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Chapter 1
Yan Shiqiu had lived through plenty of socially humiliating moments before, and he always followed the philosophy: As long as I’m not embarrassed, it’s other people who have to feel awkward. With that in mind, he always kept a smile on his face, his expression full of innocence, so every time he found himself in a social death scenario, he could just breeze past it effortlessly, turning the page like it was nothing.
But this time? He just wanted to ascend on the spot and stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun.
The moment he opened his eyes, he found himself clinging to a stranger like a freaking koala, his lips pressed right up against the other man’s. The distance between them was so close that he could see the fury deep in the man’s eyes.
Then, in the next second, the man practically ripped him off and shoved him away forcefully. Yan Shiqiu stumbled back a step, his fingers still clutching the stranger’s shirt as he stood there, dumbfounded, locked in a stare-off with the man whose face had gone completely dark.
The man was shirtless, his upper body all muscle—lean and toned, with just the right balance of strength and definition. He was tall, with long limbs, and his features were striking—sharp brows, deep-set eyes, and thick lashes that made his gaze look even more intense and unreadable.
“…Who is this man?”
Yan Shiqiu’s brain was filled with question marks.
For a few seconds, the air was so tense it practically froze. The man strode over to a nearby lounge chair, snatched up a bathrobe, threw it on, then aggressively wiped his mouth before growling in a voice thick with anger, “What the hell is wrong with you?!”
“You are…”
Yan Shiqiu had barely said two words before he snapped his mouth shut, realization hitting him like a truck.
The sheer absurdity of what he was experiencing right now… The only logical explanation was that after his car accident, he had somehow, just like in those TV dramas and web novels, traveled into another world.
This was a parallel universe.
He distinctly remembered that just a short while ago, his car had slammed into a guardrail, flown off a bridge, and plunged straight into the ocean.
The suffocating sensation from that moment was still fresh in his memory.
So even if he had miraculously survived, there was no way he’d suddenly wake up by a pool, draped all over a stranger and kissing the man, all while clutching his shirt like a lunatic.
Yan Shiqiu’s eyes flickered downward, catching sight of the shirt in his hands. He immediately let go, tossing it back to the man and tacking on a polite, “…Sorry about that.”
The man didn’t even bother catching it. He just stood there, staring at Yan Shiqiu with a gaze full of hostility, his dark eyes cold as ice. “Yan Shiqiu, what the hell are you trying to pull this time?”
…?
Wait. Did he just called him Yan Shiqiu?
He knew him?
Hold up.
Not only did he just forcefully kiss some dude, but he also stripped him in the process? And this was happening by a pool in what appeared to be some kind of fancy villa? Not far off, inside the villa, there was a party going on—glasses clinking, lively chatter, the whole nine yards…
Oh. My. God.
A ridiculous, completely insane possibility slammed into Yan Shiqiu’s brain. He hesitantly called out, “Ji Yunnian?”
“Don’t say my name.” The man’s disgust was written all over his face, like just hearing it cost him a few pounds of flesh.
“…”
Yan Shiqiu felt like he had just been struck by lightning.
He had definitely traveled into a book. And not just any book—he had landed inside a danmei novel he had skimmed through just a few days ago, and to top it all off, he had become a minor villain with the exact same name as him.
He had only found out about this book because he was lurking on a gossip forum and stumbled across a post by one of his anti-fans, who had been enthusiastically recommending it. The novel’s side character didn’t just share his name—the author was also one of his haters.
Yan Shiqiu had thought it was hilarious, so he gave it a read.
In hindsight, if you ever come across a novel where a character has the same name as you, you should probably memorize the whole damn thing.
Because you might just end up inside it.
And now, here he was, living it firsthand.
But the problem was, he had only skimmed the book. He hadn’t paid close attention to the details—he just remembered the general plot, the kind of person his character was, one particularly cringe-worthy villainous stunt, and, of course, how terribly his character met his end.
The main characters of the novel were Ji Yunnian and Wen Chen. The whole story revolved around their romance. Setting aside the author’s personal biases, it was just your typical fluffy danmei novel.
Ji Yunnian was the second young master of the Ji family—born with a silver spoon in his mouth, spoiled by his parents, and doted on by his big brother. When he entered the entertainment industry, he shot to fame overnight and eventually became a legendary actor, winning every major award and gaining millions of fans. Meanwhile, Wen Chen came from an academic family—his grandfather was a renowned calligrapher, his parents were university professors, and he himself had graduated from Stanford Law School, later becoming a high-profile lawyer.
