, the crab roe and paste were used to steam eggs, the meat was simmered in a high broth, and even the juices from preparing the crab were collected to make fried rice."

Cheng Junfeng gradually lost patience, and the beauty beside him chuckled softly, speaking in a pitying tone, "No wonder you couldn't keep Junfeng."

Even a mere sea crab can make you recite like a treasure. It's pitiful how inexperienced you are.

Shen Xi lowered his lashes, smiling.

"That was the first time my parents and I tasted Pine Leaf Crab."

"Even if the engagement was canceled, maybe we'll never get to taste it again in our lives, nor can we afford even half a crab leg. At least this once, I could share a perfect meal with them."

"In the future, even if I earn a lot of money and try to convince them to go, we might not even be able to step through the door."

When he raised his head, his tone was one of acceptance.

"Indeed, you two are more suited. I sincerely wish you both well and thank the Cheng family for their past care."

"Mr. Cheng, Mr. Yan, neither of you are the type to ask for free scallions after buying pork ribs at the market."

"You wouldn't care whether there are two or three eggs in a dish of stir-fried silk gourd. With the company covering expenses, perhaps you never need to pay for meals out of pocket, and you certainly wouldn't ask about coupons or discounts."

"Mr. Cheng, I was originally such a humble person."

"I would be tempted by a 10% discount, overjoyed by a 30% discount, and rush without hesitation for a 50% discount."

"If the supermarket offered a buy-one-get-one-free deal on near-expiry yogurt, I would feel like it was my lucky day and be happy all day long."

"The meals that you take for granted are what ordinary people cherish dearly."

When he said these words, he was still Shen Xi.

Radiant and clear-eyed, as if he were not talking about mundane life but reciting a sonnet.

Cheng Junfeng held his regained lover's hand, staring at his face in a daze.

Shen Xi had become more rosy-cheeked.

He had been eating well, and the baby fat was gradually fading, improving his complexion greatly.

The state of peace and contentment he exuded was something Cheng Junfeng had rarely seen before.

He couldn't take his eyes off him, even wanting to coax him into smiling more.

Even though they had just broken up completely, with their engagement severed by his own hands.

The system clearly prompted: "Breakthrough value, +15."

Keding asked, "How much is it now?"

"Forty."

"Oh, still not enough."

"It's time to get up." The system gently reminded: "It's an early eight today."

"…!!!"

Still groggy, phones started ringing one after another in the dormitory.

The snoring from the top bunk hadn't stopped yet, while someone outside in the hallway was slamming doors and cursing about another early eight.

Keding buried his head in the blanket, moaning, "I don't want to get up!!!"

"If you don't want to, you still have to," a roommate mumbled while brushing teeth in a half-asleep state. "It's Dr. Yan's clinical basics this morning, and the cameras are testing facial recognition. You don't want to be reported to the whole hospital, do you?"

The snoring from the top bunk abruptly stopped: "Today is an early eight?"

"What time is it now?"

"Seven thirty."

The bed shook violently as the guy scrambled down to change clothes.

"Dr. Yan's class! Hurry up!"

Keding dragged himself to the classroom purely by willpower.

They arrived too late, and the back rows were already full.

Awake for school, asleep at work. This life was unbearable.

After taking on this job, his daily routine became attending classes in the morning, napping and entering the book during lunch, attending classes in the afternoon, and sleeping and entering the book at night.

Closing his eyes meant Shen Xi, opening them meant Keding.

The system reminded him, "Don't sleep in class; otherwise, you'll be pulled back after only five minutes, which is even worse."

"Since you're so sleepy, how about some music in your head? Do you want to hear 'Lady Shexiang' or 'Fiery Sarlang'?"

Keding slumped on the table, saying, "I want to die."

He opened his phone, revealing a schedule wallpaper resembling a mahjong chart.

Two big classes in the morning, clinical microbiology in the afternoon, and general surgery from seven to nine in the evening.

Classes every day from Monday to Sunday, with only Thursday mornings free to sleep in a bit longer.

Fortunately, the flow of time in both worlds was different, and he could pause the book entry process anytime.

The system was looking at his wallpaper and said, "Are college students nowadays so miserable?"

"Weren't you miserable back then?"

"Not really," the system said cheerfully. "I died in 2009, and we played all the time in college."

She saw the lower part of the wallpaper and sympathized, "Wow, you still have evening study sessions in college…"

"Can you become a system if you die?"

"Seems not," the system said happily. "But after completing a few more jobs, I can be reborn! I can choose which world to go to!"

Keding felt sympathetic and nodded, "Good colleague, wish you happiness."

At ten fifty in the evening, a group of students rushed back to the dormitory before lights-out.

Papers and exams were piling up, urgent!

As autumn deepened, the weather turned colder. A slight breeze could send chills down one's spine.

