Ch. 01 Is it the Leng Yunting that I know?
After all the organs of the human body cease to function, consciousness does not immediately dissipate.
Before Chi Ke 1轲 – This character is sometimes associated with historical or literary figures, such as 荆轲 (Jing Ke), the famous assassin in Chinese history, adding a sense of antiquity or heroism when used in names. opened his eyes, he clearly knew that he had been dead for some time.
However, at this moment, he was not in a coffin but lying on a bed in a strange room, wearing a familiar white shirt and suit pants, drenched in sweat, feeling a searing heat in his hands and feet, and the beating of his heart, clear and audible—completely…
Completely unlike a dead person.
Chi Ke closed his eyes, zoning out for a complete three minutes, and then propped himself up. After confirming that no one was in the room, he began searching and inspecting the area.
Five minutes later, he was certain that he had never seen this small apartment of over 60 square meters 260 square meters is approximately 645.84 square feet.
The apartment was decorated in a minimalist style, with black, white, and grey as the main colors. It resembled his own house’s design, except that it seemed much colder, such that even the basic living necessities were incomplete. At first glance, it looked like a rental property that was awaiting listing.
Ten minutes later, he placed everything worth pondering that he found onto the table: the property deed, a thick document, a dead phone, and a box of sleeping pills, most of which were empty.
First, the property deed.
The folder was complete with all documents, and the handover date was one month ago. The owner was listed as ‘Chi Ke’, with a neat and clear handwriting, clearly not his own.
It was a new house—no wonder it didn’t have a lived-in feeling.
Chi Ke’s hand paused at the handover date for a moment, expressionless as he put it down. While waiting for the phone to charge, he picked up the bunch of documents.
The words ‘Zhen Ting Group’ appeared repeatedly on the pages. He felt they sounded familiar but couldn’t recall exactly where he had seen them until he saw a signature, written in a flamboyant handwriting—
Leng Yunting
Chi Ke: “Fuck.”
For someone who rarely cursed, this was the first time he uttered such words so decisively, forcefully, and clearly.
Leng Yunting?
Was it the Leng Yunting he knew?
His pale, slender fingers quickly flipped through the rest of the documents.
Leng, Li, Sima…
This wasn’t an official documentation.
This was clearly a list of names from that novel.
He staggered, nearly fainting, his emotions more intense than when he realized he had suddenly died.
Dying from overwork had been within his list of possibilities, but the current situation…
Chi Ke spent half an hour, finally forcing himself to accept the harsh reality of:
He, Chi Ke, had been transmigrated into a melodramatic domineering CEO novel and became the special assistant with the same name as that idiot CEO’s special assistant in the book.
He had read the novel when he was in middle school, and because he shared a name with one of the side characters, his reading experience had been extremely subtle, making the memory last from when he was fifteen to now when he was 26.
The Billionaire CEO’s Deep Love: Young Master Leng’s Substitute Lover
A melodramatic, cliché-filled, brainless romance novel that had occupied the top spot on the Phoenix website 3maybe some literary website for over a month.
One day, while using someone else’s phone to make a call, the novel’s interface suddenly popped up, and its unseemly images forcefully invaded his mind.
The visual impact was so strong that when he returned home that night, he couldn’t stop thinking about it so much that he couldn’t even sleep. Finally, at 4 a.m., he flipped over and searched for the novel using incognito mode, even going so far as to pay to read it. In this way he stayed up all night, reading that novel.
The novel was both awful and strangely captivating. It had a kind of ridiculous charm, blending uncomfortable elements with inexplicable attraction.
Normally, he would have given up on such absurdity, but if it was absurd enough to be amazing, he would still finish it, driven just by curiosity.
The setup of the novel was the typical rich and powerful second-generation CEO chasing after a beautiful yet poor boy, with all the cliché elements of an over-the-top romance troupe:
The CEO saw a boy who resembled his past love and actively pursued him. After sometime, the two quickly got together.
Later, the poor boy discovered the truth of being a substitute and heartbreakingly left the CEO.
The CEO then realized that he couldn’t live without the poor boy and brought him back, forcing him to love him in an intense, dramatic, and heartbreaking way…
In the end, the poor boy faked his death and disappeared.