As for the character Yan Shiqiu had been dropped into? He was Wen Chen’s cousin. A complete and utter idiot. Desperate for love to the point of brain rot, dumb and malicious, manipulated by the actual villain, Ye Peiyuan, with a few sweet words. He caused a ridiculous amount of trouble, ruined his own family, and ultimately died alone in some godforsaken place.
Right now, he was in the middle of acting out that particularly cringe-worthy villainous stunt.
This exact moment was “his” third appearance in the novel. His mission? To stir up scandal for Ji Yunnian on behalf of Ye Peiyuan, using public opinion to damage the Ji family’s reputation and give Ye Peiyuan an opening to profit.
Ye Peiyuan’s instructions were simple: publicly confess his love to Ji Yunnian at the party and create a sensationalized gay scandal.
Ye Peiyuan had even arranged for someone to take photos in advance. The plan was for “him” to find a way to get close to Ji Yunnian, initiate physical contact—preferably a kiss or some other intimate move—so the photos would be even more damning when they leaked.
When Yan Shiqiu had first read this part in the novel, his reaction had been pure subway old man looking at phone meme.
But now? Now that he had actually become the Yan Shiqiu in the book, and was personally experiencing this dumbass, full-of-plot-holes scene? He was absolutely losing it.
He had a very clear memory of this part.
In the novel, “he” had forced a kiss on Ji Yunnian by the pool, then tore off his clothes. Ji Yunnian, absolutely livid, decided to give him a taste of his own medicine—not by kissing him back, obviously, but by stripping him instead.
And not just that. He had yanked off everything, leaving only a pair of underwear and a bath towel before walking away, leaving “him” standing there humiliated.
Now, standing by a pool in just underwear wasn’t too bad. And Ji Yunnian had even been merciful enough to leave a towel. The real problem was that this novel’s Yan Shiqiu was extra as hell and had been wearing a thong.
A straight-up, full-on social death moment.
No way in hell was he letting this play out like the original.
Ji Yunnian was already storming toward him, pissed, so Yan Shiqiu had no time to think up a better solution. He instantly switched up his strategy, summoning every bit of emotion he had—his nose tingled, his eyes welled up, and then, just like that, tears started streaming down his face. His vision blurred.
Ji Yunnian froze mid-step.
His lips parted, about to say something, but before he could, Yan Shiqiu suddenly spun around—
—And jumped into the pool.
…???
What the hell?!
Ji Yunnian stood there, arms crossed, face blank, making absolutely no move to help.
One second passed. Then two. Then five.
Yan Shiqiu still hadn’t come up for air. In fact, he was sinking even deeper, his body limp, like he had completely lost consciousness.
Ji Yunnian’s expression shifted. Without hesitation, he jumped in, cutting through the water with swift, practiced strokes until he reached Yan Shiqiu and dragged him to the surface.
He pushed him onto the poolside first, then climbed out after him.
Standing over Yan Shiqiu, completely drenched, he coldly looked down at him and scoffed. “What, pulling the pity card now?”
Yan Shiqiu, in his heart: Damn right, I am.
He lifted his head, his eyes still red from the crying act, and without missing a beat, fired back: “You owe me eight hundred million in damages.”
For a full few seconds, Ji Yunnian just stared at him, clearly in complete disbelief at what he’d just heard. Then, finally, he let out a short, cold laugh. “Eight hundred million? You really think you’re worth that much?”
By now, Yan Shiqiu had managed to gather his thoughts. He had already mapped out a rough game plan in his head.
His eyes flicked briefly to a dense patch of shrubs not too far away. Sure enough, hidden inside was a man holding a camera, snapping photos like his life depended on it.
Bingo.
He quickly estimated the distance. They were too far away to pick up his words, but close enough for the images to be misinterpreted.
Turning back to Ji Yunnian, he lowered his voice and said, “I’m not worth it. But you are. Your family is.”
Ji Yunnian’s eyes darkened slightly as he picked up on the underlying meaning. His gaze stayed on Yan Shiqiu for a long moment, unreadable.
Thanks to the swim, Yan Shiqiu was now drenched, his already pale complexion looking even more washed out. His lips were nearly colorless, and his eyes, rimmed with red, made him look even more pitiful than before.
His white shirt, soaked through, clung to his body, practically see-through at this point. His skin tone was completely visible beneath the wet fabric.
