Chapter 1: Suffering Is Not Worth Glorifying

"We're sorry, but your profile doesn't quite align with our company's development philosophy. We look forward to the possibility of working together in the future should a suitable opportunity arise."

"Thank you for your trust and support in our company, but our current recruitment focus leans toward customer-facing technical specialists..."

"We regret to inform you..."

The polite rejections from one HR representative after another left Chen Ye feeling dizzy and overwhelmed. Even his steps as he crossed the street seemed a bit unsteady. As an older employee who had been laid off by big tech, he couldn't even find a suitable job anymore.

At thirty-four, he was unemployed with a terrible, short-lived three-year marriage under his belt. His next destination was a cafe. The blind date a former colleague had set up for him was still waiting. As for why he was going on a blind date at thirty-four without a job, he didn't quite understand it himself. He only knew that since someone made the introduction, he would go, like an obedient, mindless corporate drone.

As for the reasons those people gave—things like risk tolerance or being lonely in old age—he didn't believe money could buy solutions to any of that.

Soon, Chen Ye found his blind date at the Marriott Cafe on the thirty-third floor of the Marriott Hotel.

The rather sophisticated-looking urban beauty offered a rehearsed smile when she saw him. She then pulled a few documents, thicker than a business contract, out of her handbag and placed them gently on the coffee table.

"The bride price is five hundred thousand. The house needs to be a luxury flat, and the car must be worth over three hundred thousand."

"And then?" Chen Ye asked expressionlessly. This was all within his expectations.

"One more thing. You'll take the child's last name. That's not a problem, right?"

"No prob—" Chen Ye was about to agree just to see what other outrageous demands she had, but the moment the words left his mouth, he realized what she actually meant. This was obviously a buy-one-get-one-free deal—and a fully manufactured, ready-made product straight off the assembly line at that. Still, in the end, he nodded. "What else?"

"I heard your parents passed away a long time ago. That's a huge advantage, but you still have a grandfather..."

The woman flipped through the thick stack of documents as she spoke, but Chen Ye couldn't listen anymore. He picked up his coffee and tuned into the melodious music playing in the cafe.

It was "Wedding in the Dream".

During the few years he had lived with his ex-wife, his taste in music had at least improved a bit. As for the woman sitting across from him now, what she was describing was probably her own wedding in the dream.

"Have you thought it over? My conditions aren't exactly harsh. I'm only willing to discuss this with you because you're good-looking, hardworking, and have some prospects," the woman asked with a smile.

Chen Ye started laughing too. When a person reaches the absolute pinnacle of speechlessness, they can't help but laugh. Right now, he just wanted to pull out his phone and text his former colleague a simple phrase: "Fuck your mother."

But on second thought, he let it go. It was a hard-kept connection; there was always a chance it might actually prove useful in the future.

"What are you laughing at?" the woman asked, her tone noticeably souring at the sound of his laughter.

"Nothing. I'm just laughing at why I'm wasting my time drinking coffee here when it doesn't even taste that good."

"You think meeting me is a waste of time?" The woman instantly flared up. "I think meeting you is a waste of time! You don't have a job, your house is old and tiny, and at thirty-four, you probably can't even get it up anymore! You can't even accept a child; you have no magnanimity at all! It serves you right that your ex-wife divorced you!"

With that, she snatched up her fake LV bag from the side, stood up, and stormed out of the cafe.

Having lived with his wealthy ex-wife for a while, Chen Ye could easily tell a real bag from a fake one. As the woman left, "Wedding in the Dream" appropriately came to an end.

Chen Ye grabbed his briefcase and got up to head to the restroom. Feeling the weak stream of water from the faucet, he let out a soft sigh.

As an orphan, to avoid disappointing the grandparents who had worked so hard to raise him, and to give them a good life in their old age, he had studied like his life depended on it. In 2008, he had been accepted into Dongnan University. In 2012, as a prestigious graduate from a top-tier university, he was recruited straight out of campus into Ali. He spent six whole years trapped in the rat race, grinding away until he was twenty-eight. Then, he married his ex-wife and returned to Jinling City.

During that time, from his grandmother's lung cancer surgery to her chemotherapy and eventual passing, he had only managed to find the time to see her three times over three years. He hadn't even been there for her final moments. He himself had urinated blood and fainted on multiple occasions, ending up in the emergency room twice.

After returning to Jinling City in 2019, he used his savings to buy a pre-sale property. Less than two years into paying the mortgage, his company laid him off. Unable to pay off the remaining balance, he even had to watch his ex-wife borrow money from her younger sister to cover it.