After that, the CEO went through a ‘wife-chasing crematorium’ 4It’s a playful, exaggerated way to describe a male character who is relentlessly chasing his wife, often due to a misunderstanding, breakup, or miscommunication. phase.
One ran, the other chased, there was no escape—even if one had wings to fly. The entire world seemed like a stage for their endless drama, leaving readers on the verge of a heart attack.
The novel had hundreds of thousands of comments, with ninety thousand criticizing it, and the remaining ten thousand leaving negative reviews.
There was presence of various side characters like:
A chef who couldn’t make sober-up soup, a sentimental butler who cried whenever the young master smiled, a devoted, pure-hearted male supporting character, and a private doctor who was always available anytime the protagonist needed it.
Of course, the most miserable and taken-for-granted yet essential character was the destined one—
The CEO’s special assistant.
Because they shared the same name, when the CEO called his assistant at 3 a.m. in the night, Chi Ke’s limbs went numb with anger. When the CEO skipped meetings to pursue his true love, Chi Ke got mad to the point he developed mouth ulcers. And when the CEO forced him to find a doctor for a heart transplant surgery without reason, he spent all the knowledge of traditional culture he had accumulated over the past fifteen years 5it is used humorously to indicate that the assistant is using all of his patience, effort, or cultural knowledge (possibly implying how much he is enduring) in this extreme situation…
In short, it was a world where only the working class suffered.
Chi Ke frowned and pinched the bridge of his nose.
How could a person be this unlucky?
In his previous life, he died from overwork at the annual meeting for promotion and salary increase, but that was nothing compared to this. Now, after being resurrected with all his memories, why was he still an office worker?
Why couldn’t he be the CEO for even once?
He sighed, leaning back against the headboard of the bed.
The calendar was showing the date: October 15th. It was the rainy season in autumn 6In many parts of China, October falls within the autumn season, and it can still be the tail end of the rainy season, and light rain was falling outside. The room was not air-conditioned, so the chill made his legs tremble.
Chi Ke touched his cold legs and yawned, thinking: ‘Fine, I’ll accept this, at least I transmigrated with my own body.’ 7Should we still call this transmigration?
He regained his composure and lifted his eyelids. The frustration and shock from before had completely disappeared, leaving only the calm of an experienced office worker.
No wonder companies like to hire fresh graduates with at least three years of experience.
Having experience is great—with sufficient experience, one can also adapt to being transmigrated into novels faster than others.
The phone, now fully charged, beeped a few times. Chi Ke ignored it and picked up the remaining sleeping pills from the table.
Opening the pill bottle, he found a piece of paper inside.
He hesitated for a moment, but still carefully took it out, and slowly unfolded it.
…
A suicide note?
The original owner killed himself?
Chi Ke’s pupils contracted.
This couldn’t be. He had read the original book—the special assistant had been present from start to finish, so how could…
No.
No, that’s not right.
The special assistant was there from the beginning to the end.
But… Chi Ke wasn’t.
Chi Ke’s fingers tightened around the suicide note, his knuckles turning white.
It had been decades since he read the book, and his memory of the exact text was fuzzy.
But he vaguely remembered that starting from some chapter, the ‘Special Assistant Chi’ had become ‘The Special Assistant’, and the other characters no longer had direct interactions with him. The name ‘Chi Ke’ never appeared again in the book.
So, was that when the original owner committed suicide?
Quietly, unnoticed by the readers, and even he—who shared the same name—hadn’t realized it. Why hadn’t the author explained this?
…Ah, well, that makes sense.
For the author and the protagonists, he was just a side character. Why waste time explaining?
Even though he was the protagonist of his own life, who would care about him?
Chi Ke pressed his thin lips together, his face pale as he read each word carefully, paying attention to every detail.
The content was brief, with no explanation of the cause of death or any reflection on the past—just the future he imagined.
He said he wanted to see the grasslands and deserts, watch his younger brother go to college, pay off his debts, and fulfill his unfulfilled wishes…
But he was too tired, so he irresponsibly left.
When Chi Ke read this, he gave a bitter smile.