But Yan Shiqiu didn’t shy away. He stood there, unbothered, letting Ji Yunnian take in the sight.
Ji Yunnian’s brows twitched slightly, and he instantly looked away. Then, seeing the completely indifferent look on Yan Shiqiu’s face, and remembering the forced kiss from earlier, his disgust deepened.
“One trick fails, so you’re trying another?” Ji Yunnian sneered. “You really think I’d fall for it?”
Yan Shiqiu blinked at him innocently, then, completely deadpan, added, “I swear I’m not lying. If I am, I’m a dog.” Then, he tilted his head, widened his eyes, and let out a tiny, deliberate: “Woof?”
For a brief second, Ji Yunnian looked stunned.
Then his face twisted.
Yan Shiqiu immediately wiped away the mischievous look and switched back to serious mode. “Look, today’s whole mess? Someone set me up for it. There’s a man taking pictures right now, two hundred meters behind you, in the bushes.”
Ji Yunnian’s expression shifted. He was about to turn his head when Yan Shiqiu quickly stopped him. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You don’t want to scare him off. Best to wait and strike when he’s not expecting it.”
Ji Yunnian fell silent. His gaze on Yan Shiqiu grew slightly more focused.
After a moment, he straightened up and walked over to grab a towel, tossing it at Yan Shiqiu. “Explain. Now.”
Yan Shiqiu wrapped himself up in the towel, casually shaking the water out of his hair, but instead of answering right away, he glanced around and muttered, “This isn’t the best place for a conversation. You go ahead first. I’ll come find you in a bit and tell you everything.”
Ji Yunnian crossed his arms. “Why should I trust you? What if you just run away?”
Yan Shiqiu thought for a moment, then answered, “Well… because I’m cute?”
Ji Yunnian: “…”
“Joking, joking.” Yan Shiqiu grinned. “You know where I live. Where am I even supposed to run to?”
After a brief pause, he added, “If you don’t trust me, I can give you my ID.”
Saying this, he pushed himself up and started rummaging through his stuff.
Ji Yunnian rolled his eyes. “Forget it. I’ll be in the study on the second floor.” And with that, he turned to leave.
“Wait a sec.” Yan Shiqiu called after him. “Do you have any dry clothes?”
Ji Yunnian ignored him completely and walked off without so much as a backward glance.
Yan Shiqiu: “…”
Petty.
Fine.
No need to get mad.
Yan Shiqiu took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. He reminded himself that Ji Yunnian was the main character. If he could just hold onto that golden thigh, he might actually make it out of this situation alive.
Alright. Time to deal with the real problem—the man taking pictures.
Turning around, still wrapped in the towel, Yan Shiqiu made his way toward the bushes.
The photographer hadn’t left yet.
The man—one of the servers at the party—was still crouched there, camera in hand. Yan Shiqiu remembered him from the novel. His name was Zhao Liang.
“Did you get the shots?” Yan Shiqiu asked casually.
“Yes, I got tons. Even filmed a short clip. Want to take a look?” Zhao Liang grinned, holding out the camera.
Yan Shiqiu flipped through the photos, then watched the video. Even he felt sick looking at them. Ji Yunnian had serious self-control—if someone had pulled that stunt on him, he would’ve beaten them half to death.
No wonder the man hated his guts.
Although it wasn’t him.
“You didn’t make any backups, did you?” Yan Shiqiu suddenly asked, his tone light but firm. “Just a heads-up—if you try to sell or leak these pictures on your own, I will sue you. You’d be looking at some serious jail time. You get me?”
Zhao Liang nodded frantically. “I get it, I get it!”
“Good.”
Yan Shiqiu hummed in approval.
“So… should I send them to President Ye now?” Zhao Liang asked cautiously.
“No need.” Yan Shiqiu pulled out the camera’s memory card and pocketed it before handing the camera back. “I’m meeting Peiyuan-ge later. I’ll give it to him myself.”
“…Huh?”
“What? You don’t trust me?” Yan Shiqiu raised a brow, his voice casual but laced with just the right amount of authority. “Want to call Peiyuan-ge and check?”
The original “Yan Shiqiu” from the book had been completely obsessed with Ye Peiyuan. The man had strung him along with sweet words and fake affection, keeping him by his side at all times.
Zhao Liang clearly didn’t dare to offend him. He quickly shook his head. “No, no, I trust you!”
“Then we’re good.”
Yan Shiqiu waved the memory card slightly, then walked past Zhao Liang without another word.
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