No one knew which unlucky guy suddenly said he was hungry while everyone was washing up.

It was fine until he said it; then everyone started feeling hungry.

"Should we make some instant noodles?"

"Instant noodles aren't as good when just soaked," Lao Zhang said, wiping away tears. "I like them freshly cooked, simmered gently until soft and mushy, with added ham and an egg."

A roommate was cleaning his shoes nearby and his stomach growled at Lao Zhang's description. The slop they had eaten in the cafeteria at dusk had been completely digested.

"The dorm supervisors are checking too strictly now; otherwise, I'd get a small cooking pot..."

"I heard a senior is using an electric kettle. Last time, she secretly made beef and egg flower soup and can even use that kettle to stew noodles."

"No way! They don't even allow hair dryers now!"

Keding silently chanted, "I can't hear you, I can't hear you," took a comfortable hot shower, and crawled back into bed, ready to continue sleeping and working.

Lao Zhang poked him. "Xiao Ding, do you want some roasted sweet potatoes?"

"A vendor is secretly selling them. You can pass them through the window with a stick!"

Keding swallowed hard and turned his head away.

"I'm going to sleep."

"Just imagine, roasted sweet potatoes slowly baked over a fire," Lao Zhang swallowed and said, "covered with a layer of golden honey, the skin a bit crispy, but once you tear it open, the inside is soft and sweet, and oh, it melts in your mouth..."

Before he could finish, Lao Zhang was rudely dragged away by a roommate.

"What are you talking about! Buy it! Go buy it now!! Damn it!!"

Keding, with great self-control, returned to Shen Xi's world.

For several days, Shen Xi did not go out of his way to provoke Cheng Junfeng.

He diligently worked at his desk, commuting entirely by subway, never stepping foot into the café downstairs.

Even so, he still relied on the system for updates: "Alert! Cheng Junfeng is blocking the elevator entrance!"

"Alert! Cheng Junfeng is at your company's north gate!"

Keding was annoyed himself: "Why is he blocking me? He should be with his precious white moonlight!"

"You ran away too fast," the system said. "It seems that if you run away, you become his new white moonlight."

Keding: "..."

"Host, what do you plan to do now?"

"I want some roasted sweet potatoes."

"At least consider what to do about the mission—" the system suddenly said: "Wait, danger, don't look up!"

Shen Xi was typing a work email when someone tapped his shoulder.

The supervisor called him over with a few others: "Come to meeting room 1823. This is President Cheng."

Shen Xi instinctively stood up and saw a face that looked very much like Cheng Junfeng.

"Hi, I'm Cheng Chenyu." The young man shook his hand with a bright smile. "I'm the deputy manager from the neighboring company here to discuss business."

"This is his younger brother," the system urgently said. "He wasn't mentioned much in the original story, but the protagonist has always been wary of you, so he didn't introduce you."

Keding was taken aback: "Is Cheng Chenyu here alone?"

"Yes, it's quite a coincidence," the system rejoiced. "Why don't you flirt with him and seduce him, making that scoundrel lose his cool!"

Shen Xi picked up his notebook and walked towards the meeting room with them, where Cheng Chenyu noticed the pattern on his notebook.

"Oh? You like Nintendo too?" Cheng Chenyu said happily. "We should play together sometime! I have Mario Party and Splatoon at home!"

"Young people get along well," the supervisor flattered. "Xiao Shen, interact more with President Cheng; it's good to make friends!"

The system was already clapping: "Seduce! Seduce! Have a beautiful romance! Get together!"

Keding: "I'm really straight."

Cheng Chenyu was naturally outgoing and sat next to Shen Xi in the meeting room, chatting and laughing easily.

Compared to his slightly cold and brooding older brother, the younger brother was cheerful and sunny, like a carefree golden retriever.

Supervisor Sun was delighted to have another acquaintance to help with business and allowed them to chat during the meeting, focusing on reading the PPT about the companies' collaboration.

Halfway through the meeting, a secretary knocked on the door.

"Mr. Sun, President Cheng has a moment and wants to confirm the business details."

"Please come in!"

Supervisor Sun warmly welcomed Cheng Junfeng.

The man entered, his gaze fixed on the two sitting together, and his smile vanished.

"What a coincidence?"

"Brother!" Cheng Chenyu waved. "Let's go together later!"

Cheng Junfeng lightly acknowledged, saying, "It seems there's no seat left."

"Of course not," Manager Sun offered his seat, planning to squeeze in with a colleague nearby. "Please, take my seat."

"No need." The man pulled over a chair and sat between Cheng Chenyu and Shen Xi.

"I'll sit here."

The system perked up: "Here it comes! The showdown! The brooding type versus the healing type! Keke, how do you want to mess with the scumbag's mind!"

Shen Xi was lost in thought and mumbled, "I want to eat a baked sweet potato."

Both brothers from the Cheng family looked over at him.