BXBX NOVEL Chapter 1: 1.
Chapter 1: 1.
In a quiet University dorm room, a sharp gasp broke the stagnant silence when a dark-haired young man shot up from his sleeping position at his desk. His blurry eyes tried to make sense of his environment. He moved his stiff body on the uncomfortable desk chair and looked around.
He raised his hands and scrutinized his fair, slender hands. They were somewhat smooth but the proof of hard work was visible through small calluses and faded scars.
"Again?"
The young man\'s voice broke from unaccustomed use. He got to his feet unsteadily and assessed this new body of his.
"Why does this body feel familiar?" he questioned. Looking around once again, he took note of the four bunk beds, two out of the four were messy. There were two desks with laptops, second-hand lamps, and a few overfilled drawers with books and papers. Below were cell phone chargers and his indoor slippers under one. He moved to the standing mirror between the shared closets.
When he saw his reflection, he couldn\'t help but stagger in shock. Tears filled his eyes as he touched his fair face and unruly dark hair.
"Am I back home?"
He wanted to believe after four lifetimes of transmigration he was back to his original world but his experience told him not to be too happy before gaining proof.
There had to be a reason why this body was so familiar to his original body. The sharp eyebrows, angular features, slim nose, and abyss-provoked dark eyes. He looked like this before. Did the system return him to his Earth star?
He raised the hem of the thin t-shirt and looked for that dark birthmark above his hip but he was disappointed.
A mocking smile crossed his lips. He knew the concept of transmigration but still placed hope.
"It was worth a try. Who am I here and what dimension is this? Is this guy a son of destiny? What is my mission here?" The sadness was chased away instantly when he refocused.
The young man closed his eyes and a flood of information rushed through his mind. The calm look turned to a frown as the memories slowed down. He opened his eyes and then looked at the meal box next to his laptop.
"Ah, my friend. The good never wins. You knew this, yet never gave in so they went this far. I won\'t do anything drastic. You wished for a good life. I will live my/your life as calmly as before. Let\'s hope they aren\'t idiots." At the back of his mind, he cursed himself for raising that flag.
Originally known as Li Yun, this is currently his fifth transmigration. From his original world, he was sent to a world filled with magic and swords that one can only read about. He completed his missions and build a life there as a celebrated king.
His second transmigration was in a modern world after an otherworldly invasion. He led them to live a life filled with skills and modern magic. He became a triple-S rank hero who led his country to stabilization.
The third life he lived was a highly acclaimed doctor in three major fields. His influence affected healthcare in that world, leaving many successful disciples to carry on his legacy.
In his fourth life, he was the unwanted second son of a tycoon. As the son of destiny for that world, he was the one his father had to depend on most but didn\'t. Li Yun had to fight for the head of the family to right his family\'s wrongs to stabilize the economy.
His accomplishments were thanks to his perseverance, his talents, his personality, and the help of gifted systems in each world.
It turned out that there were higher beings in the universe, numerous dimensions, parallel worlds, and so forth. In order to stabilize numerous worlds, transmigrators were chosen and he was one.
Now he was in a new world in a body that was similar to his original self. In his world, he lived in the Han Empire, a unified country on the East continent that placed culture and technology before other aspects. He was a promising CEO before he was whisked away by the system.
Presently he now inhabits the body of Chen Kai, a twenty-three-year-old scholarship University student. Considering his memories he was in the lower to middle rung of society. His looks will garner attention. His height was considered standard among the men around his age and his body was naturally fit for a dubbed bookworm. He had two out of three strengths which placed him in the path of the cliche ridicule by others.
The three strengths were Great Looks; Smart; Wealthy. Not having one was a big factor in this world. Well in any world; society equates wealth to power.
The original owner of this body had a strong mentality which was commendable. It made Li Yun feel more compatible with his new life as Chen Kai.
"Seems like I will have to return to school for a few months. Can\'t I just laze around?" he complained and climbed onto his bunk.
It took a lot of energy to sort out all of this new information. He was mentally tired. He had yet to get used to this body and he had to sort out the relationships this body had before he died. From what he saw, a few needed to be cut loose.
Before he fell into a deep sleep, he saw a familiar screen in his vision.
