Luo An intended to accompany Chu Jin to the hospital, but perhaps due to staying by Chu Jin’s side for so long, away from his body, his soul began to weaken. He gradually felt his strength fading.
Especially when passing by the intruder—his own body—Luo An felt an invisible force pulling at him, just like the resistance he’d experienced in the first year after the soul swap when he couldn’t leave his body. It was completely inescapable.
Reluctantly, Luo An had to temporarily leave Chu Jin.
Luo An followed the intruder around Chu Corporation twice before returning to the Luo residence, which was unexpectedly empty.
His three brothers were undoubtedly still at work, but where were his parents? Since handing the company over to his brothers, his father usually stayed home except for occasional gatherings with old friends. His mother was the same.
A flicker of confusion passed through Luo An’s mind as he followed the intruder to the bedroom.
While climbing the stairs, the intruder seemed unwell, stumbling twice and barely steadying himself against the wall.
“System?” the intruder attempted to call out mentally, trying twice before remembering he’d depleted the system’s energy earlier to deal with the Chu Jin problem.
Outside, dark clouds had gathered, obscuring the sunlight and casting a gloomy atmosphere.
It was about to rain.
…
An hour earlier, Chu Jin had followed Mrs. Chen’s directions to this villa.
Initially, Chu Jin thought he and Mrs. Chen were isolated cases. After all, the idea of swapping souls sounded like a far-fetched tale no one would believe.
But Chu Jin hadn’t expected to see so many people in front of the villa.
The Luo parents led the group. Uncle Luo, whom Chu Jin remembered as healthy, now leaned on a cane, hands behind his back, silent. Mrs. Chen dabbed at her reddened eyes and nodded to Chu Jin.
Behind them stood Luo An’s three brothers. The eldest, as always, remained calm and tight-lipped. The second patted Chu Jin’s shoulder. The third stood up and handed Chu Jin an envelope.
Further back were some of Luo An’s racing friends, and even the Luo family’s butler…
The letter was also from Chu Jin to himself.
Four years ago, Chu Jin was the first to notice Luo An’s change. The young master, who used to bicker with him on sight, suddenly became very quiet, even nodding and smiling when he caught Chu Jin’s gaze.
At first, Chu Jin couldn’t believe it either. The idea of a different soul inhabiting the body was too incredible.
“Luo An” claimed the accident had made him appreciate the value of life and inspired him to change for the better.
But Chu Jin always felt something was off.
With doubts in his heart, Chu Jin investigated secretly, unexpectedly discovering another group during his inquiry.
Those people were arranged by Luo An’s parents.
At first, Luo An’s parents were indeed amazed by their child’s transformation. Sensible and well-behaved, the “Luo An” who woke up from the accident was exactly as they had hoped.
But soon after, the parents sensed something strange.
This was the child they had doted on and raised. How could parents, family members, not recognize him?
The third brother was the most impulsive and wanted to confront “Luo An” without much thought. But who would believe such an absurd story? It took much persuasion to hold back the third brother, his eyes red and fists clenched tight.
They had no choice but to proceed cautiously.
They didn’t know where the real Luo An was and feared any rash moves might alert the impostor, putting Luo An in danger.
The search was conducted in utmost secrecy.
For four years, the Luo family scoured nearly half of Country A. The three brothers used business trips as excuses to search distant cities, while the parents sought out “extraordinary individuals” under the guise of “visiting relatives” and “friend gatherings.”
Unbelievably, Mr. and Mrs. Luo, who were raised in scholarly families, were conned over a hundred times in just four years.
Chu Jin had been deceived too.
The worst time, he nearly lost his life.
It was a half-baked Taoist priest who, upon hearing Chu Jin was looking for a way to “summon spirits,” lured him to an old mansion for a generous reward.
The priest claimed the mansion was full of wandering souls, some ancient and powerful, who might have encountered Luo An.
It sounded dubious, but Chu Jin believed it.
He had no choice. He had to pursue any glimmer of hope.
What if?
The result was predictable. Heaven didn’t grant Chu Jin that one-in-ten-thousand chance.
Not only did he fail to find the soul, but Chu Jin was also bitten by a snake.
His leg swelled visibly, and Chu Jin quickly developed a high fever. Worse, the mansion was in a remote location, hours away from the nearest hospital.
The “priest,” clearly frightened, fled without a word.
As darkness fell, the surroundings grew noisy with crickets chirping and the occasional snap of twigs from unseen wild animals.
Chu Jin sat on a hastily cleared platform, his unfocused eyes wide open.
The man was delirious, mumbling Luo An’s name over and over.
His consciousness sank deeper, breathing became increasingly difficult, and the snake bite throbbed painfully. Cold sweat covered his brow, his lips trembling from the effort to endure.
Chu Jin felt as if he were drowning in endless darkness, unable to grasp even a single piece of driftwood.
But he wasn’t afraid of pain or darkness. He just felt regret and sadness for not finding Luo An, for not bringing Luo An home.
…He missed Luo An.
Author’s Note:
Actually, many people remember An’an ^ω^
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