His friend was in quite a rush, didn’t even explain clearly, and now him, who wanted to take responsibility for him 8the original owner was left clueless.
He didn’t like getting involved in other people’s business, but using someone else’s identity without permission was really a presumptuous act. Whether it was the original owner’s debts or karmic consequences, it was his duty to take responsibility and repay them.
Without money or an identity, it was impossible to survive in this completely unfamiliar world. Even though the body was his own, Chi Ke couldn’t immediately cut ties with ‘Chi Ke.’
Besides, a person’s existence in this world comes with entanglements. It was impossible to sever everything in a short time.
He didn’t wish to tarnish the original owner’s reputation and relationships after his death; he had to find a way to wrap things up decently.
As for restoring the original owner’s life trajectory…
Sorry, he had to admit he wasn’t brave enough to end it all on his own. 9Okay I’ll let you know what I understood. Our MC doesn’t want to take the step of taking his own life like what the original owner did. And this is what I consider as ‘restoring the original owner’s life trajectory’. Please let me know whether this is wrong and what the correct one is. I’ll make the necessary changes to the translation if it’s needed.
Someone who had already died once didn’t want to die again.
Sorry.
He silently apologized in his heart: ‘Sorry for borrowing your identity without permission.’
Chi Ke carefully folded the note and, with great caution, placed it inside the ‘Essential Code of Ethics for Office Workers’ book, then returned all other personal belongings back to their original spots.
He put the sleeping pills back in the drawer, and when he stood up, his stomach, which had been hungry all day, let out a loud growl.
He had drunk a lot at the annual meeting but hadn’t eaten a single bite of food. 10If I did not clarify it above, the MC transmigrated with his own body, he is just using the original owner’s identity and not the original owner’s body.
Chi Ke thought gloomily: ‘Oh, looks like I’m not only a ghost but also a starving ghost.’
But right now, he was penniless. To eat, he had to borrow money from the original owner, and for work reasons, he also had to borrow their phone and laptop.
It’s an intrusion of privacy.
He absolutely had to get some money in the next few days to buy a new phone and laptop, he couldn’t keep using other people’s things.
Frustrated, Chi Ke rubbed his hair, still not having come up with a plan, when suddenly the long-neglected phone made a loud noise.
Its high-pitched sound was deafening!
‘I’m gazing up! Above the moon! How many dreams~ are~ flying~ in~ freedom~’ 11If I am not wrong, these lyrics resemble the lyrics of the song Above the Moon (《月亮之上》) by the Chinese pop duo ‘Phoenix Legend (凤凰传奇)’..
Chi Ke: “……”
The original owner was quite a character.
Although his ringtone from the previous life ‘The Most Dazzling National Style’, 12‘The Most Dazzling National Style’ is a famous song by the Chinese C-pop duo Phoenix Legend. was not much different from ‘Above the Moon.’
It was surprising that the two worlds overlapped so much. The basic structure remained the same, with the only changes likely being the names of places and laws, probably modified by the author for censorship.
Well, what a coincidence, they were both fans of Phoenix Legend.
Chi Ke smiled briefly, finally feeling relaxed for the first time tonight.
However, that relief didn’t last long.
He picked up the phone and saw two large characters on the screen—
[Living Dad] 13original is 活爹, please suggest what else we can use instead of ‘Living Dad’
Chi Ke: “…”
Who else could be called ‘Living Dad’ by a hardcore office worker other than that neurotic boss?
Leng Yunting, is that you?
Chi Ke scowled and answered the call.
“Get to Nanwu Garden right now! Fast! Drive your fastest car! You must be here in ten minutes!”
Hearing the loud noise Chi Ke held the phone at arm’s length.
[The man’s voice was low, magnetic, and rich, just like coffee with milk foam on top, on a dry winter day: smooth, bitter, with lingering taste, making one feel as if they are surrounded by a warm current.]
This was how the original text described Leng Yunting’s voice.
But, at that moment, listening to that thunderous voice, Chi Ke wanted to jump back into the novel’s comments section and let everyone know the reality.
This ‘bass king’ indeed had a unique low voice, but since it was full of anger, it felt more like a fire in winter, nothing related to the bitter-sweet coffee.