[Loading. Please Wait.]
"That\'s new," he mumbled.
~~~~~~~~~~
No matter what world he wakes in, his internal clock never fails. Groggily he woke up at 6 am to get a start on his new life. Sitting on the top bunk, he took note of his dorm mates\' absence. It was rare for all three of them to sleep out on the same night. Chen Kai shook his head and smoothly jumped down to the tiled floor. He didn\'t want to waste his time thinking who was in cahoots with who. He had things to do.
Thinking of the day ahead, he got busy and packed his backpack, threw out the garbage then start a pre-pack of his belongings. All his personals will be moving with him during the day. It was nearing graduation and this period was used to get a place of their own and complete their thesis. It\'s also the optimum time to move from interns to official employees for some students. Others were sending in applications to companies they wish to join.
For Chen Kai, he had a second interview at a budding finance company in the city. His studies are in Finance, Multimedia, and Media Studies. It was already an accomplishment to get a second call.
Thankfully this interview is a week away.
Nearing 8 am, he was ready to leave the dorm to spend some time in the library. The system still had a loading screen and his knowledge of this world was all through school lessons. Chen Kai frowned at the abnormal behavior of the system.
This was the first time it delayed its introduction. He couldn\'t help but feel uneasy.
Maybe it\'s the years it has been his guide that he felt uncomfortable without hearing its voice in his ear.
\'System?\' he called out inwardly.
Focusing on the screen once more, he saw the now familiar words once again.
[Loading. Please Wait.]
He bit his lip in discomfort and then focused on getting dressed.
His back was turned to the door. At that moment, he heard loud talking and jeering coming closer. Chen Kai ignored the voices and continued. He ran his fingers through his hair to style it away from his face. This was a muscle reflex. For years, this was his hairstyle as Li Yun and other identities but not Chen Kai. He didn\'t put much thought into it.
"Sister Zhang is such a good girlfriend."
"Brother Chen is so lucky to have you as his girlfriend. I wish I had someone like you to make sure I wake up on time for classes."
"I bet Brother Chen is still asleep. He\'s always studying."
Chen Kai froze his actions.
Those voices.
They were his dorm mates.
And from their flattering tones, his loving girlfriend is with them.
He laughed bitterly and continued.
The door opened with a bang.
"Brother Chen! Wake Up!" This was Zhu Dong. Their relationship can be considered close as they were both high schoolmates. "Wha... You\'re up already? What gives?"
Chen Kai looked over his shoulder and gave his friend a small smile. "I have a lot to do. Time is running out," he answered. His voice wasn\'t too loud but everyone who entered heard him clearly.
"Haaaa! You\'re right. Here I am now coming back from a wild night while you\'re preparing for the future. Save us some face, Brother Chen," Zhu Dong teased.
"I\'ll try."
"Brother Chen, look who\'s here. It\'s Sister Zhang. Don\'t let her visit be in vain." Li Feng was the one who pointed out their early morning visitor. This guy was known to be a leech in Chen Kai\'s eyes. He only knew how to reap benefits from the people around him. Maybe he will be a professional ass-kisser after they graduate.
Chen Kai turned fully and faced them all.
Zhu Dong was on his bed trying to stay awake. Li Feng was still at the door watching Chen Kai strangely and beside him was Zhang Rui and the remaining dormmate, Lin Shen.
The latter was awfully close to Zhang Rui but Chen Kai didn\'t call him out.
Zhang Rui on the other hand was frozen to the floor.
"Rui. I made you waste your time. I\'m sorry. How about breakfast before I head to the library?" Chen Kai asked. He already had his bag on his shoulder and was approaching her. In his periphery he saw Lin Shen move slightly, bumping into Zhang Rui before moving away.
"Rui?" he called out to her with a concerned expression. She was a beauty in her own right but her presence didn\'t move his heart. Unsurprisingly, there were no lingering feelings for this woman left by the original owner.
"Sister Zhang? Are you alright?" Zhu Dong asked from his bunk.
"Uh.. yeah. I didn\'t expect to see him move so early," she said. Her painted red lips moved with a smile but it didn\'t reach her eyes.
