Chapter 1 New World
<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
It was scorching hot. Lin Zhaohe squatted by the roadside, slurping noodles while looking at his phone.
The noodle stall owner standing nearby caught a glimpse of his phone screen and asked out of curiosity, “Which level have you reached?”
Lin Zhaohe answered, “13,067…”
Upon hearing this, the owner shook his head and sighed, “Ah, young people these days lack patience. I’ve already surpassed 30,000 levels.”
Lin Zhaohe remained unaffected by the owner’s disapproval. With his previous account, he had played over 70,000 levels, often urging the developers to release updates. It became quite monotonous.
The owner had been running his stall there for almost a year, and the neighbors knew that his beef noodles were delicious. The noodles in Lin Zhaohe’s hands were freshly made, releasing a gentle steam. The rich beef broth contained white rice noodles, generously topped with spicy sauce and a few beef slices, garnished with fresh green onions. Just the sight of it awakened one’s appetite.
Lin Zhaohe took a big bite and chewed a few times before swallowing. Just as he was about to take another bite, he heard urgent shouts and rapid footsteps nearby. Lin Zhaohe snapped back to his senses abruptly, only to find that the noodle stall beside him had disappeared. The few customers had vanished too, leaving him standing there, feeling bewildered. He looked up and noticed a black carriage appearing in the clear blue sky. The carriage seemed oddly familiar, like he had seen it somewhere before.
While pondering over this, the massive carriage swooped down towards the ground, causing a loud crash and leaving behind a deep crater. Black smoke billowed out from around the carriage, and a dark figure rose above it, partially blocking the sky. The figure twisted and contorted, emitting an eerie sound resembling a chorus of mournful cries. Lin Zhaohe only heard a couple of those sounds before his ears started throbbing in pain.
As Lin Zhaohe stared at the carriage, he couldn’t help but mutter to himself. Suddenly, a spark of realization flashed through his mind, and he remembered something. He couldn’t hold back a curse that slipped from his mouth.
“Damn it,” Lin Zhaohe cursed, “How on earth did this thing show up?!”
While muttering, he ran away swiftly with the bowl of beef noodles in his hand, covering quite a distance. When he glanced back, he saw the street behind him swallowed by black smoke, almost like a separate world from where Lin Zhaohe stood…
Gasping for breath, Lin Zhaohe took a deep breath and lowered his head to glance at the beef noodles he couldn’t bear to abandon. By now, a thick layer of dust had settled on top of them, making them inedible.
“…” Staring at the beef noodles for a whole minute, Lin Zhaohe let out a long, weary sigh and tearfully threw the noodles into the trash.
“I’ll definitely send all of you back where you belong, sooner or later,” Lin Zhaohe vowed resentfully. Just as he was about to continue, his phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the caller ID, and immediately answered, his voice transforming from coarse swearing to a gentle and oily tone. “Hello~ Boss~”
“Stay calm,” a deep and magnetic voice came from the other end of the phone. “Where are you?”
“Min’an Street, slurping noodles,” Lin Zhaohe honestly replied.
“Isn’t there some trouble over there?”
Lin Zhaohe loved this tone of his boss, oblivious to the fact that his own voice had softened even more. “Yes, I just came from there,” he answered, brushing off the dust from his clothes and coughing lightly.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” Lin Zhaohe replied, “I managed to escape…”
“Then come to the office,” the boss suggested, “There’s something urgent.”
“Alright,” Lin Zhaohe nodded in agreement.
The boss made a sound of acknowledgment and ended the call. Lin Zhaohe let out a soft sigh as he listened to the gentle beeping sound.
Ever since that incident happened three years ago, everyone’s lives had become filled with sorrow. Previously, they struggled and worked hard due to the pressures of life, but now, merely staying alive was considered a miracle. Not to mention finding a stable job or having a spouse and children—they had all become distant dreams.
Therefore, Lin Zhaohe valued his current job greatly, wishing he could spend every day from nine to nine in the company.
When the boss gave the order, Lin Zhaohe naturally had to obey. Disregarding the dust on his body, he quickly headed towards the company.
On the way, he encountered many people who had escaped from Min’an Street. Everyone had a worn-out and disheartened appearance, looking back at the street, now shrouded in black fog, with worried expressions.
From deep within the black fog, occasional piercing cries and tremendous crashes could be heard, as if the whole world was on the brink of destruction. In the past, people would have taken out their phones, exclaiming and recording the scene, but now weariness and fear were the only emotions displayed on people’s faces, devoid of the initial excitement and curiosity…
Lin Zhaohe had long grown accustomed to such situations, but he let out a soft sigh in his heart.
The company wasn’t too far from Min’an Street, just three streets away.
Lin Zhaohe climbed the stairs, reaching the third floor, and opened the door. He saw the receptionist, Xiao Ci, sitting at the entrance, painting her nails. When Xiao Ci noticed his arrival, she curved her lips, intending to say something.
“Stop,” Lin Zhaohe quickly interrupted her, “Where is Boss Zhuang? I need to find him urgently.”
Xiao Ci: “He’s in his office…”
Lin Zhaohe swiftly left, not giving Xiao Ci a chance to speak. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but if he did, he would have to spend at least half an hour chatting here.
He hurriedly entered the office, as if a gust of wind, and saw Zhuang Lao seated across the desk.
