Chapter 1

001.

"Ring ring ring—"

The phone screen on the pillow lit up, the piercing notification sound startling the young man awake mid-dream.

Lu Yuan woke up groggily, a pale arm reaching out from under the soft, warm blanket. The cold air hit his skin, making him shiver. He grabbed his phone and yanked the blanket over his head.

In the cramped dorm room, the auto-dimmed screen popped up with a notification.

He pried one eye open to check:

"Tailoring Fashion Design Co., Ltd. HR replied to your message~"

He tapped the pop-up and opened it.

Mr. Ke: Don't bother coming. This crappy company has a stingy boss, and everyone except me is a nepotism hire. I'm doing the work of ten people by myself. Replying to your job posting at 2 AM—either I'm working overtime or about to start. And the kicker? This old bastard actually has the gall to say my work attitude is negative and my appearance is hurting the company's image, so he's docking 10% of my salary. Hilarious. If it weren't for the overtime pay, I wouldn't be looking like death warmed over.

Lu Yuan's drowsiness vanished completely. His other eye opened, and his eyes lit up.

Job-Hunting Sesame Dumpling: Press 1 to wreck the boss.

Mr. Ke: 11111111.

Perhaps it was so rare to find someone awake and in the same field at 2 AM that this HR's frustration finally exploded. His fingers tapped the phone screen with a clatter, and message after message popped up on Lu Yuan's screen.

Mr. Ke: The company's location is also remote—it's the boss's parents' countryside house. When the demolition crew came around, he got too greedy, wanted more compensation, refused to budge, and now he's a holdout. Within a three-kilometer radius, only his place stands there like a coffin, stubbornly standing in the middle of nowhere. Getting food delivery is harder than summoning a ghost.

Mr. Ke: The boss is a moron, and the clients are just as dumb. You have to say something three times before they get it, and all they care about is a free ride. I gave him the design, and he turned around and faked a chat log, claiming my design was copied. The "original creator" came to cause trouble for him, wasting his time and energy. Not only did he want to steal my design for free, but he also wanted me to pay him damages. I swear to God, when this "original creator" came to complain, they didn't even bother removing my watermark!

Mr. Ke: Also, this idiot boss said we should learn from other shops and start livestreaming. After a month of streaming, we finally got some traffic, and people told him to hire a better-looking model—they didn't want to see his old face or his beer belly that looks five months pregnant. He got triggered and ranted at the screen for a full hour. During Double 11, the men's clothes listed in the shop got used by hundreds of customers to get free shipping, and in the end, he blamed me.

Mr. Ke: Blamed me! Blamed me! You get how messed up this is, bro? He! Actually! Blamed! Me! And! Docked! My! Pay!

Lu Yuan: "..."

He got it. He understood way too well.

In his past life, he'd worked part-time at this company for three months and knew all the boss's dirty tricks. The most notable one was his go-to excuses for docking pay.

Couldn't reach you after work—docked pay.

Too loud in the office—docked pay.

Didn't like the boss's WeChat post—docked pay.

Back then, Lu Yuan was just a junior in college who hadn't faced the real world yet. He could only watch helplessly as his salary kept shrinking. After three grueling months of part-time work, he'd turned in over a dozen design drafts and only made six thousand yuan.

Recalling those past events, now a seasoned wage slave well-versed in labor law, Lu Yuan casually dropped some knowledge: I heard that if a boss deliberately withholds wages, you can file for arbitration. You get the full amount back, and you can even negotiate severance when you quit.

Either way, you can screw that old bastard over.

Ke Yuanfei on the other end clearly hadn't thought of that. He froze for a moment before going to Google it.

Five minutes later.

Lu Yuan received his reply.

Five minutes later.

Lu Yuan received a reply from the other party.

Ke Yuanfei: [Thumbs up]

Ke Yuanfei: Bro, drop your contact info. Once I get the settlement, I'll treat you to a meal.

They added each other on WeChat, and he sent a fist-bump emoji along with a "waiting on good news from your bro." Lu Yuan replied with a thumbs-up emoji and turned over in bed, in a great mood.

He realized he'd been reborn yesterday morning. As usual, he was woken up by his seven o'clock alarm, shuffled groggily to the bathroom sink, and saw a face in the mirror that could only be described as fresh-faced and youthful.

A young man in his junior year of college, not yet worn down by the real world—not only were there no dark circles under his eyes or no trace of that burnt-out office vibe, even the single strand of bedhead hair sticking up just screamed youth.

It was a welcome sight.

Twenty-year-old Lu Yuan, showing up after all this time, stood there across the mirror.

He stared at his young, handsome face for a while, turned off all his alarms, went back to bed for a nap, and in the afternoon booked an appointment at the best hospital in Jing City for a physical and a cardiac check-up.

The attending doctor was a woman in her fifties, very kind and talkative. Seeing how young Lu Yuan was, she remarked with a hint of nostalgia: "Our hospital admitted a young guy with a sudden heart attack yesterday, only two or three years older than you. Luckily, he got here in time and pulled through. Young people nowadays are under so much pressure and love staying up all night—their bodies aren't in great shape. You're in decent shape; keep it up."

Lu Yuan thought of his previous life.

Born in a poor small town, he had a rough go of it until age twelve, when his grandmother, who raised him by scavenging for scrap and selling vegetables, passed away. After that, he put himself through school, made it into the best high school in the city, and after the college entrance exam, traveled thousands of kilometers to attend Jing University's top art school in the country for design.

Was life tough? Not really.