He really wished some authors would show coffee the respect it deserves and stop overusing it in metaphors.
Shouldn’t this be considered OOC? 14Out of character
Chi Ke took a deep breath and calmly said, “Mr. Leng, what’s going on? Is there anything I need prepare?”
“No need! Just bring yourself! Hurry!” Leng Yunting said anxiously, “Mianmian has a fever!!”
Chi Ke: “How high is the fever?”
Leng Yunting: “37.9 degrees!” 15Normal body temperature is 37 degrees/ 98.6F
Chi Ke: “That’s really serious.”
At this temperature, if he arrived a bit later, the fever would have subsided.
Leng Yunting, almost burning with anxiety, shouted, “What nonsense! It’s almost 38! Can’t you see how serious it is? Hurry up! If anything happens to Mianmian, I’ll let the whole world be buried with him!”
Chi Ke: “……”
He picked up the thick Civil Code book placed on the table.
He didn’t know the exact differences between this world’s laws and his own, but at least there shouldn’t be a law about legal funerals. 16What I understood: the legal funerals here are talking about how the MC is sure that there shouldn’t be something legal like the funeral of the whole world, in relation to how the Protagonist spoke of burying the whole world together with the protagonist uke. In short, it shouldn’t be legal to do what the protagonist said above.
Whatever, whether it’s Leng, Li, or Sima, or any other domineering CEO, they all need to follow the law and be good leaders!
He stuffed the heavy Civil Code into his bag and started dressing while tentatively asking, ‘Mr. Leng, should I bring Mr. Xu’s birthday gift with me?’
If he remembered correctly, the main character’s birthday was on October 21st.
There was less than a week left. Knowing Leng Yunting’s personality, the gift should have already been prepared by the special assistant.
Sure enough, Leng Yunting’s already low voice dropped even further, “Why are you mentioning this now? Of course, you can’t bring it! It’s not Mianmian’s birthday yet, don’t spoil the surprise. It’s our first birthday together, and I want to give him a big surprise!”
First?
So, this period was when the rich heir was chasing his poor partner.
It seems quite early in the story, but he had been chasing for over a year and a half.
The ‘Special Assistant’ wasn’t ‘Chi’ anymore by this point. The original owner had gone through a tough year and a half.
“Alright, boss,” Chi Ke replied, understanding the situation. He stopped asking further questions and quietly opened the map, “Mr. Leng, has the doctor arrived?”
Why call the special assistant instead of a doctor when someone is sick?
Leng Yunting: “The doctor? He’s busy, can’t come. Oh, thanks for reminding me, when you come, bring a doctor with you.”
Wasn’t my job just to remind you?
Although frustrated, Chi Ke focused on the point that puzzled him, “What happened to the doctor? If it’s the transportation issue, I can go pick him up.”
There were two reasons for saying this.
First, he was unfamiliar with the area, and it was late at night—where could he find a new doctor?
Second, he was a bit confused.
Xu Liemian was Leng Yunting’s whole world, and it was mentioned somewhere in the book, that the special assistant couldn’t miss the jewelry auction that had the jewelry that Xu Lemian liked, not even if the special assistant broke a leg. Now that Xu Liemian had a fever, what kind of excuse could the private doctor have to take the night off?
This part of the book had been glossed over, and there was definitely no life-and-death moment. 17Regarding Xu Lemian’s fever, it was not such big deal in the plot that our MC read
Leng Yunting: “Ji Qian’s sister-in-law’s grandmother’s niece’s husband’s nephew’s older brother passed away.”
Hearing that, Chi Ke who was leaving his house, tripped over the threshold: “…”
Chi Ke: “?”
Awesome! That reason (or is it excuse?) is so awesome!
Me breaking the last sentence only to end up …. basically Ji Qian sister in law distant cousin died
I like to think that Leng,Li,Sima whatever his name is has the whole thing memorized because doc just adds onto the same excuse everytime. Sis in law the first time, Grandmother the second time, etc etc
The way chi ke treats the og owner is really sweet, calling him a friend, willing to take over responsibility, unwilling to intrude on the privacy of someone who wouldn’t even know that it was intruded upon. Just. Really kind.
That doctor knows about work-life balance