Zhuang Lao was undeniably the most handsome man Lin Zhaohe had ever seen. Currently, he was wearing a white shirt, sitting at the other end of the table, his elbow resting on the desk and his chin supported by his hand. He seemed bored, casually perusing through some documents. Upon hearing Lin Zhaohe’s arrival, he didn’t move much, except his dark eyes, as black as ink, lifted slightly, their gaze penetrating through his gold-rimmed glasses and landing on Lin Zhaohe. Spotting Lin Zhaohe’s presence, he casually removed his glasses and rubbed his nose bridge. “You’re here?”
Lin Zhaohe called out, “Mr. Zhuang, what’s the urgent matter?”
Zhuang Lao casually tossed something he was holding onto the table in front of Lin Zhaohe. “Take a look.”
It was a notebook. Lin Zhaohe took it and flipped through a few pages, initially thinking it contained some relevant information. However, the more he read, the more uncomfortable he felt. His ears turned slightly red, and he glanced at Zhuang Lao before nervously speaking, “Mr. Zhuang, this, isn’t it inappropriate?”
“What’s inappropriate about it?”
Lin Zhaohe wondered if workplace dynamics had become this direct nowadays. But if he refused, would he face repercussions? If he faced repercussions, would he have to resign? And if he resigned, would he be able to find another job with a stable 9-to-6 schedule, benefits, and weekends off… After carefully contemplating, he realized that Zhuang Lao did indeed have an attractive appearance, and and it seemed like he hadn’t suffered any losses…
After a significant internal struggle, Lin Zhaohe firmly stated, “Mr. Zhuang, there needs to be a salary increase.”
Zhuang Lao: “?”
Lin Zhaohe: “Actually, it doesn’t have to be a substantial increase…”
Zhuang Lao: “What the hell are you thinking?”
Lin Zhaohe: “Huh?”
Zhuang Lao seldom used profanity, but today he unexpectedly cursed, catching Lin Zhaohe off guard. It instantly diminished his confidence, and he mumbled, “It’s okay if you don’t want to increase it, but could we have some additional benefits?”
Zhuang Lao: “…”
Lin Zhaohe: “Alright, no need for perks. Actually, things are pretty good as they are now.”
Observing his subordinate gradually adopting a meek appearance and lowering his demands, Zhuang Lao chuckled. “I just wanted you to follow this story.”
Lin Zhaohe was stunned. “Isn’t this a BL novel? And you call it a ‘story’—could it be… the main character from inside has also emerged?”
Zhuang Lao: “What if that’s the case?”
Lin Zhaohe: “…” Outrageous.
Zhuang Lao: “Will you accept it?”
Lin Zhaohe’s hands shook as he looked at the notebook in his hands. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he spoke with a trembling voice, “Boss…”
Zhuang Lao: “Go ahead and take it.”
Lin Zhaohe: “Hoo……”
Zhuang Lao: “No more whining.”
Lin Zhaohe: “I thought… I thought it was something else.” He had mistaken it for an unwritten rule.
Zhuang Lao sighed and spoke warmly, “Go outside and take a look in the mirror.”
Lin Zhaohe replied, “… ” Fine, he’d go out to pee and see what he looked like.
No more whining. As Lin Zhaohe entered the office, he was filled with enthusiasm, but upon leaving, his head drooped in a dispirited manner, resembling a deflated balloon, almost appearing like a two-dimensional creature.
Lin Zhaohe, filled with sorrow, wondered why they made him follow this list. He was simply a twenty-four-year-old pure-hearted boy who had never experienced romance, not even with a girl. And now, he had to dive straight into relationships with men?
In a dazed state, as Lin Zhaohe walked out of the company, he was once again called out by the receptionist. This time, Xiao Ci didn’t allow him to interrupt and shouted loudly, “Lin Zhaohe, did you go to work in the mines?”
“What did you say?”
Xiao Ci handed him a mirror.
Lin Zhaohe thought to himself, “Xiao Ci, you really know how to hit someone where it hurts.” He almost cried out loud until he saw his reflection in the mirror. Oh, he truly looked like someone who had just crawled out of a coal mine.
The black mist from earlier on Min’an Street had somehow attached itself to his face and body. At first glance, he appeared as though he had just emerged from a pile of coal. Lin Zhaohe looked at his reflection in the mirror and discreetly wiped away a trace of disappointment from his heart.
“What do you have there?” Xiao Ci noticed the notebook in Lin Zhaohe’s hand.
Concerned that the girl might misunderstand, Lin Zhaohe quickly gestured and said, “It’s information provided by the boss.”
Xiao Ci asked, “Does Boss Zhang also ask you to read BL stories?”
Lin Zhaohe: “?”
Xiao Ci: “Sounds thrilling…”
Lin Zhaohe: “??? How does a young girl like you know about that?”
Xiao Ci: “This novel is incredibly famous, everyone knows about it. There’s a website called jj, and my younger sister loves reading novels on it. This particular novel has gained tremendous popularity and has been at the top of the rankings for almost a year.”
“E-Everyone?”
“Yes.”
Lin Zhaohe fell into deep contemplation, lost in a long silence. He pondered whether he had been disconnected from the current times for too long. How was it that he understood every individual word that someone was saying, but when they wre put together, their meaning eluded him?
Concealing his confusion, Lin Zhaohe pretended to remain composed and nodded.
Xiao Ci thought for a moment and reached out her hand, “Stay positive, Boss Zhang is a good person.”
Indeed, she was right.
Xiao Ci initially intended to pat his shoulder, but hesitated upon noticing his entirely soot-covered appearance. She retracted her hand halfway and spoke with sincerity, “You’re the one climbing up.”
“……Right.”
If you enjoy this novel, support the Translator ginevre on her ko-fi account :))
<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