"I slept so well last night that I felt I was dead to the world. I feel so energetic today, I should finish my work with this boost," Chen Kai commented. Though he was talking to everyone in the room, he glanced at Zhang Rui and Lin Shen. Their expressions were ugly when he stressed the word dead. He made the connections easily.
He frowned. "Brother Lin, you don\'t look so good. Why don\'t you take a nap? Li Feng go get some energy drinks for our brother."
Li Feng glanced at Lin Shen who gave him a stiff smile.
"Please do, Brother Li. I really don\'t feel that well," Lin Shen added and moved to his bunk.
"I hope you feel better, Brother. We should all focus on our ending days in college. It won\'t be easy." Chen Kai\'s little speech was normal. He always made time to support them all mentally when he can\'t help any other way.
Zhu Dong smiled gratefully at his friend. "Thanks, brother. I will take a nap before I head over to the library. I have no classes scheduled for today so I should finish up my thesis."
Chen Kai gave him a nod of approval.
Li Feng throw a glance at Lin Shen one more time and made a quick exit.
Lin Shen was on his bed, taking a quick look around the room, searching for something but gave up mid-way. He closed his eyes to continue his fake illness. Before he did so, he caught Zhang Rui\'s eyes and shook his head subtly.
"Rui, let\'s go. The guys need their rest." Chen Kai spoke in a soft and hypnotic tone that he only had for her.
Zhang Rui was lost in his dark eyes, forgetting herself for a moment. She felt his large hand on her waist. The warmth made her blush and also tremble. Inwardly she was panicking but she kept a calm facade. Chen Kai led her out of the dorm and led her outside of the campus to a food stall he frequents.
She frowned. Seeing Chen Kai\'s amiable smile as he spoke to the old stall owners and led her to his favorite table, she couldn\'t help but return to her old thoughts.
Was this all he can do?
Is this their future? Eating breakfast from roadside stalls, wearing plain clothes, no expensive meals at restaurants - why can\'t she be pampered like other girls? It\'s good that he\'s handsome and smart but can that buy what she wants?
"Kai, is your interview still on for next week?" she asked.
He placed a crepe and a single serving of porridge before her. To his memories, the girl before him ate little whenever he invites her out to breakfast. From what she attempted last night, he understood her feelings towards him and what he can presently do.
Chen Kai didn\'t blame her for harboring resentment toward him. He wasn\'t rich enough to order lavish breakfasts every day or rent a high-end apartment while attending university.
But.
Is her resentment so strong that she wishes to kill him?
She can simply break up with him. Is her face so precious that she didn\'t want to do something so simple?
Chen Kai gave her a firm nod while cutting her crepe into smaller pieces. He placed the utensils in reach of her hands and then proceed to eat his meal. He was excited to eat something like this dish. It reminded him of his original home. The dumplings were still steaming hot and felt so nourishing as he ate. He enjoyed his meal in relish which pleased the stall owners.
"Look at, Little Kai. Quick, darling bring some more porridge for him. He\'s a growing boy." The elderly lady pushed her husband back into the kitchen and rushed to Chen Kai\'s side. She patted his head dotingly and cleared his table. "You must be studying so hard. Let Auntie bring you more."
He laughed and politely refused at first, pushing some money into her weathered hands. This sort of pampering struck his heart. This is why the previous owner loved this place. They were his platonic family.
"Hush, now," she said with a light tap on his shoulder. "Take this to go."
The older woman then turned to Zhang Rui. Her smile fell when she saw the untouched food before the young girl. "Little one, are you okay? Little Kai said you eat lightly so we made your food a special way."
"Thank you, Auntie. I forgot to tell Kai that I ate already," Zhang Rui said with a smile.
"Oh, my. It happens. Little Kai, what do you think?"
"It\'s okay, Auntie. Can you pack it up for \'them\'? They should be coming by soon," he said rising to his feet.
"Okay. Auntie will tell them." The older woman turned to her husband who was approaching when she replied.
"Here you go, little Kai. This is a fresh batch of congee. You can have it as a snack while you study." The old man gave him a toothy grin, making his wrinkled face bright as the morning sun. Chen Kai felt like he was looking at his grandfather or uncle.
