“Oh my ancestors, in this freezing weather, you didn’t stay in the bathtub all night, did you? The water is ice-cold, Big Brother, wake up, wake up!”
The voice by his ear was as annoying as a buzzing mosquito. Xu Qiao’s eyelids quivered, struggling to open against the weight of his nightmare.
His arm was nudged, and a hand swiftly extended to gently pat his face. The momentary lapse in consciousness was forcefully yanked back to his body. Xu Qiao bolted upright, eyes snapping open, instinctively seizing the hand that had roused him.
“Ah, it hurts, hurts, hurts!” Li Feifei cried, pain contorting his face. Wincing as he pleaded for mercy, he met Xu Qiao’s bone-chilling gaze, his voice dying in his throat.
A shiver ran down his spine. After a while, Li Feifei let out a nervous laugh, wiggled his wrist, and tentatively asked, “Big Brother, what’s wrong?”
Slow reaction, weak strength.
After confirming the person in front posed no threat, Xu Qiao released him and asked, “Who are you?”
His mind felt heavy, as if it hadn’t been operational for a long time. With effort, Xu Qiao sat up straight in the chilled water-filled tub.
He remembered failing the mission in the book “Journey Home to the End of Days.” As it was his first failure, he didn’t know what the punishment would be.
Leaning against the edge of the bathtub, Xu Qiao, dragging his heavy and stiff body, paid no attention to the person beside him. Stark naked, he picked up a nearby towel to wipe himself dry, then put on a bathrobe.
Glancing around, Xu Qiao observed the tidy surroundings. This was clearly not in a post-apocalyptic world. Had the will of the world sent him into another book? Then what was his role in this one?
The person beside him addressed him as “big brother.” Was this the younger brother of this body? But why wasn’t there a memory transfer this time?
Redirecting his gaze to the bewildered Li Feifei standing nearby, Xu Qiao asked again, “Who are you?”
Li Feifei’s mouth twitched, attempting to touch Xu Qiao’s forehead. However, seeing his slightly narrowed eyes, he hesitated to approach.
Withdrawing his hand, Li Feifei wore a troubled expression as he answered, “Big Brother, I’m Feifei. Haven’t you sobered up yet?”
How did the previously gentle big brother turn so sharp and intimidating all of a sudden?
“Feifei…” Xu Qiao furrowed his brow, the name sounding somewhat familiar.
“Strange, didn’t I give you a hangover soup last night?” Li Feifei scratched his head. “Big Brother, freshen up, grab a bite. We need to get to the set this afternoon.”
Xu Qiao lowered his head slightly. After a moment, he asked hoarsely, “Li Feifei?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Particularly enchanting were those eyes. The dark pupils resembled black orbs soaked in clear water.
This was his own face. Xu Qiao’s face.
Memories from too long ago finally surfaced – drunk, in the bathtub, unsure if he was freezing to death or drowning, transmigrated into books, dozens of times… Now, he had finally returned to the real world.
Hazy recollections reminded him of his current situation. He was a small-time celebrity with a questionable reputation, and Li Feifei had been his assistant since his debut.
Walking with Li Feifei to the living room, Xu Qiao glanced around. Finally, he found a bit of long-lost familiarity.
Turning on the air conditioner, warm air gently blew out. Xu Qiao noticed several plastic bags on the coffee table, a subtle fragrance of rice wafting out, causing his throat to twitch involuntarily.
“Big Brother, I bought plain congee for you. You drank a lot last night, so have something light now.” Li Feifei spoke and, as if sensing a misstep, cautiously asked, “Did you check Weibo?”
Sitting on the sofa, Xu Qiao took out a spoon, handed one to Li Feifei, and then opened the packaging. “Didn’t check.”
Li Feifei was about to say something when his phone buzzed, and seeing the caller ID, his expression tensed. “It’s Big Sister Yang.” He was referring to Xu Qiao’s manager, Yang Hui.
Clearing his throat, Li Feifei answered the phone, “Hello, Big Sister Yang?”
An angry female voice came through the phone, “Feifei, are you with Xu Qiao? Let him talk to me!”
Li Feifei cringed and handed the phone to Xu Qiao.
Xu Qiao took the phone, put it on speaker, and casually propped up his long legs. Taking a sip of plain congee, he greeted, “Hello, Big Sister Yang, good morning.”
Yang Hui, upon hearing Xu Qiao’s voice, was infuriated. “How could it be good? Xu Qiao, you’re really something. You don’t answer the phone for ages. Oh, impressive, not even famous yet, and you already have such an attitude?”
Li Feifei hurriedly explained, “No, Big Sister, he got drunk last night and just woke up now.”
“Drunk?” A sarcastic laugh came from the other end. “I was just about to say, can’t you two be more careful? Got caught again. Last time, it was Xu Qiao getting into a fight. This time, it’s Xu Qiao causing a scene while intoxicated. Do you still remember you’re a public figure?”
Li Feifei glanced at Xu Qiao, whose eyes were lowered, concealing his emotions. Such a good big brother, how could he be talked about like this?
He muttered, “Last time, my big brother saw a robber and went to help chase them. Last night, he was socializing with the production team. There was a couple arguing outside, and the guy started hitting the girl. My big brother wanted to intervene—”
“I don’t care about the reasons. In any case, it got caught on camera. Anyone to testify for you? Netizens will only hear what they want to hear. Right now, it’s Xu Qiao fighting and causing a scene while intoxicated! Xu Qiao, how can you be so careless? How bold of you. Do you think you’re entitled to meddle in everything?!”
Xu Qiao lazily lifted the corner of his mouth, his tone sincere as he responded, “You’re right.”
Li Feifei looked at Xu Qiao with a hint of grievance. The youth’s dark, feather-like eyelashes were lowered, his flawless skin seemingly emitting a subtle glow.
