Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Prompted by a well-meaning netizen, Shen Yue immersed himself in a crash course on system transmigration novels.

Having never encountered such genres before, it was like discovering a whole new world. Fortunately, his learning ability was strong, and though it took some time, he eventually grasped the various conventions and settings. He then opened the chat interface with the user named "Shishi Reads": [So, my body not obeying me is because of this thing called a "system"?]

"Shishi Reads" usually only replied to messages outside of work hours. Since it was still work hours, Shen Yue asked his question and then left the chat. After a moment's thought, he checked out the other person's profile.

Coincidentally, this person was located very close to him—their IP address was in the neighboring city of Jiangcheng.

To Shen Yue's surprise, scrolling down their profile revealed only some work-related complaints, with practically zero mystical elements. This was very different from the so-called Taoist masters Shen Yue had sought out before, yet it somehow felt much more credible.

Just as Shen Yue was focusing on the profile, someone knocked on his office door. He instinctively locked his phone. At that moment, the door opened from the outside and Wei Jinchuan walked in.

Eagle-eyed, Wei Jinchuan spotted Shen Yue hiding his phone. He quickly closed the door, strode swiftly to the desk, and asked, "Who are you chatting with again?"

Shen Yue wasn't the least bit surprised to see him. The man placed his phone face down on the desk, lifted his beautifully shaped peach blossom eyes slightly, and asked unhurriedly, "Are you checking up on me?"

Having suffered a few times because of this before, Wei Jinchuan's initial burst of indignation deflated immediately upon hearing Shen Yue's question.

Shen Yue withdrew his gaze and began flipping through the documents Linda had delivered that morning. He was so calm it was as if Wei Jinchuan hadn't come to pick a fight but to report on work. "Next time you come to my office, wait for my permission before entering. What brings you here?"

Wei Jinchuan couldn't stand this composed demeanor, as if they truly had no connection whatsoever. "Do you have to talk to me like this?"

Shen Yue seemed to find this amusing; even the corners of his eyes lifted slightly. His movements as he turned the pages slowed, his fingers gently rubbing the corner of the open page. Without saying a word, his silence felt heavier than a thousand pounds.

Amid this silence, Wei Jinchuan's previously fervent thoughts gradually cooled. The decorative wall clock in the office ticked loudly, each sound piercingly sharp in the quiet room, feeling like a cut to his heart, a slow torture.

Shen Yue remained silent, just watching him. Wei Jinchuan's intense anger was actually suppressed by this calmness until it faded completely. He opened his mouth to explain, "I came to ask you..."

"I hope you're here on business matters," Shen Yue interrupted him calmly.

Wei Jinchuan paused, his eyes shifting uneasily. "Today, Sister Linda asked me to..."

"If there's anything you don't understand about work, you can ask Linda," Shen Yue had little patience, interrupting after hearing the first part. "There shouldn't be any work requiring coordination between you and me. She is your direct supervisor."

His voice was calm, his attitude normal, showing no sign of having argued with Wei Jinchuan not long ago. It was as if there were no emotional entanglements between them, as if they were truly just ordinary superior and subordinate, with no other relationship.

Wei Jinchuan was deeply stung by this business-like tone. "...But you said before that you would mentor me. You said I could come to you."

"Are you sure you want to bring up the past?" Shen Yue laughed, a mocking sound. "Do you want to dredge up old scores?"

"..."

This confrontation once again ended with Shen Yue's overwhelming victory. Wei Jinchuan was, after all, young, concerned with face and lacking the moral high ground. His previous upper hand with Shen Yue was only because Shen Yue was willing to yield, and later because of that damned "world will" interfering. Now that Shen Yue no longer wanted to yield, and the "world will" was supposedly constrained by Wei Jinchuan's previous words, he was naturally no match for Shen Yue.

After work in the evening, "Shishi Reads" replied, analyzing various possibilities for Shen Yue's loss of bodily control. Although some explanations seemed absurd, their seriousness and sincerity prevented Shen Yue from lumping them together with the previous charlatans.

He described his situation: [Are you sure? But I haven't encountered any system.]

"Shishi Reads" replied much faster after work: [What?!!!]

[Really? You don't have a system? No system issuing you tasks? Then how could you be like this? Could you have missed it?]

He spoke so convincingly that Shen Yue began to doubt himself. He recalled all the events, big and small, that happened after dreaming about losing control, going over the details again and again, but found not a single trace of a "system." [Probably not.]

[That's strange,] "Shishi Reads" said. [Wait a moment, I'll ask around for you.]

After sending this message, he went silent, leaving Shen Yue waiting anxiously in front of the screen.

Shen Yue wondered what this "asking around" meant, and feared this person might also be a fraud like the others. He even started scrutinizing the profile for clues to their real-world location, thinking of offering benefits for cooperation or resorting to coercion if necessary—there were many ways to get what he wanted, and surely one would work.

"Shishi Reads" was very slow to reply this time. Shen Yue switched apps to read something lighthearted to pass the time, switching back to the chat log countless times, but still no message arrived, wearing down his usually abundant patience.

Shen Yue finally couldn't resist typing a message, but worried about offending the other party, he kept revising it, rephrasing the same idea numerous times before settling on a version he was barely satisfied with: [May I ask, why do you know so much about this kind of thing?]