"Thank you, uncle."
The couple each gave him an adoring pat on his cheek to send him off. "Oh, and that hairstyle makes you look more handsome. Keep it up," the woman commented.
Chen Kai felt his cheeks burn with a blush. He hurriedly turned away and pulled Zhang Rui alongside him. The amused laughter of the couple tickled his ears until he was far from them.
"Why did you change your hairstyle?" This question was asked after a great moment of silence between them. During their walk on the campus, Chen Kai took note of his popularity and Zhang Rui. She was considered a little flower. One of many beauties in the university; he was placed in the top ten most handsome. He didn\'t care about those superficial titles. He cares more about his life on this Earth star.
He needed more information.
"No reason." He answered calmly, just as she expected.
"Hmph! You should focus more on getting that job to make more money other than your looks and studying for nothing." Her tone was sharp and belittling but he didn\'t react.
This annoyed her even more.
"If you already pass the first interview, why are you so focused on a stupid thesis? You should be focusing on getting money to get an apartment in a good area to look better in their eyes. I already told you what Brother Lin told me. He can get his father to pull us into his company. You know how successful his family is. You can make nearly 10,000 yuan a month. All you have is your looks and that stupid pride of yours. What good is it to you now? How long are you going to depend on your nonexistent strength? Answer me!" Zhang Rui didn\'t care if she was loud as she complained. Her face was red with anger.
Anger from not securing that thesis from Chen Kai.
Anger from the poison not being potent enough.
Anger from looking at this poor bastard\'s face. No matter how many insults she sent his way, he was still calm as ever. She hated this temperament of his.
If she said those things to Lin Shen then he would try to placate her with a gift. Why did she place herself with this idiot and not Lin Shen?
A second-generation heir was blessed with everything and could easily spend money. They don\'t have to look for jobs, they can easily be employed by their family leaving more time for fun. This was Lin Shen\'s life. That is what Zhang Rui wanted.
"Rui."
"What?" She sneered at that stupid tone of his.
"Isn\'t it better to work on your own strength? If I do accept Lin Shen\'s invitation, what will happen if I get fired for lack of skills or qualifications? I wish to do things my way. Please understand." Chen Kai silently waited for her reply. Her tirade caused a few curious bystanders which placed pressure on her shoulders.
Murmurs from the crowd met their ears.
"Isn\'t that unfair to those who study so hard?"
"Why can\'t she understand that those types of favors aren\'t solid?"
"Haaaa! I feel bad for handsome Chen. He wants to do everything right yet this girl wants to lead him astray."
"But did you hear correctly... Lin Shen told her this. Why didn\'t he tell Brother Chen this? Isn\'t that weird?"
"I\'m more interested in how Brother Chen can be so calm with this. As expected of our school\'s role model."
Zhang Rui made up her mind. She couldn\'t stand this anymore. She had to look out for herself and not be bothered by this guy.
"You need to learn that the world isn\'t fair?"
Chen Kai wanted to laugh. She wants to lecture him on unfairness. If the system abandons him in this world, he can still survive. It will be tough but it will be worth it. A mundane job will be fitting for him. He was truly tired.
"What are you saying, Rui?" He made sure to make a confused expression and stepped closer to her. She took a step back and raised her head. Chen Kai had to admit that she was indeed a beauty. Her small slender face, red lips, her tiny nose, and full dark eyes were proportioned elegantly and her slim body complimented her looks but her mindset wasn\'t compatible with his.
To be honest, he wasn\'t interested in a relationship at the moment. Things like that aren\'t a priority.
"I can\'t wait on the side for you any longer. Let\'s part ways."
Hiss!
Sharp gasps and excited murmurs filled the air.
The peanut gallery was quickly spreading the news of the breakup.
Zhang Rui had a gloating smile on her face. To her, this was the best decision she made in her life. She can now be with a man who will treat her like a queen.
While everyone was focused on the disintegration of his relationship, Chen Kai was inwardly cheering, his eyes were bright when he heard that voice in his ear.
[Congratulations, host on your successful transmigration. Thank you for your patronage. You have been allocated the Tycoon Inheritance System. Do you wish to bond with the system?]
\'Wait. What?\'