Smooth and bright, what a handsome big brother he was. How did he end up attracting criticism like this?
On the other end, the sound of a lighter flicked. Yang Hui’s emotions seemed to calm a bit after taking a few puffs, but her voice was still laced with sarcasm as she continued, “Forget it. Anyway, in a while, we might as well part ways on good terms. Perform well in this last film, and then quit the entertainment industry. Xu Qiao, listen to your big sister. This circle isn’t suitable for you. You haven’t even graduated from college, right? Go back, finish your studies, and find a job related to your major after graduating. Isn’t that better than being criticized every day like now?”
Xu Qiao sipped his congee. “You’re right.”
Yang Hui added, “You should thank Chengxuan. He used connections to get you this role. With your acting skills, what kind of roles can you even play?”
With that, Yang Hui hung up the phone.
Chengxuan, Li Chengxuan… Xu Qiao tapped the tabletop with his finger. If he remembered correctly, this person was part of the same debut group.
However, compared to being criticized every day like himself, Li Chengxuan was the most successful one in the group. Recently, there were frequent news releases praising him as a rising actor with great acting skills.
Xu Qiao, with no formal training, relying on a face favored by the heavens, stumbled into the entertainment industry when the management company spotted him while walking down the street. He joined an idol group called “Chasing the Spotlight” with three others.
But compared to their professional singing, dancing, and acting skills, Xu Qiao was more of an amateur — stiff and nervous in front of the camera, off-key when singing, making mistakes in choreography…
Half a year into his debut, marketing accounts had been spreading rumors that he was just a vase. Coupled with the previous scandal of fighting and brawling, fans were disappointed, and public perception hit rock bottom.
The popularity of the other three boys steadily rose, while Xu Qiao, like a rotten piece of mud that cannot be helped up the wall, found himself gradually marginalized within the company.
Yang Hui’s earlier mention of “part ways on good terms” was evidently the company’s stance. Since there wasn’t much packaging value left, they planned to expedite a “peaceful” termination of the contract.
Li Feifei, rolling his eyes at the phone, sarcastically said in a strange tone, “Thanks to Li Chengxuan? Don’t know if he’s genuinely kind or falsely kind, getting you a role that’s meant to be criticized.”
“What role?” Xu Qiao casually asked. Sunlight streamed into the room, wrapping around him. When he turned his head, the sunlight carved sharp shadows on his face.
Holding the spoon given by Xu Qiao, Li Feifei continuously scrutinized the person in front of him. He felt like he was slightly different from before.
A subtle arch formed at the corner of his eye, deep light flowing in his black pupils, revealing a hint of careless playfulness and sharpness.
“Jin’er from ‘Chatting about the Passing of Time with a Zither.’ Big Brother, don’t you remember?”
Xu Qiao tilted his head as he glanced at Li Feifei. A strand of hair from his forehead fell down and brushed against the edge of his delicate brow bone, his expression appearing innocent.
Li Feifei took in a sharp breath. While it was understandable if Xu Qiao didn’t want to play this disliked character, they were about to start filming. Did he seriously not glance at the script?
If this news got out, he’d undoubtedly face another round of criticism!
Li Feifei could just imagine the wording of those marketing accounts — phrases like “unprofessional” and “acting high and mighty with little fame,” each one cutting deep.
Xu Qiao, without a hint of shame, extended a slender, pale hand toward Li Feifei. “Where’s the script? Let me take a look.”
Li Feifei’s face twitched as he pulled out the script from the coffee table in front of Xu Qiao. “Big Brother, did you completely forget about this script? It’s only been a few days!”
Xu Qiao took the script and casually flipped through it. “Aren’t we starting the shoot in the afternoon?” Meaning, he still had time to memorize.
Li Feifei watched helplessly as Xu Qiao set the script aside and resumed sipping his congee. For Xu Qiao, who had just returned from a post-apocalyptic world, the allure of uncontaminated food in front of him was irresistible.
Observing Xu Qiao’s eating posture, Li Feifei sensed something was off. What kind of starving ghost behavior was this?
“No, Big Brother, eat a bit less, or your stomach will burst!”
Li Feifei was about to snatch his bowl but he saw Xu Qiao’s expressionless gaze sweeping over him. He forced a dry smile, retracted his outstretched hand, and rubbed it against his body. He mumbled to himself, wondering why that look was so intimidating.
The living room fell silent for a while. Li Feifei, absentmindedly holding the spoon, advised, “Big Brother, you should eat about eighty percent full…”
Just as he was contemplating how to persuade Xu Qiao, he saw him putting down the bowl, elegantly dabbing his lips with a tissue.
Relieved, Li Feifei sighed, lowered his head, and saw an empty bowl on the coffee table without a single grain of rice left.
Li Feifei: “???”
“Feifei, order something else. I’m not full yet.” Xu Qiao lounged on the sofa, casting a lazy glance over, his eyes carrying an irresistible innocence on his beautiful face.
Li Feifei stared at him in astonishment, stuttering, “Uh, sure, sure.”
Ready to see what’s next! Thanks for the update ❤️
Looks interesting!
Thank you for the chapter 🌺
Ok, you got my attention! Curious to see what happens next
Thank you for the chapter 😍 ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Thank you for the chapter ☺️
Omg i know i will love this story!!! This one will go straight to my reading list. Thank you sm for the chapter😆🫶🏻🫶🏻
A very good start, looking forward to the rest of the story.
Thank you for the translation!
Ooh, interesting!! I don’t think I’ve run into a world-hopper returns home scenario! The closest was where someone transmigrated back into their own body after their replacement died. I’m intrigued!!
I’m reading it!!!
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING AWESOME!!