It wasn't an exaggeration; this matter was truly bizarre. Sometimes even Shen Yue himself, looking at the messages he sent, felt like calling an anti-cult hotline. If this weren't happening to him, he'd probably think someone was trying to be abstract or seek attention.

Shishi Reads: [You might not believe it, but my boss experienced a similar... issue before.]

Shen Yue: [?]

Shishi Reads: [It's a bit complicated, a long story, so I won't go into it now. I asked around for you just now, but he's already disconnected from his system and isn't too sure either. However, his previous system mentioned that every world operates on a predetermined trajectory. If the trajectory deviates and there aren't enough system personnel, the main system coordinates revisions... I think that's the gist? Honestly, he was pretty vague, and I'm not too clear either.]

Shen Yue found it even more mystifying: [Are you saying we aren't real?]

Shishi Reads: [It's not that extreme. The world is definitely real, and we are real too. Just live your life properly; you won't die.]

"..." Reading this, Shen Yue suddenly felt he wasn't so reliable after all.

He looked at the chat box for a long time before typing: [I see you're very close to me. Would it be convenient for me to find you and ask in person?]

This time, the chat interface showed "typing..." at the top for a long while, but "Shishi Reads" never responded. Shen Yue waited with the utmost patience he could muster for two minutes before finally losing it. He shared the person's profile with a familiar private investigator.

He was brief, giving only a time limit. The investigator immediately sent an "OK" emoji and then went silent.

After doing this, Shen Yue felt considerably more at ease.

In the evening, Zhao Lian messaged him to go out and hang out. Coincidentally, Shen Yue hadn't relaxed for a long time due to his efforts to break free from the "world will." After getting the address, he drove there.

Zhao Lian had arranged for two supposedly freshly graduated, innocent college students for him. One of them had familiar features, bearing a three or four out of ten resemblance to Wei Jinchuan. When this young man saw Shen Yue, clear admiration flashed in his eyes. The initial reluctance on his face was replaced by a sincere smile, increasing the resemblance to five or six out of ten. From a certain angle, it was almost like looking at Wei Jinchuan himself.

Shen Yue was dumbstruck at the sight and frowned, asking Zhao Lian, "What's the meaning of this?"

"Newcomers, untouched, definitely meet your cleanliness standards. Your buddy treats you well, right?" Zhao Lian patted his shoulder proudly and asked, "Looks like him, doesn't it? I was shocked too when I first saw him, wondering if the Wei family had gone bankrupt and the young master had fallen to such a place!"

Shen Yue was silent for two seconds, then laughed helplessly. "I don't do this kind of... what's it called, substitute literature, right?"

Zhao Lian, thinking Shen Yue was genuinely pleased, puffed out his chest and patted it firmly. "If you don't usually do it, try it now. They're clean, so you don't need any psychological burden. And I guarantee this one is definitely more obedient than that guy. If it's the face you like, this one isn't bad either, right? Look at that smile, it's so nice. Then think about that Wei kid's face, always looking like his whole family died. Any normal person would know which one to choose, right?"

As he spoke, the man who looked like Wei Jinchuan came over with a poured glass of wine, appearing obedient. "Young Master Shen."

Shen Yue didn't accept it. Instead, he pointed to the other person. "You, come pour me a drink."

Upon hearing this, the Wei Jinchuan lookalike was stunned, holding the glass awkwardly in the air, unsure what to do.

Shen Yue didn't even glance at him, nor did he pay attention to the flustered and honored young man he had pointed to. He walked straight to the sofa and sat down.

Zhao Lian followed him, sitting beside Shen Yue and asking quietly, "What's going on with you?"

Shen Yue tapped the empty glass on the table in front of him. The man beside him immediately poured half a glass of wine. Shen Yue picked it up and drank it in one go, saying, "Don't mention him in front of me again."

"Why? Did you two break up?"

Zhao Lian didn't know much about the details of their relationship, mainly because Shen Yue rarely spoke about it. His only impression was of one relentlessly pursuing while the other remained indifferent. Although Shen Yue had said several times he wanted to give up, his subsequent actions proved those words were empty.

Though he knew he shouldn't, Zhao Lian couldn't resist gloating. "Was it from when you two hung out last time? Did you guys get into a fight?"

Shen Yue didn’t know how to explain—he and Wei Jinchuan had never actually been together, so why did Zhao Lian talk as if they were tangled in a web of love and hate, having gone through countless breakups and reconciliations?

He didn’t want to answer, and Zhao Lian didn’t mind, putting on an "I get it" expression. "With his personality, I’d be surprised if you two weren’t like this every other day. Anyway, I’ve advised you to break up many times—if you won’t listen, there’s nothing I can do. Luckily, his personality is shitty enough to finally shatter those rose-colored glasses you had for him."

At this point, he paused and sighed sincerely, "Just how terrible must his personality be, then?"

Shen Yue: ...?

Wait, what exactly had happened between him and Wei Jinchuan?

Shen Yue chuckled wryly and gestured for the bartender beside him to pour another drink.

Seeing this, Zhao Lian thought he was putting on a brave face while nursing a broken heart and pressed on even more eagerly. "If only you’d listened to me earlier. If you had, you wouldn’t have wasted so much time for no reason. Right?"

Wei Jinchuan had sent three consecutive texts; the latest one was glaring prominently on the lockscreen: [Where are you right now?]