Chapter 2

Chapter 2

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

He even "watched" himself drive the wrecked car back to the villa without a scratch.

It freaked him out.

Everything around him was blurry, time fractured into jagged lines, and he was like a bystander, watching himself fight and seethe over Lou Yue, stopping at nothing; and watching Lou Yue shed tears and rejoice for Meng Shuyi, never leaving his side.

He was a fool, fooling himself into thinking he loved Lou Yue, constantly going after Meng Shuyi and the Meng family, only to realize that the man in Lou Yue's heart was a Meng, not a Wen.

In the end, he died a lonely death abroad, leaving all his assets to Lou Yue.

Wen Qiu suddenly opened his eyes, finding the damaged car hood and the deflated airbag still right in front of him.

It felt like a dream.

But he knew with certainty—that wasn't a dream.

It had truly happened.

The world he lived in was just a trashy soap opera of a novel, with Lou Yue and Meng Shuyi as the leads.

And he was merely the villain, just a tool whose only purpose was to throw obstacles at the leads and push their romance along.

He called his assistant to deal with the car, while he staggered to the roadside, staring off toward the villa.

His mind was a mess; the only thing he knew was that he couldn't go back.

*

Ji Liao played with his phone while waiting for Villain A to return.

But he waited until he couldn't stop yawning, and still no one showed.

He fell asleep without realizing it, and when he opened his eyes again, he was still in the gorgeous room.

Ji Liao whipped out his phone and checked his account balance first.

The 500k was still there.

He let out a sigh of relief.

He'd really ended up inside the book.

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

The spacious closet was filled with clothes, and judging by the sizes, they were definitely meant for the original owner—every piece brand new with tags still attached.

Might as well take them—Ji Liao had no shame, and immediately grabbed a cream-colored tracksuit.

Maybe it was psychological, but this tracksuit that cost tens of thousands of yuan was indeed more comfortable than the ones that cost a few dozen bucks.

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

No one was at the door now.

It was then he noticed the entire villa was eerily quiet, as if the whole place was still asleep.

Where was everybody?

So Villain A never came back?

Ji Liao was confused, so he just walked out of the room.

Stepping out, the first thing he saw was a massive crystal chandelier, its sparkling strands hanging from the high ceiling all the way down to the floor below.

In his original world, Ji Liao had visited some clients' villas, each one unique in its own way. Back then, he thought he'd never be able to afford a house that nice on his salary.

Life is full of surprises—now he actually lived in one!

And he hadn't spent a single penny!

The confusion from earlier quickly faded.

Since he was here, he might as well settle in.

Ji Liao checked out the entire villa inside and out, found a charger to charge his phone, and headed to the kitchen to hunt for something to eat.

To be honest, the villa 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 high.

Spending his own money on overtime would basically be paying to work, right?

So no takeout.

The high-end smart fridge hummed away, its light glowing, and the coffee machine was running fine too.

Opening the fridge, it was packed full of all kinds of food.

Truly extravagant—the villain rarely even stayed here, yet it had everything you could need.

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

The entire dining area and living room were open-plan; looking up, he could look straight over the wide sofa and out the floor-to-ceiling windows to the sprawling lawn.

It was a beautiful day today, with the sun pouring down generously, and the lush green grass looked full of life.

Ji Liao was in a great mood, took a few photos with his phone, and then checked WeChat.

WeChat was quiet too—Villain A still hadn't accepted his friend request.

Whatever. So what if the boss was cold?

Five hundred grand was worth it.

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

"Mr. Wen, are you coming back tonight? I'll make you dinner."

As long as the pay was right, this worker was all in.

*

Wen Qiu returned to his office in a fog, not knowing when he'd fallen asleep. When he opened his eyes again, the sunlight was blinding.

His suit jacket was thrown on the floor, and his shirt was wrinkled, but the injuries from last night's crash had already healed—Alpha's self-healing abilities were incredible.

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

Wen Qiu's eyes were clear and focused.

He had two missed calls on his phone—one from his assistant, one from Lou Yue.

There were still unread messages.

Wen Qiu set everything else aside and checked Lou Yue's message first.

"Brother Qiu, I'm sorry."

Lou Yue and Wen Qiu had grown up together.

Wen Qiu's awkward standing in his family mirrored Lou Yue's position in the Lou family.

They grew up encouraging each other, their bond running deep.

Unfortunately, Lou Yue saw Wen Qiu as a brother, while Wen Qiu had fallen for her in a way that went beyond family.

He was just biding his time until he had enough strength to help Lou Yue break free from her cage.

But plans went out the window—Lou Yue got "sold" off to the Meng family by her own family ahead of schedule.

Up until last night, Wen Qiu had been furious about it, feeling sorry for Lou Yue and hating both the Lou and Meng families.

But now, he knew Lou Yue and Meng Shuyi were meant to be.

His one-sided protectiveness and hostility would only cause Lou Yue trouble.

Even though only one night had passed, Wen Qiu had genuinely lived a lifetime.

He didn't want to play the fool anymore.

He tucked away his feelings for Lou Yue. From now on, they were just family.

So he texted back:

"I'm fine. Do whatever you want—I've got your back."

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

Opening it, he saw a user named "Blossoming Fortune."

The note said: I'm Ji Liao.

Without the note, Wen Qiu would've thought it was some old-timer.

So Wen Qiu rejected the friend request.

But just as he left the chat, a new message notification popped up.

It was Ji Liao again.

*

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

Whatever—he was just showing his sincerity to the boss.

It was better if Wen Qiu stayed away.

He kept scrolling through his phone.

Honestly, he really wanted to go out and explore, but he didn't have a key and didn't dare leave without permission.

Luckily, the internet was working just fine.

With internet and WiFi, staying put wasn't boring in the least.

Ji Liao first downloaded a real estate app to check out local housing prices.

Then he checked a food delivery app to get a sense of local prices.

Just like the world he came from, this city was still dazzling and pricey, with housing prices that seemed to eat people alive.

The 500,000 in his account looked even better now.

He hadn't even scraped together a down payment before, but now he could buy a house outright in a few months.

Full payment!

One giant step closer to his dream!

Before falling asleep last night, he'd hesitated for a second, feeling the money wasn't entirely legit.

But if he didn't take the body double gig—

His old life flashed through his mind: the packed morning subway, the cramped rental, the price tags he'd compare again and again at the supermarket...

God, that was terrifying!

Ji Liao shook his head. He wasn't exactly a saint himself.

He opened his messages and sent Wen Qiu another text:

"I'm a damn good cook."

Whether Wen Qiu came back or not, he was going to show off his skills!

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

Then he tidied up the kitchen and prepped the ingredients.

Ji Liao wasn't bragging—he really could cook.

To save up for a house, after college, while everyone else ordered takeout at work, he insisted on cooking for himself, pinching pennies wherever he could!

Over time, it had leveled up his cooking game.

Time flew.

When Wen Qiu got back, Ji Liao had just poured hot oil over the boiled pork slices.

With a sizzle, the room filled with the aroma of Sichuan pepper.

Since Lou Yue was a singer and had to protect her voice, she ate bland food year-round. Wen Qiu had followed suit for her sake.

So no one knew Wen Qiu actually loved spicy food.

But Ji Liao knew.

Wen Qiu came in through the garage, and the moment he opened the door, the rich, spicy aroma hit him square in the face.

God, that smelled good.

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

It was like Lou Yue, wearing an apron, was busy cooking for him.

But that wasn't Lou Yue.

That was Ji Liao—the one he had to take out.