He had lost all face.

Later, he found a new job and repaid the debt, but their incompatible personalities eventually forced them to part ways. His ex-wife hadn't taken any of his assets. She had even left him some of her own money—the final remnants of pride from a down-on-her-luck rich girl. He had swallowed his pride and accepted the money because his mortgage payments had to continue. In the face of cold hard cash, how much was pride really worth?

But with his grandmother gone and his grandfather refusing to leave their hometown, he suddenly became a headless fly, buzzing aimlessly around the massive Jinling City.

Until early 2024, when he was laid off once again.

The mortgage was paid off, but what did he have left? He had fought harder and struggled more desperately than countless others for over a decade, and he was even smarter than most. But what was the use? He had nothing left. His health was gone, his family was gone, his love was gone. Over these past few years, he hadn't even left behind a single seed.

He was tired.

His teachers used to tell him that his life was full of hardship, but once he endured the trials, he would soar. But now, he wanted to say that no one should ever believe that suffering was worth it. Suffering was just suffering. Suffering wouldn't bring success, and suffering was not worth pursuing. People tempered their wills only because suffering was unavoidable. Compared to the true hardships he had endured all these years, the woman's earlier demands of a five-hundred-thousand bride price, a luxury flat, and a three-hundred-thousand car weren't hardships at all. They were merely a sweet fantasy.

As for taking her child's last name, that was actually quite practical by comparison.

Zipping up his pants and checking his shoes to make sure they were dry, he washed his hands and left the hotel. The coffee had indeed sobered him up a bit. Standing by the side of the road, he took out his phone to hail a cab and started scrolling.

Soon, he scrolled past a news article posted in a group chat full of his former Ali colleagues.

Another corporate drone had jumped off a building.

He quickly typed out a line. "He really couldn't think things through. He just had to get married, had to buy a house, and had to have kids. Now he's hit the reset button, and his wife and kids are left holding the bag."

Someone immediately chimed in below.

"Ye truly has incredible foresight. You got divorced and quit early on to live a carefree life."

"Too bad I'm a kept man. I don't have any pressure."

"Fuck you, kept men need to shut up!"

Reading the messages, Chen Ye couldn't help but laugh out loud. The confusion and anger brought on by his failed blind date and rejections were temporarily eased. Glancing at the green light, he kept his head down, typing as he walked.

"So jealous. I'd love to be a kept man, but I can't even—"

HONK HONK!!!

Before the message could be sent, an ear-piercing horn tore into his ears. An instant later, he felt his entire body launch into the air. His two shoes traced perfect parabolas through the air, landing somewhere in the distance.

He thought, "Fuck, I'm flying! Wait, I haven't even dared to spend a single cent of my two hundred thousand in savings! What a massive loss!! Did my phone break?! It's fine, I think I turned on incognito mode! What a pity! I didn't get to text that colleague who set up the blind date 'Fuck your mother'!"

That was the last conscious thought he had.

"Epinephrine! Hurry!"

...

"Family members, please stay calm, we're doing everything we can!"

...

"Chen... Chen Ye!!"

...

"Chen Ye, don't just stand there spacing out! Hurry up and say your line!"

Chen Ye couldn't hear any of this. All he knew was that a sudden, sharp pain flared in his backside.

Wait!!!

He seemed to have heard that last sentence! Say his line? What line? Did he have to introduce himself and put on a performance for King Yama to avoid a trip through the eighteen levels of hell?

"What King Yama? Su Siyun! Weren't you going to give her a gift and confess your love?! You're just going to let your bro make a fool of himself, aren't you?!"

The hushed voice coming from behind him made Chen Ye shudder, jolting him instantly awake. The evening breeze brushed against his arms, the scent of cooking smoke drifted into his nose, and the noisy chatter around him gave him a profound sense of unreality.

Opening his eyes abruptly, Chen Ye instantly made out the face in front of him. Plump red lips, blush on her cheeks, long and curled eyelashes, and large, fluttering eyes. Once upon a time, he had dreamed of this bright and charming face day and night, eventually stamping it alongside his own on their little red marriage certificate.

His ex-wife, Su Siyun!

Except the face looked much younger, maybe... seventeen or eighteen?

Chen Ye looked around and realized he was standing outside a restaurant, surrounded by crowds of laughing and joking classmates. They were all familiar faces from deep within his memory.

Wasn't this their farewell dinner on the night their 2008 college entrance exams had ended?! Had he... been reborn?!