Because he was too busy—every day was classes or part-time jobs, with occasional competitions, leaving no time to mope around or complain.

At the dorm gathering after his final class, his roommates put their arms around his shoulders and said seriously: "Lu Yuan, you're about to head out into the real world. Don't push yourself so hard. Your health and well-being come first."

He nodded along but didn't take it seriously.

So, when he was one step away from a promotion at his dream studio, he died of a sudden heart attack in his apartment.

—Thinking back on it, it was such a raw deal.

The hundreds of thousands he'd scraped together in his bank account never got touched.

He sighed inwardly, accepted the doctor's kind advice, and smiled, his eyes crinkling: "Alright, I'll be sure to rest."

Not just rest—Lu Yuan wanted to just straight-up slack off and be a couch potato.

After all, his scholarships and part-time earnings over the years totaled tens of thousands, so skipping work for a winter break was no big deal.

Back at his small apartment, he opened his phone, replied to all the recruiters he'd messaged before his rebirth, told them his plans had changed and he wouldn't be taking part-time work this winter, then logged out of the job search app.

Only the tailoring and fashion design studio hadn't replied when he'd sent his interest.

Because Ke Yuanfei, who handled both design and hiring, hadn't had time to process job applications.

There were still four or five hours until dawn. Lu Yuan snuggled into the coral fleece bedding—it felt wonderful, soft and cozy, a must-have for winter.

He hummed contentedly, tossed his phone back by the pillow, and drifted back off to sleep.

The next morning, at ten.

Lu Yuan, bundled up like a burrito, woke from a rare, pleasant dream.

Winter in Jing City was bitterly cold, especially in his suburban apartment. He'd chosen it for the cheap rent and dealt with the lack of heating.

In hindsight, he regretted it.

Burying most of his face under the blanket, he opened a shopping app to search for a good space heater. Just as he clicked on a top-selling store, he heard three rhythmic knocks at the door.

Lu Yuan went still.

He didn't have many friends who'd visit, his online orders were always delivered to the neighborhood pickup point, and his utility bills were paid on time. Basically, no one should be coming for him.

Could it be the landlord?

Didn't she have his WeChat? Why would she come all the way out here?

Lu Yuan grumbled inwardly, his pretty face scrunching up. With a pained look on his face, he crawled out of the warm blanket and shivered as he slipped into his onesie pajamas—a full-body duck costume.

Even though the outfit was also coral fleece, comfortable and warm, the cold air sneaked in through every crack without mercy.

He tightened the collar, hurried out of the bedroom, and opened the front door.

Looking up, he froze on the spot.

It wasn't the landlady, but two men he didn't recognize at all.

The doorway was narrow, with the two standing single file. The man in front looked older, around fifty, wearing a formal suit with graying hair and sharp, chiseled features. Faint lines creased his brow and the corners of his eyes, and his piercing gaze softened when it met Lu Yuan's familiar features.

The man behind him was younger and taller, his black long wool coat making him look even more imposing with clean, wrinkle-free shoulders. Among his handsome features, his captivating eyes stood out, as sharp as the older man's. The difference was that the older man reined in his emotions quickly, while the younger one's scrutiny lingered, making him seem less approachable.

Lu Yuan opened his mouth and hesitantly said: "Hello?"

As Lu Yuan studied them, they were doing the same to him.

Lu Jingshan took one look and knew right away.

This was his and his late wife's youngest son, who'd been missing all these years—those eyes were almost identical to his wife's. Large and elongated, with pronounced inner corners and narrow, slightly upturned outer corners, plus a tiny red mole, like a single plum blossom fallen on snow.

The fingers at his sides twitched and curled involuntarily. Lu Jingshan scanned the young man's features one by one, silently comparing them to his deceased wife's likeness, until Lu Yuan's slightly puzzled voice cut through his thoughts. He snapped back to reality and said in a low tone:

"Lu Yuan?"

He knows who I am?

Lu Yuan blinked, hesitating for a second before answering: "Yeah."

Lu Jingshan: "That's a lovely name. Did the grandmother who raised you give it to you?"

Although Lu Yuan didn't consider his background a secret—at least everyone close to him since childhood knew he was an orphan who'd been lucky enough to be taken in—these two... Lu Yuan could swear he'd never seen them before, much less knew them.

So how did they know that?

His initial confusion slowly turned into wariness. He gripped the door handle, avoided answering, and asked: "Who are you two, and what do you want?"

Only then did Lu Jingshan realize how rude he'd been—he hadn't even introduced himself. He pressed his lips together, trying to calm his racing heart, and said: "My name is Lu Jingshan, and this is my eldest son, Lu Ke."

He gestured to the young man standing just behind him.

Lu Ke's gaze lingered on Lu Yuan. He looked a lot like their mother, with really striking, handsome features, and his eyes were clear and bright, giving the impression of a very well-mannered young man.

His taste might not be the best, though.

Those duck pajamas are ridiculously ugly.

Lu Jingshan continued, "I have four sons in total. My second son works at the hospital. When you went for your check-up yesterday, he saw you and said you look a lot like my wife. He suspected you might be our youngest son, who was deliberately taken away eighteen years ago."

"I apologize for investigating your background privately, but we've been searching for A Cheng for a long time, and we don't want to let any possibility slip by. So, I came here today to ask if you'd be willing to take a paternity test with me."

Lu Yuan was a bit slow to react, his mouth slightly open.

The Psyduck on his head also had its mouth open, its two black eyes looking utterly profound.

...What a goofball, Lu Ke thought to himself.